Today's Catholic Vol.28 No.10 January 2017 by Todays Catholic

CATHOLIC today’s

A monthly publication of the Archdiocese of Kuching, Sarawak

Permit No PPK 148/01/2013(031378)

Vol 27 No 10 January 2017

Inside...

Happy Chinese New Year See page 10 for reflection on the New Year

At Christmas, Pope Francis prays for peace around

“The magi offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Mt 2:11

今日教友第十六至二十二頁

the world

Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve Mass in St Peter’s Basilica (Photo: CNS) VATICAN CITY — The song of the angels that heralded the birth of Christ urges men and women to seek peace in a world divided by war, terrorism and greed, Pope Francis said. “Today this message goes out to the ends of the earth to reach all peoples, especially those scarred by war and harsh conflicts that seem stronger than the yearning for peace,” the Pope said on 25 December. Migrants, refugees, children suffering due to hunger and war, victims of human trafficking as well as social and economic unrest were also remembered by the Pope. “Peace to the peoples who suffer because of the economic ambitions of the few, because of the sheer greed and the idolatry of money, which leads to slavery,” he said. An estimated 40,000 people attended the Pope’s solemn Christmas blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world)

at St Peter’s Square. The Vatican “It is time for weapons The Pope prayed announced on 23 for “peace to those to be silenced forever...” December that the who have lost a first instalment of 6 Pope Francis person dear to them million euro would as a result of brutal acts of terrorism that be distributed on Christmas Day to assist has sown fear and death into the hearts of in relief efforts in Ukraine. Earlier this so many countries and cities”. year, the Pope called for a collection Countries ravaged by the scourge of across churches in Europe to help the war were also in the Pope’s thoughts, people of the war-torn country. particularly in “the war-torn land of Iraq, Libya and Yemen, “where their Syria, where far too much blood has been peoples suffer war and the brutality of spilled,” especially in the city Aleppo. terrorism,” were in the Pope’s prayers so The Pope called on the world to support that they may “be able to once again find the people of Syria with humanitarian unity and harmony”. assistance and to put an end to the conflict. The Pope also remembered Africa, “It is time for weapons to be silenced especially Nigeria where fundamentalist forever and the international community terrorism “exploits children in order to actively seek a negotiated solution so to perpetrate horror and death” as well that civil coexistence can be restored in as South Sudan and the Democratic the country,” he said. Republic of Congo, calling on their The Pope appealed for peace for the leaders to choose the path of dialogue people of Ukraine, “who to this day suffer rather than “the mindset of conflict”. the consequences of the conflict”. He also prayed for peace in the Holy

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Land and that Israelis and Palestinians turn away from hate and revenge while having “the courage and determination to write a new page of history”. Praying for an end to current tensions, the Pope also called for peace in Venezuela, Colombia, Myanmar and the Korean peninsula. Christ’s birth, he said, is a sign of joy and a call for the world to contemplate “the child Jesus who gives hope once again to every person on the face of the earth”. “‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given’. He is the ‘prince of peace’; let us welcome him”. Pope Francis then led the usual Sunday Angelus, concluding with the “urbi et orbi” blessing and a final greeting and “Merry Christmas!” to everyone present in the Square physically and through radio and television from around the world. CNS

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Don’t gossip!

EDITORIAL Someone texted me a “Pope Francis New Year’s Resolutions list”. While I am not entirely sure of its authenticity, nevertheless the contents do reflect his various homilies, speeches and meditations. Top of the list “Don’t gossip!” This might come as a surprise, surely there are far worse sins to avoid? Why would he refer to this no fewer than 6 times within the first year of his pontificate? Here’s a sampling. In 27 March 2013 he referred to “gossip as doing what Judas did” by “tearing the other person to pieces”. He has also on a separate occasion described gossip as “killing the other person”. “Every time we judge our brother in our hearts or worse when we speak badly of them with others, we are murdering Christians,” Francis says. “There is no such thing as innocent slander.”

MIRI — On 16 December, about 1000 people, including Bishop Richard Ng, Fr Martin Sta and Fr Gabriel Chiong, celebrated the birth of Jesus with songs, dances and drama at Miri Civic Centre. The third annual Christmas Concert ‘Night of Carol – Love One Another’ (1 Jn 4:7) was organised by Xing Zhi Guang Students and Youth of St Joseph’s Parish. The Legion of Mary (Chinese), St Joseph Sunday School (English and BM), St Dominic and Rosary Church Youth and Choir (BM, Kenyah and Iban), Carmelite Choir (English), St Joseph’s Cathedral Choir (Chinese & BM), FIAT Joint

TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017

In an address to bishops of mission territories on 9 September 2016, Pope Francis said that Church unity is threatened by gossip, saying the devil “destroys with the tongue, with idle chatter that divides,” and that the habit of gossiping is an act of ‘terrorism’. “The gossip is a ‘terrorist’ who throws a grenade – chatter – in order to destroy,” he added. “Please, fight against division, because it is one of the weapons that the devil uses to destroy the local Church and the universal Church.” Gossip is in the same category as murder and terrorism! Think about that. Now we know why it is number one on the list! Happy, holy gossip free 2017! Stella Chin

Beyond the celebration of Christmas

Choir (English) and Miri Young Catholic Students (MYCS) also took part. In his opening speech, Bishop Richard said the concert was organised with the intention to evangelise. He encouraged all present to invite their friends and relatives who were not yet members of the church to the concert. “The aim of this evening of carols is not to show off or to compete. Rather, it is hoped that by singing along and listening to God’s word and sharing in his fellowship, they would be touched by God’s love and would want to respond by finding out more about the Catholic Church,” said the Bishop.

SINGING PRAISES ... Performance by FIAT joint choir He added that Christmas is about God sending his son Jesus to the world to be born as man and to save mankind from their sins.

“Christmas is God’s great love for us and we must respond by loving God and one another. We also respond by trying to cultivate peace in our own lives

CATHOLIC today’s THE TEAM 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) Simon Lo (Chinese) Margaret Bong (Chinese Children’s Section) STAFF Audrey Yu

and to be a person of mercy”. There was also gospel sharing in Mandarin by Fr Martin Sta who spoke to the people on how to love one another. He asked them to practise in their life The Golden Rule: Do to others as you would have them do to you (Lk 6:31) and to participate regularly in the Sacrament of Penance to cleanse their hearts of any resentment and unforgiveness. Musical performances aside, there were also photo booth for photo taking and the eliciting of donations towards funding Wisma St Joseph building project to enhance the spirit of Christmas. Sophia Soo

A grand Christmas for St Theresa’s Parish SERIAN — The birth of the Saviour, Christ Jesus, was merrily and joyously celebrated in St Theresa’s Parish this year. The auspicious Christmas Parade on 4 December saw a large crowd of parishioners participating. The St Theresa’s Parish Council also provided two beautifully decorated floats for the Parade. Together with other participants, they paraded round Serian town. The other participating churches include Methodist Church, Anglican Church, Borneo Evangelical Mission, Seventh-Day Adventist and Good News Fellowship. Also present were Serian Resident’s Office and District Council. The carolling activity undertaken by the Parish which commenced on 14 December brought Christmas joy to the faith community. Christmas gifts were distributed to children from Kpg Danau Krangas, Kpg Koran Mawang and Kpg Reteh

PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS ... A float with children ringing the bell telling of the birth of Christ

Mawang during the children Christmas parties on 18, 19 and 20 December respectively. These gifts came from local well-wishers and the other parishes in the Archdiocese of Kuching. The Christmas celebration climaxed with Vigil Mass presided over by Fr Joseph Chai on 24 December. Foreign workers from nearby plantations were among the throng of congregation. In the Mass,

Fr Joseph Chai uncovered the ‘Baby Christ’ wrapped in white cloth signifying the birth of Jesus. He then brought the ‘baby’ to the ‘manger’ at the ground floor of the church after Mass. The next day, the church was also packed with congregation for the Christmas Day Holy Mass in Bidayuh presided over by the rector Fr Paul Herry. It was broadcast live on the radio. Joseph Then

CHRISTMAS AT HOPE ... Archbishop John Ha celebrated a Thanksgiving Christmas Mass at Home of Peace on 17 December 2016. About 400 benefactors, donors and friends turned up to join the staff and residents of Home of Peace for mass which was followed by fellowship and a Christmas party.

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Another ecumenical milestone: blessing of 1ACS Hotel KUCHING — Ecumenism, first emphasised by Archbishop Emeritus Datuk Seri Peter Chung in Sibu in 1973, has taken another leap forward with the blessing of the 1ACS Hotel on Monday 19 December. All the member churches jointly took part in the blessing ceremony by Archbishop John Ha. During the liturgy, they proclaimed the word of God, participated in prayers and cut the ribbon signifying dedication of the hostel to God. The Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) consisting of member churches, namely, Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Seven Day Adventist, Salvation Amy and SIB, has completed the 22 room hostel off Jalan Laksamana Cheng Ho, Kuching. The two and half million Ringgit hostel was designed, on complimentary basis that the Association is most grateful, by a team of

IT’S OFFICIAL ... Archbishop John Ha (centre) with Pastor Justin (current ACS Chairman) on his right and Major Francis on his left

consultants, JRC Architect, Jurutera Jasa (Sarawak), Perunding UZL and PUBM Quantity Surveyors. The construction contract was awarded to Yung Kong Construction Sdn Bhd and the site was handed over on 1 April 2014. The idea of a hostel for speakers and guests attending functions was conceptualised more than 15 years ago. Owing

to the financial constraints it was shelved until now. The completion of the hostel marked a new era of understanding and good relationship among the Christians in Sarawak, something that we are very proud of. The hostel is on the second floor of the Christian Ecumenical Worship Centre (CEWC) with 24-hour CCTV coverage, and complimentary Wi-Fi. There

Holy Mass for Special People

MIRI — A special Mass was celebrated for persons with physical and mental disabilities on Saturday 17 December. In his homily, Bishop Richard Ng in his homily said they are gifts from God with a divine purpose. He asked of those who care for them and encounter them to adopt a positive attitude of loving and accepting them as someone unique from God. “Each of us is unique. Let’s not compare and envy. God knows what is best for every family. The best attitude is to accept, to rejoice and to love the people God sent us,” he said. “There is something meaningful when we encounter people with special needs because it brings out the saint in us,” he continued as he noted on how the experience could shape and transform their caregivers to become more humble, patient, tolerant and caring. The Bishop encouraged those with challenging family members to overcome any feeling of anger and resentment by receiving healing and forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. “Confess our sins for the time we feel hurt and angry with God and start anew. That’s the beauty of our Catholic faith,” he told the people. He also urged them to persevere in their best effort to take care of the disabled while attempt was being made

EACH PERSON IS UNIQUE ... Bishop Richard Ng annointing a person with special needs during the Mass

to build a more inclusive and welcoming community. Hundreds of faithful, including 22 persons with disabilities and those who care for them, attended the Mass at St Joseph’s Cathedral. Before the concluding rite, Bishop Richard called for the disabled to have access to the Sacrament of Eucharist provided they are prepared and they possess the adequate capacity to know God. After Mass the congregation adjourned to the courtyard for a pre-Christmas celebration organised by the parish’s Chinese group. Gifts were distributed to those with special needs. Feedback received for the Mass was encouraging. Many were touched and felt supported. Both Max and Josephine felt encouraged and supported by the Mass which they hoped could be celebrated twice a month. As parents of Jericho, 10, who has

mild autism, they also hoped to see some basic Sunday school classes to be set up for children with special needs. “So they have a chance to learn about God and to receive first Holy Communion,” said Josephine. “I appreciate this Mass and I feel appreciated because nobody knows the pains of parents with a special child, except those who have one,” said Bernedette Chia, mother of Rosemarie, 15, who is autistic. “I feel encouraged by Bishop’s homily treating these special people as gifts and not burdens”. “What bishop said about tolerance in the community for these special people makes an impression on me. It is true when they make noise; people frown at them or show negative expression. Hopefully through Masses like this the congregation can be educated into accepting them as part of God’s flock,” she remarked. Sophia Soo

1ACS Hotel, located on the second floor of Christian Ecumenical Worship Centre

are standard single rooms at RM60.00, Standard Double rooms at RM70.00, Superior Double rooms at RM80.00 and a Family Room (3 single beds) at RM120.00 nightly. Every room is equipped with amenities: bathroom with hot water supply and full air conditioning. It is a manifestation of the ecumenical effort of ACS to provide safe, clean, and comfortable accommodation at

reasonable price in the heart of Kuching. The hostel is also handicapped friendly. There are lifts to all the floors, customised toilet facilities and a special room for wheelchair bound guests. For more information, contact 082-245122 / 082254122 (fax), or email 1acshostel@gmail.com Peter Wong

Legion of Mary celebrates 65th anniversary

(Left to right) Fr Patrick, Archbishop John Ha, Bishop Simon Poh and Joseph KC Wong cutting the anniversary cake

KUCHING — The Legion of Mary in the Archdiocese of Kuching celebrated its 65th anniversary with a dinner on 11 December attended by more than 700 legionaries and guests including Archbishop John Ha of Kuching, Auxiliary Bishop Simon Poh and priests. Joseph KC Wong, President of Kuching Comitium thanked the legionaries and hoped that this celebration would renew and further encourage them to be ever more committed to their apostolic work. “We have Mother Mary’s assistance in our weekly assignment, so do not be afraid,” he said. He paid tribute to pioneer legionaries, Patricia Harry and John Chin who are members from Stella Maris praesidium formed in 1951. In his address, Archbishop John Ha encouraged legionaries to continue to be Merciful like the Father, although the Year of Mercy has concluded. “The Legion of Mary is a universal group carrying out spiritual

works of mercy. The people are led to experience God’s mercy through you in your visits to the sick, the lapsed (Catholics) and the teaching of Catechism. In that way, with God’s grace, the people will be led to be merciful too.” The Archbishop congratulated the legionaries and prayed that the Blessed Virgin Mary will accompany them in their project to grow in membership and that the Holy Spirit will continue to strengthen them in participating in the mission of the Church. Various youth groups presented songs and Christianthemed dances as entertainment items during the dinner. The anniversary celebration culminated on 12 December with a Thanksgiving Mass presided over by Fr Patrick Heng, Spiritual Director of Kuching Comitium held at the Holy Trinity Church. Legion of Mary Kuching Comitium

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Simbang Gabi in Kuching: An experience of home-awayfrom-home for Filipinos An early morning Mass is not uncommon for Catholics when it comes to Sundays and other liturgical celebrations. However, a 5.30 am Mass that goes on consecutively for nine days is quite another story. It is the story of Simbang Gabi, the traditional celebration of the nine-day novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary in anticipation of the celebration of the Nativity of the Lord. Otherwise known as the Misa de Gallo (“Mass of the Rooster” in Spanish), it serves as both herald as well as preparation for 25 December. Starting each year on 16 December and ending on 24 December, the pre-dawn (when the rooster heralds the start of a new day) Masses serve to remind the faithful of the true meaning of Christmas; a refreshing change from the commercial face of the season. The readings at Mass alongside the homilies of the celebrant help the faithful settle into a reflective disposition on the supreme love of God who chooses to freely send His Son, the Redeemer, into the world when all seems lost in the darkness of its sinful brokenness. Each Mass is celebrated

MASS OF THE ROOSTER ... (Left) Fr Albert Jacobse, Fr Francis Lim and Fr Alvin concelebrating at the Mass; (Right) Fr Francis Lim leading the faithful in prayer before the fellowship with the Gloria being sung to the world that Simbang Gabi celebrate the Masses. The final of Mass, whence over coffee and concludes just as the sun reminds everyone of. Mass on 24 December saw a and tea, everyone partakes of is rising. It reminds all of the For the Filipino community hefty attendance of 70 plus of the hearty traditional Filipino Son of God who will come as a in Kuching, Simbang Gabi 2016 the faithful, the majority of Simbang Gabi breakfast. This, humble and helpless child into was organised in association whom were members of the plus the early morning grace that broken world that cannot with the Archdiocesan Ministry Filipino community with their and discipline to wake up at even afford him a decent place to the Migrants. It was held at Malaysian families and friends. the call of the rooster is what to be born. To the stable and the Sedes Sapientiae Chapel For the Filipinos, the makes the Misa de Gallo truly the manger in the company of St Joseph’s Private School, Simbang Gabi is a home-away- one to experience and to look of humble creatures does the Kuching. A consistent turnout of from-home experience while forward to year after year as Saviour consent to be laid. Yet, 40 plus persons came faithfully for Malaysians, it is a new everyone welcomes the Child surrounded by the pure love of for all nine mornings: parents way of preparing and indeed Jesus into the manger of their his parents, the Child personifies and children, friends, friend of celebrating Christmas for nine hearts. and radiates the same love to the friends; the numbers increases days instead of just on Christmas Maligayang Pasko to one world that will take him from as each new day dawns. Frs day itself. And being Asians, and all. the straws of the manger to Albert Jacobse, MHM, Alvin the best part come at the end Fr Alvin Ng, SJ the wood of the cross. It is this Ng, SJ, Francis Lim, SJ and understanding of God’s giving Larry Tan, SJ took turns to

Senior Citizens celebrate 7th anniversary

SERIAN — The Catholic Senior Citizens Fellowship (CSCF) of St Theresa’s Parish celebrated their 7th anniversary and year end Thanksgiving and Fellowship Dinner at the church hall on 11 December. In his speech, the vice chairman of CSCF and chairman of the Dinner Organising Committee Alphonsus Naming thanked everyone for their presence. He said CSCF has been actively participating in all the functions and activities in the parish including singing for weddings, visiting families of the sick and the poor, to name but a few. He also took the opportunity to invite all senior citizens of the parish to join them. Alphonsus Naming, Tom Na’ar, Steven Kake, Harrison Kadom and Joseph Then Ah Nyuk were awarded the Most Active members at the dinner. STRONG AND KICKING ... Alphonsus The evening ended with the exchange of Naming (left) receiving his Most Active award Christmas and New Year greetings. from Fr Paul Herry Joseph Then

FIRST CHRISTMAS ... Mukah Catholic Nurses’ Guild (MCNG) brought Christmas joy to the patients at Hospital Mukah on the evening of 20 December. Established on 15 October, it was their first Christmas carolling and visit to the hospital. They were joined by the carolling group of Sacred Heart Chapel, Kpg Jebungan.

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5TH ANNIVERSARY

Three Apparitions Fatima - Lourdes - Assisi - Rome - Dubrovnic Medjugorje Travel period: 23 April - 14 May 2017 Spiritual director: Fr Albert Jacobse Limited seats available. Contact Sin Hua Travel (082-246688) or Lisa Chai (012-8899063)

In ever-loving memory of

PATRICIA LING SIIK KING who was called to be with the Lord on 26 January 2012.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let your Perpetual Light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen. Dearly missed and remembered by husband, children, grandchildren and all loved ones.

7TH ANNIVERSARY In ever-loving memory of

Those we love and lose are always connected by heartstrings into infinity.

MOSES JOSHUA BETIE who was called home by the Lord on 6 January 2010. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen. Dearly missed by beloved wife, sons, and all loved ones.

20TH ANNIVERSARY

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1ST ANNIVERSARY In loving remembrance of our dearest

JUSTIN TEO

25 January 1977 - 16 January 2016

“All the way” We love because he first loved us. 1 Jn 4:19 Forever loved and missed by wife - Aidwina, family, the gang and friends.

1ST ANNIVERSARY In loving memory of

PATRICK TAI JOON ONN Departed: 13 December 2015

~ Terri Guillemets

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Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen. Deeply missed, cherished and lovingly remembered by wife, children, grandchildren and all loved ones.

2ND ANNIVERSARY In loving memory of CHRISTOPHER LIEW CHUNG HENG whom the Lord called to rest on 14 January 2015. 2 years have gone by but the memory of you always remain in our thoughts and prayers. May perpetual light shine upon him and may his soul rest in peace.

GETRUDE ANTHONY SEDAI

Deeply missed and lovingly remembered by beloved wife, sons, daughter-in-law, daughters, sons-in-law, and beloved grandchildren.

“If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord”. (Rom 14:8)

14TH ANNIVERSARY

2 March 1950 - 16 January 1997

God has you in his keeping, and we have you in our hearts forever!

Deeply loved and missed by: Husband, son, daughters, daughter and sons-in-law, grandchildren and all loved ones

3RD ANNIVERSARY In loving memory of our beloved

MICHAEL LUANG AK LANJAN whom the Lord called to rest on 1 January 2002. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen. Always remembered and dearly missed by wife, Magdalena, son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandchildren and all loved ones.

16TH ANNIVERSARY

STIAN @ JOHN SEBASTIAN GUDANG

In loving memory of

(29 May 1951 - 4 January 2014)

Remembering you, three years has passed on 4 January 2017, for the Heavenly Father loves you more. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord ” ~ Rom 8:38-39 Deeply missed and always remembered by Wife: Mdm Rosaline Kamen ak Dulis Grandchildren: Nathan Alan Henry, Children: Jenifer Stian, Nadiv Adan Henry. Henry Stian @Sebastian God-son/ Foster son: Dave Sebastian Caroline Stian Santang, Daughter-in-law: Valerie Jessica Lim And all relatives and friends.

In ever-loving memory of

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul rest in peace. Amen.

ALBERT RAYMOND SERBEL Born: 26 October 1971 Departed: 24 December 1999

May your soul rest in peace. Amen. Deeply missed and remembered by all family members. We look forward to be together again someday where the Lord promises eternal life.

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TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017

After Berlin attack, “Amoris Laetitia” highlights the family German Catholics unite in prayer

N U R E M B E R G , Germany — In the wake of the terrorist attack on the Berlin Christmas market, Catholics across Germany were uniting to support the Christian community. The attack has provoked strong emotions among many people, especially given that Christmas is traditionally one of Germany’s most beloved and important holidays. Bishop Gebhard Furst of Rottenburg-Stuttgart held a prayer service on 20 December, during which he called the attack a “deed of horror”. “The past night has struck us and shaken us deeply,” Bishop Furst told attendees at Rottenburg’s Cathedral of St Martin. He called for Christians to interrupt their daily routines with prayer services “in order to hold onto, and pray for, and think of what has happened, especially of the victims, the injured, the severely wounded, of those people who were struck and affected by this misfortune, this deed of horror”. The Bishop also called for prayers for the victims’ relatives and members of the security services. He ended the address by lighting a single candle on the stone altar to

symbolise Germany’s “hope and courage toward the future”. On 19 December, the day of the attack, the German bishops’ conference called for parishes across Germany to observe a “Day of Prayer for Harassed and Persecuted Christians”, scheduled for 26 December. The bishops chose the day to coincide with the feast of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr. The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising also held a midday prayer service on 20 December in Munich’s Cathedral of Our Lady to pray for victims and their relatives. Similar to an attack with a truck that took place in July in Nice, France, a tractortrailer veered into the crowded Breitscheidplatz Christmas market in Berlin and plowed through bystanders, killing 12 people and wounding nearly 50. In a 20 December telegram sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, to Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin, Pope Francis prayed for the families of the dead and the wounded, “assuring his closeness in their pain”. “Pope Francis joins all people of good will who are working so that the homicidal madness of terrorism does not find any more room in our world,” Cardinal Parolin wrote. — CNS

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KUCHING — After the very successful Study Day on Amoris Laetitia early last July, Dr Jeffrey Goh and Angie very kindly conducted a repeat half day study. It was held at the main hall of Archdiocesan Curia and Cathedral Pastoral Centre (ACCPC) on the morning of Saturday 3 December. About 400 lay leaders and parishioners attended. Packing the conference with all the goodness of the postsynodal Exhortation, Jeffrey again reminded the participants of the opening words of Pope Francis, “The Joy of Love experienced by families is also the joy of the church”. “The desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant” and “is an inspiration to the church”. “Pope Francis never changed the doctrine of the church,” Jeffery emphasised. “It brings together the results of the two synods on the family convoked by Pope Francis in 2014 and 2015.” The Pope made use of his own numerous catechesis on the family in addition to previous magisterial

Dr Jeffrey (inset) giving the audience a good overview of what Pope Francis has written in ‘Amoris Laetitia’ documents, teachings of his of the Hymn to Christian Life. “Conjugal predecessors, various Episcopal Married conferences and even cited love defines the partners in Martin Luther King. The “Word a richly encompassing and of God” is “a source of comfort lasting union within mixture and companionship for every of enjoyment and struggles family experiencing difficulties which make up a marriage.” The participants were or suffering”. In his second conference, amazed at the very timely Jeffrey dwelt on “St Paul’s Hymn teaching of Pope Francis and to love”. Carefully and tenderly how it was explicitly explained dissembling human love in by Dr Jeffrey Goh. concrete terms he explored the Peter Wong rich and valuable contribution

Miss Universe donates gifts for poor to Caritas Manila

PHILIPPINES — Reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach donated some personal items to Caritas Manila to contribute to the Catholic Church’s programme for the poor this Christmas. “We are all doing this out of pure love and good faith,” said the 2015 international beauty queen after meeting Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila on 12 December. “The country is going to the right direction, and of course the Miss Universe competition is [in the Philippines next year] so we feel like we want to give back as much as we can,” she said. Wurtzbach called on others to also “share their blessings” especially during the Christmas season. “Let’s share with one another. Let us give without expecting anything in return,”

Photo: UCAN

said Wurtzbach, a Catholic, who expressed her intention to work with Caritas Manila after her reign as Miss Universe. Cardinal Tagle thanked the beauty queen for her donation. “We are here for one purpose and that is to serve our brothers and sisters with no other motivation but love,” said the prelate. “Miss Pia, you are a

towering figure. We look up to you,” said Cardinal Tagle in jest as he welcomed the Miss Universe to the bishop’s “very simple residence”. In an hour-long closed door meeting, Cardinal Tagle gave Wurtzbach a rosary that was personally given to the cardinal by Pope Francis. UCAN

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Fatima visionary predicted ‘final battle’ would be over marriage, family MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Sister Lucia dos Santos, one of the three children who witnessed the Marian apparitions at Fatima, died in 2005. But before her death, she predicted that the final battle between Christ and Satan would be over marriage and the family. So says Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, who reports that the visionary sent him a letter with this prediction when he was Archbishop of Bologna, Italy. This reported statement by Sr Lucia, expressed during the pontificate of Saint John Paul II, was revisited earlier this year by the Desde la Fe (From the Faith) weekly of the Archdiocese of Mexico, in the midst of the debate generated by President Enrique Pena Nieto, who announced his intention to promote gay marriage in this country. The Mexican weekly recalled the statements that Cardinal Caffarra made to the Italian press in 2008, three years after the death of Sr Lucia. On 16 February 2008, the Italian cardinal had celebrated a Mass at the tomb of Padre Pio, after which he gave an

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us interview with Tele Radio Padre Pio. He was asked about the prophecy of Sr Lucia dos Santos that speaks about “the final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan.” Cardinal Caffarra explained that St John Paul II had commissioned him to plan and establish the Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. At the beginning of this work, the cardinal wrote a letter to Sr Lucia of Fatima through

her bishop, since he could not do it directly. “Inexplicably, since I did not expect a reply, seeing as I had only asked for her prayers, I received a long letter with her signature, which is now in the archives of the Institute,” the Italian cardinal said. “In that letter we find written: ‘The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be about Marriage and the Family.’ Don’t be afraid, she added, because whoever works for the sanctity of Marriage and the Family will always be fought against and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue. Then she concluded: ‘nevertheless, Our Lady has already crushed his head’.” Cardinal Caffarra added that “speaking again with John Paul II, you could feel that the family was the core, since it has to do with the supporting pillar of creation, the truth of the relationship between man and woman, between the generations. If the foundational pillar is damaged, the entire building collapses and we’re seeing this now, because we are right at this point and we know it.” CNA/EWTN News

Video appeal of kidnapped Salesian priest triggers calls for his release COCHIN, India — The emergence of a video in which Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil, kidnapped by Islamic State militants in Yemen in March, is seen appealing for his release has led to widespread calls for diplomatic efforts to end his captivity. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, India’s minister of state for parliamentary affairs, reiterated to Cardinal George Alencherry of ErnakulamAngamaly, major archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, that the government is “doing everything possible” during a meeting at church headquarters in Cochin on 27 December. The minister’s visit came a day after a five-minute video of a visibly weak Fr Uzhunnalil making an emotional appeal for his release. The Salesian hails from India’s Kerala state. In the video, Fr Uzhunnalil appeared to blame both the Indian government and church officials for failing to secure his release. He claimed his captors

had made several contacts with the Indian government and yet “I am very sad that nothing has been done seriously in my regard”. “If I were a European priest, I would have been taken more seriously. I am from India. I am perhaps not considered as of much value. ... Dear Pope Francis, dear Holy Father, as a father please take care of my life. I am very much depressed. My health is deteriorating,” the priest is seen saying. Archbishop Maria Soosa Pakiam of Trivandrum, president of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council, demanded Fr Uzhunnalil’s release “without further delay” on 27 December. “Not withstanding technicalities involved, the

delay is seen by the common people as a lapse on the part of those concerned,” he said. Meanwhile, Fr Paul Thelakkat, who ministers in Kerala, called the video of “Fr Tom’s appeal for his life very painful and distressing,” in an interview with Catholic News Service. “The video clearly indicates that the terrorists are putting more pressure on India and the church to succumb to their demands, whatever they may be,” Fr Thelakkat said. Fr George Njarakunnel, vicar of Ramapuram parish in the Palai Diocese, said parishioners began praying at the priest’s residence after the video became public. CNS

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TRANSFER OF PRIESTS in the Archdiocese of Kuching

Please note the transfers stated below, with effect from 15 February 2017: 1. Fr Lawrence Chua retires. 2. Fr Felix Au, appointed rector of Blessed Sacrament Church, BDC. 3. Fr Peter Liston to serve in St Joseph’s Cathedral (until further studies in June 2017). Seminarian Galvin Ngumbang to assist in Bunan parish until his ordination.

NEWS

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TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017

Pope asks people to offer love, tears, prayers for persecuted Christians VATICAN CITY — Despite increased persecution and attacks against Christians, the faithful must strengthen their courage and joyful desire to follow Christ no matter the cost, Pope Francis said. By choosing God’s path of truth, “light and life” over all else, Christians continue to give witness and persevere in “living according to the logic of the Gospel and refusing the logic of the rulers of this world,” he said at a noon blessing on 26 December at the Vatican to those gathered in St Peter’s Square. The Pope spoke on the feast of St Stephen, the first martyr, saying that by choosing truth, St Stephen also “became victim of the mystery of wickedness present in the world. But in Christ, Stephen won”. Jesus forewarned his disciples that they would be hated and suffer in his name, the Pope said, adding that such persecution continues today with so many men and women experiencing

oppression, violence, hatred and even “Following martyrdom because of Jesus means their faith. following “Why does the world persecute his light, and Christians?” the Pope abandoning asked. the darkness For the same reason the world of the hated Jesus, “because world.” he brought God’s light and the world prefers St Stephen, martyr Pope Francis darkness for hiding its to them with our affection, our prayers evil deeds”. “Following Jesus means following and even our tears”. He cited the courage of Iraqi his light, which was lit in the night of Bethlehem, and abandoning the darkness Christians, saying those who had celebrated Mass Christmas Eve in their of the world,” the Pope said. The same cruelty experienced in the destroyed churches were “an example of early church continues to exist and “there fidelity to the Gospel”. Hundreds of Iraqi Christians attended are more martyrs today” than during the Christmas Eve Mass at St George early centuries, he said. The Pope asked people to think of Chaldean Catholic in Bartella, near those “who suffer persecution, to be close Mosul, in northern Iraq, after the area

was freed from Islamic State forces who had occupied the area for more than two years. “Despite the hardship and dangers, they courageously give witness to their belonging to Christ and live the Gospel dedicating themselves to the least, the most neglected, doing good to everyone without distinction, in this way, witnessing charity in the truth,” the Pope said. With Christmas being the time to make more room in our hearts for Jesus, “let us renew the joyous and courageous desire to faithfully follow him as the one and only guide,” he said. After praying the Angelus, the Pope thanked everyone who had sent him Christmas greetings and prayers, apologising for not being able to personally respond to the many messages he received. A “heartfelt thank you! May the Lord reward you with his generosity,” he said. — CNS

Christians celebrate the Prophet’s birthday, Pope on New Year’s Day: Mary’s the Muslims celebrate Christmas motherhood teaches us humility, tenderness VATICAN CITY — At the start of the new year, Pope Francis said that celebrating Mary, the Mother of God, highlights a beautiful aspect of our faith: that Mary is our mother too, and that by her example we can learn to practice virtue and self-sacrifice in our own lives. “By her motherhood, Mary shows us that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the strong,” Francis said on 1 January. “To celebrate Mary as Mother of God and our mother at the beginning of the new year means recalling a certainty that will accompany our days: we are a people with a Mother; we are not orphans.” Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God on 1 January, reflecting on the line in Luke’s Gospel that says “Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Despite everything that was happening in the days surrounding the birth of Jesus and after, Mary did not try to “understand” or to “master the situation,” the Pope pointed out, but instead, she treasured what happened, protecting and guarding “in her heart, the passage of God.” “Deep within, she had learned to listen to the heartbeat of her Son, and that in turn taught her, throughout her life, to discover God’s heartbeat in history,” he continued. Mary does not say much in the Gospels, and she does not make any big speeches or perform amazing deeds, but what she does have, Pope Francis said, is “an attentive gaze capable of guarding the life and mission of her Son, and for this reason, of everything that he loves.” “Where there is a mother, there is tenderness,” he said: the many shrines,

images and chapels around the world dedicated to Mary remind us of this. And celebrating the Holy Mother of God reminds us that we are not orphans, that we all have a mother. “To begin the year by recalling God’s goodness in the maternal face of Mary, in the maternal face of the Church, in the faces of our own mothers, protects us from the corrosive disease of being ‘spiritual orphans,’” he said. We experience this sense of being spiritually orphaned when we feel motherless and without the tenderness of God, the Pope noted, or when we feel like we don’t belong to God’s family. When this sense grows, it makes us more narcissistic and concerned with our own interests. “It grows,” he said, “when we forget that life is a gift we have received – and owe to others – a gift we are called to share in this common home.” But Mary, by comparison, “gave us a mother’s warmth,” he said. A “warmth that shelters us amid troubles, the maternal warmth that keeps anything or anyone from extinguishing in the heart of the Church the revolution of tenderness inaugurated by her Son.” In our society, mothers are “the strongest antidote to our individualistic and egotistic tendencies, to our lack of openness and our indifference,” Pope Francis said. Mothers are capable of testifying to tenderness and self-sacrifice and hope in our society. “Celebrating the feast of the Holy Mother of God makes us smile once more as we realize that we are a people, that we belong, that only within a community, within a family, can we as persons find the ‘climate,’ the ‘warmth’ that enables us to grow in humanity, and not merely as objects meant to ‘consume and be consumed,’” the Pope said. CNA/EWTN News

Photo: Fides.org

LAHORE — Dialogue and good Muslim-Christian relations are also built with the mutual participation in the major holidays of the respective religions. It so happens that the Lahore Franciscans celebrated Prophet Muhammad’s birthday in an interfaith celebration held in Lahore, in the presence of religious leaders and Muslim faithful and, for the occasion, members of the two communities exchanged Christmas greetings, as reported to Fides by Fr Victor Sawera OFM, organiser of the event. “We read passages from the Bible and the Koran. Some Islamic clerics offered the evening prayer in the chapel of the Franciscan centre. There were several imams such as Syed Abdul Khabir Azad, Imam of the Royal Mosque in Lahore, who appreciated the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday in a Christian home: this can be an example to all citizens of Pakistan,” says Fr Sawera, remarking that “interfaith dialogue and the promotion of peace and harmony are in the DNA of Franciscan spirituality and are indispensable today,” stressing “the urgent need to work harder to build peace and harmony among nations and religions. For us Franciscans, to be bridges of peace is a vocation,” he concluded.

The same spirit was felt during the Christmas celebrations in recent days by the Embassy of Pakistan in Rome: ambassador Nadeem Riyyaz of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Italy hosted the celebration which was attended by Pakistani seminarians, nuns and priests studying in Rome, as well as members of the general councils of religious congregations who have homes or missions in Pakistan. As Fides learns, during the feast, accompanied by Christmas carols in Urdu, Punjabi, Italian and English, Fr Robert McCulloch, Procurator General of the Missionary Society of St Columban, thanked ambassador Riyyaz for wanting to host the Christmas party, extending his best wishes for the occasion of Eid-e-Milad-ul-Nabi, Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. Christmas is celebrated at the Embassy of Pakistan in Italy for the fifth consecutive year: the tradition was started by Ambassador Tehmina Janjua, currently in the diplomatic service at the United Nations in Geneva, with the intention of working for religious harmony. Both ambassadors have received their formation in Catholic schools in Pakistan. Agenzia Fides

TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017

FEATURE

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ON APOLOGETICS

Do Christians worship three Gods? by Deacon Dr Sherman Kuek, OFS

The Early Fathers of the Church had been confronted by various heresies surrounding the dogma of the Holy Trinity. These heresies arose perhaps because people were trying to define their understanding in a way that made better sense to their finite minds, and most of these literati somehow got it wrong. 4. Trinitarian heresies throughout the ages had already been scrutinised and rejected by the Church. The dogma of the Trinity was defined at both the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. The First Council of Nicaea dealt with the divinity of the Son as it battled the heresy of Arianism which claimed that the Son was a supernatural but not a divine being. The First Council of Constantinople dealt with the Holy Spirit as it battled with the heresy of Pneumatochianism (also known as Macedonianism) which denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit. All throughout the past centuries, especially during the earlier ages of the Church, various heresies had already emerged regarding the Trinity. The Church painstakingly considered all these heresies and confronted them one by one. These heresies arose as people attempted to employ the prowess of the feeble human intellect to make immediate sense of God’s existence as Trinity. And many minds that found themselves unable to think with the Church had pandered to a misguided unacceptance of this belief, thereby emerging with their own rendition of what they felt this mystery of God should be. Let us examine some of these main heresies. Monarchianism. Some Jews of the Early Church (such as the Corinthians and the Ebionites) lapsed into a pre-Christian understanding of God and declared him to be unipersonal. Their theories evolved within a hundred years or so into the heresy of Monarchianism, which holds only one being in God. Under the banner of Monarchianism, there were the Adoptionists, who believed that since there was only one person who was God, Christ was therefore not divine even though he was miraculously conceived by the Virgin Mary and was given extraordinary power from God. The other Monarchianistic group was the Patripassionists (literally meaning “Father-sufferers”) or Modalists who believed that although Christ was divine, he was really the Father who had become incarnate and suffered and died on the cross. This means that there was, technically, no Trinity because the Father and the Son were really the same Person. One typical example of a Patripassionist was a Libyan priest in Rome named Father Sabellius in the third century. In his consideration, the Trinity actually consisted of only one Person, one Godhead. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were actually one person holding different “offices” or expressed in different “modes”, not three separate and distinct persons who were all members of the Godhead. The wrongness of Sabellius’ teaching was very quickly pointed out and he was excommunicated when he refused to amend his teaching. Subordinationism. This heresy acknowledged that there were three persons in the Trinity but denied that the Son and the Holy Spirit were consubstantial with the Father. In other words, the Son and the Holy Spirit were not truly divine. Several groups of Subordinationists emerged throughout history. The Arians held that the Word did not exist from eternity, and that there could not possibly have been a generation of the Son from the Father, but rather, by the Father. In other words, the Son was created by the Father, and Christ was the Son of God in that very sense of his “createdness”. He was nothing more than “the first born of all creation” who had come into the order of creation before everything else was created. There were also the Semi-Arians who claimed that Christ was similar to the Father (Greek, homoiousios) rather than being of the same substance as the Father (Greek, homoousios). And there were the Macedonians who denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit by claiming that he was not divine but was created. They claimed that the Holy Spirit was a ministering angel of God. Tritheism. At the other end of the spectrum of Trinitarian heresy were the Tritheists who held that the Trinity was really composed of three gods. Some distinguished names can be listed under this category of heresy, namely, John Philoponus (565 AD), Roscelin (1120 AD), Gilbert of Poitiers (1154 AD), Abbot Joachim of Fiore (1202 AD), and Anthon Guenther (1873), among others. Post-Reformation Protestantism. The original founders of the Protestant Reformation such as Martin Luther and John Calvin affirmed the dogma of the Trinity without reservation. But the subjectivism governing the interpretations of the faith within Protestantism had given rise to an increasing distancing from the original teachings of the faith, so that some of the newer denominations eventually denied the traditional formulations of the Trinity. Evidently, objections and innovations to the traditional Christian view of the Trinity is not a phenomenon that came only together with Islam. The tendency to

(Part IV)

... because the Blessed Virgin Mary has a unique role in the mystery of redemption, we accord her the highest honour among all the saints.

reject the Church’s formulation of the Trinity existed even from the early days of Christianity and extends even to this day. And yet, the early Christians were swift to recognise these heresies as they presented themselves. Further to that, the very Church that has condemned the heresy of Tritheism cannot itself be accused of being tritheistic when it has for centuries cautioned its own children to be wary of this misleading belief. 5. The Holy Trinity does not refer to Mary, and Christians do not worship her. The immediate response to the notion that Mary is held by the Christians as a member of the Holy Trinity, and is therefore worshipped by us, is that we certainly do not worship Mary as a member of the Trinity, and Mary is certainly not a member of the Trinity. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God, and Mary is not God. As a result, we do not – we never – worship Mary, the Mother of God. We believe in the “createdness”, in the fact that even though she was the chosen vessel to deliver the Son of God into the world, she was never herself divine. But of course, this does not mean that we do not pray to Mary. We must at this point hasten to say that prayer and worship are not synonymous for Catholics! From time immemorial, worship has always been defined as a rite of sacrifice. The Jews worshipped God by making sacrifice to him, and subsequently, so did the Church. Our worship has never been defined apart from the act of sacrifice. Until today, the Mass in which the Eucharistic celebration is undertaken continues to be a sacrifice, which is the greatest act of the Church, our worship of God. Merely praying to Mary or some other saint to seek their intercessions for us does not tantamount to worship, as it does not involve the offering of a sacrifice. Hence, worship does involve prayer, but prayer is not equivalent to worship. In all antiquity, the honour that the Christians have accorded to the saints has been described using the Greek term dulia. It is a term associated with veneration or homage, differing in both nature and degree to that which is rendered to God. It is a high honour given to the saints and the seeking of their intercessions on our behalf. And then, because the Blessed Virgin Mary has a unique role in the mystery of redemption, we accord her the highest honour among all the saints, hence the attribution of the term hyperdulia for her. We acknowledge her preeminence among the saints in her humble acceptance of God’s plan and will for her and for the salvation of the world. But when it comes to that which we accord to God, there is a special Greek-rooted Latin term latria, to reflect an adoration or worship which is reserved solely for God. We do not adore anyone or anything else except for God alone. In response to the mistaken notion that Christians worship Mary as the third person of the Trinity, therefore, we deny that she is divine. But this does not mean that we do not honour her. Our veneration of Mary is unquestionably present in our spirituality, and it stems from her supreme self-giving love for God rather than that she herself was God. In the final and imminent article on this issue of the Trinitarian dogma, I will explain why the Trinity is a belief that makes sense to Christians even if the idea of One God consisting of three distinct Persons defies our mathematical senses. To be continued. Deacon Dr Sherman Kuek OFS is a permanent deacon incardinated in the Diocese of Melaka-Johor, Malaysia. He is also a Secular Franciscan and theologian. He is writing for Today’s Catholic on the Church and her teachings. Have questions for him? Just send them to todaycat@gmail.com.

FEATURE TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017 Mary, the Mother of God

PAGE 10

by Fr John Catoir Christmas cards abound with the picture of Mary holding the Christ child. It is one of the most endearing images seen repeatedly during the Christmas season. Some of the most famous paintings of Mary with the baby Jesus are presented in the 2017 calendar issued by the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. On 1 January, we celebrate Mary's divine motherhood. A beautiful rendition of Mary with her child, painted by Giuseppe Chiara (1654-1727) is depicted in that calendar, alongside a lovely prayer entitled, “Entrusting the Church to Mary, Mother of God”. Implied is the theme that Mary is not only the mother of Jesus Christ, but also the mother of his church. This title, “Mother of God”, has often been challenged down through the ages, and the church has always answered these critics with clarity. One of the earliest objections came from the gnostics. Gnosticism is an early heresy that claimed that “matter is evil”, an idea borrowed from certain Greek philosophers. The gnostics contradicted Genesis 1:31, “God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good”. They also denied the doctrine of the incarnation, claiming that Christ only appeared to be a man. Since matter is evil, they conjectured, his humanity was merely an illusion. Another heretical view came in the fifth century from Bishop Nestorius of

Constantinople. He denied Mary's title: “Theotokos” (God-bearer), claiming that Mary only carried Christ's human nature in her womb. His theory divided Christ into two separate persons: one human and one divine. The church rejected this heresy, declaring that Mary is the Mother of God, not in the sense that she is older than God or that she is the source of God, but rather, in the sense that the person she gave birth to was in fact God incarnate. The second person of the Trinity assumed a human nature from her body. The divine person, Jesus Christ, is truly human because he is bone of her bone, and flesh of her flesh. These attacks on Mary’s divine maternity were all based on Christological heresies. The Catholic Church defined the divinity of Christ in AD 325 at the First Council of Nicaea, which produced the first version of the Nicene Creed. We recite this creed at Mass every Sunday: “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light. ... He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary”. Since Mary is the mother of Jesus, she is also the mother of his mystical body on earth. Membership in Christ's mystical body extends beyond the Catholic community. The word “mystical” refers to the mystery that underlies this doctrine. The term “body” when referring to the church, derives its meaning from an analogy used by St Paul, who speaking to the Christians at Corinth said: “Now

Mary and the Christ Child are depicted in this 17th-century painting by Giovanni Battista Salvi. (Photo: CNS) you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it” (1 Cor 12:27). Mary is the mother of the divine person, Jesus Christ. We have a strong devotion to Mary as our spiritual mother. It is not difficult for people of faith to

make the leap of seeing Mary as the mother of Our Lord, to her also being a spiritual mother to all of us. Even though it boggles the mind, we know that God revealed this truth, and we accept it joyfully. — CNS

C HI N ES E N EW YEA R S P E C I AL

The Year of the Rooster - A reflection Chinese beliefs about the rooster • The rooster is the tenth symbolic animal of the terrestrial branches. • Due to its crowing at regular intervals, it is commonly called ‘the beacon of the night’ and ‘the herald of the morn’. • It is the embodiment of the ‘Yang’, representing the warmth of life of the universe. • The red picture of a rooster posted on the wall of the house is said to protect against fire. • The white colour of the rooster is a sign of purity of heart and is also believed to offer protection against harmful influences. • The rooster has five virtues: 1. The crown on its head marks its literary spirit. 2. The spurs at its feet are a symbol of its warlike disposition. 3. It is courageous in fighting its enemies. 4. It is benevolent, always clucking for hens when it finds some food. 5. It is faithful in that it never fails to announce the hour of daybreak. Christian reflection • Jesus is the true ‘beacon of the

in particular the weak, the poor and the forgotten. In Jesus, we see the human face of this same loving God. 5. Jesus is faithful to his Father’s will even to the point of giving up his life on the cross.

Graphic: freepik.com Photo: freepik.com

night’. In John 8:12, Jesus proclaims, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”. • All life in the universe comes from god and Jesus the Word made flesh is the embodiment of this gift of life. • The Chinese ascribe five virtues to the rooster. This reminds us that Jesus is the embodiment of all virtues. 1. The crown of thorns on Jesus’ head reminds us that he is the Universal King. Yet he is a King who comes to serve and to die for sinners.

2017

2. The nails on his feet did not keep Jesus a prisoner for long. Through the power of God, Jesus rose from the dead, conquering evil, sin and death. Jesus conquers by the power of his love. 3. During his life on earth, Jesus relentlessly fights against the forces of evil in all its various forms (prejudice, revenge, greed, pride, etc) to set us free. 4. Jesus the Word made flesh reveals a God who is totally good and benevolent. He takes special care of all his children,

Conclusion Let us thank God for this Chinese New Year of the Rooster. May the five virtues of the rooster remind us of the virtues of Jesus. Although he is King, he humbles himself to serve. He overcomes evil with the power of love, setting us free to live as sons and daughters of the Father. He reveals to us a Father who is so loving that he gave us his only beloved Son Jesus. Jesus proves his great love for his Father by ding on the cross to take away our sins. Let us strive to imitate Jesus, the Word made flesh. I wish you a very Happy Chinese New Year of the rooster filled with God’s many blessings and may you be ever prosperous in the Lord of the Universe and of us all. Adapted from an article written by Fr Stephen Chin Sacred Heart Church, Mile-7, Kuching

TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017

FEATURE

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PADI SEEDS

Scruples I remember going to confession once, when I was a teenager, and after I had confessed my sins my Parish Priest said to me, as he always did, “Now make a good act of contrition” – but what is a “good” act of contrition, as opposed to an ordinary act of contrition? At that time, I presumed it meant saying the prayer without any distractions and I also presumed that it was necessary to say it in this way if my sins were to be forgiven. After I had left the confessional and was making my thanksgiving, I began to wonder whether I had said the prayer properly, so, just to make sure, I repeated it again, and then a second time – but the more I concentrated on trying to mean each word, the less I was thinking about the God to whom I was supposed to be speaking! Was that also a distraction, I wondered, and, if so, I had been forgiven or not? These and suchlike concerns are called “scruples” and are symptoms of a spiritual “virus”, which infects and damages our spirituality in various ways. It is this virus that makes us think that prayer only “works”, when it is said perfectly and, in this way, it prevents us from living at peace with our God. It leads us to think that our God is an intolerant Lord – always demanding perfection from us both in prayer and in action – but this is not true! St Francis de Sales says this: “The biggest mistake that most of us make about God, the one that most consistently undermines our peace of soul, is the idea that God demands a lot of us, more than fragile beings like ourselves could ever give. Such a God is frightening! But in reality, God is content with the little we can give, because he knows – and accepts – that we only have very little. We need do just three things: • Let God into everything that we do. • Do our part – however little that may be. • Let God do the rest. If we follow these three rules, God

Q&A

Love takes to herself many forms and disguises and no one form can exhaust her beauty or adequately express it. will live with us and when we live with God in this way we will not be anxious, for we will have no fear of a God who never asks of us more than we can give.” St Francis de Sales Scruples blind us to the fact that the Lord we follow is “The Good Shepherd” – the one who leaves the ninety-nine sheep in the wilderness to look for the one who is lost (Lk 15:4) and so we find ourselves unable to see that no matter how poorly we manage to respond to his coming, this cannot prevent his love from having the healing effect that he intends. I now realise that the very fact that I had chosen to go to confession, on that morning so many years ago, was, in itself, an act of love – a prayer of contrition – a response to the God who loves me and had called me to himself – and that was all that really mattered. The virus of Scruples thus tricks us into judging ourselves by the outward appearance of our prayer and actions – but true love often wears very shabby clothes; it uses whatever is available to embrace the Beloved. Some years ago, I went on a thirty day retreat, during which we were expected to pray for five separate hours each day. At the beginning, I found this very difficult and during one hour’s prayer, I was so dry and bored that when

Today’s Catholic thanks him for sharing his rich pastoral reflections in his column ‘Padi Seeds’. He sends out a blog each week. If you would like to receive it, please email him at terrylburke@gmail.com. her beauty or adequately express it. She can sing in great music and reveal herself in lives of great dedication and service, but she is also to be seen in a wilted flower given by a small child to his/her mother and she flourishes best, I feel, in these small actions that often pass unnoticed. I read recently of a husband and wife, who had been married for 54 years and who had to be hospitalised because both were seriously sick. As the husband drew near to death, the nurses wheeled his wife’s bed into his ward so they could be together. She was only able to reach out and touch his hand, but he knew her touch and responded with a slight squeeze. He died shortly afterwards and his wife followed two days later. Those slight touches of the hand were all they could do to show their great love for each other, but it was enough. So, it is also enough for our God! Fr Terry Burke

Specific saints for specific requests?

I often hear people say that they pray to specific saints for specific needs and that this is effective. I, though, have a certain few favourite saints, and I ask each of them to intercede with the Lord for all of my requests. So my question is this: Should I make an adjustment and pray instead to designated saints according to their “specialties”?

I looked at my watch and saw there were still twenty minutes to go, I turned to the Lord in desperation and cried out, “Lord, I am bored out of my mind, I don’t know what to say or what to do – but I am staying here and although all I can offer you is the determination to somehow get through the rest of this hour, I hope you will accept it, because you are the One I love and wish to be with.” I am still learning that boredom and distractions are an essential, but, thank God, only a periodic part of our spiritual journey. God tempts us into prayer by making us enjoy it, but then, at times, he withdraws that enjoyment, leaving me to face those twin terrors of boredom and distractions, so that deeper love may come to be by praying for the sake of God and not for the pleasure that I might get. We ought to know this is how love grows from our everyday experience, for all around us we see parents doing hard and difficult work for the sake of their families and we see people spending long and often boring hours, nursing a loved one. Love has two faces – joy and pain – and both are necessary, in the same way that flowers need both sunshine and rain in order to grow. Our love for God and neighbour is no different. Love takes to herself many forms and disguises and no one form can exhaust

Fr Terry Burke is a Mill Hill Missionary, who has served in Sarawak, Indonesia, India and England. Currently, he is a resident lecturer at St Peter’s College and also assigned to do formation work in the Archdiocese.

It is true that certain saints are regarded as having particular “specialties” – either because of the history of that saint’s life or the record of certain favours being granted through their intercession. St Matthew, for example, is considered the patron saint of bankers and bookkeepers because of his own occupation as a tax collector, and St Luke is regarded as the patron of physicians. St Anne, the mother of Our Lady, is often invoked at childbirth, and St Joseph has been called the patron of a happy death. St Lucy, a fourth-century martyr who is thought to have had her eyes gouged out but her sight miraculously restored, is sometimes asked to intervene for problems with eyesight. The church has long believed that the saints, our elder brothers and sisters in the faith, live now in God’s presence and can intercede with the Lord on our behalf. Around AD 350, Cyril of Jerusalem wrote that during the Eucharistic prayer, “we make mention also of those who have already fallen asleep: first, the patriarchs,

by Fr Kenneth Doyle The church has long believed that the saints, our elder brothers and sisters in the faith ... can intercede with the Lord on our behalf.

Photo: CNS

prophets, apostles and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition.” When we pray, it boosts our confidence and enhances our faith to know that the particular saint we ask to help might well have a special sympathy for our own circumstance. There is no definite and dogmatic answer, though, to the question you pose, and none of us can presume to be privy to the inner workings of heaven. I think that you should continue exactly what you are doing – communing with those saints to whom you are especially drawn and asking them to intervene in all of your needs. — CNS

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FEATURE TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017 Hell for 75 cents by Effie Caldarola

When I was a young woman, I went to the grocery store with my mom in the farm town where I grew up. It was before the days of computerised cash registers that automatically revealed the amount of change due. You needed some rudimentary math skills back then to work at a store. My mom was a bookkeeper for a lumber company and adding and subtracting were second nature. So when the clerk gave her the change, she noted she’d been given 75 cents too much and handed back the extra. I don’t remember what I said as we walked to the car, but I probably remarked on her honesty. “Well,” said my mom, “I don’t want to go to hell for 75 cents”. That stopped me in my tracks. “Do you believe God would send you to hell for 75 cents?” I asked. She replied that she did, but I had a sense that my question had given her pause. Did she really believe in a God of such vengeance? A God waiting to punish brutally for a small infraction? I don’t think she really did, and my question probably stirred some reflection in her on just who her God was. That question – who is God for me? – is probably our life’s primary question. Recently, I worked with a journal that asked me to describe the God of my childhood and youth. Then, I was

To veer too far from accepting God’s mystery is to create my own image of God, to hang onto something I’ve come to think of as a “God in a box” mentality... to describe God as I see him as an adult. Not surprisingly, the God of my childhood reflected my upbringing’s view of a judgmental, punishing God. This is often how God was presented in catechesis a few decades ago. “Judge”, “stern taskmaster”, – those were some of the words I wrote in the journal. As an adult, I use the word “mystery” to describe God. In theology classes

I’ve taken, I’ve heard it repeated: Our spirituality is how we walk with mystery. To veer too far from accepting God’s mystery is to create my own image of God, to hang onto something I’ve come to think of as a “God in a box” mentality, full of my own certainties. A writer remarked recently, only half-jokingly, that we know we’ve created God in our own image when God hates the same

people we do. In my adult reflection, I described God with words like “inclusive”, “expansive”, “harder to pin down and define than when I was a child”. Well, I certainly hope I haven’t tried to pin God down lately. Instead, I use words like invitation and grace. I long to be ready to be surprised by grace and intimacy with the One who invites me. As Pope Francis has told us, God’s name is mercy. And as Scripture defines God: God is love. My mother taught me most of what I know about love, and I believe that deep down love is how she experienced God. But back then, we too often saw God, like St Peter at heaven’s gate, holding an all-important ledger with figures as rigid and unbending as those my mother kept in her ledger at the lumber company. Nevertheless, I remain challenged by her comment. It reminded me of the Jewish phrase that was used to describe Oskar Schindler, the man who saved more than 1,000 Jewish workers from extermination during World War II. “He who saves one life saves the world entire,” goes the maxim. We all know that one who can be trusted in small things is the one who can be trusted in large. Perhaps she who is honest in small sums saves the world’s integrity, piece by piece.

NEED HELP? Catholic Counselling Service Please call for enquiry and appointment Michael Junim 010-9677902 Michael Law 019-8893789

The official homepage of the Archdiocese of Kuching: http://kuchingcatholic.org/

Bookmark the page, or scan the QR Code for easy access:

CNS

TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017

CHILDREN

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John the Baptist

Hi Kids!

It’s 2017! Wow! Time sure flies. Have you thought of what you would like to achieve this year? You could aim to be a better child, friend or brother/ sister. Whatever it is you wish for yourself, ask Jesus to help you achieve that. Have a blessed 2017!

Aunty Jo

The gift that keeps on giving Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 Read John 1:10-18. Find the words in the puzzle.

BELIEVE BLESSING CHILDREN CHRIST DWELLING

FLESH GLORY GOD GRACE JESUS

NAME RECEIVE TRUTH WORD WORLD

Wise men still seek him Unscramble each word, then use the marked letters to reveal the secret word. Another word for the wise men. A twinkling point of light in the night sky. The direction that is opposite of west. The male ruler of a country. Herod, for example. What the wisemen brought to the Christ child. Why the wise men wanted to find the new-born king.

All the children in the world

Then Peter began to speak, “I now realised how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. (Acts 10:34-35) Each number represents a letter of the alphabet. Substitute the correct letter for the numbers to reveal the coded words. When each coded word is solved, a secret message will be revealed.

1. 16-20-6-8-6

______________________________________________________

2. 13-24-23-20-6

______________________________________________________

3. 21-12-20

______________________________________________________

4. 13-19-21-21-13-20

______________________________________________________

5. 26-12-19-13-14-18-20-25 ______________________________________________________ Write the secret message here: ______________________________________________________

Complete the crossword puzzle above. ACROSS 1. The Son of God. 2. John baptised with _______________. 4. A dry, barren plain. 5. The place where God lives. 6. A strict observer of Jewish law. 9. The promised one, the Christ. 10. The mother of John the Baptist. 11. To immerse by water or fire. DOWN 1. The river where John baptised. 3. A Jewish title of respect for a teacher. 4. The Spirit landed on Jesus in the form of a ______________. 7. To turn away from sin. 8. Behold, the _____________ of God that takes away the sins of the world. BAPTISE DESERT DOVE ELIZABETH HEAVEN JESUS JORDAN LAMB MESSIAH PHARISEE RABBI REPENT WATER

Christmas Colouring Contest The winners are: ANN DOLLY CARLO, 9, Kuching MARIA CHAN CHAO FEN, 9, Kuching TERESA CHAN CHAO FANG, 9, Kuching FREDDY MALCOM AK WAYUDI, 11, Tebakang JULIET SUZETTY AK JAMES, 11, Lundu DAPHNE GOH JUN RU, 11, Kuching CONGRATULATIONS! Please collect your prizes at Today’s Catholic office (ACCPC, next to St Joseph’s Cathedral) 1, Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, 93000 Kuching Tel: 082-231164

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YOUTH

TODAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017

YOUTH

PAGE 15

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FOKUS

TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017

MENGENAI APOLOGETIK

Adakah Orang Kristian menyembah tiga tuhan? Oleh Diakon Dr Sherman Kuek, OFS

Bapa-bapa terawal Gereja telah berhadapan dengan pelbagai bidaah atau ajaran sesat yang berkisar sekitar dogma Tritunggal Maha Kudus. Bidaah ini timbul mungkin disebabkan oleh orang yang cuba menentukan kefahaman mereka sendiri dengan cara yang lebih dapat diterima oleh akal fikiran mereka yang terbatas, dan kebanyakan golongan terdidik ini telah tersilap. 4. Bidaah Trinitarian sepanjang zaman sudah diteliti dan ditolak oleh Gereja. Dogma Tritunggal telah ditakrif di Majlis Nicaea Pertama pada tahun 325 Masihi dan Majlis Constantinople Pertama pada tahun 381 Masihi. Majlis Nicaea Pertama menyentuh tentang keilahian Putera ketika ia menentang bidaah Arianisme yang mendakwa Putera adalah makhluk supernatural tetapi tidak ilahi. Majlis Constantinople Pertama menyentuh tentang Roh Kudus ketika ia menentang bidaan Pneumatochianisme (juga dikenali sebagai Macedonianisme) yang menafikan keilahian Roh Kudus. Sepanjang abad-abad yang lalu, terutamanya pada zaman awal Gereja, pelbagai bidaah sudah muncul mengenai Tritunggal. Gereja bersusah-payah menimbang semua bidaah ini dan mendepaninya satu per satu. Bidaah ini timbul apabila orang cuba menggunakan kehebatan intelek manusia yang lemah untuk membolehkan akal dengan segera memahami kewujudan Allah sebagai Tritunggal. Dan ramai pemikir yang mendapati diri tidak dapat berfikir seiringan dengan Gereja telah pandered to penolakan yang terpesong, dan dengan demikian muncul bersama gambaran mereka sendiri bagi apa yang mereka rasakan adalah Misteri Allah ini yang sepatutnya. Marilah kita meneliti beberapa bidaah utama ini. Monarkianisme. Sesetengah orang Yahudi dari Gereja Awal (seperti orang Korintus dan orang Ebionite) jatuh semula ke dalam fahaman pra-Kristian tentang Allah dan mengisytiharkanNya sebagai ‘unipersonal’. Teori mereka berubah dalam tempoh kira-kira seratus tahun sehingga menjadi bidaah Monarkianisme, yang percaya kepada hanya satu susuk sahaja dalam Allah. Di bawah panji Monarkianisme, terdapat kumpulan yang dikenali sebagai ‘Adoptionists’, yang percaya iaitu memandangkan susuk tunggal Tuhan hanya satu sahaja, maka Kristus tidak dikira ilahi walaupun Dia dikandung secara mukjizat oleh Perawan Maria dan diberikan kekuasaan yang luar biasa daripada Allah. Kumpulan Monarkianistik yang lain adalah Patripassionis (secara harfiah bermaksud “Bapa penderita”) atau Modalis yang percaya bahawa walaupun Kristus adalah ilahi, Dia benar-benar Bapa yang telah menjelma sebagai Putera dan menderita dan wafat di salib. Ini bermakna bahawa, secara teknikalnya, tiada Tritunggal kerana Bapa dan Putera adalah Peribadi yang sama. Salah satu contoh tipikal Patripassionis adalah seorang paderi Libya di Rom bernama Father Sabellius pada Abad Ketiga. Dalam pertimbangan beliau, Tritunggal sebenarnya hanya terdiri daripada satu Peribadi, satu Tuhan Maha Esa. Bapa, Putera, dan Roh Kudus pula sebenarnya adalah satu Peribadi yang memegang “jawatan” yang berbeza atau dinyatakan dalam “mod” yang berbeza, bukannya tiga peribadi yang berasingan dan berbeza yang juga sebahagian daripada Tuhan Maha Esa. Kesalahan ajaran Sabellius ditegah dengan pantas dan beliau telah diekskomunikasi apabila enggan meminda ajarannya. Subordinasionisme. Bidaah ini mengakui bahawa terdapat tiga peribadi di dalam Tritunggal tetapi menafikan bahawa Putera dan Roh Kudus adalah sungguh-sungguh wujud bersama dengan Bapa. Dalam erti kata lain, Putera dan Roh Kudus tidak benar-benar ilahi. Beberapa kumpulan Subordinasionis muncul sepanjang sejarah. Pengikut Arian menganggap bahawa Firman bukannya wujud daripada keabadian, dan tidak mungkin terdapat generasi melalui Putera daripada Bapa, tetapi sebaliknya, hanya oleh Bapa. Dalam erti kata lain, Putera itu telah dicipta oleh Bapa dan Kristus adalah Putera Allah yang paling hampir dengan “kewujudan” Nya. Dia tidak lebih daripada “kelahiran pertama dari semua ciptaan” yang datang ke dalam aliran penciptaan sebelum segala sesuatu telah diciptakan. Ada juga golongan separa Arian yang mendakwa Kristus adalah serupa dengan Bapa (bahasa Yunani, homoiousios) tetapi bukan sehakikat dengan Bapa (bahasa Yunani, homoousios). Terdapat juga orang Makedonia yang menafikan keilahian Roh Kudus dengan mendakwa Ia bukan ilahi tetapi diciptakan. Mereka mendakwa Roh Kudus hanyalah malaikat pelayanan Allah. Triteisme. Pada penghujung spectrum bidaah trinitarisme adalah kumpulan triteis yang berpendapat bahawa Tritunggal sebenarnya terdiri daripada tiga Tuhan. Beberapa nama terkenal boleh disenaraikan di bawah kategori bidaah ini iaitu John Philoponus (565 Masihi), Roscelin (1120 Masihi), Gilbert Poitiers (1154 Masihi), Abbot Joachim dari Fiore (1202 Masihi), dan Anthon Guenther (1873 Masihi), dan lain-lain lagi. Pasca Reformasi Protestan. Pengasasa asal Reformasi Protestan seperti Martin Luther dan John Calvin mengesahkan dogma Tritunggal sepenuhnya. Namun

(Bahagian IV)

Kita mengakui keunggulan Maria di antara orang-orang kurus kerana kerendahan hati Maria yang menerima kehendak dan rancangan Tuhan demi keselamatan dunia. subjektivisme yang mengawal tafsiran iman dalam protestanisme menyebabkan mereka terpesong begitu jauh sekali daripada ajaran asal, maka sebahagian daripada mazhab yang agak baharu akhirnya menafikan keseluruhan rumusan tradisional mengenai Tritunggal. Ternyata, bantahan dan inovasi kepada pandangan tradisional Kristian mengenai Tritunggal bukanlah satu fenomena yang hanya datang bersama Islam. Kecenderungan untuk menolak ajaran Gereja mengenai Tritunggal sudah wujud secara meluas sejak awal agama Kristian lagi hingga ke hari ini. Namun, orang Kristian awal pantas mengenali bidaah ini apabila ia muncul. Lanjutan daripada itu, Gereja yang mengutuk bidaah triteisme tidak sepatutnya dituduh sebagai mengamalkan triteisme apabila ia sudah berkurun-kurun lamanya memberi ajaran kepada anak-anaknya sendiri untuk berhati-hati dengan kepercayaan yang mengelirukan ini. 5. Tritunggal Maha Kudus tidak merujuk kepada Maria dan penganut Kristian tidak menyembah Maria. Reaksi yang pantas kepada tanggapan bahawa Maria telah diangkat sebagai sebahagian daripada Tritunggal Maka Kudus, dan maka itu disembah oleh kita. Sememangnya kita tidak menyembah Maria sebagai anggota Tritunggal, dan Maria sememangnya bukan sebahagian daripada Tritunggal. Bapa itu adalah Tuhan, Putera adalah Tuhan dan Roh Kudus juga adalah Tuhan tetapi Maria bukan Tuhan. Kesimpulannya, kita tidak pernah menyembah Maria, Bonda Allah. Kita percaya kepada “penciptaan”, pada kenyataannya meskipun dia dipilih untuk melahirkan Putera Allah di dunia ini, Maria sama sekali tidak pernah menjadi ilahi. Namun demikian, ini bukan bermaksud bahawa kita tidak berdoa kepada Maria. Kita harus sentiasa tegas menyatakan bahawa doa dan penyembahan bukan perkara yang sama bagi seorang Katolik! Dari dahulu lagi, penyembahan sentiasa diertikan sebagai suatu upacara korban pujian. Orang Yahudi menyembah Allah dengan membuat korban pujian kepadaNya, dan seterusnya, begitu juga yang dilakukan oleh Gereja. Penyembahan kita tidak pernah diertikan selain daripada persembahan korban pujian. Sehingga kini, perayaan Ekaristi dalam Misa Kudus terus menjadi satu upacara korban pujian. Ini merupakan upacara teragung yang dibuat oleh Gereja, sebagai penyembahan kita kepada Tuhan. Berdoa kepada Maria ataupun para santo untuk memohon pengantaraan doa adalah tidak sama dengan penyembahan, kerana ia tidak melibatkan korban persembahan. Oleh itu, penyembahan sememangnya melibatkan doa, tetapi sekadar berdoa adalah tidak sama dengan penyembahan. Pada zaman silam, orang Kristian memberi penghormatan kepada orang-orang kudus melalui kurniaan istilah Yunani iaitu dulia. Istilah ini berkaitan dengan penghormatan atau pemuliaan yang diperkenankan oleh Tuhan, berbeza dari segi keperibadian dan darjat. Ini merupakan penghormatan tertinggi yang diberikan kepada orang kudus dan untuk memohon pengantaraan mereka bagi pihak kita. Seterusnya, oleh kerana Bonda Perawan Maria mempunyai peranan yang unik dalam misteri penyelamatan manusia, kita seharusnya memberi penghormatan tertinggi di kalangan orang-orang kudus, maka terma khusus iaitu hyperdulia dikurniakan kepadanya. Kita mengakui keunggulan Maria di antara orang-orang kurus kerana kerendahan hati Maria yang menerima kehendak dan rancangan Tuhan demi keselamatan dunia. Tetapi apabila menurut kehendak Allah, terdapat istilah khas daripada bahasa Yunani yang ada pengaruh Latin iaitu latria, untuk membuat renungan kepada adorasi atau penyembahan yang dikhaskan hanya bagi Allah sahaja. Kita tidak memuja sesiapa atau apa sahaja melainkan hanya Allah sahaja. Menjawab tanggapan yang silap bahawa umat Kristian menyembah Maria sebagai Peribadi Ketiga dalam Tritunggal, kita menafikan bahawa Maria adalah ilahi. Namun dalam hal ini, ia tidak bermakna kita tidak menghormatinya. Pemujaan kita terhadap kehadiran Maria tidak boleh disangkal dalam kehidupan rohani kita, dan ia berkembang daripada pengabdian cintanya yang teragung kepada Allah dan bukannya daripada menjadikan dirinya sebagai Tuhan. Dalam artikel terakhir dan pastinya berhubung isu dogma Trinitarisme, saya akan menerangkan kenapa konsep Tritunggal merupakan satu kepercayaan yang munasabah walaupun idea bahawa Tuhan Yang Esa mengandungi Tiga Peribadi bertentangan dengan pemahaman matematik kita.

TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017

IMAN DAN HIDUP

PAGE 23

Maria, Bonda Allah Oleh Fr John Catoir

Kad Krismas penuh dengan gambar Maria yang menggendong Kristus ketika masih bayi. Ia merupakan salah satu imej yang paling disayangi dan dilihat berulang kali pada musim Krismas. Beberapa lukisan Maria bersama si bayi Yesus yang paling terkenal dipamerkan dalam kalendar 2017 yang dikeluarkan oleh Basilika Tugu Kebangsaan Immaculate Conception di Washington (Amerika Syarikat). Pada 1 Januari, kita meraikan keibuan ilahi Maria. Satu lukisan cantik yang menggambarkan Maria bersama anaknya, oleh Giuseppe Chiara (1654-1727) dipamerkan dalam kalendar tersebut, bersama satu doa indah bertajuk ‘Mempercayakan Gereja kepada Maria, Bonda Allah’. Tersirat dalam tema itu ialah Maria bukan sahaja ibu Yesus Kristus, tetapi juga ibu atau bonda GerejaNya. Gelaran ini ‘Bonda Allah’ sering dicabar sejak zaman-berzaman, dan Gereja sentiasa menjawab pengkritik ini dengan jelas. Salah satu bantahan paling awal datang daripada golongan gnostik. Fahaman gnostik adalah satu bidaah awal yang mendakwa “benda adalah jahat”, satu idea yang dipinjam dari ahli falsafah Yunani tertentu. Golongan gnostik mencanggah Kejadian 1:31, “Allah melihat segalanya yang Dia telah buat, dan mendapati ia sangat bagus.” Mereka juga menafikan doktrin inkarnasi, dan mendakwa Kristus hanya kelihatan sahaja seperti manusia. Memandangkan benda adalah jahat, kata mereka, kemanusiaannya sekadar satu ilusi sahaja. Satu lagi pandangan bidaah muncul

Memandangkan Maria adalah ibu Yesus, dia juga adalah bonda tubuh mistikalnya di bumi.

Lukisan Madonna dan si anak, oleh Pompeo Batoni pada abad kelima oleh Uskup Nestorius dari Constantinople (Istanbul). Beliau menafikan gelaran Maria: ‘Theotokos’ (pembawa Allah), dengan dakwaan bahawa Maria hanya membawa sifat manusia Kristus di dalam rahimnya. Teorinya membahagikan Kristus kepada dua peribadi berasingan: satu manusia dan satu ilahi. Gereja menolak bidaah ini, dan mengisytiharkan bahawa Maria adalah Bonda Allah, bukan dari segi fahaman bahawa dia lebih tua daripada Allah atau dia adalah sumber Allah, tetapi sebaliknya, dari segi fahaman bahawa orang yang dia

Hati ke hati...

dari pena penulis jemputan,

Fr Lazarus Swinie

Tahun 2016 telahpun berakhir. Pelbagai kenangan telahpun tercipta pada tahun tersebut dan ianya tidak mungkin akan berulang kembali. Segala peristiwa pahit dan manis telah menjadi pengajaran kepada kita semua. Ianya telah mendewasakan kita untuk menempuh hari-hari yang mendatang dalam tahun 2017. Pelbagai reaksi diberikan menjelang tahun 2017. Pelbagai persiapan untuk menyambut tahun baharu 2017. Seawal Krismas lagi ada yang sudah ghairah untuk menyambut tahun baharu

namun tidak kurang juga yang masih lagi belum bersedia. Sama ada sudah bersedia ataupun belum pertukaran hari dan tahun tidak akan tertangguh walau sesaat pun. Masa tidak menunggu kita. Mengimbas kembali tahun 2016 masih banyak lagi perkaraperkara yang tertunggak. Azam tinggal azam. Keadaan ekonomi yang lembab dan kos sara hidup yang kian meningkat sedikit sebanyak telah merencatkan azam dan perancangan tahun tersebut. Marah dan kecewa menghantui diri namun tidak akan berputus asa. Kegagalan pada tahun 2016 tidak boleh

lahirkan sebenarnya adalah Allah yang dijelmakan. Peribadi kedua dalam Tritunggal mendapatkan sifat manusia dari badan Maria. Peribadi ilahi itu, Yesus Kristus, benar-benar manusia kerana dia adalah tulang dari tulang Maria, dan daging dari daging Maria. Serangan ini ke atas keibuan ilahi Maria semuanya berdasarkan bidaah Kristologi. Gereja Katolik mentakrif keilahian Kristus pada 325 Masihi di Majlis Pertama Nicaea, yang menghasilkan versi pertama Kredo Nicene. Kita menyebut kredo

dijadian ukuran bahawa segalagalanya telahpun berakhir. Kehadiran tahun baharu menjadi landasan untuk membuka lembaran yang baharu untuk memperbaiki diri dalam kehidupan ini. Apakah azam anda pada tahun 2017? Dapatkah kita mencapainya? Tuhan tidak menjanjikan kehidupan yang sempurna kepada kita ketika kita masih di bumi. Gereja telahpun memberikan kepada kita satu contoh iaitu keluarga Kudus dari Nazaret untuk diteladani. Apakah yang menjadikan mereka ini kudus? Apakah kerana mereka ini telah dipilih secara langsung oleh Tuhan maka mereka akan menikmati rahmat dan pelindungan Tuhan tanpa perlu berusaha? Sepertimana yang kita ketahui dari Alkitab bahawa malaikat Tuhan telahpun menyampaikan berita baik penyelamatan Tuhan kepada Maria dan Yosef di dalam mimpi. Mereka menerima berita dari Tuhan dengan hati yang terbuka. Mereka bekerjasama dengan Roh Kudus untuk memenuhi kehendak Tuhan.

ini di sembahyang Misa setiap Ahad: “Aku percaya kepada satu Tuhan, Yesus Kristus, satu-satunya Putera Allah, yang lahir daripada Bapa sebelum segala zaman, Allah dari Allah, Cahaya dari Cahaya. Dia turun dari syurga, dan oleh Roh Kudus dijelmakan menerusi Perawan Maria.” Memandangkan Maria adalah ibu Yesus, dia juga adalah bonda tubuh mistikalnya di bumi. Keanggotaan dalam tubuh mistikal Kristus melangkaui umat Katolik. Perkataan “mistikal” merujuk kepada misteri yang menggariskan doktrin ini. Istilah “tubuh” apabila merujuk kepada Gereja, mendapat maknanya dari satu analogi yang digunakan oleh St Paul yang, bercakap kepada jemaat Kristian di Corinth, berkata: “Sekarang kamu adalah tubuh Kristus dan secara individu, sebahagian daripadanya” (1 Kor. 12:27). Maria adalah bonda oknum ilahi, Yesus Kristus. Kita ada kebaktian yang kuat kepada Maria sebagai bonda rohani kita. Ia tidak susah bagi orang yang percaya untuk melihat Maria sebagai ibu Tuhan Kita, dan juga ibu rohani semua kita. Walaupun ia mengejutkan fikiran, kita tahu Allah mewahyukan kebenaran ini, dan kita menerimanya dengan gembira. — CNS (Terjemahan)

Walaupun berat namun mereka pasrah. Kehadiran Yesus di dalam keluarga mereka tidak menjadikan mereka selamat dari kerakusan kehendak duniawi. Mereka menjadi ‘pelarian’ – dari Nasaret di Galilea ke Batlehem di Yudea ke Mesir kemudian kembali semula ke Nasaret. Hidup sebagai pelarian tidak mempunyai masa hadapan yang cerah. Walaupun demikian mereka lebih mengutamakan kehendak Tuhan lebih daripada keluarga dan kerjaya. Istilah ‘kita hanyalah manusia biasa’ bukanlah alasan untuk tidak menjadi kudus. Kekudusan keluarga Maria dan Yosef tidak terletak semata-mata pada kelahiran Yesus namun pada kerendahatian mereka untuk menerima dan melakukan kehendak Tuhan. Maria sentiasa ‘menyimpan di dalah hati dan merenungkan’ segala hal yang berlaku berkaitan dengan Yesus manakala Yosef tidak pernah lalai untuk melindungi mereka dari segala bahaya. Yosef juga bekerja keras untuk menyara kehidupan keluarganya. Tidak rungutan tercatat. Mereka melakukan segala sesuatu demi nama Tuhan.

Seperti tahun-tahun yang lepas, tahun 2017 juga tidak menjanjikan masa hadapan yang sempurna kepada kita. Walaupun demikian, janganlah kita jadikan kegagalan untuk memenuhi azam pada tahuntahun yang lepas alasan untuk tidak membuka azam yang baharu. Azam adalah pembakar semangat kepada kita untuk lebih maju. Kemajuan dalam kehidupan kita tidak boleh dinilai samata-mata pada kejayaan dalam hal duniawi sahaja. Dalam Injil Matius 5:3-12 Yesus sendiri telahpun menyenaraikan kebahagiaan sejati. Ianya sangat berlainan dengan kebahagiaan yang dikehendaki oleh duniawi. Kita adalah penziarah di bumi ini. Segala yang kita miliki di dunia ini adalah bersifat sementara. Tujuan perjalanan kita ialah untuk memasuki kerajaan Allah di Syurga. Kita berziarah sebagai gereja; sebagai umat manusia. Masa hadapan kita bergantung kepada sejauh mana kita telah ‘menyimpan di dalam hati dan merenungkan’ firman Tuhan di dalam kehidupan kita. Selamat Tahun baharu 2017.

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Krismas karoling meriahkan suasana di Saratok

KEGEMBIRAAN BAGI DUNIA … Penyanyi lagu Krismas mendendangkan lagu-lagu terakhir mereka di rumah Peter Engkasan. SARATOK — Pusat di rumah Peter Engkasan di Katolik St Ignatius telah mana semua peserta berkumpul mengadakan Krismas karoling untuk jamuan persaudaraan dari rumah ke rumah menjelang secara ‘potluck’. perayaan Hari Krismas dengan Krismas karoling juga membawa Berita Baik tentang diadakan di beberapa buah kelahiran Juruselamat kita, rumah panjang iaitu di Meruji Yesus Kristus. dan Ulu Sebetan, Saratok dan Sebanyak 12 buah rumah Sungai Pasir di Roban. Katolik di Paroki St Ignatius Kegiatan ini dijayakan oleh dikunjungi pada 7 Disember kira-kira 40 anggota jemaat St lalu bermula jam 6.00 petang. Ignatius termasuk kumpulan Krismas karoling berakhir belia. — Rossita Guang

Marilah kita menyerahan tahun baharu ini kepada Maria, Bonda Allah, supaya keamanan dan kerahiman semakin berkembang di seluruh dunia. - Pope Francis

TAKZIAH Ucapan takziah kami yang tak terhingga kepada Puan Selibest Peter Nyombep dan keluarga di atas pemergian bapa mereka yang tersayang, PETER NYOMBEP ANAK GINOAB, pada 6 Disember 2016. Semoga cahaya abadi menyinarinya, dan semoga jiwanya bersemadi dengan tenang. Dari keluarga CVL (Connection with Love)

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TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017

Pengajian setengah hari ‘Amoris Laetitia’ KUCHING – Selepas hari pengajian yang sangat berjaya mengenai ‘Amaris Laetitia’ pada awal Julai lalu, Dr Jeffrey Goh dan Angie telah mengendalikan satu lagi pengajian setengah hari di dewan utama Pusat Pastoral Katedral dan Kuria Keuskupan Agung (ACCPC). Ia dihadiri kira-kira 400 ketua awam dan anggota paroki pada pagi Sabtu 3 Disember lalu. Jeffrey, yang memenuhi persidangan dengan segala kebaikan ‘Exhortation’ pasca sinod itu, sekali lagi mengingatkan peserta tentang kata-kata pembukaan Pope Francis, “Kegembiraan kasih sayang yang dialami keluarga adalah juga kegembiraan Gereja.” “Keinginan untuk berkahwin dan membentuk sebuah keluarga sentiasa bertenaga” dan “merupakan satu inspirasi bagi Gereja”. “Pope Francis tidak pernah mengubah doktrin Gereja,” tegas Jeffrey. “Ia menghimpunkan hasil kedua-dua sinod mengenai keluarga yang dihimpunkan oleh Pope Francis pada 2014 dan 2015.” Paus itu menggunakan

Jeffrey (gambar kecil) memberi penjelasan yang baik kepada hadirin tentang apa yang telah ditulis oleh Pope Francis dalam ‘Amoris Laetitia’. katekesis beliau yang begitu beliau menerokai sumbangan banyak mengenai keluarga Madah itu yang kaya dan selain dokumen majisterium bernilai kepada Kehidupan yang lalu, ajaran paus-paus Berkahwin Orang Kristian. terdahulu, pelbagai persidangan “Kasih dalam perkahwinan Keuskupan dan malah memetik mentakrif pasangan suami Martin Luther King. isteri dalam kesatuan yang “Firman Allah” adalah berkekalan dan menyeluruh “sumber penghiburan dan di dalam gabungan teman bagi setiap keluarga kenikmatan dan pergelutan yang mengalami kesukaran atau yang membentuk satu rumah penderitaan”. tangga.” Dalam persidangan Peserta takjub dengan keduanya, Jeffrey menyentuh ajaran Pope Francis yang tentang ‘Madah St Paul kepada sangat tepat pada waktunya kasih”. Sambil menghuraikan dan dijelaskan dengan begitu tentang kasih manusia secara mudah sekali oleh Jeffrey. teliti, lemah-lembut dan konkrit, Peter Wong (Terjemahan)

KOTA VATIKAN — Pope Francis meraikan harijadi beliau yang ke-80 dengan bersarapan bersama sekumpulan gelandangan dari sekitar Basilika St Peter dan menjemput mereka ke sembahyang Misa – tetapi amalannya tidak setakat itu sahaja. Sepanjang hari, jamuan harijadi dan hadiah Krismas yang istimewa diberikan kepada orang miskin dan memerlukan bantuan di pusatpusat pelindungan dan makanan percuma di seluruh Rom dalam nama Paus sempena hari beliau yang istimewa. Francis memulakan harijadi beliau dengan mengalu-alukan lapan orang gelandangan, dua orang wanita dan enam orang

lelaki, ke kediaman beliau di rumah tetamu St Martha, Vatikan. Diiringi Almoner Kepausan Uskup Konrad Krajewski, lapan orang individu tersebut datang dari pelbagai kerakyatan, dan termasuk empat warga Itali, dua warga Romania, seorang warga Moldavia dan seorang warga

Paus meraikan harijadi ke-80 dengan beramal kepada orang miskin di Rom

Peru. Mereka berada dalam kawasan sekitar Basilika St Peter dan pancuran di bawah deretan tiang seri ketika mereka dijemput oleh Krajewski pada awal pagi untuk bersarapan bersama Paus. Bersambung di ms 25

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TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017 Dari meja pengarang

PAGE 25

Jangan bergosip!

Seseorang mengirim ‘Senarai Azam Tahun Baharu Pope Francis’ menerusi teks pesanan ringkas kepada saya. Walaupun saya tidak begitu pasti mengenai keasliannya, walau bagaimanapun kandungannya mencerminkan pelbagai homili, ucapan dan renungannya. Di tempat teratas senarai ialah “Jangan bergosip!” Ini mungkin mengejutkan, kerana pasti ada dosa yang jauh lebih buruk untuk dielakkan? Kenapakah beliau merujuk kepada perkara ini tidak kurang daripada enam kali pada tahun pertama kepimpinan beliau? Di sini adalah satu contoh. Pada 27 Mac 2013, beliau merujuk kepada “gosip adalah melakukan apa yang dibuat oleh Yudas” dengan “merobek orang lain”. Beliau juga pada waktu lain menggambarkan gosip sebagai “membunuh orang lain”. “Setiap kali kita menghakimi saudara kita di dalam hati kita atau lebih buruk lagi apabila kita bercakap buruk tentang mereka dengan orang lain, kita adalah orang Kristian yang membunuh,” kata Francis. “Fitnah tidak berdosa tidak wujud.”

Dalam satu ucapan kepada uskup-uskup wilayah misi pada 9 September 2016, Pope Francis berkata perpaduan Gereja diancam oleh gosip, dan berkata iblis “memusnahkan dengan lidah, dengan cakap-cakap kosong yang memecah-belah”, dan tabiat bergosip adalah satu perbuatan “terorisme”. “Gosip adalah ‘pengganas’ yang melontar bom tangan cakap-cakap - untuk memusnahkan,” tambah beliau. “Tolonglah, tentang perpecahan, kerana ia adalah salah satu senjata yang digunakan oleh iblis untuk memusnahkan Gereja tempatan dan Gereja sejagat.” Gosip berada dalam kategori yang sama dengan pembunuhan dan terorisme! Cuba fikirkan perkara itu. Sekarang kita tahu kenapa ia adalah nombor satu dalam senarai itu! Selamat menyambut tahun 2017 yang bahagia dan bebas daripada gosip! Stella Chin (Terjemahan)

CATHOLIC today’s THE TEAM 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

Satu lagi pencapaian ekumeni: pemberkatan Hotel 1ACS KUCHING — Ekumenisme, pertama kali ditekankan oleh Uskup Agung Emeritus Datuk Seri Peter Chung di Sibu pada 1973, telah mengambil satu lagi langkah ke hadapan dengan pemberkatan Hotel 1ACS pada 19 Disember 2016. Semua gereja anggota samasama menyertai pemberkatan oleh Uskup Agung John Ha. Mereka membaca Firman Allah, menyertai doa-doa dan memotong reben sebagai tanda bahawa hostel itu diabadikan kepada Allah. Persatuan Gereja-gereja Sarawak (ACS), yang terdiri daripada gereja-gereja anggota, iaitu Anglikan, Katolik, Methodist, SeventhDay Adventist, Salvation Army dan Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB), menyiapkan hostel 22 bilik itu di Jalan Laksamana Cheng Ho, Kuching. Hostel bernilai RM2.5 juta itu direka bentuk oleh sepasukan perunding, JRC Architect, Jurutera Jasa (Sarawak), Perunding UZL

BERSATU KITA TEGUH… (Gambar kiri) Uskup Agung John Ha bersama Pastor Justin (Pengerusi ACS sekarang) di sebelah kanan beliau dan Mejar Francis di sebelah kiri beliau. (Gambar kanan) 1ACS Hotel di Tingkat 2 Pusat Ekumeni. dan PUBM Quantity Surveyors secara percuma, yang amat dihargai persatuan. Kontrak pembinaan dianugerahkan kepada Yung Kong Construction Sdn Bhd dan tapak diserahkan pada 1 April 2014. Idea bagi hostel untuk penceramah dan tetamu yang menghadiri acara-acara itu wujud lebih 15 tahun lalu. Disebabkan oleh kekangan kewangan, ia ditangguhkan

sehingga sekarang. Hostel yang siap itu menandakan era baharu dalam persefahaman dan hubungan baik di kalangan masyarakat Kristian di Sarawak, sesuatu yang sangat membanggakan kita. Hostel tersebut terletak di tingkat kedua Pusat Ekumeni dengan liputan kamera litar tertutup (CCTV) 24 jam, dan Wi-Fi percuma. Bilik Standard Single disediakan pada harga

RM60.00, bilik Standard Double RM70.00, bilik Superior Double RM80.00 dan Bilik Keluarga (tiga katil single) pada harga RM120.00 semalam. Setiap bilik dilengkapi kemudahan bilik mandi dengan bekalan air panas dan pendingin udara sepenuhnya. Ia adalah manifestasi usaha ekumeni ACS untuk menyediakan tempat penginapan yang selamat, bersih dan selesa pada harga

berpatutan di tengah-tengah Kuching. Hostel itu juga mesra orang kurang upaya. Lif disediakan ke semua tingkat, selain kemudahan tandas khusus dan sebuah bilik khas untuk tetamu yang memakai kerusi roda. Untuk maklumat lanjut, sila hubungi 082-245122 / 082-254122 (faks), atau emel kepada 1acshostel@gmail. com. Peter Wong (Terjemahan)

Paus meraikan harijadi ke-80 dengan beramal kepada orang miskin di Rom Bersambung dari ms 24 Pada jam 7.15 pagi, Pope Francis turun dan bertemu dengan mereka, menyapa setiap daripada mereka secara peribadi dan “dengan kasih sayang”, menurut satu kenyataan Vatikan pada 17 Disember lalu. Gelandangan itu kemudian memberi tiga pasu bunga matahari kepada Paus, dan Perancis segera meletakkannya di dalam chapel rumah Saint Martha di mana beliau merayakan sembahyang Misa harian. Kumpulan itu kemudian menuju ke kafeteria untuk sarapan. Pope Francis duduk

bersama tetamunya dan bercakap dengan setiap daripada mereka sebelum menyajikan beberapa gula-gula Argentina yang tipikal dan mempelawa mereka untuk menghadiri sembahyang Misa pada jam 8.00 pagi bersama kardinal residen di Rom di dalam Chapel Pauline Istana Apostolik. Baki hari istimewa Pope Francis diteruskan seperti biasa, dengan pelbagai pertemuan, baik secara individu mahupun berkumpulan. Bagaimanapun, sebagai satu tanda istimewa sempena harijadi Paus, pusat makanan percuma di seluruh Rom menawarkan jamuan istimewa sama ada

selepas makan tengah hari atau makan malam, manakala di pelbagai pusat pelindungan di mana golongan yang tidak ada tempat tinggal bermalam, tetamu diberi beg dengan satu imej yang mengingatkan mereka kepada Krismas, selain sebuah “hadiah kecil”. Pope Francis terus menerima ucapan selamat harijadi sepanjang hari. Setakat pagi 17 Disember lalu, beliau sudah menerima hampir 50,000 ucapan harijadi dari seluruh dunia menerusi emel, sebagai sebahagian daripada inisiatif khas yang dilancarkan oleh Vatikan sempena hari yang besar itu. — CNA (Terjemahan)

MEMBAWA KEGEMBIRAAN NATAL … Rektor Paroki St Peter & St Paul, Father Joseph Sebastian memberkati Bilik Kecemasan Hospital Mukah yang sudah diubahsuai pada 19 Disember 2016. Sebelum pemberkatan, kaum wanita gereja (Ladies’ Guild) telah melakukan lawatan dan mengagihkan hadiah Krismas kepada pesakit diketuai Pengerusi Ladies’ Guild Paroki St Peter & St Paul, Clare Mesni, dan Father Joseph. Sebelum dan semasa melawat pesakit, koir menyanyikan lagu-lagu Krismas.

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Saya ingat pada satu ketika saya membuat pengakuan dosa, sewaktu saya remaja, dan selepas saya mengaku dosa, paderi paroki berkata kepada saya, seperti apa yang dia selalu buat, “Sekarang doa keinsafan yang baik” – tetapi apakah doa keinsafan (act of contrition) yang “baik”, berbanding doa keinsafan biasa? Ketika itu, saya mengandaikan ia bermaksud menyebut doa itu tanpa sebarang gangguan dan saya juga mengandaikan bahawa ia adalah perlu untuk menyebutnya dengan cara begini jika saya mahu dosadosa saya diampuni. Selepas saya meninggalkan bilik pengakuan dosa dan memanjatkan kesyukuran saya, saya mula tertanya-tanya sama ada saya telah menyebut doa itu dengan betul, jadi, untuk memastikannya, saya mengulanginya semula, dan kemudian kedua kali – tetapi semakin saya memberi tumpuan kepada usaha untuk menyebut setiap perkataan dengan ikhlas, semakin kurang saya memikirkan tentang Allah yang sepatutnya saya tujukan doa tersebut! Adakah itu juga satu gangguan, saya tertanyatanya, dan, jika demikian, sudahkah saya diampuni atau belum? Ini dan kebimbangan seumpamanya dipanggil ‘scruples’ dalam bahasa Inggeris (rasa bersalah dan ragu-ragu) dan merupakan simptom bagi “virus” spiritual, yang menjangkiti dan merosakkan kerohanian kita dengan pelbagai cara. Virus inilah yang membuatkan kita berfikir bahawa doa hanya “berkesan” apabila ia disebut dengan sempurna dan, dengan cara ini, ia menghalang kita daripada menjalani kehidupan

‘Scruples’

yang tenang dengan Allah kita. Ia membuatkan kita berfikir bahawa Allah kita adalah Tuhan yang tidak toleran – sentiasa menuntut kesempurnaan daripada kita, baik dalam doa dan dalam amalan – tetapi ini tidak benar! St Francis de Sales menyebut perkara ini: “Kesilapan terbesar yang kebanyakan kita buat mengenai Allah, satu-satunya yang dengan konsisten paling menjejaskan ketenangan jiwa kita, adalah idea bahawa Allah menuntut banyak perkara daripada kita, lebih daripada apa yang dapat diberikan oleh manusia yang rapuh seperti kita. Allah yang sedemikian menakutkan! Namun dalam realiti, Allah berpuas hati dengan perkara kecil yang kita dapat berikan, kerana Dia tahu – dan menerima – bahawa kita hanya ada sangat sedikit sekali. Kita hanya perlu melakukan tiga perkara sahaja: • Bawa Allah ke dalam segalanya yang kita buat. • Mainkan peranan kita – tidak kira betapa kecil sekalipun. • Biarlah Allah melakukan selebihnya. Jika kita mengikuti tiga peraturan ini, Allah akan hidup bersama kita dan apabila kita hidup bersama Allah dengan cara ini, kita tidak akan rasa gelisah, kerana kita tidak akan rasa takut kepada Allah yang tidak pernah meminta lebih daripada apa yang kita mampu berikan.” - St Francis de Sales ‘Scruples’ membutakan kita kepada hakikat bahawa Tuhan yang kita ikuti adalah “Gembala Baik” – yang meninggalkan 99 ekor biri-biri di belantara untuk mencari seekor biribiri yang hilang (Injil Lukas 15:4) dan dengan demikian, kita mendapati diri tidak dapat melihat bahawa tidak kira betapa

buruknya kita respon kepada kedatanganNya, ini tidak dapat menghalang kasihNya daripada memberi kesan penyembuhan yang Dia inginkan. Saya sekarang menyedari bahawa hakikat yang saya telah memilih untuk membuat pengakuan dosa pada pagi itu bertahun-tahun yang lalu, adalah dengan sendirinya satu amalan kasih – satu doa keinsafan – satu respon kepada Allah yang mengasihi saya dan memanggil saya kepada DiriNya – dan itu sahajalah yang amat penting. Maka itu virus ‘Scruples’ mengelirukan kita untuk menghakimi diri kita dengan penampilan luaran doa dan tindakan kita – tetapi kasih sejati selalunya memakai pakaian yang sangat selekeh; ia menggunakan apa sahaja yang ada untuk memeluk Yang Disayangi. Beberapa tahun yang lalu, saya telah menyertai satu retreat selama 30 hari, di mana kami dijangka berdoa selama lima jam secara berasingan setiap hari. Pada mulanya, saya mendapati ini sangat sukar dan sewaktu satu doa sejam, saya begitu kering dan bosan sehinggakan apabila saya melihat jam tangan saya dan mendapati saya masih ada 20 minit lagi, saya berpaling kepada Tuhan dalam keadaan terdesak dan menjerit, “Tuhan, aku begitu bosan sekali, aku tidak tahu hendak sebut atau buat apa – tetapi aku akan terus berada di sini dan walaupun apa yang saya dapat berikan kepadaMu adalah keazaman untuk mengharungi baki jam ini, aku harap Engkau akan menerimanya, kerana aku ingin bersama Engkau yang satusatunya aku kasihi.” Saya masih belajar bahawa kebosanan dan gangguan adalah satu bahagian yang amat perlu dalam perjalanan rohani kita,

TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017

BENIH-BENIH PADI Fr Terry Burke ialah seorang mubaligh Mill Hill yang pernah berkhidmat di Sarawak, Indonesia, India dan England. Buat masa sekarang, beliau adalah pensyarah di Kolej St Peter selain ditugaskan kepada kerja pembentukan di Keuskupan Kuching. Today’s Catholic ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Fr Burke kerana membahagikan renungan dan pengalaman pastoral yang kaya di dalam ruangan ini yang bertajuk Benihbenih Padi.

tetapi, syukur pada Allah, ia hanya berlaku dari masa ke semasa sahaja. Allah menarik kita ke dalam doa dengan membuatkan kita menyukainya, tetapi kadangkadang, Dia menarik balik kesukaan itu, dan meninggalkan saya untuk menghadapi dua keburukan itu, iaitu kebosanan dan gangguan, supaya kasih yang lebih mendalam akan dirasai dengan berdoa demi Allah dan bukan demi keseronokan yang saya mungkin perolehi. Kita perlu tahu bahawa ini adalah cara kasih berkembang daripada pengalaman harian kita, kerana di sekeliling kita, kita melihat ibu bapa membuat kerja yang susah dan sukar demi keluarga mereka dan kita melihat orang menghabiskan masa yang panjang dan selalunya membosankan, untuk menjaga seseorang yang disayangi. Kasih ada dua wajah – kegembiraan dan kesengsaraan – dan kedua-duanya adalah perlu, dalam cara sama seperti bunga memerlukan sinaran matahari dan hujan untuk tumbuh. Kasih kita kepada Allah dan orang lain juga tiada bezanya. Kasih membawa kepada dirinya banyak bentuk dan penyamaran dan tidak ada satu bentuk pun yang dapat menghabiskan kecantikannya atau mengekspresikannya dengan memadai. Ia dapat bernyanyi dalam muzik yang

hebat dan mendedahkan diri dalam kehidupan dedikasi dan khidmat yang hebat, tetapi ia juga dapat dilihat dalam bunga layu yang diberikan oleh seorang kanak-kanak kepada ibunya dan dia berkembang dengan terbaik, saya rasa, dalam tindakan kecil ini yang sering terlepas pandang. Saya membaca baru-baru ini mengenai sepasang suami isteri, yang sudah mendirikan rumah tangga selama 54 tahun dan terpaksa dimasukkan ke hospital kerana kedua-duanya sakit tenat. Ketika si suami semakin mendekati kematian, jururawat menolak katil isterinya ke dalam wadnya supaya mereka dapat bersama. Si isteri hanya mampu menghulurkan tangan dan menyentuh tangan si suami, tetapi si suami mengenali sentuhannya dan membalas dengan memicit sedikit tangan si isteri. Si suami meninggal dunia tidak lama kemudian, dan si isteri menyusulinya dua hari kemudian. Sentuhan tangan yang sedikit itu sahajalah yang mereka dapat lakukan untuk menunjukkan kasih sayang mereka yang amat kuat bagi satu sama lain, tetapi ia sudah mencukupi. Ia demikian juga mencukupi bagi Allah kita! Fr Terry Burke (Terjemahan)

UMAT KRISTIAN KUCHING BERHIMPUN SEMPENA KRISMAS … Malam 3 Disember lalu menyaksikan 10,000 jemaat menyertai perarakan Krismas Kuching ke-10. Gereja Katolik turut mengambil bahagian dengan sebuah kereta berhias yang cantik apabila jemaat Katolik dari Keuskupan Agung Kuching menyertai orang Kristian lain untuk menyanyikan lagu-lagu tentang kelahiran Kristus. Dengan tema ‘Kerana Allah Begitu Mengasihi Dunia’, perarakan itu bertujuan untuk menyebar mesej keamanan dan meraikan maksud sebenar Krismas. Turut hadir Uskup Auksiliari Simon Poh dan pastor dari gereja lain. Acara tahunan ini dianjurkan oleh Persatuan Gereja-gereja Sarawak (ACS).

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Jalinan mesra

SATU MUKAH … Dominic Aseng (duduk empat kiri), Awang Johari (duduk tengah) bersama wakil-wakil pelbagai pertubuhan keagamaan. MUKAH – Pertubuhan badan keagamaan dalam daerah di kalangan pelbagai pengikut keagamaan di Mukah telah Mukah. agama dan berkongsi cadangan digesa oleh Residen Mukah Acara itu turut dimeriahkan serta idea dari jawatankuasa Awang Johari bin Awang oleh kehadiran Timbalan untuk meningkatkan solidariti Mustapha untuk membantu Residen Mukah Jack Aman dan di kalangan penduduk di daerah membasmi gejala sosial. Pegawai Daerah Mukah Shafrie ini khasnya dan di bahagian ini Beliau berkata pertubuhan Saili. amnya. keagamaan seperti gereja, Badan-badan keagamaan Di antara mereka yang masjid atau tokong dapat yang menyertai acara itu menghadiri majlis adalah membantu pejabat beliau adalah Gereja Roman Katolik Pengerusi Majlis Pastoral mengurangkan gejala sosial di Mukah yang diwakili Gereja St Paroki (PPC) Dominic Aseng Mukah. Peter & St Paul, gereja-gereja Edal bersama ahli-ahli PPC, Beliau berkata demikian pelbagai mazhab seperti Gereja Pengerusi Masjid Setia Raja, di satu acara untuk memupuk Methodist, Gereja Latter-Day Haji Ali Suhaili, Kapitan Tay perpaduan dipanggil Saints (LDS) dan Sidang Injil Aik Seng dari Tua Pek Kong Santai Jalinan Mesra yang Borneo (SIB), Masjid Setia Kampung Penakub Ulu, Kong berlangsung di Sri Mukah Raja, serta Tua Pek Kong Kin Lee dari Tua Pek Kong Rest House pada 17 Disember Bandar Mukah dan Kampung Mukah, Rev. Chiew Hua Ngie (Sabtu) lalu. Penakub Ulu. dari Gereja Methodist, Pastor Dianjurkan oleh Pejabat Acara yang santai dan Paul Abeng dari SIB, dan Boney Residen Mukah, acara itu bersahaja itu bertujuan untuk Kinsun dari LDS. dihadiri wakil-wakil pelbagai memupuk semangat perpaduan Harapi Charles (Terjemahan)

Pope Francis ubah amalan bagi hajat bulanan

ROM — Pope Francis akan mengubah amalan bagi hajat doa bulanan beliau, yang diedarkan ke seluruh dunia oleh Kerasulan Doa (Apostleship of Prayer). Dalam satu pengumuman di blog beliau, Jesuit Father James Kubicki, pengarah kebangsaan bagi Kerasulan Doa, menjelaskan hajat doa kepausan bulanan telah diberikan kepada dunia menerusi Kerasulan Doa, sekarang dikenali sebagai Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Jaringan Doa Seantero Dunia Paus), sejak hujung zaman 1800-an lagi. Hajat kedua bagi misi ditambah pada 1929. “Hari ini, semua ini dipanggil hajat-hajat ‘universal’ dan ‘penginjilan’ beliau,” kata Fr Kubicki, yang menambah “proses mendapatkan cadangan daripada Kongregasi Vatikan dari daripada anggota di seluruh dunia, kemudian mencadangkannya kepada Bapa Suci, kemudian menerima versi terakhir beliau dan menterjemahkannya dari bahasa Itali kepada pelbagai bahasa, kemudian membuat

publisiti mengenainya menerusi cetakan – adalah satu proses yang panjang.” Pada 2016, satu perkembangan baharu ditambah, dengan satu video yang memaparkan Paus yang mengilustrasikan hajat bagi setiap bulan. Sekarang Pope Francis memperkenalkan satu perubahan kepada proses ini. Beliau “kembali kepada amalan satu hajat bulanan; dua belas hajat bagi 2017, yang berselang-seli di antara hajathajat penginjilan dan universal (sejagat), sudah diterbitkan,” jelas Fr Kubicki. “Bagaimanapun, mengambil kira kelajuan komunikasi dalam zaman digital, beliau menambah

satu hajat doa segera kedua yang beliau akan maklumkan dalam Ucapan Angelus beliau pada Ahad pertama setiap bulan. Selepas kita mendengar apa dia, kita akan membuat publisiti mengenainya dalam laman sesawang kami dan media sosial lain. “Fr Frederic Fornos, SJ, pengarah antarabangsa Jaringan Doa Seantero Dunia Paus, melihat ini sebagai satu cara di mana Pope Francis mahu menangani ‘budaya sikap tidak peduli’ dengan menumpukan perhatian doa kita kepada situasi yang ‘lebih konkrit, tepat, semasa, berkaitan dengan keadaan sebenar”. Zenit (Terjemahan)

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Krismas karoling gabungan gereja-gereja Saratok

TURUT BERSAMA ... Jemaat Katolik bergambar bersama Fr Robert Jissem SARATOK — Pusat selaku Pengerusi Gereja Katolik St Ignatius telah diberi Methodist. penghormatan sebagai tuan Father Robert Jissem rumah bagi acara tahunan menyampaikan doa Krismas Karoling Gabungan pembukaan, bacaan Injil dan Antara Gereja-gereja Saratok. juga homili. Acara ini diadakan pada Kemudian, persembahan 4 November 2016 (Ahad) koir disampaikan oleh yang lalu. Sebelas buah gereja kumpulan belia St Ignatius, St pelbagai mazhab telah dijemput Peter dan Methodist. untuk turut serta. Ini diikuti dengan Tema yang dipilih pada tahun acara menyalakan lilin dan 2016 adalah ‘Kristus Cahaya’. pemberkatan. Tahun 2016 merupakan Doa sebelum perarakan tahun keempat acara ini dipanjatkan oleh seorang diadakan dalam usaha untuk pastor Gereja Baptist. menyatukan semua umat Gereja Roman Katolik St Kristian dari berbagai mazhab Ignatius mengetuai perarakan untuk sama-sama berkumpul sepanjang perjalanan dengan dan menyanyikan lagu-lagu kenderaan berhias masingNatal. masing. Ia juga bertujuan untuk Walaupun hujan turun memupuk kerjasama dan sepanjang perarakan namun persefahaman semua gereja semua peserta yang terlibat kerana kesatuan dalam cinta tetap bersemangat dan kasih Tuhan adalah kunci utama menyanyikan lagu-lagu kepada kekuatan iman semua Krismas sepanjang perjalanan. umat Kristian. Semua kontinjen Seramai 150 jemaat dari St berkumpul semula di Ignatius turun bersama-sama pekarangan Gereja Methodist seawal jam 5.00 petang ke dan bersurai selepas doa pekarangan Gereja Methodist penutupan oleh seorang pastor Zhuo En. SIB. Di antara gereja-gereja yang Semua peserta dari St hadir dengan kereta berhias Ignatius berkumpul semula mereka adalah Gereja Roman di gereja untuk makan Katolik (St Ignatius), Gereja malam bersama-sama dan Anglikan (St Peter), Gereja mengeratkan silaturahim dan Methodist, Sidang Injil Borneo persaudaraan. dan Gereja Baptist. Walaupun bekerja keras Acara pada petang itu tanpa mengenal erti penat lelah dimulakan dengan persembahan dengan persiapan dari awal lagi pembukaan oleh kumpulan belia selaku tuan rumah, kemeriahan St Ignatius dan diikuti ucapan yang dirasai pada malam itu alu-aluan oleh Alexander J. menjadikan semua usaha Rimok selaku Pengerusi St untuk mencapai matlamatnya Ignatius, dan Wong Sing King berbaloi. — Rossita Guang

Hajat Doa Pope Francis bagi bulan Januari PERPADUAN KRISTIAN Agar semua orang Kristian setia kepada ajaran Tuhan dengan berusaha menerusi doa dan kasih persaudaraan untuk memulihkan kesatuan eklesia dan bekerja sama untuk mendepani cabaran yang dihadapi umat manusia.

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TODAY’S CATHOLIC JANUARY 2017

Pada Hari Natal, Pope Francis berdoa untuk keamanan di seluruh dunia

KOTA VATIKAN — Nyanyian malaikat yang mengumumkan kelahiran Kristus menggesa lelaki dan wanita untuk mencari keamanan dalam dunia yang berpecah-belah disebabkan oleh peperangan, terorisme dan ketamakan, kata Pope Francis. “Hari ini mesej ini disalurkan ke hujung dunia untuk sampai kepada semua bangsa, terutamanya mereka yang mengalami kesan peperangan dan konflik kejam yang seakan-akan semakin kuat daripada keinginan bagi keamanan,” kata Paus pada 25 Disember lalu. Pendatang, pelarian, kanak-kanak yang sengsara kerana kebuluran dan peperangan, mangsa pemerdagangan manusia selain pergolakan sosial dan ekonomi turut diingati Paus. “Keamanan bagi orang yang menderita disebabkan oleh cita-cita ekonomi segelintir orang, kerana ketamakan dan pemujaan wang, yang membawa kepada perhambaan,” katanya. Kira-kira 40,000 orang menghadiri pemberkatan Krismas ‘urbi et orbi’ (kepada kota dan dunia) oleh Paus di Dataran St Peter. Paus berdoa untuk “keamanan bagi mereka yang sudah kehilangan seseorang yang mereka sayangi disebabkan oleh perbuatan terorisme yang kejam dan menyemai ketakutan dan kematian di dalam hati begitu banyak negara dan kota”. Negara yang dimusnahkan oleh peperangan turut berada dalam fikiran Paus, khususnya di “bumi Syria yang musnah dilanda peperangan, di mana

Ketamakan dan pemujaan wang membawa kepada perhambaan

Pope Francis memberkati semua yang hadir di dataran St Peter dan mereka yang menerima pesan beliau menerusi radio dan televisyen (Foto: CNS) terlalu banyak darah sudah ditumpahkan”, terutamanya di kota Aleppo. Paus menyeru kepada dunia untuk menyokong rakyat Syria dengan bantuan kemanusiaan dan menamatkan konflik di sana. “Sudah tiba masanya bagi senjata untuk disenyapkan buat selama-lamanya dan masyarakat antarabangsa untuk mencari dengan aktif penyelesaian menerusi rundingan supaya kewujudan bersama yang sivil dapat dipulihkan di negara itu,” katanya. Paus merayu bagi keamanan untuk rakyat Ukraine, “yang sehingga ke hari ini menanggung akibat daripada konflik

di sana”. Vatikan mengumumkan pada 23 Disember lalu bahawa bayaran pertama sebanyak enam juta euro (RM28.2 juta) akan diedarkan pada Hari Krismas sebagai sumbangan kepada usaha bantuan di Ukraine. Pada awal tahun ini, Paus meminta kutipan dibuat di gereja seluruh Eropah untuk membantu rakyat di negara yang bergolak itu. Iraq, Libya dan Yaman, “di mana rakyat mereka mengalami peperangan dan kekejaman terorisme”, turut didoakan oleh Paus supaya mereka “dapat sekali lagi mencari perpaduan dan

keharmonian”. Paus turut mengingati Afrika, terutamanya Nigeria di mana terorisme fundamentalis “mengeksploitasikan kanak-kanak untuk membawa keganasan dan kematian” selain Sudan Selatan dan Republik Demokratik Congo, dan menyeru kepada pemimpin mereka untuk memilih jalan dialog dan bukan “pola pemikiran konflik”. Beliau turut berdoa untuk keamanan di Tanah Suci agar rakyat Israel dan penduduk Palestin menolak kebencian dan dendam kesumat, sebaliknya memiliki “keberanian dan keazaman untuk menulis lembaran sejarah baharu”. Dalam doa beliau agar ketegangan sekarang ditamatkan, Paus juga menuntut keamanan di Venezuela, Colombia, Myanmar dan semenanjung Korea. Kelahiran Kristus, katanya, adalah tanda kegembiraan dan seruan bagi dunia untuk merenungkan “si bayi Yesus yang memberi harapan sekali lagi kepada setiap insan di muka bumi”. “‘Kerana kepada kita dilahirkan seorang bayi, kepada kita diberikan seorang anak’. Dia adalah ‘putera kedamaian’; marilah kita menyambutNya.” Pope Francis kemudian mengetuai Angelus Ahad seperti biasa, dan menamatkannya dengan pemberkatan ‘urbi et orbi’ dan salam terakhir dan “Merry Christmas!” kepada semua orang yang hadir di dataran secara fizikal selain menerusi radio dan televisyen dari seluruh dunia. CNS (Terjemahan)

Visionari Fatima meramalkan ‘pertarungan terakhir’ akan berhubung perkahwinan, keluarga

KOTA MEXICO, Mexico — Sister Lucia dos Santos, seorang daripada tiga orang kanak-kanak yang menyaksikan penjelmaan Maria di Fatima, meninggal dunia pada 2005. Namun sebelum kematian beliau, beliau meramalkan pertarungan terakhir di antara Kristus dengan Syaitan adalah berhubung perkahwinan dan keluarga. Demikian menurut Kardinal Carlo Caffarra, yang melaporkan visionary itu mengutus sepucuk surat kepada beliau dengan ramalan ini ketika beliau menjadi Uskup Agung Bologna, Itali. Kenyataan yang dilaporkan ini oleh Sr Lucia, yang dinyatakan sewaktu kepimpinan Saint John Paul II, dirujuk semula pada awal tahun 2016 oleh akhbar mingguan Desde la Fe (Dari Kepercayaan) di Keuskupan Agung Mexico, di tengah-tengah perdebatan yang dicetuskan oleh Presiden Enrique Pena Nieto, yang mengumumkan hasrat beliau untuk mempromosikan perkahwinan sejantina di negara ini. Akhbar mingguan Mexico itu mengimbau kenyataan yang dibuat oleh Kardinal Caffarra kepada media Itali pada 2008, tiga tahun selepas kematian Sr Lucia.

“sesiapa sahaja yang bekerja untuk kesucian Perkahwinan dan Keluarga akan sentiasa ditentang dan dilawan dalam setiap segi...”

Pada 16 Februari 2008, kardinal Itali itu telah merayakan sembahyang Misa di kubur Padre Pio, dan selepas itu beliau memberi temuramah dengan Tele Radio Padre Pio. Beliau ditanya tentang nubuat Sr Lucia dos Santos yang bercakap mengenai “pertarungan terakhir di antara Tuhan dengan kerajaan Syaitan”. Kardinal Caffarra menjelaskan St John

Paul II telah mentauliahkan beliau untuk merancang dan menubuhkan Institut Kepausan bagi Pengajian Perkahwinan dan Keluarga. Pada permulaan kerja ini, kardinal itu menulis sepucuk surat kepada Sr Lucia dari Fatima menerusi uskup beliau, memandangkan beliau tidak dapat melakukannya secara langsung. “Apa yang membingungkan, memandangkan saya tidak menjangkakan jawapan, kerana saya hanya meminta doa beliau untuk saya, saya menerima sepucuk surat yang panjang dengan tanda tangan beliau, yang kini disimpan di dalam arkib Institut,” kata kardinal Itali itu. “Di dalam surat itu, kita mendapati ditulis: ‘Pertarungan terakhir di antara Tuhan dan kerajaan Syaitan adalah mengenai Perkahwinan dan Keluarga’.

Jangan takut, tambah beliau, kerana sesiapa sahaja yang bekerja untuk kesucian Perkahwinan dan Keluarga akan sentiasa ditentang dan dilawan dalam setiap segi, kerana ini adalah isu penentuan. Kemudian beliau merumuskan: ‘walau bagaimanapun, Bonda kita sudah merenyuk kepalanya’.” Kardinal Caffarra menambah “bercakap sekali lagi dengan John Paul II, kita dapat rasakan bahawa keluarga adalah teras, kerana ia ada kaitan dengan tiang sokongan kepada penciptaan, kebenaran tentang hubungan di antara lelaki dan wanita, di antara generasi. Jika tiang asas rosak, seluruh bangunan akan tumbang dan kita sedang melihat perkara ini sekarang, kerana kita betulbetul berada pada titik ini dan kita tahu itu.” “Dan saya tersentuh hati apabila saya membaca biografi terbaik mengenai Padre Pio,” kata kardinal itu, “mengenai bagaimana lelaki ini begitu peka sekali kepada kesucian perkahwinan dan kekudusan suami isteri, malah kadang-kadang dengan ketelitian yang sewajarnya.” CNA/EWTN News (Terjemahan)

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