Today's Catholic Vol.30 No.1 April 2018

CATHOLIC today’s

A monthly publication of the Archdiocese of Kuching, Sarawak

Permit No PPK 148/01/2013(031378)

Alleluia!

Vol 30 No 1 April 2018

He is risen!

The risen Christ is depicted in this 16th-century painting titled “The Resurrection of Christ, from the right wing of the Isenheim Altarpiece” by Mattias Grunewald. (CNS/Bridgeman Images)

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NEWS

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TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

CATHOLIC today’s THE TEAM

Think on these things (Phil 4:8)...

PUBLISHER The Archbishop of Kuching ADVISOR Fr Felix Au EDITOR Stella Chin ASSOCIATE EDITOR (Chinese) Magdalene Yeo EDITORIAL TEAM Freddy Bohari (BM) Martha Ngui (English) Victoria J Lim

(English Children’s Section) James Lo (Chinese) Margaret Bong

(Chinese Children’s Section) STAFF Audrey Yu

O

ur true worth does not consist in what human beings think of us. What we really are consists in what God knows us to be.

— St John Berchmans

Malaysian High Commissioner to Nigeria finds peace in prayer

MEETING THE SENIOR ... Members of Young Christian Students who sang during the Mass posing for a photo with Archbishop Simon Poh and Gloria Tiwet

NOSTALGIA ... Gloria Tiwet serving as the lector during the thanksgiving Mass presided over by Archbishop Simon Poh

KUCHING — Sarawakians, particularly the Bidayuhs, take pride in the appointment of Mdm Gloria Corina Peter Tiwet as the Malaysian High Commissioner to Nigeria. She is the first Bidayuh woman to be appointed as a Malaysian envoy.

Catholics in the Archdiocese of Kuching are no less delighted. Gloria is a parishioner of St Joseph’s

Cathedral and attends the Sunday Masses together with her family.

Born in 1972, Gloria is the fourth of six children of Peter Tiwet, 74 and Lucy Rippiang, 72. Both her parents are from Singai, Bau. She and her siblings grew up and received their education in Kuching.

Gloria received her primary and secondary education in SRB and SMB St Teresa respectively.

After Form 6 in St Joseph’s

school, she furthered her studies in Political Science in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang.

During her secondary school years, Gloria was actively involved in the Young Christian Students (YCS). “YCS is a family to me because YCS St Teresa and YCS St Joseph used to have programmes together,” she told Today’s Catholic during an interview on 24 March. The tears that welled up in her eyes proved how much she must have

KUCHING — ‘A Day with Jesus’ was organised by the Sunset Mass Children Liturgy of the Word (SMCLW) of St Joseph’s Cathedral, on Saturday 17 March as part of the year’s activity for Lent.

Twenty five children and some parents participated in this event which was held at St Paul’s Room at the St Joseph’s Parish Centre from 1.30 pm 5.00 pm.

SMCLW coordinator

Rachel Ng welcomed all participants and especially Father Albert Jacobse, MHM. Youths from the Empowered Ministry gave a very interesting 40 minute singing and worship session and all the children took part actively.

Fr Albert gave a story session. Then the children were asked to do some drawings. This was followed by a short singing of hymns lead by Auntie Sheila.

After light refreshment, each

child was given a booklet of a short bible story to take home at the end of the event.

The children prayed the Stations of the Cross at 4.00 pm, joined the Rosary Session in the Cathedral at 5.30 pm and thereafter attended the Sunset Mass together with the congregation.

Sunset Mass Children Liturgy of the Word would like to thank everyone for the success of this event. - SMCLW

enjoyed her time with the YCS. “When I was in Form 4, I helped out as a reader at the Morning Prayer. As I did the reading this morning at Mass, it was nostalgic,” said Gloria.

Archbishop Simon Poh presided over at a thanksgiving Mass for Gloria and her family and friends in the morning of 24 March.

“Our activities (in YCS) mainly focused on supporting each other and serving the

Children spent a day with Jesus

community,” shared Gloria.

Other activities included fund raising from families, friends and the public during Lent, serving in the choir, voluntary work and visits to Cheshire Home and the like, and joining the youth programme in Bau. When she first met Archbishop Simon Poh and Fr John Chong, then seminarians, both of them were working with the youth.

• Continued on p4

Fr Albert Jacobse helping a child with her drawing

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

NEWS

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St Ann parish to celebrate Golden Jubilee Baruk which is situated at the top of a small hill since the late 60’s, it is time to move on and begin a new history in the life of the parishioners of St Ann. The last Mass was celebrated on 18 March.

The shift to the new St Ann Church premises began on 19 March. This shift coincided with the feast of St Joseph. The Day Chapel behind the Main

Jubilee Committee will be organising the usual Zone Community Day (ZCD) from April till June. This event will be spread over several locations (see the Table on the right). The aim of this event is to help the parishioners foster community spirit and build up unity within the parish. All parishioners, both within and outside St Ann, are welcome to join the Zone Community day activities.

Since September 2014, this is certainly a historical moment for parishioners of St Ann after

Fr Gerard Victor, OFM

The details of the respective Zone Community Day are as follows:

A drawing of St Ann’s new church KOTA PADAWAN — The parish of St Ann will celebrate her 50th Golden Jubilee celebration and dedication of the new St Ann Church on 26 July. Archbishop Simon Poh together with the priests, religious, visitors and parishioners of St Ann will celebrate the event with an opening ceremony at 6.30 pm to be followed by Mass at 7 pm.

In conjuction with the Golden Jubilee of St Ann Church, the St Ann Golden

Church will be used for the celebration of daily Masses for the parishioners on weekdays and for other occasions like wedding and funeral Mass.

However, the administration and religion classes will continue to be held at the Baruk area until the completion of Phase 2.

having waited for almost 39 months for the completion of the new Church. The new St Ann Church, which is situated at the intersection of Jalan Landeh and Jalan Puncak Borneo, Kota Padawan, can accommodate as many as 3,500 parishioners both at the ground level and Mezzanine floor.

There were certain good and fond memories of the Baruk that was considered as the “Mother Church” for many who came from near and far to worship.

After having worshipped at the

Zone Name Kitang Semenggok Puncak Borneo Serin Samarahan Teng Bukap 1 Teng Bukap 2 Penrissen Sentosa Muara Tuang Siburan Kota Padawan

Venue New St Ann Church New St Ann Church Dewan Kpg Bayur Dewan Kpg Simpok St Joseph, Kpg Sg Empit Dewan Tiang Bukap Dewan Tiang Bukap Dewan Kpg Punau Dewan Kpg Semeba New St Ann Church Dewan Kpg Sinjok New St Ann Church

Date 8 April 15 April 22 April 1 May 6 May 27 May 27 May 16 June 17 June 24 June 1 July 8 July

Celebration of Holy Week and Triduum in pictures

ST PETER’S CHURCH ... On Holy Thursday, Fr Vincent Chin performed the ‘Washing of Feet’ for 12 members of the parish’s lay organisations. In his homily, he reminded parishioners that service should be done with love and sacrifices, as shown by Jesus during the Last Supper.

ST HERBERT’S CHURCH ... At St Herbert’s Church, Song (Sibu), Fr David Ho blessing the palms at the church entrance on Palm Sunday, 25 March.

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH ... This Easter, the parishioners of Holy Trinity Church, Kenyalang welcomed a total of 29 RCIA candidates into the church. On the 1st Sunday of Lent, three Anglicans were received into the church through the Rite of Reception.

ST JOSEPH’S CATHEDRAL ... During Easter Vigil at St Joseph’s Cathedral, Kuching, a total of 260 RCIA candidates received the Sacraments of Initiation from Archbishop Simon Poh and Fr Larry Tan, SJ. Photo shows Archbishop Simon Poh baptising a catechuman by immersion.

NEWS

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Pope Francis’ Prayer intention for April

For Those who have Responsibility in Economic Matters That economists may have the courage to reject any economy of exclusion and know how to open new paths.

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

Learning to suffer with Christ KUCHING — Carmel Missionaries of Prayer concluded a Lenten Prayer Workshop entitled “Union with the Humanity of Christ” on 17 March, which was facilitated by Cynthia Lim, a Carmelite.

Participants learnt to relate their own humanity with Christ and were inspired to build a deeper spiritual relationship with Christ by uniting their “daily cross” with the suffering Christ.

In union with his suffering, they too learnt to redeem others with love by the crosses they bear.

Participants came from different parishes, age groups ranging from teenagers to elderly, many of whom have attended previous Carmel Missionaries of Prayer (CMP)

Workshop in progress prayer workshops which were conducted quarterly.

After attending the CMP Prayer Workshops participants

testified of their improved prayer life and spiritual transformation.

CMP

Malaysian High Commissioner to Nigeria finds peace in prayer “As parents, we need to guide our children to the right path, and the right path is to bring them closer to God.” — Gloria Tiwet

7TH ANNIVERSARY

4TH ANNIVERSARY

In loving memory of

AKUP BIN BUJI @ ALOYSIUS AKUP

MARY MAGDALENE MISUT BINTI GELIDIS

Departed: 30 April 2011 Departed: 16 March 2014 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace.

Deeply missed and forever remembered by sons, daughters-in-law, daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

1ST ANNIVERSARY In ever-loving memory of

ROGER TAN KWANG HEE Departed: 13 April 2017

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may your perpetual light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace. Amen.

Forever remembered and lovingly missed by: Wife: Rowena Benedict Children: Rachel, Richie, Ryan and all loved ones.

• Continued from p2 Gloria always believes that education is the way forward.

Her parents played an important role in her success today. “When I was younger, my parents, especially my father, made sure that we are proficient in English,” Gloria recalled. “In the evening, we would watch the news in English, read English newspaper and play scrabble”.

What she saw on the television when she was 9 years old became her dream. “I saw a lady receiving a scroll from His Majesty the King. As a young girl, I too wanted to be like that lady to meet the king. That stayed on with me,” said Gloria.

She continued to pursue the ambition to become that lady she saw on the television, which has become a reality. “I joined the administrative diplomatic service as soon as I graduated from USM. This year is my 22nd year in service. It has been very challenging, rewarding, a lot of tears and sweat, but I believe that it was all for a good cause,” she revealed.

On 12 February, Gloria received her instruments of appointment as a Malaysian envoy from the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V, at Istana Negara.

Gloria was posted to Santiago, Chile in 2002-2003, Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2003-2006, and Stockholm, Sweden in 2011-2015. Prior to her posting to Nigeria, she was the director of the Sarawak Regional Office in the Foreign Ministry.

Asked about the challenges she had faced while in foreign lands, she remarked that each country was different. “It

depends on the countries – the people, the culture, the work ethics, the weather, the food, the environment - when it comes to work, we do not know what is to come. We cannot predict”.

As for her new posting to Nigeria, she prepared. “I am ready as far as work is concerned. I prepare myself mentally and physically for anything that may come later. As the high commissioner, I carry the name of the country and the King with me. I believe with faith and prayer everything will be alright”.

It was through YCS that her faith in God grew and matured.

Her Catholic faith is very important to her. God has always been the source of her strength.

“Throughout my journey, God is there with me. I thank YCS for the programmes that had built up my inner self. There are elements of prayer to build up our faith. When we get older, we continue to put into practice what we have learnt and put our trust in God,” said Gloria.

For a Catholic to be sent to a country like Nigeria where persecution of Christians is not unheard of, is Gloria not worried? The answer is yes, but she trusts in God’s protection and providence. “I do get worried if I think too much over it. There are more than 100 high commissions in Abuja,” she said. “Do not worry about things that are not there in reality.

Have peace. Peace is found in prayers”.

Today, many Catholic parents saw that striving for academic excellence is more crucial than helping their children build a relationship with God. This is evident in the decreasing

membership in YCS and poor participation in youth activities. To this, Gloria has a message for parents. “The development of a child is not focused on academic alone but holistic. Yes, they need to study hard and have good grades, but that is not everything. We also need to provide our children with the time and space for them to grow spiritually”.

“Parents, spend time with your children, join them in their activities. Sometimes when we are of age, we forgot how much fun we had when we were young. As parents, we need to guide our children to the right path, and the right path is to bring them closer to God”.

To the students and youth, she shared the secret of her success. “Focus on what you want to achieve, but never let go of your loved ones.

Your parents will always be there to guide you. Pray to God, he will always lead you.

Whatever happens along the way, be assured that there are always reasons why things happened, and eventually you will understand,” she said.

Gloria encouraged students to join the YCS. “YCS provides us with stability and faith. During the activities, you get to interact a lot with your friends, but at the end of the day, it all comes back to you and God. This is your journey.

You need inner strength to make this journey. [The values you learnt in YCS] will guide your journey throughout your adult life”.

Gloria left for Nigeria with her husband, Raj, on 3 April.

Audrey Yu

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

CLASSIFIED

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1ST ANNIVERSARY

For those who live well in the world, death is not frightening but sweet and precious. ~ St Rose of Viterbo

In ever loving memory of

ANNIE CHU MIN SHIE

who was called to the Lord on 23 April 2017 Eternal rest grant unto Annie Chu, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon her.

May she rest in peace. Amen.

1ST ANNIVERSARY

Deeply missed and always remembered by beloved husband, daughter, son, daughter-in-law, grandsos and granddaughter.

4TH ANNIVERSARY In ever-loving memory of

PATRICK CHIN SWEE ANN CATHERINE RANDU AK CHANDANG

Tomb Maker Simon Sim See Huat 15 Nanas Road 93150 Kuching, Sarawak Tel: 082-617616 / 0138117616 Fax: 082-627616 Specialise in: Construction & Cleaning of Grave Monuments Manufacturing Gravestones imported from China, Italy

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For further details, please contact: Today’s Catholic Office Tel: 082-231164 Address: 1st Floor, Archdiocesan Curia & Cathedral Pastoral Centre Email: todaycat@gmail.com

called home to be with the Lord on 9 April 2014 Just like a special angel, God wrapped you in his care, and took you off to heaven, to live with him there.

Your love will light our way, your memory will forever be with us.

Lovingly remembered by Alban, Affendy, Alleson, Assonny, Awwennia, Ayyensia, Esther, Noreen, Catherine, all relatives and friends.

Rest with God: 20 April 2017

“Sadly missed along life’s way, quietly remembered everyday....

No longer in our life to share, but in our hearts, you’re always there.”

A tribute of Love from his Wife - Mdm Lucy Goh Siew Hua, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

A Requiem Mass will be offered on 20 April, 5.30 pm at St Joseph’s Cathedral, Kuching

5TH ANNIVERSARY In loving memory of

TERRY ANAK ADRIAN Departed: 21 April 2013

4TH ANNIVERSARY In loving memory of

CHARLES AUGUSTINE ZEHNDER (3 August 1952 – 30 April 2014)

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies.” John 11:25

Gone from our lives, one so dear But in our hearts, forever near To us his name will ever be The key that unlocks memories Of a dear on gone but cherished yet A beloved face we’ll never forget.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him May he rest in peace. Amen Deeply missed by father, mother, brother, sister-in-law, nephew and all loved ones.

In ever loving memory of 28TH ANNIVERSARY

6TH ANNIVERSARY

ANDREW BONG YONG TECK

MARGARET CHIA CHIEW TIANG

Departed: 23 April 1990

Departed: 3 May 2012

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In my Father’s shouse are many rooms. (Jn 14:1-3)

Deeply missed and forever remembered by beloved wife, son, brothers, sisters and all loved ones.

9TH ANNIVERSARY In ever-loving memory of

HUBERT CHUA KIM SONG (13.12.1925 - 6.4.2009)

“I am the resurrection and the life.

Whoever believe in me will live even though he dies.” Jn 11:25

Gone are the faces we loved so dear, Silent are the voices we loved to hear.

Too far away from sight and speech, But not too far from our thoughts to reach.

Gone from our sight, gone from our home, Gone to the Father’s home above.

Days brought sorrow, months brought sorrow, Years brought the loving memories which no heart can speak.

Time changes many things but not the memory this day brings Till now you are still in our minds and hearts.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls rest in peace. Amen.

Deeply loved and missed by sons, daughter, daughters-in-laws, grandchildren, great grandchildren and all loved ones.

Forever in our hearts and minds, Bibiana & Willie, Stephen & Teresa, grandchildren, great grandchildren and all loved ones.

NEWS

PAGE 6 All family life is a “shepherding” in mercy.

Each of us, by our love and care, leaves a mark on the life of others… seeking to bring out the best in them.

(Amoris Laetitia, Chapter 9, #322)

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

conversion stories A family baptism Knowing Jesus Christ is nothing new to me personally even though both of my parents came to know the Lord at a much later stage of their lives. For me to become a Christian is just a matter of time but it took me 45 years before I said yes.

It all started when my wife, Gwen, broke down and cried on our way back home from a funeral service at St Joseph's Cathedral. She told me it is time to know Jesus Christ and God Almighty.

Somehow God touched her heart. Even then, it took me another two months before we registered for our RCIA Class at St Joseph’s Parish Centre after much cajoling from my wife. We were granted a family baptism with my two lovely daughters, Summer (15 years old) and Dandeline (12 years old).

Jeffrey, Gwen, Dandeline and Summer So the time is near for us to be baptised and my hope after baptism is to get to understand and learn more of God’s grace so I can share the word of God with those who need it. — Jeffrey Bay

RCIA – a beacon of hope Imagine a darken maze where you are forced to enter through your disobedience. Ultimately after the long journey, therein lies your salvation.

You enter blindly, crawl around frantically and feel your way through the dark. You heard about heaven, you have a glimpse of it in the distance and you know God is cheering you on. The maze is never straight but fraught with danger.

Knowing God without going through RCIA is like being in that darken maze without a torchlight.

At one time I stumbled in utter confusion hoping for clarity. Attending RCIA enlightened me towards that path.

I am John Edward Chung. I have never regretted my time with Seventh Day Adventist, a time when I went through that maze without

a torchlight. God had always been with me but I was too confused to acknowledge him. Having gone through RCIA, my life as a true Christian has finally begun.

Salvation is no longer blurry, distant, and obscure but a clear definite. I just need the conviction to traverse it.

Pray for me, my brothers and sisters in Christ.

John Edward Chung

No more bystanders

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Our daughters wanted to be Catholics. Being non-Catholics, my wife and I were interviewed by the Parish Priest and we made a promise to ensure our daughters go for Masses and continue receiving catechism till their Confirmation. Not only did we send them but we also attended Masses together with them. That was 10 years ago.

We have decided we don’t want to be bystanders anymore, but to be able to participate fully in the Eucharist which is of utmost importance to me.

The road to RCIA seemed inevitable. It was all about timing. Although it was a struggle getting to attending RCIA classes, we made it our top priority in 2017. I had been to other Christian churches but it’s the Catholic Church that I feel at home.

This programme provided us with a deeper understanding of the teachings of the Catholic Church and Scriptures. We became closer to God, more aware of his will in our lives and our need to completely put our trust in him.

Indeed, like all other programmes they leave much room for improvement. That is also relevant

Willian, Lily and their daughters with the RCIA. However, the significant success of RCIA is that it is capable of transforming us Christian into better people. As for me and my family, our prayer is that it will lead many into a better understanding of the Holy Scriptures and a fuller knowledge of Jesus Christ as the Word Incarnate that the Bible faithfully testifies. More importantly, we get to know him and the power of his resurrection.

William & Lily Lee

Touched for life

I was 7 years old when I was taught to pray by my neighbour. By the time I was 13, during a Sunday service in Christchurch, I felt a strong presence that affected me. The inexpressible feeling of peace and serenity touched me, leaving me tearing non-stop. I knew that was God! That moment has since imprinted in my heart. Although my free thinker parents would not allow me to be baptised, I continued to search for the answers.

In Singapore, I struggled to agree with the incidences I have seen and encountered. The commercialism put a stop to my going to church altogether. Years went by. My prayers however never stopped. It was not until I needed God’s

help to comfort a depressed friend that I was brought back to the church in Kuching. I hadn’t understood the Mass but only heard the words RCIA twice.

That was God’s message for me.

Our Lord is always present, always knocking!

Janice Catalina Soon

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

NEWS

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On Good Friday, papal preacher tells Military officers held a Day of Prayer youth to run toward love of Christ VATICAN CITY — Papal preacher Fr Raniero Cantalamessa dedicated his Good Friday homily to young people, comparing them to the apostle John and urging them to have the courage to go in the opposite direction of the selfishness of the world, running instead toward the sacrificial love of Jesus on the cross.

In his 30 March homily, Cantalamessa said modern society has come “under the dominion of Satan and sin,” and has been taken over by what St Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians called the “spirit of the air”.

Cantalamessa said the phrase takes on a literal meaning today, because this spirit “spreads itself in infinite ways electronically through airwaves,” and plays a major role in shaping public opinion.

“To act, think or speak against this spirit is regarded as non-sensical or even as wrong and criminal,” he said, adding that the best way to ensure that one has not conformed to this world is by going in the opposite direction, walking toward suffering, and toward “the poor and those at the lowest level of society,” rather than away from them.

“Blending in with this world of suffering and marginalisation is, paradoxically, the best way of ‘separating’ ourselves from the world because it means going in the direction from which the world flees as much as it can. It means separating ourselves from the very principle that rules the world, self-centeredness,” he said.

To drive his point home, Cantalamessa quoted British poet TS Eliot, saying “in a world of fugitives / The person taking the opposite direction / Will appear to run away.”

“Dear young Christians, if you will allow an old man like John to address you directly, I would exhort you: be those who take the opposite direction! Have the courage to go against the stream,” he said, adding that “the opposite direction for us is not a place but a person; it is Jesus, our friend and redeemer”.

Fr Cantalamessa is the official papal preacher. He offers meditations to the pope and members of the Curia on Fridays during Advent and Lent, and he preaches the homily for the Good Friday veneration liturgy.

After the chanting of the Gospel during the liturgy for

the Lord’s Passion in St Peter’s Basilica, presided over by Pope Francis, Cantalamessa in his homily reflected on why the Church places such a strong emphasis on the cross of Christ.

He said that according to one theory, it could be because God reveals himself “sub contraria specie,” meaning in a form contrary to what he actually is: “he reveals his power in weakness, his wisdom in foolishness, his riches in poverty”.

However, this logic does not apply to the cross, he said, because on the cross God reveals himself “as he really is, in his most intimate and truest reality”. And this reality, he said, is that “God is love... oblative love, a love that consists in selfgiving, and only on the cross does God’s infinite capacity for self-gift manifest the length to which it will go”.

With a Synod of Bishops dedicated to youth on the schedule for this October, Cantalamessa said the presence of St John with Jesus on Calvary holds special significance, since it is believed that the evangelist joined Jesus when he was still a young man.

Noting how John is often referred to in scripture as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” the papal preacher said this was a real and personal experience of “falling in love” with the Lord that can be seen from the fact that the whole of John's Gospel focuses on the person of Jesus, rather than his works and teaching.

Cantalamessa said St John was almost certainly one of the two disciples of John the Baptist who, when Jesus passed them on the beach, followed him and spent the day with him.

He noted how when they asked Jesus where he was staying, “it was about the tenth hour.”

“That hour decided the course of John’s life, and he never forgot it,” Cantalamessa said, and stressed the importance of helping young people today understand not only what God and the Church expect of them and what they can offer to the Church and to society, but also to help youth understand what Jesus himself can offer to them.

He pointed to how John described his experience with Jesus as the “fullness of joy” and an “abundant life,” and urged members of the Church to accept Francis’ invitation in Evangelii Gaudium to “a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them”.

“I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord,” he said, continuing to quote Francis.

Cantalamessa said it is possible to encounter Christ today because he is risen and alive, and that after this personal encounter takes place, “everything is possible”.

Speaking directly to youth, the papal preacher said they have a special mission “to rescue human love from the tragic drift in which it had ended up: love that is no longer a gift of self but only the possession – often violent and tyrannical – of another”.

Pointing to the self-sacrificial “agape” love shown by Jesus on the cross and the desiring, “eros” love that “welcomes, that pursues, that desires, and that finds joy in being loved in return,” Cantalamessa said these two types of love are linked, and cannot be separated from each other.

God both desires man and exercises charity toward him, he said, explaining that learning how to love like God “is not a question of renouncing the joys of love, attraction, and ‘eros’, but of knowing how to unite ‘eros’ and ‘agape’ in the desire for another, the ability to give oneself to the other”.

Learning how to do this will not happen “in one day”, he said, and told youth to start preparing themselves now to give themselves either to another person in marriage, or to God in a consecrated vocation.

This preparation, he said, can begin now with something as simple as a smile or a gift of one’s time or service in one’s family, parish or volunteer work, which “so many of you are already quietly doing”.

CNA/EWTN News

GIVING THANKS ... Members of the armed forces getting ready for Mass at St Mark’s Church, Batu Kawa BATU KAWA — The 1st Division Infantry Malaysia day of prayer in conjunction with its 45th Armed Forces Day was held on Friday, 16 March.

St Mark’s Church was chosen as their venue for this year’s celebration.

The Infantry officers, army veterans and personnel from the different Christian denominations together with their family members and

joined by the community of St Mark’s attended the Stations of the Cross. It was followed by the Mass presided over by Fr Jerome Juleng.

The evening celebration concluded with a fellowship at the church hall. The Infantry officers presented a souvenir to the Church Main Committee as a token of appreciation for hosting the event.

Cosmas Klumai

LEGION OF MARY JUNIORS LENTEN RETREAT ... 75 Junior legionaries from Kuching and St Ann’s Parish gathered at the Baruk, Kota Padawan, for their annual Lenten Retreat on 24 March. The morning program consisted of a talk given by Kuching Comitium Spiritual Director Fr Nicholas Ng, followed by the Stations of the Cross around the parish compound. The retreat concluded with the celebration of Holy Mass.

THE GIFT OF LIFE ... ‘The gift of blood is the gift of life.’ 42 parishioners turned up to the call to generously give their blood to save lives. Nine personnel from the Sarawak General Hospital assisted in the blood donation which lasted from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm on 4 March at St Peter’s Church, Kuching. 31 pints of blood were successfully collected and donors were given goodies of rice, drinks and margarine donated by generous sponsors. The Annual Lenten Blood Donation was initiated by the Warden Ministry of St Peter’s Church.

NEWS

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TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

Death doesn’t have the final word, No Holy Week observance in war-torn Philippine city Pope Francis says on Easter VATICAN CITY — During his Urbi et Orbi Easter blessing, Pope Francis said Jesus’ death and resurrection provide hope to a world marred by conflict, proving that modern tragedies such as war and violence won’t have the final say.

“We Christians believe and know that Christ’s resurrection is the true hope of the world, the hope that does not disappoint,” the Pope said on 1 April, Easter morning.

Like the parable Jesus told of the grain of wheat which has to die before bearing fruit, Francis said that “it is the power of the grain of wheat, the power of that love which humbles itself and gives itself to the very end, and thus truly renews the world.”

“This power continues to bear fruit today in the furrows of our history, marked by so many acts of injustice and violence,” he said, and pointed to the plight of migrants and refugees, and victims of the drug trade, human trafficking and other forms of modern slavery.

He asked for peace throughout the world, especially in the “longsuffering” nation of Syria, “whose people are worn down by an apparently endless war.”

“This Easter, may the light of the risen Christ illumine the consciences of all political and military leaders, so that a swift end may be brought to the carnage in course, that humanitarian law may be respected” in order to facilitate access to aid, and to allow those who have been displaced to return to their homes.

Pope Francis also prayed for the Holy Land, which in recent days has seen an

Pope Francis delivers his Easter message “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican (Photo: CNS) increase in violence, for Yemen and for the entire Middle East, “that dialogue and mutual respect may prevail over division and violence.”

“May our brothers and sisters in Christ, who not infrequently put up with injustices and persecution, be radiant witnesses of the risen Lord and of the victory of good over evil.”

He also prayed for those who yearn for “a more dignified life”, specifically children and those from areas in Africa that suffer from hunger, violence and terrorism, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.

Francis also prayed for the process of peace and dialogue on the Korean peninsula, and for Ukraine, that humanitarian aid would be able to reach the people and that recent steps to promote peace and harmony in the nation would be “consolidated”.

Turning to Venezuela, Pope Francis said citizens are living “in a kind of foreign land within their own country,” and prayed that with the grace of the resurrection, the nation would be able to find “a just, peaceful

and humane way to surmount quickly the political and humanitarian crises that grip it.”

Prayers were also offered for children who lack education as a result of war, for elderly who have been “cast off by a selfish culture that ostracizes those who are not productive,” and for world leaders, that they “may always respect human dignity, devote themselves actively to the pursuit of the common good, and ensure the development and security of their own citizens.”

Pope Francis closed his address repeating the question the angel posed to the women who came to the tomb and found it empty, asking: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?

He is not here, but has risen.”

“Death, solitude and fear are not the last word.” he said.

“There is a word that transcends them, a word that only God can speak: it is the word of the resurrection.” And by the power of God’s love, “it dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord and brings down the mighty.”

CNA/EWTN News

MANILA — There will be no Holy Week observance this year in Marawi almost a year after extremist gunmen occupied the southern Philippine city.

The Catholic cathedral, which was desecrated and burned at the height of the fivemonth conflict that ended in October, remains closed.

Bishop Edwin Dela Pena, however, assured that other parishes not affected by the fighting will continue serving parishioners.

Marawi’s St Mary’s Cathedral was destroyed when Islamic State-inspired gunmen entered the city on May 23 last year.

Even the vicar-general of the prelature will not be returning to the city soon. Father Teresito Soganub said he was still in “the healing stage” after his abduction by terrorist gunmen.

“I wont be able to go back to my regular ministry yet,” said the priest.

“I miss saying Mass in the area and my work in interreligious dialogue,” he added.

The priest became emotional as he recalled his four months in the hands of the terrorist group.

“You face death every day.

Sometimes it’s even every minute. You don’t know where the airstrikes will hit... You wait for your death every minute,” he recently told journalists.

He said he survived his ordeal because of his faith in God. “If it was just me, I wouldn’t have been able to endure it. I believed in the presence of God. I always asked him to give me strength, not to leave me, and I knew He

wouldn’t leave me,” said Fr Soganub.

This will be the first time that Holy Week has not been celebrated in the predominantly Muslim city, where more than 300,000 people remain in temporary shelters.

Bishop Dela Pena said other diocese have offered to send priests aside from giving material help to the prelature.

“I feel hopeful that people will help us rebuild the cathedral,” said the prelate, although he said his priority is “not the building but the needs of the community”.

Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila has appealed to Catholics to donate to a Lenten evangelisation and fundraising programme to help dioceses in need. “I call on our brothers and sisters in Christ to participate and to be generous in sharing their blessings this season of Lent,” said the prelate.

Fr Reginald Malicdem, rector of Manila Cathedral, said the money they have collected will be used to attend to the needs of disaster victims. “This is a concrete way of doing a good deed and showing our love for our fellow men in this season of Lent,” said the priest.

On 26 March, Caritas Manila, the archdiocese’s social action arm, held a 12-hour telethon to raise funds for its Lenten programme. Last year, Caritas Manila was able to provide relief and rehabilitation assistance to 14,732 families from money raised during the last Lenten season.

Ucanews

Sisters of St Francis of Sarawak (SSFS) The Congregation of the Sisters of St Francis of Sarawak is a Religious Congregation of Diocesan Right with temporary and perpetual professions. It follows basically the Rule of the Third Order Regular St Francis of Assisi and its own Constitutions approved by the Holy See. Is God Calling You? If you are considering being a Religious Sister, take that next step now.

We are journeying with you.

“Dear young people, do not bury your talents, the gifts that God has given you! Do not be afraid to dream of great things!” – Pope Francis So, dear young people, do you feel called to Religious Life?

If so, we invite you (single women) to contact us:

Sr Catherine Uming Takim, SSFS Vocation Moderator Porziuncola Formation Centre (Post-Novitiate, SSFS) No 7, Jalan Pisang Selatan 93400 Kuching, Sarawak.

Tel: 014-693 2294 / 017-859 1872

Sr Cecelia Norma Bauk, SSFS Chairperson of PCV No 156, Laman Rock, Jalan Rock 93250 Kuching, Sarawak.

Tel: 019-486 2270 www.fb.com/SSFS1928

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

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ON APOLOGETICS

Was Jesus Christ crucified?

by Deacon Dr Sherman Kuek, OFS

(Part III)

In the previous two articles, I have explained how the Muslims view the Christian belief regarding the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is, for them, a view that is untenable and unnecessary. No man needs someone else to die in his place, and contrary to Christian biblical teaching, the wages of sin is not death. Original Sin, in their understanding, has not brought death upon humanity as a whole. Every individual must be responsible for his own sin.

With that, we now turn to the Christian understanding of Jesus’ crucifixion and why Christians believe this was the only way that God could save mankind from ourselves and our sins.

THE CHRISTIAN VIEW OF JESUS CHRIST’S CRUCIFIXION 1. Original Sin does not make a human being personally guilty from birth.

According to the teaching of the Holy Catholic Church, Original Sin is a condition inherited by all human persons from the First Parents (represented by Adam and Eve) because of their disobedience to God’s command to not eat from the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. That occasion when Original Sin intruded into the state of mankind is commonly referred to as “The Fall of Man”.

Whilst it sounds more “decent” to say that mankind’s fall is attributed to the temptation brought about by the devil, it was as much a choice to challenge or contradict the lordship of God over our kind. Prior to that, mankind was created in God’s image and likeness, which God pronounced as good (Genesis 1:26-31). This image and likeness of God imbued in mankind meant that he enjoyed original grace and holiness.

The rest of creation was shared by God with mankind such that he was given dominion, authority, over all other creatures. Together with this great stature, God gave mankind this command: “You are free to eat of all the trees of the garden, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you are not to eat; for the day you eat of that you are doomed to die.” (Genesis 2:16-17, New Jerusalem Bible).

We can see here, that God establishes a covenant with humanity. He confers upon humanity a very dignified stature such that humanity is literally king of all creation.

But together with that, he requires just one act of reciprocity: the recognition of God’s lordship over us. And we failed in our observance of this covenant.

The issue in question was not so much a fruit as it was the authority that mankind allowed God to have over his life and destiny. And just like the angels, mankind was given freewill to choose, this being a gift because of God’s love for those whom he creates. The choice to contradict God’s command eventually brought about our inheritance of a fallen nature. We found ourselves naturally gravitating towards rebellion against God’s commands simply because we now realised we could.

Humanity’s choice to disobey God’s commands by partaking of the “forbidden fruit” explains what is meant by Original Sin, that is, a propensity to choose our own will over God’s will for us. Instead of submitting himself to the lordship of God, mankind chose his own lordship over himself by choosing to eat of that fruit, and in so doing, making himself “like God” (Genesis 3:5). This was the one event that changed our condition forever, for our innocence of good and evil had now been severely tainted and sin had entered into our world.

Because of the fall, mankind is now sensitised towards the attraction of sin and all that it promises. His soul is weakened, his friendship with God is injured, and his propensity to walk in sin and self-will has become a helpless addiction.

However, Original Sin itself does not refer to the wilful committing of a wrongful act, but rather, the contracting of a condition or a spiritual disease. It is the state in which a soul exists being prone to stand in opposition against God and his will.

It is also an absence of the original grace and holiness with which God created us (Genesis 1:31). It is Original Sin that leads an individual to subsequently commit

14th century icon of the crucifixion personal sins. Original Sin, in entering into humanity, has affected us forever. We have now taken on a fallen nature, one that is spiritually defective, one that cannot be healed or restored without the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

When the first parents broke the covenant with God, God faithfully renewed and expanded that covenant with subsequent generations of humanity who also failed in their covenant with him because of Original Sin. God’s work in renewing his covenant with all those generations of humanity were meant to lead to the final covenant to be established in Jesus Christ himself.

For the purpose of the final and ultimate covenant, Jesus Christ would offer himself as the perfect sacrifice in order to break the age-old curse of Original Sin. Henceforth, mankind no longer needed to be slaves to Original Sin. All people who desired to enter into this final covenant could do so through the sacrament of baptism.

Baptism removes Original Sin (and also personal sin). It makes an individual a new creation in Jesus Christ. As always, entry into this new and final covenant with God is based on our freewill.

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TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

Caught in the very act One of the Gospel’s most gripping stories unfolds in John 8:1-11.

In this era of “#metoo”, the movement that reveals women’s experiences of sexual assault, this reading describes an incident of the oppression and condemnation of a woman and Jesus’ remarkable reaction to it.

In John, a woman “caught in the very act of committing adultery” is brought before Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees.

Often, I wonder how past generations viewed the good news of Jesus in different ways than we do.

How did they use their imagination to contemplate this scene?

Today, it’s probably rare for one reading this story not to immediately question the whereabouts of the man with whom this woman had sex. That phrase resonates: “in the very act”.

If you catch someone so flagrantly, obviously the other party is clearly identifiable.

Yet it’s only the woman who is roughly dragged forward and thrust before Jesus into the middle of a group of self-righteous men. Where’s her adulterous partner? Why isn’t he being publicly rebuked and threatened? The law of Moses, the men say, condemns “such women” to stoning.

In so much of history – and even today – it’s often the woman who pays

by Effie Caldarola If Jesus stands in mercy with the underdog, that’s where Christians are challenged to stand.

society’s price for sexual transgression.

Not so long ago, the pregnant unmarried teen was hustled away to a maternity home while the prospective dad was allowed to finish high school.

In John’s story, we are struck once again by the gentleness and mercy of Jesus, the way he crosses the border into the lives of women, engages them and stands up for them.

A mystery of this story is what Jesus is writing in the dirt. Twice, he bends over and uses his finger to write in Palestine’s

dust.

Then Jesus asks the men, whose faces I imagine are hostile and indignant, which of them is without sin. Let that man cast the first stone.

One by one, beginning with the eldest, they move silently away. They slither away. Is their indignation now replaced by embarrassment? Insight? Were their sins written on that road?

Jesus, who came to fulfil the law and the prophets, had little use for religious laws made by men that favoured

authority over mercy. As my favourite Jesuit homilist was told by his spiritual director, “Our God is a rule breaker.

Don’t focus on the rules. Focus on God”.

This reading illustrates the great compassion of Jesus toward the underdog – in this case, the woman.

Jesus stands with all the oppressed, the victim of rape as a tool of war, the immigrant mercilessly separated from his family and deported, those marginalised because of their race or religion, those imprisoned in the relentless cycle of poverty, the victims of violence, those on death row.

Jesus is the Lord of the underdog.

He speaks to the woman. “Has no one condemned you?” When she replies no, he says, in a voice I imagine to be full of affection, “Neither do I condemn you”. He sends her away to sin no more.

I examine my own role in this story.

Whom do I condemn? Not in major ways, perhaps, but in the silent “tsk, tsk” of my mind. How often do I shake my head, thinking I could direct people to make better choices, when I have enough of a challenge making my own?

Which of my sins would be written in that dust?

If Jesus stands in mercy with the underdog, that’s where Christians are challenged to stand. Am I standing there? Are we standing there as church?

CNS

Good Friday: The Victory of the Cross

by Marcellino D’ambrosio, PhD Terrorism is nothing new. It’s probably as old as the human race.

In fact the cradle of civilisation, now Iraq, was the home of the most infamous terrorists of antiquity, the Assyrians. Their goal was to conquer their neighbours in a way that would minimise initial resistance and subsequent rebellion. To do this, they knew fear would be their greatest weapon. Simple threat of death for those who resisted was not enough because many would prefer death to slavery. So the Assyrians developed the technology to produce the maximum amount of pain for the longest amount of time prior to death. It was called crucifixion.

This ingenious procedure proved to be very effective terror tactic indeed.

It was the policy of the Roman Empire to adopt from conquered peoples whatever appeared useful.

They found crucifixion an excellent tool of intimidation. The humiliation of being stripped naked to die in a public spectacle was particularly loathsome to Jews for whom public nudity was an abomination. Incidentally, crucifixion was deemed so horrible that Roman law forbade that it be carried out on a Roman citizen, even a traitor. It was reserved only for slaves and conquered peoples.

Non-Christians have often asked a very good question – why do Christians adorn their churches, homes, and necks

The cross is not only victorious, it is fruitful.

with a symbol of abasement, terror, and torture? Why build an entire religion around the cross?

St Anselm (12th century) explained it this way. Our first parent’s sin was all about pride, disobedience, and self-love.

Deceived by the serpent, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in defiance of God because they wanted to exalt themselves as his equal. The results were catastrophic – loss of communion with God, each other, and the created universe. The history of the human race has been a story in which each one of us, weakened by the impact of this sin on our nature, have followed its pattern, proudly refusing to obey God and love our neighbour.

Anselm pointed out sin constitutes an infinite offense against the goodness

and honour of God. Having been created free and responsible, bound by the law of justice, our race is obliged to offer acts of love, humility and obedience to God powerful enough to cancel out the long legacy of disobedience, pride, and unlove and restore our friendship with him.

The problem is, our wounded race could not begin to attempt such a task.

So the Father sent his Eternal Word to become man and accomplish the task in our place, to substitute for us. For the immortal, infinite God to empty himself and unite himself to a limited, vulnerable human nature was already a feat of unimaginable love and humility. But for redemption to be complete, the hero would have to withstand the greatest fury that hell and fallen humanity could hurl

against him – the cross.

Surely, after the crowds he had healed and fed cried “Crucify him!” and his own apostles fled, Jesus would realise it wasn’t worth it. Surely he would curse the ingrates and use his divine power to free himself as many suggested in their taunts. But no. His was love to the end, love to the max (John 13:1). His death was the clear and undeniable manifestation of the triumph of obedience over disobedience, love over selfishness, humility over pride.

Good Friday was the D-Day of the human race. Since Pentecost, the power of Christ’s obedient, humble, unstoppable love has been made available to all who are willing to share it, producing martyrs and saints in every generation, down to the Maximilian Kolbe’s and Mother Teresa’s of our own era.

So the cross is not only victorious, it is fruitful. It bore the fruit of salvation in the loving act of Christ but has kept bearing new fruit throughout the ages.

That’s why, if you go to the Church of San Clemente in Rome, you’ll see one of the most stunning mosaics in the Eternal City. The ancient instrument of subjection and death, wrapped with verdant vines supporting fruit of every shape and size, the triumphant cross becomes the tree of life.

Catholic Exchange

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

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What Easter means

by Bishop Robert Barron In first century Judaism, there were many views concerning what happened to people after they died. Following a very venerable tradition, some said that death was the end, that the dead simply returned to the dust of the earth from which they came. Others maintained that the righteous dead would rise at the close of the age. Still others thought that the souls of the just went to live with God after the demise of their bodies.

There were even some who believed in a kind of reincarnation.

What is particularly fascinating about the accounts of Jesus’ resurrection is that none of these familiar frameworks of understanding is invoked. The first witnesses maintain that the same Jesus who had been brutally and unmistakably put to death and buried was, through the power of God, alive again. He was not vaguely “with God,” nor had his soul escaped from his body; nor had he risen in a purely symbolic or metaphorical sense.

He, Jeshoua from Nazareth, the friend whom they knew, was alive again. What was expected for all the righteous dead at the end of time had happened, in time, to this one particular man, to this Jesus.

It was the very novelty of the event that gave such energy and verve to the first Christian proclamation. On practically every page of the New Testament, we find a grab-you-by-the-lapels quality, for the early Christians were not trading in bland spiritual abstractions or moral bromides. They were trying to tell the whole world that something so new and astounding had happened that nothing would ever again be the same.

Over the past couple of centuries, many thinkers, both inside and outside of the Christian churches, endeavoured to reduce the resurrection message to the level of myth or symbol. Easter, they argued, was one more iteration of the “springtime saga” that can be found, in one form or another, in most cultures, namely, that life triumphs over death in the “resurrection” of nature after the bleak months of winter. Or it was a

Q&A

Q

The risen Christ is depicted in this 16th-century painting titled “Christ Risen From the Tomb and two Saints” by Moretto da Brescia.

(CNS/Bridgeman Images) symbolic way of saying that the cause of Jesus lives on in his followers. But as CS Lewis keenly observed, those who think the resurrection story is a myth haven’t read many myths. Mythic literature deals in ahistorical archetypes, and thus it tends to speak of things that happened “once upon a time” or “in a galaxy far, far away.” But the Gospels don’t use that sort of language. In describing the resurrection, they mention particular places like Judea and Jerusalem, and they specify that the event took place when Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of the region, and they name distinct individuals – Peter, John, Thomas, etc.

– who encountered Jesus after he rose from the dead. Moreover, no one dies defending mythic claims. The myths of Greece, Rome, and Egypt are powerful and illuminating indeed, but there are no martyrs to Zeus or Dionysus or Osiris.

But practically all of the first heralds of the resurrection went to their deaths defending the truth of their message.

Yet assuming the resurrection is true, what does it mean? It means, first, that the customary manner in which we understand the relationship between order and violence—from the Epic of Gilgamesh to “Game of Thrones”—has to be rethought. On the standard Realpolitik reading of things,

Feeling close to God

by Fr Kenneth Doyle

I am 80 years old and would like to feel like a real and responsible Catholic again, but here is my problem. In the Bible, it says that we should love God with all our hearts and minds. I believe in God and know that he is there, but I just do not experience that “loving”, “feel good” emotion.

I have a huge guilt complex about this, because it suggests that I just take God for granted. I can talk and pray to God, but it seems so one-sided. When I was a boy, I used to stop in church for a visit and just sit and marvel that I was in God’s house. But now I leave Mass feeling empty, except for knowing that I have met my Sunday obligation.

Over the years, I have spoken with four different Catholic priests to discuss this, and it was a complete waste of time. All I came away with was that I needed to have blind faith. I do have faith, but that does not remove my guilt for not properly loving God.

A

order comes about through the violent imposition of strength. And if that order is lost or compromised, it must be restored through answering violence. In Jesus’ time, the great principle of order was the Empire of Rome, which maintained its hold through the exertions of its massive army and through the imposition of harsh punishment on those who opposed its purposes. The most terrible and fearsome of these punishments was, of course, the cross, a particularly brutal mode of torture that was purposely carried out in public so as to have greatest deterrent effect. It was precisely on one of these Roman crosses that Jesus of Nazareth was put to death, having been betrayed and abandoned by his friends and condemned by a corrupt tribunal of collaborators.

When the risen Jesus presented himself alive to his disciples, they were, we are told, afraid. Their fear might not have been simply a function of their seeing something uncanny; it might have been grounded in the assumption that he was back for vengeance. However, after showing his wounds, the risen Jesus said to his friends, “Shalom”, Peace. The teacher who had urged his followers to turn the other cheek and to meet violence with forgiveness exemplified his own teaching in the most vivid way possible.

And what he showed, thereby, was that

that the divine manner of establishing order has nothing to do with violence, retribution, or eye-for-an-eye retaliation.

Instead, it has to do with a love which swallows up hate, with a forgiveness which triumphs over aggression. It is this great resurrection principle which, explicitly or implicitly, undergirded the liberating work of Martin Luther King, Jr. in America, of Gandhi in India, of Bishop Tutu in South Africa, and of John Paul II in Poland. Those great practitioners of non-violent resistance were able to stand athwart the received wisdom only because they had some sense that in opting for the way of love they were going with the deepest grain of reality, operating in concert with the purposes of God. Secondly, the resurrection means that God has not given up on his creation.

According to the well-known account in the book of Genesis, God made the whole array of finite things – sun, moon, planets, stars, animals, plants, things that creep and crawl on the earth – and found it all good, even very good. There is not a hint of dualism or Manichaeism in the Biblical vision, no setting of the spiritual over and against the material.

All that God has made reflects some aspect of his goodness, and all created things together constitute a beautiful and tightly-woven tapestry. As the Old Testament lays out the story, human sin made a wreck of God’s creation, turning the garden into a desert. But the faithful God kept sending rescue operation after rescue operation: Noah’s Ark, the prophets, the Law and the Temple, the people Israel itself. Finally, he sent his only Son, the perfect icon or incarnation of his love. In raising that Son from the dead, God definitively saved and ratified his creation, very much including the material dimension of it (which is why it matters that Jesus was raised bodily from death). Over and again, we have said no to what God has made, but God stubbornly says yes. Inspired by this divine yes, we always have a reason to hope. — wordonfire.org

Relax! The fact that you do not feel God’s closeness does not mean that you don’t love him. I refer you to a book called “Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light,” the record of Mother Teresa’s correspondence with her spiritual director.

Mother Teresa, who devoted her life to caring for the poor in the streets of Kolkata,

“My own soul remains in deep darkness and desolation.” ­— Mother Teresa of Calcutta was canonised a saint in 2016. Yet this book reveals that she endured many years of an intense spiritual dryness, feeling abandoned by God. It is a story told by many saints.

“My own soul remains in deep darkness and desolation,” noted an anguished Mother Teresa. Nevertheless, she said, “I don’t complain – let him do with me whatever he wants.”

I’m sure that you appreciate that the Lord has given you the gift of life, along with many blessings over your 80 years. Your presence at Mass – the great act of Christian thanksgiving – demonstrates that gratitude.

I will pray that God will grant you the gift of inner peace, as well as a sense of his nearness. But meanwhile, don’t worry about how you feel; it’s much more important how you think and act.

For genuine pastoral emergencies, a bishop is empowered to grant a dispensation even beyond the “three-Mass limit” – such as the situation you raise where a sudden sickness and lack of a substitute might compromise the need of the faithful for the Eucharist. — CNS

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TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018 Salubong pedrocalungsod.blogspot.com

Regina caeli laetare, alleluia: The Unbiblical First Appearance of the Risen Lord to his Blessed Mother (Part I)

by Fr Francis Lim, SJ Prologue There is an interesting Easter custom in the Philippines that most probably originated in Spain (which is still practised there), that is, the Salubong or meeting between the risen Christ and his mother on early Easter Sunday morning.

At dawn on that glorious day, when it is still dark, the women parishioners of the church will gather at a place outside the church with a statue of Our Lady clad in a dress of mourning black. But underneath this layer of black is her white vestment of Easter joy. The men parishioners of the same church will gather at another place with a statue of the Risen Christ. Both groups will start to process in order to meet in front of the church at the crack of dawn when the first sun rays begin to light up the sky. When both statues meet, in a dramatic flip of theatrics, the black dress of Our Lady will be whisked off to reveal her resplendent golden white dress underneath that signifies her intense Easter joy as opposed to her black sorrowful dress of Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

There is also a pontifical liturgy commemorating this event on Easter Sunday at the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome.

story from within the heart; for scriptures say that Christ Our Lord appeared to many others besides his disciples after his resurrection (cf 1 Cor 15:6, Sp Ex 299) which would include Our Lady. He further considers the denial of this appearance as a lack of faith, “you of little faith” (cf Mt 16:8). Taking into account the ordinary love of Our Lord for his mother and we, as ordinary faith people, would have understanding to accept this, “are you also still without understanding?” (cf Mt 15:16). It would be unthinkable that the Risen Lord would not appear to his mother when he appeared to so many others of at least equal rank.

Ignatius considers this appearance to be the prototype of all the other Easter appearances because of the great joy that the Risen Lord brings. In the Fourth Week, Ignatius directs the retreatant to ask for the grace to be glad and to rejoice intensely because of the great glory and joy of Christ our Lord. The focal point of the Fourth Week is on the Risen Lord and the Easter joy that comes with this Lord. The first appearance to Our Lady becomes in this way a first colloquy or conversation with Our Lady in order she may obtain for us the grace which she herself experiences in her first Easter encounter with the Lord.

Age-Old Tradition This event is not recorded in the scriptures. However, it is a tradition from ancient times. On the side of the Western Church, the tradition can be traced back to the fourth century in the writings of St Ambrose though it is doubtful whether he speaks of Mother Mary or Mary Magdalene.

On the side of the Eastern Church, the earliest record dates back also to the fourth century, in the commentary on the Diatessaron of Tatian, preserved in classical Aramaic, written by St Ephrem. Due to an error in the biblical manuscript at his disposal, Ephrem thinks that the first appearance of the Risen Lord is to Mary, his mother and not to Mary Magdalene. Mary, his mother wishes to maternally touch her Risen Son, but Jesus puts her off by saying that from then on John is her son.

Remember that on the cross, according to the Gospel of John, Jesus has already entrusted his mother to the beloved disciple which we presume to be John. Ephrem’s treatment of this passage is obviously completely devoid of any foundation. However, despite his faulty exegesis, Ephrem presupposes and takes for granted a meeting between the Risen Lord and his blessed mother because of their unique and intimate collaboration in the work of salvation. Mary is the one who receives the first fruits of his return from the dead.

St John Chrysostom, also in the fourth century, finds in the mention of “the other Mary” with Mary of Magdala in Matthew’s account of the resurrection story (Mt 28:1-10) to be the mother of Jesus. Initially, they are presented as sitting opposite the sepulchre right after the burial (Mt 27:61). Then towards dawn on the first day of the week, they visit the sepulchre and after the earthquake, see the angel announcing the resurrection and later Jesus himself appears to them. These two women are the first to see the resurrected Christ.

In the sixth century, Severus, the Patriarch of Antioch, develops the theological reasoning of Chrysostom’s proposition. According to him, “the other Mary” is not far removed from the Passion. She has remained close to the cross and therefore it is fittingly right that the joyous news be announced as well to her since she went through the sufferings of the cross and now she shares in the resurrection joy. Those who share in the sufferings of Christ will also share in his Easter consolation (cf 2 Cor 1:3-8). In his Spiritual Exercises, St Ignatius of Loyola also speaks of those who follow Christ, that in following him in his sufferings, they may also follow him in glory (Sp Ex 95).

The idea, according to the above-mentioned writers, is to keep Our Lady in her sorrows from leaving the sepulchre on the evening of the burial so that she would in this way be the first to meet the Risen Lord on the morning of the resurrection.

On the other hand, Ignatius in the Spiritual Exercises has Mary in her house waiting patiently for the Risen Lord to appear to her.

An Intimate Joyful Meeting In this contemplation Ignatius encourages the retreatant to imagine the house where Our Lady is, how Our Risen Lord appears gloriously to her and how he consoles her as friends console one another (Sp Ex 218-225). It is the joy of consolation that Christ brings rather than to prove his resurrection. St Albert the Great writes, “Christ appeared to his mother, not to prove his resurrection, but to gladden her through seeing him.”

Ignatius may have gotten this idea from his reading of Ludolph the Carthusian’s Life of Christ, which he used while he was convalescing from his leg wound.

In Chapter 70 of that book, Ludolph describes how the women going to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus did so with his mother’s permission. However, Mother Mary did not go with the women. It would have been too much for her and moreover, John, to whom she had been entrusted by Jesus, would not permit her to go. Furthermore, she knew that he was not there, but had risen immortal and incorruptible. And while she was praying and gently weeping alone in a secluded spot of her house, suddenly the Risen Jesus appeared. She embraced him. Her mourning had been transformed into happiness. Sharing their joy and lovingly delighting in the Lord’s paschal victory, they sat and conversed about how he had freed his people from the powers of hell and what he did during those three days. He said, “See here, then, the great paschal triumph.” Mary reassured herself that his sufferings were really over.

Therefore, according to Ludolph too, Christ appears first of all to his Virgin Mother, not to prove his resurrection, but to give her exceeding joy at seeing him. To express this joy of Our Lady, some other writers have used as well the love poems of the Song of Songs of which the paschal aspect is well known. They also use the joyful prayer that replaces the Angelus at Easter, the Regina Caeli Laetare – rejoice Queen of Heaven for the Lord has risen as he said he would.

Ludolph’s conversation between Christ and his mother may have its sources from earlier ones. For example, in a Coptic fragment of the Gospel of Bartholomew of the fourth century there is a colloquy of the same tone: Our Lord greets his mother in this way, “Peace be to you who have borne the life of the world … Mary, my mother, the one who loves you loves life.”

Another is from the Ethiopian fragment of the Gospel of Gamaliel, also of the fourth century: The Risen Lord exercises his role of consoler, saying to his mother, “Mary, you have shed enough of tears until now. He who was crucified is alive. He who brings you consolation is the one you are asking about … He has burst open the brazen gates and freed the prisoners from Sheol.”

In the fifth century, St Romanus the Melodus has Jesus saying to his mother, “Rest assured, mother, you will be the first to see me when I come forth from the grave. I shall come to show you at the cost of what suffering I have ransomed Adam and what sweat I have poured out for him. To my friends I shall manifest the marks of these sufferings which I shall show in my hands. And then mother, you will contemplate Eve alive as before, and you will cry out with joy, ‘He has saved my parents, my Son and my God …’”

Ludolph’s writing may not have been Ignatius’s only source. In the course of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Ignatius would have been aware of the standard itinerary of pilgrims to Jerusalem which included a visit to the chapel of Our Lady where Jesus first appeared to her after rising from the dead as was piously believed.

This was described in pilgrim guidebooks in the fifteenth century and it is very likely that Ignatius himself had visited this chapel.— To be continued

Prototype of the Easter Appearances This tradition of the Risen Christ meeting his mother first has an important place in the Spiritual Exercises.

For Ignatius, in the Fourth Week which is the final week of the contemplations on the life of Christ that deals with the appearance events of the Risen Lord, he puts the first appearance of Jesus to his blessed mother at the beginning. Ignatius knows that the gospels do not speak of a first appearance of the Lord to his mother. It is unbiblical.

But while acknowledging this explicit silence, he invites the retreatant to read the

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

CHILDREN

PAGE 13

Easter Calendar

Hi Kids!

There are 50 days in the Easter season.

Cut this Easter countdown calendar and stick in onto a manila card.

For each day of Easter starting from Easter Sunday (Day 1) and ending on Pentecost Sunday (Day 50), mark it off by colouring the box of the day.

You can use this as a bookmark too. Have fun!

Blessed Easter!

Jesus has risen and he has won a place for us with him in heaven.

Praise the Lord!

Alleluia!

Aunty Jo

Easter Colouring Contest

25 26 27

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” — John 20:24-29

24

28

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31 32 33 34 35 36

16 17 18 19 20

37

15

42 41 40 39 38

14 13 12 11 10 9

43

8

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1

50

He is not here

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said.

“You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.

He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

Mark 16:6 Complete this crossword puzzle based on the story of the resurrection of Jesus.

Colour this Easter picture and send your entries to: (Sila kemukakan ke:) Today’s Catholic, P O Box 940, 93718 Kuching, Sarawak Closing date: (Tarikh tutup:) 2 May 2018 Name/Nama: ____________________________________________________________________ Age/Umur: (12 and below) __________________ Tel No: ________________________________

ACROSS 1. To be filled with fear 3. The first or early part of the day 4. To return from death 6. To have nothing inside 7. A place where someone is buried; another name for grave 8. Having been put to death on a cross DOWN 1. Messengers from heaven 2. Not dead 3. The name of the woman who discovered Jesus’ empty tomb 5. What was used to cover the entrance to Jesus’ tomb

Address/Alamat: _________________________________________________________________ AFRAID ALIVE

ANGELS CRUCIFIED

EMPTY MARY

MORNING RISEN

STONE TOMB

_______________________________________________________________________________

YOUTH

PAGE 14

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

Youth 2018 BAU — The Working Adults Meetup (WAM) by CHOICE Kuching (Working Adults Ministry) & EMPOWERED Ministry (St Joseph's Cathedral, Parish Youth Ministry) went on a Lenten pilgrimage to the Catholic Memorial Pilgrimage Centre (CMPC) at Mount Singai, Bau on 18 March.

A group of 20 pilgrims set off on their journey up the mountain at 8am with Stations of the Cross, where the pilgrims took turns to lead as they reflected on the scripture passage of Jesus’ passion at each station.

At 10 am, the pilgrims attended Holy Mass presided by Fr Nicholas Ng, together with 90 students and teachers of St Joseph’s Chinese Sunday School, followed by fellowship over lunch. After being spiritually nourished and well fed, the pilgrims made their way down and headed back home.

The pilgrims shared that it

was a simple but wonderful experience with self-reflection.

They were reminded that they are sinners and the need to seek repentance from God. During the climb, they reflected that life is full of struggles but God is with us and gives us the strength to face life’s challenges.

WAM is a newly formed Working Adults Group which aims to gather those ages 20 and above – especially youths who have transitioned from teen-hood into young adulthood and working adults, for a time of formation and fellowship, in hope that this will provide an avenue for training, skills and support for the attendees maturing into adulthood.

The next WAM Gathering is scheduled for Friday 11 May followed by 8 June, 8 pm – 10 pm at St Joseph’s Cathedral Parish Centre. All (young) working adults are welcome.

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

YOUTH

PAGE 15

PAGE 22

FOKUS

TODAY’S CATHOLIC MARCH 2018

MENGENAI APOLOGETIK

Adakah Yesus Kristus disalibkan?

Oleh Diakon Dr Sherman Kuek, OFS

(Bahagian III)

Dalam dua artikel sebelum ini, saya telah menjelaskan pandangan orang Islam mengenai kepercayaan Kristian tentang penyaliban Yesus Kristus. Bagi mereka, ia adalah pandangan yang tidak dapat dipertahankan dan tidak perlu. Manusia tidak memerlukan orang lain untuk mati di tempatnya, dan berbeza daripada ajaran Kristian menurut Al-Kitab, upah dosa bukanlah kematian. Dalam fahaman mereka, Dosa Asal tidak membawa kematian kepada umat manusia pada keseluruhannya. Setiap individu mesti bertanggungjawab bagi dosanya sendiri.

Dengan itu, kita sekarang beralih kepada fahaman Kristian tentang penyaliban Yesus dan kenapa umat Kristian percaya ini adalah satu-satunya cara Allah dapat menyelamatkan umat manusia daripada diri kita sendiri dan dosa-dosa kita.

PANDANGAN KRISTIAN MENGENAI PENYALIBAN YESUS KRISTUS 1. Dosa Asal tidak menjadikan manusia itu sendiri bersalah sejak lahir.

Menurut ajaran Gereja Yang Katolik dan Kudus, Dosa Asal merupakan satu keadaan yang diwarisi semua manusia daripada Ibu Bapa Pertama (diwakili Adam dan Hawa) kerana keingkaran mereka kepada perintah Allah untuk tidak makan Buah dari Pokok Pengetahuan. Waktu Dosa Asal mengganggu keadaan umat manusia biasanya disebut sebagai ‘Kejatuhan Manusia’ (The Fall of Man).

Sementara bunyinya lebih baik untuk menyatakan kejatuhan umat manusia ada kaitan dengan godaan yang dibawa oleh syaitan, ia juga adalah pilihan untuk mencabar atau menentang ketuanan Allah ke atas kita. Sebelum itu, umat manusia telah dicipta menurut gambaran dan kesamaan Allah, yang Allah isytiharkan sebagai bagus (Kejadian 1:26-31). Gambaran dan kesamaan Allah yang meresap di dalam umat manusia bermakna manusia menikmati rahmat asal dan kekudusan.

Karya penciptaan lain dikongsikan oleh Allah dengan manusia sehinggakan dia diberi kekuasaan, bidang kuasa, ke atas semua makhluk lain. Bersama kedudukan yang amat tinggi ini, Allah memberi perintah ini kepada manusia: “Kamu bebas untuk makan daripada semua pohon dalam taman ini, tetapi kamu tidak boleh makan daripada pohon pengetahuan tentang kebaikan dan kejahatan; kerana pada hari kamu memakannya, kamu pasti akan mati.” (Kejadian 2:16-17) Kita dapat melihat di sini bahawa Allah membuat perjanjian dengan manusia. Ia memberi kepada manusia kedudukan yang sangat bermaruah sehinggakan manusia secara harfiah adalah raja segala penciptaan. Namun bersama dengannya, Allah memerlukan hanya satu sahaja timbal balik: pengiktirafan terhadap ketuanan Allah ke atas kita. Tetapi kita gagal untuk mematuhi perjanjian ini.

Isu yang menjadi persoalan bukanlah buah tetapi kuasa Allah ke atas kehidupan dan takdir manusia. Dan sama seperti malaikat, manusia telah diberi kehendak bebas (freewill) untuk memilih, iaitu satu anugerah kerana kasih Allah bagi mereka yang Dia cipta. Pilihan untuk mengingkari perintah Allah akhirnya menyebabkan kita mewarisi sifat kita yang berdosa. Kita mendapati diri kita secara semula jadi cenderung ke arah pemberontakan untuk menentang perintah Allah hanya kerana kita sekarang sedari kita dapat berbuat demikian.

Pilihan manusia untuk mengingkari perintah Allah dengan memakan “buah larangan” menjelaskan apa yang dimaksudkan dengan Dosa Asal, iaitu kecenderungan untuk memilih kehendak kita sendiri dan bukan kehendak Allah bagi kita. Daripada tunduk kepada ketuanan Allah, umat manusia ketuanannya sendiri ke atas diri sendiri dengan memilih untuk memakan buah itu, dan dengan berbuat demikian, menjadikan dirinya “seperti Allah” (Kejadian 3:5). Ini adalah satu peristiwa yang mengubah keadaan kita buat selama-lamanya, kerana kesucian kita tentang kebaikan dan kejahatan kini sudah amat tercemar dan dosa telah memasuki dunia kita.

Disebabkan oleh kejatuhan itu, manusia kini sensitif kepada tarikan dosa dan segalanya yang ia janjikan. Jiwanya menjadi lemah, persahabatannya dengan Allah cedera, dan kecenderungannya untuk berjalan dalam dosa dan kehendak diri telah menjadi satu ketagihan yang membuatkannya tidak berdaya.

Bagaimanapun, Dosa Asal sendiri tidak merujuk kepada perbuatan salah yang dilakukan dengan sengaja, tetapi sebaliknya, penjangkitan keadaan atau penyakit rohani. Ia adalah keadaan di mana jiwa cenderung menentang Allah dan

Ikon penyaliban dari abad ke-14 kehendakNya. Ia juga adalah ketiadaan kekudusan dan rahmat asal yang digunakan oleh Allah untuk mencipta kita (Kejadian 1:31). Dosa Asal mendorong seseorang itu untuk seterusnya melakukan dosa peribadi. Apabila ia memasuki manusia, Dosa Asal telah menjejaskan kita buat selama-lamanya. Kita sekarang sudah memiliki sifat yang lemah (berdosa), sifat yang cacat dari segi rohani, sifat yang tidak dapat disembuhkan atau dipulihkan tanpa kerja Yesus Kristus di atas salib.

Apabila ibu bapa pertama melanggar perjanjian dengan Allah, Allah dengan setia memperbaharui dan memperkembangkan perjanjian itu dengan generasi manusia seterusnya yang turut gagal dalam perjanjian mereka denganNya disebabkan oleh Dosa Asal. Kerja Allah yang memperbaharui perjanjianNya dengan semua generasi manusia bertujuan untuk membawa kepada perjanjian terakhir yang akan diwujudkan dalam Yesus Kristus sendiri.

Bagi tujuan perjanjian yang muktamad dan mutlak ini, Yesus Kristus akan menawar diri sendiri sebagai korban sempurna untuk memecah sumpahan Dosa Asal selama zaman berzaman. Seterusnya, manusia tidak lagi perlu menjadi hamba kepada Dosa Asal. Semua orang yang ingin memasuki perjanjian muktamad ini boleh berbuat demikian menerusi sakramen pembaptisan. Pembaptisan membuang Dosa Asal (dan juga dosa peribadi). Ia menjadikan seseorang itu ciptaan baharu dalam Yesus Kristus.

Seperti selama ini, kemasukan ke dalam perjanjian baharu dan terakhir dengan Allah ini didasari kehendak kita yang bebas.

Alleluia! Dia sudah bangkit!

Selamat menyambut Paska!

IMAN DAN HIDUP

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

PAGE 23

Ditangkap basah Salah satu kisah paling menarik dalam Injil dapat dibaca dalam Yohanes 8:1-11.

Dalam era “#metoo” sekarang, iaitu pergerakan yang mendedahkan pengalaman wanita yang mengalami serangan seksual, bacaan ini menceritakan satu insiden mengenai penindasan dan kecaman ke atas seorang wanita serta reaksi Yesus yang menakjubkan kepadanya.

Dalam Yohanes, seorang wanita yang “ditangkap basah ketika dia melakukan perzinaan” dibawa ke hadapan Yesus oleh katib dan Farisi.

Saya selalu tertanya-tanya bagaimana generasi pada masa lalu melihat berita baik Yesus dengan cara yang berlainan daripada kita.

Bagaimanakah mereka menggunakan imaginasi mereka untuk merenungkan senario ini?

Hari ini, ia mungkin jarang sekali bagi orang yang membaca cerita ini untuk tidak segera bertanya mengenai lelaki yang berzina dengan wanita ini.

Ungkapan itu bergema: “ditangkap basah”. Jika kita menangkap seseorang dengan begitu jelas, sudah tentulah si pasangan dapat dikenali dengan jelas.

Namun hanya wanita iru sahaja yang diheret dengan kasar ke depan dan ditolak ke hadapan Yesus di tengah-tengah sekumpulan lelaki yang menganggap diri benar. Di manakah pasangan yang berzina dengannya?

Kenapakah dia tidak dikecam dan diugut secara terbuka? Hukum Musa, kata lelaki-lelaki tersebut, menuntut agar “:wanita sedemikian” direjam dengan batu.

Dalam lipatan sejarah – dan malah pada hari ini – wanita selalunya

oleh Effie Caldarola

menanggung akibat bagi kesalahan seksual dalam masyarakat. Tidak lama yang lalu, remaja mengandung yang tidak berkahwin telah dibawa ke rumah bersalin manakala si bapa dibiarkan untuk menamatkan pengajian di sekolah tinggi.

Dalam cerita Yohanes, kami sekali lagi terpegun dengan kelemahlembutan dan belaskasihan Yesus, cara Dia merentasi sempadan ke dalam kehidupan wanita, bercakap dengan mereka dan membela mereka.

Satu misteri dalam cerita ini ialah apa yang ditulis oleh Yesus di dalam tanah.

Dua kali Dia tunduk dan menggunakan jarinya untuk menulis dalam debu Palestin.

Kemudian Yesus bertanya kepada lelaki-lelaki tadi, dengan wajah yang

Hati ke hati...

dari pena penulis jemputan,

Fr Lazarus Swinie

Siapakah yang layak untuk menerima cinta kasih dan pengampunan Tuhan?

Saya percaya bahawa ramai di antara kita telah menghafal jalan cerita dalam perumpamaan anak lelaki yang hilang (Lukas 15:11-32). Anak yang sulung bekerja keras di ladang bapa tetapi anak yang bongsu ingin mengikut jalannya sendiri di luar.

Berbekalkan kemurahan hati bapa, dia telah merantau jauh.

Dia sangat gembira dengan tindakannya yang memilih jalannya sendiri. Walaupun demikian, kegembiraan

yang dinikmati olehnya di luar hanyalah bersifat sementara.

Jalan yang dilalui oleh anak yang bongsu itu membawa kesengsaraan kepadanya. Dia menyesal dan ingin kembali kepada bapa.

Kepulangan anak yang bongsu diterima dengan meriah oleh bapanya. Hati bapa penuh dengan belas kasihan apabila melihat anak bongsunya.

Pakaian yang sudah lusuh pada badan anak yang bongsu ditukar dengan yang baharu. Bapa juga mengadakan pesta besar-besaran untuk menyambut kepulangan anak bongsunya. Anak yang

saya bayangkan sebagai masam dan marah, siapa di antara mereka yang tidak ada dosa. Biarlah lelaki itu melontar batu pertama, Seorang demi seorang, bermula dengan yang paling tua, mereka berundur dengan senyap. Mereka merayap ke tempat lain. Adakah kemarahan mereka kini digantikan dengan rasa malu?

Pandangan? Adakah dosa mereka ditulis di atas jalan itu?

Yesus, yang datang untuk menunaikan hukum dan nabi, tidak memerlukan hukum keagamaan yang dibuat oleh lelaki yang mengutamakan kuasa lebih daripada belas kasihan. Seperti apa yang dimaklumkan oleh seorang pengarah rohani kepada penyampai homili Jesuit yang saya gemari, “Tuhan kita adalah pelanggaran peraturan. Jangan fokus

kepada peraturan. Fokus kepada Tuhan.”

Bacaan ini menggambarkan belaskasihan Yesus yang tinggi terhadap orang lemah - dalam kes ini, si wanita itu. Yesus berdiri bersama semua yang tertindas, mangsa rogol sebagai alat perang, pendatang yang tanpa belas kasihan dipisahkan dari keluarga mereka dan dihantar pulang ke negara asal, mereka yang dipinggirkan kerana kaum atau agama mereka, mereka yang terperangkap dalam kitaran kemiskinan yang tidak putus-putus, mangsa keganasan, mereka yang menunggu pelaksanaan hukuman mati.

Yesus adalah Tuhan orang lemah.

Dia bercakap kepada wanita itu: “Adakah orang mengecam kamu?”

Apabila dia menjawab tidak ada, Yesus berkata, dalam suara yang saya bayangkan penuh dengan kasih sayang, “Aku juga tidak mengecam kamu.” Dia menyuruh wanita itu pulang dengan nasihat untuk tidak berdosa lagi.

Saya meneliti peranan saya sendiri dalam cerita ini. Siapakah yang saya kecam? Mungkin tidak dalam cara yang besar, tetaoi dalam “tsk, tsk” yany senyap dalam fikiran saya.

Betapa kerapkah saya menggelengkan kepala, dan menyangka saya dapat mengarahkan orang untuk membuat pilihan yang lebih baik, sedangkan saya sendiri menghadapi cabaran yang cukup besar? Dosa saya yang manakah akan ditukis di dalam debu itu?

Jika Yesus berdiri dengan belaskasihan bersama orang lemah, di sanalah orang Kristian dicabar untuk berdiri. Adakah saya berdiri di sana?

Adakah kita berdiri di sana sebagai gereja? — CNS (Terjemahan)

Kebangkitan Yesus telah membawa harapan kepada kita untuk menikmati kehidupan yang abadi dan sempurna. bongsu telah menerima kembali segala yang pernah dinikmatinya bersama bapa di rumah bapanya atas belas kasih bapa.

Saya percaya, kadangkadang kita juga mempunyai sikap seperti anak yang bongsu itu iaitu ingin memilih jalan kita sendiri. Jalan yang bertentangan dengan jalan Tuhan kelihatan lebih menarik dan menjanjikan kebahagiaan kepada kita. Tuhan telah memberi kita akal yang sempurna untuk memilih jalan sama ada yang baik ataupun yang buruk. Berbekalkan bakat dan kepintaran yang telah dianugerahkan oleh Tuhan, kita gunakan untuk memenuhi impian kita sendiri. Kita menjadi terkenal kerana bakat dan kepintaran yang kita miliki.

Segala milik kita hanyalah bersifat sementara. Hanya rahmat dan belas kasih Tuhan yang abadi.

Rahmat dan belas kasih Tuhan tidak pernah pudar. Ianya adalah anugerah dari Allah Bapa yang tidak ternilai walaupun

kita telah pernah memilih jalan kita sendiri. Pagi Paskah adalah kemuncak rahmat dan belas kasih Tuhan terhadap kita yang berdosa. Kebangkitan Allah Putera dari kewafatan-Nya telah memperbaharui kehidupan manusia yang telah musnah akibat dari dosa dan kelalaian manusia sendiri.

Hanya Tuhanlah yang dapat memberi kehidupan dan kebahagiaan kepada kita. Untuk itu, katakata Yohanes Pembaptis, “bertaubatlah daripada dosa kamu ... sediakanlah jalan untuk Tuhan, luruskanlah jalan bagiNya” (Lukas 3:3-4) haruslah menjadi pedoman untuk kita mencari jalan keluar dari jalan kita sendiri kepada jalan Tuhan.

Setiap kali kita datang ke gereja untuk perayaan hari minggu atau Misa Kudus, kita datang sebagai anak-anak yang hilang. Kita ‘hilang’ disebabkan oleh dosa dan kelalaian yang telah kita lakukan dari masa ke semasa. Itulah sebabnya kita memulakan perayaan hari

minggu atau Misa Kudus dengan pernyataan tobat.

Kita ingin merendahkan diri di hadapan Tuhan. Kita ingin berdamai dengan Tuhan dan sesama umat.

Tuhan tidak melihat dosa tetapi keikhlasan untuk bertaubat. Oleh yang demikian, semua orang layak untuk menerima cinta kasih dan pengampunan Tuhan.

Hubungan yang terputus boleh dipulihkan melalui Yesus. Kata-Nya, “Akulah jalan untuk mengenal Allah dan untuk mendapat hidup” (Yohanes 14:6). Kebangkitan Yesus pada pagi Paskah telah membuka lembaran baharu kepada semua manusia. Jika Yesus tidak bangkit dari kewafatan-Nya maka iman kita adalah sia-sia. Kebangkitan Yesus telah membawa harapan kepada kita untuk menikmati kehidupan yang abadi dan sempurna.

Fr Lazarus Swinie

PAGE 24

IMAN DAN HIDUP

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

Regina caeli laetare, alleluia: Kemunculan Pertama Tuhan Yang Bangkit kepada BondaNya yang tidak ada dalam Al-Kitab (Bahagian I) Oleh Fr Francis Lim, SJ Prolog Terdapat satu adat Paska yang menarik di Filipina yang kemungkinan besar berasal dari Sepanyol (yang masih diamalkan di sana), iaitu, Salubong atau pertemuan di antara Kristus Yang Bangkit dengan ibuNya pada awal pagi Ahad Paska.

Pada waktu subuh pada hari yang mulia itu, ketika keadaan masih gelap, anggota paroki wanita gereja akan berhimpun di sebuah tempat di luar gereja bersama patung Bonda Kita yang memakai baju hitam tanda berkabung. Namun di bawah lapisan hitam ini ialah jubah kegembiraan Paskanya yang berwarna putih. Anggota paroki lelaki dari gereja yang sama akan berkumpul di tempat lain bersama patung Kristus Yang Bangkit. Kedua-dua kumpulan akan mula berarak untuk bertemu di hadapan gereja pada waktu subuh apabila sinaran mentari pertama mula menerangi langit.

Apabila kedua-dua patung bertemu, dalam satu gerakan yang dramatik, baju hitam Bonda kita dibuka dengan cepat untuk mendedahkan baju putihnya yang cantik di bawah yang melambangkan kegembiraan Paskanya berbanding baju hitamnya yang menyedihkan bagi Jumaat Agung dan Sabtu Kudus.

Terdapat juga satu liturgi kepausan yang memperingati acara ini pada Ahad Paska di Basilika St Mary Major di Rom. Tradisi Zaman Berzaman Peristiwa ini tidak direkodkan dalam Al-Kitab. Bagaimanapun, ia adalah satu tradisi dari zaman purba. Di pihak Gereja Barat, tradisi itu dapat dikesan ke abad keempat dalam tulisan St Ambrose tetapi ia menimbulkan tanda tanya sama ada beliau bercakap mengenai Bonda Maria atau Maria Magdalena.

Di pihak Gereja Timur, rekod paling awal juga dapat dikesan pada abad keempat, dalam komentari Diatessaron of Tatian, yang dipelihara dalam bahasa klasik Aramaik, ditulis oleh St Ephrem. Disebabkan oleh satu kesilapan dalam manuskrip kitab yang ada padanya, Ephrem berpendapat kemunculan pertama Tuhan Yang Bangkit adalah kepada Maria, ibuNya dan bukan Mary Magdalena. Maria, ibuNya ingin menyentuh Anaknya yang bangkit sebagai seorang ibu, tetapi Yesus menyatakan dari saat itu Yohanes adalah anaknya. Ingat bahawa di atas salib, menurut Injil Yohanes, Yesus sudah mengamanahkan ibuNya kepada murid yang disayangiNya dan kita andaikan sebagai Yohanes. Cara Ephrem memahami perenggan ini jelas sekali tidak ada asas. Bagaimanapun, walaupun takwil beliau tidak betul, Ephrem mengandaikan pertemuan di antara Tuhan Yang Bangkit dengan bondaNya kerana kolaborasi mereka yang unik dan intim dalam karya penyelamatan. Maria adalah orang yang menerima buah pertama daripada kebangkitanNya daripada kematian.

St John Chrysostom, juga pada abad keempat, mendapati “seorang lagi Maria” bersama Maria Magdala dalam kisah Matius mengenai kebangkitan (Matius 28:1-10) adalah bonda Yesus. Pada mulanya, mereka dikemukakan sebagai sedang duduk di hadapan kubur sejurus selepas pengebumian (Matius 27:61). Kemudian menjelang subuh pada hari pertama minggu, mereka melawat kubur dan selepas gempa bumi berlaku, melihat malaikat mengumumkan kebangkitan dan kemudian Yesus sendiri menampakkan diri kepada mereka. Dua wanita ini adalah orang pertama yang melihat Kristus yang sudah bangkit.

Pada abad keenam, Severus, Patriark Antioch, mengembangkan pendapat teologi mengenai saranan Chrysostom. Menurutnya, “seorang lagi Maria” itu tidak terpisah jauh daripada Kesengsaraan. Dia tetap dekat dengan salib dan oleh itu ia memang betul bahawa berita gembira itu diumumkan juga kepadanya memandangkan dia turut mengalami kesengsaraan salib dan sekarang dia berkongsi dalam kegembiraan kebangkitan. Mereka yang berkongsi dalam penderitaan Kristus juga akan berkongsi dalam kegembiraan PaskaNya (cf 2 Korintus 1:3-8). Dalam bukunya Spiritual Exercises, St Ignatius Loyola juga becakap mengenai mereka yang mengikuti Kristus, bahawa dengan mengikutiNya dalam penderitaanNya, mereka juga mengikutiNya dalam kemuliaan (Sp Ex 95).

Menurut penulis yang disebut di atas, idea mereka ialah untuk memastikan Bonda Kita dalam kesedihannya tidak meninggalkan kubur pada petang pengebumian dan oleh yang demikian, dia dengan cara ini menjadi orang pertama untuk berjumpa dengan Tuhan Yang Bangkit pada pagi kebangkitan.

Sebaliknya, Ignatius dalam Spiritual Exercises meletakkan Maria di dalam rumahnya sambil menunggu dengan sabar untuk Tuhan Yang Bangkit menampakkan diri kepadanya.

Prototaip Penampakan Paska Tradisi Kristus Bangkit yang bertemu dengan bondaNya ini mempunyai tempat yang penting dalam Spiritual Exercises.

Bagi Ignatius, pada Minggu Keempat iaitu minggu terakhir bagi renungan

mengenai kehidupan Kristus yang menangani peristiwa kemunculan Tuhan Yang Bangkit, beliau meletakkan penampakan pertama Yesus kepada bondaNya pada permulaan. Ignatius tahu bahawa Injil tidak bercakap mengenai penampakan pertama Tuhan kepada ibuNya. Ia tidak ada dalam Al-Kitab.

Namun, walaupun mengakui kesenyapan yang jelas ini, beliau menjemput perenung untuk membaca kisah ini dari dalam hati; kerana Al-Kitab menyebut bahawa Kristus Tuhan Kita menampakkan diri kepada ramai orang lain selain muridmuridNya selepas kebangkitanNya (cf 1 Korintus 15:6, Sp Ex 299) termasuk Bonda Kita. Beliau seterusnya menganggap penafian terhadap penampakan ini sebagai kekurangan kepercayaan, “hai orang-orang yang kurang percaya” (cf Matius 16:8).

Mengambil kira kasih biasa Tuhan Kita kepada bondaNya dan kita, sebagai orang percaya biasa, pasti ada kefahaman untuk menerima ini, “adakah kamu juga masih tidak ada kefahaman?” (cf Matius 15:16). Ia pasti tidak dapat difikirkan bahawa Tuhan Yang Bangkit tidak akan menampakkan diri kepada bondaNya sedangkan Dia menampakkan diri kepada begitu ramai orang lain yang sekurang-kurangnya setara.

Ignatius menganggap penampakan ini sebagai prototaip bagi semua penampakan Paska lain kerana kegembiraan begitu tinggi yang dibawa oleh Tuhan Yang Bangkit.

Pada Minggu Keempat, Ignatius mengarahkan perenung untuk meminta rahmat agar bergembira kerana kemuliaan dan kegembiraan Kristus Tuhan kita. Tumpuan utama Minggu Keempat adalah Tuhan Yang Bangkit dan kegembiraan Paska yang datang bersama Tuhan ini. Dengan cara ini penampakan pertama kepada Bonda Kita menjadi perbualan pertama dengan Bonda Kita agar dia boleh mendapatkan bagi kita rahmat yang dia sendiri alami dalam pertemuan Paska pertamanya bersama Tuhan.

Pertemuan Gembira Yang Intim Dalam kontemplasi ini, Ignatius menggalakkan perenung untuk membayangkan rumah di mana Bonda Kita berada, bagaimana Tuhan Kita Yang Bangkit muncul dalam kemuliaan kepadanya dan bagaimana Yesus menghiburkannya seperti kawankawan menghiburkan satu sama lain (Sp Ex 218-225). Ia adalah kegembiraan penghiburan yang Kristus bawa dan bukan untuk membuktikan kebangkitanNya. St Albert the Great menulis, “Kristus menampakkan diri kepada bondaNya, bukan untuk membuktikan kebangkitanNya, tetapi untuk menggembirakan bondaNya kerana melihatNya.” Ignatius mungkin mendapat idea ini daripada membaca buku tulisan Ludolph Si Carthusian Life of Christ, yang beliau gunakan ketika beliau berehat untuk pulih daripada luka kakinya.

Dalam bab 70 buku itu, Ludolph menceritakan bagaimana wanita-wanita yang pergi ke kubur untuk mengurap jenazah Yesus berbuat demikian dengan kebenaran bondaNya. Bagaimanapun, Bonda Maria tidak pergi bersama wanita-wanita tersebut.

Ia pasti terlalu berat untuknya dan lagipun, Yohanes, yang telah diamanahkan kepadanya oleh Yesus, tidak akan membenarkannya untuk pergi. Tambahan pula, dia tahu dia tidak ada di sana, tetapi sudah bangkit untuk hidup selama-lamanya dan tidak reput. Dan ketika dia berdoa dan menangis bersendirian dalam tempat terpencil di rumahnya, tiba-tiba Yesus Yang Bangkit muncul. Dia memelukNya. Kesedihannya telah berubah menjadi kegembiraan. Sambil berkongsi kegembiraan mereka dan dengan kasih sayang yang gembira dengan kemenangan paska Tuhan, mereka duduk dan berbual mengenai bagaimana Dia telah membebaskan umatNya dari kuasa neraka dan apa yang Dia buat dalam masa tiga hari itu. Dia berkata, “Lihatlah di sini, kemenangan paska yang hebat.” Maria memberi jaminan kepada dirinya sendiri bahawa penderitaanNya benar-benar sudah berakhir.

Maka itu, menurut Ludolph juga, Kristus menampakkan diri pertama sekali kepada Bonda Perawan Maria, bukan untuk membuktikan kebangkitanNya, tetapi untuk memberi kegembiraan yang tidak terhingga kepadanya kerana melihatNya. Untuk menyuarakan kegembiraan Bonda Kita ini, ada penulis lain yang telah menggunakan juga sajak-sajak cinta dalam Kidung Agung di mana aspek paska amat dikenali. Mereka juga menggunakan doa gembira yang menggantikan Angelus pada waktu Paska, Regina Caeli Laetare – bersukacitalah Ratu Syurga keranaTuhan sudah bangkit seperti apa yang Dia katakan.

Perbualan Ludolph di antara Kristus dan bondaNya mungkin ada sumber daripada perbualan lebih awal. Contohnya, dalam satu bahagian Koptik bagi Injil Bartholomew dari abad keempat, terdapat satu perbualan dengan nada yang sama: Tuhan Kita menyapa bondaNya dengan cara ini, “Damai beserta kamu yang telah melahirkan kehidupan dunia ... Maria, bondaKu, orang yang menyayangi kamu menyayangi kehidupan.”

(Akan bersambung)

BERITA

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

PAGE 25

CATHOLIC today’s THE TEAM

Fikirkanlah perkara ini (Phil 4:8)...

PENERBIT Uskup Agung Kuching PENASIHAT Fr Felix Au EDITOR Stella Chin EDITOR BERSEKUTU (B Cina) Magdalene Yeo SIDANG EDITOR Freddy Bohari (BM) Martha Ngui (B Inggeris) Victoria J Lim (Halaman Kanak-kanak B Inggeris) James Lo (B Cina) Margaret Bong (Halaman Kanak-kanak B Cina) STAF Audrey Yu

Nilai kita yang sebenar tidak merangkumi apa yang manusia fikirkan tentang kita. Kita yang sebenar merangkumi apa yang Tuhan tahu tentang diri kita.

— St John Berchmans

Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Malaysia ke Nigeria rasa damai dalam doa

KUCHING — Rakyat Sarawak, khususnya masyarakat Bidayuh, berbangga dengan pelantikan Puan Gloria Corina Peter Tiwet sebagai Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Malaysia ke Nigeria.

Beliau merupakan wanita Bidayuh pertama yang dilantik untuk menjadi seorang utusan Malaysia.

Jemaat Katolik dalam Keuskupan Agung Kuching turut rasa gembira. Gloria merupakan seorang anggota paroki Katedral St Joseph dan menghadiri Misa Ahad bersama keluarganya.

Dilahirkan pada 1972, Gloria adalah anak keempat daripada enam orang anak kepada Peter Tiwet, 74 tahun, dan Lucy Rippiang, 72 tahun.

Kedua-dua ibu bapa berasal dari Singai, Bau. Gloria dan adik beradiknya membesar dan mendapat pendidikan mereka di Kuching.

Gloria menerima pendidikan rendah dan menengah masingmasing di SRB dan SMB St Teresa. Selepas Tingkatan Enam di Sekolah Menengah St Joseph, beliau melanjutkan pelajaran dalam Sains Politik di Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang.

Gloria Tiwet (kedua dari kiri) bergambar bersama Uskup Agung Simon Poh, ibu bapa dan suami beliau (pertama dari kiri) Pada zaman sekolah menengah, Gloria bergiat aktif dalam organisasi ‘Young Christian Students’ (YCS).

“YCS adalah keluarga bagi saya kerana YCS St Teresa dan YCS St Joseph dahulu selalu mengadakan program bersama,” katanya kepada Today’s Catholic dalam satu temu ramah pada 24 Mac lepas.

Air mata yang bergenangan membayangkan betapa beliau amat menyayangi YCS. “Ketika saya dalam Tingkatan Empat, saya membantu sebagai pembaca pada waktu Doa Pagi. Ketika saya membuat pembacaan pada

pagi tadi dalam Misa, ia ternyata nostalgik,” kata Gloria.

Uskup Agung Simon Poh merayakan Misa Kesyukuran untuk Gloria dan keluarga serta rakan-rakannya pada pagi 24 Mac. “Aktiviti kami (dalam YCS) khususnya memberi tumpuan kepada usaha menyokong satu sama lain dan berkhidmat kepada masyarakat,” kata Gloria.

Aktiviti lain termasuk mengutip dana daripada keluarga, rakan-rakan dan orang ramai pada musim Lent, melayani dalam koir, kerja sukarela dan lawatan ke

Kaunseling Krisis Kehamilan Kumpulan Pro-Life menyediakan: + Kaunseling Krisis Kehamilan - Secara peribadi atau melalui telefon - Sulit dan rahsia + Maklumat berkenaan kehamilan dan jahat pengguguran + Tempat berteduh + Sokongan satu dengan satu semasa dan selepas kehamilan + Bantu mengatur pengambilan anak angkat sebagai satu alternatif kepada pengguguran Hubungan kami Telefon: 082-413454

E-mel: kprolife@gmail.com

Atau datang ke Pejabat Pro-Life: Christian Ecumenical Worship Centre, 1st Floor, Lot 2500, Jalan Stampin, 93350 Kuching Laman web: http://www.prolifegroupkuching.org

Cheshire Home dan sebagainya, selain menyertai program belia di Bau. Ketika beliau pertama kali mengenali Uskup Agung Simon Poh dan Father John Chong, ketika kedua-duanya masih seminarian, kedua-dua mereka bekerja dengan golongan belia.

Gloria sentiasa percaya bahawa pendidikan adalah cara untuk maju ke hadapan. Ibu bapanya memainkan peranan penting di dalam kejayaannya pada hari ini.

“Ketika saya muda, ibu bapa saya, terutamanya bapa saya, memastikan kami fasih berbahasa Inggeris,” kata Gloria.

“Pada waktu malam, kami akan menonton berita dalam bahasa Inggeris, membaca akhbar Inggeris dan bermain ‘scrabble’.”

Apa yang beliau lihat dalam televisyen ketika beliau berusia sembilan tahun menjadi impiannya.

“Saya melihat seorang wanita menerima skrol daripada Yang Di-Pertuan Agong.

Sebagai seorang kanak-kanak perempuan yang kecil, saya juga mahu menjadi seperti wanita itu untuk berjumpa dengan raja.

Impian itu kekal bersama saya,”

ALKITAB VERSI BORNEO

kata Gloria.

Beliau seterusnya mengejar cita-cita untuk menjadi wanita yang beliau lihat dalam televisyen, sesuatu yang sudah menjadi realiti.

“Saya menyertai perkhidmatan diplomatik pentadbiran sejurus selepas saya lulus dari USM. Tahun ini adalah tahun ke-22 saya dalam perkhidmatan. Ia sangat mencabar, memuaskan hati, banyak tangisan dan titik peluh, tetapi saya percaya bahawa segalanya itu adalah demi tujuan yang baik,” katanya.

Pada 12 Februari lalu, Gloria menerima instrumen pelantikannya sebagai utusan Malaysia daripada Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V, di Istana Negara.

Gloria ditugaskan ke Santiago, Chile pada 2002-2003, Buenos Aires, Argentina pada 2003-2006, dan Stockholm, Sweden pada 2011-2015.

Sebelum beliau ditugaskan ke Nigeria, beliau menjadi pengarah Pejabat Wilayah Sarawak dalam Kementerian Luar.

• Bersambung di ms26

“Saya mendapati terjemahan AVB tepat dan ia menyampaikan Firman Tuhan dengan indah sekali dalam Bahasa Malaysia.”

— Uskup Agung Simon Poh (Perutusan Krismas 2017)

Adakah anda mempunyai Alkitab Versi Borneo (AVB)? Muat turun secara percuma di Google Play dan Apple App Store D ap at k an d i

D apatk an di

BERITA

PAGE 26

Blok Rosari Tagan Melanau KUCHING — Jemaat Melanau Katolik merupakan golongan minoriti dalam masyarakat mahupun gereja, namun sumbangan mereka kepada masyarakat dan gereja tempatan tidak kurang besarnya.

Mengambil kira jumlah orang Melanau Katolik yang semakin ramai berhijrah ke bandar, inisiatif telah diambil oleh sekumpulan penggiat yang prihatin untuk mewujudkan satu wadah yang boleh menjadi rujukan khusus bagi masyarakat Melanau Katolik dalam Keuskupan Agung Kuching, Sehubungan itu, Blok Rosari Tagan Melanau (BRTM) telah ditubuhkan pada 29 April 2017 untuk menghimpunkan semua Melanau Katolik yang bermastautin dalam keuskupan agung ini bagi membina kesatuan, kekuatan dan keimanan selain menjaga kebajikan mereka. (Tagan bermaksud keluarga dalam

HAMBA-HAMBA BRTM ... (Duduk dari kiri) Timbalan Bendahari Nancy Andrew, Bendahari Alice Dominic, Timbalan Presiden Konos Jenal, Penasihat Francis Ripin, Presiden Paulus Lawrence, Setiausaha Freddy Bohari dan Timbalan Setiausaha Julian Had. AJK: Olivia Nebi, Rose Pudong, Charlene Bernadette, David Dunit, Malcolm Francis, Joshua Dunald, Rosaline Stanislaus. (Tiada dalam gambar Lawrence Jemaee, Patricia Raina, Louisa Alexis) Bahasa Melanau.)

Untuk maklumat lanjut, Pada 19 September 2017, jemaat, terutamanya dari Rektor Katedral St Joseph, masyarakat Melanau, boleh Father Jerome Juleng, selaku menghubungi Francis Ripin Pembimbing Rohani, secara (HP No. 011-14039772), rasmi mengiktiraf blok rosari Paulus Lawrence (HP No. 019ini yang bernaung di bawah 8460766) dan Freddy Bohari kerasulan Family Block Rosary (HP No. 013-8829673).

Groups Paroki Katedral.

Sumbangan

Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Malaysia ke Nigeria rasa damai dalam doa

• Bersambung dari ms25 Ditanya mengenai cabaran yang beliau hadapi ketika di bumi asing, beliau berkata setiap negara adalah berbeza.

“Ia bergantung kepada negara berkenaan - rakyat, kebudayaan, etika kerja, cuaca, makanan, persekitaran dari segi kerja, kita tidak tahu apa yang akan berlaku. Kita tidak dapat meramalkannya.”

Mengenai tugasan baharunya ke Nigeria, beliau sudah mempersiapkan diri.

“Saya sudah bersedia dari segi pekerjaan. Saya menyediakan diri secara mental dan fizikal bagi apa sahaja yang mungkin akan berlaku nanti. Sebagai Pesuruhjaya Tinggi, saya membawa nama negara dan Raja bersama saya.

Saya percaya dengan iman dan doa, segalanya akan berjalan dengan baik.”

Kepercayaannya kepada Tuhan berkembang dan menjadi matang menerusi YCS. Kepercayaan Katoliknya sangat penting bagi dirinya.

Tuhan sentiasa menjadi sumber kekuatannya.

“Sepanjang perjalanan hidup saya, Tuhan ada bersama saya. Saya mengucapkan terima kasih kepada YCS bagi program yang telah membina diri saya. Terdapat elemen doa untuk membina kepercayaan kita. Apabila kita semakin tua, kita terus mengamalkan apa yang telah kita pelajari dan meletakkan kepercayaan kepada Tuhan,” kata Gloria.

Bagi seorang Katolik yang dihantar ke negara seperti Nigeria di mana penindasan ke atas orang Kristian wujud, tidakkah Gloria rasa bimbang?

Jawapannya adalah ya, tetapi beliau percaya kepada pelindungan dan bantuan Tuhan.

“Saya memang rasa bimbang jika saya terlalu memikirkannya.

Terdapat lebih 100 suruhanjaya tinggi di Abuja,” katanya.

“Jangan bimbang mengenai perkara yang tidak wujud dalam realiti. Rasailah kedamaian.

Kedamaian boleh diperolehi dalam doa.”

Pada hari ini, ramai ibu bapa Katolik menganggap mencapai kecemerlangan akademik adalah lebih penting berbanding membantu anak-anak mereka membina perhubungan dengan Tuhan. Ini ternyata dalam keahlian yang semakin menurun dalam YCS serta pembabitan yang kurang dalam aktiviti belia.

Mengenai perkara ini, Gloria ada pesanan untuk ibu bapa.

“Perkembangan kanakkanak tidak tertumpu kepada akademik sahaja tetapi holistik.

Ya, mereka perlu belajar dengan tekun dan mendapatkan gred yang baik, tetapi itu bukan segalanya. Kita juga perlu menyediakan masa dan ruang untuk anak-anak kita supaya mereka dapat berkembang dari segi rohani.”

“Ibu bapa, luangkan masa bersama anak-anak anda, sertai mereka dalam aktiviti mereka.

Kadang-kadang apabila kita

sudah berusia, kita lupa betapa seronoknya kita ketika kita muda. Sebagai ibu bapa, kita perlu membimbing anak-anak kita ke jalan yang betul, dan jalan yang betul adalah untuk mendekatkan lagi mereka kepada Tuhan.”

Kepada pelajar dan belia, beliau berkongsi rahsia kejayaannya.

“Fokus kepada apa yang anda ingin capai, tetapi jangan sisihkan orang yang anda sayangi. Ibu bapa anda akan sentiasa ada di sana untuk membimbing anda. Berdoa kepada Tuhan, Dia akan sentiasa memimpin anda. Apa pun yang berlaku sepanjang perjalanan, percayalah bahawa sebab sentiasa ada kenapa sesuatu itu berlaku, dan lambat-laun anda akan faham,” katanya.

Gloria menggalakkan pelajar untuk menyertai YCS. “YCS memberi kita kestabilan dan kepercayaan.

Menerusi aktivitinya, anda berpeluang untuk berinteraksi dengan ramai rakan anda, tetapi pada akhirnya, ia bergantung kepada anda dan Tuhan. Ini adalah perjalanan anda. Anda memerlukan kekuatan dalaman untuk melakukan perjalanan ini. Nilai yang anda pelajari dalam YCS akan membimbing perjalanan anda sepanjang kehidupan dewasa anda.”

Gloria berlepas ke Nigeria bersama suaminya, Raj, pada 3 April.

Audrey Yu (Terjemahan)

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

Perayaan Paska dalam gambar

KATEDRAL ST JOSEPH, KUCHING ... Sewaktu Malam Paska di Katedral St Joseph, Kuching, seramai 260 calon RCIA menerima Sakramen Inisiasi daripada Uskup Agung Simon Poh dan Father Larry Tan, SJ. Gambar menunjukkan Fr Larry Tan membaptis seorang katekumen.

GEREJA ST ANN, PADAWAN … Seramai 75 calon RCIA dibaptis di gereja baharu sewaktu Malam Paska manakala 20 orang Anglikan diterima ke dalam Gereja Katolik. Gambar menunjukkan Brother David Au OFM membaptis seorang katekumen menerusi perendaman.

GEREJA ST HERBERT, SONG… Di Gereja St Herbert, Song, Sibu, Father David Ho telah membaptis enam orang bayi dan seorang dewasa semasa Misa Hari Sabtu Kudus, 31 Mac.

GEREJA ST THERESA, SERIAN … Father Pratap Baskey, CMF, mencuci kaki 12 orang pada Khamis Kudus, 29 Mac. Ini adalah Minggu Kudus pertamanya di Serian.

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

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PAGE 27

Paroki St Ann meraikan Jubli Emas hujung zaman 1960an, masanya sudah tiba untuk meneruskan kehidupan dan memulakan sejarah baharu dalam kehidupan anggota paroki St Ann. Misa terakhir disana dirayakan pada 18 Mac lalu.

Peralihan ke premis Gereja St Ann baharu bermula pada 19 Mac. Peralihan ini kebetulan dijalankan pada hari perayaan St Joseph. Chapel Harian di belakang Gereja Utama akan

Zon (ZCD) biasa dari April hingga Jun. Acara ini akan diadakan di beberapa lokasi.

Tujuan acara ini adalah untuk membantu anggota paroki memupuk semangat komuniti dan membina perpaduan di dalam paroki. Semua anggota paroki, baik di dalam mahupun di luar St Ann, dialu-alukan untuk menyertai aktiviti ZCD. Ini adalah saat bersejarah bagi anggita paroki St Ann selepas menunggu hampir 39 bulan sejak September 2014 untuk melihat gereja baharu

ini siap. Gereja St Ann baharu, yang terletak di persimpangan Jalan Landeh dan Jalan Puncak Borneo, Kota Padawan, dapat menampung seramai 3,500 anggota paroki baik pada aras bawah mahupun tingkat Mezzanine.

Terdapat memori indah dan baik tertentu mengenai Baruk yang dianggap sebagai “Gereja Ibunda” bagi ramai yang datang dari jauh dan dekat untuk beribadat. Selepas beribadat di Baruk yang terletak di atas sebuah bukit kecil sejak

Sukan Air belia Bunan-Tebedu

BUNAN — Sempena Perayaan Jubli Paroki St Jude Bunan-Tebedu yang ke50, Parish Youth Ministry St Jude Bunan-Tebedu telah menganjurkan Sukan Air yang diadakan di Sungai Terbat pada 17 Februari.

Aktiviti ini disertai 15 buah pasukan yang terdiri daripada belia dari seluruh kawasan Bunan dan Tebedu.

Paderi, rohaniwati, ahli Majlis Paroki, Jawatankuasa Gereja Kampung dan Ladies Guild turut terlibat dalam menjayakan aktiviti ini.

Objektif utama aktiviti ini adalah untuk mengeratkan silaturahim dan kerjasama antara belia dari seluruh kawasan Bunan dan Tebedu selaras dengan tema jubli iaitu “Mendirikan Kerajaan Tuhan dalam satu Tuhan dan satu Iman”.

Antara acara yang dipertandingkan adalah Mencari Harta Karun dalam sungai, melintasi sungai dengan buluh dan membawa bola ping pong dengan sudu.

Pasukan dari St Leo, Mujat telah menjuarai sukan ini

diikuti pasukan dari St Justin, Mentu Pundok dan St James, Pengakalan Amo. Sukan Air ini diakhiri dengan jamuan persaudaraan (fellowship), nyanyian bersama dan sesi penyampaian hadiah.

Cinderella Sio

Hari Sabtu Kudus di Bunan-Tebedu Di Paroki St Jude, seramai 55 orang katekumen RCIA (51 orang dari Gereja St Jude, empat orang dari Gereja Holy Cross, Tebedu) telah menerima sakramen pembaptisan, manakala enam katekumen telah diterima sebagai Katolik melalui Upacara Penerimaan (Rite of Reception).

Gambar menunjukkan Father Galvin Ngumbang membaptis seorang katekumen di Gereja St Jude, Bunan.

Friar Gerard Victor, OFM (Terjemahan)

Butiran Hari Komuniti Zon adalah seperti berikut:

Lukisan bagi gereja baharu St Ann KOTA PADAWAN — Paroki St Ann akan menyambut perayaan Jubli Emas Ke-50 dan dedikasi bangunan baharu Gereja St Ann pada 26 Julai oleh Uskup Agung Simon Poh bersama paderi, religius, pelawat dan anggota paroki St Ann dengan majlis pembukaan pada jam 6.30 petang diikuti Misa pada jam 7.00 malam.

Sempena Jubli Emas Gereja St Ann, Jawatankuasa Jubli Emas St Ann akan menganjurkan Hari Komuniti

digunakan untuk merayakan Misa harian bagi anggota paroki pada hari-hari bisa dan untuk acara lain seperti Misa Perkahwinan dan Misa Pengebumian.

Bagaimanapun pentadbiran dan kelas agama akan terus diadakan di kawasan Baruk sehingga Fasa 2 siap.

Nama Zone Kitang Semenggok Puncak Borneo Serin Samarahan Teng Bukap 1 Teng Bukap 2 Penrissen Sentosa Muara Tuang Siburan Kota Padawan

Tempat Gereja St Ann Baharu Gereja St Ann Baharu Dewan Kpg Bayur Dewan Kpg Simpok St Joseph, Kpg Sg Empit Dewan Tiang Bukap Dewan Tiang Bukap Dewan Kpg Punau Dewan Kpg Semeba Gereja St Ann Baharu Dewan Kpg Sinjok Gereja St Ann Baharu

Tarikh 8 April 15 April 22 April 1 Mei 6 Mei 27 Mei 27 Mei 16 Jun 17 Jun 24 Jun 1 Julai 8 Julai

Testimoni: Kelas IKD bagaikan keluarga, berdoa itu tanggungjawab

Katekumen dalam Kelas Inisiasi Kristian Bagi Orang Dewasa (IKD) sesi 2017-2018 Kelas Inisiasi Kristian Bagi Orang Dewasa (IKD) sesi 20172018 di Pusat Katolik St Colette Taman Malihah, Kuching diadakan setiap malam Selasa mulai jam 8.00 malam hingga 9.30 malam.

Kami amat bersyukur dan berterima kasih kepada Tuhan kerana dibuka pintu hati untuk menyertai kelas ini.

Kami merasa begitu lega dan tenang fikiran setelah mendalami iman dan dibaptis dalam Gereja Katolik. Kelas pembentukan ini begitu berkesan menyatukan jemaat dan kami sekelas seramai 39 katekumen begitu mesra seperti satu keluarga besar seiman dalam Kristus.

Sekarang kami berasa yakin bagaimana cara berdoa dengan betul walaupun pada mulanya berasa begitu kekuk dan segan untuk memimpin doa. Sekarang saya anggapkan berdoa itu satu tanggungjawab kita selain pasrah dan berani untuk mewartakan berita baik Tuhan kepada umat manusia sejagat sebagai umat Kristian yang setia.

“Mintalah, dan kamu akan menerimanya; carilah, dan kamu akan mendapatnya; ketuklah pintu, dan pintu akan dibuka untukmu.” (Mt 7:7-8) Alexander Allie ak Ligel Penghulu Kelas PKSC Sesi 2017-2018

BERITA

PAGE 28

TODAY’S CATHOLIC APRIL 2018

Kematian tidak ada kata muktamad, kata Pope Francis pada Hari Paska

KOTA VATIKAN — Sewaktu pemberkatan Paska dalam ucapan Urbi et Orbi beliau, Pope Francis berkata kematian dan kebangkitan Yesus memberi harapan kepada dunia yang dicemari konflik, dan membuktikan bahawa tragedi moden seperti peperangan dan keganasan tidak akan memberi kata muktamad.

“Kita umat Kristian percaya dan tahu bahawa kebangkitan Kristus adalah harapan dunia yang sebenar, harapan yang tidak mengecewakan,” kata paus pada gai Paska, 1 April.

Seperti perumpamaan yang diceritakan oleh Yesus tentang biji gandum yang perlu mati sebelum ia dapat menghasilkan buah, Francis berkata “ia adalah kuasa biji gandum, kuasa kasih yang merendahkan diri dan memberi diri hingga ke akhir, dan oleh yang demikian benar-benar memperbaharui dunia”.

“Kuasa ini terus menghasilkan buah pada hari ini dalam sejarah kita, yang ditandai dengan begitu banyak tindakan yang tidak adil dan ganas,” katanya, dan menarik perhatian kepada nasib pendatang dan pelarian, dan mangsa pengedaran dadah, pemerdagangan

KOTA PADAWAN — Pada Sabtu 17 Mac yang lepas, Parish Youth Ministry di bawah naungan Gereja Santa Anna telah menganjurkan satu program “Youth Lenten Recollection 2018” dengan tema kali ini “Preparing Our Heart and Return to the Lord Your God”.

Program sehari ini dijalankan di Gereja St Peter Kampung Simpok, Padawan sebagai tuan rumah pada tahun ini. Seramai 650 orang peserta termasuk barisan pengelola dari Parish Youth Ministry menyertai program ini yang mewakili 44 buah kampung dan taman perumahan di bawah naugan Gereja St Anna.

Rekoleksi dimulakan dengan Perarakan Masuk Salib Belia ke ruang kudus gereja serta diiringi nyanyian puji dan sembah bagi memuliakan nama Tuhan.

Program ini amnya diadakan bertujuan untuk memimpin golongan belia agar lebih mengenali Tuhan Yesus dan membentuk mereka supaya komited dalam pelayanan. Antara inti pati yang ingin diterapkan kepada belia

manusia dan bentuk perhambaan moden lain.

Beliau meminta keamanan di seluruh dunia, terutamanya di negara Syria “yang sudah lama menderita”, “di mana rakyatnya keletihan disebabkan oleh peperangan yang seakan-akan tidak ada kesudahan”.

“Paska ini, semoga cahaya Kristus yang bangkit menerangi hatu nurani semua pemimpin politik dan tentera, supaya pembunuhan ini dapat ditamatkan dengan cepat, agar undangundang kemanusiaan dihormati” bagi memudahkan akses kepada bantuan, dan membenarkan mereka yang hidup dalam pelarian untuk kembali ke rumah mereka.

Pope Francis turut berdoa untuk Tanah Suci, yang sejak beberapa hari lalu telah menyaksikan peningkatan keganasan, untuk Yaman dan seluruh Timur Tengah, “agar dialog dan sikap saling hormat menghormati dapat mengatasi perpecahan dan keganasan”.

“Semoga saudara-saudari kita dalam Kristus, yang kerap mengalami ketidakadilan dan penindasan, menjadi saksi yang bersinar kepada Tuhan yang bangkit dan kepada kemenangan kebaikan ke atas kejahatan.”

Beliau turut berdoa untuk mereka yang menginginkan “kehidupan yang lebih bermaruah”, khususnya kanakkanak dan mereka dari kawasan di Afrika yang menderita akibat kebuluran, keganasan dan terorisme, seperti Republik Demokratik Cono dan Sudan Selatan.

Francis turut berdoa untuk proses damai dan dialog di semenanjung Korea, dan untuk Ukraine, agar bantuan kemanusiaan dapat sampai kepada rakyat dan agar langkah baru-baru ini untuk menggalakkan keamanan dan keharmonian di negara itu akan “diperkukuhkan”.

Beralih kepada Venezuela, Pope Francis berkata warga di sana hidup “di bumi asing dalam negara mereka sendiri” dan berdoa agar dengan rahmat kebangkitan, negara itu dapat mencari “jalan yang adil, aman dan berperikemanusiaan untuk mengatasi dengan cepat krisis politik dan kemanusiaan yang melandanya”.

Doa-doa turut dipanjatkan bagi kanak-kanak yang tidak mendapat pendidikan disebabkan oleh peperangan, bagi warga emas yang telah “disisihkan oleh budaya yang mementingkan diri

Rekoleksi Lenten Belia 2018

ialah nilai-nilai murni yang diutuhkan oleh gereja bagi agama, bangsa dan negara. Selain itu, ia juga bertujuan membuka minda dan pandangan belia agar menyesal, bertaubat dan kembali kepada Tuhan Yesus atas segala dosa yang telah dilakukan.

Sehubungan dengan program ini, peserta telah diberi begitu banyak pengisian yang begitu berharga, antaranya ceramah bertajuk pertaubatan

dari Diakon David Au, OFM dan ceramah Masalah Sosial Remaja serta Kepimpinan oleh Friar Don Don Ramerez, OFM. Program ini juga diserikan lagi dengan persembahan “Sketsa Perumpamaan Anak Yang Hilang” oleh belia Zon Simpok Padawan dan “Lakonan Pertaubatan” dari belia Zon Teng Bukap Padawan. Pada sebelah petang, peserta berkesempatan mengikuti Doa Jalan Salib yang dilakukan di dalam kawasan

dan mengasingkan mereka yang tidak produktif”, dan bagi pemimpin dunia, agar mereka “sentiasa menghormati martabat manusia, mengabdikan diri secara aktif kepada usaha mencapai kebaikan semua, dan memastikan kemajuan dan keselamatan warga mereka sendiri”.

Pope Francis menutup ucapannya dengan mengulangi soalan yang diberikan oleh malaikat kepada wanitawanita yang datang ke kubur dan mendapati ia kosong, dengan bertanya: “Kenapakah kamu mencari orang hidup di kalangan orang mati? Dia tidak ada di sini, tetapi sudah bangkit.”

“Kematian, pengasingan dan ketakutan bukan kata terakhir,” katanya. “Terdapat perkataan yang mengatasi semua itu: perkataan yang hanya Tuhan sahaja boleh sebut: ia adalah perkataan kebangkitan.”

Dan dengan kuasa kasih Allah, “ia menghapuskan kejahatan, mencuci kesalahan, memulihkan kesucian kepada orang berdosa, dan kegembiraan kepada orang yang bersedih, mengusir kebencian, menggalakkan perpaduan dan menjatuhkan mereka yang kuat”.

CNA/EWTN News (Terjemahan)

Kpg Simpok.

Babak Kesengsaraan Tuhan Yesus dilakonkan semula oleh belia Zon Simpok bagi memberi impak yang terkesan secara tidak langsung, menunjukkan begitu mulianya Tuhan Yesus mengharungi kesusahan dan kesengsaraan untuk menebus dosa manusia.

Secara keseluruhannya semua belia berpuas hati dengan program yang telah dijalankan ini kerana ini bukan sahaja mengeratkan hubungan di antara satu sama lain, malah memupuk semangat keinsafan, disiplin dan kesatuan hati sebelum, semasa, dan selepas melaksanakan sesuatu tugas yang diamanahkan.

Tidak ketinggalan juga, program ini secara tidak lansung memupuk nilai mencintai kasih karunia Tuhan yang besar serta memberikan pengalaman yang baharu kepada semua belia yang terlibat. Mereka berharap agar program ini dapat diteruskan sebagai program tahunan Parish Youth Ministry Gereja St Anna.

Sumbangan

Published by: The Archbishop of Kuching, Batu 1, Jln Tun Abang Haji Openg, 93000 Kuching. Printed by: Bahagia Press Sdn Bhd (86546-K), Lot 225, Section 49, Jalan Padungan Utara, 93100 Kuching. Tel: 082-238900