PRAYER IN
THE BOOK OF REVELATION (RADIO VATICANA IMAGE)
Vatican City, 5 September 2012 (VIS) - Benedict XVI today resumed his general audiences in the Vatican, having held them at Castelgandolfo during the month of August. Meeting with faithful in the Paul VI Hall he turned his attention to prayer in the Book of Revelation which, he explained, "presents us with the living breathing prayer of the Christian assembly, gathered together 'on the Lord's day'".
Revelation, Pope Benedict went on, "is a difficult book, but one of great richness. ... In it a reader presents the assembly with a message entrusted by God to John the Evangelist. ... From the dialogue between them a symphony of prayer arises which is then developed in many different forms up until the conclusion".
The first part of Revelation presents us with the assembly in prayer in three successive phases. The first of these highlights how "prayer is, above all, a listening to God Who speaks. Engulfed as we are by so many words we are little used to listening, and especially to adopting an interior and exterior attitude of silence so as to attend to what the Lord wishes to say to us. These verses also teach us that our prayers, often merely prayers of request, must in fact be first and foremost prayers of praise to God for His love, for the gift of Jesus Christ which brought us strength, hope and salvation. ... God, Who reveals Himself as the beginning and the end of the story, welcomes and takes to heart the assembly's request".
This first phase also includes another important element. "Constant prayer revives in us a sense of the Lord's presence in our life and history. His presence supports us, guides us and gives us great hope. ... Prayer, even that pronounced in the most extreme solitude, is never a form of isolation and it is never sterile, it is a vital lymph which nourishes an increasingly committed and coherent Christian existence".
In the second phase of the prayer of the assembly "the relationship with Jesus Christ is developed further. The Lord makes Himself visible, He speaks and acts, and the community, increasingly close to Him, listens, reacts and accepts".
In the third phase "the Church in prayer, accepting the word of the Lord, is transformed. ... The assembly listens to the message, and receives a stimulus for repentance, conversion, perseverance, growth in love and guidance for the journey".
"The Revelation", Benedict XVI concluded, "presents us with a community gathered in prayer, because it is in prayer that we gain an increasing awareness of Jesus' presence with us and within us. The more and the better we prayer with constancy and intensity, the more we are assimilated to Him, and the more He enters into our lives to guide them and give them joy and peace. And the more we know, love and follow Jesus, the more we feel the need to dwell in prayer with Him, receiving serenity, hope and strength for our lives".
MAN, THE CUSTODIAN OF CREATION
Vatican City, 6 September 2012 (VIS) - "Man, the Custodian of Creation" is the theme of the twentieth International Ecumenical Congress of Orthodox Spirituality, which began yesterday in the Italian monastery of Bose. The event is due to conclude on 8 September.
"In the Christian tradition of both East and West, dwelling on the earth is a task entrusted to mankind as custodians but also as guests of creation", reads a communique on the event. This topic will be developed on the first day of the congress in talks by Fr. Enzo Bianchi, prior of the monastic community of Bose, and by His Eminence Metropolitan Ioannis (Zizioulas) of Pergamo, representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. The Holy Father, through Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., has sent a telegram to participants, expressing the hope that "the fraternal encounter and discussions of these days may favour mutual knowledge and the sharing of faith, arousing and renewing a joint commitment to protect God's gift of the creation".
The congress is being attended by representatives from the Orthodox Churches and from the Catholic Church. Catholic representatives include Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, vice dean of the College of Cardinals; Archbishop Antonio Mennini, apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, and Bishop Mansueto Bianchi of Pistoia, Italy, president of the Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Dialogue of the Italian Episcopal Conference. Also present will be representatives from the Church of England and from the Reform Churches, the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, as well as theologians and academics from all over the world.
The communique continues: "During the four days of meetings and debates, which are open to the public, speakers will examine the theological and spiritual dimensions of man's relationship with his environment, seeking values capable of inspiring responsible choices in the face of the ecological crisis, which has been provoked by man himself and is causing irreversible damage to life on our planet".
Orthodox Church teaching on ecological matters will be presented by Bishop Amvrosij, rector of the Theological Academy of Saint Petersburg, while the scholars John Behr of New York, Nestor Kavvadas of Tubingen and Assaad Elias Kattan of Munster will speak on such subjects as: the goodness of creation according to biblical narrative, the relationship between wounded and healed nature and the history of salvation, and the understanding of the relationship between human beings and the creation in the Fathers of the Church from Irenaeus of Lyons to Maximus the Confessor.
IRREPLACEABLE ROLE OF THE LAY FAITHFUL IN MAKING AFRICA THE CONTINENT OF HOPE
Vatican City, 5 September 2012 (VIS) - Africa is called to be the "continent of hope" says Benedict XVI in a letter written to Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, for the occasion of the Pan African Congress for Catholic Laity. The congress is taking place in Yaounde, Cameroon, from 4 to 9 September on the theme: "Being witnesses of Jesus Christ in Africa today. 'Salt of the earth ... light of the World".
Hope, the Holy Father writes, "indicates the bright horizon which opens up before the eyes of faith" despite the many spiritual and material problems facing the African continent and the African Church. "Even the best traditional values of African culture are today threatened by secularisation, which gives rise to disorientation, rends the fibre of personal and social life, exacerbates tribalism, violence and corruption in public life, leads to the humiliation and exploitation of women and children, and increases poverty and hunger. To this must be added the threat of fundamentalist terrorism which has recently targeted Christian communities in a number of African countries".
In spite of all this, the people of Africa possess "a great wealth of spiritual resources, which are very valuable in our time: love for life and the family, a sense of joy and of sharing, enthusiasm in living their faith in the Lord. ... Never let the dark mentality of relativism and nihilism, which affects various parts of your world, open a breach in your lives", the Pope says. "With renewed energy accept and spread the message of joy and of hope which Christ brings, a message capable of purifying and strengthening the great values of your culture. ... Making Africa the 'continent of hope' must be the goal that guides the mission of African lay faithful today, just as it must guide the congress you are celebrating".
This mission "arises from the faith, a gift of God which must be welcomed, nourished and developed, because 'we cannot accept that salt should become tasteless or the light be kept hidden'. ... In this transformation of all society, which is so urgent for Africa today, the lay faithful have an irreplaceable role to play. ... Women and men, young and old, children, families and all of society: today all of Africa awaits the 'ambassadors' of the Good News". These ambassadors are "the lay faithful in parishes, ... ecclesial movements and new communities, enamoured of Christ and the Church, full of joy and gratitude for the Baptism they have received, courageous workers for peace and announcers of authentic hope".
STATISTICS FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN LEBANON
Vatican City, 5 September 2012 (VIS) - For the occasion of Benedict XVI's forthcoming apostolic trip to Lebanon, due to take place from 14 to 16 September and during which he will sign and issue the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, statistics concerning the Catholic Church in that country have been published.
The information, updated to 31 December 2011, comes from the Central Statistical Office of the Church.
Lebanon has a surface area of 10,400 square kilometres and a population of 4,039,000 of whom 2,148,000 (53.18 per cent) are Catholic. There are 24 ecclesiastical circumscriptions, 1,126 parishes and 39 pastoral centres of other kinds. Currently, there are 53 bishops, 1,543 priests, 2,797 religious, 2 members of secular institutes, 2,301 lay missionaries and 483 catechists. Minor seminarians number 62 and major seminarians 390.
A total of 427,180 children and young people attend 907 centres of Catholic education, from kindergartens to universities, as well as 28 centres for special education. Other institutions belonging to the Church or run by priests or religious in Lebanon include 30 hospitals, 168 clinics, 39 homes for the elderly or disabled, 63 orphanages and nurseries, 22 family counselling centres and other pro-life centres, and 28 institutions of other kinds.
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 5 September 2012 (VIS) - This afternoon in the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo the Holy Father is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 6 September 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience:
- Irena Vaisvilaite, the new ambassador of Lithuania to the Holy See, for the presentation of her Letters of Credence.
- Cardinal Godfried Danneels, archbishop emeritus of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium.
- Twelve prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Colombia on their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Jorge Enrique Jimenez Carvajal C.I.M. of Cartagena.
- Bishop Luis Jose Rueda Aparicio of Montelibano.
- Bishop Nel H. Beltran Santamaria of Sincelejo.
- Fr. Orlando Lopez Vergara, apostolic administrator of Monteria.
- Archbishop Gonzalo Restrepo Restrepo of Manizales.
- Bishop Fabio Duque Jaramillo O.F.M. of Garzon, apostolic administrator of Armenia.
- Bishop Oscar Anibal Salazar Gomez of La Dorada - Guanduas.
- Bishop Rigoberto Corredor Bermudez of Pereira.
- Archbishop Ricardo Antonio Tobon Restrepo of Medellin, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Edgar Aristizabal Quintero, Hugo Alberto Torres Marin and Elkin Fernando Alvarez Botero.
Vatican City, 5 September 2012 (VIS) - Benedict XVI today resumed his general audiences in the Vatican, having held them at Castelgandolfo during the month of August. Meeting with faithful in the Paul VI Hall he turned his attention to prayer in the Book of Revelation which, he explained, "presents us with the living breathing prayer of the Christian assembly, gathered together 'on the Lord's day'".
Revelation, Pope Benedict went on, "is a difficult book, but one of great richness. ... In it a reader presents the assembly with a message entrusted by God to John the Evangelist. ... From the dialogue between them a symphony of prayer arises which is then developed in many different forms up until the conclusion".
The first part of Revelation presents us with the assembly in prayer in three successive phases. The first of these highlights how "prayer is, above all, a listening to God Who speaks. Engulfed as we are by so many words we are little used to listening, and especially to adopting an interior and exterior attitude of silence so as to attend to what the Lord wishes to say to us. These verses also teach us that our prayers, often merely prayers of request, must in fact be first and foremost prayers of praise to God for His love, for the gift of Jesus Christ which brought us strength, hope and salvation. ... God, Who reveals Himself as the beginning and the end of the story, welcomes and takes to heart the assembly's request".
This first phase also includes another important element. "Constant prayer revives in us a sense of the Lord's presence in our life and history. His presence supports us, guides us and gives us great hope. ... Prayer, even that pronounced in the most extreme solitude, is never a form of isolation and it is never sterile, it is a vital lymph which nourishes an increasingly committed and coherent Christian existence".
In the second phase of the prayer of the assembly "the relationship with Jesus Christ is developed further. The Lord makes Himself visible, He speaks and acts, and the community, increasingly close to Him, listens, reacts and accepts".
In the third phase "the Church in prayer, accepting the word of the Lord, is transformed. ... The assembly listens to the message, and receives a stimulus for repentance, conversion, perseverance, growth in love and guidance for the journey".
"The Revelation", Benedict XVI concluded, "presents us with a community gathered in prayer, because it is in prayer that we gain an increasing awareness of Jesus' presence with us and within us. The more and the better we prayer with constancy and intensity, the more we are assimilated to Him, and the more He enters into our lives to guide them and give them joy and peace. And the more we know, love and follow Jesus, the more we feel the need to dwell in prayer with Him, receiving serenity, hope and strength for our lives".
MAN, THE CUSTODIAN OF CREATION
Vatican City, 6 September 2012 (VIS) - "Man, the Custodian of Creation" is the theme of the twentieth International Ecumenical Congress of Orthodox Spirituality, which began yesterday in the Italian monastery of Bose. The event is due to conclude on 8 September.
"In the Christian tradition of both East and West, dwelling on the earth is a task entrusted to mankind as custodians but also as guests of creation", reads a communique on the event. This topic will be developed on the first day of the congress in talks by Fr. Enzo Bianchi, prior of the monastic community of Bose, and by His Eminence Metropolitan Ioannis (Zizioulas) of Pergamo, representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. The Holy Father, through Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., has sent a telegram to participants, expressing the hope that "the fraternal encounter and discussions of these days may favour mutual knowledge and the sharing of faith, arousing and renewing a joint commitment to protect God's gift of the creation".
The congress is being attended by representatives from the Orthodox Churches and from the Catholic Church. Catholic representatives include Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, vice dean of the College of Cardinals; Archbishop Antonio Mennini, apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, and Bishop Mansueto Bianchi of Pistoia, Italy, president of the Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Dialogue of the Italian Episcopal Conference. Also present will be representatives from the Church of England and from the Reform Churches, the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, as well as theologians and academics from all over the world.
The communique continues: "During the four days of meetings and debates, which are open to the public, speakers will examine the theological and spiritual dimensions of man's relationship with his environment, seeking values capable of inspiring responsible choices in the face of the ecological crisis, which has been provoked by man himself and is causing irreversible damage to life on our planet".
Orthodox Church teaching on ecological matters will be presented by Bishop Amvrosij, rector of the Theological Academy of Saint Petersburg, while the scholars John Behr of New York, Nestor Kavvadas of Tubingen and Assaad Elias Kattan of Munster will speak on such subjects as: the goodness of creation according to biblical narrative, the relationship between wounded and healed nature and the history of salvation, and the understanding of the relationship between human beings and the creation in the Fathers of the Church from Irenaeus of Lyons to Maximus the Confessor.
IRREPLACEABLE ROLE OF THE LAY FAITHFUL IN MAKING AFRICA THE CONTINENT OF HOPE
Vatican City, 5 September 2012 (VIS) - Africa is called to be the "continent of hope" says Benedict XVI in a letter written to Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, for the occasion of the Pan African Congress for Catholic Laity. The congress is taking place in Yaounde, Cameroon, from 4 to 9 September on the theme: "Being witnesses of Jesus Christ in Africa today. 'Salt of the earth ... light of the World".
Hope, the Holy Father writes, "indicates the bright horizon which opens up before the eyes of faith" despite the many spiritual and material problems facing the African continent and the African Church. "Even the best traditional values of African culture are today threatened by secularisation, which gives rise to disorientation, rends the fibre of personal and social life, exacerbates tribalism, violence and corruption in public life, leads to the humiliation and exploitation of women and children, and increases poverty and hunger. To this must be added the threat of fundamentalist terrorism which has recently targeted Christian communities in a number of African countries".
In spite of all this, the people of Africa possess "a great wealth of spiritual resources, which are very valuable in our time: love for life and the family, a sense of joy and of sharing, enthusiasm in living their faith in the Lord. ... Never let the dark mentality of relativism and nihilism, which affects various parts of your world, open a breach in your lives", the Pope says. "With renewed energy accept and spread the message of joy and of hope which Christ brings, a message capable of purifying and strengthening the great values of your culture. ... Making Africa the 'continent of hope' must be the goal that guides the mission of African lay faithful today, just as it must guide the congress you are celebrating".
This mission "arises from the faith, a gift of God which must be welcomed, nourished and developed, because 'we cannot accept that salt should become tasteless or the light be kept hidden'. ... In this transformation of all society, which is so urgent for Africa today, the lay faithful have an irreplaceable role to play. ... Women and men, young and old, children, families and all of society: today all of Africa awaits the 'ambassadors' of the Good News". These ambassadors are "the lay faithful in parishes, ... ecclesial movements and new communities, enamoured of Christ and the Church, full of joy and gratitude for the Baptism they have received, courageous workers for peace and announcers of authentic hope".
STATISTICS FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN LEBANON
Vatican City, 5 September 2012 (VIS) - For the occasion of Benedict XVI's forthcoming apostolic trip to Lebanon, due to take place from 14 to 16 September and during which he will sign and issue the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, statistics concerning the Catholic Church in that country have been published.
The information, updated to 31 December 2011, comes from the Central Statistical Office of the Church.
Lebanon has a surface area of 10,400 square kilometres and a population of 4,039,000 of whom 2,148,000 (53.18 per cent) are Catholic. There are 24 ecclesiastical circumscriptions, 1,126 parishes and 39 pastoral centres of other kinds. Currently, there are 53 bishops, 1,543 priests, 2,797 religious, 2 members of secular institutes, 2,301 lay missionaries and 483 catechists. Minor seminarians number 62 and major seminarians 390.
A total of 427,180 children and young people attend 907 centres of Catholic education, from kindergartens to universities, as well as 28 centres for special education. Other institutions belonging to the Church or run by priests or religious in Lebanon include 30 hospitals, 168 clinics, 39 homes for the elderly or disabled, 63 orphanages and nurseries, 22 family counselling centres and other pro-life centres, and 28 institutions of other kinds.
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 5 September 2012 (VIS) - This afternoon in the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo the Holy Father is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 6 September 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience:
- Irena Vaisvilaite, the new ambassador of Lithuania to the Holy See, for the presentation of her Letters of Credence.
- Cardinal Godfried Danneels, archbishop emeritus of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium.
- Twelve prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Colombia on their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Jorge Enrique Jimenez Carvajal C.I.M. of Cartagena.
- Bishop Luis Jose Rueda Aparicio of Montelibano.
- Bishop Nel H. Beltran Santamaria of Sincelejo.
- Fr. Orlando Lopez Vergara, apostolic administrator of Monteria.
- Archbishop Gonzalo Restrepo Restrepo of Manizales.
- Bishop Fabio Duque Jaramillo O.F.M. of Garzon, apostolic administrator of Armenia.
- Bishop Oscar Anibal Salazar Gomez of La Dorada - Guanduas.
- Bishop Rigoberto Corredor Bermudez of Pereira.
- Archbishop Ricardo Antonio Tobon Restrepo of Medellin, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Edgar Aristizabal Quintero, Hugo Alberto Torres Marin and Elkin Fernando Alvarez Botero.
AMERICA : USA : DEMOCRATS REMOVE GOD THEN RESTORE GOD TO PLATFORM
The Democratic convention is well underway but not
without much controversy. The Democrats had officially removed all references to
God from their platform for 2012. Also, they removed the reference of Jerusalem
as capital of Israel.
This is the section that removed God:
“We gather to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the most prosperous nation on Earth – the simple principle that in America, hard work should pay off, responsibility should be rewarded, and each one of us should be able to go as far as our talent and drive take us.”
Due to disagreement on the vote during the convention God was returned to the platform.
SEE http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/05/convention-floor-chaos-democrats-alter-platform-disagree/?hpt=po_t1
CBN NEWS REPORT:
http://blogs.cbn.com/thebrodyfile/archive/2012/09/05/charlotte-democrat-nightmare-now-dems-put-god-and-jerusalem-language.aspx
This is the section that removed God:
“We gather to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the most prosperous nation on Earth – the simple principle that in America, hard work should pay off, responsibility should be rewarded, and each one of us should be able to go as far as our talent and drive take us.”
Due to disagreement on the vote during the convention God was returned to the platform.
SEE http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/05/convention-floor-chaos-democrats-alter-platform-disagree/?hpt=po_t1
CBN NEWS REPORT:
http://blogs.cbn.com/thebrodyfile/archive/2012/09/05/charlotte-democrat-nightmare-now-dems-put-god-and-jerusalem-language.aspx
ASIA : BANGLADESH : 300 CHRISTIAN CHILDREN FORCED TO CONVERT TO ISLAM
ASIA NEWS REPORT:
by Nozrul Islam
Taken by intermediaries after they convince village families to pay for an education at pseudo hostels, the children are in fact brought to madrassas (Islamic schools) where imams force them to abjure Christianity. The latest case has a happy ending however when 11 children were able to escape from captivity.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) - In Bangladesh, Christian children from Tripuri tribes have been taken away from their villages and forcibly converted to Islam. Local Catholic sources, who asked their names be withheld, told AsiaNews that almost 300 children have been taken to madrassas (Islamic schools).
The story is the same. So-called intermediaries, who are also ethnic Tripuri, visit poverty-stricken communities where they convince families to send their children to a mission hostel, charging between 6,000 and 15,000 taka (US$ 500 to 1,200) for school and board. After pocketing the money, the intermediaries sell the children to Islamic schools elsewhere in the country.
The latest case involved 11 children, ten boys and a girl, from Thanchi, Ruma and Lama in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Their story has a happy ending though. After six months of threats and violence, the children were able to escape thanks Hotline Human Rights Trust, a Dhaka-based civil rights organisation that defends minorities run by a Catholic woman, Rosaline Costa.
Tripuri are one of the many tribal groups found in Bangladesh. Most are Christian, both Catholic and Protestants, especially in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, in south-eastern Bangladesh.
Radical Muslims are engaged in a campaign against Christian missionaries whom they accuse of proselytising and forcibly converting others in order to create a Christian majority in the area so that it can be annexed to India.
In the latest case, the first eight boys were taken in January and February and brought to the Darul Huda Islami School in Mia Para village (Gazipur). The girl was placed in a madrassa (whose name she could not tell) in Muhammadpur, Dhaka. The other two boys were brought to another Darul Huda Islami in Maddha Badda (Gulshan, Dhaka).
Their days included Arabic lessons (8-12 AM), Qur'an reading (Nurani Shikkha, 2-5 PM) and five daily prayers.
In their respective madrassas, the children found other tribal Christians, many even younger themselves. They also saw acts of physical violence when children missed prayers or refused to take part in a lesson. In fact, after she was rescued, the girl showed scars to the hand, where she was struck with a cane.
In June, the desire to escape was kindled when imams announced that the boys would be circumcised, and that if they were ready to give their lives for Islam, they would be compensated with beheshta or heaven since no other religion could lead them there.
Scared, the first eight boys asked a Hindu family that lived near the school for help. They told their stories, asking them to contact their parents. When the latter found out what had happened to their children, they contacted the Hotline Trust to save them. Four boys escaped on 4 July; the other four on 13 July.
When the other two (somewhat older) boys found out about their escape, they too fled and contacted the Hotline Trust on their own.
The girl's rescue was a bit more complicated. She was saved only after another girl escaped and told people in her village what had happened. The girl's parents then contacted the madrassa huju or teacher asking him to let her go. The latter said the father had to come and get her.
At the school, the teacher tried to provoke the father, denigrating the Bible and accusing Christians of adultery and immorality. The father put up with the insults and eventually took his daughter home on 13 July.
SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS IT
by Nozrul Islam
Taken by intermediaries after they convince village families to pay for an education at pseudo hostels, the children are in fact brought to madrassas (Islamic schools) where imams force them to abjure Christianity. The latest case has a happy ending however when 11 children were able to escape from captivity.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) - In Bangladesh, Christian children from Tripuri tribes have been taken away from their villages and forcibly converted to Islam. Local Catholic sources, who asked their names be withheld, told AsiaNews that almost 300 children have been taken to madrassas (Islamic schools).
The story is the same. So-called intermediaries, who are also ethnic Tripuri, visit poverty-stricken communities where they convince families to send their children to a mission hostel, charging between 6,000 and 15,000 taka (US$ 500 to 1,200) for school and board. After pocketing the money, the intermediaries sell the children to Islamic schools elsewhere in the country.
The latest case involved 11 children, ten boys and a girl, from Thanchi, Ruma and Lama in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Their story has a happy ending though. After six months of threats and violence, the children were able to escape thanks Hotline Human Rights Trust, a Dhaka-based civil rights organisation that defends minorities run by a Catholic woman, Rosaline Costa.
Tripuri are one of the many tribal groups found in Bangladesh. Most are Christian, both Catholic and Protestants, especially in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, in south-eastern Bangladesh.
Radical Muslims are engaged in a campaign against Christian missionaries whom they accuse of proselytising and forcibly converting others in order to create a Christian majority in the area so that it can be annexed to India.
In the latest case, the first eight boys were taken in January and February and brought to the Darul Huda Islami School in Mia Para village (Gazipur). The girl was placed in a madrassa (whose name she could not tell) in Muhammadpur, Dhaka. The other two boys were brought to another Darul Huda Islami in Maddha Badda (Gulshan, Dhaka).
Their days included Arabic lessons (8-12 AM), Qur'an reading (Nurani Shikkha, 2-5 PM) and five daily prayers.
In their respective madrassas, the children found other tribal Christians, many even younger themselves. They also saw acts of physical violence when children missed prayers or refused to take part in a lesson. In fact, after she was rescued, the girl showed scars to the hand, where she was struck with a cane.
In June, the desire to escape was kindled when imams announced that the boys would be circumcised, and that if they were ready to give their lives for Islam, they would be compensated with beheshta or heaven since no other religion could lead them there.
Scared, the first eight boys asked a Hindu family that lived near the school for help. They told their stories, asking them to contact their parents. When the latter found out what had happened to their children, they contacted the Hotline Trust to save them. Four boys escaped on 4 July; the other four on 13 July.
When the other two (somewhat older) boys found out about their escape, they too fled and contacted the Hotline Trust on their own.
The girl's rescue was a bit more complicated. She was saved only after another girl escaped and told people in her village what had happened. The girl's parents then contacted the madrassa huju or teacher asking him to let her go. The latter said the father had to come and get her.
At the school, the teacher tried to provoke the father, denigrating the Bible and accusing Christians of adultery and immorality. The father put up with the insults and eventually took his daughter home on 13 July.
SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS IT
AUSTRALIA : MASS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN - THANK-YOU
Mass for Pregnant Women a Chance to Say Thankyou
Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese REPORT
David and Monica Collits' first baby due in
January
"We are truly blessed," says Monica.
Twenty-two weeks into her pregnancy she is radiant and filled with excitement as is prospective father, David.
"We both love children and from the moment we married 18 months ago, we were keen to start a family," Monica says and explains that when nothing seemed to be happening, the pair decided to attend the Archdiocese of Sydney's annual symposium for "Couples Hoping to Conceive."
Held in March this year, the afternoon symposium is organised by the Archdiocese's Life, Family and Marriage Centre, and is designed to bring couples up to date on the latest advances in natural fertility and the use of Napro-Technology. The symposium also helped couples learn more about the Church's teaching on fertility and the ethical and spiritual objections to IVF and similar technologies.
David and Monica on their wedding
day
"The news came on exactly the same day my sister, Veronica gave birth to her first baby," she says.
Her sister, who lives in the US gave birth to a baby boy on Anzac Day. "In Australia we're a day ahead of America so here it was 26 April when her son arrived and we heard the news that our own baby was on the way."
Monica and David met one another while both were students at the University of Sydney where she was studying for a bachelor of Science and he was studying law.
"David was a member of the Thomas More Society and I was with the Catholic Society of St Peter and we met during a week when both of the clubs were recruiting students," she says.
While the couple became friends it was another 12 months before David asked her out.
"He took me to a movie then on to Darling Harbour for something to eat. Hours later we were still talking It was the longest date ever and that's when we fell in love," she says.
Eighteen months after that first date, David proposed and a year a half later on 8 January 2010, the couple were married at St Thomas Becket Church, Lewisham.
While awaiting the birth of their first child, Monica is working part time in Catholic communications while David now a fully-fledged lawyer, is executive assistant to the Most Rev Anthony Fisher, Bishop of Parramatta.
David and Monica Collits give thanks for gift
of children
While Monica insists that with almost four months still to go before the baby arrives on 4 January, she and David have not yet begun organising a nursery, friends jumped the gun. Friends who already have children have flooded her with offers of brand new or barely-worn baby clothes, bassinets, changing tables, prams and even a baby bath.
"We have already had our baby blessed by our local parish priest and want to be at the Mass for Pregnant Women at the Cathedral so we can give thanks for the gift of children and share our happiness," Monica says.
The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell who will celebrate the Mass for Pregnant Women describes pregnancy as "a beautiful gift and privilege."
"While the circumstances in which it is received vary enormously, and not all of these circumstances are easy, whatever your personal situation may be, if you are expecting a child and would like to give thanks to God and seek his blessing for the work and joy ahead, please know that you are very welcome to attend this special Mass," he says.
The Mass for Pregnant Women at St Mary's Cathedral will be held at 10.30 am on Sunday 9 September will be celebrated by the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell.
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY
EUROPE : RIP FR. EDMUND HATTON BENEDICTINE MONK
|
AMERICA : MEXICO : MEETING OF THE MISSIONARY UNION
Agenzia Fides REPORT - From 13 to 16 September 2012, the
Mexican Diocese of Tampico will host the XVI National Meeting of the UEM (Union
Enfermos Misionarios). According to the statement sent to Fides Agency, the main
purpose is to manifest faith through an encounter with Christ, who lives in the
sick, the elderly and people with different capacities, in order to express the
liberating grace of God that is beyond disease and pain, and that leads to the
fullness of the Kingdom of God.
Under the slogan "With faith in communion we participate in the Mission", the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) of Mexico have invited to be present in Tampico, however for those who physically cannot attend the meeting, the same PMS have prepared an Internet site for the live broadcast of the event. In the proposed agenda of the Meeting there are moments of prayer and formation, videos, conferences and testimonies on the missionary work of the Church. A Mexican party has been organized for Saturday 15 in the evening and on Sunday 16, a Missionary March will conclude the end of the meeting with the celebration of the Eucharist.
The Missionary Union of the Sick, UEM (Union de Enfermos Misioneros), was born in 1928, when Marguerite Godet, who wanted to be a missionary but was immobilized by illness, offered herself as a "sick missionary" in the Seminary of the Foreign Missions of Paris, thus giving rise to the Missionary Union of the Sick. Today the Union is organized and promoted by the Pontifical Mission Societies, and collects all the sick, chronic or old, who want to offer their suffering and their lives for missions. Initiatives and animation are managed at a national or local level. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 06/09/2012
Under the slogan "With faith in communion we participate in the Mission", the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) of Mexico have invited to be present in Tampico, however for those who physically cannot attend the meeting, the same PMS have prepared an Internet site for the live broadcast of the event. In the proposed agenda of the Meeting there are moments of prayer and formation, videos, conferences and testimonies on the missionary work of the Church. A Mexican party has been organized for Saturday 15 in the evening and on Sunday 16, a Missionary March will conclude the end of the meeting with the celebration of the Eucharist.
The Missionary Union of the Sick, UEM (Union de Enfermos Misioneros), was born in 1928, when Marguerite Godet, who wanted to be a missionary but was immobilized by illness, offered herself as a "sick missionary" in the Seminary of the Foreign Missions of Paris, thus giving rise to the Missionary Union of the Sick. Today the Union is organized and promoted by the Pontifical Mission Societies, and collects all the sick, chronic or old, who want to offer their suffering and their lives for missions. Initiatives and animation are managed at a national or local level. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 06/09/2012
NOVENA FOR BIRTH OF VIRGIN MARY - DAY 8 - PLENARY INDULGENCE
To all faithful Christians who, in private or
public, in church or in their own houses, shall keep any of the following
Novenas, in preparation for the principal feasts of most holy Mary, Pope Pius
VII., at the prayer of several holy persons, granted, by Rescripts issued
through his Eminence the Cardinal-Vicar, Aug. 4 and Nov. 24, 1808, and Jan. 11,
1800 (all of which are kept in the Segretaria of the Vicariate) -i. An indulgence of 300 days, daily.ii. A plenary indulgence to all who shall assist at these Novenas every day, and who shall afterwards, either on the Feast-day itself, to which each Novena respectively has reference, or on some one day in its Octave, after Confession and Communion, pray to our Lord and to the Blessed Virgin ac cording to the pious intention of the Sovereign Pontiff.
IN PREPARATION FOR THE FEAST OF OUR LADY’S NATIVITY.
(Beginning Aug. 30.)
Veni Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende.
V. Emitte Spiritum tuum, et creabuntur.
R. Et renovabis faciem terrae.
Oremus.
Deus, qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritus illustratione docuisti: da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere, et de ejus semper consolatione gaudere. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. R. Amen.
TRANSLATION.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray.
O God, who hast taught the hearts of Thy faithful people by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant us in the same Spirit to relish what is right, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
Most holy Mary, Elect One, predestined from all eternity by the Most Holy Trinity to be Mother of the only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, foretold by the Prophets, expected by the Patriarchs, desired by all nations, Sanctuary and living Temple of the Holy Ghost, Sun without stain, conceived free from original sin, Mistress of Heaven and of Earth, Queen of angels:- humbly prostrate at thy feet we give thee our homage, rejoicing that the year has brought round again the memory of thy most happy Nativity; and we pray thee with all our hearts to vouchsafe in thy goodness now to come down again and be reborn spiritually in our souls, that, led captive by thy loveliness and sweetness, they may ever live united to thy most sweet and loving heart.
i. So now whilst we say nine angelic salutations, we will direct our thoughts to the nine months which thou didst pass enclosed in thy mother’s womb; celebrating at the same time thy descent from the royal house of David, and how thou didst come forth to the light of heaven with high honour from the womb of holy Anna, thy most happy mother.
Ave Maria.
ii. We hail thee, heavenly Babe, white Dove of purity; who in spite of the serpent wast conceived free from original sin.
Ave Maria.
iii. We hail thee, bright Morn; who, forerunner of the Heavenly Sun of Justice, didst bring the first light to earth.
Ave Maria.
iv. We hail thee, Elect; who, like the untarnished Sun, didst burst forth in the dark night of sin.
Ave Maria.
v. We hail thee, beauteous Moon; who didst shed light upon a world wrapt in the darkness of idolatry.
Ave Maria.
vi. We hail thee, dread Warrior-Queen; who, in thyself a host, didst put to flight all hell.
Ave Maria.
vii. We hail thee, fair Soul of Mary; who from eternity wast possessed by God and God alone.
Ave Maria.
viii. We hail thee, dear Child, and we humbly venerate thy most holy infant body, the sacred swaddling-clothes wherewith they bound thee, the sacred crib wherein they laid thee, and we bless the hour and the day when thou wast born.
Ave Maria.
ix. We hail thee, much-loved Infant, adorned with every virtue immeasurably above all saints, and therefore worthy Mother of the Saviour of the world; who, having been made fruitful by the Holy Spirit, didst bring forth the Word Incarnate.
Ave Maria.
PRAYER
O most lovely Infant, who by thy holy birth hast comforted the world, made glad the heavens, struck terror into hell, brought help to the fallen, consolation to the sad, salvation to the weak, joy to all men living; we entreat thee, with the most fervent love and gratitude, to be spiritually reborn in our souls by means of thy most holy love; renew our spirits to thy service, rekindle in our hearts the fire of charity, bid all the virtues blossom there, that so we may find more and more favour in thy gracious eyes. Mary! be thou our Mary, and may we feel the saving power of thy sweetest name; may it ever be our comfort to call on that name in all our troubles; may it be our hope in dangers, our shield in temptation, and our last utterance in death. Sit nomen Mariae mel in ore, melos in aure, et jubilus in corde. Amen. Let the name of Mary be honey in the mouth, melody in the ear, joy in the heart. Amen.
V. Nativitas tua, Dei Genitrix Virgo.
R. Gaudium annuntiavit universo mundo.
Oremus.
Famulis tuis, quaesumus Domine, coelestis gratiae munus impertire: ut quibus Beata Virginis partus extitit salutis exordium, nativitatis ejus votiva solemnitas pacis tribuat incrementum.
Oremus.
Deus, qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritus illustratione docuisti: da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere, et de ejus semper consolatione gaudere. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. R. Amen.
TRANSLATION.
V. Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God.
R. Hath brought joy to the whole world.
Let us pray.
Grant to us Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace; that to all those for whom the delivery of the Blessed Virgin was the beginning of salvation, this her votive festival may give increase of peace. Through, &c.
Let us pray.
O God, who hast taught the hearts of Thy faithful people by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant us in the same Spirit to relish what is right, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : THURSDAY SEPT. 6, 2012
| Luke
5: 1 - 11
| |
| 1 | While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennes'aret. |
| 2 | And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. |
| 3 | Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. |
| 4 | And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." |
| 5 | And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." |
| 6 | And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, |
| 7 | they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. |
| 8 | But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." |
| 9 | For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; |
| 10 | and so also were James and John, sons of Zeb'edee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." |
| 11 | And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. |
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