JULY 13, 2014, Vol 64 No 14

SUNDAY JULY 13, 2014

SINGAPORE 50 CENTS / WEST MALAYSIA RM$1.20

MCI (P) 081/08/2013

PPS 201/04/2013 (022940)

Pastoral letter to Catholics with same-sex orientation Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, A number of you have reacted strongly to my letter of 21 June, 2014 on the Church’s official position on the family. You have expressed hurt, anger and disappointment; that the Church, like the rest of society, seemed to ostracise you and showed inconsistency in her preaching of compassion, by not approving of your freedom to love.

The Church does not disapprove of a loving relationship between same-sex individuals that is chaste and faithful but a sexual relationship between same-sex individuals as it is not in accordance with the divine plan of God. Same-sex inclination in itself is not a sin but as love often seeks to express itself physically, the challenge to be chaste and faithful to the divine plan of God is ever present.

I apologise if my initial statement conveyed insensitivity as from your feedback, I have come to realise that there is much variation in thought and lifestyle within this community. I want you to know that I am not indifferent to your pain and frustration, as I see many Catholics with same-sex orientation for spiritual support, counselling and healing. I know many of you truly love Christ and His Church, and seek to be faithful to the Gospel. Furthermore, many of you strive to live loving, faithful and chaste lives. Difficult as it seems, we, as members of the Catholic Church, must accept her teachings on chastity in relationships, regardless of sexual orientation, and strive to align our will with the will of God as revealed in sacred scripture, tradition and the magisterium of the Church.

As the Bishop of the local Church which is a part of the Universal Catholic Church, my primary responsibility is to instruct the Faithful in accordance with the teachings of the Universal Church. I am not at liberty to change the truth as revealed in sacred scripture and that which is taught by the Magisterium of the Church, with regards to sexual relationships between those of the opposite sex, same gender, or any other issues e.g. divorce, contraception, abortion etc. What I wrote was not new but simply a restatement addressed to the Catholic Faithful. It presumes that those who are addressed believe in Christ and the inspired Word of God and the authority of the Church. St Paul wrote,

I want you to know that I am not indifferent to your pain and frustration...

“I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.” (1 Tim 3:15). He also says, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16).

To the Thessalonians, he wrote, “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.” (1 Thess 2:13).

The Catholic moral viewpoint is founded on human reason illumined by faith. The Church is thus in a position to learn from scientific discovery but also to transcend the horizons of science and to be confident that her more global vision does greater justice to the rich reality of the human person in his spiritual and physical dimensions. Hence when science seems to contradict divine revelation as taught in the Bible, our faith must hold fast to the Word of God even if we cannot agree. For if reason is sufficient to find the truth, then there is no need for faith. Hence faith complements reason. St Paul underscores this when he says, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?” (Rom 11:33) There are many texts in sacred scripture which explicitly state that sexual relationships between those of the same gender are not permissible. St Paul’s letter to the Romans, among many other texts, states, “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.” (Rom 1:24-28) Many same-sex oriented individuals sincerely believe that they are entitled to engage in sexual practices with others of the same gender as they are born with such an inclination. Whether same-sex orientation is due to nature or nurture is something that science has not proven conclusively. If it were so, there would be no debate. To date, there has been no n Continued on Page 17

VOL 64

NO. 14

INSIDE HOME

Altar servers bond over soccer Archbishop’s Cup held at Tampines n Page 8

ASIA

Pope’s trip to Korea Will beatify martyrs, meet young people n Page 9

WORLD

Crisis in Iraq Some Christians returning to villages n Page 12

POPE FRANCIS

Pontiff stresses religious freedom Notes persecution of Christians because of faith n Page 13

Pope slams mafia Says they are excommunicated n Page 15

BIBLE SUNDAY MESSAGE

Finding priceless treasure n Pages 20-21

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Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

Archbishop lays out work plan for the S’pore Catholic Church

By Clara Lai “It is my hope that the Church will sustain and grow in Singapore so that all Catholics will benefit.”

Archbishop William Goh made this statement at a conference at the Catholic Junior College on June 21.

Over 300 representatives of archdiocesan organisations had gathered for the event to listen to the archbishop’s 10-year pastoral plan for the local Church. On May 3, he had met with representatives of parish ministries.

In his address, Archbishop Goh also highlighted the areas that have opportunities for growth, with certain issues like marriages, where the Catholic percentage of divorces is higher than the national average; in Catholic schools, to recapture a creative evangelistic spirit and Catholic ethos; and in catechesis, where youth and neophytes leave after Confirmation or baptism.

The archbishop also noted how the Catholic migrants “give us a false feeling of complacency”.

“Our churches are full, yes, but easily about half are migrants,” he said. “I always have the impression that the migrants are filling up the churches for us, more than our evangelical zeal.”

To solve this issue, Archbishop Goh said, “We cannot run the Catholic Church as if it’s a corporate organisation. Everybody must have a place in the Church.”

The archbishop’s pastoral vision is to build an evangelistic and missionary Church.

“If you’re not evangelistic, you’re not Christian, because a good Christian wants to share the Good News,” he exhorted.

Archbishop Goh estimated that there are about 300,000 Catholics in Singapore today. If each person were to bring just one new person to the Church each year, there would be an increase of 300,000 Catholics annually.

“We could easily build another 30 churches in 10 years!” he exclaimed.

Archbishop Goh also spoke of the structure he has put in place for an evangelistic and missionary Church. He gave credit to his vicar generals Msgr Ambrose Vaz and Msgr Philip Heng, chancellor Fr John-Paul Tan, episcopal vicar for new evangelisation Fr Erbin Fernandez, financial administrator Deacon Clement Chen, judicial vicar Fr Terence Pereira and executive secretary to consultors Fr Ignatius Yeo. Archbishop Goh also spoke of his work plan for the next 10 years since he assumed office in

‘If you’re not evangelistic, you’re not Christian, because a good Christian wants to share the Good News.’

– Archbishop William Goh

Archbishop William Goh spoke to representatives of Church organisations at Catholic Junior College on June 21.

The participants engaged in small group discussions over lunch.

The audience at the conference.

2013. In his first year, he said he got in touch with the parishes and priests, and set up archdiocesan offices like the Catholic Theological Institute of Singapore (CTIS) and the Office for New Evangelisation (ONE).

For the next nine years, he said, there would be restructuring for an evangelistic and missionary Church, like the setting up of ONE in parishes, having all offices and commissions operational, and perhaps a diocesan synod too.

Following the archbishop’s address, the participants had small group discussions over

lunch. Thereafter, there was a question-and-answer session, as well as presentations by Fr Erbin and Msgr Heng.

Fr Erbin gave an introduction to ONE, and the mandates that the office is introducing in response to Archbishop Goh’s address and to build up the new evangelisation.

He said that there are many methods of carrying out new evangelisation, but “we are in the process of trying to work something out for our archdiocese that would fit our current situation”.

These include “the formation of a mature community”, “an at-

titude of disciple-making in all that we do”, and to “re-learn or re-visit the way that we pray” so as to “introduce a stronger sense of prayer”.

Msgr Heng told the audience, he welcomed information on “where your ministry or commission is heading to in terms of needs, space and finance.”

He added, “I think it’s important too to give us your feedback so it can be put in this strategic plan.”

Ms Jennifer Anthoney, 34, a participant representing the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission told CatholicNews, “I’m glad the

bishop took the time to speak to us now, through lots of prayer and lots of discernment.” She added that she will bring back what she learnt to the commission to “look at how we can add value to the bishop’s plan”.

Another member of the audience, executive director of Abilities Beyond Limitations and Expectations (ABLE) Gene Lee said that the archbishop “gives us a very clear understanding of his vision and how he wants to move forward over the next 10 years”. n clara.lai@catholic.org.sg

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Queen of Peace church undergoes renovation for 60th anniversary

By Clara Lai He had wanted to “pay attention to places to pray and places of learning”, said Fr Joachim Chang, parish priest of the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace.

In an interview with CatholicNews on the soonto-be-completed renovations in the main church, canteen and parish hall, he said it all started with the “aircon breaking down”, after which they were told by Singapore Civil Defence Force that they had to rewire certain parts of the church.

Therefore, in conjunction with the parish’s 60th anniversary this year, they decide to “renew the place”. The last renovation of the church was 17 years ago.

Fr Joachim said that he had wanted to make the church look more “modern, to attract people”, and added that repainting the church’s exterior has “made this place iconic to Tanjong Katong Road”, where the church stands now.

The theme of the interior of the main church is “Mary Star of the Sea”, hence the ceiling reflects a sky blue, whereas the areas near the floor are of an “earthy colour”, Fr Joachim said.

Other changes in the church include the repainting of all the statues of the apostles, the refurbishing of the Stations of the Cross and the shifting of the crucifix and tabernacle from the side of the altar to the centre.

In front of the altar, there is also a new baptismal font, which takes a “traditional shape with the four evangelists”, Fr Joachim said.

The parish hall, where

activities such as talks are held, used to have a higher roof but that caused an echo when people spoke. According to Fr Joachim, it was also “very cluttered and not very good”.

Thus, they renovated the place and also tore down a structure inside the parish hall.

The renovations began in December last year, and are expected to be completed in late August, according to Fr Joachim.

On Aug 15, the parish will celebrate its Feast Day Mass and consecration. Archbishop William Goh will be the main celebrant. n clara.lai@catholic.org.sg

Parish priest Fr Joachim Chang said that the upgraded parts of the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace include: (Clockwise from top) the church’s exterior, the altar, the interior of the main church and the parish hall.

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Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

CHARIS volunteers aid Myanmar refugees in Thailand

By Lilynne Seah From June 16 to 22, the Caritas Humanitarian Aid and Relief Initiatives, Singapore (CHARIS) deployed a mission team of 12 volunteers to interact with and assist residents in maintenance work at the Ban Mae Surin refugee camp.

Located deep in the forest along the Thailand-Myanmar border, Ban Mae Surin houses close to 3,500 residents with majority being Karenni refugees from the Kayah state in Myanmar. The residents lead a simple village life without electricity and access to the world outside.

When a deadly fire broke out last March, 37 residents were killed, including a Catholic Office of Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR) camp staff.

To help rebuild what was lost, CHARIS provided COERR with a grant to reconstruct the Social Service Centre and Child Friendly Space.

COERR, under Caritas Thailand, has been providing humanitarian services for 30 years over

Visiting the COERR agricultural centre where residents rear animals for consumption and livelihood.

Two volunteers painting a mural for the Child Friendly Space.

nine camps along the border, including Ban Mae Surin.

The volunteers renovated the two communal centres and paint-

ed wall murals and fences for the residents.

Volunteers also visited the COERR agricultural and voca-

tional centres, which help to provide livelihoods and sustenance for the residents.

One of the volunteers Ms Irene Pinto, 51, said, “This trip truly showed me the meaning of how love and life have no boundaries.”

CHARIS is the umbrella body for the Singapore archdiocese’s overseas humanitarian aid. For more information about CHARIS mission trips, please email info@charis-singapore.org or visit www.charis-singapore.org. n

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St Anne’s Church holds Hair for Hope event

CN2014/010

CHANCERY NOTICE

APPOINTMENTS 1. The following have been appointed to the Board of Family Life Society for a term of two years with effect from 23rd May 2014 a. Mr Kevin Kwek b. Dr Alison Snodgrass 2. Fr Edward Lim, OCD, has been appointed as assistant parish priest upon presentation [can. 147] at Church of Saints Peter & Paul for a term of three [3] years with effect from 29th June 2014.

3. Fr Adrian Danker, SJ, has been appointed as Deputy Principal of St Joseph’s Institution with effect from 30 June 2014 by the Board of Governors of St Joseph’s Institution Independent.

June 27, 2014

4. Fr Ignatius Low has been granted a 3-year term to be on mission outside the Archdiocese with effect from 1st July 2014.

5. Fr Salim Joseph, OFM, has been appointed as the official chaplain to the Malayalam apostolate with competence for the members of the Latin Rite, Syro-Malabar Rite and Syro-Malankara Rite with effect from 1st July 2014.

He works with Fr Terence Pereira, the Episcopal Vicar for the Malayalam apostolate for the spiritual and pastoral care of the Malayalam speaking in the Archdiocese of Singapore.

Fr John-Paul Tan, OFM, JCL, Chancellor,

Some of the participants at St Anne’s Church’s Hair for Hope event: (from left) Ms Lestrine Tan, Mr Joseph Phay, Mr Ronald Tan, Mrs Gertrude Le Vos, Mr Phillip Tan and Mr Bernard Le Vos.

For the first time since its inception in 2003, Hair for Hope, Children’s Cancer Foundation’s (CCF) signature annual fundraiser, welcomed a church onboard as a satellite partner.

More than 100 St Anne’s Church parishioners made their bald statements on June 22, to raise childhood cancer awareness and funds for CCF beneficiaries and their families.

“We want to share love and mercy with others, especially through acts of caring and shar-

ing. What a beautiful way to be close to children with cancer through this fundraising event,” said parish priest Fr Francis Lee. Two St Anne’s Church members also shared about their close encounter with cancer. Childhood cancer survivor and CCF beneficiary, 14-yearold Deborah Luciana Choo Shi Yun, shared about her battle with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia while Madam Susan Yeo shared about her journey of car-

ing for her 10-year-old special needs daughter, Michelle, who had acute myeloid leukemia in 2006.

“We are heartened to have St Anne’s Church onboard as one of our Hair for Hope satellite partners this year. By making a bald statement, the shavees become CCF ambassadors in helping to raise awareness of childhood cancer among their family members and friends,” said CCF’s executive director Neo Lay Tin. n

Chancery of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore #07-01 Catholic Centre, 55 Waterloo Street, Singapore 187954 Email: chancery@catholic.org.sg

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HOME

Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

Catholic NMP Laurence Lien talks about his faith, life and work at Crossings Café on June 19. Beside him is moderator Winifred Loh.

Getting to know the man behind the public face

By Carolyn Seow

He is a man who wears many hats – chief executive of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, director of Caritas, Nominated MP, governor of Lien Foundation, husband and father of three.

But what diners at Crossings Café, who attended a talk by him recently, were really hoping to get to know was Laurence Lien the person – specifically the Catholic behind the public face.

Prompted by moderator Winifred Loh, Mr Lien shared about his life with some 60 diners at the Crossings Centre café located at Waterloo St on June 19, as part of CANA’s Talk of the Town series.

He spoke about his early years, and of the people who were pivotal in shaping him. One was a friend from his parish who mentored him and challenged him to tap on his gifts to the fullest; another was a tutor, the wife of a Christian pastor who taught him beyond books and who also introduced him to his patron saint, St Lawrence.

Mr Lien, 43, shared that as he is familiar with Ignatian spirituality, discernment plays a big part in his life and guides him when making major decisions.

To a question from the audience on what it means to be a Catholic in the public sphere, Mr Lien replied that as an NMP he is conscious that he is representing not himself but a broad group of

people. Being an NMP, he felt is a good starting point, a place to make a difference without being tied to a party, leaving him free to follow his own conscience.

Questions he constantly poses to himself when faced with an issue are: What do I care about?

What does the Church care about?

What do the people care about?

Mr Lien also spoke passionately about the “Singaporeans Against Poverty” campaign, a project launched last year by Caritas and its partners. It aims to raise awareness of poverty in Singapore

Mr Lien shared that as he is familiar with Ignatian spirituality, discernment plays a big part in his life. despite the nation’s economic growth.

Mr Lien said he had witnessed an overwhelming response to calls for aid and seen many private groups at work within the community.

He added that he is optimistic about the next generation, that they would take steps to provide help.

Mr Lien encouraged his audience to discover their own passions in life that would allow them to contribute to positive change in society. He also asked them to pray with him as he discerns the next step in his life. n

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Archbishop tells priests to lead a prayerful life

By Lorna O’Hara Pews of the Church of St Ignatius were packed by 8 pm on June 27, as priests, Religious and lay Catholics gathered together to celebrate the annual World Day of Sanctification of Priests and the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Apostolic nuncio Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli was also at the Mass.

During his homily, Archbishop William Goh said that when the going gets tough; the key to ministry is to constantly strive for holiness.

With reference from Matthew’s Gospel, Archbishop Goh stressed that the main reason why those in ministry are ‘burnt out’ was because they fall into the trap of wanting to work for Jesus instead of working with him.

Reiterating the words of St John Paul II, Archbishop William Goh said, “Don’t run into the risk of doing for the sake of doing.

Being must come before doing.”

Archbishop Goh then went on to stress the importance of leading a prayerful life.

“We cannot be fruitful in ministry without prayer. I don’t just say this for priests but for all you laypeople,” said Archbishop Goh. He then stressed the need for Catholics to contemplate on the love of God in Jesus Christ, be-

Archbishop William Goh and apostolic nuncio Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, with priests at the Church of St Ignatius on June 27.

fore posing thought-provoking questions directly to priests.

“How do we contemplate on God’s work for us? How do we know that God loves us? Do we

cherish this great gift from God?” Archbishop Goh said that it was from the strength of the Lord that he and other priests have been able to transform and touch

Corpus Christi celebration “Jesus is the living bread that comes down from heaven,” Archbishop Goh said on the Feast of Corpus Christi. Many of us rely on our own strength, but Jesus, the Word of God wants to “accompany us on our life journey, to lift us up when we are down”.

A total of 600 faithful were present for the celebration. An annual event, parishioners from all over Singapore gathered together to worship and pray for the Church.

The Corpus Christi celebration commenced with a 24-hour prayer vigil on June 21, from 3pm to June 22, 4pm. Main prayer intentions included prayers for Pope Francis, Archbishop William Goh, Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia, all priests, Religious, seminarians and aspirants alike.

Ministry members in the respective ministries from the Catholic Spirituality Centre (CSC) also led hourly prayers with specific intercessions for all parishes and priests in the Archdiocese.

In his homily, Archbishop

Procession around Catholic Spirituality Centre led by Archbishop Goh.

Goh exhorted the faithful to “not journey alone” but to remember that we are the “Body of Christ, to contemplate the Eucharist and to receive Him. “Turn to Him”, he added. “Only Jesus can fulfil the restlessness in our hearts.”

We remember what the Lord has done for us with gratitude, said Archbishop Goh. He becomes “present and available to

us especially in the Eucharist and the Blessed Sacrament.”

Mass concluded with a Corpus Christi procession around the grounds of CSC, with an hour of adoration with the faithful in the main hall. The night concluded with much exuberance and laughter as the faithful gathered to pray and celebrate Archbishop Goh’s 57th birthday. n

lives.

Letting priests in on his little secret, “Everyday, excluding the liturgy hours, spend one hour before the Lord, basking yourself in

the love of Christ, and you will be a happy priest, a joyful priest” he said.

Ending off, Archbishop Goh exclaimed, “I am still smiling.

Praise the Lord!”

Vicar general Msgr Philip Heng and organiser of the Mass said the Mass served to “build a partnership between dioceses, priests and Religious in Singapore”.

Priests and Religious CatholicNews spoke to said they found the Mass timely and enriching.

“It’s always very encouraging to see that being in the priesthood is appreciated by the archbishop, by the people of God and by fellow priests,” said Jesuit Fr Colin Tan. “This is a reminder that we need constantly because various things tend to pull us aside for a while. We needed this reminder and I am grateful for it,” said Infant Jesus Sr Deirdre O’Loan.

“We are living in a time where priests are highly criticised and we have a bishop who is very prayerful. He has passed on a message to priests to have more time for holiness, have a little more time for God. This also comes with Religious support,” said Gabrielite Br Emmanuel. n lorna.ohara@catholic.org.sg

Family Life Society offers free para-counselling Family Life Society (FLS) has been offering free para-counselling sessions by a trained team of volunteers in nine parishes since 2008.

This initiative came about from the vision of FLS’ former President, Fr Charles Sim. Presently, the churches in which the para-counsellors serve at are the Church of St Bernadette, the Church of Christ the King, the Church of the Risen Christ, the Church of the Holy Family, the Church of our Lady of Queen of Peace, St Anne’s Church, the Church of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church of our Lady Star of the Sea and the Church of the Holy Cross.

Sessions often take place in the evenings but some parishes offer para-counselling services on Saturday mornings and afternoons.

“When I first found out about the [para-counselling] service. . . I was sceptical but decided to give it a go,” said Angela (not her real name). Over time, and with [my counsellor’s] advice and prayers, I grew stronger and felt that I was better able to deal with my feelings”.

For those who wish to schedule a session, please call the FLS appointment hotline at 6382 0688, from Mondays to Fridays, from 10am to 5pm. n

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Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

Altar servers score goals for the glory of God Participants discussing during a quiz about matyrs.

Spiritual preparations for Asian Youth Day in Korea

By Kimberly Nonis On June 26, close to 50 youths gathered at the Office for Young People (OYP) at Lorong Low Koon, to begin spiritual preparations for their pilgrimage to South Korea for the sixth Asian Youth Day to be held from Aug 9-18.

The night began with some icebreakers to help pilgrims get to know each other.

After praise and worship, a para-liturgy was held. Pilgrims came forward in pairs, each lighting a candle in front of a cross, signifying the start of this pilgrimage which will take place in the company of fellow pilgrims.

Excitement filled the room as the theme of Asian Youth Day was shared: Asian youths wake up!

The glory of the martyrs shines on you!

The theme aimed to help participants remember the roots of their faith, to rediscover faith values that have been lost and to journey together, in the world of today as witnesses with Jesus and the martyrs.

It was a comforting experience for Ms Janice Toh, 22, “knowing for sure that we're in for an experience together”.

The pilgrims have three more spiritual preparation sessions with OYP to before they leave for the pilgrimage. n

Above: Players on the field.

Right: Bowing heads in prayer.

Thirty-seven teams of altar servers from 14 parishes took part in a gruelling futsal tournament on June 28 at SAFRA Tampines.

Popularly known as the Archbishop’s Cup, close to 300 spectators including priests turned up for the tournament, with Archbishop William Goh stressing in his opening message the importance of building bonds as members of the Body of Christ.

He also reminded participants who they were playing for and that the objective was not solely to score goals and win trophies.

As the tournament commenced, the battle between the different teams was intense as the various teams from the different categories did their best to qualify for the final goal – a spot in the finals.

Just like last year, the 19-and-under category final was an all Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace and Church of the Holy Family affair.

After a gruelling 14-minute match, the team from Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace was the reigning champion, clinching the coveted Champions Trophy.

For the 16-and-under category, the winning team came from the Church of St Mary of the Angels while the team from The Church

of our Lady of Perpetual Succour came out tops for the 13-and-under category.

“During the tournament, we displayed good teamwork as well as perseverance. This helped the team go all the way and become champions. This would not have been done without God’s blessing,” said team Captain Gabriel Ng, 13, from the Church of our Lady of Perpetual Succour.

“The main reason why I think we won would be the camaraderie that we share. Brotherhood is one of our ministry’s core values.

With this, we were able to work as a team, and did our best to win by playing a clean game,” said team Captain Rahul Xavier, 16, from the Church of St Mary of the Angels.

“All our players were dedicated and attended trainings despite the weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Our perseverance and teamwork have really paid off!” said team Captain Allen Woo, 18, from the Church of our Lady Queen of Peace.

Fr Damien De Wind, the Holy Family Altar Servers’ spiritual director handed out the trophies to all winners before saying a final prayer and blessing to close the event. n

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Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

Pope to beatify martyrs, meet Asian youth VATICAN CITY – The Korean mar-

tyrs who gave their lives for the faith, the young people who will be the leaders of the Church across Asia and people with disabilities are the key features of the schedule prepared for Pope Francis when he visits South Korea in mid-August.

Pope Francis had said he would travel to the Asian nation to beatify 124 Korean martyrs and to participate in the sixth Asian Youth Day, a gathering of about 2,000 delegates from 30 countries.

The martyrs were among an estimated 10,000 Catholics in Korea killed for their faith between 1785 and 1888. Pope Francis will preside over a Mass and their beatification on Aug 16 in Seoul.

The pope will have lunch with young people on Aug 15 and meet a group of Asian youth at the Solmoe shrine built in honour of Korea’s first Catholic priest, St Andrew Kim Taegon, who was martyred in 1946 at the age of 25. He will close the Aug 13-17 Asian Youth Day with a Mass at Haemi Castle, background of the 1864 Donghak Rebellion.

About the Martyrs The 124 martyrs are “the fathers of the [103] Korean martyrs, who really founded the Catholic Church with their blood, with their faith, compassion ... their blood shed for Christ”, said Legion of Christ Fr Simon Chung of Seoul.

Pope John Paul II canonised 103 Koreans 30 years ago, and Fr Chung said many were the grandchildren and great grandchildren of the 124 up for beatification in

A painting depicts 103 Korean martyrs canonised by Pope John Paul II in 1984. When Pope Francis travels to South Korea in August, he will put 124 additional martyrs on the path to sainthood by beatifying them. CNS photo

August. Beatification is a step on the path to sainthood.

The Church in Korea had no missionaries at its origins. Instead, in the late 1700s, intellectuals among the Korean nobility got hold of books on Catholicism from China. Historical accounts said they absorbed these writings and were convinced of the Church’s teachings.

Fr Chung, who helped document the sainthood cause for the

124 martyrs, said the scholars studied thoroughly what they learned and compared it with the dominant religion in Korea at the time, Confucianism, and to a lesser degree, Buddhism.

This intense study combined with the deeply ingrained cultural practice of honouring the king and showing filial piety to one’s parents helped form the foundation for the Church.

Pope Francis will travel to South Korea in August to beatify 124 Korean martyrs and to participate in the sixth Asian Youth Day.

In 1784, one believer trekked to what is now Beijing to be baptised and returned to baptise numerous companions. According to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, persecution of early Catholics started off with some leniency; mostly owners of homes where believers gathered were exiled.

But things with the fledgling Church of 4,000 took a turn for the worse when, in 1791, Paul Yun Ji-chung, a member of the nobility and one of the 124 martyrs to be beatified, buried his mother according to Catholic burial rites. He and some other nobles burned sacred tablets that were believed to hold a person’s spirit after their death and were used to venerate them.

Yun was the first Catholic in Korea to be executed for his belief. Recently arrived priests from China and France also were killed.

The 124 martyrs also include Augustine Jeong Yak-jong, a nobleman catechist considered the father of the Church, and two married couples who consecrated their lives to God, living chaste lives.

In four other instances over the next 100 years, some 10,000 faithful were killed. n CNS

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Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

Twins in India flock to special celebration Some of the more than 500 sets of twins take part in the feast of Sts Gervasis and Prothasis in Kothanalloor, India.

Shanghai bishop to remain confined, say govt officials A wellwisher kisses the ring of Auxiliary Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin following his episcopal ordination at St Ignatius Cathedral in Shanghai in 2012.

He has been under house arrest since.

CNS photo

THRISSUR, INDIA – More than 500 sets of twins – as young as 54 days and as old as 87 years – participated in a unique celebration for the feast of the twin saints, Gervasis and Prothasus.

Some came as far as hundreds of kilometers away from across India’s Kerala state for the June 19 celebration at the Syro-Malabar Catholic parish named after the saints, in Kothanalloor.

“The feast is becoming popular all over Kerala and, more and more [pairs of] twins are attending the feast each year,” SyroMalabar Fr George Njarakunnel, a priest in Kothanalloor, told Catholic News Service on June 23.

Fr Njarakunnel said the first gathering for twins was in 2007, when 35 sets attended.

Sts Gervasis and Prothasus

were twin brothers who became martyrs after they were scourged and beheaded for their faith in the second century, near Milan.

The celebration in Kothanalloor includes a procession of twins, a dedication service led by Palai Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt, Mass and lunch for 3,000 people, including relatives of the twins.

“Our parish members collect funds and host all the guests from across the state on this special feast,” Fr Njarakunnel said.

This year’s gathering included five sets of twin nuns and three pairs of twin priests. One school sent 23 sets of twins.

Kothanalloor parish alone has 62 pairs of twins among its 750 families, and, Fr Njarakunnel added, “We are expecting the 63rd pair [in the parish] soon.” n CNS

Complaints over prices MANILA – The Peasant Movement

of the Philippines called on the country’s Catholic bishops on June 19 to speak out against rising basic commodity prices and on what the group described as the government’s “anti-poor food policy”.

The move follows another jump in the price of rice that week, the third in less than a year.

“We call on the Catholic Church hierarchy to speak up,” Mr Rafael Mariano, chairman of the peasant

organisation, said in a statement.

Senior churchmen have so far kept silent over price hikes that have seen the cost of living for the poor rocket over the last year Mr Mariano said peasants, workers, fishermen, and urban poor are the hardest hit by spikes in food prices in recent months due to the government importing rice, its liberal trade policy, and poor rice farmer subsidies. n

UCANEWS.COM

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Auxiliary

Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin, who has been under de facto house arrest since 2012, is to remain in detention.

The influential bishop, who defied the government in July 2011 when he became the first bishop to publicly quit the statebacked Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, should continue his “repentance and reflection”, officials told clergymen and nuns attending a “learning” class recently in Shanghai.

Shanghai diocese suspended Bishop Ma’s priesthood ministry for a period of two years, leading his followers to believe he may be released soon.

“Government officials said explicitly in the last class that Bishop Ma has to continue his repentance and reflection,” a source at the class told Asian Church news portal ucanews.com. “So this means that he is not coming out to lead the diocese.”

Now being held for a third year, the classes are jointly organised by the local diocese, the Communist Party’s United Front Work Department and the Religious Affairs Committee of Shanghai.

The premise of the classes is to “enhance [the] national, legal and civil awareness” of nuns and clergy who, through their evangelisation work, are in touch with many social groups.

A diocese notice also claims the classes are aimed at assisting

with “a correct understanding” the Church’s relationship with China and patriotism.

The notice also instructed those attending to “arrange their work ahead, be punctual and not to take leave”.

One of those attending who spoke anonymously to ucanews. com described the classes as “brainwashing”.

The next class in this session, scheduled to be held later in June, was supposed to be at the Central Institute of Socialism in Beijing instead of Shanghai. Another source, known only as “Joseph”, told ucanews.com that he suspects the venue change is because the Bejing authorities do not trust those in Shanghai to convey the government message forcefully enough. n UCANEWS.COM

Former nuncio laicised over abuse allegations VATICAN CITY – A Vatican inves-

MARIAN IMAGE OUTSIDE ST PETER’S SQUARE: A floral carpet with an image of Mary decorates the area

outside St Peter’s Square prior to Pope Francis’ recitation of the Angelus at the Vatican on June 29. Sixty groups from Italy and around the world made banners or floral carpets to celebrate the feast of Sts Peter and Paul. CNS photo

tigation has led to the expulsion of a former Vatican ambassador from the priesthood in response to allegations of sexually abusing minors.

Polish Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, the former nuncio to the Dominican Republic, was sentenced with laicisation after a canonical process conducted by the Vatican Congregation of the Doctrine for the Faith, the Vatican said in a written statement on June 27.

The 65-year-old archbishop has two months to appeal the decision.

The Vatican City criminal court’s own trial of the archbishop will begin once the canonical process concludes, the statement said.

Given the fact that the arch-

bishop has been “dismissed from the clerical state”, the Vatican said, “all measures appropriate to the gravity of the case” would be taken while he is awaiting his criminal trial.

The specifics of those measures were to be decided by the former nuncio’s superiors within the Vatican Secretariat of State, said Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman.

The archbishop had “enjoyed relative freedom of movement” while the canonical process was underway, the Vatican statement said. However, given the imposed censure, it was expected the archbishop’s movements would be limited, Fr Lombardi said. n CNS

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Former death-row woman takes refuge in US embassy KHARTOUM, SUDAN – Ms Meri-

am Ibrahim, a Catholic woman originally sentenced to death for marrying a Christian, has taken refuge at the US embassy in Khartoum.

She was released from prison on June 23, but apprehended again the next day at the Khartoum airport with her husband, who is a US citizen, and their two children, her lawyer said.

The family had been planning to go to the United States.

Ms Ibrahim was later released from police detention on June 26 and took refuge at the US embassy, according to media reports.

Ms Ibrahim had given birth to a daughter in late May, and her one-year-old son also had been in prison with her.

She joined the Catholic Church shortly before she married her husband, Mr Daniel Bicensio Wani, in December 2011, said a mid-June statement signed by Fr Mussa Timothy Kacho, episcopal vicar for the Archdiocese of Khartoum, which had urged the courts to review her case.

In mid-May, she was convicted of apostasy and sentenced

Sudanese Meriam Ibrahim was sentenced to death for marrying a Christian. to death by hanging. Sudan’s penal code criminalises the conversion of Muslims to other religions, which is punishable by death.

Mr Wani, who lives in New Hampshire, was refused custody of their son because, under Sudanese law, a Christian man cannot raise a Muslim child.

In Washington, US House of representative member Chris Smith, chairman of the House Africa and global human rights subcommittee, had called the release “a huge first step,” and added “but the second step is that Ms Ibrahim and her husband and their children be on a plane and heading to the United States”.

Earlier, Khartoum archdiocese said Ms Ibrahim’s Sudanese Muslim father abandoned the family when she was five, and she was raised according to her mother’s faith, Orthodox Christian.

“She has never been a Muslim in her life,” the archdiocese said.

“There are many people trying to persuade Meriam to renounce Christianity in order to be freed, but she is refusing. Some people are pleading with her husband to convince her to abandon Christian faith in order to save her life, but to no avail,” the archdiocese said.

In a May joint statement, Sudan’s Churches said the charges against Ms Ibrahim were false and appealed to the Sudanese government to free her from prison. n CNS

12 WORLD

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Iraqi Christians returning home after safety assurances: bishop AMMAN, JORDAN – Thousands of Iraqi Christians who fled recent shelling by extremist militants and sought refuge in the neighbouring autonomous Kurdistan region are now returning home, said a Catholic archbishop responsible for their care.

Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Matte Warda told Catholic News Service (CNS) that about “90 percent of the families are returning to the villages of Qaraqosh and Karamlish and environs after they received assurances that the area is once again safe”.

On June 28, Archbishop Warda expressed grave concern for more than 40,000 Christians that fled the Christian villages outside Mosul.

At the time, most fled with just the clothes on their backs, while some, who were still in their pyjamas, narrowly escaped after militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) laid siege to the area.

As violence continued to plague Syria and Iraq, Pope Francis pleaded for international action to promote dialogue, and he urged Catholics to pray particularly for Iraqi Christians forced to flee in late June.

“The news coming from Iraq is very painful, unfortunately,”

Families are returning to Qaraqosh and Karamlish villages after they received assurances that the areas are once again safe, said Archbishop Warda, said Archbishop Warda.

A child holds a bowl of soup inside the Khazer camp on the outskirts of Irbil, Iraq. Some 40,000 Christians have fled the Christian villages outside Mosul in the wake of shelling by extremists. CNS photo

the pope said on June 29 after reciting the Angelus with visitors in St Peter’s Square. “I join the bishops of the country appealing to government leaders that, through dialogue, national unity could be preserved and war avoided.”

“I am close to the thousands of families, especially Christians, who have had to leave their homes and are in serious danger,” he said.

Archbishop Warda told CNS that the Kurdish Peshmerga fight-

ers assured the Christians that it was safe to return home. The Peshmerga has fought the ISIS and their Sunni Muslim Arab tribesmen trying to gain control of the area.

However, the cleric said that conditions in the region are still “difficult for the Christians because there is no water or electricity” He also said that some Christian families have chosen to leave Iraq entirely after this recent crisis, opting to immigrate to neigh-

bouring Turkey and Lebanon.

Iraq was thrown back into crisis in mid-June after thousands of armed members of the ISIS moved from Syria through much of northern Iraq, killing both Muslims and Christians.

On June 29 they proclaimed a “caliphate”, an Islamic state led by a religious leader, across the territories they had captured.

At his early morning Mass in the chapel of his residence on June 30, Pope Francis again urged prayers for Christians facing persecution, especially in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad pleaded on June 30 with Catholics outside Iraq to be careful in accepting stories about violence being perpetrated “against Christians in a selective manner”.

“I repeat that up until now, there have been no attacks aimed at those who bear the name of Christ. The Christians are sharing the anguish and suffering with their Muslim brothers and sisters,” he said. n CNS

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Religious liberty includes being able to live out faith values, says pope VATICAN CITY – Real religious liberty includes the freedom to live according to the values taught by one’s faith, Pope Francis said.

“Religious freedom is not just a matter of thought or private devotion,” the pope said on June 20.

“It is the freedom to live – both privately and publicly – according to the ethical principles that are a consequence of the truth found.”

The pope addressed organisers, speakers and participants in a Rome conference, International Religious Liberty and the Global Clash of Values. The conference was organised by the centres for Law and Religion and for International and Comparative Law at St John’s University in New York and the Department of Law at Rome’s LUMSA University.

Pope Francis said ensuring people’s right to live their religious values is increasingly difficult in the modern world “where weak thinking – this is a sickness – lowers the level of ethics in general and, in the name of a false understanding of tolerance, ends up persecuting those who defend the truth about the human person and its ethical consequences”.

A natural part of being human, he said, is seeking the truth about the origin and ultimate destiny of one’s life, one’s connection to the cosmos and one’s place in history.

“In the human mind and heart there arise questions and thoughts

It is the ‘ freedom to live

– both privately and publicly – according to the ethical principles that are a consequence of the truth found.’

– Pope Francis

that cannot be repressed or suffocated” because they emerge naturally, he said.

Religious freedom is a “fundamental right of the human person” and a recognition of the dignity of the human capability “to seek the truth and adhere to it”, the pope said.

National and international laws and organisations must “recognise, guarantee and protect religious liberty”, the pope said. Religious freedom is “an indicator of a healthy democracy and one of the principal sources of a nation’s legitimacy”.

As he has said repeatedly, Pope Francis told the conference participants it is “incomprehen-

sible and worrying” that even as worldwide appeals to human rights grow, “discrimination and restriction of rights persist based only on belonging to and publicly professing a certain faith”.

“It is unacceptable that real persecution – and even wars – continue based on religious belonging,” he said.

Pope Francis said he is “greatly pained to note that Christians around the world are suffering the greatest part of this discrimination. The persecution of Christians today is even greater than in the first centuries of the Church, and there are more Christian martyrs today than in that era.” n CNS

Vatican publishes reflection on discerning essentials of faith VATICAN CITY – When a sig-

nificant portion of the Catholic faithful ignore or reject a Church teaching, it is often – but not always – a sign that social and cultural pressures are weakening their faith or that Church leaders simply have not found a way to explain the teaching, said members of the International Theological Commission.

The commission published the document, Sensus Fidei in the Life of the Church on the Vatican website in late June with the approval of Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The theologians, who were appointed to the commission by Pope Benedict XVI, had been asked to explain the meaning, purpose and limits of sensus fidei and sensus fidelium – the capacity of individual believers and of the Church as a whole to discern the truth of faith.

“The sensus fidei fidelis,” they said, “is a sort of spiritual instinct that enables the believer to judge

Laypeople ‘have the right to be heard’, says the document. spontaneously whether a particular teaching or practice is or is not in conformity with the Gospel and with apostolic faith. It is intrinsically linked to the virtue of faith itself; it flows from, and is a property of, faith.”

While the validity and importance of different Church teachings cannot be the subject of a popular vote, the degree to which they are or are not accepted by most Catholics is important, the commission members wrote.

“When the reception of magisterial teaching by the faithful meets with difficulty and resistance,” the document said, “appropriate action on both sides is required.”

Catholics “must reflect on the teaching that has been given,

making every effort to understand and accept it”, the document said.

“Resistance, as a matter of principle, to the teaching of the magisterium is incompatible with the authentic sensus fidei.”

At the same time, the theologians said, “the magisterium must likewise reflect on the teaching that has been given and consider whether it needs clarification or reformulation in order to communicate more effectively the essential message”.

Writing about Catholic laypeople, the commission said, “not only do they have the right to be heard, but their reaction to what is proposed as belonging to the faith of the apostles must be taken very seriously, because it is by the Church as a whole that the apostolic faith is borne in the power of the Spirit.” n CNS The full text is at http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregat i o n s / c f a i t h / c t i _ d o c u m e n t s / rc _ cti_20140610_sensus-fidei_en.html

Pope offers condolences to families of three Israeli teens found dead VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis

expressed his participation in the “unspeakable suffering” of the families of three kidnapped Israeli teens whose bodies were found on June 30 in Hebron, West Bank.

In a statement conveying the pope’s condolences, Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, called the killings “terrible and dramatic”.

“The assassination of innocent people is always an execrable and unacceptable crime and a serious obstacle on the path toward the peace for which we must tirelessly continue to strive and pray,” Fr Lombardi said.

“Pope Francis participates in the unspeakable suffering of the families struck by this homicidal violence and the pain of all persons afflicted by the consequences of hatred,” Fr Lombardi said, and he “prays that God might inspire all with thoughts of compassion and peace”.

After the boys’ bodies were found, Israeli military launched what it described as “precision strikes” on 34 sites in the Gaza

Strip. The Israeli Defence Forces said the strikes were in response to 18 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel on June 29-30.

The three teens were kidnapped in mid-June as they were hitchhiking home from their school in Gush Etzion, a cluster of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, near Bethlehem. Israeli officials accused Hamas, which recently formed a coalition government with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, of being responsible for the abduction.

Mr Abbas condemned the kidnapping, and Palestinian security forces were coordinating with the Israelis to find the kidnappers.

Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali, chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, had asked anyone with information about the kidnapping of the three teens to come forward and help return the youths to their families.

At the same time, on June 25, he called on the Israeli army to keep its reaction and its search methods proportionate. n CNS CNS photo

The parents of Naftali Frankel, one of three Israeli teens found dead in a West Bank field, attend his funeral service in Nof Ayalon, Israel, on July 1.

Christians without Mary are orphans, pontiff says VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis told a group of young people discerning a religious vocation to never go it alone, but always stay by their mother, Mary.

“A Christian without Our Lady is an orphan. Also a Christian without the Church is an orphan. A Christian needs these two women, two mothers, two virgins: the Church and Our Lady,” he said on June 28.

The pope spoke off-the-cuff to a group of young men from the Diocese of Rome during a brief moment of prayer at the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens.

He apologised for being late to the evening appointment saying he was so engrossed “in a very interesting conversation” with someone that he lost track of the time.

“Forgive me! This is not acceptable. Punctuality must be respected,” he told them.

The pope told the young people that God had a vocation in mind for everyone, but that it was up to each person to “look for it, find it and then go on, keep going”.

The best thing to do is always pray to Mary and keep her close when one needs to make a major life decision like the choice of one’s vocation, he said.

A “test” to see if one is following the right Christian vocation is to “ask yourself: ‘How is my relationship with these two mothers I have? With the Mother Church and the Mother Mary?” Pope Francis said.

“This will do you good; do not ever leave her and don’t go it alone,” he said. n CNS

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Pope opposes legalising of recreational drugs CNS file photo

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis

said legalising marijuana and other so-called “recreational drugs” has never curbed drug addiction rates and has little impact on the criminal organisations trafficking drugs around the world.

“No to every type of drug use.

It is as simple as that,” Pope Francis said on June 20 during an audience with about 450 representatives of national and international drug enforcement agencies.

The representatives, who came from 129 countries, participated in the June 17-19 International Drug Enforcement Conference in Rome. The annual conference, initiated by the US Drug Enforcement Agency in 1983, is designed to help law enforcement officials coordinate anti-drug policies and promote international cooperation in fighting the organised crime of drug trafficking.

Pope Francis said he would not be surprised if international drug trafficking leads the world in income production, and “this is sad”.

Even worse, he said, too many young people around the world never get a job offer, but frequently get offered drugs.

“The lives of more and more young people and adolescents are in danger,” he said.

“Let me state this is in the clearest terms possible: The prob-

A mother and toddler walk past a medical marijuana dispensary in Santa Monica, California. Such outlets have been legal in California since 1996.

lem of drug use is not solved with drugs,” he said. “Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise.”

Allowing addicts to use narcotics or offering them “substitute drugs”, he said, is not a treatment, “but rather a veiled means of surrendering to the phenomenon”.

And, he said, “attempts, however limited, to legalise so-called ‘recreational drugs’ are not only

highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects.”

Pope Francis said he stood with the drug enforcement officials in opposing all drug use, but he urged them to recognise the need for serious prevention programmes.

To say “no” to drugs, he said, “one has to say ‘yes’ to life, ‘yes’ to love, ‘yes’ to others, ‘yes’ to education, ‘yes’ to greater job opportunities”. n CNS

Why people followed Jesus, not the religious leaders of His time VATICAN CITY – People were

drawn to Jesus because he was a good shepherd, unlike the religious authorities of His time, said Pope Francis.

Jesus “wasn’t embarrassed about talking to sinners, He went to find them” and He felt joy going out, getting close to the people, listening to their problems and offering them healing, the pope said during an early morning Mass on June 26 in the chapel of his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

He also clearly and forcefully spoke the truth about God in ways that “astonished” those who listened, warming their hearts so they would come to love “the things of God,” he said.

According to Vatican Radio, the pope looked at why so many people came to follow Jesus during His lifetime and not the many religious authorities then.

The Pharisees, the pope said, overburdened the people with laws and requirements that could often be contradictory and, therefore, “cruel” because it was impossible to adhere to every single moral rule.

The Pharisees overburdened the people with laws that could often be contradictory, said the pope.

The Sadducees, he said, “had lost the faith” and used their religious authority to strike “deals with those in power: political power and economic power.

They were men of power.”

The Zealots called for “revolution to free the people of Israel from Roman occupation,” he said, and the Essenes were monks who “were far from the people, and the people couldn’t follow them”.

These four groups “were the voices that reached the people, and none of these voices had the strength to warm the people’s heart”, the pope said.

But with Jesus it was different, he said.

Jesus wasn’t a Pharisee upholding moral laws based on

unsound reasoning; He wasn’t “a Sadducee who conducted political business with the powerful, nor a guerrilla who sought the political liberation of his people, nor a monastic contemplative. He was a pastor,” the pope said.

He was “a pastor who spoke the language of his people, He made himself understood, He told the truth – the things of God, He never negotiated the things of God.” “But He talked about them in such a way that the people loved the things of God. For this reason, they followed Him,” he said.

The pope said the people also followed Jesus because they recognised his authority. He “never strayed from the people and He never strayed from His Father”.

The pope asked that people pray and ask God for the grace to be close to Jesus, to follow Him and “to be astonished by what Jesus tells us,” the kind of astonishment that comes from “finding something good and great”. n CNS

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Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

Pope slams mafia, meets with prisoners and medical staff VATICAN CITY – In the stronghold

of an Italian crime syndicate believed to be richer and more powerful than the Sicilian Mafia, Pope Francis said, “Those who follow the path of evil, like the mafiosi do, are not in communion with God; they are excommunicated!”

During a Mass on June 21 in the southern region of Calabria, Pope Francis made clear that even if the mob families continue to go to Mass and decorate their homes and hideouts with religious pictures, they have cut themselves off from communion with the Church and with God. “When instead of adoring the Lord, one substitutes the adoration of money, one opens the path to sin, personal interests and exploitation,” Pope Francis said to applause from an estimated 250,000 people gathered in a field near the town of Sibari. “When one does not adore the Lord God, one becomes an adorer of evil, like those who live lives of crime and violence.”

“Your land, which is so beautiful, knows the signs and consequences of this sin. This is what the ‘Ndrangheta is: the adoration of evil and contempt for the common good,” Pope Francis said.

The ‘Ndrangheta is a crime syndicate based in Calabria.

The pope began his nine-hour visit to the Diocese of Cassano allo Ionio, meeting prisoners at the Rosetta Sisca jail in Castrovillari. At the jail, he met the father and grandmothers of Nicola Campolongo, a three-year-old killed with his grandfather in January.

The boy’s parents, and several other relatives, are in jail on drug

one’s hands. “Sickness is awful, but hands are powerful,” he said.

Through people’s hands, “the caress from God’s hands touches the depths of one’s being”.

Before having lunch with a group of poor families assisted by the diocesan Caritas and with participants in an addiction-recovery program, Pope Francis stopped in the diocesan cathedral for a meeting with priests.

The Vatican said he spent an hour personally greeting each priest and listening and responding to their questions. n CNS

Pope Francis gives the homily during a Mass in Sibari, in Italy’s Calabria region, on June 21. The Calabria region is home of the ‘Ndrangheta crime organisation, known for drug trafficking. CNS photo

trafficking charges. Italian police said it appeared the boy was caught in the crossfire between rival clans over a drug deal.

In a speech to the detainees and staff, Pope Francis called for prisons to offer programmes aimed at rehabilitation: “When this objective is overlooked, the penalty becomes an instrument only of punishment and social retaliation, which damag-

es both the individual and society.”

The pope also told the prisoners to use their time in prison to think about the impact of their crimes on their families, society and their relationship with God. “The Lord is a master at rehabilitation,” the pope said. “He takes us by the hand and brings us back into the social community. The Lord always forgives, always ac-

Those who follow the path of evil, like the ‘mafiosi do, are not in communion with God; they are excommunicated!’

– Pope Francis

companies, always understands; it is up to us to let ourselves be understood, forgiven and accompanied.”

Before leaving, Pope Francis made his usual request for prayers, then added: “Because I, too, have done wrong and I, too, must repent.”

The pope also visited a hospice for the terminally ill, where a doctor removed a small splinter from one of his fingers, according to Vatican Radio.

Although he did not give a formal speech at the facility, Italian news media quoted him as telling the staff, patients and their family members that holding and caressing someone are the best uses of

16 OPINION

Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

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LETTER

Mass is not about socialising or feelings It seems that many of our young people associate attending Mass with a social gathering and not much more (Young People Who Don’t Attend Church, CN, June 15).

Reasons like being bored, not enjoying themselves, a homily that is too long and which they cannot relate to, no friend to go along with, even preferring to do other things because going to church seems meaningless – show that they believe that Sunday church attendance is something they can do without.

But Mass is not about socialising nor is it about feelings. Mass is worship of God, a celebration of the Holy Eucharist, a commemoration of our redemption from sin for our salvation.

It is about thanking God for His love and mercy, for the countless times He has forgiven us when we have done wrong, for all the graces and blessings He has showered on each and everyone of us, undeserving as we may be, for

CN, June 15

our intellect, our health, our family and friends, and all our material goods.

If for no other reason, let us take Holy Mass as a way to express our gratitude and reverence for our infinitely loving and benevolent Father in heaven.

It takes just an hour of our

time. Let it be a joyous event, which indeed it is, like a meeting of two lovers, an encounter with Him who loves us immensely, and we, who are the recipients of this love, and who love Him in return.

We will then overlook and dismiss the little inconveniences and discomforts associated with going to church.

Let parents show the way. As one interviewee put it, she will go back to church if influenced by family members.

Let us not find excuses like not having enough time to study or social activities to skip Sunday worship. Let us get our priorities right.

Our young people are not exposed to an environment which helps to build up a strong Christian faith.

As “Matthew” of the Church of the Holy Spirit pointed out, after Confirmation there is nothing else.

Building up the faith together with doctrinal formation is a necessity, an ongoing process.

Without a strong foundation in doctrine and faith, indifference creeps in, which may eventually lead to abandoning the Church that Christ built. n Terence Seow Singapore 229741

On not being stingy with God’s mercy TODAY, for a number of reasons, we struggle to be generous and prodigal with God’s mercy.

As the number of people who attend Church services continues to decline, the temptation among many of our Church leaders and ministers is to see this more as pruning than as a tragedy and to respond by making God’s mercy less, rather than more, accessible.

For example, a seminary professor whom I know shares that, after forty years of teaching a course designed to prepare seminarians to administer the sacrament of penance, today sometimes the first question that the seminarians ask is: “When can I refuse absolution?” In effect, how scrupulous must I be in dispensing God’s mercy?

To their credit, their motivation is mostly sincere, however misguided. They sincerely fear playing fast and loose with God’s grace, fearing that they might end up dispensing cheap grace.

Partly that’s a valid motive. Fear of playing fast and loose with God’s grace, coupled with concerns for truth, orthodoxy, proper public form, and fear of scandal have their own legitimacy. Mercy needs always to be tempered by truth. But sometimes the motives driving our hesitancy are less noble and our anxiety about handing out cheap grace arises more out of timidity, fear, legalism, and our desire, however unconscious, for power.

But even when mercy is withheld for the nobler of those reasons, we’re still misguided, bad shepherds, out of tune with the God whom Jesus proclaimed. God’s mercy, as Jesus revealed it, embraces indiscriminately, the bad and the good, the undeserving and the deserving, the uninitiated and the initiated.

One of the truly startling insights that Jesus gave us is that the mercy of God, like the light and warmth of the sun, cannot not go out to everyone. Consequently it’s always free, undeserved, unconditional, universal in embrace, and has a reach beyond all religion, custom, rubric, political correctness, mandatory programme, ideology, and even sin itself.

For our part then, especially those of us who are parents, ministers, teachers, catechists, and elders, we must risk proclaiming the prodigal character of God’s mercy. We must not spend God’s mercy, as if it were ours to spend; dole out God’s forgiveness, as if it were a limited commodity; put conditions on God’s love, as if God were a petty tyrant or a political ideology; or cut off cut access to God, as if we were the keeper of the heavenly gates. We aren’t. If we tie God’s mercy to our own timidity and fear, we limit it to the size of our own minds.

It is interesting to note in the Gospels how the apostles, well-meaning of course, often tried to keep certain people away from Jesus as if they weren’t worthy, as if they were an affront to his holiness or would somehow stain his purity. So they perennially tried to prevent children, prostitutes, tax collectors, known sinners, and the uninitiated of all kinds from coming to Jesus. However, always Jesus over-ruled their attempts with words to this effect: “Let them come! I want them to come.”

Early on in my ministry, I lived in a rectory with a saintly old priest.

He was over eighty, nearly blind, but widely sought out and respected, especially as a confessor. One night, alone with him, I asked him this question: “If you had your priesthood to live over again, would you do anything differently?”

From a man so full of integrity, I fully expected that there would be no regrets. So his answer surprised me. Yes, he did have a regret, a major one, he said: “If I had my priesthood to do over again, I would be easier on people the next time. I wouldn’t be so stingy with God’s mercy, with the sacraments, with forgiveness. I fear I’ve been too hard on people. They have pain enough without me and the Church laying further burdens on them. I should have risked God’s mercy more!”

I was struck by this because, less than a year before, as I took my final exams in the seminary, one of the priests who examined me, gave me this warning: “Be careful,” he said, “don’t be soft. Only the truth sets people free. Risk truth over mercy.”

As I age, I am ever more inclined to the old priest’s advice: We need more to risk God’s mercy. The place of justice and truth should never be ignored, but we must risk letting the infinite, unbounded, unconditional, undeserved mercy of God flow free.

But, like the apostles, we, well-intentioned persons, are forever trying to keep certain individuals and groups away from God’s mercy as it is offered in word, sacrament, and community. But God doesn’t want our protection. What God does want is for everyone, regardless of morality, orthodoxy, lack of preparation, age, or culture, to come to the unlimited waters of divine mercy.

English novelist George Eliot once wrote: “When death, the great reconciler, has come, it is never our tenderness that we repent of, but our severity.” n

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Pastoral letter to Catholics with same-sex orientation n From Page 1

concrete discovery of a homosexual gene but only inferential studies from behavioural observation to postulate nature. In contrary, we find that upbringing, culture or education may play a part in nurturing persons with same-sex attraction. In addition, inner wounds inflicted on a person inutero or in childhood through sexual abuse or otherwise, can also nurture this. In this respect, healing of such wounds may quell any tendencies as seen by several individuals who lost their attraction for the same sex after encountering inner healing of their childhood wounds. Though the verdict on nature or nurture is yet to be defined, it is clear according to scripture (Rom 1:24-28) that a sexual relationship between those of the same gender is not acceptable, as it contradicts the natural laws of God. Extrapolating from this, would be the implications that same-sex union has on the family and society as a whole. When couples with same-sex attraction insist on marriage and adopting babies to form a family similar to that of the conventional family unit; the question arises if the child would receive holistic formation comparable to a child that is cared for in a stable family by a father and a mother. For a child is the fruit of the love between his/her parents. When there is a lack of holistic love due to damage of the family unit caused by a misrepresentation of one parent (through infidelity, divorce etc.) there is a tendency for the child to succumb to low self-esteem, rendering him/her vulnerable and incapable of authentic love. While the argument is that the child may still receive love from both partners who are in a stable same-sex relationship, the lack of a parental figure as portrayed by a member of the opposite sex may still render the child at risk.

In my ministry, I have come across many children who are wounded due to the sins of their parents (especially infidelity).

Those who come from same-sex parentage share how they face an identity crisis as to their sexuality and orientation and their confusion as to how they should relate to people of different sexes. Some also shared the tendency to be unfaithful and to have multiple sexual partners. Hence, considering the future of humanity and the effects on society, not only do the institution of marriage and the family need to be fortified, in the same context, same-sex union

cannot be promoted. Same-sex union which evolves into the adoption and formation of children in an environment where a partner of the other gender is not represented, is contrary to the natural laws of God, and would ultimately be destructive to society and detrimental to the world and future generations. This is what I was referring to in my initial statement when I used the terms ‘detriment’ and ‘destructive’. They do not refer to the individual but the consequences of such a union on society and future.

Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life requires that His disciples live in truth and in love. Love and truth must go together. One cannot speak of love and compassion without speaking the truth at the same time. As the truth is often difficult to accept, it is understandable that the world (and not just Catholics) would react with hostility.

Against the trends in the world, the Church needs to affirm the truth as revealed in scripture. This applies also to other difficult moral teachings of the Church e.g. pre-marital sexual union, divorce, contraception, artificial insemination, abortion, euthanasia, surrogate motherhood, stem-cell research involving embryos etc. The disciples themselves struggled with the truth. “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, this is a hard teaching. Who can accept it? Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? The words I have spoken to you — they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe. From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” (Jn 6:60-65).

Jesus said to Peter, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Jn 6:67-69). Can anyone then say that “I am right” and the Word of God is in error?

As Catholics, we are keenly aware, like the disciples, of the difficulty in accepting Jesus’ demanding message of selfemptying, non-retaliation and forgiveness.

Though we cannot dilute the Word of God to suit us but we find hope in a God that is all merciful. He knows our struggles and our limitations and we find consolation in the words of Jesus, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Je-

sus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Mk 10:24-27).

Thus, we do not rely on our own strength in conquering our will and desires but on God, who gives us His Holy Spirit and grace to live out the life of the Gospel. As Jesus affirms, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). Hence for all of us who struggle and succumb to sin, we need not despair but turn to God for mercy and forgiveness. “He does not treat us according to our sin nor repay us according to our faults. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so strong is his love for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our sins. As a father has compassion on his sons, the Lord has pity on those who fear him; for he knows of what we are made, he remembers that we are dust.” (Ps 103:10-14).

The Church does not condemn sinners but only points out the sin as expressed in the Word of God. Judgement is reserved for God alone, as only He knows the heart and struggles of the person. So though perfection may seem impossible, yet we must strive for it, growing in humility by accepting our imperfections and weaknesses and seeking forgiveness when we fail.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that while I feel with those of you who have shared your loneliness, pain, rejection and guilt with me; the Word of God however is clear in its instruction on sexual practices between individuals of the same gender, as it is with those who are divorced. All baptised are called to chastity. We therefore cannot infringe God’s laws, whether within or outside marriage. In calling those with samesex attraction to chastity, The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection (Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 2359).

I know many of you love Christ and His Church and sincerely seek to integrate your faith with your life by undertaking to be faithful to the teaching of the Gospel and the Church. I am deeply edified by your courage and perseverance in spite of the challenges you face. Many of you are generous, caring and contribute to the com-

mon good of humanity by your good works.

Some of you are amongst the most loving and lovable people I have come across. So indeed the Church has many good Catholics from all walks of life.

As it is such a difficult journey to remain chaste today, all Catholics need the help of God and the support of the Christian community. Hence, in addition to the other existing church groups, I have tasked the Catholic Medical Guild and the Family Life Commission to set up a pastoral group (currently being formed) for those with same-sex orientation to journey together in faith, in support of one another, so as to live out God’s call to chastity. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2).

St Paul reminds us of our identity and calling. “You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another.” (Col 3:12f) As we strive to be faithful to the Gospel and God’s call to chastity, let us make this journey together, encouraging and affirming one other. “Let the Word of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God; and whatever you say or do, let it be in the name of the Lord Jesus, in thanksgiving to God the Father through him.” (Col 3:12-17) Indeed, with God’s grace, we will all be able to live the Gospel faithfully and authentically, regardless of our sexual orientation. Be assured that my love, prayers and solidarity are with you.

May His grace and love be with you.

Archbishop William Goh Pages 18-19: Letter to bishops on pastoral care of homosexual persons 11 Church teachings on homosexuality: http://couragerc.net/Church_Teaching. html

Re-statement of the Church’s position on the family My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, The LGBT movement is gaining momentum. Some of you are confused and are asking what the Church’s position is with regard to the family.

The Catholic Church has always maintained, and continues to maintain, that the family, comprising a father, mother and children, remains the basic building block of society.

She recognises that there are individuals who are attracted to people of the same sex. Regardless of their sexual orientation, the Church has always looked on each individual as being a child of God, made in His image and likeness and is therefore worthy of love and respect. Discrimination of any kind is thus neither pleasing in the eyes of God, nor that of man.

However, the Church also believes that when God created man (and woman), He had intended for

them to “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it”. (Genesis 1 :28) For this reason, although the Church treats each individual, regardless of his/her sexual orientation, with sensitivity and respect for his/her dignity, she upholds the view that LGBT sexual relationships are not in accordance with the plan of God. This kind of lifestyle should not be promoted by Catholics as it is detrimental to society, is not helpful to integral human development

and contrary to Christian values.

Thus, whilst the Church urges compassion, acceptance, patient understanding and mutual respect for these individuals, she believes that there are ways to ensure justice and the protection of their dignity without the risk of endangering the future of the marriage institution, family and society.

She empathises with those individuals who are struggling to integrate their faith with such orientation and urges them to seek Christian

counselling and spiritual support.

May the Holy Spirit restore them to wholeness, and may He also enlighten our minds and guide us in the path of truth and justice, tempered by compassion.

Yours devotedly in Christ,

Archbishop William Goh 21 June 2014

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CONGREGATION FOR THE D

Letter to bishops on pastoral 1

. The issue of homosexuality and the moral evaluation of homosexual acts have increasingly become a matter of public debate, even in Catholic circles. Since this debate often advances arguments and makes assertions inconsistent with the teaching of the Catholic Church, it is quite rightly a cause for concern to all engaged in the pastoral ministry, and this Congregation has judged it to be of sufficiently grave and widespread importance to address to the Bishops of the Catholic Church this Letter on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons.

2

. Naturally, an exhaustive treatment of this complex issue cannot be attempted here, but we will focus our reflection within the distinctive context of the Catholic moral perspective. It is a perspective which finds support in the more secure findings of the natural sciences, which have their own legitimate and proper methodology and field of inquiry.

However, the Catholic moral viewpoint is founded on human reason illumined by faith and is consciously motivated by the desire to do the will of God our Father. The Church is thus in a position to learn from scientific discovery but also to transcend the horizons of science and to be confident that her more global vision does greater justice to the rich reality of the human person in his spiritual and physical dimensions, created by God and heir, by grace, to eternal life.

It is within this context, then, that it can be clearly seen that the phenomenon of homosexuality, complex as it is, and with its many consequences for society and ecclesial life, is a proper focus for the Church’s pastoral care. It thus requires of her ministers attentive study, active concern and honest, theologically well-balanced counsel.

3

. Explicit treatment of the problem was given in this Congregation’s “Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics” of December 29, 1975.

That document stressed the duty of trying to understand the homosexual condition and noted that culpability for homosexual acts should only be judged with prudence.

At the same time the Congregation took note of the distinction commonly drawn between the homosexual condition or tendency and individual homosexual actions.

These were described as deprived of their essential and indispensable finality, as being “intrinsically disordered”, and able in no case to be approved of (cf. n. 8, §4).

In the discussion which followed the publication of the Declaration, however, an overly benign interpretation was given to the homosexual condition itself, some going so far as to call it neutral, or even good.

Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.

Therefore special concern and pastoral attention should be directed toward those who have this condition, lest they be led to believe that the living out of this orientation in homosexual activity is a morally acceptable option. It is not.

4

. An essential dimension of authentic pastoral care is the identification of causes of confusion regarding the Church’s teaching. One is a new exegesis of Sacred Scripture which claims variously that Scripture has nothing to say on the subject of homosexuality, or that it somehow tacitly approves of it, or that all of its moral injunctions are so culture-bound that they are no longer applicable to contemporary life. These views are gravely erroneous and call for particular attention here.

5

. It is quite true that the Biblical literature owes to the different epochs in which it was written a good deal of its varied patterns of thought and expression (Dei Verbum 12). The Church today addresses the Gospel to a world which differs in many ways from ancient days. But the world in which the New Testament was written was already quite diverse from the situation in which the Sacred Scriptures of the Hebrew People had been written or compiled, for example.

What should be noticed is that, in the presence of such remarkable diversity, there is nevertheless a clear consistency within the Scriptures themselves on the moral issue of homosexual behaviour.

The Church’s doctrine regarding this issue is thus based, not on isolated phrases for facile theological argument, but on the solid foundation of a constant Biblical testimony. The community of faith today, in unbroken continuity with the Jewish and Christian communities within which the ancient Scriptures were written, continues to be nourished by those same Scriptures and by the Spirit of Truth whose Word they are. It is likewise essential to recognise that the Scriptures are not properly understood when they are interpreted in a way which contradicts the Church’s living Tradition. To be correct, the interpretation of Scripture must be in substantial accord with that Tradition.

The Vatican Council II in Dei Verbum 10, put it this way: “It is clear, therefore, that in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others.

Working together, each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls”. In that spirit we wish to outline briefly the Biblical teaching here.

6

. Providing a basic plan for understanding this entire discussion of homosexuality is the theology of creation we find in Genesis. God, in his infinite wisdom and love, brings into existence all of reality as a reflection of his goodness. He fashions mankind, male and female, in his own image and likeness. Human beings, therefore, are nothing less than the work of God himself; and in the complementarity of the sexes, they are called to reflect the inner unity of the Creator. They do this in a striking way in their cooperation with him in the transmission of life by a mutual donation of the self to the other.

In Genesis 3, we find that this truth about persons being an image of God has

been obscured by original sin. There inevitably follows a loss of awareness of the covenantal character of the union these persons had with God and with each other.

The human body retains its “spousal significance” but this is now clouded by sin.

Thus, in Genesis 19:1-11, the deterioration due to sin continues in the story of the men of Sodom. There can be no doubt of the moral judgement made there against homosexual relations. In Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, in the course of describing the conditions necessary for belonging to the Chosen People, the author excludes from the People of God those who behave in a homosexual fashion.

Against the background of this exposition of theocratic law, an eschatological perspective is developed by St. Paul when, in 1 Cor 6:9, he proposes the same doctrine and lists those who behave in a homosexual fashion among those who shall not enter the Kingdom of God. In Romans 1:18-32, still building on the moral traditions of his forebears, but in the new context of the confrontation between Christianity and the pagan society of his day, Paul uses homosexual behaviour as an example of the blindness which has overcome humankind. Instead of the original harmony between Creator and creatures, the acute distortion of idolatry has led to all kinds of moral excess. Paul is at a loss to find a clearer example of this disharmony than homosexual relations.

Finally, 1 Tim. 1, in full continuity with the Biblical position, singles out those who spread wrong doctrine and in v. 10 explicitly names as sinners those who engage in homosexual acts.

7

. The Church, obedient to the Lord who founded her and gave to her the sacramental life, celebrates the divine plan of the loving and live-giving union of men and women in the sacrament of marriage. It is only in the marital relationship that the use of the sexual faculty can be morally good.

A person engaging in homosexual behaviour therefore acts immorally.

To choose someone of the same sex for one’s sexual activity is to annul the rich symbolism and meaning, not to mention the goals, of the Creator’s sexual design.

Homosexual activity is not a complementary union, able to transmit life; and so it thwarts the call to a life of that form of self-giving which the Gospel says is the essence of Christian living. This does not mean that homosexual persons are not often generous and giving of themselves; but when they engage in homosexual activity they confirm within themselves a disordered sexual inclination which is essentially self-indulgent.

As in every moral disorder, homosexual activity prevents one’s own fulfilment and happiness by acting contrary to the creative wisdom of God. The Church, in rejecting erroneous opinions regarding homosexuality, does not limit but rather defends personal freedom and dignity realistically and authentically understood.

8

. Thus, the Church’s teaching today is in organic continuity with the Scriptural perspective and with her own constant Tra-

dition. Though today’s world is in many ways quite new, the Christian community senses the profound and lasting bonds which join us to those generations who have gone before us, “marked with the sign of faith”.

Nevertheless, increasing numbers of people today, even within the Church, are bringing enormous pressure to bear on the Church to accept the homosexual condition as though it were not disordered and to condone homosexual activity. Those within the Church who argue in this fashion often have close ties with those with similar views outside it. These latter groups are guided by a vision opposed to the truth about the human person, which is fully disclosed in the mystery of Christ.

They reflect, even if not entirely consciously, a materialistic ideology which denies the transcendent nature of the human person as well as the supernatural vocation of every individual.

The Church’s ministers must ensure that homosexual persons in their care will not be misled by this point of view, so profoundly opposed to the teaching of the Church. But the risk is great and there are many who seek to create confusion regarding the Church’s position, and then to use that confusion to their own advantage.

9

. The movement within the Church, which takes the form of pressure groups of various names and sizes, attempts to give the impression that it represents all homosexual persons who are Catholics.

As a matter of fact, its membership is by and large restricted to those who either ignore the teaching of the Church or seek somehow to undermine it. It brings together under the aegis of Catholicism homosexual persons who have no intention of abandoning their homosexual behaviour. One tactic used is to protest that any and all criticism of or reservations about homosexual people, their activity and lifestyle, are simply diverse forms of unjust discrimination.

There is an effort in some countries to manipulate the Church by gaining the often well-intentioned support of her pastors with a view to changing civil-statutes and laws. This is done in order to conform to these pressure groups’ concept that homosexuality is at least a completely harmless, if not an entirely good, thing. Even when the practice of homosexuality may seriously threaten the lives and well-being of a large number of people, its advocates remain undeterred and refuse to consider the magnitude of the risks involved.

The Church can never be so callous.

It is true that her clear position cannot be revised by pressure from civil legislation or the trend of the moment. But she is really concerned about the many who are not represented by the pro-homosexual movement and about those who may have been tempted to believe its deceitful propaganda. She is also aware that the view that homosexual activity is equivalent to, or as acceptable as, the sexual expression of conjugal love has a direct impact on society’s understanding of the nature and rights of the family and puts them in jeopardy.

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HE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

l care of homosexual persons 10

. It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the Church’s pastors wherever it occurs.

It reveals a kind of disregard for others which endangers the most fundamental principles of a healthy society. The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in word, in action and in law.

But the proper reaction to crimes committed against homosexual persons should not be to claim that the homosexual condition is not disordered. When such a claim is made and when homosexual activity is consequently condoned, or when civil legislation is introduced to protect behaviour to which no one has any conceivable right, neither the Church nor society at large should be surprised when other distorted notions and practices gain ground, and irrational and violent reactions increase.

11

. It has been argued that the homosexual orientation in certain cases is not the result of deliberate choice; and so the homosexual person would then have no choice but to behave in a homosexual fashion.

Lacking freedom, such a person, even if engaged in homosexual activity, would not be culpable.

Here, the Church’s wise moral tradition is necessary since it warns against generalisations in judging individual cases. In fact, circumstances may exist, or may have existed in the past, which would reduce or remove the culpability of the individual in a given instance; or other circumstances may increase it. What is at all costs to be avoided is the unfounded and demeaning assumption that the sexual behaviour of homosexual persons is always and totally compulsive and therefore inculpable. What is essential is that the fundamental liberty which characterises the human person and gives him his dignity be recognised as belonging to the homosexual person as well. As in every conversion from evil, the abandonment of homosexual activity will require a profound collaboration of the individual with God’s liberating grace.

12. What,

then, are homosexual persons to do who seek to follow the Lord? Fundamentally, they are called to enact the will of God in their life by joining whatever sufferings and difficulties they experience in virtue of their condition to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross. That Cross, for the believer, is a fruitful sacrifice since from that death come life and redemption. While any call to carry the cross or to understand a Christian’s suffering in this way will predictably be met with bitter ridicule by some, it should be remembered that this is the way to eternal life for all who follow Christ.

It is, in effect, none other than the teaching of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians when he says that the Spirit produces in the lives of the faithful “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control” (5:22) and further (v. 24), “You cannot belong to Christ unless you crucify all selfindulgent passions and desires.”

It is easily misunderstood, however,

if it is merely seen as a pointless effort at self-denial. The Cross is a denial of self, but in service to the will of God himself who makes life come from death and empowers those who trust in him to practise virtue in place of vice.

To celebrate the Paschal Mystery, it is necessary to let that Mystery become imprinted in the fabric of daily life. To refuse to sacrifice one’s own will in obedience to the will of the Lord is effectively to prevent salvation. Just as the Cross was central to the expression of God’s redemptive love for us in Jesus, so the conformity of the self-denial of homosexual men and women with the sacrifice of the Lord will constitute for them a source of self-giving which will save them from a way of life which constantly threatens to destroy them.

Christians who are homosexual are called, as all of us are, to a chaste life. As they dedicate their lives to understanding the nature of God’s personal call to them, they will be able to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance more faithfully and receive the Lord’s grace so freely offered there in order to convert their lives more fully to his Way.

13

. We recognise, of course, that in great measure the clear and successful communication of the Church’s teaching to all the faithful, and to society at large, depends on the correct instruction and fidelity of her pastoral ministers. The Bishops have the particularly grave responsibility to see to it that their assistants in the ministry, above all the priests, are rightly informed and personally disposed to bring the teaching of the Church in its integrity to everyone.

The characteristic concern and good will exhibited by many clergy and religious in their pastoral care for homosexual persons is admirable, and, we hope, will not diminish. Such devoted ministers should have the confidence that they are faithfully following the will of the Lord by encouraging the homosexual person to lead a chaste life and by affirming that person’s God-given dignity and worth.

14

. With this in mind, this Congregation wishes to ask the Bishops to be especially cautious of any programmes which may seek to pressure the Church to change her teaching, even while claiming not to do so. A careful examination of their public statements and the activities they promote reveals a studied ambiguity by which they attempt to mislead the pastors and the faithful. For example, they may present the teaching of the Magisterium, but only as if it were an optional source for the formation of one’s conscience. Its specific authority is not recognised. Some of these groups will use the word “Catholic” to describe either the organisation or its intended members, yet they do not defend and promote the teaching of the Magisterium; indeed, they even openly attack it.

While their members may claim a desire to conform their lives to the teaching of Jesus, in fact they abandon the teaching of his Church. This contradictory action should not have the support of the Bishops in any way.

15

. We encourage the Bishops, then, to provide pastoral care in full accord with the teaching of the Church for homosexual persons of their dioceses. No authentic pastoral programme will include organisations in which homosexual persons associate with each other without clearly stating that homosexual activity is immoral. A truly pastoral approach will appreciate the need for homosexual persons to avoid the near occasions of sin.

We would heartily encourage programmes where these dangers are avoided.

But we wish to make it clear that departure from the Church’s teaching, or silence about it, in an effort to provide pastoral care is neither caring nor pastoral. Only what is true can ultimately be pastoral.

The neglect of the Church’s position prevents homosexual men and women from receiving the care they need and deserve.

An authentic pastoral programme will assist homosexual persons at all levels of the spiritual life: through the sacraments, and in particular through the frequent and sincere use of the sacrament of Reconciliation, through prayer, witness, counsel and individual care. In such a way, the entire Christian community can come to recognise its own call to assist its brothers and sisters, without deluding them or isolating them.

16

. From this multi-faceted approach there are numerous advantages to be gained, not the least of which is the realisation that a homosexual person, as every human being, deeply needs to be nourished at many different levels simultaneously.

The human person, made in the image and likeness of God, can hardly be adequately described by a reductionist reference to his or her sexual orientation. Every one living on the face of the earth has personal problems and difficulties, but challenges to growth, strengths, talents and gifts as well. Today, the Church provides a badly needed context for the care of the human person when she refuses to consider the person as a “heterosexual” or a “homosexual” and insists that every person has a fundamental Identity: the creature of God, and by grace, his child and heir to eternal life.

17

. In bringing this entire matter to the Bishops’ attention, this Congregation wishes to support their efforts to assure that the teaching of the Lord and his Church on this important question be communicated fully to all the faithful.

In light of the points made above, they should decide for their own dioceses the extent to which an intervention on their part is indicated. In addition, should they consider it helpful, further coordinated action at the level of their National Bishops’ Conference may be envisioned.

In a particular way, we would ask the Bishops to support, with the means at their disposal, the development of appropriate forms of pastoral care for homosexual persons. These would include the assistance of the psychological, sociological and medical sciences, in full accord with the teaching of the Church.

They are encouraged to call on the assistance of all Catholic theologians who, by teaching what the Church teaches, and

by deepening their reflections on the true meaning of human sexuality and Christian marriage with the virtues it engenders, will make an important contribution in this particular area of pastoral care.

The Bishops are asked to exercise special care in the selection of pastoral ministers so that by their own high degree of spiritual and personal maturity and by their fidelity to the Magisterium, they may be of real service to homosexual persons, promoting their health and well-being in the fullest sense. Such ministers will reject theological opinions which dissent from the teaching of the Church and which, therefore, cannot be used as guidelines for pastoral care.

We encourage the Bishops to promote appropriate catechetical programmes based on the truth about human sexuality in its relationship to the family as taught by the Church. Such programmes should provide a good context within which to deal with the question of homosexuality.

This catechesis would also assist those families of homosexual persons to deal with this problem which affects them so deeply.

All support should be withdrawn from any organisations which seek to undermine the teaching of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which neglect it entirely. Such support, or even the semblance of such support, can be gravely misinterpreted. Special attention should be given to the practice of scheduling religious services and to the use of Church buildings by these groups, including the facilities of Catholic schools and colleges. To some, such permission to use Church property may seem only just and charitable; but in reality it is contradictory to the purpose for which these institutions were founded, it is misleading and often scandalous.

In assessing proposed legislation, the Bishops should keep as their uppermost concern the responsibility to defend and promote family life.

18

. The Lord Jesus promised, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (Jn. 8:32). Scripture bids us speak the truth in love (cf. Eph. 4:15). The God who is at once truth and love calls the Church to minister to every man, woman and child with the pastoral solicitude of our compassionate Lord. It is in this spirit that we have addressed this Letter to the Bishops of the Church, with the hope that it will be of some help as they care for those whose suffering can only be intensified by error and lightened by truth.

(During an audience granted to the undersigned Prefect, His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, approved this Letter, adopted in an ordinary session of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and ordered it to be published.)

Given at Rome, 1 October 1986.

JOSEPH CARDINAL RATZINGER Prefect ALBERTO BOVONE Titular Archbishop of Caesarea in Numidia Secretary

20 BIBLE SUNDAY

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This year’s Bible Sunday (July 13) message from the Regional Biblical Comm Seeking the Treasure Who can decide or guarantee the authenticity of the correct interpretation of the Scriptures? Down through the centuries, people from various Christian denominations and religions and even atheists have offered many versions of interpretation of the Scriptures.

Is interpretation of the Scriptures a personal matter based upon personal inspiration and claiming it as “Holy Spirit- inspired messages” or as “messages from Christ himself”? Should the Bible and its interpretation be “updated”, “rewritten” or “re-interpreted” according to modern changing situations, in line with contemporary human thinking so as to make it “relevant” and “acceptable” to the present human diverse life styles and needs? Is interpretation a matter of Gnosticism or relativism or scholasticism or secularisation or subjectivism? As a response, the 2013 Bible Sunday message explained “THE SENSES OF SCRIPTURE IN INTERPRETATION”.

Now who has the authority to interpret the Scriptures and guarantee the authenticity of the interpretation? Is the Bible alone sufficient? For this purpose, the 2014 Bible Sunday message focuses on the relationship between the Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition and the Magisterium or Teaching Office of the Church.

Need of a Guide to seek the Treasure In Luke 24:25-27, 44-47 the Risen Christ Himself explained and interpreted to the two disappointed disciples on the way to Emmaus and His Apostles, the events happening to Himself from the Law of Moses and the writings of the Prophets. In Acts 8:26-40, an Ethiopian Eunuch on his way home after his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, was reading Isaiah about the Suffering Servant of Yahweh (Isaiah 53:7-8). Now Philip, led by the Holy Spirit, approached him and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How could I unless I have someone to guide me?” Philip then began to explain the Good News of Jesus to him. The response was immediate. The Eunuch asked to be baptised there and then.

Jesus, at the Last Supper, told His disciples, “I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you to bear. However when the Spirit of truth comes, He will lead you to complete truth. He will glorify

me, since all He will reveal to you, will be taken from what is mine.

He will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you” (John 14:26; 16:13-14.).

And before His ascension, the Risen Christ told His Apostles to remain in Jerusalem and said; “You will receive the power of the Holy Spirit and then you will be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:4,8) Just as our Lord Jesus had promised, the Holy Spirit came down upon the early Church and Peter gave the first inspired preaching explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The response was overwhelming! 3000 people were baptised that very day! Since then the Holy Spirit has been with the early Church, inspiring and guiding it in its faithful “witness to Jesus beginning from Jerusalem, to Samaria, Judaea and to the ends of the world” just as Jesus has instructed in Acts 1:8. The same Holy Spirit continues to lead and guide the same Church of Christ built on the Rock, Peter, and ensuring that it faithfully hands down the same Gospel message as it has received from the Apostles in such a way that it remains intact, unchanged but remains always relevant and effective in each succeeding generation (cf 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5; 2 Timothy 3:14-17). This remains so because God has seen to it that what He had revealed for the salvation of all nations would abide perpetually in its full integrity and be handed on to all generations. (CCC 74; Dei Verbum Ch 2 No.7) What is the Treasure?

When Christ the Lord commissioned the Apostles to preach to all people that Gospel which is the source of all saving truth and moral teaching, He gave them this assurance: I am with you always; yes to the end of time (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:20).

This commission was faithfully fulfilled by the Apostles who, by their oral preaching, by example, and by observances handed on what they had received from the lips of Christ, from living with Him, and from what He did, or what they had learned through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The commission was fulfilled, too, by those Apostles and apostolic men who under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit committed the message of salvation to writing. ( DV 7).

But in order to keep the Gospel forever whole and alive within the Church, the Apostles left bish-

ops as their successors, “handing over” to them “the authority to teach in their own place” (cf 1 Timothy 4:14). The Apostles, handing on what they themselves had received, exalted the faithful to hold fast to the traditions which they had learned either by word of mouth or by letter (2 Thess. 2:15), and to fight in defense of the faith handed on once and for all (Jude 1:3) (DV 8).

Jesus Himself has warned His Apostles, “If any one says to you, “Lo, here is the Christ” or “There he is” do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:23-24). And Paul, in his letter to the Galatians said, “I am astonished that you are so quickly turning to a different gospel.

There are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-12; Jude 4). Hence, the exhortation in Hebrews 13:8-9; “Jesus Christ is the same today as He was Yesterday and as He will be for ever. Do not let yourselves be led astray by all sorts of strange doctrines.”

Now the task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form (Sacred Scripture) or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the Magisterium or the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome (CCC 85; DV 10).

This teaching office is not above the Word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit.

It draws from the one deposit of faith everything which it presents for belief as divinely revealed. By adhering to this heritage, the entire holy people – united to its pastors – remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2:42) (DV 10).

In Acts 15:1,5 some Jewish Christians insisted that in order to be saved, Christians of gentile origin should first observe the Law of Moses and be circumcised. This “theological” crisis resulted in the first big meeting of the Church

leaders in Jerusalem. This meeting to resolve the crisis helped the early Church to understand the meaning of salvation in relation to faith in Christ Jesus and the Law of Moses – a point Paul explained and expounded well in his letters to the Galatians and especially to the Romans.

The subsequent meetings of the Church leaders down through the different periods of history demonstrate the significant role of the Magisterium or the Teaching Office of the Church especially in defining the essence of Faith and in dealing with the many theological and scripture-related issues raised by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other Reformers.

The Magisterium of the Church has made many clear definitive statements of Faith and has proclaimed some important dogmas.

These dogmas are not new revela-

tions; neither are they in conflict with the Gospel messages in the Scriptures. All that God wants to reveal has reached its climax and fulfillment in Jesus Christ. After Jesus Christ, there is no more new public revelation. The statements of Faith or Dogmas only highlight certain aspects of Faith which are already there for emphasis with greater clarity.

The Apostles’ Creed that contains the 12 articles of Faith is the living testimony to “what the Church is and believes” as it has been handed down through the centuries since the Apostolic times (DV 8). This Tradition which comes from the Apostles, develops in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit. There is a growth in the understanding and the Church constantly moves forward toward the fullness of divine truth until the words of God reach

BIBLE SUNDAY 21

Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

mmission speaks of seeking the evergreen priceless treasure in the Bible. the Lord and the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, and hands it on to their successors in its full purity, so that led by the light of the Spirit of truth, they may in proclaiming it, preserve this Word of God faithfully, explain it, and make it more widely known (DV 9). Through this Sacred Tradition, “the Church – in her doctrine, life and worship – perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes.”

(CCC 78; DV 8) Consequently, it is not from Sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed (DV 9). The conclusion of the Gospel of John says, “There were many other signs that Jesus worked in the sight of the disciples but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God and that believing this you may have life through His name” (John 20:3031).

The Church entrusted with the Treasure

their complete fulfillment in her.

So Sacred Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local Churches over time.

These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of the Sacred Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church’s Magisterium (CCC 83). Jesus spoke of the difference between the Sacred Tradition and “the traditions of the elders” or “human traditions” as promoted by the Pharisees (cf Mark 7:1-13).

However He told the crowd and His disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do and observe what they tell you but do not be guided by what they do,

since they do not practice what they do” (Matthew 23:2-3). The distinction between essence and accidents, or between subjective and objective has to be clarified so that we do not confuse personal interpretation with official Church interpretation of the Scriptures, or situational applications with official Church teachings, or private revelations with Official Public Revelation.

Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture are two distinct modes of transmission. But both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring – the same deposit of Faith, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end. Sacred Scripture is the Word of God consigned to writing under the inspiration of the Divine Spirit, while Sacred Tradition or the Apostolic Tradition takes the Word of God entrusted by Christ

The Scriptures should be read and interpreted within “the living Tradition of the whole Church” because Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church’s heart rather than in documents and records. The Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God’s Word and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture (CCC 113). Therefore, both Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence (CCC 8082; DV 9).

“It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.”

(CCC 95; DV 10) The Church founded on Peter,

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the Rock has been authorised by Jesus Himself who said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go! Make disciples of all nations, baptise them and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you” (Matthew 28:19; John 20:21). Peter was given personal assurance at the Last Supper by Jesus Himself, “I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail and once you have recovered, you in your turn must strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). In John’s Gospel, he was personally told three times

by Jesus Himself after His Resurrection, to “Feed my lambs! Look after my sheep! Feed my sheep!”

Peter was thus entrusted and continues to be entrusted with the responsibility of the Good Shepherd (John 21:15-19). He handed down this pastoral responsibility to his successor. This handing down continued from one successor to the next in the Church until today.

This explains the source and authority of the teaching office of the Church of Christ built on Peter, the Rock, and his unique status as Pope in this indispensable Office (Matthew 16:18-19).

For over 2000 years now, the Church Of Christ built on the Rock, from its “first” Peter to its “266th Peter” – Pope Francis, has been in possession of this same priceless Treasure (the deposit of Faith) and continues to faithfully hold fast, preserve and hand it down to its succeeding generations (CCC 76, 84; 2 Thess. 2:15; Jude 1:3). Despite the many generations of changes and even uncertainties in the Church and in the world at large, this priceless Treasure remains intact in the Church, maintaining its priceless purity and stays evergreen without losing its eternal value (DV 10). The value or the worth of this treasure, unlike the stock market, does not diminish or increase according to human evaluation or assessment. Instead of being changed by the changing events in world history, it has changed and will continue to change, effect and shape world events and human history.

Wisdom 7:27 may shed some light on this unchanged changer

or unmoved mover; “Although Wisdom is alone, she can do everything; herself unchanging, she renews the world, and, generation after generation, passing into holy souls, she makes them into God’s friends and prophets.”

In the same way, though the Church’s official interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures or the official teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not change in essence, it remains forever relevant and effective in shaping world events and human life (CCC 84).

This priceless Treasure, that is, the deposit of Faith entrusted by Christ to His Apostles can be described in one Word, namely, Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1; Luke 1:1-4; John 1:1-5; 20:31; Hebrews 1:1-2). And Paul said in more specific terms, “We preach the message of the Cross – Christ crucified – the power and wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23; 2:1-5). Since the Apostolic times, this One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church supported by its two pillars, that is, Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, remains faithfully firm on the One Foundation – Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:12) and as the branches remain faithfully in the vine, it has been bearing fruit in plenty and fruit that will last (John 15:117).

Enjoy the Treasure 2 Timothy 3:14-17 sums up well this special relationship between the Magisterium of the Church, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition: “You must keep to what you have been taught (Tradition) and know to be true; remember who your teachers were (the magisterium) and how, ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures – from these you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be upright. This is how someone who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work.” n

Sharing the Treasure

What is the difference between Bible Sharing and Bible Study? How are they related to one another?

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In your experience, what difficulties do most people have in understanding what they read in the Bible during their personal prayer or study?

3

What are the dangers of personal free interpretation alone without the guidance of the Teaching Office of the Church?

22 FAITH ALIVE!

Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

Why call the Mass a celebration?

Mass will be a celebration only if the people attending are joyful and participative.

By David Gibson A Mass is not called a celebration only when it gives rise to happiness in the people of God. Still, that might be one good reason to consider it a celebration. While there are celebrations of all kinds in the human family, people tend first to think that a celebration is, well, “celebratory”, an occasion to rejoice.

It is evident that the Eucharist is an occasion to rejoice when two people marry in the Church. The occasion brings Christian life’s joyful dimension into plain view.

As Pope Francis said, “The Christian ought always to be joyful, as one who goes to a wedding.”

Life encompasses “moments of crucifixion, moments of pain”, Pope Francis acknowledged in a September 2013 homily. Yet, he added, there always is a profound peace and joy because Christian life itself “is lived as a celebration, like the nuptial union of Christ with the Church”.

A nuptial Mass connects directly with the lives of two people setting off into a somewhat unknown future. Its particular type of festivity does not characterise every eucharistic celebration, however.

What the Mass does celebrate is Christ’s presence in the community of His disciples. It also celebrates the bonds of kindness and care among His people. Pope Benedict XVI once described this group of people as “God’s family” and “a gathering of friends” who “never abandon each other”

The Eucharist is an event to enter into and experience, like all true celebrations.

A wedding ceremony in a New York church. Pope Francis said, “The Christian ought always to be joyful, as one who goes to a wedding.” CNS photo

in “life or in death”.

The Church’s people, then, are bonded together by Christ. The Eucharist gathers together these bearers of Christ’s life and love.

In the end, it disperses them back into the world to serve in countless ways as lifelines for others.

These realities of the Church’s identity were celebrated recently when representatives of the US Catholic bishops visited the border region between Mexico and Arizona. They honoured the lives of immigrants who died trying to make their way into the United States through the desert.

“We know that the border is lined with unmarked graves of thousands who have died alone and nameless,” Boston’s Cardinal Sean P O’Malley said during an April 1 eucharistic celebration on the border. He explained, “We are here today to say they are not forgotten.” He added, “We are here to discover our own identity as God’s children so that we can discover who our neighbour is.”

People know what celebrations are in ordinary life. We participate in celebratory events, we experience them.

Think of the family celebra-

tions of birthdays, anniversaries and so on. Here, people rediscover the importance of their identity in a family. Time spent together affords the opportunity to celebrate each family member’s life.

But how is the Eucharist a celebration? I pondered that question recently after hearing several news reports mention Masses that Pope Francis “delivered”. Delivered?

Surely the Mass is not “delivered” like a prepared speech or a package UPS brings to your doorstep!

The Eucharist is an event to enter into and experience, like all true celebrations.

While Catholics consider the Mass a celebration, the reasons for calling it that rarely are spelled out. St John Paul II’s encyclical on the Eucharist said that in “celebrating the eucharistic sacrifice”, communities of the baptised “express and affirm their identity”.

To truly experience the riches of Mass, the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy cautioned against becoming “silent spectators”. It recommended “fully conscious and active” participation.

In other words, people do not simply “attend” Mass, they “participate” in this central expression of the Church’s faith. They affirm and hope to develop their identity within the body of Christ.

Today, some participate as lectors during Mass or Communion distributors, ushers and choir members. For most Catholics, “participation” means taking part “by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons and songs, as well as by actions, gestures and bodily attitudes”, in the words of the liturgy constitution. n CNS Gibson served on Catholic News Service’s editorial staff for 37 years.

Sunday Mass, more than an obligation

I

By Rhina Guidos

recently heard someone ask the question: Why do we have to go Mass? I don’t think I’d heard that question since I was a child, when someone was whining, begging to stay home. Not going to Mass on Sunday back then was unheard of and it was drilled into us that the only excuse for not going was death – our own, not someone else’s.

These days, studies show, however, that fewer Catholics attend Mass on Sundays and some don’t understand why it’s important to attend. Isn’t the point just to be a good Christian?

While that’s true, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in No 2177, is clear about the Sunday obligation.

“The Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and His Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life,” it says.

I always thought the word “obligation” made heading to Mass on Sunday sound as if it was something we were forced to do, akin

to eating a despised vegetable. forced to get together for special My favourite take on it, how- occasions and try to mend fences ever, came a couple of years for the good of the group, we, as a ago from Jesuit Fr William By- Christian family, are called by God ron, who recalled the old phrase to do the same. We celebrate a spe“much obliged” as an expression cial occasion and we do it together of gratitude, and, therefore, the while putting our differences and Sunday obligation was our way discord aside, and try to come toof thanks-doing, gether in love thanks-saying, While there are many and unity. thanksgiving.

The Letter ways to give thanks to the Hebrews On Sundays, Fr Byron reminds us that wrote: “We give to God on a Sunday, “we should not thanks for the there is something stay away from gift of our salvaour assembly, special, however, tion through the as is the custom death, resurrecof some, but enabout those of us tion and ascencourage one ansion of Jesus. other”. who gather, with Not to meet this The Euchaour imperfections. rist, the catobligation – not to offer praise echism says in and thanks – is to be an ingrate.”

No 2179, “teaches Christ’s saving While there are many ways to doctrine; it practices the charity of give thanks to God on a Sunday, the Lord in good works and broththere is something special, how- erly love”. ever, about those of us who gathWhile there are exceptions – er, with our imperfections, but for example, for illness or caring together nevertheless, in Church. for infants – we’re encouraged to Just as a biological family is meet and express our communion

A Mass at the Church of St Joseph (Bukit Timah). It is important to attend Sunday Mass as it is our way of thanks-doing, thanks-saying, thanksgiving.

with the Church and one another.

Praying alone, in front of the TV, unless there’s a good reason for it, misses the intention.

The catechism reminds us in No 2179 that “you cannot pray at home as at Church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are

cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests.” n CNS Guidos is an editor with Catholic News Service.

Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

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Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

By Joe Sarnicola Jesus decided to tell a story to the many people who had come to hear him.

“A sower went out to sow,” he said. “And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Later, after the crowd had gone home, the apostles asked Jesus a question. “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

Jesus answered, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to

them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Jesus wanted his apostles to know he was following the words of the Scriptures, so he said to them, “This is why I speak to them in parables, because ‘they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.’ Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: ‘You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see.’”

Jesus wanted to make another comparison to the earlier prophets for the sake of his friends, so he told them, “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Then Jesus explained the mean-

SPOTLIGHT ON SAINTS:

St Bonaventure

St Bonaventure, who was born in Italy in 1221, joined the Order of Friars Minor and was educated at the University of Paris. He enjoyed preaching, and his sermons were inspiring to many.

While still at the university, he wrote one of his most well-known theological works, the “Commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard.” St Bonaventure wrote another paper, “Concerning the Perfection of Life,” for Isabella, the sister of St Louis IX and a leader of the Poor Clares.

When he was appointed the minister general of the Order of Friars Minor, he wrote a paper to settle a dispute between two groups of friars. Pope Clement IV nominated St Bonaventure archbishop of York but asked the pope to accept his refusal. In 1273, Pope Gregory X named him cardinal-bishop of Albano, near Rome.

St Bonaventure died in 1274. We honour him on July 15. n

ing of the parable of the sower and the seeds. “The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. ...

“The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches

choke the word and it bears no fruit.

But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it.” n Read more about it: Matthew 13

Q&A 1. Why does Jesus use parables when speaking to the crowd?

2. How does Jesus let his friends know that he is following the Scriptures?

Wordsearch: n BEARS

n BLESSED n THORNS n HEAR

n SPEAK

n SOWED n RICH

n SEED

n PATH

n HEART

n WORDS

n SOIL

KID’S CLUB: Share your thoughts on this week’s Bible story with family and friends by writing an essay in response to this question: What do you think is the most important lesson Jesus tried to teach us while he was here on earth?

Bible Accent: Answers to puzzle: 1. d 2. a 3. e 4. c

5. b

PUZZLE: Match the words on the right with the silly phrases on the left.

Sometimes the answer sounds like the phrase.

Example: Bee shop = church leader. Answer: bishop 1. Pair of bulls = stories = a) Psalms 2. Tropical plants = songs or poems = b) Easter 3. One who cannot = singer = c) Mass 4. Scientific weight = church service = d) Parables 5. Opposite of western = holy day = e) Cantor

Answer to Wordsearch

Matthew was working as a tax collector when Jesus called him to be one of his first apostles.

Many people of the time would have said that a tax collector would have been an unlikely person to be a follower of the Messiah, but Jesus must have seen the good inside of Matthew to have called him.

Matthew researched the family history of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, and recorded it in his Gospel along with a beautiful telling of the Christmas story.

Matthew wanted to convince his readers that Jesus was the Messiah and the son of God. Matthew’s Gospel contains many of the most famous stories about Jesus, including his baptism by John, the calling of the apostles, the beatitudes and the Passion narrative. Scholars cannot conclusively say how Matthew died, but with his life he left behind a legacy as an important early Christian writer.. n

WHAT’S ON 25

Sunday July 13, 2014 n CatholicNews

EVENT SUBMISSIONS We welcome information of events happening in our local Church.

Please send your submission at least one month before the event. Online submissions can be made at www. catholic.org.sg/webevent_form.php

learning potential and create a conducive home environment for learning. At Blk 261B #01-400, Sengkang East Way. JULY 16 FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL Masses: 6.30am; 2.30pm (Mandarin); 4.30pm & 6.30pm. At Carmelite Monastery, 98 Bukit Teresa Road.

CTIS LIBRARY Visit the CTIS Library at the Catholic Centre, Level 4, 55 Waterloo Street for your spiritual reading and research.

Library opening hours: 10am-8pm Mondays to Fridays, 10am- 2pm Saturdays. Contact: 6434 8008 (Angela)

JULY 19 ART JAMMING – ACCOMPANIED

BY LIVE MUSIC! 3-6pm: No artistic experience necessary.

All art materials and refreshments will be provided. Participants get to enjoy a cappella singing of songs from movies!

Fee: $40 (payment at the door).

At Mary & Magdalene Hall, Level 3, The Catholic Centre (55 Waterloo Street).

Register T: 6757 7990; E: registration@clarity-singapore.org

MONDAYS JULY 7 TO AUGUST 25 LIFE IN THE SPIRIT SEMINARS 7.30pm: LISS is a spiritual programme comprising talks, Sacraments, sharing, prayer, scriptures and ministering to deepen personal relationship with Christ.

At Church of Risen Christ. Register T: 9005 4511 (Maria); 9657 3097 (Helen); E: m4trinity@gmail.com / dchelen52@gmail.com

JULY 20 PRISONS WEEK MASS 11.15am: The Roman Catholic Prison Ministry celebrates Prisons Week with a Eucharist celebrated by Archbishop William Goh at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We gather to pray for prisoners, ex-offenders, victims of crime, all their families and the many people involved in this ministry. All are welcome.

WEDNESDAYS JULY 9 TO SEPTEMBER 24 BOOK OF REVELATION BY MSGR AMBROSE VAZ 8-10pm: Want to know and understand this Book of the Bible, then come and join us.

Course fee: $30, bring along your Bible and writing materials. At Church of the Holy Spirit. Register T: 9479 3120 (Alexander); E: hsbibleapostolate.pm@gmail.com

MONDAY JULY 21 TO FRIDAY JULY 25 NTU CATHOLIC STUDENTS’ APOSTOLATE FRESHMEN ORIENTATION CAMP At Fairy Point Chalet 4.

Register T: 9230 1810 / 8183 4532; E: csafoc2014@gmail.com

WEDNESDAYS JULY 9 AND JULY 16 CHRISTIAN MEDITATION FOR CAREGIVERS IN MANDARIN 9.30-11am: A two-session introduction to Christian meditation conducted in Mandarin. By Clarity Singapore and WCCM Singapore. At Blk 854 #01-3511, Yishun Ring Road. Register T: 6757 7990; E: rebecca.oh@clarity-singapore.org

SATURDAY JULY 26 TO MONDAY JULY 28 CAMS YOUTH CAMP 2014 9am (Sat)-5pm (Mon): CAMS Youth Annual Camp (Conducted in Mandarin) is back again! Activities include spiritual activities, talks on the ten Commandments by priests and many games. At Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Register T: 9113 6598 (Nic); E: nicholas.cheang91@gmail.com

JULY 12 MEDITATIVE PRAYER USING THE SONGS OF TAIZE 8pm: All are welcome. No registration required. At The Armenian Church of St Gregory the Illuminator (60 Hill Street).

Enquiries T: 9837 7256; E: bennycah@gmail.com JULY 12 ROAD TO EMMAUS – BIBLE STUDY AND REFLECTION 3-5pm: Walking verse-by-verse through Luke’s detailed account of Easter Sunday, this talk aims to help participants better understand their Catholic hope in the Risen Christ and in the Resurrection. At the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Enquiries: 9634 5448 (Martinus).

JULY 26 PRECISION ONCOLOGY 10am-12.30pm: Understanding the latest advancement in cancer management. A seminar by Dr Terence Aik Huang Tan, a Specialist Medical Oncologist. Organised by the Life in the Vine Cancer Support Group. At the Church of the Holy Spirit, Upper Room, Level 4 Attic. All are welcome and admission is free. Register T: 6252 5646 (Kuntarjo) / 9678 0397 (Ana); E: vine.csg@gmail.com

JULY 12 AND 19 PARENTS AS LEARNING COACHES 9-1pm: Workshop for parents where they will learn how to give emotional support for their child, identify their child’s strengths, types of intelligences, learning styles, how to maximise their child’s

JULY 26 CELEBRATION OF LIFE: WORKSHOP FOR SENIORS 10am-4pm: Facilitated by Fr Monty Williams, SJ. In our wisdom years we see time as a gift and are grateful for the time given to us to celebrate what has been

life-giving in our past, our present and our future. Acknowledge and honour the gifts given to us, and to begin the work of healing those relationships that still cause us some distress through inputs, personal prayer and a concluding Eucharist. At Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Rd. Contribution: $30 (lunch included).

Register by July 20, T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com

MONDAYS AUGUST 4 TO SEPTEMBER 29 LIFE IN THE SPIRIT SEMINARS 7.45pm: A nine-week journey of P&W, talks, sharing, daily reflections and quiet time culminating in the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. At Church of St Francis Xavier, 63A Chartwell Drive.

Register T: 9487 8087 (Francis) / 8111 0023 (Clare); W: www.sfxchurch.sg

JULY 27 AND 28 LIVING AUTHENTIC LIVES 2-5pm (Sun), 9-5pm (Mon): A two-day workshop for those in pastoral care and for spiritual directors, facilitated by Fr Monty Williams, SJ. There will be input, time for prayer and sharing. At Kingsmead Centre, 9 Victoria Park Rd. Contribution: $300. Register by July 20, T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com

TUESDAYS AUGUST 6 TO NOVEMBER 4 INTRO TO WISDOM LIT AND BOOK OF SIRACH 9.30-11.30am or 7.45-9.45pm: By Msgr Ambrose Vaz. Sirach is the longest of the Wisdom books touching on major themes. It stresses the ethical aspects of everyday life. The study will incorporate a pastoral approach to and application of the messages contained in the book. Contribution: $85. At Catholic Archdiocesan Education Centre, 2 Highland Road. Register T: 6858 3011 (Christina); E: christina@one.org.sg

WEDNESDAYS JULY 30 TO AUGUST 13 CONVERSION: FOLLOWING THE CALL OF CHRIST 9.30-11.30am: A DVD-based programme

by Fr Robert Barron. Six stories of Conversion from the Gospels are told

by Fr Barron. Registration Fee: $5. At Church of the Holy Spirit, Room #03-02.

Register T: 8228 8220 (Clare); E: HSBibleApostolate@gmail.com AUGUST 1 TO SEPTEMBER 5 CATECHISM FOR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENTS – REGISTRATION The CCD programme at the Church of St Ignatius offers faith formation for students attending international schools and who follow the September to May academic calendar. Classes (Kinder to Grade 7) are offered on either Tuesdays or Thursdays from 4 to 5pm and the Confirmation programme is offered on Sundays 3.45 to 5.20pm. To register and to find out more, please visit www.stignatius.org.sg/ccd.

AUGUST 1 TO 3 THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY: A FILM RETREAT 7pm (Fri)-5pm (Sun): Through films, we look at our own spiritual journey, depicted in the stories we live by, and how they can be understood and transformed.

Beyond the presentations and viewing of three films, there will be time for prayer, reflection, small group sharing, and celebration of the Eucharist. Retreat Director: Fr Monty Williams, SJ. At Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Road.

Contribution: $280/$340. Register by July 23, T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail. com; W: www.kingsmeadcentre.sg AUGUST 2 LUMEN FIDEI 2014 8-6pm: Come and meet fellow overseas Singaporean Catholic students at Lumen Fidei 2014! Join us for a day of fellowship and fun, with thought-provoking talks, as we journey together in learning how to live out our faith while away from our homes and families! At St Ignatius Church (Room C). W: http://csocsingapore. wordpress.com/events/lumen-fidei-2014/

AUGUST 6 TO 10 LIVING THE BEATITUDES 7pm (Wed) to 5pm (Sun): A 4-day retreat animated by Fr Monty Williams, SJ. The path of the Beatitudes is a spiritual journey which brings us to a closer intimacy with God. Each beatitude is a site of liberation where, once the work of redemption is done in that site, we are led to further areas which cry out to encounter God. At Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Rd. Contribution: $420/$500.

Register by July 28, T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com; W: www.kingsmeadcentre.sg FRIDAY AUGUST 8 TO SUNDAY AUGUST 10 SIM CATHOLIC SOCIETY FRESHMEN ORIENTATION CAMP Register T: 8223 4133; E: CS@mymail.sim.edu.sg; W: http://www.tinyurl.com/CSFOC2014/ AUGUST 8 AND 9 MEDITATION AND MUSIC PRAYER CONCERT 8pm: A night of meditation & music with Jesuit Fr Manoling Francisco, a renowned liturgical composer from the Philippines.

At Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace, as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations. Tickets: $10, available at the parish office (6744 2879).

Contact E: mellee66@yahoo.com (Mel Diamse-Lee) AUGUST 9 CANTONESE NATIONAL DAY RETREAT 2014 9am-6pm: Experience the joy of the gospel with Fr Stephen Yim at the Cantonese National Day Retreat 2014. At Catholic Spirituality Centre, 1261 Upper Serangoon Road. T: 9640 7515 (Josephine Chan) or 9880 5535 (Wanda Wong).

SUNDAYS AUGUST 17 TO OCTOBER 5 COUPLE EMPOWERMENT

PROGRAMME 2-8.30pm: Join us at the Couple Empowerment Programme (CEP) and learn the latest life skills and apply them to build a more emotionally intelligent marriage. Ideal for young married couples and helpful for all couples who are open to re-discovering one another. Childminding services available as well. At Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Register T: 9105 9921 (Victor) or 9857 9075 (Andrea); W: cep-sg.org WEDNESDAYS AUGUST 20 TO SEPTEMBER 3 THE WAY OF JUSTICE AND PEACE: LITTLE ROCK SCRIPTURE STUDY 9.30-11.30am: This study helps us to reflect on God’s call to holiness & our response, the requirements of discipleship, and the lasting rewards of following the way of justice and peace.

A good foundation for anyone growing in public discipleship. Registration Fee: $5, Study Set (optional): $16. At Church of the Holy Spirit, Room #03-02.

Register T: 8228 8220 (Clare); E: HSBibleApostolate@gmail.com AUGUST 22 LANDSCAPE CROSSING MEET 1 2-5pm: Session for past Landscape Crossing retreatants, and those whose lives have been touched by cancer: patients, survivors and their care-givers.

Facilitator: Ms Edwina Yeow. Cost: Free.

The session will be at Montfort Retreat Centre, 624 Upper Bukit Timah Rd while tea will be at The ART, 30 Cashew Rd. Registration starts at 1.30pm.

Contact: 9012 4778 (Sr Margaret Goh); E: gohmargaret@hotmail.com AUGUST 30 SAME-SEX ATTRACTION 2-5pm: The struggle of homosexual people has many faces - to find a voice in today’s culture, to have a place in society, to be understood by family members, the confusion within themselves and reconciliation with their Christian beliefs.

The route to ease these struggles is paved with misunderstandings and conceptions about morality, sexuality, marriage, identity and human worth. Speaker: Fr David Garcia. At Kingsmead Centre, 8 Victoria Park Rd. Contribution: $30.

Register by August 22, T: 6467 6072; E: cisc2664@gmail.com; W: www.kingsmeadcentre.sg WEDNESDAYS SEPTEMBER 17 TO OCTOBER 22 BOOK OF EZEKIEL BY MIKE ARENTS 9.30-11.30am: Ezekiel was a man of deep faith and great imagination. Many of his insights came in the form of visions and many of his messages were expressed in vivid symbolic actions.

Ezekiel emphasised the need for inner renewal of the heart and spirit and the responsibility of each individual for his sins. Registration Fee: $10. At Church of the Holy Spirit, Room #03-02.

Register T: 8228 8220 (Clare); E: HSBibleApostolate@gmail.com

Crossword Puzzle 1114 1

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www.wordgamesforcatholics.com

ACROSS 1 “…for in due season we shall reap, if we do not _____ heart.”

(Gal 6:9) 5 He and Deborah defeated the army of Sisera (Judg 4:8–16) 10 The Mass is both a sacrifice and a _____ 14 “…____ this day be at my side…”

15 Liszt work 16 Both (prefix) 17 Exclamation of mild dismay 18 Conjunction 19 Bloodsucking insect 20 Number of apostles, in Roman numerals 21 First name in werewolves 22 Job’s wife told him to, “____ God and die” (Job 2:9) 23 Catholic actor, Tony _____ 26 The Wise Men followed it

28 Sound of amazement 29 Like fast food, sometimes 33 You wouldn’t put one under a bushel basket 35 Examine thoroughly 37 Bathing suit top 38 Nazareth, to Jesus 39 Hurried 40 It’ll cost you to be in it 41 Tic-tac-toe goal 42 Best of a group 44 Expensive car 45 Bordered 47 Winter hrs. in the Diocese of Cheyenne 48 Celestial being, to Jacques 49 To date 52 About 55 OT book 57 “…the fish of the sea and the birds of the _____.”

(Gen 1:26) 59 Engrave

60 Tempest 62 Spy movie 63 Off-Broadway theater award 64 “Saturday Night Fever” setting 65 Aleutian island 66 The _____ of Confession 67 He entered Judas (Lk 22:3) 68 Storage place (abbr.)

DOWN 1 A Medici pope 2 Egg-shaped 3 Shade of brown 4 Hosp. trauma centers 5 The land of Israel 6 “____ time…”

7 Undoing 8 “…begin our account without further _____…”

(2 Macc 2:32) 9 Understanding 10 Catholic star of “Samson and Delilah”

11 12 13 22 24 25 26 27 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 38 40 42 43 44

46

Islamic chieftain The Alphabet Similar Food for Elijah (1 Kings 19:6) Holy ____ Society Microwave slang This was rolled in front of Jesus’ tomb Label Father of Jesse “_____ et Orbi” Make lace “We _____ for the resurrection of the dead…”

To me, to Pierre One of the seven deadly sins Spill the beans OT prophetic book Easter ____ Sicilian volcano Lower limb Samson killed Philistines with the jawbone of this animal Wife of Jacob

47 You cannot serve God and this Mt 6:24 50 “…thy will be done on _____” 51 Dyes 52 Business bigwigs (abbr.)

53 “What’ll _____?”

54 What a catechumen

55 56 58 60 61 62

participates in (abbr.)

The ____ Sheep Medieval Spanish chest Rake 60’s demonstrators Madre’s hermana Black bird, for short

Solution to Crossword Puzzle No. 1113 S I N S

I S I T I

G E N E S

L O S S

A M O I

P I L L

S O N G

E D E N

M E N U

N E A R S U R S E T O M L I E L K A E S

A T O N E

A B R A D E

R O D S L

M E T O N N E S K G L T E E A L I T S A

O N N E E R A L E E I Z A D I D O O J E S H A W I B N Y A S R S

C O C A R O O D S P A E S T S O B E T H A C H E M O O R A N U S H O R N S

A S T E R

W H E A T

A S T A

www.wordgamesforcatholics.com

26 WORLD

IN MEMORIAM

Document for family meeting highlights hot-button issues VATICAN CITY – The working

document for an upcoming meeting of bishops to discuss the family offers a picture of the Catholic Church today struggling to preach the Gospel and transmit moral teachings.

The 75-page instrumentum laboris, published by the Vatican on June 26, is supposed to “provide an initial reference point” for discussion at the October 2014 extraordinary Synod of Bishops, whose theme is the Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelisation.

The document is based principally on comments solicited in a questionnaire last November from bishops’ conferences around the world. But it also reflects comments sent directly to the Vatican by individuals and groups responding to the questionnaire, which was widely published on the Internet.

Topics in the working document include some of the most controversial areas of Catholic moral teaching on the family, including contraception, divorce and remarriage, same-sex marriage, premarital sex and in vitro fertilisation.

Bishops’ conferences responding to the questionnaire attributed an increasing disregard of such

teachings to a variety influences, including “hedonistic culture; relativism; materialism; individualism; [and] the growing secularism”.

The document recognises that most Catholic couples do not follow the Church’s teaching against the use of artificial birth control.

It says the use of natural family planning, condoned by the Church, encourages responsible

Topics in the Synod of Bishops working document include contraception, divorce and remarriage, same-sex marriage and in vitro fertilisation. decisions about family size while respecting human fertility and “the dignity of the sexual relationship between husband and wife”.

Bishops expressed particular concern with the “ideology called gender theory, according to which the gender of each individual turns out to be simply the product of social conditioning and needs” without “any correspondence to a

person’s biological sexuality”.

The bishops see a need for better teaching of “Christian anthropology,” the document states.

Noting that contemporary culture dismisses or misunderstands theories of “natural law”, which seek to “found human rights on reason”, bishops increasingly prefer to invoke Scripture in support of Catholic moral teaching.

The document also points to economic factors behind Catholics’ disregard of that teaching: Cohabitation without marriage can be driven by financial need, youth unemployment, and a lack of housing. A widespread “contraceptive mentality” reflects, in part, a shortage of “child care, flexible working hours [and] parental leave.”

Long working hours and commuting times “take a toll on family relationships”, the document says.

The bishops recognise the challenges of ministering to growing numbers of people in such “irregular” situations, including divorced Catholics who have remarried civilly without obtaining an annulment of their first marriage, leaving them ineligible to receive Communion.

Many in such situations feel “frustrated and marginalised”, the document states, noting proposals for rendering the annulment process simpler and quicker – and warnings that such streamlining might obscure Church doctrine on the indissolubility of marriage.

On the other hand, some bishops and others “want to see more attention given to separated and divorced persons who have not remarried but have remained faithful to their nuptial vows”, and who often “have the added suffering of not being given proper care by the Church and thus overlooked”.

Regarding unions between partners of the same sex, bishops around the world “are trying to find a balance between the Church’s teaching on the family and a respectful, non-judgmental attitude toward people living in such unions”.

While opposing adoption of children by same-sex couples, almost all bishops said they would greet requests to baptise children living with such couples “with the same care, tenderness and concern which is given to other children”.

The document states that children of parents in “irregular” situations should also feel welcome in Catholic schools, where “words and expressions need to be used which create a sense of belonging and not exclusion”. n CNS The full synod working document is at http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_ doc_20140626_instrumentum-laboris-familia_en.html

CLASSIFIED THANKSGIVING

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved and preserved throughout the world, now and forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.

St Jude, worker of miracles, pray for us.

St Jude, helper of the hopeless, pray for us.

Thank you for answering my prayers.

O Holy St Jude, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of

all who invoke your special patronage in times of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you, to whom God has given such great power, to come to my assistance. Help me in my present urgent petition. In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. St Jude pray for me and all who invoke your aid. Humbly in need of your intercession.

Amen. Thank you for answering my prayers.

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