PATHFINDER JAN-MARCH 2014

ESSAYS

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APOLOGETICS

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THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT

hsi is 10 YEARS olDy!ears

HSI completes 10 les for of making discipary 1 Christ on Janu

MARY

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contents JAN-MAR 2014

SAINTS OF STEEL:: 43

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY :: 18

THE BIBLE’S INNER POWER :: 30

In this issue 13 I CELEBRATING 10 YEARS

Catholic apostolate Holy Spirit Interactive celebrates ten years of making disciples for Christ. We trace the growth of this blessed Catholic Association of Faith and Outreach in a special feature.

10 I THE BIBLE’S INNER POWER

Fr. Fio Mascarenhas continues his series on Discovering Scripture with a look at the power the word of God has.

78 I PRAYER

The School of Discipleship continues with Prayer, session 2 of the first module on Spiritual Growth.

70 I CHRONICLES OF NARNIA

Narnia fan Petrina Roche gives us a glimpse of this magical world and the Christian subtext of books and movies.

22 I BEYOND THE SEXUAL URGE What is wrong with Bill and Sally having sex outside marriage if each person consents and each person derives some pleasure from it? Pope John Paul II points out what is wrong in this second part of a series by Edward P Sri.

26 I SOMETHING ABOUT MARY

There’s truly something special about Mary and this special feature on the mother of Jesus gives us some fresh insights and encouragement.

10 I THE MOTHER OF THE SON

Ex-evangelical Mark Shea makes a case for Marian devotion in this extremely articulate and well thought out article about Mary.

87 I FINDING MY WAY

Everyone goes through various stages of being loved by God, but it is wonderful when God is in charge of the process.

Leela D’Souza explains.

58 I SAINTS OF STEEL

We think of saints as quiet and holy people but history has shown us that some of them are tough as nails. Jamie Frater shows us nine of the toughest.

66 I CATHOLIC APPS

There’s an app for everything these days, even growing in the faith. Petrina Roche shows us some of the best apps available in Apple’s store.

90 I VATICAN CITY

Philatelist Peter A. Fernandes takes us through a tour of Vatican City from the perspective of a stamp collector.

EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL 05

Holy Spirit Interactive (HSI) completes ten years on January 1. It has been an extraordinary journey of love, courage, and resilience, often in the face of tremendous odds, but unwavering faith in God and his plans have seen HSI become one of the fastest growing Catholic ministries in the world today. In this issue we trace some of the important milestones and examine some of the challenges it has faced over the years.

We also take a fresh look at Mary in a special feature on the mother of Jesus that should inspire as it educates, and popular writer and ex-evangelical Mark Shea makes a strong case for Marian devotion.

Edward P Sri shows us how to go beyond the sexual urge in his ongoing series based on Pope John Paul’s teachings, while Fr. Fio Mascarenhas explores the Bible’s inner power in his ongoing series on discovering Scripture.

We take a peek into Vatican City through the eyes of philatelist Peter Fernandes, and Jamie Frater shines the spotlight on some of the toughest saints who were canonized.

Spiritually inclined techies will be happy with a round up of some of the best apps currently available and book lovers might be inspired to explore Narnia if they haven’t already— or revisit if they have. Along with our other regular features, there’s plenty to keep you occupied in this issue. So happy reading. And happy new year! May it be the best ever.

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THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA :: 30

VATICAN CITY & STAMPS :: 30

BEYOND THE SEXUAL URGE :: 30

Every issue STRAIGHT ANSWERS 96 THE SITUATION ROOM 99 AND THAT’S THE GOSPEL TRUTH 45 MOVIES 70 THE LAST WORD 102

Aneel Aranha

aneel@holyspiritinteractive.net www.facebook.com/aneelaranha

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AS I BID FAREWELL TO THE YEAR THAT HAS DRAWN TO A CLOSE AND RECEIVE THE NEW YEAR WITH A WARM WELCOME I LOOK FORWARD TO A NEW DAWN, A FRESH START, RENEWED HOPE AND JOY IN MY HEART. I LET GO OF THE YEAR THAT HAS SLIPPED BY THOUGH, I WILL CHERISH WITH TENDER CARE PRECIOUS MOMENTS EVER SO RARE. IN THE WAKE OF THE NEW YEAR I WONDER WHAT EACH DAY WILL BRING. SURELY, THIS YEAR WILL WITHSTAND, I PRAY ANY TRIALS THAT MAY COME ITS WAY. I HOPE I NEVER FORGET EVEN FOR A DAY THE DREAMS, THAT I HAVE TO FULFILL, COME WHAT MAY. TO RUN THE RACE TO THE FULL KNOWING WELL ENOUGH THAT EACH DAY IS A GIFT UNTOLD TO BE USED WISELY AS IT UNFOLDS SO THAT AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, MORE TREASURED MEMORIES, I WILL HOLD. THEN, YET ANOTHER YEAR BEGINS AGAIN AS DAYS BECOME MONTHS AND MONTHS BECOME YEARS AND YEARS BECOME FOND MEMORIES… BUT, THROUGH IT ALL, WHAT KEEPS US GOING STRONG IS THE POWER FROM ABOVE, THE HAND WHICH IS UPON US ALL. AS I STAND AT THE THRESHOLD OF THE NEW YEAR I AWAIT EACH DAY THAT WILL COME MY WAY. THE HOURS AND MOMENTS THAT WILL SOON BECOME A PART

NEW DAWN MARIA FRANCO

OF MY MEMORY BANK, NEVER TO DEPART.

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ALIVE AND FRUITFUL

BRID MARY GEMAYEL, LEBANON Living in Lebanon as an Irish Catholic wife and mother, it is a blessing each year to hear the Good News proclaimed by members of the HSI ministry. My first impression of HSI was one of warmth, sincerity and generosity. As I came to know the HSI team over the years, I have witnessed great love, sacrifice, courage, team work and dedication, a willingness to share and serve with humility and eagerness to spread the Gospel of Truth. They are truly an inspiration, living the Gospel that they preach, rooted firmly in Jesus Christ and his teaching. As Jesus said, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?

And pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers!

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50).

The HSI community is alive, vibrant and fruitful in the Holy Spirit. This gives me great hope for the future of the Church in our embattled region, that the fire of God’s Love is touching the hearts and minds of people here and around the world. Following Bro. Aneel’s sharing, we feel much like the disciples on the road to Emmaus when

BLESSINGS

NATASHA SILVEIRA, MUMBAI

they said “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). We are encouraged and yet challenged by the word revealed to us in Scripture and Bro. Aneel speaks the truth openly and with authority because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. So, having heard the Living Word we are “transformed, by the renewing of our minds, so that we may discern what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

Every fruitful ministry must be immersed in prayer and this is most evident in HSI. It is God’s mission reaching out across the globe to where the Spirit leads. “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

There is a beautiful hymn we learned from the HSI music ministry, “Living water flow on … Blood of Jesus flow on … Holy Spirit flow on…” To this day, when we sing this hymn at our prayer group, it has the same power and anointing as the first time we sang it with the HSI team in Lebanon.

Praise the Lord!

I began my journey with HSI in 2010 in Borivali, Mumbai and there has been no looking back. Each one of us in the community has developed a personal relationship with God, whom we have come to discover as immensely loving and caring. I have been blessed in so many ways, and each and every moment of my life is a living testimony to that.

My faith in Jesus has increased manifold and so has my love for his people. God bless the work that you do.

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GOD PROVIDES

PATTI PETERS, CHENNAI Three years ago the Hope for the Hopeless mission I ran were feeding two families. I heard a voice telling me to feed a hundred and I asked you how I could do this since I had no savings whatsoever. You assured me that if the Lord was telling me to do something, he would make it happen. That encouragement propelled me into reaching out to more people. Today, apart from feeding a hundred families,

we are also educating 85 children, some at University level. God provides and I bear testimony to this. Thank you and your ministry for all your encouragement and support. May God bless you to continue to be a blessing to others.

SON HEALED

ROSEMARY MATHEW, TORONTO Last year I had attended the HSI Discipleship Program in Toronto. In one of the sessions, the preacher spoke about how Jesus heard simple prayers made in faith and shared a few examples of how children with allergies were healed by such prayers. My own little boy had been allergic to sea food for 11 years and there seemed to be no cure, but inspired by what I heard I went home and made a simple prayer to God. That night I cooked fish that I fed to my son. There was no allergic reaction and he has been able to eat everything since then.

All praise and honor to God and thanks to those who help us come closer to him.

LOVE

JACQUELINE SERRAO, MUMBAI The Holy Spirit Interactive ministry that I belong to is one of the channels through which God changed my life.

One of the most powerful things that I have experienced through this ministry is the realization of God’s deep, unconditional and passionate love for me, his child, and a first hand experience of it through its leaders. This love has led to many walls of self doubt and low self esteem came tumbling down, leaving me free to be myself and lead a life of confidence and courage. I find myself loving God with my whole heart, mind and soul now, and sharing the love I receive from him with those who

HAVE YOUR SAY

are struggling as I once did. Noticing the visible fruit this has on people has led me to believe that I can accomplish all things in his name regardless of the trials and persecution that comes my way, and fulfill his commission to make disciples of all nations.

NEW LIFE

TERRY BOYLE, CALGARY Two years ago I was going through difficult times in my life and was struggling with many questions. I contemplated going to a psychic but decided to pray to God instead, asking him to send someone who could help me. Almost in answer, our parish hosted HSI’s Discipleship Program, which changed my life in ways that I cannot describe. My relationship with God was catapulted into the heavenly realms and his holy word has become vital in my life as I worship him and thank him for everything! I thank my Father from the core of my being for this ministry and all that it does. May be bless you all.

POWERFUL MINISTRY THOMAS SILVEIRA, DUBAI

Holy Spirit Interactive is indeed, very powerful, because it is based on the teachings of the Gospel of God and guided by the Holy Spirit. It is here that one gets to listen to some wonderful, heart touching homilies by anointed preachers based on real life experiences, besides participating in singing some of the powerful hymns, which not only calms the mind but enriches the soul.

Just being at these meetings so full of the Holy Spirit has taken care of many of our insecurities and delivered us of the things that sometimes weigh us down.

Praise the Lord!

SECOND CHANCE SAVITA D’SOUZA, DUBAI

I used to be a very spiritual person until I came to Dubai to help my dad

SECOND CHANCE ROSHAN MATHIAS, DUBAI

Three years ago I was depressed and hopeless. My life lacked purpose and direction and there was no peace. Prolonged unemployment and huge debts were only a few of the things contributing to my overall ill condition, which began to deteriorate to the point I tried to end my life numerous times. Finally, in a desperate attempt to fix things I turned to Jesus, making my way to an HSI meeting, where coincidentally (is there such a thing?) the subject of the talk was titled “Second Chance.”

Deeply moved by the powerful illustrations of Jesus’ love and mercy as he continuously gives us repeated chances to correct what’s wrong in our lives, I gave myself to Jesus, and as I opened the doors of my heart for Christ to enter and minister, blessings started to pour almost instantly. My legal issues were cleared, a ban on me was lifted, a deportation order was canceled, I got a good job, and in a few weeks my debt reduced substantially. Today, as I continue to learn more about God and find new ways to serve him through the ministry that has taught me so much, I pray that I may be as much a blessing to others as this ministry has been to me.

after he retired. I drifted away from God resulting in a lot of mistakes and many wrong decisions that left a very bitter taste in my mouth. I was lost and desperately searching for help.

Help, strangely, came in the form of a problem concerning my daughter.

When counselors were unable to help and the situation began getting worse I was steered in the direction of the HSI ministry. I will never forget the day I encountered the people in it. The love and warmth that was extended to us was something I never experienced through anyone except my mother, and I was gently nudged back onto the right track for a journey that still continues

to this day. Understanding that God will never let go of me, I cling back to him, and even though I am in the middle of raging storm at the moment, I can sail through it without fear because I know that God is with me and so are his angels that surround me.

Today, I am so privileged to be a part of such a huge loving HSI family, who genuinely shower their love on my family and myself and make us feel complete.

Write to us

Have something to share? Email editor@holyspiritinteractive.org PATHFINDER | JAN-MAR

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DISCOVERING SCRIPTURE

The Bible’s Inner Power FR. FIO MASCARENHAS

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DISCOVERING SCRIPTURE

A

ll of Jesus’ disciples have been “predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus” (Rom.8:29). Hence, everything in their lives is meant to draw meaning from his Death and Resurrection (the Paschal Mystery), everything to be patterned on his example and teachings, everything focused on his Lordship and his Father’s glory. But for this to happen, an essential means is familiarity with the Bible. St.Jerome rightly said, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ!”

A unique power The word of God, unlike any other literature, has an in-built power; it is a dynamic, creative reality. It not only teaches but also effects what it proclaims: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb.4:12). It is this ability of God’s word to enter deep into our conscious (and subconscious) minds that makes it such an efficient agent of character-formation. The Scriptures, therefore, are the favorite tool of the Holy Spirit, who is the Lord and Giver of Life, as he seeks to mold and fashion disciples into the image and likeness of Jesus, their Brother and Lord (see 2Cor.3:17f).

Jesus declared, “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (Jn.6: 63).

The New Testament contains these lifegiving words of Jesus. Nevertheless, the whole Bible fulfills God’s promise: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa.55:10f). The Second Vatican Council therefore used the strong words (quoted above in Chapter 1) to teach all Catholics about the efficacy of scripture: “Such is the force and power of the word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the

Church as strength for their faith… ” (Dei Verbum, 21).

Growth in faith and strength “Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from the word of Christ” (Rom.10:17). One grows in faith as one grows in devotion to the word of God, for the Holy Spirit is powerfully at work in and through the Scriptures.

The word of God also equips disciples “for every good work.” Just as an airplane, when it lands at an intermediate stop, needs to be equipped again with fuel, a fresh crew, and a new stock of food and drink for the passengers, so too Christian disciples need to be continuously equipped with inner strength (“the fruit of the Spirit” – Gal.5:22) and with clear guidance (“thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” – Ps.119:105), to enable them to be witnesses of Jesus Christ in today’s very secular and materialistic world. It is the Scriptures which can equip us for all this, for they are: “profitable for teaching, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that a disciple may be proficient, equipped for every good work” (2Tm.3:16).

Likewise, the word of God is a potent weapon for spiritual warfare. In times of temptation, the Holy Spirit provides disciples with a sword with which to vanquish the Enemy: “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph.6:17).

In his temptations in the desert, Jesus gave us a fine example of how to use this “sword” (see Lk.4:1-13).

Experience of Inner Healing Jesus himself promised that his word would “set us free.” Talking to the Jews who had believed in him, Jesus said, “If you continue/abide in my word (= make my word your home - JB), you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!” (Jn.8:31f). With these words, the Lord guarantees that devotion to the scriptures will bring about a true “inner healing,” and that the hurts of life will not embitter or paralyze such disciples for long, for they will experience the freedom of the children of God from day to day!

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DISCOVERING SCRIPTURE

Each human being has a vast subconscious area within the mind which contains all the happy and sad memories of one’s past life. Individuals whose traumas and hurts outweigh their happy experiences can become pathologically fearful and suspicious, and look upon life negatively.

However, through their devotion to the word of God, many people are being set free from fears, from guilt, from feelings of inferiority, and from all the negative things that bind them.

In my work as a university chaplain, I often had to counsel students about their personal problems, for example, of uncontrolled anger, or masturbation, or anxiety, etc. I would point out to them the texts of Jn.8:31 and Heb.4:12, and advise them to act upon these texts for their inner healing. The “division between soul and spirit” (Heb.4:12) is precisely the subconscious area of the mind where the memories of the past are stored up and in need of being healed; to “discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart” means to sift the positive feelings from the negative ones, and so to set a person free – thus one can receive inner healing from God’s word.

My suggestion to these students was that they read attentively, for just two or three minutes every night before going to bed, one or two paragraphs from anywhere in the New Testament, and then make a prayer of faith claiming Jesus’ promise: “Lord, you have promised that your word will set me free, please free me from this problem of ______”. After reading, they were again to make a prayer of faith, “Lord, I thank you that your word has entered into my subconscious mind, and as I sleep now, will prove to be living

and active, in order to set me free” (see Mk.11:24). Many of them did come back later to say that they had received the answer to their prayer for healing!

Of course, when Jesus said that we had to make his word our home, he was talking about a real familiarity with his word, and not just a casual acquaintance with it. Jn.8:31 not only refers to our inner healing, it also refers to the whole quality of our life and ministry. Hence, I also suggested to my counselees that they make special efforts at other times of the day to practice Lectio Divina (sacred reading of the word of God), and to ask, “Lord, let this word of yours illumine me, let it mold and fashion me into your image, let it become ‘a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’!” (Ps.119:105).

The power of the word of God is really marvelous, and it has brought about the conversion of many of our saints. Sometimes I hear the remark, “Catholics are not familiar with the Bible, whereas other Christians know it very well.” My reply is, “But that’s not true of our Saints!

They all knew the teaching of the Bible very well, they read it with devotion, and obeyed it!” For instance, St. Teresa of the Child Jesus wrote in her Autobiography, “When I read all those learned books about righteousness and holiness, my poor little brain is quickly fatigued and my heart dried up. So I put away those learned volumes and I turn to the sacred scriptures – then all becomes light and refreshment.”

Fr. Fio is a Jesuit priest who has served as the Director and then Chairman of the ICCCR (Vatican City) as well as Chairman of the CCR National Service Team in India for several terms. Pope Benedict XVI nominated him to be an “expert” at the 2008 Synod of Bishops in Rome on “The word of God in the life of the Church.” He has also served as a resource person at various meetings of the Catholic Conference of the Bishops of India. He was the only Catholic theologian to participate in the World Council of Churches Global Forum, Geneva in 2008. He has visited over 80 countries to preach at Clergy Retreats, Bible Seminars, and Leaders Conferences. He has written innumerable articles and books, and is the Publisher of BIBLE AGLOW magazine.

Currently he is the Rector of the St.Xavier’s Engineering and Technology Institutes in Mahim, Mumbai. Since its founding in 1979, he continues to be the Chairman of the Catholic Bible Institute, Mumbai. (email: frfio@yahoo.com)

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SPECIAL FEATURE

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SPECIAL FEATURE

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SPECIAL FEATURE

JANUARY 1, 2004

MARCH 2004

AUGUST 2005

JUNE 2006

Initially catechetical, the HSI website (www.holyspiritinteractive.net) would soon evolve to be a powerful resource in encouraging spiritual growth. It is now one of the premier Catholic sites in the world, a veritable treasure trove of information with over 15,000 articles, sermons and other resources.

There were five people present for the first HSI prayer meeting; by the end of the year there were 80 people attending on a regular basis. Today there are several prayer groups around the globe with over 1,000 people attending.

HSI’s first Discipleship Program outside the UAE was in Brunei. Since then the Discipleship Program, which has become the ministry’s flagship retreat, has been preached in over 250 parishes in five continents across the globe.

HSI Publishing is launched with the publishing of The School of the Holy Spirit, a book formerly printed by St. Pauls Publications as Gripped by the Spirit. HSI Publishing would go on to publish hundreds of leaflets, tracts, books and magazines in the years to follow.

HSI website launched

H

1ST HSI prayer group started

1st International Mission in Brunei

HSI publishes its first book

MAY 2010

oly Spirit Interactive (HSI) is a lay apostolate recognized as an Association of Faith and Outreach

by Bishop Paul Hinder of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia.

Founded in January 2004 by Aneel Aranha, it is dedicated to strengthening the faith of Christians and spreading the Word of God around the world. Through its various ministries and activities, which include publishing, retreats and seminars, radio and TV, a Bible school, and an extremely popular and respected website, HSI reaches several million people each year.

Ten years old on January 1, 2014, we trace the growth of this Catholic organization in this special feature.

HSI invited to meet in St. Michael’s

AUGUST 6, 2012

Statutes approved

Bishop Paul Hinder gives final recognition to HSI as an Association of Faith and Outreach. Since this time, it has received the support of several Bishops around the world as it fulfills its mandate to make disciples of all nations.

An invitation by Fr. Ani Xavier to start a group in St. Michael’s Church, Sharjah made it the third church within the UAE to have an HSI Prayer Group.

FEBRUARY 2012

6th School in Culpeper, USA

HSI starts its 7th School internationally, and the first in North America, under the supervision of Steve Hemler and Tony Windland. The 5th School was started in Bangalore under Dr. Dominic Dixon, while the 6th and 7th were in the UAE, one of them especially for the Lebanese community.

JANUARY 1, 2014 DECEMBER 2013

HSI wins tournament again

HSI wins the inter-church cricket competition held to promote ecumenism for the third year in a row. Over the past several years HSI has worked very hard to unite a divided body and has seen much fruit.

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SPECIAL FEATURE OCTOBER 2006

SEPTEMBER 16, 2006

JUNE 22, 2007

An increasing number of people from Sharjah leads to a group being formed there. A third group, mainly comprising of Sri Lankans is formed in Jebel Ali a few months later.

Recognizing music as a powerful means of outreach, secular musicians in Goa were invited to sing Gospel music in a show titled Praise Adonai. Inspired by its tremendous success, HSI hosts Praise Adonai in Dubai on similar lines.

Nobody realized it at the time but the School of Discipleship that was started in Dubai, UAE, would be the first of many that would be formed across the world, and its 40 students would become the human resource that would grow the ministry to the size that it has now become.

MARCH 2010

OCTOBER, 2009

2nd group starts in Sharjah

Association of Faith and Outreach

Bishop Paul Hinder grants provisional approval to HSI as an Association of Faith and Outreach for two years. This recognition officially opened the doors of all parishes in the Vicariate of Arabia to HSI. By this time God had begun taking HSI far beyond the Arabian peninsula.

Praise Adonai!

HSI invited to meet in OLPH

Fr. Michael Cardoz invites HSI to start a group in OLPH Church, Fujairah, which made it the second parish within the UAE to host HSI. The group is now mentored by Fr. Patrick Joji as its members serve the Church in numerous capacities.

1ST HSI School in Dubai

HSI School starts in Borivili, Mumbai

NOVEMBER 2012

HSI launches a totally revamped website www.holyspiritinteractive.org but retains its old site. A major upgrade is planned for this year, where all the materials for the School of Discipleship will be made available to every parish or prayer group who wants to do it.

HSI’s 8th School of Discipleship starts in Calgary, Canada with a multi-national multi-cultural group of 80 people from 12 to 60 years old, indicating how the School works across all cultures and all age groups.

The Ethos Institute is an initiative to train Catholics in moral theology, faith formation and psycho-spirituality. Over 180 people, including priests and nuns have passed through its doors since they opened.

OCTOBER 2013

SEPTEMBER 2013

The Carpenter’s Cross Rocks UAE

Over a hundred people from HSI and other groups put together an original gospel rock opera based on the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of the carpenter who made the cross on which he was hung. This has led to the formation of a theater group with a focus on spreading the gospel message.

An invitation by Fr. Eugene Matioli to meet in St. Francis of Assisi Church, was accepted with much gratitude and within a few months over 300 people from 14 nationalities were assembling ever week in prayer and fellowship.

HSI’s 2nd School of Discipleship was started in Chembur, India. A year later graduates of the School under the leadership of Jacqueline Serrao helped set up another School in Borivili. This would be the 4th School of Discipleship internationally. The 3rd was in Dubai.

OCTOBER 2012

HSI School starts in Calgary, Canada

HSI invited to meet in St. Francis

JULY 2009

AUGUST 2012 New site launched

OCTOBER 2008

Ethos Institute Founded

AUGUST 2013

PATHFINDER magazine launched

HSI School starts in the Caribbean

The first Catholic magazine in the Middle East was launched by Fr. Eugene Matioli in St. Francis of Assisi Church.

This will be a quarterly magazine distributed free of charge in all churches.

Its increasing portability has made the HSI School of Discipleship easy to start for anyone in the world. Bishop Jason Gordon approves a School in St. Vincent & the Grenadines led by Fr. Michael Stewart.

APRIL 2013

Priests retreat in England

Over the past ten years HSI preachers have conducted retreats for priests, politicians, prisoners, judges and people from all walks of life, helping to change not only individuals but all of society.

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Making Disciples HSI’s first Discipleship Program was conducted in Brunei in February 2005. It has since been conducted in over 250 parishes in five continents and broadcast on international television to a global audience of millions. The Discipleship Program led to the formation of Schools of Discipleship, where participants are trained in the faith with the express idea of sharing it with others. There are now a dozen schools spread across the globe.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Graduates of the UAE Schools

HSI School of Discipleship HSI’s sixth School of Discipleship in the UAE—and 12th internationally—commenced in August 2013 with 82 students. The School of Discipleship is a structured program intended to help people on the journey of discipleship that all Christians are called to travel.

There are eight modules in the first year, each module comprising five subjects that help students grow spiritually. Those who wish to further their education are invited to continue in the School for a second year. This has eight more modules that help students better understand the faith.

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Literature Books, notes, leaflets, tracts and magazines are produced

by HSI for the edification of readers and spreading of the gospel message.

Sermons All talks by HSI preachers are recorded in high resolution video and made available for distribution online through the HSI website and on DVD. Over 100 sermons are now available for viewing. Audio CD’s and notes in .pdf format are also made available for easy listening and quick reference.

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Preachers Trained in the faith, anointed preachers from HSI deliver solid Catholic teachings week after week in local and international forums. Opportunities are given to every one in the HSI Communities to discover and use the gifts that God has blessed them with.

SPECIAL FEATURE

Friends Over the past ten years the ministry has made a lot of friends as it has spread the gospel message and encouraged Christian unity around the world.

Sam Kenoly

Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi of Lebanon

Miles Dempsey

Colin Calmiano

Don Moen at Raj Bhavan

Benny Prasad

Bishop Frederick Henry of Calgary

Fr. Stan Fortuna

Brother Nour, founder of Telelumiere, Noursat

Jaime DeMelo

Rohan Aranha

Teresa Kuriakose

100% Dedicated

Judith D’Souza

Manjula Pieris

Janet D’Souza

Mildred Sawant

Jackie Serrao

Mary Samaha

Saibeen Padmaraj

Flavia Castelino

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Serving the Church

This Radio Network has gone far and wide with live broadcasts of international events and nonstop gospel music and meditations.

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HSI’s Bible education institution in Bangalore offers programs in Pastoral Counseling & Psychology, Theology of the Body, and Emotional Intelligence & Inner Healing. Over 180 people, including priests and nuns have passed through its doors since they opened in November 2012.

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Through this television network, powerful sermons go around the world, including life changing skits, drama and worship.

HSI members serve the Church catechists, lectors, Eucharistic ministers and several other capacities.

These are some of the people actively engaged in Church ministry.

Euch. Ministers Crisol Rodrigues Daniel Fernandes Derick Castelino Flavia Castelino Jenifa Fernandes Jihad Samaha Joseph ND Joseph Khadige Mangala Ratnaik Manjula Perera Maryse Gedeon Menino D’Cunha Mildred Sawant Renuka Ratnaik Richard Dsouza Rita Alphonso Sharon D’Mello

Steve Hendricks Tina Mascarenhas Vasantha Perera

Lectors Amorita Dcunha Annis Catherine Assumption Britto Bindu Joseph Caren Morais James Dcosta Jeevan Aranha Josephine Dcosta Maria Franco Mary Thomas Nelly Semedo Penny Rodrigues Peter Crasta

Radio, TV & Social Justice MoreLove is HSI's Youth & Social Justice organization in India that works for the rights of women, reconciliation of families and defense of the weak. MoreLove works with different NGO's and government organizations across the country.

Dr. Dominic Dixon

Renisha Fernandes Rhea Joseph Rita Alphonso Sumithra Morias Xavier Dsouza Catechists Amy Periyan Bindu Joseph Carol Noronha Flavia Castelino Giselda Aranha Glenda Aranha Jaime Demelo Judith Gouviea Nelly Semedo Renuka Ratnaik Sumithra Morias

SPECIAL FEATURE

Worship Graduates from HSI’s Schools of Discipleship lead prayer meetings around the world. Meetings within the UAE are held in St. Francis of Assisi Church, Jebel Ali; St. Michael’s Church, Sharjah; and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Fujairah. Prayer sessions are anointed as an assortment of blessed worship leaders, singers and musicians lead God’s people into worship.

Analine Franco, Janet D’Souza, Mark D’Silva, Reynold Franco and Olivia Pereira

Ron Lewis, Lessly Fernandes, Denzil Rodrigues and Teresa Kurakose

Leslie D’Mello

Joel and Jovita Castelino

Glen Coelho

Sharon D’Mello, Charles and Karena Cooke

Joseph Khadige

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LOVE & RESPONSIBILITY

Love and Responsibility: Beyond the Sexual Urge EDWARD P SRI

In our first reflection on Pope John Paul II’s Love and Responsibility (see last issue), we considered the “personalist principle,” which says that we should not treat other persons merely as a means to an end. In particular, we saw how utilitarianism weakens our relationships by getting us to value people primarily in terms of some pleasure or benefit we receive from our relationships with them.

Yet the sophisticated utilitarian may argue that there is nothing wrong with two people “using” each other as long as they mutually consent and mutually receive some advantage from the relationship. In fact, some may say that a relationship that brings together the egoism (self-interest) of the man and the egoism of the woman in a mutually beneficial way, actually is a relationship of love.

For example, what is wrong with Bill and Sally having sex outside of marriage if each person consents and each person derives some pleasure from it? Since in the sexual act, Bill’s desire for pleasure harmonizes with Sally’s desire for pleasure, such an act does not appear to be selfish. They each give pleasure to each other and not just to themselves.

Pope John Paul II points out one serious problem with such a relationship: “The moment they cease to match and to be of advantage to each other, nothing at all is left of the harmony.

Love will be no more, in either of the persons or between them . . .” (p. 39).

Since this kind of relationship is still dependent on what I get out of the other person, it prevents me from truly being in communion with her and being committed to her as person.

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LOVE & RESPONSIBILITY

I’m “committed” to the person only in so far as— and as long as—I receive pleasure or advantage from the relationship. In fact, Pope John Paul II likens such relationships of mutual use to prostitution.

Like Prostitution Consider a businessman who has a relationship with a prostitute on a certain night every week.

The man desires the sexual pleasure she can give him, and the woman desires the money he can give her. They each have self-serving aims that come together in the sexual act and benefit the other person. They each get what they want, and in the process they meet the other person’s desires.

However, the moment the couple ceases to be mutually advantageous to each other, what will happen to this relationship? If the prostitute can get paid more by a richer man on that particular night of the week, she likely will leave the first businessman for the wealthier one. On the other hand, if the businessman no longer finds the prostitute pleasurable and meets a younger, more attractive prostitute, he likely will leave the first for the younger one.

This may seem like an extreme example, but how many male-female relationships today are not much better than this? How many relationships are based more on a mutual use than on a committed love and a true communion of persons? For example, how many young women give up their virginity and sleep with a man for the emotional security of having a boyfriend or for fear that if they don’t do this, the man may break up with her? How many men just want a good-looking girl to sleep with for the physical pleasure he may derive from the relationship? These are not relationships of authentic love that bring persons in communion with one another. Rather, these are simply more socially acceptable forms of mutual use— similar to prostitution.

Insecurity, Not Love Pope John Paul II notes how utilitarian relationships breed fear and insecurity in one or both of the persons. A warning sign that one

might be in a utilitarian relationship is when one person is afraid to bring up difficult topics or fears addressing problems in the relationship with their beloved.

One reason many couples (whether they be dating, engaged, or married) never confront each other with difficulties is that deep down they know there is not much of a foundation for the relationship to stand on—just the mutual pleasure or benefit. One fears that if the relationship becomes challenging, demanding, or difficult for the other person, the other may leave. The only way the relationship can survive is to cover up problems and pretend things aren’t as bad as they really are. “Therefore love so understood is self-evidently merely a pretense which has to be carefully cultivated to keep the underlying reality hidden: the reality of egoism, and the greediest kind of egoism at that, exploiting another person to obtain for itself its own ‘maximum pleasure’” (p. 39).

The Pope then shows how people in these kinds of relationships sometimes even allow themselves to be used by the other in order to get what they want out of the relationship: “Each of the persons is mainly concerned with gratifying his or her own egoism, but at the same time consents to serve someone else’s egoism, because this can provide the opportunity for such gratification—and just as long as it does so” (p. 39).

In this case, the person willingly lowers himself to be used as a tool for the other person’s selfish intentions. “If I treat someone else as a means and a tool in relation to myself I cannot help regarding myself in the same light. We have here something like the opposite of the commandment to love” (p. 39).

The Sexual Urge Sexuality is one of the main areas where we can fall into using other people. Pope John Paul II thus spends much time reflecting on the nature of the sexual urge.

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LOVE & RESPONSIBILITY

and psychological characteristics of a woman—her body, her femininity— which are the very attributes that are most complementary to the man.

And the woman, in turn, is oriented toward the physical and psychological attributes of a man—his body and his masculinity—as the properties that are naturally complementary to the woman. Hence, the sexual urge itself is experienced as a bodily (physical) and emotional (psychological) attraction to a person of the other sex.

Nevertheless, the sexual urge is not an attraction to the physical or psychological qualities of the opposite sex in the abstract.

Pope John Paul II emphasizes that these attributes only exist in a concrete human person. For example, no man is attracted to “blonde” or “brunette” in the abstract. Rather, he is attracted to a woman—a particular person— who may have blonde or brunette hair. A woman is not primarily attracted to “masculinity” as a theoretical concept, but she may be very attracted to a particular man who exhibits certain traditionally masculine traits, such as courage, decisiveness, strength, and chivalry.

The Pope emphasizes this point to show how the sexual urge ultimately is directed toward a human person.

Therefore, the sexual urge is not bad in itself. In fact, since it is meant to orient us toward another person, the sexual urge can provide a framework for authentic love to develop.

This is not to say that the sexual urge is to be equated with love itself. Love involves a lot 24

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more than the spontaneous sensual or emotional reactions that are produced by the sexual urge; authentic love requires acts of the will directed toward the good of the other person. Still, the Pope says that the sexual urge can provide the “raw material” from which acts of love may arise—if it is guided by a great sense of responsibility for the other person.

More than Animal Instinct It is important to note that the sexual urge in human persons is not the same as the sexual instinct found in animals. Pope John Paul II explains that in animals, the sexual instinct is a reflex mode of action, which is not dependent on conscious thought. For example, a female cat in heat does not reflect on what is the best time, place, or circumstance for her to mate, and she does not ponder which male cat in the neighborhood would make the ideal partner. Cats simply act reflexively according to their instincts.

Human persons, however, do not have to be enslaved to what is stirring within them in the sexual sphere. In the end, the person is in control of the sexual urge—not the other way around. The person can choose how he or she wants to use it (p. 50).

A man, for example, may experience a sexual attraction to a woman. He may

LOVE & RESPONSIBILITY

sometimes even experience this attraction as something happening to him—something that begins to take place in his sensual or emotional life without any initiative on his part. However, that attraction can and should be subordinated to his intellect and will. While a person may not always be responsible for what spontaneously happens to him in the arena of sexual attraction, he is responsible for what he decides to do in response to those interior stirrings (pp. 46-47).

Loving or Using?

Remember, the sexual urge draws us to the physical and psychological attributes of a person of the opposite sex. But, ultimately, it is meant to orient us toward another person who possesses those attributes—not just the attributes themselves. Manifestations of the sexual urge thus present us with a choice between loving the person and using them for their attributes.

For example, let’s say Bill meets Sally at work and is quickly attracted to her good looks and her charming personality. Bill can choose to rise above this initial sexual reaction and see in her more than just her body or her femininity. By looking beyond the physical and psychological attributes that give him pleasure, he has the possibility of seeing her as a person and responding to her with selfless acts of love.

On the other hand, Bill may experience sexual attraction and choose to dwell on the physical and psychological qualities that give him pleasure. By focusing on her good looks and her feminine charm—and the pleasure he derives from them— he is distracted from seeing Sally as she truly is and remains incapable of truly loving her as a person. He may be kind to her, but he is, at least to some significant degree, doing this so he may receive some sensual or emotional pleasure from his association with her. In the end, therefore, Bill is using her as a source of pleasure for himself.

The Pope says if the interaction between a man and a woman remains at the level of these initial reactions produced by the sexual urge, the relationship is not able to grow into a true communion of persons. “Inevitably, then, the sexual urge in a human being is always in the

natural course of things directed toward another human being. If it is directed toward the sexual attributes as such this must be recognized as an impoverishment or even a perversion of the urge” (p. 49).

This is an important point for our daily encounters with persons of the opposite sex.

Following the personalist principle, the Pope reminds us how careful we must be in order to avoid treating others as potential objects to enjoy for our own sensual or emotional pleasure.

Along these lines, we must ask ourselves a crucial question: What will we do when we experience the stirring of sexual attraction to a particular person of the opposite sex? What will a man choose to do when he notices the physical beauty of a woman? What will a woman choose to do when she finds herself attracted to a man?

In these pivotal moments, we can choose to focus on the sensual or emotional pleasure we receive from another person’s body or from their masculinity or femininity. And in so doing, we would be viewing the person as an object to enjoy and thus fall into utilitarianism. Or, we can seek to cultivate authentic love for the person himself or herself by directing our attention to the whole person. By looking beyond the physical and psychological attributes and seeing the actual person, we open the door to at least the possibility of willing the good of the other person as in the virtuous friendship and of performing truly selfless acts of kindness — which are not dependent on the amount of pleasure we receive from the relationship.

With these insights, Pope John Paul II reminds us that our delicate interactions with persons of the opposite sex demand great responsibility.

“For this very reason, manifestations of the sexual urge in man must be evaluated on the plane of love, and any act which originates from it forms a link in the chain of responsibility, responsibility for love” (p. 50).

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THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT

MARY In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.

And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

ANEEL ARANHA

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T

he Gospel of Luke begins with an angel coming down to earth to announce the birth of a child, but the birth he first announces is not the birth of Jesus, as one might imagine, but the birth of another child who would one day be known as John, the Baptist.

The person the angel appeared to was a man named Zechariah, a high priest, who at the time of the visitation, was burning incense in the temple as an offering to God. At the sight of the angel, Zechariah was frightened. But the angel said to him:“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.”

Now Zechariah was old, as was his wife Elizabeth. Although they had been married for several years they had no children, leaving Elizabeth barren. Zechariah’s incredulity at the news should not have been surprising, but the angel’s response was. Rather testily he says, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Six months later, God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary where he tells her that she is going to be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. There was a reason why Luke, a historian, began his narrative with the announcement of the birth of John rather than the birth of Jesus. It was to contrast the two births.

One: In the first narrative we find the angel going to Zechariah, who is a man. In the second instance he goes to Mary, who is a woman.

Although there have been some prominent women in the Bible, this is generally a rarity.

Two: Zechariah is a man of some importance.

He is a chief priest. Mary is a woman nobody has ever heard about.

Three: When the angel greets him, Zechariah is in the act of worship. Nobody knows what Mary is doing when the angel visits her.

Four: Zechariah is in Jerusalem, which is the heart of Israel. Mary is in Nazareth and although some translations call it a town and others a city, in truth Nazareth is little more than a village with about a hundred inhabitants at the time of this story.

What do we surmise from these differences?

That God was making a statement of sorts here.

Old postcard by Fadil Saba, Nazareth 28

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In choosing a woman nobody knew in a village nobody had heard of, he was letting the whole world know that the greatest event in human history was taking place simply because of sovereign grace, and he made this abundantly clear in everything that followed, especially in the circumstances of Jesus’ birth.

Not much is said about Mary in the Bible, but there is a lot of information that can be mined if we dig a little deep. In fact, the opening statement itself, tell us a lot.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

Nazareth Nazareth is in the area that was allotted to the Israelite tribe of Zebulun during the Old Testament period, although it is not mentioned by name at all in that part of the Bible. It is located in Galilee, about 100 kilometers north of Jerusalem, nearly half-way between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. To the south is the Plain of Esdraelon, and across it, is Megiddo or Armageddon.

As we have already seen, it was a village of little significance, and going by the words of Nathaniel, it appears to be a town held in low esteem as well. When Philip told Nathaniel that they had found the messiah—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, Nathaniel exclaimed, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”

(John 1:46).

It was in Nazareth that Mary lived.

Betrothed The second piece of information that we glean from these two verses is that Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph. Many people commonly assume that betrothal is akin to an engagement, but in Jewish culture betrothal is step one in a two stage process of being married. When a woman is betrothed, she continues to live with her parents until she is handed over by them to her husband in a ceremony of great pomp

and celebration. This is the second stage after which the marriage is consummated. This piece of information is vital in understanding Mary’s perpetual virginity that the Church upholds and teaches.

Youthful and Innocent The third thing we learn is that Mary was very young. In Jewish culture women were typically betrothed when in their early teens, which makes Mary about fourteen or fifteen, no more than a child. Children in those days were far more innocent in the ways of the world than the children of our time, which gives us more insight into Mary’s character.

The House of David We next learn that Jesus is going to be born in the house of David. We know from history that the house of David was the most renowned family in Israel and God had made David a promise that his kingdom would last forever. “He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam 7:13).

Around the time this story takes place, however, the House of David seems to be in total ruins with the Roman regime ruling over the land.

Notwithstanding, God is going to demonstrate that he keeps his promises, and that from the line of David a king would be born who would rule forever.

And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

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Hail Mary Most people who recite the Rosary—and many who don’t—know the prayer begins with the words: “Hail Mary, full of grace.” Yet, the words the angel says are a little different. He doesn’t address Mary by name, instead saying, “Hail, full of grace” (or, “Greetings, favored one,” and variations of the same), and in doing so, effectively names her “full of grace!”

Anyone familiar with Scripture would know that people in the Bible are given names describing their character. Jacob, for instance, means he grabs the heel. It was changed by God to Israel, which means he who prevails with God. As there was a change in character, there is also a change in the name. Similarly, Abram means great father. It was changed by God to Abraham meaning father of many.

So when the angel is addressing Mary as full of grace (or favored one), he is actually doing something very important. He is stating who she is, and this is not something that necessarily follows from that moment on, as in the case of Abraham and Israel, but something that has always been the case and will always be the case.

The Lord is with you Once again, these are words that anyone familiar with Scripture will instantly identify as being used by God whenever he chooses somebody to do something important for him.

We find him saying them to Jacob in a dream as he slept in the desert on the way to Haran.

In this dream Jacob saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and After Commissioning Jacob, he said: “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go” (see Genesis 28:10-22).

He says the same thing to Moses from the burning bush when he assigns him to set his people free from bondage to the Egyptians (see Exodus 3:1-12). Ditto to Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 4:1-10), to Gideon (see Judges 6:1-16), and every other hero in the Bible.

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Jesus uses them too, after he commissions his apostles to make disciples of all nations, promising, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). And to remind us that God has plans for us as well, the priest in every Eucharistic service says, “The Lord is with you.”

We may not understand the significance of these words, but Mary surely did, and these words alarm her, which lead the angel to reassure her.

Do not be afraid These are also words that God says very often. As a matter of fact, he says it 365 times throughout Scripture, perhaps intending one for each day of the year, knowing how fearful we are. He seems to know that those of us who are called to a special task are even more fearful, and history is replete with examples of such. Look at the men we just considered: Moses, Gideon, Jeremiah, Jacob. They all tried to opt out because they were afraid.

Mary was afraid too, and the angel hastened to reassure her, this time addressing her by name and telling her she had no cause for fear because she had found favor with the Lord.

Favor with the Lord What does it mean to gain favor from somebody?

Finding favor means gaining approval, acceptance, or special benefits or blessings.

Visiting the Old Testament once again, we find Joseph enjoying the favor of Potiphar as he wisely administered Potiphar’s estate (see Genesis 39:4-21). Ruth found favor in the eyes of the wealthy Boaz because of her kindness to her mother-in-law, Naomi (see Ruth 2:2-13).

Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord by the righteous life that he led (see Genesis 6:8-10).

When we obtain God’s favor, and this is received whenever we accept his will for our lives, even we get special benefits and blessings that help us implement his will in our lives. Just as Mary was aware of the significance of the words, “The Lord is with you,” she was surely aware of the significance of the words, “You have

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found favor with God,” and this will certainly have done a lot to place her heart at rest. Until the angel dropped the next bombshell.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

Mother of God I can’t even begin to imagine the thoughts that went through the young girl’s mind at this declaration that she was going to be mother of Jesus, and since Jesus was God, it effectively made her mother of God! But there were more practical concerns that she expressed. “How can this be,” she asked the angel, “Since I am a virgin.”

Mary’s perpetual virginity has been a source of division among Christians for centuries and it is largely unnecessary, if only one understands why the Church believes what it does. Part of the understanding is obtained here in Mary’s strange response to the angel. The response is strange because she knows that in a few months she will move to her husband’s house, where the

marriage would be consummated and the likely result of that would be a baby. Unless—and this is the only logical answer, especially considering the angel has told her that she is going to conceive a baby, not that she has already conceived—Mary has already decided that she is going to remain a virgin all her life.

Why marry, then? Perhaps—and one can only speculate here—because single women were very suspect in that time and marriage would bring about some safety and security in her life. Why would Joseph consent to marry her? Perhaps—and once again, for lack of hard evidence, this is speculation—Joseph was looking for companionship. The tradition of the Church holds Joseph to be quite advanced in years, which also accounts for scarce mention of him in the Bible as he is believed to have passed away while Jesus was very young.

Being holy people, and this isn’t speculation— Scripture has enough evidence concerning both of them to indicate they lived lives in obedience to God—it is not unlikely that Mary and Joseph would have agreed to a marriage of celibacy. And once Mary gave birth, it is even more unlikely that Joseph would have treated his wife as anything other than very sacred. After all, she did give birth to the Son of God! The brothers and sisters of Jesus Those who argue against the perpetual virginity of Mary often speak about the references to Jesus’ “brothers” notably in Matthew 12:46, Mark 6:3, and John 7.5. This may be a good time to address this contention as well. (Some traditions, especially within the orthodox churches, believe that these brothers were the sons of Joseph from an earlier marriage, which also explains his advanced years, but let us confine ourselves to Scripture for this answer.)

While these verses all seem to establish without doubt that Jesus had brothers, the entire matter becomes very debatable when you realize that in the original text of the Gospel, the Greek word adelphos is used for “brother”.

Adelphos, however, has a variety of meanings which includes blood brother, half brother or step brother, and also cousin!

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That the “brother” in these verses is intended to translate as “cousin” becomes likely when you read about the trip he made to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover when he was twelve. There is no mention at this time of any “brother” or “sister” accompanying them as you might expect for an event of this magnitude, and no reference even when Jesus was lost in the temple (see Luke 2:41-52).

That the “brother” in these verses is intended to translate as “cousin” becomes totally evident when you read John’s narrative of the crucifixion of Jesus (see John 19:25-27). When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Why would Jesus establish this new relationship if Mary had other children of her own?

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God. And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Behold, Your Servant We spoke about the initial fear that most people have when called upon by God on a mission, but Mary seems to have overcome hers rather rapidly, and once her concerns have been addressed, one senses her moving towards God much like a lover would move towards his mate—with great eagerness to accept her embrace. Mary is meeting with God to fulfill her destiny.

We all have God-planned destinies to fulfill—the commission he gives his apostles in Matthew 28 is not for them alone but for everyone who says they follow Christ. However, there seems to be a marked reluctance in many of us 32

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to accept them, which is a pity because we will never realize the wonderful things that God has in store for us as we try to chalk out our own paths using our own methods.

This article about Mary is not written solely to give us a better understanding about Mary and the annunciation, but to encourage us to make the courageous choice necessary when faced with our own invitation from God to follow him.

This article is one such invitation. Consider the courage a young teenage girl showed. Despite her awareness—and certainly, she had to have some awareness—of the difficulties that were to follow, she accepted the will of God in her life.

And although it went from bad to worse, at least from a worldly point of view, she stuck to her destiny unswervingly, knowing that God would keep his promise to be with her always.

It is a promise that he will keep with us too.

“Surely,” he says, “I will be with you forever. Until the end of the age.”

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Piero di Cosimo Immaculate Conception, 1505 34

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THE MOTHER OF THE SON A CASE FOR MARIAN DEVOTION MARK SHEA

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t has to be one of the strangest things in the world: So many Christians who love Jesus with all their hearts recoil in fear at the mention of His mother’s name, while many who do love her find themselves tongue-tied when asked to explain why.

Most of the issues people have with Mary are really issues about something else. “Where is the Assumption of Mary in the Bible?” isn’t really a question about Mary. It’s a question about the validity of Sacred Tradition and the authority of the Church. “Why should I pray to Mary?” isn’t really about Mary, either. It’s actually a question about the relationship of the living and the dead in Christ. “Do Catholics worship Mary?” isn’t a question about Mary. It’s concerned more with whether or not Catholics countenance idolatry and what the word “honor” means. And curiously enough, all these and many more objections both pay homage to and completely overlook the central truth about Mary that the Catholic Church labors to help us see: that her life, in its entirety, is a referred life.

Mary would, after all, be of absolutely no consequence to us if not for her Son. It is because she is the mother of Jesus Christ that she matters

to the world at all. If He hadn’t been born, you never would have heard of her. John, with characteristic economy of expression, captures this referred life in her own words: “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). And, of course, if this were all the Church had to say about her, Evangelicals would be more than happy to let her refer us to Jesus and be done with it. What baffles so many non-Catholics is the Church’s tendency to keep referring us to her. “Ad Iesum per Mariam!” we say, to which many non-Catholics nervously respond, “Isn’t Christianity supposed be about a relationship with Jesus Christ? Why do Catholics honor Mary so much?”

Sublime Neglect That question sounded reasonable-right up until another question began to bother me: If Catholics honor Mary too much, exactly how do we Evangelicals honor her “just enough”? For the reality was that my native Evangelicalism recoiled from any and all mention of Mary.

This was odd. After all, Evangelicals could talk all day about Paul and never feel we were “worshiping” him or giving him “too much honor.”

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to us through St. Paul, and there’s no conflict between the two (even though Paul exhibits more character flaws than Mary).

Yet the slightest mention of Mary by a Catholic immediately brought a flood of warnings, hesitations, scrutinies of her lack of faith (allegedly demonstrated in Mark 3:21), and even assertions that Jesus was less pleased with her than he was with his disciples (because he called her “Woman,” not “Mom”; and because he commended his own disciples as “my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35)). And all this was despite the fact that not just God’s word (e.g. the Magnificat), but God’s Word, came to us through Mary (John 1:14). As Evangelicals we could say, “If not for Paul, the Gospel would never have reached the Gentiles.” But we froze up if somebody argued that, “If not for Mary, the gospel would never have reached the earth.” Suddenly, a flurry of highly speculative claims about how “God would simply have chosen somebody else!” would fill the air, as though Mary was a mere incubation unit, completely interchangeable with any other woman on earth. “No Paul, no Gospel for the Gentiles” made perfect sense. But “No Mary, no incarnation, no death, no resurrection, no salvation for the world” was just too extreme.

Indeed, from Evangelical piety and preaching as it is actually practiced, one could be forgiven for getting the sense that Jesus didn’t really even like his mother (like a teenager irritated because Mom just doesn’t understand him).

Having “Mary is No Big Deal” hammered home whenever her name was raised tended to give you the feeling that-after her brief photo-op for the Hallmark Christmas card industry-Jesus was glad to spend time away from the family, in the Temple discussing higher things. The position in Evangelicalism was more or less that we should do likewise and not lavish any attention on the mother who was too dim to understand who He was, and whom he “rebuked” by saying, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

And so, our claims to honor her “just enough” effectively boiled down to paying no shred of positive attention to her beyond singing “round yon Virgin, mother and child” each Christmas.

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The rest of the time it was either complete neglect or jittery assurances of her unimportance and dark warnings not to over-emphasize the woman of whom inspired Scripture said, “From this day all generations will call me blessed.”

It was a startling paradigm shift to realize we treated her so allergically-and one which, I have since noticed, isn’t unusual for converts. Dale Ahlquist, President of the American Chesterton Society, told me once that when he was still hanging back from the Church because of Mary, a blunt priest he knew asked him, “Do you believe her soul magnifies the Lord? It’s right there in Scripture.” Ahlquist reflexively answered back, “Of course I do! I know the Bible!” But even as he replied he was thinking to himself, “I never really thought of that before.” It can be a disorienting experience.

But, in fact, it is right there in the Bible. Her soul magnifies the Lord, and from that day to this all generations have called her blessed.

So why, when we Evangelicals looked at Jesus, did we never look at Him through the divinely appointed magnifying glass? Why were we so edgy about calling her “blessed” and giving her any honor? That realization was my first clue that it was, perhaps, Catholics who were simply being normal and human in honoring Mary, while we Evangelicals were more like teetotalers fretting that far too much wine was being drunk at the wedding in Cana.

The Cultural Obstacles Part of the problem, I came to realize, was that Evangelical fears about Mary are visceral and not entirely theological. Indeed, much of the conflict between Catholics and Evangelicals is cultural, not theological. Evangelical culture (whether you’re a man or a woman) is overwhelmingly masculine, while Catholic culture (again, whether you’re a man or a woman) is powerfully feminine.

And the two groups often mistake their cultural differences for theological ones.

The Catholic approach tends to be bodycentered, Eucharistic, and contemplative. Prayer, in Catholic culture, is primarily for seeking union with God. Evangelical approaches to God tend to be centered on Scripture, verbal articulation of

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belief, mission, and on the Spirit working in power. Prayer, in such a culture, is primarily for getting things done.

Both are legitimate Christian ways of approaching the gospel.

Indeed, they should both be part of the Catholic approach to the gospel. But because of these unconscious differences Evangelicals and Catholics often clash about culture while they think they’re debating theology. The feminine spirituality of the Catholic can regard the masculine Evangelical approach as shallow, noisy, and utilitarian, lacking an interior life. Meanwhile, Catholic piety can be seen by Evangelicals as a cold, dead, ritualistic, biblically ignorant, and cut off from real life. Thus, Evangelicals frequently criticize the Catholic life as a retreat from reality into rituals and rote prayers.

Not surprisingly, the heroes of the two camps are (for Evangelicals) the Great Human Dynamo of Apostolic Energy, St. Paul; and (for Catholics) the great icon of Contemplative Prayer Issuing in Incarnation, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

As an Evangelical, I found Paul much easier to appreciate, since he was “biblical”-he wrote much of the New Testament, after all. You could talk about Paul since he’d left such a significant paper trail. Not so with Mary. Apart from the Magnificat and a couple remarks here and thereplus, of course, the infancy narratives-she didn’t appear to occupy nearly as much psychic space for the authors of the New Testament as she did for Catholics. Marian devotion looked like a mountain of piety built on a molehill of Scripture.

Looks, however, can be deceiving. For as I got to know the Bible better, it became obvious to me that the authors of Scripture were not nearly as jittery about Mary as my native Evangelicalism.

Furthermore, they accorded to her honors

which looked a great deal more Catholic than Evangelical.

Luke, for instance, likens her to the Ark of the Covenant in recording that the Holy Spirit “overshadowed” her. The same word in Greek is used to describe the way the Shekinah (glory of God) overshadowed the tabernacle in Luke 1:35.

Likewise, John makes the same connection between Mary and the Ark of the Covenant when he announces in Revelation 11:19-12:2: Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.

The chapter goes on to describe the woman as giving birth to a male child who rules the nations with an iron scepter and who is almost devoured by a great red dragon.

As an Evangelical, my own tradition found it remarkably easy to detect bar codes, Soviet helicopters, the European Common Market, and the Beatles encoded into the narrative of Revelation. But when Catholics suggested that the woman of Revelation might have something to do with the Blessed Virgin occupying a place of cosmic importance in the grand scheme of things, this was dismissed as incredible. Everyone knew that the woman of Revelation was really the symbolic Virgin Daughter of Zion giving birth to the Church. A Jewish girl who stood at the pinnacle of the Old Covenant, summed up the entirety of Israel’s mission and gave flesh to the Head of the Church saying, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according PATHFINDER | JAN-MAR

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to your word”-what could she possibly have to do with those images? Why, that would suggest that she was the Virgin Daughter of Zion and the Flower of her People, the Model Disciple, the Icon of the Church, the Mother of Jesus and of all those who are united with Him by faith and...

Come to think of it, Scripture was looking rather Catholic after all.

The Heart of Marian Doctrine That was the revolutionary thought that made it possible for me to press on, as a new Catholic, to find out what the Church was trying to get at with her Marian teaching. In coming to understand this, it seemed to me, I’d come a long way toward understanding why Mary figures so prominently, not merely in the heads, but in the hearts of Catholics.

The first question that arises, of course, is, “Why Marian dogma at all?” Why not just dogmas about Christ and let Catholics think what they like about Mary? Why bind consciences here?

The answer is that Catholics do think what they like-not only about Mary, but about lots of things. And sometimes they think deeply erroneous things. When they do, and that thought imperils some revealed truth to the point it threatens the integrity of the Church’s witness, the Church will, from time to time, define its doctrine more precisely. This is a process that’s already at work in the New Testament (cf. Acts 15), and it continues until the return of Christ.

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So, for instance, in the fifth century there arose (yet again) the question of just who Jesus is. It was a question repeated throughout antiquity and, in this case, an answer to the question was proposed by the Nestorians. They argued that the mortal man Jesus and the Logos, or Second Person of the Trinity, were more or less two persons occupying the same head. For this reason, they insisted that Mary could not be acclaimed (as she had been popularly acclaimed for a very long time) as Theotokos, or God bearer.

Instead, she should only be called Christotokos, or Christ bearer. She was, they insisted, the Mother of Jesus, not of God. The problem with this was that it threatened the very witness of the Church and could even lead logically to the notion that there were two Sons of God, the man Jesus and the Logos who was sharing a room with Him in His head. In short, it was a doorway to theological chaos over one of the most basic truths of the Faith: that the Word became flesh, died, and rose for our sins.

So the Church formulated its response. First, Jesus Christ is not two persons occupying the same head. He is one person possessing two natures, human and divine, joined in a hypostatic union. Second, it was appropriate to therefore call Mary Theotokos because she’s the Mother of the God-Man. When the God-Man had His friends over for lunch, He didn’t introduce Mary saying, “This is the mother of my human nature.” He said, “This is my mother.”

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Why did the Church do this? Because, once again, Mary points to Jesus. The dogma of the Theotokos is a commentary on Jesus, a sort of “hedge” around the truth about Jesus articulated by the Church. Just as Nestorianism had tried to attack the orthodox teaching of Christ through Mary (by forbidding the veneration of her as Theotokos), now the Church protected that teaching about Christ by making Theotokos a dogma. That is a vital key to understanding Marian dogmas: They’re always about some vital truth concerning Jesus, the nature of the Church, or the nature of the human person.

This is evident, for instance, in the definition of Mary as a Perpetual Virgin (promulgated in 553 at the Council of Constantinople). This tradition isn’t so much explicitly attested as reflected in the biblical narrative. Yes, we must grant that the biblical narrative is ambiguous in that it speaks of Jesus’ “brothers” (but does it mean “siblings” or merely “relatives”?). However, other aspects of the biblical narrative strongly suggest she remained a virgin.

For instance, Mary reacts with astonishment at the news that she, a woman betrothed, will bear a son. If you are at a wedding shower and tell the bride-to-be, “You’re going to have cute kids” and she responds “How can that be?” you can only conclude one of two things: she either doesn’t know about the birds and the bees or she’s taken a vow of virginity. In short, the promise of a child is an odd thing for a betrothed woman to be amazed about... unless, of course, she’d already decided to remain a virgin even after marriage.

Likewise, Joseph reacts with fear at the thought of taking Mary as a wife. Why fear?

Modernity assumes it was because he thought her guilty of adultery, but the typical view in antiquity understood the text to mean he was afraid of her sanctity—as a pious Jew would be afraid to touch the Ark of the Covenant. After all, think of what Mary told him about the angel’s words: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” I’m not even a pious Jew, but with words like that echoing in my ears about my wife, I’d find it

easy to believe that Joseph, knowing what he did about his wife, would have chosen celibacy.

“But nothing is sure, based on the text alone. It’s still ambiguous,” says the critic.

Right. The biblical text alone doesn’t supply an unambiguous answer to this or a myriad of other questions, including “Is the Holy Spirit God?,” “How do you contract a valid marriage?,” and “Can you be a polygamist?” But the Tradition of the Church in union with the biblical text does supply an answer: Mary had no other children, a fact so commonly known throughout the early Church that when Jerome attacks Helvidius for suggesting otherwise, nobody makes a peep. In a Church quite capable of tearing itself to pieces over distinctions between homoousious and homoiousious, you hear the sound of crickets in response to Jerome, punctuated with the sound of other Fathers singing hymns to “Mary, EverVirgin.” The early Church took it for granted and thought Helvidius as credible as Dan Brown.

But why a dogma about it? Because, again, Mary’s life is a referred life. Her virginity, like Christ’s, speaks of her total consecration to God and of our call as Christians to be totally consecrated as well. Her virginity is not a stunt or a magic trick to make the arrival of Messiah extrastrange. It is, rather, a sign to the Church and of the Church. And that matters for precisely the reason I’d thought it did not matter when I was an Evangelical: because Christianity is indeed supposed be about a relationship with Jesus Christ. But a relationship necessarily involves more than one person.

What it comes down to is this: Jesus can do a world of wonderful things, but there is something even Jesus cannot do—He cannot model for us what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus. Only a disciple of Jesus can do that. And the first and best model of the disciple of Jesus is the one who said and lived “Yes!” to God, spontaneously and without even the benefit of years of training or the necessity of being knocked off a horse and blinded. And she continues to do so right through the agony of watching her Son die and the ecstasy of knowing Him raised again.

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Mom is the best model for training children.

The command to call her “Mother” comes, of course, from Jesus himself. John doesn’t record the words “Behold your mother” (John 19:27) because he thought his readers might be curious about domestic arrangements for childless Jewish widows. Rather, as with everything else John writes, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). In other words, he doesn’t record everything about Jesus, only those things that have a significant theological meaning. This includes Christ’s words to the Beloved Disciple.

For the Beloved Disciple is you and not merely John. Mary is your mother and you are her child.

And so we are to look to her as mother and imitate her as she imitates Christ.

Defeating Destructive Ideologies This brings us to the last two (and intimately related) Marian dogmas. Given that Marian dogma is always a commentary on Christ and

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his Church, what is the Church saying in its dogmatic teaching that 1) Mary was preserved at the moment of her conception from the stain of all sin, both original and actual; and 2) Mary was assumed bodily into heaven at the end of her earthly existence?

The great crisis that faced the Church in the 19th century (when the Holy Spirit, doing his job of leading the Church into all truth, led the Church to promulgate the dogma of the Immaculate Conception) was the rise of several ideologies— still very much with us—that called into question the origins and dignity of the human person.

Darwin said the human person was an unusually clever piece of meat whose origins were as accidental as a pig’s nose. Marx said humans were mere ingredients in a vast economic historical process. Laissez-faire capitalism saw people as natural resources to be exploited and thrown away when they lost their value.

Eugenics said human dignity rested on “fitness.”

Much of Protestantism declared humans “totally depraved,” while much of the Enlightenment held up the myth of human innocence, the “noble savage,” and the notion of human perfectibility through reason. Racial theory advanced the notion that the key to human dignity was the shape of your skull, the color of your skin, and your membership in the Aryan or Teutonic tribe.

Freud announced that your illusion of human dignity was just a veil over fathomless depths of unconscious processes largely centering in the groin or emerging out of issues with Mom and Dad. All these ideologies-and many others-had in common the degrading rejection of human beings as creatures made in the image of God and intended for union with God (and the consequent subjection of the human person to some sort of creature). In contrast to them all, the Church, in holding up the icon of Mary Immaculate, held up an icon of both our true origin and our true dignity. That she was sinless was a teaching as old as the hills in the Church, which had hailed her as Kecharitomene, or “full of grace,” since the time of Luke and saluted her as Panagia, or all-holy, since the early centuries of the Church. So then why did

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the Holy Spirit move the Church to develop and focus this immemorial teaching more clearly?

Because what needed to be said loud and clear was that we were made in the image of God and that our fallenness, though very real, does not name or define us: Jesus Christ does. We are not mere animals; statistical averages; cogs in a machine; sophisticated primordial ooze; or a jangling set of complexes, appetites, tribal totems, Aryan supermen, naturally virtuous savages, or totally depraved Mr. Hydes. We were made by God, for God. Therefore sin, though normal, is not natural and doesn’t constitute our humanity. And the proof of it was Mary, who was preserved from sin and yet was more human than the lot of us.

She wasn’t autonomously innocent, as though she could make it without God. She was the biggest recipient of grace in the universe, a grace that made her, in a famous phrase, “younger than sin.”

Because of it, she was free to be what Irenaeus described as “the glory of God”: a human being fully alive. And as she is, so can the grace of Christ make us.

The 19th-century ideologies didn’t, however, remain in libraries and classrooms. In the 20th century, they were enacted by the powers of state, science, business, entertainment, education, and the military into programs that bore abundant fruit in such enterprises as global and regional wars, the Holocaust, the great famines, the killing fields, the “great leap forward,” the sexual revolution, and the culture of death, which is still reaping a rich bounty of spiritual and physical destruction. In short, as the 19th-century philosophies assaulted the dignity and origin of the human person, so the working out of those philosophies on the ground in the 20th century assaulted the dignity and destiny of the human person.

So what did the Holy Spirit do? Once again, in 1950, in the middle of a century that witnessed the biggest assault on the human person and on the family that the world has ever seen, the Church again held up Mary as an icon of who we really are and who we are meant to become by promulgating the dogma of the Assumption of Mary. Just as the Immaculate Conception held Mary up as the icon of the divine dignity of our 44

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origins, so the Church, in teaching “that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” was now holding her up as the icon of the divine dignity of our destiny.

The Church is repeating, in effect, that the God Who loves the world does not will that our fate be the oven, the mass grave, the abortuary, the anonymity of the factory, the brothel, the cubicle, or the street. The proper end of our life is supposed to be for us, as it already is for her, the ecstatic glory of complete union with the Triune God in eternity. Once again, God shows us something vital about our relationship to Himself through her, His greatest saint.

And that, in the end, is the point of Marian devotion and theology. Through Our Lady, we see Jesus Christ reflected in the eyes of His greatest saint. But we also see “what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might” (Ephesians 1:18-19). For what He has already done for her, He will one day do also in us.

REFLECTIONS

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JANUARY 5, 2014: john 1:1-18 Second Sunday after Christmas JANUARY 12, 2014: MATTHEW 3:13-17 FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD JANUARY 19, 2014: john 1:29-34 SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME JANUARY 26, 2014: MATTHEW 4:12-23 THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME FEBRUARY 2, 2014: Matthew 5:1-12 Fourth SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

YEAR A

February 9, 2014: MATTHEW 5:13-16 Fifth SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME February 16, 2014: MATTHEW 5:17-37 Sixth SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME February 23, 2014: MATTHEW 8:38-48 SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

AND THAT’S THE GOSPEL TRUTH FR. JACK MCARDLE | ANEEL ARANHA

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January 5, 2013 Second Sunday after Christmas Psalter: Proper John 1:1-18 In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him. All that came to be had life in him and that life was the light of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower. A man came, sent by God. His name was John. He came as a witness, as a witness to speak for the light, so that everyone might believe through him. He was not the light, only a witness to speak for the light. The Word was the true light that enlightens all men; and he was coming into the world. He was in the world that had its being through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own domain and his own people did not accept him.

But to all who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to all who believe in the name of him who was born not out of human stock or urge of the flesh or will of man but of God himself. The Word was made flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. John appears as his witness. He proclaims: ‘This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me ranks before me because he existed before me.’ Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received – yes, grace in return for grace, since, though the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

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This gospel is pure poetry.

It is as if John opened his mouth, and let the Spirit of God within him pour out the sparks of the furnace within his heart.

It is hard to grasp the profound nature of what he writes, compared to the letters he wrote at the end of his life, which can be summarized in one sentence :”Little children, let us love one another, because God loves us”. This is written with the total conviction of who Jesus is, why he came, and what happens if we are open to his message. At the end of his gospel, John will have to admit that, if he wrote down all the things Jesus did and said, the whole world couldn’t contain all the books. John is known as the beloved disciple, and it is obvious that his heart is overflowing with love, gratitude, and joy, because of the Jesus he is about to write about in the following pages of his gospel.

The heart of the message is that Jesus came to his own, the Jews, but they did not accept him. The message is now offered to all of us, and, for those of us who do accept it, Jesus will allow us full membership within the family of God. This privilege is pure gift, and has nothing to do with merit, birth-right, or achievement.

PARABLE

When I was a kid we had a popular song for all singalongs called “All me granny has left you is her old armchair.” It was about the jeers and sneers of family members directed against the one who was left an old armchair, while they shared her house and property. The part of the song that always gave me great joy was when the one who received the chair discovered that all of granny’s savings were

carefully concealed within the chair, and, that he turned out to be the lucky one; something that wiped the sneers off the faces of the others, and filled them with a jealous rage.

A poor way to illustrate today’s gospel, but I’m sure you get the idea. In John’s day, for example, Jesus had left them nothing tangible beyond the memory of a man who had died as a public criminal, and, I’m sure, in the eyes of John’s family, he was seen to be really foolish to have followed such a one, and he deserved nothing but disdain.

TEACHING

mean many things. It can be a word in a dictionary: it can mean a message as in “Did you get any word from John yet?” ; it can mean a promise as in “I give you my word on that”.

Jesus is the Word of God, he is God’s message, God’s statement, God’s promise.

Jesus wants decisions, not discussions. “You are either for me or against me” he said. One of the ways of not getting around to doing something is to talk about it long enough.

Debates and discussions can turn the flesh back into word again, and, what is a reality, becomes a thesis or a theory. Something involving mental assent, which has nothing whatever to do with faith.

The Law was given through Moses, and, by the time Jesus came along, the people were totally hamstrung by the love of law. This law was studied and taught by the Scribes, imposed by the Pharisees, and scrupulously obeyed

I like the following statement: ”For those who do not understand, no words are possible, and for those who do understand, no words are necessary”. That is part of John’s problem in today’s gospel. While he witnessed Jesus healing the blind, he himself had come to see much clearer. All of the miracles Jesus worked for him were within him. PRACTICAL Jesus was, indeed, the Give some serious thought today light that had come into to the YES of your Baptism, to the world, and, John, ensure that you personally have as one of his followers, taken full responsibility for it, had been handed the and that you are a member of the torch to carry that Christian family by deliberate light to others. John choice, and not by some the Baptist was not the coincidence or accident of birth. light, nor is John the If the Word becomes flesh, if Evangelist claiming that Jesus takes on our human nature, he is the light. The role then, surely, he has taken on your of one was to prepare human nature. This should lead the way, the role of the to some serious reflection along other was to proclaim the following lines: If Jesus has the message, and guide taken on my human condition, others to the Way, which then I am faced with a serious situation. He can take over and is Jesus.

From the very effect only that which I allow, and beginning, Jesus was the limits to what he can do in and not accepted.

John through me, are set by me. The would later write in one implications of such a possibility of his letters “You are are frightening. There is nothing children of God. Only automatic about God. He will not those who are of God enter where he is not welcome. will listen to his voice. And he needs my goodwill as the The proof that the word foundation for all his work in me. is from God is that the Did you hear about the man whose world will not listen to beard went on fire, and he prayed it.” The Word became it would start raining? He himself flesh......

Word can wasn’t prepared to do anything....

REFLECTIONS

by the people. Jesus came to replace this love of law with the law of love. John is really excited about that, as we see in the last paragraph of today’s gospel. Many years later, as an old man in exile on the island of Patmos, he had simplified the gospel message to one simple truth :”Little children, let us love one another, because God loves us”.

(Do you remember hearing words like that from Mother Teresa?)

RESPONSE

There are none so deaf as those who don’t want to hear. You could be sitting there wondering what I’m going to say, while I’m up here wondering what you’re going to hear, and we can all forget that only God can speak God’s word, and only those who want to hear will actually hear that message.

There are two parts to the history of salvation: what Jesus did, and whether we accept that or not. He came to his own, but they weren’t interested. For you, for me, for any or all of us gathered here today, however, it is our moment of decision. The only YES God is interested in is my YES of now. I cannot live today on a YES that was said on my behalf at my Baptism. For those who did receive him he gave the right to become children of God. All they had to do was to trust him to save them.

That is the offer that is made to us today. God

doesn’t give me anything; He offers me everything.

In the beginning was the Word..... John also knows only too well that, at the end, the Word will still be there.

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. In other words, no matter whether people accept or reject his word, no matter what way the world chooses to behave, no matter how bad things might appear to be, at the end of time Jesus will be Lord; the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of Satan will have come to an end, and there will only be the Kingdom of God, which Jesus came to establish.

(It is significant that the last Sunday of the Church calendar is the Feast of Christ the King). It’s like knowing the result of the race before you go into the bookies. You can have no excuse for not being on a winner. God won’t send you anywhere when you die. Rather will he eternalise the decisions and directions you take now.

STORY

There was a dark cave deep down in the earth, and it had never seen light.

One day the sun invited it to come up to visit it.

The cave was amazed at the light, and it invited the sun to come down to visit it, because the sun had never seen darkness.

The following day the sun came down into the cave, looked around, and asked “Where’s the darkness?”

January 12, 2014 Feast of the Baptism of our Lord Psalter Week 1 Matthew 3:13-17 Jesus appeared: he came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John tried to dissuade him. ‘It is I who need baptism from you’ he said ‘and yet you come to me!’ But Jesus replied, ‘Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that righteousness demands.’ At this, John gave in to him. As soon as Jesus was baptized he came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And a voice spoke from heaven, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on him.’

Today marks the beginning of the mission of Jesus.

On a human level it may seem strange that he had not done anything of great significance over the previous thirty years. I will share some thoughts on that point later on in this reflection. This day was D-day for him.

It is very clearly implied that he had come to the Jordan in obedience to a word from the Father.

His explanation to John is very inadequate, but John was enough of a prophet to obey without always understanding. The action of John, and the purpose of Jesus coming there was clearly confirmed by both the Father and the Spirit.

PARABLE

I have had the privilege of leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land on several occasions. One of the highlights of the trip was the ceremony of total immersion in the river Jordan, when each person renewed the promises of

Baptism. It was a very moving time, and it was easy to imagine the Spirit descending, and the Father confirming each of us as his son or daughter. Many of those who traveled with us over the years still speak of that moment with great emotion, and with special remembrance.

TEACHING

In Matthew’s account, today’s gospel is prefaced by John the Baptist proclaiming the coming of the Messiah, and it is followed by Jesus encountering Satan in the desert. There is a definite pattern to all of this. The Spirit has shown John who Jesus was, and, once the Spirit had come upon Jesus, Satan is waiting his chance to test that Spirit. One of the greatest gifts we receive from what Jesus achieved is that, with the Spirit within, we can face up to any evil spirit we meet on the road of life. John the evangelist writes in one of his letters “Little children, there is a power within you that is greater than any evil power you may meet on the road of life.”

John the Baptist had that wonderful gift of humility.

He knew his place before his God. When some people asked him if he were the Messiah, he very emphatically denied any such claim. When Jesus came to him to be baptized, he was shocked, and he had no doubt that it was Jesus who should be baptizing him.

However, without understanding, once Jesus said that this was how he wanted things to be, John had the necessary humility to obey, and to bow to a higher authority.

Original sin continues to show itself in endless forms, each of which is but another attempt to play God, to do things my way.

John the Baptist was an extraordinary humble man.

No wonder Jesus said, at a later date, “There has

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REFLECTIONS

not been born of woman a greater prophet than John the Baptist.”

The baptism of Jesus is an extraordinary moment in our story of salvation. Not only did Jesus join us in our sinfulness, but the Father and the Spirit are seen and heard to be there with him.

The language of the gospel may appear so simple, when we are told that “the heavens were opened”, but considering the banishment incurred through original sin, it is indeed a powerful statement. Later on, when Jesus will have completed his journey on Calvary, we are told that “the veil of the Temple was rent in two”. For the first time, we were free to enter into the Holy of Holies. Today’s gospel is the beginning of a journey, which, through our own Baptism, each of us is asked to travel.

RESPONSE

The Church calendar is marked with very special and specific holy days, such as Christmas, Easter, or Pentecost. It is only when I begin to reflect on what really happened, and I begin to get into the heart of the matter, do I begin to see the importance of today, when we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. It is a truly significant feast-day, and a cause for celebration.

It is very evident that our own Baptism marks the beginning of our own personal Christian journey.

In a way it marks our common birthday.

I said earlier that there is an obvious pattern in the unfolding of the journey of Jesus. He told us that, if we follow him, we will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

There is nothing automatic about being a Christian. It involves personal decisions, decisions that need to be constantly renewed. When a baby is born, that fact is registered in the records of the state, and a certificate is available to show the date and the place of birth, together with the name of one or both parents. If the baby is put up for adoption, the natural mother is allowed several months to retain the option of changing her mind about her decision. If her decision is unchanged, she signs the adoption papers, and the baby becomes a member of a new family, with different parents, and a different surname.

The adopting parents go through a very thorough scrutiny to ensure their suitability, before the baby is entrusted to their care. Baptism is our ceremony of adoption. It doesn’t make us children of God, because that is already a fact through our creation.

Just as the natural mother normally does not abandon her baby, but ensures it is given security and a sense of belonging, so we are registered as members of the Christian community,

and are given our place within the Body of Christ, which we call Church. As I said, the natural mother is given plenty of time before she finally decides that this is what she wants to do. In our case, however, we are the ones who are given the time, and we are the ones who must decide for ourselves if we really do want to belong to this family, which we call Christian, or followers of Christ. Sooner or later, it is up to me to sign my own certificate.

STORY

A friend of mine vouches for the truth of the following incident.

He was traveling down the country one day.

His journey brought him along some by-roads, where the signposts were few and far between. After a while, he was unsure if he was on the right road, so he decided to ask the first person he saw. Eventually he came across a farmer driving his cows home for milking. He stopped the car, and asked him if he was on the right road to Somewhere, just to give the place a name. The farmer told him that he certainly was on the right road. My friend expressed his thanks, and was about to move forward when the farmer added, in a very nonchalant way “You’re on the right road, but you’re going in the wrong direction!”

January 19, 2014 Second Sunday after the Epiphany Psalter Week 2 John 1:29-34 Seeing Jesus coming towards him, John said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

This is the one I spoke of when I said: A man is coming after me who ranks before me because he existed before me. I did not know him myself, and yet it was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptizing with water.’

John also declared, ‘I saw the Spirit coming down on him from heaven like a dove and resting on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptize with water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to baptize with the Holy Spirit.” Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.’ John the Baptist begins the work which we as a Church have still to continue : To point to Jesus as the Saviour, to tell others who he is, and to encourage them to follow him.

PARABLE

Padre Pio is a man that is associated with a life of great and many sufferings.

PRACTICAL It is very important that each of us should have a sense of purpose and pattern to our Christian living. When I One of his greatest set out on a journey it is necessary to have a definite idea of where I intend going, and the destination at the end crosses in life was of the journey. Signposts point the way; they do not compel me to travel that way. Have you ever come across a the excitement that whenever signpost that has been deliberately turned in the wrong direction by someone with a perverted sense of humor? ensued As a Christian, I have very clear and definite signposts, and I always have the option of following them or not. he appeared. After Sometimes, because of road-works, I encounter a detour. When I follow the detour, my whole attention is given to Mass each morning, every sign, until I get back on the road on which I wish to travel. In following my Christian vocation it is vital that he used go up to organ loft, I maintain a constant reflection on where I am going, why I am going in that direction, and that I have a definite the and spend several pattern to my journey.

Many of us carry some form of personal id, membership cards, or work-place name tags. Get a copy of your hours in prayer.

Baptism certificate, which can easily be obtained from the church in which you were baptized. Put it in your wallet Unfortunately, from or in your handbag, and carry it on your person. Let it be a constant reminder, and let it evoke a whole new YES where he was he every time you see it. You can renew your baptismal vows any day you wish. This could easily be part of your prayer- could be seen by life, from time to time. The words or formula don’t matter. Some simple statement like the following would be quite those in the church sufficient : Lord Jesus, Saviour, I want to belong to you, to be part of the family of God, and to live according to the below. When they

rules of your Kingdom. I renew the commitment of my baptism, and I ask for the grace to live out my Christian life.

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How clear am I in my thinking about Jesus and the Church? The gospel is about Jesus. Christianity is not about producing nicer people with better morals. I could be a pagan, and be a good person.

It is not about prayer and fasting. I could be a Muslim and do that. Christianity is about a person, Jesus Christ. The role of the Church is very simple. When Jesus ascended into heaven, when he returned to the Father, he took the body he had with him. He sent the Holy Spirit to complete his work, and he asks us to provide the hands, feet, voice, etc., through which the Spirit can do that work.

How confirmed do I actually feel as a follower of Jesus Christ? How real is my sense of vocation, of being called? This is purely the work of the Spirit, and this will never become a reality in my life until I open my heart and my mind to the Spirit, and declare my willingness to be anointed by the Spirit. Just as John recognized Jesus, so I should be recognized as a follower of Jesus. You are familiar with the saying that if we were arrested and brought to the nearest police station, where we were charged with being Christian, how many of us would get off scotfree for lack of evidence?!

There is one pitfall open to all of us when we speak of Church. We may fail to remember that we are the Church. It is not a question of us sitting here, waiting for somebody out there, down in the bishop’s house, in Rome, or somewhere else to change. If change is to be real for us it must begin within our own hearts. “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” Witness is at the heart of Christian living. The witness of the lives of the Christian Community is the evidence that Jesus is present among his people, and that his Spirit rests upon them.

I must bring that one step further, look in the mirror, and ask “How do I measure up to the criteria of what it means to be a Christian?”

began pointing to him, and shouting requests to him, he always became quite agitated, as he pointed to the tabernacle, and withdrew from their sight.

His role was to point to Jesus, to bring Jesus to people, and people to Jesus. As John the Baptist would say at a later time “I must decrease if he is to increase.” A sign-post points towards a place, but it cannot compel you to go there. To see a sign-post marked ‘Dublin’ doesn’t entitle me to claim that I have been in Dublin!

TEACHING

John the Baptist has a very special place in the story of salvation that was to be revealed through Jesus Christ. Jesus said of him: ”I tell you there has never been a man, born of woman, who is greater than John the Baptist.”

That is high praise indeed, especially coming from Jesus himself. John’s role was to prepare the way for Jesus. We are all familiar with times like Advent, Lent, etc.; times when we

prepare to celebrate some special occasion in the life of Jesus. Naturally, it is easy to see that our celebration of the feast will be directly effected by the effort put into the preparation.

The language of John in today’s gospel is unusually simple and direct. He is open and honest in telling us that he had no way of recognizing who Jesus was, until he was given some clear evidence. He knew the Messiah was going to come, of course, but he had to wait for the sign so that he could identify him when he did come. The sign was the evidence of the Spirit coming upon Jesus, and, indeed, he heard the Father’s voice saying that Jesus was his beloved Son, and people should listen to him. A strong identification with Jesus, who he is, and why he has come, is a prerequisite for anyone hoping to evangelize, or to be evangelized themselves.

That is the role of the church.

In some ways, the Church has been seen to have almost replaced

Jesus, and to point to itself as the means of salvation.

All present attempts at renewal in the Church have to do with correcting this misconception.

Baptism has to do with entering into membership, with cleansing and purifying, and with being named. All of these things are part of belonging as a member of the Body of Christ. Baptism is the beginning of a journey.

John was the one who began that journey. His form of baptism was limited, because it was about initiation.

When Jesus came he would move beyond water, and baptize with the Holy Spirit. This signified a permanent and eternal relationship within the Life of the Trinity. The fact that a priest pours water on the head of a baby gives no guarantee that the baby will grow up to become a Christian. At some stage or other, the grown-up baby must say ‘yes’ to that Baptism, so that Jesus can anoint with his Spirit, and bring his work to completion within that person.

RESPONSE

One way of understanding renewal in the Church is to think of us going back to the time of John the Baptist.

It is a question of getting back to basics. We are human, we are continually changing and evolving, and we can so easily lose our way. I myself am a teacher by training, and so I am quite familiar with the concept of revision, and of returning to the basics again and again.

(Correcting exams is one way of reminding a teacher that the information was not understood as intended, or that the message was interpreted as presented!).

We are all familiar with Confirmation, even though we may not fully understand the full significance of what it means. The coming

of Jesus was strongly confirmed again and again.

Long before he came the prophets spoke of his coming, and what would happen when he came. We have the angel appearing to Mary, and to the shepherds at Bethlehem.

At his baptism in the Jordan the Father’s voice was heard, and the Spirit was seen to come upon him. In today’s gospel we have John giving loud and clear confirmation and affirmation as to who Jesus is, and why he came.

It is usually many years after our own Confirmation before we, ourselves, begin to grasp just exactly what that is intended to signify.

This might have greater power and significance if Confirmation was withheld until we were in our late teens.

We then would have a better idea what it means to be confirmed in my beliefs, and to fell confirmed and reassured about my way of life as a Christian.

John’s introduction is very simple “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” I think it very important that we reflect on that statement. If Jesus takes away the sin of the world, then, of course, he can take away my sin. It can be meaningless to get caught up in generalities.

For example, I can quote “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son”, and never get around to accepting the fact that God so loved me that he gave his only Son.

STORY

It takes five years for the seed of a bamboo tree to show any growth above ground, and then it grows to a height of 90 feet in six weeks! Five years of preparation, of putting down roots, of spreading underground, so as to have access to plenty of food.

And then, only then, does it take off.

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January 26, 2014

Kingdom of God was close at hand.

Third Sunday after the Epiphany Psalter Week 3

PARABLE

Matthew 4:12-23 Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled: ‘Land of Zebulun!

Land of Naphtali! Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan, Galilee of the nations! The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned.’

From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they left their nets at once and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him. He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people.

Today’s gospel is about Jesus beginning his mission, calling his first disciples, and beginning to travel from place to place, to proclaim that the

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As I write this we are approaching the Millennium.

There is an obsession with preparation, even though there are divergent views on how to prepare. For those who are not Christian, the preparations must have a certain hollowness to them. I read an ad the other day for a New Year’s ball priced at £1,000! This can disturb Christians, who feel the others are high-jacking the real reason for the celebration. I don’t think that such negative reactions serve any purpose. As a Christian, I can make my own preparations, and let the others do whatever they choose.

Part of being a Christian is to be like Jesus, to be a ‘sign of contradiction’, which frees me up from conforming to the dictates and norms of the world. The Kingdom of God is not of this world. If, like Jesus in today’s gospel, I have a very clear vision and goal, and I know exactly what I am about, my energy and enthusiasm for the task ahead will be dramatically increased.

TEACHING

Today’s gospel marks the beginning of the ministry of Jesus. John had been arrested, so that was the end of the ministry of John. The gospel tells us that “instead of going to Nazareth (in other words, instead of going home), Jesus went to Capernaum.

The show was on the road, as it were. As it happened, the prophet had foretold that this would happen. I don’t think that the sayings of the prophets are what influenced Jesus. He was led by the Spirit, and that led him into the fulfilling of all the prophecies. Aren’t they powerful words used by the prophet to describe what happens when Jesus appears among them? “The people who sat in darkness

have seen a great light, and for those who lived in the land where death cast its shadow, a light has shone.” Jesus would later refer to himself as the light of the world; and, in commissioning his apostles, he would tell them that they, now, were to be a light to the world.

The message of Jesus is a very simple one. “Turn from your sins, and turn to God, because the Kingdom of heaven is near.” I said earlier that the clearer my goal or vision, the higher will be the level of my energy in bringing that about. Sin is a false goal, an untrue vision, an empty promise. It is immediate, selfish, and is self-will run riot. It is the result of behavior that is out of control, through a compulsion, addiction, or selfish whim. It can never satisfy, because, outside the Kingdom of God I am an exile, pining for home.

Even in the depth of my sin the Kingdom of God is very near. I just have to reach out, and Jesus is there.

When I was growing up the word ‘vocation’ was high-jacked by priests and Religious! It is now being given back to the laity, and more and more laity are actually experiencing themselves as being called.

There is nothing dramatic about this. It just means that I don’t just stumble into the Christian way by default, without any clear path or pattern to follow.

‘I have called you by name; you are mine’. ‘You didn’t choose me; no, I chose you, and I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that would remain’. If the gospel is now, and I am every person in the gospel, then, through the gospel of today, I am being called.

RESPONSE

I mentioned earlier that, when I have a clear goal and vision to follow, that my energy level in pursuing that is so much higher. When I was baptized, someone

else said my ‘yes’ for me.

I cannot remember having any great enthusiasm about my Confirmation, beyond the fact of the new suit, and the money from family and friends. There must come a time, however, when I am prepared to take personal responsibility for my own calling, and say my own personal ‘yes’.

Because God is totally a God of now(“I am who am”), the only ‘yes’ in my whole life he’s interested in is my ‘yes’ of now.

“Turn from your sins, and turn to God, because the Kingdom of God is near.” In rugby football, when someone scores a try, that team is then given a conversion kick. In the ancient game of wrestling, when one succeeded in turning the other person right around into the opposite position, that was marked as a point or a conversion. Conversion has to do with crossingover; with changing of direction, with a shifting of position.

It means letting go of one situation or position, and moving to another one. It is basically about change. To live is to change, and to become holy or whole is to have changed often(Newman). The writer of the Psalms is continually calling on the Lord to change his heart. “Create a new heart in me, O Lord, and put a right spirit within me.” Having that attitude towards God is a necessary part of conversion. A constant declaration of my willingness to be changed is a central part of prayer.

Christianity is about a person, Jesus Christ. He is the pearl of great price that he speaks of, which, when someone finds it, is willing to sell everything he has to buy that pearl.

The apostles in today’s gospel just walked away from everything. This may seem highly insensitive to their father, and to their responsibilities to their families.

There must

REFLECTIONS

February 2, 2014 The Presentation of the Lord Psalter Week 4 have been some powerful magnetic force, while in the presence of Jesus. There must also have been some great emptiness within the hearts of the apostles, because, certainly, not everyone who was in the presence of Jesus felt any call to follow him. Some were there out of curiosity, some to trip him up, and others were plotting his arrest and execution. The response of the apostles, therefore, must have come from a combination of their own inner hungers, and the charismatic power that came from being in the presence of Jesus. I imagine their own human condition was actually the first ingredient, because they had lived with that for many years before they ever heard of Jesus. I would suggest that, to have a deep personal encounter with Jesus, I could begin with

PRACTICAL

my own human struggles, weaknesses, brokenness, and inability to manage life. No doubt that would help enormously, when it comes to listen to Jesus speak about forgiveness, compassion, and the special place of sinners in his plan of salvation.

STORY

There is a story told about Leonardo de Vinci’s famous painting of the Last Supper.

He searched far and wide for what he considered to be an ideal model for each person in the painting. He began with a fine-looking young man, full of life, and very anchored, and chose him as a perfect model for Jesus. He followed with other models for each of the apostles. Naturally, the work took several years. He left Judas till last, because he was having a problem finding someone who could

represent him. Finally, he came across a bum, who was sleeping rough, who had all the appearances of being untrustworthy, and, like Judas, would probably sell his soul if it brought him some money.

Leonardo approached the man and persuaded him to come to his studio. While the work was in progress, both men came to the same realization. This man had been in this studio before, representing Jesus. He had gone astray, lost his way, and was now on Skid Row. It was a very great sock to de Vinci, and a moment of conversion for the man.

When Jesus called on people to turn from their sins, he also asked some of them to follow him. They were to become his pupils, people who would absorb his Spirit, and continue his work, when he went back home to the Father.

I continue to stress one very important point, i.e., the gospel is now, and I am every person in it. I have a choice right now to be in two places. In my mind, I can be away back there when and where today’s gospel took place; or I can be where I am right now, let Jesus enter that space, and have this incident encircle me. Supposing you personally heard the call to turn from your sins, and turn to God, can you actually identify something within yourself that would have to change? Some behavior, action, attitude, etc., that would have to be faced up to, and removed? I am not suggesting that you yourself could actually do the removing, because, by yourself, you would not be able. What I am suggesting is that I am willing to bring it to the Lord, and declare to him my desire to surrender, and to have him change me.

While the apostles left their boats to follow Jesus, what is it that I would have to walk away from, before I would be free to follow? This could be anything from a wrong relationship, to an addiction, to a mental attitude. One seldom hears about the Seven Deadly Sins anymore!

However, if I have a quick run down through those, I may find identification with one or more of them. Remember them? Pride, covetousness, lust, gluttony, envy, anger, and sloth.

Translating those into modern language might give you a list like the following: Considering myself as superior to others; being jealous of what they have, and begrudging them their success; using others to meet your own needs, and confusing this with love; once again, we have that green-eyed monster of envy or begrudgery, and the inability to rejoice in another’s success; anger is just another word for wounded pride, because someone dared to rain on my parade; and, lastly, we have the sins of omission, where I’m always going to get around to doing the good, but not just yet. The road to hell is paved with good intentions…

If I am not at all involved in evangelizing others, this is a direct result of the fact that I myself have never been evangelized. I am not speaking of standing on a butter-box in the town square. Evangelizing is something the Spirit can do through me, if I make myself available. “Lord, may your Spirit within me touch the hearts of those I meet today, either through the words I say, the prayers I pray, the life I live, or the very person that I am.”

Luke 2:22-40 When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said: ‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.’

As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’

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Mary and Joseph, by bringing Jesus to the Temple, to present him to the Lord, were obviously doing nothing different from any other such family in their area. They fully conformed to the norms of their Hebrew tradition.

They never thought of themselves as being in any way exceptional, because, anything they had was seen as total gift from God. They led as normal a life as anyone else, and they treated Jesus as any parents would treat a child in those days. It is important to stress the ordinariness of their lives. At no stage did they fully understand the full implications and possibilities of their lives with Jesus.

Life was mystery, and, like any mystery, it can reveal itself as time goes on.

So ordinary had their lives become that, when Simeon spoke his words of prophesy over the baby, we are told that “Joseph and Mary were amazed at what was being said about Jesus”.

PARABLE

Thomas Aquinas was probably the greatest theologian, and the greatest mind in the whole field of theology, that this world has ever seen. What amazed everybody about him was that, as a child, he was considered to be stupid, and was treated as such. This is typical of the ways of the Lord. Grace builds on nature, it never replaces it. At Cana it was water; later on it was a few loaves and fishes. It wasn’t much, but it was made available to the Lord, and he did the rest.

St. Paul tells us that God selects what is weak and unimportant in this world, so that, by

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doing so, he can confound the strong. It was very important that Jesus, his life, and everything about him, be seen as being absolutely ordinary, because he was like us in all things but sin. The holy pictures of angels flying in and out of the windows of the home in which Jesus grew up is a travesty of the truth, and is most unhelpful in our understanding of the Incarnation. Every family can be a holy family.......

This does not include the extraordinary, but the very ordinary becomes extraordinary when it involves the reality of God and his presence among us.

TEACHING

Mary is the perfect rolemodel for the Christian.

She said YES to God, and anything that happened after that was total gift, and was the work of the Lord.

When she visited Elizabeth, she brought Jesus there, which is the role of the Christian. When she met Simeon, she could place Jesus in his arms, fulfill his life-long ambition, and enable him to face death

PRACTICAL

with joy. When we speak of Jesus, we use words like “Dying you destroyed our death, rising, you restored our life....By your cross and resurrection you have set us free....” In other words, if Jesus is in my life, if I have any sense of belonging to the family of God, then, surely, death should have totally lost its sting, to use the words of St. Paul.

Family is a very important word in our understanding of relationships. Famulus is the Latin word for servant, and to be a member of a family is to be in a relationship that presumes service of some kind or other. Familia is the Latin for what we call household, which implies a very special way of belonging. Being familiar with someone or something implies a certain level of relationship that is comfortable, non-threatening, and mutual. In what we call the Holy Family, there was a totally comfortable relationship between the human and the divine, between the mundaneness of being human, and the omnipotence of being

divine. Never before or since has there been such an example of what we can well call a family of God, to which we are all now called. Making space and time for God within the confines of our own family living is to become a holy family.

RESPONSE

There is no such thing as the perfect family! I certainly wouldn’t like to grow up in a perfect family, because I would be totally unprepared to meet and deal with the realities of living, where nothing is perfect.

The highest tribute to a family is to describe it as being good enough. That’s as much as a family can hope to achieve.

Many of us may have had the privilege of growing up in a family that was good enough. Human goodness is very fragile, frail, and limited.

Only God can provide a goodness that will be there tomorrow, and for all our tomorrows. A family, where God is given space and time, is truly rich, even if they’re not wealthy. (May I say, in parenthesis, that, for those of us who have no

Before you close this magazine, may I suggest that you go on your knees and ask God’s special blessing on your family. This is even more necessary if you see that situation as being hopeless, and beyond repair.

Please do this for about one minute every day, and I promise you that you will soon seen evidence of being blessed.

It is very easy to sit in front of a television set, and feel great compassion for those who are suffering elsewhere. This is good, but it loses its credibility if that same compassion is not available to those nearest to me. If you want to promote justice, peace, and well-being in the world, you can take a giant step towards that by beginning in your own family. Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me....

When I am finished talking now, I am suggesting that we should be seated for just one minute to reflect on the following point : Think of each member of your family, and get in touch with how exactly you see each of them. Then unscrew the top of the head of each member, look out through their eyes, and imagine how they might see you.

The building of the Kingdom of God has two characteristics: The bricks that go into the building are very tiny, and quite hidden.(Salt, yeast, seed, etc., to use the words of Jesus). It is through all those unremembered acts of kindness and of love that you can turn your home into a life-giving, peace-loving place. Do one thing today, something different, with the awareness that it is done for others, for those around you.

There can be a big difference between a house and a home. One is made up of bricks and plaster, and the other is made up of people. How healthy, how preserved, how safe is your home? (I am not speaking about your house, but your home). Are you aware of any repairs that are needed, that you can do, and will cost nothing?

Most of our lives are humdrum and ordinary, and life is what’s happening when you’re making other plans. On the occasions of Baptisms, First Communions, weddings, etc., we generally move up a gear or two. We have Christmas, and we have birthdays, to help us be more aware of those around us. The ordinariness of life in Nazareth for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, is not just a nice concept, but a sacred reality, because Incarnation means that God became ordinary, which is one way of saying that he became one of us.

REFLECTIONS

immediate family, the word can be used to encompass friends and associates).

While allowing for the reality of change being part of living, it would be a great pity to throw out the baby with the bath-water. Many of us grew up in homes where there were external images to show that God was part of the home. If you entered a Jewish home, for example, you would touch what I might call a small Torah-box at the front door, which is a reminder of the Covenant and the Commandments, to all who enter that house. In today’s world, some of us may feel ashamed to proclaim our allegiance to God, and to the Christian message, by giving prominence to some public Christian symbol, to remind those who live there, and those who visit, that this is a Christian home. “If you deny me before people”, says Jesus, “I will also deny you before my Father who is in heaven”.

There are ferocious pressures on family life today. That is a fact, and there is no use moaning about it, or trying to deny it. The question that faces each family member is :Would I really like this family to be united, to have a sense of closeness, to be a life-giving unit for all its members? If my answer is YES, then I have no choice but to face reality.

This is something that we cannot do by ourselves.

Human nature has within it the power of its own destruction. This is where humility(truth) comes in, that enables us get on our knees, ask for God’s blessing, and ask him to do for us something that we can never do for ourselves.

Holy means whole or wholesome, and I believe that we all would like to be a member of a holy family.

STORY

The day Whatever

began badly. himself said,

he shouldn’t have said it, because his wife snapped back at him. Like reading the weather forecast, he could see some lows coming in for the day, so he quietly got his lunch-box ready, slipped out the door, and off to work. The children, however, were not so wise, or so lucky. One lad was doing his homework in the middle of the cornflakes, another couldn’t find his socks, and a third was asking for money for something or other. The atmosphere in the kitchen was getting more tense by the second, and, minus their normal hug, and good wishes for the day, they were turfed out the door to school.

They met their pals, but, because they were still upset, they didn’t speak to them, and this sparked off another row. Later, in class, not only did Junior not know the answer, but he hadn’t even heard the question, so he ended up in the principal’s office. What had begun in that kitchen this morning had spread quite a bit by lunchtime!

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, ten cigarettes, and twelve cups of tea later, the mother was still in her dressing-gown, and she just couldn’t get this day off the ground. She was a good woman, a woman of prayer, and someone with a lot of love in her. Suddenly it dawned on her : Not one thing that happened in this house this morning came from God. The thought shook her, she sank on her knees, asked for help, and then she got out her bottle of holy water. She sprinkled the holy water, using the authority given her by Jesus, through her Baptism and Confirmation, and, within seconds the cloud had lifted, which it always will. She apologized to God for forgetting the only real and true source of peace and well-being, and then she phoned her husband, and assured him that it was safe to come home!

February 9, 2014 Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany Psalter Week 1 Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You are the salt of the earth.

But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.’

Today’s gospel is about Christian witness.

Christianity is about attracting, not promoting.

The gospel is implanted by the very presence of a Christian living in that area.

PARABLE

When I was growing up, we didn’t have fridges or freezers, as we have today.

Every year my father killed a pig. The only way we had to preserve the sides of bacon over the months, until we could around to eating the lot, was to pack the portions into boxes of salt. There was really as much salt as bacon in each box. One of the attributes of salt is to preserve, to keep food from going rotten.

I also remember from back then, we didn’t have electricity. We had oil lamps, tilley lamps, hurricane lamps(for outside use), and, on occasions, we had a candle or two.

I well

remember the arrival of the electricity, and the excitement it generated among us kids. We would even have electric light in the cow-house, as well as down at the end of the farm-yard.

This was exciting stuff for us country kids.

To have light anywhere around the house, or outside the house, all one had to do was press a switch. This had profound effects on our daily life. We had a wireless than didn’t need to have the battery charged every few weeks.

We could do our homework in any corner of the kitchen, or in a bedroom.

We no longer lived with the dangers(and the fumes) of oil lamps, of the spirits used in the tilley, or with the danger of a burning candle falling over, or left burning and unattended.

TEACHING

I’m sure you can see that I can readily identify with today’s gospel.

Among the roughest and toughest ghettos there are some beautiful and very special people; and if they were not there, the whole area would be rotten.

Most initiatives for self-help and for self-improvement in that area are the inspiration of these few.

Neighborhood Watch, Drug Awareness, investment in facilities for social and recreational needs are to be found in the toughest areas of the toughest towns. If you check into it, I’ll guarantee you that the initiative and the impetus came from that small group, who could well be called the salt of that area. Just as a pinch of salt can greatly improve the taste of food, so too much salt would destroy anything.

That is why there can be such a benefit from the presence of just a few.

I’m sure you heard the saying that it’s better to light a candle than curse

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REFLECTIONS

the darkness. One candle doesn’t give a great deal of light, but imagine a room in total darkness, and someone enters it bearing a lit candle. It is important to remind ourselves again, that the Kingdom of God is made up of tiny acts, and most of them are hidden. There is another saying that if each before his own door swept, the whole village would be clean.

Today’s gospel is just beautiful in its simplicity.

Earlier on, Jesus had declared himself as the light of the world. Today he tells us that we are to be the light of the world.

I would rather be guided by a light-house than to be rescued by a life-boat.

Without preaching from a butter-box in the town square, I can preach the Christian message through everything I do, and every word I say. If the Spirit of God lives within me, then, naturally, wherever I go, I bring the Spirit with me.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, when he returned to the Father, with mission accomplished, he brought the body he had with him.

He then sent his Spirit,

PRACTICAL

and asked us to provide the body. He has no other feet, hands, or voice but ours.

RESPONSE

What good is salt if it loses its taste? What good is a light if you cover it, and prevent the light from being seen?

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us that we are the salt of earth and the light of the world.

In other words, we have what it takes. The onus, then, is on us whether we make use of that or not.

There is nothing automatic about being a Christian.

It demands definite and personal decisions, and it demands that we carry out those decisions.

In today’s world, about two-thirds of the people never heard of Jesus, or have not accepted his message.

Of the third that do, a little over 50% would be Roman Catholics.

Of those, about 10% are practicing; and, of that number about 2% are practicing out of personal conviction.

And all of that is two thousand years later! This is where the question of the pinch of salt being effective comes

in. I think if Jesus waited till everybody was ready and willing to listen to him, he would not have started yet. In the Old Testament, when the prophet begged God not to destroy the city, God said he would spare the city ‘if you find me one hundred good man’. When the prophet failed to do, God asked for fifty good men.

When the prophet failed again, God kept reducing the demands to twenty, to ten, and to five. God doesn’t require a large army. He requires a definite personal commitment from a few, and, with them, he can effect much good in that whole area.

Letting your good deeds be seen is not seeking public display, or showing off. It simply means that, if I am a Christian, I should be seen to act and to live in a Christian way. “By this will everyone know that you are my disciples if you love one another”. We are called to live the gospel, rather than just believe it or preach it. It’s a strange

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase ‘street angel, house devil’. The first place I have to practice my Christian vocation is within my own home, among my own family. When I was a kid we were praying for the conversion of Russia, or we were collecting pennies for black babies in Africa. That was very safe, because it was a good and safe distance from home. Speaking of the various influences and effects of salt and of light, what kind of influence are you having within the circle of your daily living? Are you a life-giving person, who helps preserve and encourage goodness in others, and do you lighten the way and the burdens of others? We can so easily slip into the habit of taking others for granted, and, while we would be concerned about atrocities and famine in far-flung places, we could completely overlook those who are closest to us.

There is one dimension of gospel living that we can so easily overlook. ‘You write a new page of the gospel each day, through the things that you do, and the words that you say. People read what you write, whether faithful or true. What is the gospel according to you?’ You yourself are the message. You can say all the lovely words you like, but if you don’t believe them, and are not seen to practice them, you are wasting your time. I could preach the gospel even if I were deaf and dumb.

Have you ever come across people who seem to light up a room as soon as they enter it?

They are people who are fully human and fully alive. They seem to wear antennae on their heads, because their sensitivity to others will immediately alert them to someone in the room who is out of sorts, is hurting, or uncomfortable. Because they themselves are fully alive, they transmit life to those around them. In his description of the General Judgment, Jesus has such people asking “Lord, when we see you hungry and clothe you, etc…….?” Because of the kind of people they are, they are not conscious of the good they are doing. For them, to act in such a way has become a way of being. Such people are certainly the salt of the earth, and the light of the world.

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thing, but, if I went to live in a cave in the Dublin mountains, without telling anyone, and if I opened my heart to the fullness of the life of the Trinity, as offered by the Father, effected by the Son, and completed by the Spirit, there would be a procession of people climbing that mountain to visit me within a year or two.

Real Christian witness is a very powerful instrument for influencing others for good. Not only are we the salt of the earth, and are we people who must let our Christian light shine brightly in today’s world; we are also the living presence of the all-holy God, because we carry the Spirit of God within our hearts, we are members of the Kingdom or the family of God, and we are God’s touchpersons in the lives of others.

STORY

On November 26th 1965, Time magazine had a story that can give us all food for thought. An electrical fuse, about the size of a bread box, failed, resulting in 80,000 square miles along the US-Canadian border being plunged into darkness.

All the electrical power for that entire region passed through that single fuse. Without that fuse no power could reach any point in that vast region.

REFLECTIONS

February 16, 2014 Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany Psalter Week 2 Matthew 5:21-37 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you, if your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court.

‘You have learnt how it was said: You must not commit adultery. But I say this to you: if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

‘Again, you have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not break your oath, but must fulfill your oaths to the Lord. But I say this to you: do not swear at all. All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’

Today’s gospel contains five teachings of Jesus, on Law, Anger, Adultery, Divorce, and Vows.

PARABLE

Without wishing to abuse the truth, I recall in general, the main thrust of a book called “Animal Farm” by George Orwell.

There were no rules, no laws, nobody in positions of authority and responsibility.

This was to be Utopia, where everything would go along as things should be, and nobody would dream of upsetting or rocking the boat, and everybody would live happily ever after. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t turn out

that way.

Although the story is about animals, the point of the story is that, without structures, without rules to guide behavior, without somebody taking responsibility to animate and lead the group, we, also, can descend into anarchy and selfdestruction.

TEACHING

Jesus doesn’t want to do away with the law; rather he wants to fulfill it. He does not, however, want the law to become an end in itself. The law is there to serve the people, to guide, and protect them, and it must not be used to control them, and to oppress them. A man is in court for doing ninety miles an hour through a fifty-mile zone. He has broken a good law, which was put in place to protect, rather that to oppress people. Jesus tells us that all law comes from God, and, therefore, for a law to be valid, it must be made for the common good.

Jesus is more in favor of a law of love, rather than a love of law.

Whether his teaching has to do with anger, adultery, divorce, etc., what he is really speaking about has to do with love. He lays great stress on forgiveness. That’s a very powerful word, when he speaks of bringing your gift to the altar, and then you remember that there’s someone out there hurting because of you.

Leave your gift to one side, go off and be reconciled with that person, and then come back to offer your gift. If we speak about loving God and loving our neighbor, then there must not be any contradiction here. It would surely be a contradiction to be reciting lovely prayers to God, while I’m not speaking to my neighbor. “Whatever you do to the least of these, that’s what you do onto me.”

He is very clear and definite when it comes to giving one’s word. There’s

no need for solemn oaths, etc., if I am a person of my word. This was very important to Jesus. “You are either for me or against me. Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’.” He himself is very emphatic about the sincerity of his promises to us. He gives his word, and he says that “Heaven and earth will pass away before my word passes away.” It is difficult to speak about adultery or divorce. I don’t imagine any couple who got married with the intention of getting a divorce later on.

I credit them with the very highest and best intentions, and, as can easily happen, things just don’t work out the way they had hoped.

No alcoholic ever set out to become an alcoholic.

This was something that crept up on him, as it were.

Adultery can be wrong on grounds other than morality and sex. It can be a lie, because it can imply a commitment that is not there, and that one party, at least, has no intention of there ever being a commitment. The whole subject of today’s gospel has to do with honesty, integrity, and genuine love.

RESPONSE

A sin is a sin. If God wanted a permissive society he would have given us Ten Suggestions instead of Ten Commandments.

Having grown up in a Church which had a preoccupation with sin, that was bordering on the unhealthy, there is now a danger of the pendulum swinging in the opposite direction, to the other extreme, where we lose all sense of sin. I believe that

PRACTICAL

I must confess to being caught in a bind with today’s gospel.

It contains very clear and very definite teaching from Jesus, so that must surely merit our full intention. I myself, however, cannot bring myself to proclaim any sort of blanket condemnation of adultery, divorce, etc., and that bothers me in a way. Over the years I have known people who have been divorced, involved in adulterous relationships, etc., and I have known them to be very good people. It is difficult to condemn the sin without running the risk of judging and condemning the sinner. Most people that I know are quite aware of what’s right and what’s wrong. I don’t think you can legislate morality. There is an in-built barometer in the human spirit that instinctively informs us when we’re right or wrong. The biggest lies I tell in life are the ones I tell myself. I will never be honest with you or with anyone else until I become honest with myself.

Today’s gospel has a lot to do with honesty and integrity.

The Spirit of God is a Spirit of Truth. Only the truth will set me free. It is a wonderful thing to strive to be authentic and genuine: to be a person of my word. That, of course, must begin with myself, because, as I have already said, the greatest lies I tell in life are the ones I tell myself. To paraphrase a sentence from Shakespeare “Be true to yourself, and then you won’t be untrue to others.”

One of the most practical things I can do today is to check on my relationships, to ensure that I am not in a totally contradictory situation as I approach the altar. I often think that others should hear me say “I’m sorry; please forgive me” more than God does. There would never be a war, or, indeed, there might never be a divorce, if somebody somewhere was prepared to say “I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

It may sound simple, but it’s very difficult for some people to admit to being wrong. In fact, our own pride can often blind us to the fact that we are wrong, and we fail to see things as they are. It’s a wonderful freedom to be able to face up to the truth, and, when we are wrong, to promptly admit it.

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REFLECTIONS

the law of God is written in our hearts in such a way that we know rightly whenever we are wrong. (When I was a child I had a dog that looked very guilty after he did something he shouldn’t.

One look at him and you knew. As you approached him, he lay down, rolled over on his back, expecting to be scolded.

If you patted him, he immediately jumped up, and leapt all over you, knowing that all was forgiven.)

We sometimes hear the phrase “My word is my bond”. It is good to be a person of your word.

One of the most insightful comments of Jesus is that “The truth will set you free”. The liar has to have a good memory! The facts are always friendly, because they never change. There is a saying of much wisdom which states that “When everything else fails, try the truth, because it always works.” The essence of proper communication is to combine total honesty with total kindness. There are times when total honesty can be brutally destructive, and when total kindness can be totally dishonest.

It’s quite a struggle to get it right. It is an extraordinary Gospel principle to strive to become authentic, to become genuine, to live and to speak the truth.

Because original sin had to do with a lie, the antidote, the antibiotic for that is the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus calls “The Spirit of Truth.”

Sin, by definition, is a lie. Whether it be adultery,

perjury, or self-righteous adherence to law, it can masquerade as virtue, as truth, as something other than the reality. Sin is not so much an act, as the reason or motive behind the act. I could visit someone in hospital today because I feel sorry for him; or I could visit him because I want to rejoice in the fact that he is suffering. I could do the very same thing for very different reasons.

STORY

One of the great wonders of the world is the Great Wall of China. It is said to be the only landmark on earth that is visible from the moon. It was built as a protection against invasion from neighboring enemies. After all that mammoth endeavor, someone bribed the gatekeeper, who opened the gates and allowed the enemy through! So much for human endeavor!

The Christian life is a sign that should be seen from far and near. It is a sign of contradiction, of course, in that it insists there is another way of living than living with the values of a materialistic world. The only way to preach this message is to live it. “You write a new page of the gospels each day, by the things that you do, and the words that you say. People read what you write, whether faithful or true.”

February 23, 2014 Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany Psalter Week 3 Matthew 5:38-48 Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away.

‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’

Today’s gospel is the teaching of Jesus about what is generally accepted as being the hallmark of the Christian, i.e. forgiveness and love.

In one way it is nice, in a gentle or sweet way, while, in another, it is among the toughest teachings in the whole gospel.

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PARABLE

Howard Wilson captured the hearts of the Irish nation some years ago, when his daughter, Marie, was killed in an horrific terrorist explosion in Enniskillen.

It was ‘Poppy Day’, an annual day, when the British remembered those killed in the two World Wars.

There was a monument in Enniskillen, and Howard and his daughter Marie, were there with thousands of others for a service of commemoration.

Suddenly a bomb went off right in the middle of the crowd, and the results were devastating, and the carnage was horrific. Marie took the full force of the blast, and for some time Howard and herself were beneath the pile of rubble and bodies, while he spoke to her, and she herself actually uttered several words. She died, however, as they clung to each other.

Right from the moment that Howard Wilson was rescued from the rubble, he spoke of forgiveness for the evil people who had planted the bomb, and he asked for prayers for them.

In his eyes, they were the ones to be pitied.

He figured prominently in the Irish and English media.

He crossed the divide to speak to those ‘on the other side’ of the conflict in Northern Ireland, and he offered his services as a mediator in any way that would help to bring reconciliation and peace.

Because of his work for peace, and because of the glowing example of his powerful Christian witness, the Irish Government nominated him to be a member of the Senate, the first time ever a Northern Protestant became involved in the politics of the Irish Republic. He worked tirelessly for peace and reconciliation, right up to his death a few years ago.

REFLECTIONS

TEACHING

The first thing I can say about today’s gospel is that its teaching goes directly against everything that Jesus was taught as a child.

With the Jews it was ‘an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’. Your enemy was just that and no more, and was always to be treated as your enemy. Such a person could expect nothing else but your hatred and opprobrium for the rest of his life. Their system of justice was arbitrary and ruthless, as we witness in Gospel stories where the woman was being stoned to death, or when Jesus himself was crucified. The teaching of today’s gospel is diametrically opposed to all of that.

Christianity does not ask me to become a doormat, or some sort of rag-doll that everybody can kick around the place. It doesn’t ask me to become a wimp.

Through the power of God’s Spirit in me, I am asked to become extraordinarily strong, because it requires great strength of character, and great single-minded resolve to be able to

forgive, or to turn the other cheek. Just think of the trouble many of us have in loving our friends?! Today we are asked to forgive our enemies! I must never forget that, by myself, and of myself, I just don’t have what it takes to do what Jesus asks me to do. More about that later.

Jesus speaks of his Father in heaven as being a model for our loving. We are all children of God. He loves all of us equally.

He loves us because he is good, and, because God is love, he is not capable of loving any one of us less than 100%. Just think what a wonderful world it would be if all of us could be inspired with such love.

We ask the Holy Spirit to ‘enkindle within us the fires of divine love.’ There is a lot of talk today about role models, and how important it is for the young to have people in their lives who live out the ideals and principles one hopes to instill in them. Certainly, as Christians, we have the Role Model par excellence, both in Jesus and in his Father.

RESPONSE

I’m sure most of us, upon hearing today’s gospel, are faced with people and with situations to which this gospel speaks very directly. That’s OK. No point in going on a guilttrip. That’s not what Jesus has in mind. He holds up to us the ideal, the call, and he offers us the Power to be able to respond to that call; and then he is patient in awaiting our reply.

There are times when the hurts are too deep, and the experience is too recent, to be able to even consider forgiveness. I have often come across people, and the best they could pray for was a willingness to want to forgive. That’s a very good start. God can work miracles for those of good-will.

“If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even the pagans do that.” Today’s gospel asks us to take that extra step, to walk that extra mile. Because of our own struggles, and because of our perception of Church as being preoccupied with rules, morality, and high moral ground teaching, we can easily overlook PRACTICAL the simplicity of the When it comes to the practicalities of today’s gospel, there is little gospel message. There need for me to be very specific. I’m sure every single one of us are many people can solidify today’s gospel into some definite situation. “To err is who would have no human, to forgive is divine.” When it comes to forgiveness, this adherence to Church, is one area where we really need the Spirit to enter, and to act. It or to any form of requires a heart which we may not possess to be able to forgive and structured Religion, forget. Howard Wilson, of whom I spoke earlier, was, indeed, a man and, yet, who are totally of God. He was seen as such, and was spoken of as such by every enamored and deeply person who knew him, or who knew of him. struck by the simple In the Beatitudes, Jesus speaks of the power of the meek, and message of Jesus.

In the gentle. The bully cannot deal with the person who won’t strike a world of violence, back. The only way the world could stop Mahatma Gandhi or revenge killings, and Martin Luther King was to shoot them. They had a power, through deep-rooted hatred, their peaceful resistance, and unwillingness to strike back, that they dream of what threatened the might of the oppressor. It was Herod and the things would be like if helpless baby all over again. people listened to, and When I forgive someone, I set both of us free. There is heeded the message of extraordinary freedom in having a forgiving heart. Year after year the gospel. we watch scenes of horror on our screens, in what is sometimes Jesus taught us called ethnic cleansing, and often called genocide. This is the one simple prayer. outcome of hatred, which comes out of a total unwillingness to All Christians of all forgive. What strikes us most, as we watch these horrors unfold persuasions recite this on our screens, is the fact that it is the innocent who suffer most. prayer. In it, we call Supposing the television set took control of the remote control, and God “Father”, and, in turned it on us, and followed us all around the house, what pictures fact we call him “Our would we be projecting from our own kitchens and living rooms?

Father”. Over the years

this prayer has continued to be said by churches of various denominations, even if they wouldn’t dare to have any association with each other. It is often recited in a church, where one member is not on speaking terms with another.

Over the past year alone, I witnessed two husbands being supported at the grave-side of a murdered wife, as they almost swooned with grief, only to read in the papers some days later that each of them had been arrested and charged with the murder. I know this may be an extreme example, but I use it deliberately to shock us into reflecting on what we do.

STORY

In the old days there was a very reliable way of catching monkeys in Africa. A hole was scooped out of a tree, and some nuts were placed in the hole. The monkey came along, discovered the nuts, grabbed a fist of them, only to discover that, with his fist full of nuts, he was unable to withdraw his paw. Extraordinary as it may seem, the monkey was so intent on getting the nuts that he would not let go of them, as the hunters approached, and threw a net over him!

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SAINTS OF STEEL

SAINTS OF STEEL

We all think of Saints as quiet and holy people – but history is full of some pretty amazing and curious people who came to be canonized. This list looks at nine of the toughest saints to have walked the earth – men and women who not only lived holy lives, but were tough as nails at the same time. For those of you who don’t know the specifics of what sainthood is, a saint is a person who lived a life of virtue and declared as such by the Pope (or in the case of martyrs, by the local Bishop). Here are nine of the toughest saints who walked the face of the earth.

JAMIE FRATER

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FRANCIS OF ASSISI 9 ST.Canonized July 16, 1228 by Pope Gregory IX I bet you weren’t expecting to see St Francis on this list. St Francis is best remembered in popular culture as the animal patron – the saint who could talk to animals and sooth wild beasts. While it is true that there were many reports of miracles regarding animals in St Francis’ life, he is more revered in the Church because of his strict poverty, stigmata and efforts to fix problems in the Church during a time of crisis. But what most people don’t know (including many religious people) is that St Francis was so devout in his beliefs that he raced off to Egypt in 1219 to become a martyr – he hoped that he would convert a bunch of Muslims and then be killed.

That was a hope that nearly came true! St Francis was received by Sultan Melek-elKamel, whom he wanted to convert, and suggested that his Muslim scholars undergo a test of true religion by fire. They all refused, so St Francis offered to enter a fire pit and, if he was able to leave it unharmed, they would have to agree that God had protected him and that his was, therefore, the true religion. The sultan rejected his offer but was so impressed that he gave St Francis permission to preach Christianity unhindered in his lands – an incredible concession considering the nation was in the middle of fighting against crusaders from the west. This saint was definitely a man of steel.

LOUIS IX 8 STCanonized 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII Saint Louis was the King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270, and is the only canonized King of France. He was crowned King at only 12 years old, following the death of his father, King Louis VIII. Because of his youth, his mother, Blanche of Castile, ruled France as regent during his minority.

He went on two crusades during his lifetime, one in his mid thirties, and the other in his mid 50′s, which is no mean feat when you consider how bloody and violent they could be.

The first began with the capture of Port Damietta in 1249, and went on to the Battle of Fariskur, where he lost his army and was captured by the Egyptians. He was only released after a ransom of 400,000 livres tournois was paid (nearly twice France’s annual revenue), and the return of the city of Damietta.

Perhaps most significant for the steeliness of King Louis was that the whole time he was battling, he was wearing a cilice (a sharp metal chain worn tightly to cause pain and sometimes bleeding) around the legs or waist. So when everyone else was suffering because of battle scars, the King was suffering twice. His end was to come in his second crusade when he died – as all good kings do – in the midst of a bloody battle.

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SAINTS OF STEEL

SAINTS OF STEEL

GEORGE 7 ST 4th Century AD St George is undoubtedly amongst the most well known saints on this list. He was a third century Roman soldier and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr.

He is regarded as the most prominent military saint and is one of the most revered in the Western World. George was raised as a Christian and decided at a young age that he wanted to be a soldier. He joined Diocletian’s army and, before long, was one of the finest soldiers around. Some time later Diocletian decided that all soldiers who were Christians had to renounce their faith and become pagan. George refused (I am sure you all see where this is going). Diocletian tried to convince him to convert because he didn’t want to lose his best soldier but George refused.

Recognizing the futility of his efforts, Diocletian was left with no choice but to have him executed for his refusal. Before the execution George gave his wealth to the poor and prepared himself. After various torture sessions, including laceration on a wheel of swords, in which he was resuscitated three times (pretty steely!), George was executed by decapitation before Nicomedia’s city wall, on April 23, 303.

But most of all he is a saint of steel because he killed a dragon—or so the legend goes. Here is the story of St George and the Dragon: “In the fully developed Western version, which developed as part of the Golden Legend, a dragon or Crocodile makes its nest at the spring that provides water for the city of “Silene” (perhaps modern Cyrene) in Libya or the city of Lydda, depending on the source. Consequently, the citizens have to dislodge the dragon from its nest for a time, to collect water. To do so, each day they offer the dragon at first a sheep, and if no sheep can be found, then a maiden must go instead of the sheep.

The victim is chosen by drawing lots. One day, this happens to be the princess. The monarch begs for her life to be spared, but to no avail. She is offered to the dragon, but there appears Saint George on his travels. He faces the dragon, protects himself with the sign of the cross, slays the dragon, and rescues the princess. The grateful citizens abandon their ancestral paganism and convert to Christianity.”

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5 ST 5thSIMEON Century AD

IGNATIUS 6 ST Canonized March 12, 1962

by Pope Gregory XV Ignatius of Loyola (Basque: Ignazio Loiolakoa, Spanish: Ignacio de Loyola) (1491 – July 31, 1556) was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537 and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and was its first Superior General.

St Ignatius was an incredibly brilliant Knight who fought in many battles without any injuries, until one fateful day. On May 20, 1521, a cannonball wounded one of his legs and broke the other. Unperturbed, he got up and hobbled back to the castle. He needed surgery which was undertaken without anesthesia – a treatment that most modern folk would balk at. Part of his leg bone had to be cut off, and the operation was generally a disaster. But, despite the fact that he ended up with one leg shorter than the other (which led the doctors to put weights on his leg to stretch it back out), he survived and went on to found one of the most famous religious orders in the world (inspired by the religious texts he read while recovering from the cannonball).

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Saint Simeon Stylites lived for 37 years standing on top of a small platform on a tall pillar. That is sufficient to label him a saint of steel. Before this he spent 40 days closed in a tiny hut without any food or water. When he walked out it was hailed as a miracle. Pilgrims flocked to see St Simeon and they erected taller pillars for him to stand on – in the end his pillar was 15 meters high. He lived off goat’s milk and flat bread – provided by local children. He refused to let any women come near the pillar (including his mother) and he would let people climb a ladder to talk to him and ask for advice.

St Simeon truly cemented his name in the annals of Steely Saints when he got an ulcer on his thigh which festered and ultimately led to his death – standing up.

SAINTS OF STEEL

SAINTS OF STEEL

4

ST JOAN OF ARC

Canonized March 12, 1622 by Pope Gregory XV

“Forward! They are ours!” That was the battle cry of Saint Joan of Arc, the young virgin who led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years’ War, which paved the way for the coronation of Charles VII.

In one battle, Saint Joan was hit in the neck by an arrow. Unlike most men in war, she didn’t take it lying down; she got right back up, pulled out the arrow and continued to lead the army. In another battle, whilst scaling a wall to attack the English, she was hit in the head with a canon ball – as is to be expected of a warrior saint, she shook her head and kept climbing. Her leadership (and battle style, which was 100% attack) shattered the English Army wherever it met her.

She was captured by the Burgundians, sold to the English, tried by an ecclesiastical court and burned at the stake when she was nineteen years old. 25 years later the Pope (Pope Callixtus III) investigated the trial at the request of Saint Joan’s mother, Isabelle Romée, and the Inquisitor General overturned it and declared that Joan was a martyr. It took 500 years before she was officially canonized. Oh – and contrary to popular belief, St Joan didn’t dress in men’s clothing – she fought all of her battles in a dress with armor over the top.

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OF KIEV 3 ST VLADIMIR 10th & 11th Centuries AD Which saint had hundreds of concubines, multiple wives from around the world, so many children that everyone lost count, and an army of pagans? St Vladimir of Kiev did! Vladimir was the grand prince of Kiev, who converted to Christianity in 988, but before his conversion he was a pretty mean (not to mention profligate) guy. From the start of his reign in 980, he conquered lands, slaughtered people, had children and generally partied hard. On a few occasions he, being a good Pagan, took part in human sacrifices: “In 983, after another of his military successes, Prince Vladimir and his army thought it necessary to sacrifice human lives to the gods. A lot was cast and it fell on a youth, Ioann by name, the son of a Christian, Fyodor. His father stood firmly against his son being sacrificed to the idols. More than that, he tried to show the pagans the futility of their faith: ‘Your gods are just plain wood: it is here now but it may rot into oblivion tomorrow; your gods neither eat, nor drink, nor talk and are made by human hand from wood; whereas there is only one God — He is worshiped by Greeks and He created heaven and earth; and your gods? They have created nothing, for they have been created themselves; never will I give my son to the devils!’” Interestingly, it was this speech which caused Vladimir to ponder over the next few years as to whether he ought to convert to Christianity, which he ultimately did. He ruled so kindly after his conversion that he became known as Vladimir the Great – a far cry from his previous life.

THE BLACK 2 ST MOSES 4th Century AD St Moses the Black was a slave of a government official in Egypt who dismissed him for theft and suspected murder. He became the leader of a gang of bandits who roamed the Nile Valley, spreading terror and violence. He was a large, imposing figure. On one occasion a man caught him in a theft, which annoyed St Moses immensely. The next day he swam across the Nile (a not insignificant act) with a knife in his mouth – his intention was the kill the guy. When he got to his home the guy had fled (having obviously heard some of Moses’ previous exploits). St Moses, instead, killed four of his sheep before sticking the knife back in his mouth and swimming back. Shortly after that the law started to catch up with him so he hid in a monastery. The influence of the monks was so great that he converted and became a monk.

But the story doesn’t end there. Some years later a group of thieves wanted to rob the monastery where St Moses was living. He caught them off guard and single handedly beat them all to a pulp. He dragged their bloodied bodies to the chief monk to ask what to do (knowing it wasn’t a monkly thing to kill them). The head of the monastery said to forgive them and send them away, which surprised the robbers so much that they all apologized, converted and became monks too! He eventually died at the hands of a group of warriors who attacked the monastery when he was 75 years old – but not before he managed to help 70 of the monks escape. St Moses chose to stay behind with a few other monks to fight off the warriors.

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SAINTS OF STEEL

SAINTS OF STEEL

1 ST LONGINUS 1st Century AD St Longinus was a soldier in the Roman army, from Caesarea. He spent his life earning his pension by fighting with his fellow soldiers throughout the Roman lands, and eventually ended up in Jerusalem helping out with various tasks he was capable of (he was nearly blind). One of the tasks was to be life changing. St Longinus was instructed to assist at the crucifixion of Jesus.

Being a good Roman soldier he took his work seriously and, ensuring that he get a promotion for doing a good job, stabbed Jesus in the side while he was on the cross. In other words, Longinus stabbed God. It takes a true toughie to have the guts to do something like that. Blood and water flowed out from the stab wound and some of it got in Longinus’ eyes. His blindness vanished and he declared “Indeed, this was the Son of God!” [Mark 15:39]. He immediately left the army, converted and became a monk. Not long after he was arrested for his faith, his teeth ripped out and tongue cut off. However, St. Longinus continued to speak clearly and managed to destroy several idols in the presence of the governor, who consequently had Longinus beheaded.

His relics are now in the church of St Augustine, in Rome, and the lance he used to stab Jesus is contained in one of the four pillars over the altar in the Basilica of St Peter’s in Rome.

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APP GUIDE

TEN BEST CATHOLIC APPS

There’s an app for everything these days, even the faith, and here are ten of the best Catholic apps available in Apple’s App Store.

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APP GUIDE

Laudate With daily mass readings, Liturgy of the Hours, New American Bible, an interactive Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Stations of the Cross, podcasts and prayers, the LAUDATE ««««« Catechism of the Catholic Church, PRICE Vatican documents, the Code of PERFORMANCE ««««« ««««« Canon Law and more, this app DESIGN ««««« is one of the best apps in Apple’s USABILITY CATHOLICITY ««««« store. And best of all it’s free.

Universalis Daily psalms, prayers and readings from the Catholic Liturgy of the Hours, seven times a day: Morning Prayer (Lauds), Evening Prayer (Vespers), Night Prayer (Compline), the Office of Readings, and the three daytime hours: Terce, Sext, and None.

Translations: Jerusalem BIble for the readings, choice of Grail or Universalis web version for the psalms. It also includes the readings and responsorial psalm for daily Mass, and notes on the saint or feast of the day. UNIVERSALIS You can install Universalis PRICE ««««« apps and programs on Mac and PERFORMANCE ««««« Windows as well, and although DESIGN ««««« the app comes with a relatively USABILITY ««««« high price tag, PATHFINDER highly CATHOLICITY ««««« recommends it.

The Pope App Would you believe it? The Pope has an app!

This app allows you to deep track of the movements of the Holy Father and even set up alerts notifying you when papal events begin. It also gives you access to all official papal-related content in a variety THE POPE APP ««««« of formats: news and PRICE official speeches, PERFORMANCE ««««« ««««« galleries with the DESIGN ««««« latest images and USABILITY videos, access to his CATHOLICITY ««««« calendar, and links to other services of the Holy See. Additionally, the app lets you see key areas of the Vatican through webcams distributed throughout St. Peter’s Square.

THE WORD PRICE

The Word Among Us

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PERFORMANCE ««««« DESIGN

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USABILITY

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The Word Among Us App brings the popular meditations hitherto published as CATHOLICITY ««««« little booklets into the digital world. It features Daily Readings with Meditations, Reflections on other topics, as well as an “Order of the Mass” section which is basically like a Missal.

Available as a subscription for Dhs 7.29 per month or Dhs 87.99 annually.

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APP GUIDE

Confession Designed to be used in the confessional, this app is the perfect aid for every penitent. With a personalized examination of conscience for each user, password protected profiles, and a step-by-step guide to the sacrament, this app invites Catholics to prayerfully prepare for and participate in the Rite of Penance. Individuals who have been away from the sacrament for some time will find Confession: A Roman Catholic App to be a useful and inviting tool.

Confession PRICE

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PERFORMANCE ««««« DESIGN

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USABILITY

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CATHOLICITY

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Word on Fire Inspired by the website of the same name and Word on Fire ««««« founded by Father Robert PRICE Barron, author of the global PERFORMANCE ««««« ««««« ten-part documentary DESIGN ««««« series called Catholicism, USABILITY this App provides access to CATHOLICITY ««««« daily blogs, commentaries, articles and over ten years of weekly sermons.

Another great reason to get it is that it is free.

Check out the site: www.CatholicismProject.org.

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Mea Culpa Mea Culpa is meant to be an examination of conscience app for Catholics who want to make a sincere confession. Its layout features a “Dashboard” with taps for “Venial Sins,” “Mortal Sins,” Mea Culpa and “Committed Sins.”

PRICE ««««« User can see a list of sins PERFORMANCE ««««« according to their severity DESIGN ««««« and recognize the impact USABILITY ««««« that even small sins on CATHOLICITY ««««« their spiritual life.

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APP GUIDE

Holy Bible

iMissal

Hundreds of Bible versions with hundreds of reading plans in dozens of languages, along with the flexibility of adding Holy Bible highlights, bookmarks PRICE ««««« and notations make PERFORMANCE ««««« this a must have app. DESIGN ««««« Some of the better Bible USABILITY ««««« translations need to be CATHOLICITY ««««« purchased.

This app puts the complete Missal at your fingertips. It includes a full liturgical calendar with all the Mass Readings that you can listen to as you drive. Reflections and a large collection of Catholic iMissal ««««« prayers are included. Also PRICE PERFORMANCE ««««« available as an optional in««««« app purchase for Dhs 7.29 DESIGN USABILITY ««««« is Saint a Day. CATHOLICITY

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Bible for Kids Through interactive adventures and beautiful animations, the Bible App for Kids is a delightfilled experience designed to encourage kids to return again and again.

Bible for Kids PRICE

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PERFORMANCE ««««« DESIGN

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MOVIES MOVIES

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MOVIES

MOVIES

The Chronicles of

Narnia

With the C.S. Lewis Company announcing that they have entered into an agreement with The Mark Gordon Company to jointly develop and produce a fourth film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair, PATHFINDER revisits the movies already made and takes a look at the books that inspired them.

PETRINA ROCHE

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MOVIES

I

was recently speaking to my sister about Narnia. Whenever the two of us imagined a world that embodied an element of utopia or perfection (from our perspective), we would always reference Narnia. In this fictional world led by a wise, powerful and insightful lion, Aslan.

Narnia soon became, in our minds, that world where the realities of our world were better – more pure, happier, more perfect! Neither of us at the time realized the Christian allegory of each of these movies.

While each of these movies was regarded as children’s movies, there is a lot we as adults can also learn from each of these works. For those of you who are not familiar with the movies, they are based on C.S. Lewis’s books of the same title. There are seven books which were written between 1949 and 1954.

C.S. Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland, and was baptized in the Church of Ireland.

Adolescence saw him move away from his faith towards atheism but he returned to it in his early 30’s which eventually led him to being described as a “lay theologian” and “Christian apologist”. He even wrote about his conversion, “Surprised by Joy”.

I am sure that most children and also us adults, as children, have at some point read The Chronicles of Narnia. I remember it being required reading for our literature class. Back then, it was a world of imagination and wonder, transporting us young scholars to a fictitious world. But in the midst of the stupendous canvas of enchantment, I recall there being lessons to learn beyond what was required to earn a good grade.

Like any great work of art, Narnia too can be interpreted and read on different planes of insight. Nevertheless, it is not hard to draw a Christian visualization of the Narnia series.

The first movie released in 2005 is the start of the journey of Aslan and his world, Narnia. Aptly titled, “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe”, Narnia is introduced as a magical place inhabited by witches, fauns, and a most majestic and pure lion called Aslan. In the real world are four children who serendipitously stumble upon Narnia and so they adventure and journey begins.

In order to save one of the children’s lives at the

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hands of the evil White Witch, Aslan sacrifices his life and is killed on a stone tablet while being ridiculed and mocked. Sound familiar? Yes, allegory denotes that Aslan, whose character embodies, righteousness, kindness, humanity, honesty and love is undoubtedly Jesus. Moreover, C.S. Lewis chose a lion – the king – and Jesus as you and I know, is most certainly the King.

At his death, Aslan is mocked, “Why, he’s only a great cat after all!”; “Poor Puss! Poor Pussy....

How many mice have you caught today, Cat?” This again is in keeping with the way in which Jesus was mocked by the soldiers, “If you are king of the Jews, save yourself!”

Aslan’s death does not end the parallel to Jesus’ story—he is resurrected and also faces disbelief from one of the children, who thinks she is seeing a ghost, while the other understands that Aslan is real and alive. Aslan explains that his death saved Step through the other side the lives of all others of the wardrobe and meet and hence “Death itself the creator of the Chronicles would start working of Narnia — the man whose rich imagination and deep backward.”

The first movie faith made this fantasy series therefore recounts the a favorite for generations. story of Jesus—his This reformatted photo existence on earth, biography, with more than 50 photographs, tells the the lessons He taught story of C. S. Lewis’s life and and the miracles He work, from his boyhood in performed as well as Belfast, Ireland, where he and the sacrifice He made his brother created their first so that us mere humans imaginary world in an attic could enjoy eternal hideaway, to Lewis’s adult years as a renowned scholar salvation.

The Chronicles and beloved author. Book continue with the available at amazon.com. thrilling sequel, Prince Caspian. The movie opens with the birth of a child and the ordering of the death of the rightful heir

MOVIES

to a throne. We once again meet the Pevensie children who are swept of a railway track and find themselves back in Narnia.

It has been a year since their last adventure in Narnia and they soon discover that 1300 years have passed in Narnian time. Their interim absence has resulted in Narnia becoming almost extinct of its inhabitants and conquered by the Telemarines, led by the evil King Miraz.

The Pevensie children meet Prince Caspian who we are unknowingly introduced to at the start of the movie and together with help from new friends, they come together to remove King Miraz from power and return Prince Caspian to his rightful place while restoring Narnia to its former glory.

The parallels of Christianity are apparent in this second installment as well. The main theme here is faith. Lucy Pevensie’s faith that Aslan exists and is will come to their aid is unwavering and while her siblings want to believe, it is interesting to see how we humans can claim to have faith but the belief is so often taken away with the slightest hurdle. It is obvious to see how we often step in the way of ourselves and the destinies that await us, simply because we feel that we need to do something about our situations rather than wait on God to come through for us.

Directed once again by veteran director Andrew Adamson, screenplay by Andrew Adamson and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and produced by Mark Johnson, Andrew Adamson and Philip Steuer, this film promises to deliver on all the entertainment, imagery, mystic wonder and lessons to be learned as the first movie did.

The story continues and the lessons to be learnt are still obvious in the third movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The main themes

in this movie focus on references to God and metaphorical aspects of the sacraments.

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the Pevensie children’s cousin Eustace experiences what is symbolic to baptism when he meets Aslan.

Aslan’s immerses Eustace in a pool referencing the baptisms that John the Baptist and Jesus perform in the New Testament. He then undergoes a transformation that sees his re-birth and evolution into a dragon, but before this can happen Eustace must face his inner demons and

peel of the layers of meanness and selfishness.

But this transformation is not one Eustace is able to do on his on, but rather with the assistance of Aslan. So just like Jesus does for us, Eustace comes into his own by allowing Aslan to intervene and show him his true self – a person destined for goodness, just as Jesus intervenes in our lives to show is that we cannot become pure on our own, but need his guidance, presence and spirit.

The allegory does not focus on Eustace’s character, but is also evident in the ship’s voyage, similar to that of a “pilgrimage” that each of us as Christians embark on—believing and experiencing the various trials and temptations, in our attempts to be righteous and claim a place for us in heaven.

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Reepicheep the Mouse, who sails straight into Aslan’s country, is evocative of Elijah, the great Christian prophet who didn’t die but instead was “translated” in bodily form into heaven.

If you’ve read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, you’ve already gotten the whole Aslan-is-likeJesus thing. But if the first Narnia book didn’t hammer it home enough, C.S. Lewis definitely spells it out for us at the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Aslan tells Edmund and Lucy that he exists in their world, too.

In the literary version of this movie, Aslan also appears symbolic animal forms that are connected with Christ and the Christian trinity. In the final chapter, Aslan begins by taking the form of a lamb, which is a direct reference to Christ as the “Lamb of God,” and offers the children a meal of fish, something Jesus and his followers

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

The Silver Chair (2015)

FILM «««««

FILM «««««

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The story follows four British children who are evacuated during the Blitz to the countryside and find a wardrobe that leads to the fantasy world of Narnia; there, they must ally with the lion Aslan against the forces of the White Witch, who has the world under an eternal winter. The film was released theatrically starting on December 9, 2005.

The film grossed over $745 million worldwide, making it the 44th highest grossing film worldwide of all time.

The four Pevensie children return to Narnia to aid Prince Caspian in his struggle for the throne against his corrupt uncle, King Miraz.

The film was released on May 16, 2008. It grossed $419 million worldwide and was considered a moderate success.

This film was the last in the Narnia film series to be distributed

by Walt Disney Pictures.

The story follows the two younger Pevensie children as they return to Narnia with their cousin, Eustace. They join the new king of Narnia, Caspian, in his quest to rescue seven lost lords to save Narnia from a corrupting evil that resides on a dark island.

It was released on December 10, 2010 in Digital 3D in select theaters, along with its wide 2D release. It grossed over $415 million worldwide.

On October 1, 2013, The C.S. Lewis Company announced that it has entered into an agreement with The Mark Gordon Company to jointly develop and produce The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair, following the film series’ mirroring of the novel’s publication order (in contrast to Walden Media’s initial pushing for The Magician’s Nephew during planning for a fourth film)

Director : Andrew Adamson Writers : Ann Peacock Stars : Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell

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eat frequently in the New Testament. In addition, Aslan also leads the Dawn Treader out of the threat of hard in the form of an albatross – an aide-mémoire that not only is the albatross a bird that symbolizes safety as per sailor legendary but also that the Holy Spirit is symbolically represented as a dove.

So I invite you to spend a few hours in a world of peace, imagery, tests and fortitude and experience the way, the truth and the life of Christ as it is so symbolically and allegorically depicted in this trinity of movies—The Chronicles of Narnia.

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Director : Andrew Adamson Writers : Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely Stars : Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell

Director : Michael Apted Writers : Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Michael Petroni Stars : Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Will Poulter

Director : Unknown Writers : David Magee Stars : Unknown

BOOKS

BOOKS

The Books C.S. Lewis wrote a set of seven high fantasy books that have had an emphatic effect on the world of Christianity as we know it. Perhaps, Lewis’ best known work, these books primary audience is geared towards children, but in my opinion, these books should be read at least thrice in one’s lifetime: at childhood, early adulthood and late in life. The reason being is because at each stage of our lives, our perspectives change and our knowledge lends to our perspective which is very important when reading these books. Indulge yourself in the enchanted world created

by Lewis with words that portray imagery sure to transport you to the mythical world of Narnia and guaranteed to excite you on each adventure that each Pevensie child experiences.

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BOOKS

In the first book of the series, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis craftily creates the world of Narnia and introduces readers to the four Pevensie children: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy.

The wardrobe transports them to the magical world of Narnia where they encounter the central character—a talking lion, Aslan, who bears many similarities to Jesus. His kindness, humility and wisdom are dispensed to the children and his Narnian people, with a noble demeanor that leaves the readers helpless in their admiration for him. The book introduces the world of evil into Narnia, by way of the White Witch – the Pevensie children who become kings and queens of their newfound domain, together with Aslan’s courage and kindness, work together to overcome the witch and banish her from Narnia. This first book is commendable in setting the backdrop and giving the reader a view to what they may expect in the following books of the series.

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Published in 1951, Prince Caspian picks up from its predecessor, where after a year since their last adventure in Narnia, the Pevensie children have lived “normal” back in England. However, on a regular morning at the train station, Susan’s horn is blown in Narnia by Prince Caspian – a Telemarine that now rules over Narnia. He is however, ordered to be killed by his uncle, King Miraz who now has a newborn son and an heir to the throne. Prince Caspian flees his rightful kingdom and meets the Narnians in the woods – but things are not as they were before.

With Aslan absent and the Pevensie children no longer there either, Narnia beauty remains, but a darkness hovers over it. Nevertheless, the kings and queens return to save the day, reclaim Prince Caspian’s throne and overcome temptation while learning lessons of faith, hope, love and sacrifice.

The adventures continue in this third installment of C.S. Lewis’ wondrous world of Narnia. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader once again sees the Prevensie children embarking on yet another adventure, but this time they have the company of their pompous cousin Eustace Scrubb, after their sojourn ends up with each of them falling into a painting of a ship.

Their “fall” transports them back to Narnia to reunite with Prince Caspian in his attempts to search for the seven Narnian Lords that were banished from Narnia as a result of his uncle, King Miraz’s rule. This high-sea adventure is exciting to read, but also has a moral to it – being re-born and understanding that only with goodness and God’s presence in your life can you succeed. Of course, it is not obviously a religious literary work, but again the comparisons of Aslan to Jesus, are apparent.

Each character is true and heroic, overcoming each dangerous obstacle through wisdom, courage and divine intervention.

The Silver Chair moves away from the Pevensie children and focuses on Eustace Scrubb. After being summoned by Aslan, Eustace and his classmate Jill Pole, travel back to Narnia. Their mission: to search for King Caspian X’s only heir, Prince Rilian.

It’s been 50 years since Eustace was graced with the presence of Narnia, on his first visit there with his cousins. Now he is on his own and with his classmate. Of course, back in England, it has only been a year. Aslan provides Eustace and Jill with four signs to assist them with their mission. Along their adventurous trail, Eustace and Jill, meet Puddlegum, a marsh-wiggle (a race of frog-like humanoids), and the three of them set out to find Prince Rilian. From a Christian point of view, the main theme of this book is about following truth and signs and being aware of misrepresentations. In fact in the second chapter, Aslan tells Jill: ““Pay no attention to appearances.

Remember the Signs and believe the Signs. Nothing else matters.”

BOOKS

The fifth book of The Chronicles series, The Horse and His Boy, is set at the time the Pevensie children were Kings and Queens in Narnia. New characters are introduced with new adventures and new obstacles to surmount, each event of which is beautifully told with vivid imagery and grandeur. Readers meet Shasta and Aravis. Shasta is a Narnia boy who escapes being sold into slavery with a talking Narnian horse in the same predicament.

The two run away to meet Aravis and together they face the threat of Narnia and the land in between, Archenland, from being attacked by the people of Calormen. The Christian underlays revolve around the foolishness of pride and the strength of humility and in keeping with James 4:6, the story unfolds to reveal that the proud are eventually grounded and the humble lifted to great heights. Aslan’s presence once again guides the fate of the nations and those of each character while enlightening readers on the rejection of “luck”, the reincarnation of Christ , God’s omnipresence and allloving nature.

The Magician’s Nephew is an ingenious prequel that takes the reader back to the origins of Narnia. Al the unanswered questions are revealed in this book; the creation of Narnia, the existence of good and the entrance of evil into a beautiful world. We are introduced to Digory Kirke, whose wardrobe the Pevensie children entered.

Together with his friend Polly Plummer, the two characters experiment and experience different worlds by using a multitude of rings created by Digory’s uncle. They come to see the creation of Narnia creating clarity about all the questions they have of the world as they know it.

Perhaps one of the more interesting books of C.S. Lewis, this literary wonder screams the importance of rules and the purposes they serve. It’s evident that many of the characters think themselves as being ‘above the law’, and each of them pay the price.

Aslan is portrayed much as Jesus is—the omnipotent artist of the world and is a loving, wise and kind being.

The very last of the series, aptly titled The Last Battle, was published in 1956 and marks the end of Narnia. Eustace and Jill return to save Narnia from an ape, “Shift”, that guiles a donkey, Puzzle into impersonating Aslan.

The book is set about 200 years Narnian years after the time-line of The Silver Chair, and about 2500 years since Narnia’s creation in The Magician’s Nephew.

It would seem that his literary work symbolizes the conclusion of the Antichrist reign of terror as Jesus returns to establish His Kingdom from Jerusalem (Revelation 1822). C.S. Lewis does away with guesswork and the readers are left the riveting metaphor that pertinently depicts the Second coming of Jesus Christ, coupled with fascinating writing that is sure to capture young and older readers.

A grand finale to an epic series.

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Prayer REJOICE ALWAYS, 17 PRAY CONSTANTLY, 18 GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES; FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS FOR YOU.”

1 THES 5:16

SESSION 2 OF MODULE 1: SPIRITUAL GROWTH IN THE HSI SCHOOL OF DISCIPLESHIP

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P

aul in his letter to the Corinthians tells us to “pray constantly”. This does not mean we need to keep saying one Our Father after another, but to be in continuous communion with God, regardless of what we might be doing or where we may be. Getting to this state, however, takes some doing and these four elements help immensely in achieving that.

1. Personal Prayer

To make progress of any noticeable merit on this journey towards becoming more like Christ, we need to have a healthy relationship with God, and this can be achieved only by spending time in prayer. Traditional community prayers that many of us are accustomed to are excellent ways of praying, but in order to build a truly meaningful relationship with God, a prime requisite is personal prayer. When the apostles asked Jesus for advice on the subject of prayer, He said to them: ”Mt 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

What do we do when we are alone, though?

While the following verse (Matthew 6:7) suggests we simply shut up and listen to God, it takes time to develop the level of spirituality that allows us to remain in silence before God. Until then, it might help to use the time–optimally, an hour–to improve our relationship with him using certain important elements of prayer. These are: Praise

Spiritual Warfare Thanksgiving Repentance Forgiveness Surrender

Infilling

Worship Intercession

The Word of God Silence

Praise

Begin your prayer session by singing joyful songs to the Lord. There is, of course, the obvious reason for this as expressed by the Psalmist: 80

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“Ps 100:1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands!” But there is another reason.

Many of us enter prayer burdened with the cares and burdens of the world. Our focus Module 1: Spiritual Growth is very much on þ The Making of a Disciple ourselves. When we þ Prayer open our mouths o Study and sing (even o Sharing though we might not feel like it!) we o Outreach take our attention off ourselves (and our problems) and focus it on God. This gets us into the “mood” of prayer, like nothing else can.

Spiritual Warfare

Scripture tells us that “Eph 6:12 we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Many of us might find the idea of battles fought in heavenly places hard to comprehend, but it is a good idea to begin serious prayer by asking God for his protection upon us and our families through the blood of Jesus (Exodus 12:22), because all prayer involves warfare to varying extents and some defensive measures are wise.

Thanksgiving

As we have already seen, Paul advises us to “1 give thanks to God in all circumstances”.

Somebody once said that if the only prayer we say is a prayer of thanksgiving, it would be prayer enough. We should never fail to thank God for the many blessings that we receive. Thanking God also helps to take away our focus on the things in the life that aren’t too pleasing to us and focus on all the good things that we are blessed with. We also need to thank him for the not-so-good things that happen because it is a sign of faith in his word that says he “Rom 8:28 works for good with those who Thes 5:18

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love him, who are called according to his purpose.” Most importantly we need to thank Jesus for the price he paid to save us from sin and death and reconciling us to himself. Thanking him for this repeatedly will ensure that we don’t take his sacrifice for granted.

Repentance

Repentance is an integral part of prayer.

Not only does it give us the opportunity to reconcile ourselves properly to God, it helps us identify aspects of our lives that we need to address because our goal is to reach the perfection, purity and holiness that God calls us to. “Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

Forgiveness

We can never really be fully right with God, even if we have repented, if we haven’t forgiven those who have wronged us. “Mt 6:14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Forgiveness is not a oneoff thing that we do from time to time, but a continuous process that needs to be done often, because we are hurt often.

Surrender

Everything in our life will be a constant struggle if we try to cope with our battles ourselves. We cannot truly be instruments of God either, if we are trying to exercise our own will in our lives. Neither can we be filled with his Holy Spirit and bear fruit if we are not in perfect union with Christ. “Jn 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Along with repentance and forgiveness, surrender helps us be one with Jesus.

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that can bring us the most intense joy, because it helps us enter into the heart of God like little else can.

Intercession

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul urges the community to “Eph 6:18 pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” We need to pray for each other continually that all of us might pursue the path of holiness that we are all called to travel upon.

We also need to pray for the world at large, remembering that God would not have destroyed Sodom, because of Abraham’s persistence, had he been able to find ten righteous men in the city (see Genesis 18:23-32).

The Word of God

Infilling

Shortly before Jesus died he said to his apostles: “Jn 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ” Later, just before He ascended into heaven, he promised his apostles: Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” We have all received the Holy Spirit when we were baptized, but we need a fresh infilling regularly. During this time we stoke the fires of love in our hearts.

Worship

“Jn 4:23 “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth”. Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Veritatis Splendor wrote that, “VS87 worship of God and a relationship with truth are revealed in Jesus Christ as the deepest foundation of freedom”.

Through our worship we give honor and praise to God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Additionally, we are drawn into the mystery of God and into a deeper relationship with Him. This is the time

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God speaks to us through his Word and it is absolutely essential that we read the Bible and meditate upon it regularly for a number of reasons, including increasing our faith. Scripture tells us that “Rom 10:17 faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.” The Word is also transformational.

“Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

There are several more reasons, and we will look at them in greater depth in our next session on Study. God also speaks to us through the Tradition of the Church and so it helps to have a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church next to our Bible. We will be looking at Tradition (and the third leg of the Catholic faith: the Magisterium) in greater depth too in a later module.

Silence

God speaks to us in our silences, and it is wise to make silence part of our prayer time with God, especially after reading his Word. As we grow in our relationship with God, the silence in our prayer time should increase and we will take a closer look at contemplative and meditative

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prayer in a subsequent module of the School of Discipleship.

2. Family Prayer

“The family that prays together stays together” is a maxim that many of us grew up with and it is true. One of the reasons that families are breaking up with such rapidity today is because God is missing from the equation. No relationship can be truly meaningful without God playing a pivotal role in it and to ensure this, families need to approach him together as one unit. It is something that Jesus himself endorsed when he said “Mt 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” It would be immensely pleasing to him to see the family unit that he ordained gather together to worship him.

Given the busy schedules most people have these days it is not always possible for all members of a family to be together at the same time except, perhaps, for meals, so it is a good idea to spend some time in prayer before you commence the meal. When even this is not possible, family members can pray together whenever they happen to be with each other, even if every member is not present.

We can spend a lot of time in prayer in a variety of ways, including saying the Rosary (meaning garland of roses), which makes for a lovely family prayer. Its recitation captures something of the spiritual atmosphere of the household at Nazareth, “because its members place Jesus at the center, they share his joys and sorrows, they place their needs and their plans in his hands, they draw from him the hope and the strength to go on” (Rosarium Virginis Mariae 41).

However, to get you started (if the family doesn’t already get together in prayer) we suggest you keep it simple. Having each person thank God for the blessings he has showered upon them during the day and then thanking him for each family member in turn is a good way to help everyone understand the value of each other, even as it affirms all those we live with.

Once everybody is accustomed to this time of prayer, other elements like singing, reflection and Bible sharing can be gradually introduced.

A Few Tips • Avoid long, monotonous prayers if they are said by rote. The Rosary is a lovely prayer but it is often rendered meaningless if it is raced through. As somebody holy once said, a single “Hail Mary” said slowly with meaning is more effective than a hundred said without meaning.

• Keeping it short and simple in the beginning might encourage members of the family who do not pray to join in.

• Find occasions to pray with members of the family through the day, even when all members are not together like the start of a journey, or the beginning of an activity or at the start and end of meals.

3. Group Prayer

The Church was born in group prayer. As the apostles prayed together with Mary and their friends in the upper room of the house in which they lived “Acts 2:2 suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.“ In response to Peter’s ensuing sermon, 3000 people became believers. “ Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.

46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the

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Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

As the Church grew, A Few Tips people continued to • Visit at least a couple of groups before you decide gather together for a on which one you want to period of informal and join. Ensure the teachings spontaneous prayer, are in line with the and from all accounts gatherings Magisterium. Once you these are happy with a group, proved to be powerful commit yourself to it. instruments of growth, • Don’t let minor not only for the misunderstandings or individual, but also conflicts disturb you; for the great body of the people of God in the work of God. Through learning to deal with such the liturgy Christ, our Redeemer and High Priest, things in a loving way is Christ, known as the continues the work of our redemption in, with, Church.

Although essential for growth. meetings and through the Church (CCC 1069).

• Don’t be content just such eventually gave way The Eucharist, Vatican II tells us, is “CCC 1324 receiving; give too. God has blessed all of us with to larger, more formal the source and summit of the Christian life.” Since gifts to build up the body gatherings, prayer the Christian life is essentially a spiritual life, we of Christ. Help your group meetings once again might say as well that the Eucharist is the “source to grow. became popular in the and summit of Christian spirituality” too.

1960’s and have, since, There is something else that is wonderful about participating in the liturgy. It gives us regained much of their popularity.

We are all part of the body of Christ, each the opportunity to worship together in Spirit one linked to the other and interdependent, and with Catholics the world over, and this is an prayer meetings provide a way of learning to live opportunity we have no matter which part of the with, work with, and love one another in order world we go to. We share in the same unity of to strengthen this body. Consequently, it a vital worship which strengthens the body of Christ. element of growth, and praying in a good prayer group at least once Did You Know?? a week can help us tremendously • The Mass, as we most often call it, is really short for, “the Most on our spiritual journey. A “good” Holy Sacrifice of the Mass”. Think about this for a moment because prayer group is one in which the words contain quite nearly everything that we need to know to understand why we go to Church (or why we ought to!). the emphasis is not merely on lively “praise and worship,” but in • Many people refer to the Mass as “the Eucharist,” but such a use is incorrect. The (Liturgy of the) Eucharist is one of two parts of the fellowship and growth, and in good, Mass, the other being the Liturgy of the Word. wholesome and solid teaching. As • The term Eucharist, which means “thanksgiving”, is used in three of now praying in the School covers ways: first, to refer to the Real Presence of Christ; second, to refer to this need, but after it is over, you Christ’s continuing action as High Priest (think: The Last Supper); and should think of becoming part of third, to refer to the Sacrament of Holy Communion itself. one.

• The Mass has gone by many names over the centuries: the Breaking of the Bread, the Eucharist, the Divine Liturgy, the Unbloody Sacrifice, 4. Community Prayer the Mystical Supper of the Lamb, and many more.

When we gather to celebrate • The priest who celebrates the Mass stands “in persona Christi”, which is Latin for “in the person of Christ”. This does not mean he represents Sunday liturgy, we are part of a Christ, or performs actions that are Christ-like, but in a certain tradition that is nearly 2000 years metaphysical sense, is Jesus. The Mass will take on added meaning if old. Liturgy is the participation of we can understand this fully.

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Many Catholics who have gone to Mass all their lives still do not understand it. Part of the problem is that by the time people are old enough to appreciate and understand the sacred words and actions, it has become mere repetition and routine. Hence, we have all heard, and probably used the infamous phrase “Mass is boring!” and people stop going because “they do not get anything out of it.” People complain about seeing the same priest at the same altar reciting the same old prayers. It is a lack of understanding that induces boredom. So what do we do? How are we to find meaning in the Mass? By gaining this understanding!

Spend a little time this week reading the article “Reflections on the Celebration of the Mass”

by Fr. Barry O’Sullivan on Holy Spirit Interactive to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Mass and watching a wonderful teaching

by Bishop Fulton Sheen on The Meaning of the Mass that can be found on YouTube.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

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“Everyone of us needs half an hour of prayer each day,” remarked St. Francis de Sales, “except when we are busy— then we need an hour.” How much time do we currently spend in personal prayer? How is it possible to spend at least an hour a day in prayer using the steps described?

Examine each step detailed in the section on personal prayer: Praise, Spiritual Warfare, Thanksgiving, Repentance, Forgiveness, Surrender, Infilling, Worship, Intercession, The Word of God, Silence. Why is each element important?

Do those of us who have families pray with them? If no, what are the reasons for not praying with them? If yes, how do we pray and how long do we pray for? What are the ways in which we can improve our family prayer lives?

Do I belong to a prayer group, Bible study group, etc.? What is it that I like/dislike in prayer groups? Why do I think it is important or not important to belong to one?

If anybody goes to a baseball game and doesn’t know the rules of the game, there is a good chance that they would be bored by it. How does this relate to how we view the Mass?

More About the HSI School of Discipleship

The HSI School of Discipleship is a structured program intended to help people on the journey of discipleship that all Christians are called to travel. It begins with an introductory retreat held over three evenings called the Discipleship Program. At the end of the Discipleship Program, those interested in deepening their faith and spreading the Gospel message to those who don’t know it are invited to join the School of Discipleship, a year long program.

There are eight modules in the first year, each module comprising five subjects that help students grow spiritually. Those who wish to further their education are invited to continue in the School for a second year.

This has eight more modules that help students better understand the faith.

This session on PRAYER is the second session in Module 1: Spiritual Growth. If you would like a PDF of the previous module (which appeared in the last issue of PATHFINDER), or for more information on the School of Discipleship, email discipleship@holyspiritinteractive.org.

Module 1: Spiritual Growth The Making of a Disciple Prayer Study Sharing Outreach

Module 5: The Word of God Reading the Word of God Studying the Word of God Understanding the Word of God Memorizing the Word of God Meditating on the Word of God

Module 2: From Death to Life From Death to Life Sin and Temptation New Life The Renewal of the Mind The Christian Identity

Module 6: A Deeper Spirituality Contemplation Journaling Ignatian and other Forms of Spirituality Lectio Divina Prayer and Fasting

Module 3: The Holy Spirit Meet the Holy Spirit The Personality and Deity The Promise and the Baptism The Gift and the Indwelling The Leading of the Holy Spirit

Module 7: Understanding the Faith Scripture, Tradition & Magisterium The Sacraments The Eucharist Learning from the Saints Introduction to Apologetics

Module 4: The Fruit and Gift The Gifts of Sanctification The Fruit of the Spirit The Gifts of Service The Gifts of Manifestation Discovering and Using Your Gifts

Module 8: The Armor of God Stand Your Ground The Battlefield of the Mind Putting on the Armor Command and Conquer The Battle Belongs to the Lord

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How can the Mass become an event in our lives that is both relevant and exciting, making it something that we look forward to?

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LIGHTER SIDE

A

n evangelist walking through the woods was suddenly confronted by a huge grizzly, but of strong faith he immediately dropped to his knees and made the same prayer he had made a hundred times before, albeit in different circumstances: “Lord, make this bear a Christian.”

Time seemed to freeze for a long moment and it seemed to the evangelist that his prayer may have been answered, when the bear raised a mighty paw and struck the man on the side of his head. As consciousness slipped away, the evangelist heard the bear saying, “Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts ...”

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wo gentlemen boarded a coast-to-coast flight and were seated next to each other on the commercial plane. After breezing through the on-flight magazine, the first man turned to the other and asked, “What do you do?”

The other man replied: “I am a pastor.”

“Oh, that stuff is for kids, you know. Haven’t you heard them singing: ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so....”

The minister politely laughed and asked the other man what he did for a living.

“I am an astronomer,” was the reply.

“Oh, that stuff,” said the minister. “It’s for kids you know. Haven’t you heard them singing: ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star....’”

A

n old priest was getting sick and tired of all the people in his parish who kept confessing adultery. One Sunday in the pulpit he said, “If I hear one more person confess to adultery, I’ll quit!” The parishioners came up with an idea. Anyone who had committed adultery would say they had “fallen”. This seemed to satisfy the old priest and things went well, until the priest died at a ripe old age.

About a week later, the new priest who replaced him visited the Mayor of the town very concerned. “You have to do something about the sidewalks in town. People keep complaining about falling.”

The Mayor laughed, realizing that no one had told the new priest about the code word. The priest said, “I don’t know what you’re laughing about. Your wife fell three times this week.”

Signs for our times

© Rene “Dikko” Dikkenberg

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LOVE & LIFE

LOVE & LIFE

Finding My Way LEELA D’SOUZA Every one of us goes through various stages of being loved by God. But it is a delightful process when God is in charge of it. He is such a loving God, he holds us in his bosom, in his mercy and grace through all the emotionally and spiritually painful times that we must necessarily go through. Even Mary, our Blessed Mother and Intercessor does the same for us… holding us in her loving embrace, nourishing us with her motherly love. That is why we don’t need to be afraid when we encounter pain on this journey as we will only come out more whole, more loved and more joyful.

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W

hy is it that growth happens in this way? Why do we need to go through pain to find true love, to find true joy?

The reasons are numerous, and each true seeker will discover in himself or herself what their specific spiritual, emotional or mental blocks are.…. and learn to overcome these with God’s loving grace and healing.

In his article The Mystery of Holiness (see Article 765 on HSI), Fr. Fio says the same thing so beautifully, giving us the hope and wisdom of the saints who set an example for others by choosing this path. They were canonized as saints because they were willing to go through the process, not because they were more blessed or more superior human beings than you and I. “For a Christian, life remains a mystery. But it is never a mystery of chance or of superstition, it is a sacred mystery, a mystery of faith. “The mystery of our lives is in the hands of God,” said recently beatified Pope John XXIII, and every saint, every great man or woman of God down the centuries, has been characterized by such invincible faith. Such faith is the stuff of holiness, and we need it all the more in today’s unspiritual world. Such faith is an absolute pre-requisite for disciples interested in discerning God’s will for their lives.”

Sanctity cannot be programmed. Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, was led to sanctity by God along ways known only to him. The apostles, the martyrs, the holy men and women in the Church, all the saints were led to sanctity by God along ways known only to him. What they did was to entrust their lives to Jesus, their Lord, choosing to believe that the mystery of their lives was surely in the hands of a loving God. Thereafter, they remained secure in the knowledge that the sovereign God who gave them life was also the ruler over every detail of their life’s journey, and that he would finally bring them to true fulfillment and unending happiness. Thus, even when they met with reverses in life, they knew: “God means it for good! He is able to turn it to our benefit!” (See Rom.8:28).

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My Obstacle Course “Lord, I need you, but I can’t find you. I am filled with pride, with ego. I am constantly looking for love, yes nothing satisfies. I seek success, I seek money, I seek comfort, I seek status…. I seek fame and all that the world can give and more. I want to be better than others, I want to look better than others, I want to be richer than others… then I try to do my bit of church work… and in all this, I try to find You, to answer my prayer and give me what I want in life.

But you don’t answer me, you don’t care about me, still they say you are a kind and loving God, a giver of abundant gifts… either they lie, or I have lost my way. Yes I have lost my way in the world.

You said, you are the Way, the Truth and the Life. I have not understood. My life is full of struggle and disappointments.

You said, seek first Your Kingdom and all this will be added on to you. I don’t understand how that works. I just continue to be miserable and empty…

What is preventing me form knowing you Lord, what is causing the blindness in my heart and spirit? What is preventing me from seeing you and experiencing you as you really are?”

If we wait for the Lord to answer our sincere and honest prayer, he will show us in numerous ways! We keep our heart and eyes open expectantly.

Alienated from God’ presence I may need to change a selfish way of life. I am too self seeking, looking for my own comforts first, not aware of the needs of others, not sensitive to their needs and pain. I cannot see their suffering or be willing to lend a helping hand.

I may need to stop sinful personal behavior that is undermining my heart and soul like addiction to alcohol, smoking, pornography, drugs, abuse of others.

I need to develop self control and an aversion to sinful addictions that are

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destroying my body, my heart, my soul, my family life, and my relationships.

I may need to mature in my attitudes and overcome the need control my perspectives of others by judging them, often negatively, and putting them into a judgmental pigeon hole.

Why? Because, God has given grace and wisdom so that each and every person can grow, change and love. No one remains the same person forever. Each one is given a chance to grow… that has a better chance of happening when we accept them and love them.

I may need to forgive those who have hurt me, scarred my life with their abuse, selfishness, immaturity, sin, vindictiveness, jealousy.

This is tough, I know. It’s easier to forgive people we love, who are kind to us. But, can we forgive those who constantly seek to harm us?

Mark Shea, in his article Forgiveness: What’s Left When the Excuses Run Out (see Article 1482 on HSI) gives us an excellent perspective of how and why we need to do this.

“Forgiveness is not for people who are wellmeaning, it is for people who are, well, mean.

People who have run out of excuses. People who are vicious, selfish and nasty. People who will probably never apologize or pay us back for the incalculable pain they caused us. Forgiveness, in short, is for sin, not for mistakes, oversights, clumsiness, mental illness or a host of other excusable things.”

Some people think that forgiveness is only to be offered to the penitent: if the sinner doesn’t say “I’m sorry” we don’t have to offer forgiveness.

But this is not so. “It is precisely in this that God proves his love for us: that while were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rm 5:8) Grace, the grace of forgiveness flowing through us by the Holy Spirit, does not depend on the penitence of the one to whom we offer it. To be sure, that one who has hurt us may not accept it, may even deny he has ever sinned against us, may go on sinning. But still we are free (and commanded) to offer forgiveness, just as Christ offers it to us.

But we must, as our Lord does, offer forgiveness, not mere excuses for ineptitude. In doing so, we will begin to be free of the terrible lies of our time that deny the reality of sin or demand that

we hate sinners. Instead we will be able to name the sin for what it is, and pray the sinner into the hands of Mercy: pierced hands that have felt sin to its depths and that have power to touch the hardest heart.

The heart for God After this self-exploration of the obstacles that prevent us from experiencing God’s love, we now reach a place where we are aware of how much change and healing we need. God helps us and brings us in contact with people or groups that can help us where we are at. They pray for us or support us with healing or guidance, scripture study, etc, but it is each one of us that decides to move on ahead for God. This is how we discover the heart we need for God. For myself, I had to learn to be more sensitive to others, I had to learn to be obedient, I had to learn what humility was, I had to learn to let God take control of my life… surrendering each and every area one by one. The areas of great insecurity were the most difficult to surrender.

One area of insecurity required more than two years of tears, frustration, anger, forgiveness and daily prayer for renewal of my heart, mind, spirit at the Eucharist. The areas we are most insecure in are the most difficult to surrender to God. I learned that God wanted me to be more prayerful, gentler, and more humble, to renounce my free will and seek His will. I still struggle in all these areas at times, but I know my heart has changed and I’m in touch more easily with the heart of God, allowing myself to truly experience His love for me. My life changing process is well underway, though I have a long way to go.

As we move on in this series, we will explore more deeply what it means to change our heart for God. It is only when our hearts beat at a wavelength closer to God’s heart that we can begin to experience His love. Then we can begin to truly love Him as he awaits us with open arms… like He waited and watched for the Prodigal Son to return home…. And celebrated with a huge feast when he did!

God awaits you, God awaits your heart to love, to love you abundantly in this life and now.

Are you coming home?

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Vatican City through the eyes of a philatelist PETER A FERNANDES

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P

hilately is more than just a stamps hobby of collecting; it is a fascinating subject of study of each and every item related to mail and postal services. You need to have passion to pursue this hobby as it carries a lot of educational material and purposes; more specifically, to promote and encourage the study, understanding, preservation and appreciation of philately and postal history of the City of Vatican (Città Del Vaticano). My aim is to provide information on as many different aspects of Vatican philately through this collection. Dedicated to the philately of Vatican City and the Papal and Roman States.

Anything related to the stamps, covers, or postal history of the Holy See is “on-topic.”

In the heart of the Italian peninsula, nestled within the city of Rome, lies the world’s smallest nation…. THE VATICAN CITY. It is less than one fourth the size of Buheirah Corniche Waterfront in Sharjah, UAE. It became politically independent from Italy under the Lateran Pacts of 11th February, 1929. Two days later, the Vatican post office began operating with donated supplies and equipment. It issued its first stamps on 1st August, 1929.

Since then, the Vatican has acquired a reputation for producing handsome and attractive stamp issues in limited quantities (even today, the average production run for most issues is only between 300,000 to 500,000 stamps).

These postage stamps, however beautiful and few in numbers, are not merely “pretty pictures” designed to raise revenue. According to the Universal Postal Union, the Vatican Post Office is “one of the best postal systems in the world.”

Once a New York Times article stated that “more letters are sent each year, per inhabitant, from the Vatican’s 00120 postal code than from anywhere else in the world.”

In speaking about postage stamps one should not forget that behind these small, multi-colored pieces of paper stands the long and adventurous history of postal system.

The scholar Cujacio derives the word “post” from “apostolis”, that is from the custom dating from the beginnings of the

This se-tenant block of six was issued on 14th April 1986 to honor the UNESCO World Heritage Campaign, and features an unusual and attractive bird’s eye view of Vatican City’s 108.7 acres. At the time of its release, it was the Vatican’s fastest-selling issue.

Papacy and the Roman Curia of sending “apostolic letters”. The term appears for the first time in the “Capitulars” of Charlemagne and then in the third book of the laws of the Lambards. Since the earliest period of its history, the Church made use of messengers, called “cursores” in order to communicate with the entire world. In the middle Ages the principal abbeys and convents had a postal system made up of messengers on horseback, or else they dispatched their own friars on foot or on horseback. Mendicant friars used private messengers to carry their letters.

Correspondence through letters and written messages occurred even at that time in history when few people could write and when travel was limited. Only when commerce and the arts began to flourish and a wealthy powerful class of people developed in society did

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the need for communication over large distances grow to greater proportions. At this time the socalled university and mercantile postal systems were born.

Postal Service During the late Middle Ages a number of ambassadors asked the Pope’s permission to receive diplomatic correspondence through their own couriers. In this way a “national postal system” was established in Rome. Spain arrived at the first such arrangement under permission granted by Pope Alexander VI in 1499. Naples and Milan followed immediately. A postal service was established in Rome and Florence by Paul III in 1536. In Great Britain, Rowland Hill, a prominent educator, sought to overcome the problem of highly expensive postal tariffs. He proposed that pre-paid stamps be affixed to letters before being sent and that a uniform postal tariff, valid for all destinations, should be established based on the weight of the letter. In order to make prepayment of this fee possible, he proposed using “a piece of paper just large enough for a stamp, coated on the back with an adhesive substance, so that with the addition of a little moisture, it could be attached to the reverse side of the letter”. The “postage stamp,” which indicated that the postal fee had been paid, could also replace use of the wax seal. This still somewhat vague notion of the postage stamp was perfected over the course of a few months, and on 1st May 1840 a reform was set in place that provided for: (1) postal stationery consisting in pre-franked, ready-foruse envelopes and letter-sheets; (2) adhesive labels that could be attached easily to any letter, newspaper or small package to be delivered by post. The success of the English postal reform

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immediately transcended the boundaries of the United Kingdom. Both the uniform postal fee based on weight and the postage stamp were adopted by the Swiss cantons of Zurich and Geneva and by Brazil already in 1843, by Basel in 1845, and then ever more quickly by other countries. The mini-states which at that time comprised the Italian peninsula introduced postage stamps and uniform postal fees between 1850-1852.

On 1 January 1852 the Papal States introduced both measures. Postal service in the Papal States was given the highest priority and was conducted with the greatest efficiency. Postal operations were subject to the Cardinal Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, who issued legislation concerning the service and also determined the postal fees. Pope Pius IX, who ruled at a time in which the temporal power of the papacy was hotly debated, did not want his effigy to be affixed to postage stamps; rather, he wanted the symbol of papal power to be displayed: the image of the keys crossed over the papal tiara. For this reason the earliest series of postage stamps for the Papal States are perhaps a bit monotonous in design, even though some variety occurs in the design of the cornices. The first stamp was produced by the printing press of the Apostolic Camera and consisted of four sheets, each bearing 25 stamps.

A second series, with the stamps valued in cents, was issued following a monetary reform in 1867.

The third series, similar to the second, appeared in the following year. This time, however, each stamp had a serrated border and was printed on tracing paper that was colored on the facing side and white on the back.

Universal Postal Union With the advent of several national postal systems, international postal regulation was urgently required. In 1874 the General Postal Union was created with the adhesion of 21 signatory states (including almost all of Europe, Turkey and the United States), which formed “a single territory” for the purpose of postal regulation. The Union made possible the introduction of fixed regulations and uniform fees for all

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On 13 March 2013 Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the Bishop of Rome. As such, he is the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. He chose the papal name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Two months later on May 2, Vatican City has issued a set of four new postage stamps honoring the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Francis. The stamps are part of a joint issue with Italy.

In the months since then, other countries have also issued stamps commemorating the Holy Father, including Brazil, Ecuador, Mustique, Antigua, Canoun, Central Africa, Dominica (featured here), Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Mali, Mozambique, Niger and Peru.

member nations, without regard for the nature of the journey required or the means used to carry the post. Success was once again immediate. So many nations requested admission that already in 1878 the name of the Union was changed to the Universal Postal Union. The revolutionary advent of the postcard in 1870 did away with the secrecy of the letter in exchange for a reduced postage fee. The early nineteenth century saw the introduction of illustrated postcards, the success of which was guaranteed by the possibility of printing them with additional colors.

Article Two of the Lateran Treaty of 2nd June 1929 assures that Italy recognizes “the sovereignty of the Holy See in international matters as an inherent attribute in conformity with its traditions and the requirements of its mission to the world.” As a consequence, the rights of the new State were recognized in every regard, including the right to its own

postal service. Vatican City State was admitted to the U.P.U on 1st June 1929, while the Italian government provided personnel and material. On 29th July 1929 Vatican City State and the Italian States signed a bilateral agreement providing for the operation of postal services in accord with the Stockholm treaties of 28th August 1924, the Fundamental Law of the Vatican State and the law concerning the sources of law, which were promulgated by papal decree, respectively as n.1 and n.2, on 7th June 1929. The Vatican Postal Service was formally inaugurated by Ordinance VIII on 30th July 1929, and began operation on 1st August 1929.

Newly issued series of Vatican postage stamps are authorized by “Ordinances” which are published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, a type of official publication of the Holy See. Stamp collectors and philatelic specialists throughout the world are particularly interested in PATHFINDER | JAN-MAR

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ordinances and Acts concerning first dayof-issue stamps. Later the Vatican began releasing in the same way new series of postal stationery, including postcards and aerogramme.

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Why collect stamps?

I would like to share my story about how it all began. In about the middle of 1970’s, when I was 10 years old, I came across a scrap dealer (radi-walla) who was collecting old books, magazines, newspapers or for that matter anything to do with paper/cardboards etc. In that time period, the world for me was a far smaller place, as far as the quantities of stamps that had been issued worldwide up to then. The whole world, at least the major stamp issues, fit into a hard bound red book, with double sided pages, the book being about an inch thick.

Of course, being a 10 year old, I knew very little of the World, outside of my home in Colaba, Mumbai (then Bombay), so I mainly worked on the Indian portion of the book.

I was “hooked” immediately! Initially, I collected Indian stamps, by asking my neighbors and all those people to whom the postman regularly visited. At that time my primary interests were in filling the spaces in the album and in enjoying the colorful appearance of the stamps arranged on the album pages. I used to spend hours just sitting and staring at the pages in my album. My father assumed that this would be a casual interest for me, as it was for him. In later years, he once told me that he felt that by helping me in this stamp hobby, he had “created a monster” who was neglecting his studies and constantly checking and staring at the album... well, maybe he was right! Later on, I started to investigate what the different stamps were issued to commemorate, and it was at that point that the real pros of stamp collecting started to come to fruition for me.

In 1980’s, right before I started high school, my Dad & Mom gifted me a NEW Stamp Album (stock book) for Christmas. A beautiful thick book, with pages to complete and placing stamps, revenue and postal stationery issues! A little advanced for a 13 year old collector, but I didn’t care!

Having made many close friends at school, I immersed myself in my stamp collecting. At that time, I had a pen-pal in the United States, that I traded stamps with, so I started collecting US stamps, and later on, I began collecting the Gulf States.... namely UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi, Kuwait.

Then eventually, I got a two volume set of the Harris Standard Album and began to collect worldwide. Then I discovered stamp stores in and around my school Fort / Kala-ghoda area and started hanging-out at them as much as possible.

During my college years, I discovered what many older teens discover, as they approach adulthood.... girls, partying & playing football, thus the urge to actively collect stamps started to wane. In the early 1980’s, oddly enough, a girl I was dating worked for a local stamp dealer in Ballard Pier and introduced me to them. Oh my gosh! The addiction started once again!

Being a college student, I got a part time job working for the same dealer, doing cataloging, stocking, and occasionally waiting on customers. The dealer paid me 50% in stamps and 50% in cash, so I was collecting again! I not only

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maintained my Indian collection, but I also began collecting United States, Germany, France, China, and the Gulf countries.

Later on, I became interested in thematic stamp subjects on personalities such as Pope John Paul II, Mahatma Gandhi and Flora & Fauna. I joined a local stamp club, and as they had an annual Philatelic Exhibition - Stamp Show, I started to participate and meet many senior collectors in this hobby.

I collected throughout the 1980’s and joined the Indian Philatelic Society, though my interest at that time wasn’t maniacal. On 15th August 1988, I got a job opening in Sharjah – UAE and moved to this small emirate. In the early 1990’s, I ran into someone by the name of Mr. Ole-Fredrik Olsen, who worked for Jotun Paints Company in (Al Quoz) Dubai.

He re-kindled my interest in stamps hobby. He was, what we would call, a fly-specker. He specialized in all kinds of stamps, postcards, envelopes, aerogramme, labels/Cinderella’s. As a Norwegian, he specialized on the thematic collection on Mahatma Gandhi. His country wise collection was also very immense. This kick started my hobby in a big way. I wanted to do a collection on Christianity & the Vatican City. At his urging, I started doing that with my country wise Vatican, UAE & India collection. I joined the Emirates Philatelic Society and began concentrating on completing my UAE MNH (Mint Non-Hinged) collection.

Then, in 1995, I switched jobs and moved to Al Ain (the eastern province of Abu Dhabi and the garden city of the

Middle East). During the infancy of the Internet, I happened upon an online auction site one night which had a section for stamps and coins. The site was eBay! I registered with them immediately and have been a buyer and seller on their site since. All of a sudden, I could get stamps from other collectors, all over the World, as well as sell them to the same vast audience. This gave a jump start to my Vatican collection.

Thanks to eBay, that today my complete MNH Vatican City collection is up to date from 1929. There are other excellent online auction sites on the Internet as well, but I continue to spend most of my collecting and dealing time on eBay. This brings me back to that same old million-dollar question? Why collect stamps? In the time I have collected and studied stamps, I have developed an immense knowledge of history, geography, cultures, religions, and languages that would have otherwise been impossible. Today, I attribute almost all of this to my life-long experience with stamp collecting. Have I made a fortune with all of this? NO! Over the last 35-40 years, if I tallied all the stamps I bought versus all the stamps I’ve sold, I’m sure the net loss would be tremendous! The real rewards from stamp collecting are not monetary. The pros of collecting stamps are immeasurable.

The true reward from collecting stamps is in the personal enjoyment and in the educational potential that it brings.

That is the compelling reason for me, as to why i collect stamps.

Avid philatelist Peter A Fernandes with an album in his collection

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STRAIGHT ANSWERS

THE MIRACLE OF LANCIANO FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS

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STRAIGHT ANSWERS

Recently, one of our parish priests mentioned the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano in his sermon and also mentioned some scientific studies that had been performed. Could you please provide a little more information concerning this miracle.

T

he miracle of Lanciano is the first, and many believe the greatest, Eucharistic Miracle of the Catholic Church. Keep in mind that strictly speaking a miracle is an extraordinary event produced directly by God or by His will and command through an agent, such as a saint.

The miracle occurs in a religious context and is a clear sign of supernatural, divine intervention.

Most importantly, the miracle arouses within the spectator or recipient a greater conviction of faith in God. With this in mind, we now turn to the miracle in question which occurred in the 700s in the town of Lanciano, then known as Anxanum, an ancient Roman city, located southeast of Rome. There the monks of St. Basil had established a monastery under the patronage of St. Longinus, traditionally believed to be the centurion at the crucifixion who proclaimed, “Truly, this was the Son of God” (Mt 27:54) and pierced the side of our Lord with his lance (Jn 19:34).

One day, a certain monk was offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Although we do not know his identity, an ancient document described him as “... versed in the sciences of the world but ignorant in that of God.” Apparently, he had been plagued by doubts about transubstantiation: he agonized over whether the bread and wine changed substantially into the Body and Blood of our Lord at the words of consecration, and whether our Lord was truly present in the Holy Eucharist.

This time, when the monk pronounced the words of consecration, the host was miraculously changed into flesh and the wine into blood. The monk was awestruck. Weeping joyously, he regained his composure. He called the congregation around the altar and said, “O fortunate witnesses, to whom the Blessed God, to confound my unbelief, has wished to reveal Himself visible to our eyes! Come, brethren, and marvel at our God, so close to us. Behold the Flesh and Blood of our Most Beloved Christ.” Those who witnessed the miracle soon spread the news throughout the surrounding area.

Shortly after the occurrence, the Blood coagulated into five globules of different sizes, but the Flesh remained the same. The archbishop ordered an investigation. The testimony of witnesses was recorded. The Flesh and Blood appeared to be human flesh and blood. The archbishop sent a scale for the weighing of the globules: each individual globule weighed the same as the other individual ones (although different in size) or as all five together or as any other combination. Eventually, the Flesh and the globules of Blood were placed in a special ivory reliquary, but not hermetically sealed.

Church authorities certified the miracle although the original document was lost some time in the 16th century.

Over the centuries, different religious orders have had custody of the Church and the relics: originally the Basilians until 1176, followed by the Benedictines until 1252, and since then by the Franciscans. In 1258, the Franciscans built a new Church under the patronage of St. Francis of Assisi to replace the decaying Church of St. Longinus. The relics to this day remain at this basilica under the care of the Franciscans.

Since the first basic investigation, the Church has permitted other studies on the relics. In 1574, Msgr.

Rodrigues once again weighed the five globules in the presence of witnesses and arrived at the same conclusion. Remember though that eight centuries had passed and no visible sign of deterioration had taken place.

In 1713, the original ivory reliquary was replaced by one of silver and crystal. The Flesh is displayed in a monstrance just like the Sacred Host, and the globules of Blood are in a crystal chalice, which some believe is the actual chalice used by the monk for Mass.

The most thorough study occurred in 197071. Pope Paul VI permitted a series of scientific studies on the precious relics to verify their nature. Dr. Odoardo Linoli, professor of anatomy and pathological histology, chemistry and clinical microscopy, and head physician of the hospital of PATHFINDER | JAN-MAR

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Arezzo, conducted the study. He was assisted by Dr. Ruggero Bertelli, professor emeritus of human anatomy at the University of Siena. The analyses were performed in accord with scientific standards and documented, and Dr. Bertelli independently corroborated Dr. Linoli’s findings. In 1981, using more advanced medical technology, Dr. Linoli conducted a second histological study; he not only confirmed the findings but also gathered new information.

The major findings from this research include the following: The Flesh, yellow-brown in color, has the structure of the myocardium (heart wall) and the endocardium, the membrane of fibrous-elastic tissue lining all the cardiac cavities. These have the same appearance as in the human heart. No traces of preservatives were found in the elements.

The blood was also of human origin with the type AB. Proteins in the clotted Blood were normally fractioned with the same percentage ratio as those found in the sero-proteic make-up of normal, fresh human blood. The blood contained these minerals: chlorides, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and calcium.

Professor Linoli asserted that the blood, if taken from a cadaver, would have deteriorated rapidly.

Given that these samples were centuries old, free of preservatives, and never hermetically sealed in the reliquaries, they should have deteriorated.

However, he underscored that the samples had the same properties as fresh human blood and flesh. Moreover, the doctors both concluded that only the skill of a trained pathologist could have obtained such a sample, a tangential cut of the heart — a round cut, thick on the outer edges and lessening gradually and uniformly to the central area.

The beauty of the miracle of Lanciano reflects the words our Lord spoke, “I am the Bread of Life.

He who feeds on my Flesh and drinks my Blood has life eternal and I will raise him up on the last day.

For my Flesh is real food and my Blood real drink.

The man who feeds on my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in Me, and I in him” (Jn 6:35, 5456). We must, therefore, never forget that when we participate at Mass, we witness a miracle, and through the reception of Holy Communion we share in the divine life of our Savior.

St. Anthony of Padua and the Heretic named Bonilo

During the 13th century St. Anthony of Padua was reported to have

converted a hardened heretic through a rather unique contest. The heretic, by the name of Bonilo, was unmoved by the reasoning of the “hammer of heretics,” as St. Anthony was called. Bonilo was as stubborn as the mule that stood beside him.

Eying the mule, Anthony made an offer to Bonilo. He asked him whether he would give up his heresy if the mule were to bow down and adore its

Creator present in the Blessed Sacrament. The heretic answered he would, provided he could lay down certain conditions: for two days the mule was

not to be fed, and on the third day it was to be led into the public square.

On one side of the square would be placed a tempting pile of fresh feed, on

the opposite side Anthony could stand with what Bonilo contemptuously called the “body of Christ.” Anthony agreed, but in all humility made one

condition. If the animal did not kneel before the Blessed Sacrament, his sins alone were to be blamed.

The day arrived for this strange contest and the square was crowded with people. When the derisive Bonilo arrived with his half-starved mule,

he was fully confident that his mule had sense and appetite enough to go after the feed. But he was wrong. Anthony had implored his Lord in the

intervening two days for the soul of this heretic. God did not let his faithful servant down. When turned loose, the mule without the least hesitation

advanced towards Anthony and knelt in an attitude of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. With much emotion and contrition the heretic too fell

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on his knees and gave up his heresy.

SITUATION ROOM

SITUATION ROOM

TEMPTED

BY THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT You are trying your best to walk in the imitation of Christ and appear to be succeeding admirably well when you suddenly bump into a gorgeous creature who really stirs up your senses. She seems to understand you so well, it feels as though God has tailor-made her for you. You suspect it wouldn’t take much to fall in love with her, which would not necessarily be a bad thing, except for one minor detail: you have a wife at home. This is what you do: o You tell yourself that God has sent you someone to be an understanding companion in your journey towards Him and ask your wife for a divorce. o You fight off all unholy desire, determined to love her in a manner that will be pleasing to Christ. o You try to stay away from her beyond what is absolutely necessary, but indulge yourself in elaborate fantasies from time to time. o You find yourself unable to resist the attraction and indulge in a torrid affair, consoling yourself that God will understand your weakness.

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As with all the other situations we are examining in this series, we all know which the right option is, but with rare exception, do not exercise it. It is the same with temptation, with many of us seeming unable (or unwilling) to resist it when it comes our way. In this particular situation, there is the added difficulty of “active” temptation; unlike a whisky bottle sitting on a shelf, a woman might not remain passively in one place and wait to be opened. But regardless, temptation can be overcome and it would help to keep the following pointers in mind.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man (1 Cor. 10:13). You are not being subject to any incredible test, no matter what you might think; others go through the same temptations and if they can succeed in overcoming them, so can you. Take encouragement from this knowledge.

God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted more than you can bear (1 Cor. 10:13). If you find yourself tempted to a great extent, understand that God has the faith that you will be able to overcome it, which should give you the necessary strength and courage you need to combat it.

When you are tempted, God will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (1 Cor. 10:13). In case you find yourself succumbing to temptation, look for the way out that God has provided. There always is one and you can usually best spot it on your knees!

Remember that all sin begins with a thought.

The serpent didn’t toss the forbidden fruit to Eve and tell her to eat it, he made her think of eating it first. Control your thoughts, thinking

How you answered

Concept: Love Without Desire Many people will tell you that it isn’t possible to love someone of the opposite sex without desire, especially someone you are attracted to, but don’t believe them. Love is something given to us by God and a man and woman can love each other, even to a great extent, without needing to add anything sexual into the mix.

Needless to say, this isn’t easy, but with a determined effort to do the right thing and the grace of God, it is certainly possible. Once you are able to love without desire, you will be able to love anybody and everybody as Jesus himself would.

of good things. “Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

(Philippians 4:8) Move your focus on Jesus. This is what works the best for me in just about every instance when I am faced with bad thoughts or evil desire. I just think of Jesus and engage him in a conversation or go out for a little stroll with him. It is very hard to be hateful or horny when Jesus is on your mind.

Try it!

There is the very real danger that you might turn tempter yourself in a situation like this, and it helps to remember then the words of Jesus: “But whoever shall cause one of these little ones who believe in me, to sin, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matthew 18:6) The little ones aren’t tiny tots, they are the children of God.

Option (d) is the one most often exercised, with people justifying their sins by claiming “weakness” and then saying that God will condone their sins because he “understands their weaknesses”. There is immense danger in this theory; we jeopardize salvation.

Option (d) usually leads to option (a), especially in “throw-away” cultures. It’s cheaper to buy a new DVD player than get an old one fixed, and though it might not be as cheap with a wife, not with alimony payments, you get a new model. Jesus condemns divorce. “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:9) Option (c) is an option that is also frequently exercised, but Jesus is pretty straight on this too. “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28) Option (b) is the one to go for though it might not be easy. Many of us associate love — especially when there is attraction — with romantic/sexual activity and it is hard for us to realize that it need not be necessarily so. It is why most people who love somebody want to have sex with them, or at least some sort of physical contact, even if it is just holding hands.

There has to be a complete paradigm shift here before you can obey Jesus and love one another like he has loved us. Until that happens, it might be best to follow a drastic remedy, especially if you find yourself tortured by incessant temptation, and cut off all ties with the other person, at least for a time.

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THE LAST WORD

RESOLUTIONS SWAPNA ABRAHAM

Resolution: meaning to resolve or find a solution to a problem or contentious matter / cause a symptom or condition to heal or subside / cause discord to pass to concord/ to decide firmly on a course of action / make a decision by a formal vote / separate into constituent parts / analyze a force into components acting in particular directions / recognize the true form of something that was vague being at a distance. Now whoever thought there was so much more to reaching a resolution!

While every day ought to be approached as a new day, for that it is – the despair and gloom of night and oblivion causing those that have woken up to the new day to meet the day, a new year needs to be approached as 365 such new days.

There are two ways of making resolutions. One, by random and impulsive choice; two by breaking down the bigger picture into smaller parts and ultimately to its fine details. They say that God is in the details. In reality, it is not what we make believe (to ourselves, to others and to God), but rather, the actuals and their perfection that matter. In the details we will find people, routines, tasks, passions, goals, dreams, pathways, resources, virtues and characteristics; and while we take stock of all of these, we also have the opportunity to refresh and reconstruct, and in some instances commence or eliminate some of it or all of it; and before we know it, we will already have embarked on a life which echoes with what Jesus wants for us all – “Behold, I make all things new” – Revelation 21:5.

It is important however that we make resolutions based on God’s direction rather than our whims. If I was given a choice to recall three Scripture verses

Want to have the last word?

We all have something on our minds or in our hearts that we would love to share with others, but often don’t get the opportunity to do so. Well, you have it here. Put down your thoughts in an email and send it across to us at editor@holyspiritinteractive.org.

You may just have the last word!

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on which I should base the resolution of detail in my life, I will go by these words of Christ: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Truly nothing is more important than the Great Commission to which every disciple of Christ has been called. The detail and entirety of my person and life should move on the lines of this universal and yet personal calling.

“A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). There are so many things that we allow and entertain in our lives even quoting God on them, but inadvertently carry our own selfish desires, each to their own. We may perhaps find our faith a package of radical practices, but in essence lacking power, spirit, truth and love.

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We would like to believe that the ensuing year would unfold the fulfillment of our dreams. God knows. But do we know what God knows? Sometimes it may just be another year of waiting and formation. And while accepting God’s sovereignty over our lives in absolute trust, it may help in just being faithful in the small things entrusted to us. Should we fall or move from this will, let us not forget that He is God enough to help us in our frailty and weakness, even when we break our resolutions. The first day of the year is only the beginning of the pilgrim’s progress, not the end of it. When He said He makes all things new, He intended that it was from an old and imperfect state of things. We also need to leave room for God to do what only God can do, notwithstanding our resolutions and the things we do.

May the Spirit guide us to start well and press on to the end.

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