Dear Friends and fellow sinners
Why did the
Pharaoh
react the
way he did?
L
et’s be clear. There is a mystery in God’s story that we will never fully solve. That mystery begins with the fact that God is “rich in mercy” (Eph. 2:4), yet doesn’t give his mercy to all people with the same measure. Upon some, he lavishes his mercy. With others, he withholds mercy. Romans 9 refers, in particular, to the example of God’s mercy as seen in the Exodus. He showers his mercy upon Moses and the Israelites, while choosing to harden Pharaoh’s heart. On the surface, this might seem capricious and unfair. But we must remember, first of all, that Pharaoh participated in the hardening of his heart. He was not a victim of divine whim, but someone who chose to reject God’s will. Moreover, we should know that God’s purpose in hardening Pharaoh’s heart was to display His power and fame throughout the earth (9:17). In other words, the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart
ERRATUM In Upon This Rock, Issue 178, we mistakenly repeated Mario Finlayson’s name, quoting him as the artist who painted the background of the ‘Christ Crucified’ image at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned, AND author of ‘Under
was part of God’s plan to let the whole world know Him in truth. God was working through Pharaoh so that all people might see Him and ultimately be drawn to Him. We will never know for sure why God chose to harden rather than soften Pharaoh’s heart. But our trust in God’s goodness allows us to live with this mystery. Moreover, God chooses to show mercy according to his own will, and this fact reminds us to be grateful for what we have received. God hasn’t showered his mercy upon us because we deserved it, but because of his inscrutable grace. We thank God for his mercy which truly is his salvation. In
the Shadow of the Crescent and the Cross’ a book which is of course the most recent of Manolo Galliano’s titles to be published. Apologies to both artist and author as well as the Gibraltar Heritage Trust.
Upon this Rock magazine is published monthly by EuropeAxess Media, Gibraltar. Editor: Fr. S. Chipolina: editor@uponthisrock.gi. Production Editor: A. Sargent: angela@europeaxess.com. Upon this Rock magazine is entirely supported by advertising and donations. It is run in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar by EuropeAxess Media Ltd. as a not-for-profit project. For Advertisers: This magazine is handdelivered to homes, churches, hospitals and many businesses around Gibraltar every month. To discuss your advertising requirements, or promote your church group or charity, call Tel: +350 200 79335 email: angela@europeaxess.com. Editorial is selected by EuropeAxess Media in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar. Neither of these parties is responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein, nor do the views and opinions expressed herein necessarily reflect the views and opinions of either party. Advertisers are not endorsed by virtue of advertising in this magazine. EuropeAxess Media Ltd. reserves the right to refuse space to any submissions or advertisements. Efforts have been made to establish copyright owners of images, but if we have used your material, and have not credited you, please contact us to discuss restoration. The magazine is online at uponthisrock.gi. You’ll find exclusive Christian gifts in the WebShop. Cover Collage, Our Lady of Europe: Earth Imagery, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
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this Year of mercy, more than ever, it seems an appropriate time to consider how merciful God has been with us, and will be with us. The image of God with open arms and open heart should not only inspire us, but strengthen us, as we struggle to journey with Him. God bless you
†Father Stuart
Note on the Illustrations
Map: a topographical representation showing the traditional route of the Exodus in red. Characters: in 1981, The Christian Broadcasting Network created a children’s animated Bible series as part of an outreach to the nation of Japan. The series is available at http://cdn. superbook.cbn.com/
Bishop Ralph on the Rock for Chrism Mass
P
rior to Easter, Bishop Ralph
Heskett, joined by the priests of the Diocese, celebrated the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral. This is when the Bishop blesses three
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oils — the oil of catechumens (oleum catechumenorum), the oil of the infirm (oleum infirmorum) and holy chrism (sacrum chrisma) — which will be used in the administration of the sacraments
throughout the diocese for the year. This tradition is rooted in the early Church; Pope Pius XII issued a new Ordinal for Holy Week, which reinstituted a special Mass of the Chrism distinct from the evening Mass.
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Ra p i d r e a c t i o n t o P o p e F r a n c i s ’ P a p a l E x h o r t a t i o n
Bishop Barron Q&A ON (THE JOY OF LOVE)
Q
What surprised you most during your first reading of Amoris Laetitia? I was most surprised by the number of citations of Thomas Aquinas. Several commenters have called this document “ground-breaking”. Did it break new ground, and if so, how? I would not say that it is groundbreaking in any doctrinal or dogmatic way. The most controversial section of chapter eight is a rehearsal of the very traditional distinction between the objective nature of a moral act and the level of one’s personal culpability in performing such an act. Perhaps the focus on positive elements within disordered
Q
From the Press and Twitter to Catholic websites and blogs, the whole world is buzzing about Pope Francis’ new exhortation, Amoris Laetitia. While advising against a hurried reading of the new Papal Document, church leaders appreciate that the faithful are hungry for news. Bishop Robert Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He published his initial reflections on Amoris Laetitia in an article on the Word on Fire website, and later answered some follow-up questions about the exhortation. relationships is something of a novum, but that is a question more of pastoral strategy than of doctrinal substance. Upon the text’s release, Huffington Post ran the headline “Pope Relaxes Church Rules on Divorce” and NPR said “Pope Calls For More Grace, Less Dogma On Issues of Divorce, Contraception.” Is this really what the Pope does in the exhortation? The Pope by no means is “relaxing Church rules on divorce.” In fact, he emphatically reaffirms the centrality and indissolubility of
Q
Forthcoming Events in the Diocese
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marriage, and he actually says nothing directly about Communion for the divorced and remarried. He is calling for greater pastoral sensitivity and for an honest assessment of the subjective culpability of those involved in objectively irregular relationships. And he is certainly not calling for “less dogma” in these areas, since he unambiguously reaffirms the dogmas and doctrines concerning marriage. As a bishop reading this document, how do you interpret the controversial Chapter 8. Does it allow divorce
Q
and civilly remarried couples to receive communion? Is the decision left to individual bishops or pastors? Those who are in the state of mortal sin and have not received absolution, or have failed to exhibit either remorse or purpose of amendment, should not present themselves for Holy Communion. That has been, and remains, the teaching of the Church. But the Pope is insisting that one cannot
‘AMORIS LAETITIA’ move, without further ado, from the fact of objective disorder to the declaration of mortal sin. The determination of that state of affairs can take place only through a careful discernment with one’s confessor or spiritual director, with special emphasis placed on circumstances that might mitigate one’s personal responsibility. As predicted, the chapter on “irregular unions” has received the most attention in the media. But what are some highlights of the other chapters? There are lots of other highlights. I would specially mention the section wherein Pope Francis exegetes, in a manner both academically insightful and pastorally helpful, Paul’s hymn to love in 1 Corinthians. I might also draw attention to the biblically “thick” opening chapter, which proves that the Pope’s reflections
Q
are not drawn exclusively from abstract philosophical considerations. You recently served for several years as Rector at Mundelein Seminary. How would you use Amoris Laetitia in the formation of future priests? How should seminarians read it? I would urge seminarians to study with special attention the sections of Amoris Laetitia dealing with the pastoral care of young couples preparing for marriage. I would also encourage them to internalize the distinction alluded to above, namely, the difference between the objectively disordered and the subjectively culpable.
Q
To find the full article by Bishop Robert Barron on Word on Fire website, Google ‘Bishop Barron First Thoughts’ or go to: wordonfire. o rg / re s o u rc e s / a r t i c l e / f i r s t thoughts-on-amoris-laetitia/5134/ Bishop’s photo ©wordonfire.org
The Gibraltar Diocesan Celebration of Our Lady of Europe will take place on Wednesday 18th May. Starting at 6:30pm from St. Bernard’s Church and process to the Shrine, on arrival (at approx 7pm) the Eucharistic Celebration will commence. Since the times of the Apostles, Christians have been receiving the Holy Eucharist
as part of the celebration of Mass. Jesus instituted this holy meal on the evening before he was crucified. The Pope clearly feared that these novel teachings were threatening the Eucharistic piety which had marked the Catholic Church since the earliest centuries. To emphasize the centrality of the Eucharist in the Church, Pope Paul IV echoed the words, of St. Ignatius of Antioch, in his encyclical Mysterium Fidei, referring to the Blessed Sacrament as the “medicine of immortality.” In his homilies, St. Ephrem the Syrian taught that even crumbs from the Eucharistic host could sanctify thousands and thousands. Thomas Aquinas considered the Eucharist to be the greatest of all sacraments. Thus, the Church has viewed the Eucharist as unique, even among the sacraments, since the earliest times. The Catholic Catechism summarizes this teaching of the importance of the Eucharist:
The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life”
The Corpus Christi procession commences Thursday 26th May at 7:30pm from Piazza. www.uponthisrock.gi 5
Health Matters - Women Speak on NFP
Natural Family Planning: Top 11 Reasons to Try...
Creighton
( beca us e 1 0 r e a so ns were jus t n ot e no u g h ) ‘When Zac and I were married just two years ago, doctors told me not to risk using natural methods because surely I would get pregnant and that would be dangerous, both for me and the baby. ’
I
Graph: Pope Paul VI Institute
have Type 1 Diabetes and getting pregnant before my blood sugars were totally under control would mean serious complications. Those doctors were, however, quick to push the pill, the implant and all sorts of IUDs, all methods with lengthy lists of side effects and dangerous health risks (Increased risk of breast cancer? Perforated uterus? Decreased libido? No thanks). Because of my disease we are dedicated
to a healthy lifestyle and these methods just didn’t sit well with us. And as faithful young Catholics we were looking for a system that respects the dignity of women and marriage. So we took a leap of faith and began charting with the Creighton Model FertilityCare System, a completely safe, all natural and effective method of avoiding (or achieving) pregnancy, and reaped lots of benefits we were not expecting.
INFERTILITY TREATMENT SUCCESS RATES NaPro Technology
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In Vitro Fertilisation
11
NaProTechnology! Creighton is the first method of NFP to be fully integrated with a new women’s health science. My PCP and OB/GYN were unconcerned with my abnormal cycle, faulting stress and offering birth control pills as a swift solution. Thankfully, my Creighton practitioner saw the irregularity in my chart and referred me to a NaProTechnology (Natural Procreation Technology) doctor. Because of the Creighton System, I was able to connect with NaPro docs who were not interested in masking my symptoms with destructive drugs, but who tackled the cause of my symptoms with a cooperative and healthy approach. It’s not always easy, but Zac and I feel peace knowing that I am not loading my body with artificial hormones, but that we are avoiding pregnancy naturally and benefiting my reproductive health at the same time. So when we are able to start our family, I know I will be the healthiest I can be. My wonderful husband and I now talk to engaged couples about the awesomeness of this natural method. In true Letterman style we call this our Top 11 reasons why we use Creighton
10 09
Affordable, and who doesn’t appreciate that?
Zero side effects... Nothing bad is going in, and I’m feeling pretty great.
08
Natural Nothing artificial about this gal!
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07
Eco-friendly Using my own body to monitor my fertility- talk about true organic living!
06
Morally acceptable We have a problem with the post fertilization effects of artificial birth control- with that and any barriers limiting our marriage and lowering the dignity of the human person. Using NFP we are open to life even when we are avoiding pregnancy.
05
Increased communication Natural methods involve attentive communication about charting signs of fertility and also our intentions in using the system. And if you can talk about “biological markers,” you can talk about anything.
04
Easy to learn With the help of a dedicated practitioner, Creighton Model System is easy to learn and easy to interpret. Checking for biological markers (cervical
AVOIDING PREGNANCY SUCCESS RATES
mucus) is as quick and easy as going to the bathroom. (No internal exams, no thermometers, no monitors. Just you and your toilet tissue).
Creighton Model
Birth Control Pills
03
Effective 99.6% perfect use and 96.8% typical use effectiveness is a number we could really stand behind (Sorry oral contraceptives, 91% typical use is not gonna do it (Trussel 2011)).
02
Shared System I observe, he charts, and we use the system together- because we always knew we were a great team.
01
There are possibly, I suppose, a few things my husband wishes he could change about me- my dangerous habit of using dish towels for ovenmits, my unbearable reliance on morning coffee, or perhaps my insistence to always sing the harmony to our favourite tunes– but my fertility is not one of them.
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W
e believe in this system so much I am now not only a satisfied user but a proud FertilityCare Practitioner Intern out of the Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha. NFP is a part of our Catholic lifestyle and is now my vocation and career. Creighton has changed our lives and it’s a privilege to share the good news about natural methods with other young couples.
Graph: Pope Paul VI Institute
Editorial selected by Dr. Monique Risso
Michele Boda, FCPI & Zachary Boda Michele is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and John Cabot University in Rome. michele.a.boda@gmail.com or visit her blog: http://bodafide. wordpress.com/. This article was first published on http://www. carrotsformichaelmas.com/
If you are interested in Natural Family Planning, talk to Dr. Monique Risso Dr. Risso MB ChB MRCGP General Practitioner. The Creighton Model Fertility Care System Practitioner, and NaPro Technology Physician. The Specialist Medical Clinic, Unit 7, First Floor, ICC Building, Casemates Square, Gibraltar. Tel: +350 200 49999. www.ladyofeuropefertilitycare.com
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MARY’S
Anne Mesilio writes...
Photo: Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu © Toni Soto
IN
the world”. Tragedy struck this close knit family when Agnes was eight years old and her father died. Her mother, a woman staunch in her faith, strong and independent, kept the family together by opening an embroidery and cloth business to support the family.
I remember answering the phone on the evening of the 5th September 1997 and being totally bemused by my friend’s question “Have you heard the news?”
W
ell, of course I had heard the news, the whole world had heard the news, the shocking and appalling manner of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Did my friend think I had been living in a cave for the past six days? I berated her goodnaturedly and when she managed to get a word in edgeways, the news punched me in the solar plexus. Mother Teresa had died. A wave of sadness washed over me for the loss of this most beloved person. Immediately a picture of her flashed into my mind. This tiny person, she was only 4 foot, 11 inches, stooped and clad in her white, blue bordered sari, as
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she went about her work with the poorest of the poor in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. She had stayed faithful to her mission of living like the poor without personal possessions or modern comforts. Her life had been totally devoted to helping the sick, the unwanted, the diseased, the destitute, the lepers and the helpless. “Stay very close to Our Lady, if you do this, you can do great things for God and the good of people”. She lived in the shadow of Our Lady for decades. Nothing was impossible for Mother Teresa as she firmly believed and trusted “nothing is impossible for those who call Mary mother”. How else could she take such giant risky steps into unknown territory. She surrendered herself to God’s will
under the protection of Mary, which gave her a freedom to ‘fly’ in ways she never dreamed possible. She became one with the sanctity of life and the challenge of the unfamiliar. Raised in a devout Catholic family where she was the youngest of five children, born to Nikolle & Dranafile Bojaxhiu she was born in Skopje, now Macedonia, but was then part of the Ottoman Empire. It was truly the crossroads of Balkan history. Two of her siblings had died in infancy and she was born on the 26th August 1910 and christened Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She has described herself thus; “By blood I am Albanian, by citizenship Indian, by faith I am a Catholic nun, as to my calling, I belong to
I find this rather prophetic as Agnes was to spend her life weaving a tapestry of love and caring for the poor and destitute, no matter where they were to be found. In the slums of Kolkata, sufferers from AIDS in Los Angeles, or the homeless who slept under London Bridge, it mattered not, if they were needy she helped. “The poor must know we love them”. She was a beam of light in a world ravaged by wars, genocide, famines, and the cruel indifference of Man’s inhumanity to Man. How did she do it, this frail little woman who lifted the dying into her arms to ease their misery with a loving hug. “A life not lived for others is not a life”. I find this a profound statement. It implies a surrender of self to such a degree that surely only saints can do it. “Take, Lord,
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CH
and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. You have given all to me; to you, O Lord, now I return it; all is yours, dispose of me wholly according to your Will. Give me only your love and your grace, for this is enough for me.” (Ignatius of Loyola). This sort of surrendering to God requires tremendous faith and trust. It is scary, though it should not be, and I doubt I could pray it with my entire being (could you)? Why do we not fully embrace that God is with us, a guiding power to sustain us through life. Mother Teresa understood this, though she never asked anything for herself. She shunned the limelight, though it was focused on her relentlessly. She accepted it as a means of help for others. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create ripples”. The ripple effects of her decisions surged around the globe, starting when she left home in September 1928. She went to the Loreto Convent in Dublin, Ireland, where she made her final profession as a nun in 1939. She took the name Teresa after her patroness St. Therese of Liseaux. From then onwards she was known as Mother Teresa. She was sent to India where she taught at St. Mary’s Bengali Mission school. During a train journey in India in 1946 she received “a call within a call” changing the course of her life by “labouring at the
R ISTI A
salvation and sanctification of the poorest of the poor”. By 1950 she had established the Congregation of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata. Their mission, in Mother Teresa’s words, was to care for “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those who felt unwanted, unloved, uncared for, people who are shunned by everyone”. These services were provided, without charge, to people regardless of religion or social caste. By the time of her death over 4,000 Sisters operated 610 missions in 123 countries, aided by Co-workers who numbered over one million in the 1990s. She received many accolades and prizes during her life, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for which she immediately declared herself unworthy. I wonder how she feels about the greatest accolade of all, that of sainthood, which is about to be bestowed on her. September 4th 2016 to be exact, just a day short of nineteen years since her death. This tiny woman set out to change the world “one person at a time”. The desolation of the poor is
still with us. The cries of abused women and children, lost in a suffering we can only try to imagine, as wars rage. “If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other”. We need to emulate her all encompassing love, with which she reached out to embrace the loneliness of abandonment which erodes the spirit. Her own prayer, which she has said “never failed me”, is perhaps one we too can pray in her memory and steadfast devotion to Our Lady. “Mary, mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now”. Mother Teresa, pray for us.
Gibraltar’s Co-workers
No one is allowed to ask for money in the name of Mother Teresa! The Co-Workers are to rely entirely on prayer and God’s Providence. Mother Teresa wrote in person to explain her position on this point to each of the groups. Among the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa there are various different levels of involvement, there are volunteers, who contribute in whatever way they can. As well as ‘Sick and suffering’ Co-Workers who cannot physically help, but
are linked with a Brother, Sister or Father for whom they pray, offering their suffering in union with the Cross of Jesus, as a spiritual support. This is deeply valued by the Missionaries, Mother Teresa said...
“Everyone and anyone who wishes to become a Missionary of Charity, a carrier of God’s love, is welcome. We shall be able to do great things for love of Him, because of you.” In this way prayerful relationships build up which are actually of mutual benefit. The Gibraltar Co-workers of Mother Teresa have a ‘Holy Hour’ at 5pm on the last Tuesday of the month (24th May) at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned led by Fr. Paul, they invite anyone who wishes, to “Please come and pray with us.”
FUNDING AVAILABLE
US
T
N
MIS
The Christian Mission Trust provides local Christians with donations for evangelistic SI O N T R initiatives and outreaches. The Trust is ecumenical and has provided money to many groups, individuals and churches during the last 12 years. It is run by a Board of Trustees.
We invite applications for funding from anyone who wishes to launch an evangelistic initiative or who needs support for an existing Christian missionary activity. Please write to: The Chairman, Christian Mission Trust, 4 South Pavilion Road, Gibraltar.
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Have you been to a Cursillo weekend?
Why should we attend a ‘The purpose of a spiritual retreat, as an addition to daily spiritual activities, is to temporarily leave behind the pressures of daily life that we all face, for long enough to allow relaxation and for an inner change to occur.’
Y
et, it is not only modern life that requires us to take up a period of quiet contemplation. If we consider Jesus’ actions and his suggestions to others as we read in the gospel accounts, let’s take Mark’s gospel for instance: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark,
Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” (Mark 1: 35–37). Jesus took up this time alone not when there were no other important matters to tend
to, but because of the essential need to make time for prayer despite all the things that needed to be done. Sometimes Jesus would spend an entire night in retreat: “In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12). Jesus encouraged his followers to do the same: “The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.” (Mark 6: 30-32) No doubt, the apostles were energised by the response of the crowds they encountered, but they still needed a chance to recharge before carrying on.
The Recent Retreat
Bearing these teachings in mind, the Cursillo Movement recently organised a weekend retreat at the Retreat Centre. The theme for the retreat was “Merciful like the Father” to coincide with the theme of this year’s Year of Mercy. We are now several months into this Year of Mercy, we have heard a lot about it, we have been spoken to about God’s mercy but what this Year of Mercy is really about is about how merciful we ourselves are in our daily lives. God asks us
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to love our neighbour, to forgive others as he forgives us, to treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. This retreat was an opportunity for those attending to carry out some selfanalysis and consider, do we do this, do we do it consistently. A Year of Mercy has been declared, we are asked to focus on our behaviours, to do things differently, but this is not just an effort that is to span a period of twelve months, this should form part of our daily lives, it should simply be the way we Christians do things. The retreat was very well attended, it started on the evening of Friday 18th March with a beautiful adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Father Charlie. The retreat then resumed early on Saturday morning with a Mass. During the day we were treated to some uplifting music from Eddie and the Cursillo Movement’s Music Ministry and there were talks with some very encouraging and motivational messages from Father Charlie and Father Jonathan.
Life changing effects.
There were also some emotional personal testimonies from people who have been able to turn around their lives following a personal encounter with our Lord. At the end of the retreat attendees broke out into groups and discussed what they had heard during the day and expressed
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by the Cursillo Team Leaders
Spiritual Retreat? how they aimed to put this into practice into their everyday lives. Truly a wonderful two days in the presence of the Lord that cannot avoid having had an impact in the lives of those that attended.
What is a Retreat?
There are various models of retreats, the Mass serves as a fundamental model of a retreat, though on a smaller time scale. We leave the world to enter the Church for prayer, contemplation, hearing the Word, lifting up our hearts to the Lord, and receiving the spiritual nourishment of the Eucharist. We are dismissed from the Mass to go out and serve, having replenished our spiritual reserves. In addition to the Mass, there are also brief
respites, from the burdens we may experience with daily life, in praying the rosary, spending an hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, reading Scripture, or sitting in meditation and contemplation.
Interested?
The Cursillo Movement offers the community an excellent opportunity for anyone to break
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away into a retreat twice a year. It organises Cursillo Weekends, typically, during the months of April and May and then later in the year, usually around October and November. Men and women attend different events and we have a weekend coming up on the 19th May for men. The event starts late in the evening of Thursday 19th May and ends
on Sunday 22nd May. Those who work a Monday to Friday working week, only need one day off work on the Friday. If you would like to attend, contact us on 58008885 or send us an email on cursillogibraltar@ gmail.com, we would love to see you there. God Bless Cursillo Team Leaders
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HAND IN HAND
‘What parent doesn’t just love those days when the children gather, forget their squabbles, and just enjoy being together?’
T
o see his children together in harmony brings joy to any father’s heart. One of the last things Jesus told his disciples before being ‘taken up’ was to wait for the “promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4). When it came, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit did some spectacular things. St. Peter and the other Apostles had been in the upper room when it was shaken with the sound of a mighty wind and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak in other tongues. Not as spectacular as this perhaps, but just as significant, is the fact that the Holy Spirit brought all the children together, ‘and all who believed were together and had all things in common’ (Acts 2:44). Unity expresses the Fathers heart, and is as much a part of the promise of the Father as tongues and miracles are.
At Pentecost, Jews from around the Roman Empire heard the disciples speaking in their own languages, Peter preached and around 3,000 believed and were added to the church – an exclusively Jewish church. Sometime later St. Peter was sent by the Lord to the house of a Roman Centurion and everything in his upbringing said NO. It wasn’t just prejudice, it was against Jewish law for them to go to the houses of gentiles, even sympathetic ‘God-fearers’ like Cornelius. Peter however, had just received a vision making it very clear that he should not call any person unclean. So along he went, and what happened next shook not only his own world-view, but changed the course of history. As Peter was speaking to Cornelius that day, the same Holy Spirit fell on these nonJews and they too started speaking in tongues and praising God. That was just not supposed to happen! These outsiders were not part of the ‘chosen people’.
But we read in Acts 10:46-47 “Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptising these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we
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Ecumenical Matters
Douglas Cummings writes
Pope Francis prayed with Pastor Giovanni Traettino and a group of other Pentecostal pastors at the Vatican in May, 2015. have?””
For St. Peter the fact that gentiles had received the Holy Spirit just as the Jews had, was enough for him to embrace them as brothers. If God was willing to include outsiders in the Promise of the Father who was he to exclude them? The wall of partition had crumbled.
A New Pentecost
On the 1st January 1901 Pope Leo XIII consecrated the 20th century to the Holy Spirit, and it was in a Baptist Church in Los Angeles, six years later, that the Holy Spirit began something which would transform and challenge virtually every Western denomination throughout that century.
The Pentecostal movement began as a prayer meeting led by William J. Seymour, an African American preacher. It began on April 9, 1906, and continued for just under 10 years.
Many churches, afraid of losing control, rejected this movement, but by the mid 20th century, this rising tide of the Spirit had not only spread throughout the world as the fastest-growing protestant Christian movement in modern history, engulfing existing churches and creating new ones, but had also flowed into the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches. Protestants and Catholics were speaking in tongues and praising God,
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blissfully unconcerned about their historic differences as they sung the same songs, praised the same God, conscious of having washed their sins in the same blood of the Lamb. As Peter might have said, “Can anyone withhold fellowship with these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
A New Reformation
Next year will be the 500th anniversary of another movement; this time one begun by an Augustinian monk in Germany called Martin Luther. The Reformation and the issues it raised remain a huge challenge for those “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”, (Eph. 4:3) However that Spirit still continues to draw Jew and gentile, slave and free, male and female, Catholic and protestant, into the one body of Christ. So do the differences not matter? Absolutely they do, but an increasing number of Christians are seeing a new Reformation on the horizon, not a reformation of exclusion, as Luther’s became, but one of
inclusion. Rather than ignoring the issues that divide, we must learn to look one another in the eye and discuss these things in the bond of peace.
A ‘Hand in Hand’ seminar to be held in Gibraltar, will give us the opportunity to do just this.
An Apology When he was still archbishop of Buenos Aires, then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio developed a close friendship with several Protestant leaders through a movement called “Renewed Communion of Evangelicals and Catholics in the Spirit.” Participating in that fellowship is how he met Italian Evangelical Pentecostal pastor Giovanni Traettino.
During a visit to Traettino in the southern Italian city of Caserta, Francis delivered an historic apology for Catholic persecution of Pentecostals “I ask for your forgiveness for those who, calling themselves Catholic, didn’t understand we’re brothers,” he said at the time, receiving a standing ovation.
An Invitation The seminar will be run by Kerygma, a ministry of ‘Youth With A Mission’ with a special focus on the Catholic world and Reconciliation between Catholics and other Christian believers. What better way to continue the conversation!
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News from Poland
Yet another Eucharistic
Miracle
On 11 April 2016, the Bishop of Legnica, in Poland, held a press conference about the Eucharistic miracle that happened at the St. Jack Parish, in Legnica, during Holy Communion on 25 December 2013.
D
uring Mass a consecrated Host fell to the floor, was picked up and placed in a water-filled container (vasculum).
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Soon after, red stains appeared and former Bishop of Legnica Bp. Stefan Cichy set up a commission to observe the phenomenon.
In February 2014, a tiny red fragment of the Host was separated and placed on a white cloth (corporal). The Commission was ordered to take samples for thorough testing by the relevant research institutes. The Department of Forensic Medicine in Szczecin conducted these tests and announced that in a microscopic examination of the tissue, fragmented parts of cross striated muscle was found, which is most consistent with heart muscle, and furthermore, white blood cells were found indicating the heart was in agony. The genetic tests indicated the human origin of the tissue. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the
Vatican advised the host be exposed for the faithful to see. A special monstrance is to be constructed for this purpose and the miraculous host will be exposed to the public, as of early June, in the St. Jack Parish in Legnica.
Approved by the Church
Throughout Christian history, our Lord has shown us that he is really present as the Blessed Sacrament. Many pilgrims from Gibraltar have visited Santarem, not far from Fatima, Portugal. The Church of the Holy Miracle there, (Igreja do Santissimo Milagre) is home to a 13th century Eucharistic miracle. It is one of many Eucharistic Miracles approved by the
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European Press Photo Agency Photo: MACIEJ KULCZYNSKI
Photo: A. Sargent
A press conference was held at the St. Jack Church in Legnica, Poland, last month to announce the decision of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faithful at the Vatican. A large, framed, display graphic has been placed near the altar with information about the miracle. Church around the world. Interestingly, many Eucharistic miracles have occurred during times of weakened Faith. For instance, many have taken place as a result of someone doubting the Real Presence. Most Eucharistic miracles involve incidences in which the Host has “turned into human flesh and blood”. As Catholics, we believe that the consecrated Host is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord, under the appearances of bread and wine. Therefore,
Jesus, through these miracles, merely manifests His Presence in a more tangible way. “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.’” (Jn. 20:27-29)
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