Zenit Snippets

After formatting and reinstalling my comp 3 times, it is back and fully alive.
Also had to finish my article for In Communion on Catholic Blogs.
And when I finally opened my gmail acct, I saw a whole flood of emails, especially the daily ones from zenit, purposed driven life and shorelines.

So here's just a snippet of the interesting ones.
1) Vatican Radio - www.105live.vaticanradio.org
Vatican Radio's website allows you to download the programs they broadcast in mp3 and real audio formats. From reflections on the Gospels, to news, to faith issues. And it is daily, you can download it into ur mp3 player and listen where u go.

2) Catholic Insider - www.catholicinsider.com
This one is really a podcast, maintained by a Dutch priest, he takes excerpts from vatican radio, adds in his own comments. And for Harry Potter fans, he has quite a bit on the book.

3) Fr Cantalamessa - Sermon on Parable of the treasure and pearl
Very good sermon, talks about the other party who owned the field and the oyster, but didn't realise its value. Also about how we give up all after we found the treasure.

That's about all I manage to clear... See if anything else interesting pops up. And of course got to start reflecting on my own. And share some personal stuff.

Raising of Lazarus

Yesterday's Tuesday night sharing was from John 11:1-44. The story of Jesus raising Lazarus.

But this post is not a spiritual sharing, just put here to explain why I haven't been blogging. My comp decided to "die" on me... and so for the last few days I've been trying to resurrect it. Before that I was having reservist training the whole week.

So yah, I'm still around. Been meaning to add a post on leadership inspired over my ICT, but will do that once my comp is back to full functionality.

Poverty & Making a Difference

Over the last few days, the poverty in the world has kept ringing in my head. Mainly because the G8 meeting in Scotland, where they would be discussing about the situation in Africa. Thus the Pope has appealed to them to help ease the scourge of poverty. And while this is going on, here in Singapore, we are organising the IOC convention to decide which country will get to host the 2012 olympics.

This is something really hard to reconcile... On one side of the world, people are discussing how to reduce poverty in the world. And on this side, the same countries are spending huge amounts to kiss ass just for the right to host the olympics. If you know me, I've got nothing againsts sports, but I think the Olympics has lost its Spirit.

Talking about the Spirit, the last 2 days I've gone for the "Spirit Filled Church" Rally by Fr Jack Soulsby @ St Mary of the Angels(SMOTA). I'll keep my comments of what I think of the church for another post. But anyway, the rally was "different". Fr Jack's style is more like a motivational speaker that you find in those kind of seminars.

Although I found it hard to concentrate on what he was really trying to get across, one thing did catch my attention. When he talked about the ripple effect, how when we act in the Spirit, the people's whose lives we change, will also go on to change more lives. And then I came home and read Gerry's post on "Making a Difference". And oh yah linked with Tues night's sharing, where I really wondered what is my part in helping the poverty situation.

And then yesterday provided me an insight, of maybe bigger things to come. ;Þ Marie sent me an email from Chiang Rai, saying that Sister, just got a donation of a lot of jam. But the thing is, they have rice there, but no bread to eat it with. And would cost a bit to purchase. So she asked if I can get some donations. I then sent out an email to some people in church. And was shocked by the quick and generous replies. Praise God, for the blessings that he has bestowed on us, and for giving us a heart of love, to know that we are supposed to share His blessings.

Ok gotta go now and pack my stuff. Going for a short holiday in melacca, I pray that I keep the world's poverty in mind, and not spend excessively.

Pope's prayer intentions & Holiness

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for July 2005

General Intercession:
That Christians be sensitive to the needs of every one, without ever hiding the radical requirements of the Gospel message.

Mission Intention:
That all the baptized be committed, each in their own state of life, to transforming society by permeating the mentality and structures of the world with the light of the Gospel.

Somehow this is quite in line with last night's Lumen Gentium session on Holiness. Baptism, commitment, state of life... In fact I just realise that we can add the tag "Holiness is" before both the intentions and it would be true.

I don't know why there's so much to write about on Holiness. I originally titled this post as Pope's prayer intentions & Lumen Gentium. But I read something in Zenit, and I don't know what made me turn around and pick up the envelope that a St Gab's teacher passed to me on Opus Dei, and there I also read something on holiness. Funny how He works.

"A problem arises when Christianity fails to propose the truth from within what it lives, accepting on the contrary the description made of it from outside."

This is the comment that I read in Zenit, and I guess it relates to what I wrote about in yesterday's post. When the world starts to dictate faith, rather than the other way around. How often I have heard the statement "I don't understand why the Church is making it so difficult to practice the faith.", with regards to things like homosexuality, abortion, pre-marital sex, contraception, euthanasia... And the quote above just sums up my feeling when I read the "Catholic Spain okays gay unions article". I really felt like saying to the spanish "catholics" please do yourself and the church a favour. If you are not living trying to live the faith, don't burden yourself with its rules, and also don't give the Catholic faith a bad name. I know it sounds judgemental, and I'm no saint myself. But we have gotta be striving to be perfect as Christ is perfect.

Some people find the faith the Church teaches too challenging, while some others think that the Church isn't challenging its people enough... The church isn't for wimps. As I was reflecting on the feast of St Peter, I was comparing him and Judas. Both betrayed Jesus, but one was a coward and took his life. The other accepted his weakness and became a pillar of the Church.

Which brings me to the Opus Dei article, or actually it's an article written by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger when he was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on St Josemaría Escrivá after his canonization. I will just give some extracts from it, but you can read the whole article here. It's quite a good read especially about what Holiness is, and how to live it in our lives.

...in other words, being holy is nothing other than speaking with God as a friend speaks to a friend. That is holiness...

...Truly we are all able, we are all called to open ourselves to this friendship with God, not to let go of God's hands, not to give up, turning and returning to the Lord, speaking to him as to a friend, knowing well that the Lord really is the true friend of everyone, even of those who cannot do great things on their own...

For those who have read this far, congrats or actually thanks for reading. I doubt I would have made it this far, if it wasn't my own blog. Just want to end off with a personal thought. Cos Kenny affirmed me for blogging so much, and he said "when u think alot shows u pray alot n also reflects your life as pure n holy", makes me really wonder. Cos blogging really takes time. Like this article is already taking 1hr 20mins...given that I was reading other stuff for inspiration... but still takes time from doing other things. Like reading... I've stopped reading the Lumen Gentium document... The book "Reaching for the Invisible God" which I started reading on 18 May, and I'm only on page 125 1/3 the way thru, tat's like 3 pages a day. And praying... I've could have done 1 .5 holy hours. But of cos most of the time when I write my blog is late at nite when I can't go to the ador.. but yah maybe should pray more. But not that blogging isn't good. Aiyah...wat to do...

Queer Spain & It's Nominal Catholics

Catholic Spain okays gay unions
Britain’s Methodist Church also gives its blessing

That's the headlines that announces this sad news in Today newspaper. And "HUH?" is the reaction I got from Adrian, who's at my place checking email as I'm typing this, when he saw the headline. Only when I said, it's Spain that has given it the OK, not the Catholic church, then he was a bit more relieved.

But then again, it really calls to question what the headline really implies. Spain is a country where 90+% of the population is supposedly Catholic. And when the papers put a statement like "Public opinion polls suggest that the majority of Spaniards, who describe themselves as Catholic, are in favour of gay marriages."what does that mean.

Our Holy Father, has spoken out against this current culture that Europe is moving or has adopted even before he became Pope. In his latest book, which was just launched, one of the statements was

"Europe has developed a culture that, in a manner unknown by humanity until now, excludes God from the public conscience,"

There was another article in Zenit, but I can't seem to find it, which the Pope talks about religious freedom, but that Europe has move towards freedom from religion. And in a sense I think Singapore might also be moving in that direction.

Which was why I put "Nominal Catholics" in the title. The website that I found the statistic on the Catholic population of Spain, stated that the population was 90+% nominal Catholic. And the meaning of Nominal is "Existing in name only". Or as Colin Ong says, hereditary religion. No wonder they can pass such laws.

So the question for us in Singpore, is are we nominal Catholics. Are we going to wait for this issue to come up before we do something about it? Or are we even convinced that it's something to take a stand on? It may not affect us, but we can't just care about things that affect our lives. It's so easy to be reactive, but by that time it will be too late. This issue is going to keep knocking on our doors. Spain is the fourth, France looks like it's going to follow suit. We are already starting to be more "open" about it.

To end off, to those who didn't study in australia...the reason why I used the word queer in the title, is because in australian unis, they have queer clubs. Or maybe just melbourne uni... But these queer clubs are for "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex,..." I still don't understand why they would choose a word like queer to identify with. Maybe cos the whole concept is as queer to me as it is to them. I wonder if they are happy being gay?

Paradox of Discipleship

The gospel is full of paradoxes.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. Matthew 11:29

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:25

He appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach Mark 3:14

It was the last one that caught my attention today, when I was reading the homily of Pope Benedict on yesterday's Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul to "be with Him" and yet also "sent forth to preach". Both contradictory actions, but yet both necessary of discipleship.

We have to be with Him, to centre our lives around Him. But not to the extent of "Me and my sweet Jesus". We still have to bear fruit, if not we will be the branch that is cut off from the vine. Similarly we cannot go and preach, and not be with Him. If not who is it that we are preaching? Where would we draw our strength to continue?

Feast Days and Anniversaries

Today is the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul.
Which makes it my feast day. What a great saint to be named after. Both pillars of the church. One for the Jews and one for the gentiles. One who denied and reconciled, the other persecuted then promoted the faith.

And from the second reading comes these inspiring words.

"I have fought the good fight to the end;
I have run the race to the finish;
I have kept the faith;"
2Tim 4:7

Sheer arrogance if I were to say those words of my life now. But truely he had led a life worthy to say those words. For me, I just hope to live my life, striving toward this high standard.

And two priests celebrate their sacerdotal anniversary. Today is Fr Aloysius Ong's 2nd anniversary, and tomorrow is our dear Fr John Sim's 21 years of serving the Lord in his church. May they both continue to grow in His love and be loving shepherds to God's people for many more years ahead. Till they too finish the race.