‘This will not last long, two or three years, and then, to the House of the Father’

   Pope Francis has said he has another two or three years left before going to “the House of the Father”.

  When journalists asked Pope about how he perceives his “intense popularity”, he said he “thanks the Lord that His people are happy and for the generosity of the people”.  “Inside, I try to think of my sins and my mistakes so as to not believe that… because I know that this will not last long, two or three years, and then, to the House of the Father,” he said in an impromptu press conference aboard the papal plane after his visit to Korea.

He also spoke about the ongoing violence against Christians and other minorities in Iraq, and about plans for future foreign trips. Excerpts from an article published by Vatican Radio:

On persecution of Christians by fundamentalists of the Islamic State (IS):

 It is legitimate to halt the unjust aggressor. The methods used to halt the aggressor are to be evaluated. In these cases we must not forget how many times with the excuse of halting the unjust aggressor (…) have powerful nations taken possession of peoples and waged a war of conquest!” A single nation cannot judge how to stop an unjust aggressor. The United Nations is the right venue to discuss the issue. Persecuted Christians are close to his heart… there are also other minorities suffering persecution, and they all have the same rights.

On traveling to Kurdistan:

 Pope said he is ready to do so if it is deemed a good thing to do. At the moment, however, he pointed to the various initiatives undertaken by the Vatican, such as sending Cardinal Fernando Filoni, writing to the UN Secretary General, and writing a personal communiqué that was sent to all the nunciatures and governments in the area.     

On tensions and internal war in many nations:

  Today, we are in a world at war – everywhere! It is a world at war where these cruelties are carried out. Today, children don’t count. Once, one spoke of conventional warfare. Today, this doesn’t count.  I am not saying conventional warfare is a good thing, no.  But today a bomb goes off and you have an innocent killed with the guilty one, the child, with the woman, with the mother… they kill everyone. The level of mankind’s cruelty at this moment is a little frightening.

  Today, torture is one of the most – I’d say – ordinary methods of behavior of the intelligence services, of judicial process.  And torture is a sin against humanity; it is a crime against humanity. And to Catholics, I say: to torture a person is a mortal sin; it is a grave sin!

 On relations with China:

 Pope Francis said he happened to be in the cockpit when the plane was about to enter Chinese airspace. He said he “prayed intensely for that noble and wise people”. His thoughts turned to the Jesuits and to Father Matteo Ricci and expressed his love for the Chinese people. He also referred to the letter written by Benedict XVI regarding relations with China and said this letter is still very up-to-date and it is good idea to read it again. The Holy See is always open to be in touch, because it has true esteem for the Chinese people.

On his next trip:

 He referred to the history of Albania, which was unique among the communist nations in that its Constitution foresaw practical atheism. If you went to Mass, it was anti-constitutional” he said. And he recalled that 1820, churches were destroyed in Albania. So, today he feels the need to go there. Pope Francis also mentioned his desire to travel to Philadelphia next year for the World Meeting of Families and said he has received a “shower” of invitations from across the world including New York, Mexico and Spain. But, he said, nothing has been decided yet.

On relationship with Benedict XVI:

 (I) visited him before departure for Korea and discussed theological questions.  Benedict’s resignation a noble, humble and courageous gesture… (I) would consider doing the same. He opened a door which is 'institutional' not 'exceptional' ”.

On tough work schedule and vacation:

 He said he has taken some vacation time at home… (I) read an interesting book about being “happy to be neurotic". 

 I have some neuroses and you need to treat them well. I am a bit too attached to life.  The last time (I) had taken a vacation with the Jesuit community outside Buenos Aires was in 1975.  When (I) take time off now from busy schedule, I sleep more, read the things that I like, listen to music, pray more… In July and part of August I did this and it’s ok.

 On what he does every day while in the Vatican and the Santa Marta guesthouse:

  I think I’m free…There are the office, the work appointments… Sure, I’d like to be able to go out, but it’s not possible, not possible.”  Within Santa Marta, I have a normal life of work, rest, chatting. There are reasons for some of the constraints though “some walls have fallen.”

 On his latest encyclical on the environment in the works:

 It has been written with much collaboration from Cardinal Peter Turkson (President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace) and others, and it is still being revised. It is “one-third longer than ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ and that it posed many difficult questions, because  it is possible to discuss the stewardship of creation and ecology with clarity “only to a certain point, but then scientific hypotheses come into play, some feasible, and others perhaps not”. An encyclical that must adhere to the Magisterium must be based only on certainties.

  

On invocation of peace in Holy Land that took place in Vatican:

It was not a failure. The event sprung from the political leaders themselves, who could not find the right place to do it. Initially they wanted to organize it when the Pope was in the Holy Land in May in a neutral venue like the Nunciature. But that would have posed problems as the president of the State of Palestine would have had to enter Israel and it was not easy. So they said to me: “Let’s do it in the Vatican!” the Pope said. They are both men of peace. They are convinced that the only way forward is the way of negotiation and dialogue. And today that door is still open… were there to open the door of prayer. Peace is a gift and it was important to show humanity that the way of negotiation and dialogue is important, and it is not possible without prayer. Today, we cannot see that door through the smoke of the bombs, but it is open.

Excessive clericalism bedevilling Catholic church

  If there’s someone who consistently opposes the clerical attitude in the Roman Catholic Church, that’s the Pope himself. Time and again, Pope Francis has been broaching the subject of clericalism in the church, much to the discomfort of many in the church.

 He has understood that the menace of clericalism is at the root of most of the problems troubling the Catholic Church.

 According to Unam Sanctam Catholicam, clericalism is defined as a state of affairs in which there is an unnecessary or overly exaggerated importance attributed to clergy, in such a way that the laity relate to them as subjects to be ruled rather than a people to be lovingly pastored. “Basically, a clericalist ideology is one that places too much emphasis on the clergy or attributes undue importance to their actions. It is a defect of the virtue of temperance by excess as applied to the government of the Church,” it says.

  It has often led to sacramental blackmails in the church which are suppressed within its four walls.

 Last week, returning to one of his favourite themes of the Church as a field hospital for those who have been wounded, Pope Francis said God’s people are seeking and needing to be consoled. “The Church has many wounds and some of them have been caused by us, priests and practising Catholics,” he said.

 So often, he added, our “clerical attitudes” have done much damage to the Church. However, he continued, there are “no wounds that cannot be consoled by the love of God and priests are called to tend to these wounds, with the certainty that God will always bring forgiveness and hope”.

  In one of his homilies in December 2013, Pope Francis prayed, “Lord, free your people from a spirit of clericalism and aid them with a spirit of prophecy.” Pope Francis then said, in the Gospel, those who met Christ with a spirit of prophecy welcomed him as the Messiah, but without it, “the void that is left is occupied by clericalism; and it is this clericalism that asks Jesus, ‘By what authority do you do these things? By what law?”

  Writing in National Catholic Reporter, Robert McClory said, “clericalism is contagious, breeding a kind of mentality that revels in ecclesiastical ambition, status and power. For some, especially those attracted to the episcopacy, it often leads to indifference toward the experiences and needs of ordinary Catholics. It encourages the creation (or repetition) of teachings and regulations worked out in ivory-tower isolation from the real world.”

 “For many generations earnest, young male seminarians have been taught that they are aspiring to a higher level not available to the laity, a level at which they will have the authority to teach, sanctify and govern those below,” he says.

 “In effect, they become members of a kind of boys club that is warm, supportive and exclusive — and never breaks ranks. For what they give up, they can expect a relatively high standard of living and the respect, even adulation (at least until the abuse scandal hit), of their grateful congregations,” McClory writes.

 “Priests were so well respected that they were often times feared rather than loved, the sacraments so revered that their power was almost magical, the stress on clerical obedience so emphatic that independent thought was stifled, and the hierarchy exercised so much power that the priesthood became in effect a boundary restricting the faithful's access to God rather than an intermediary who brought their petitions to God,” says Unam Sanctam Catholicam.

 Will Pope succeed in eliminating clericalism from the Catholic Church? He himself set an example with his frugal lifestyle, avoiding pomp and pageantry, after becoming the Pope. It’s not going to be an easy task.

  Please read what Pope says in Evangelii Gaudium. “A clear awareness of this responsibility of the laity, grounded in their baptism and confirmation, does not appear in the same way in all places. In some cases, it is because lay persons have not been given the formation needed to take on important responsibilities,” Pope says.

  “In others, it is because in their particular Churches room has not been made for them to speak and to act, due to an excessive clericalism which keeps them away from decision-making. Even if many are now involved in the lay ministries, this involvement is not reflected in a greater penetration of Christian values in the social, political and economic sectors,” Pope writes. It often remains tied to tasks within the Church, without a real commitment to applying the Gospel to the transformation of society. The formation of the laity and the evangelization of professional and intellectual life represent a significant pastoral challenge, Pope says in the apostolic exhortation.

 The following incident is a classic case of clericalism happened over two years ago. Similar incidents are frequent in the Catholic world but remain unreported.

 An unmarried woman with a baby had to embark on a depressing pilgrimage around Buenos Aires city to find a place where she could have her baby baptised. She was turned away by priests.

 The Archbishop of the region questioned, “Why a poor girl, who has resisted the temptation to have an abortion and stood up at great cost to herself for the right to life should be persecuted in such a way.”

 The Archbishop reminded the priests that the young woman was requesting baptism for her child, not herself, and that they have no right to deny a sacrament in that manner.

“I say this with sadness and if it sounds like a complaint or an offensive comment please forgive me: in our ecclesiastical region there are presbyteries that will not baptise children whose mothers are not married, because they have been conceived outside holy wedlock,” a Vatican insider quoted the Archbishop as saying.

 The Archbishop said he was making a call to end what he called sacramental blackmail.

 He went on to speak about the hijacking of a sacrament, calling it an expression of a rigorous and “hypocritical neo-clericalism”, which uses the sacraments as tools to affirm its own supremacy.

 He was critical of priests for what he described as rubbing the fragility and the wounds of people in their faces by hosing down their hopes and expectations, simply because they do not fit squarely into parish requirements or live up to someone else’s moral expectation.

  He said that apart from being misleading, such pastoral models distort and reject the dynamic of Jesus Christ’s incarnation, which he pointed out cannot be reduced to a doctrinal slogan or used to serve the power hungry.

 The Archbishop was none other than Jorge Mario Bergoglio – currently Pope Francis. This happened months before his selection as Pope.

Nobody understands you? Then you need fellowship with Holy Spirit -- By Simmy Joshi

 “Nobody understands me,” my Mumbai-based cousin often tells me. 

 This is not her grouse alone. This is a common complaint that each one of us makes at one juncture or the other. I’m also not spared. I think there would hardly be any person who has not thought along these lines.

 One thing is clear: No relationship can completely satisfy you except in your association with the Lord. If you have put your relationship right with the Lord, all other relationships would flourish and grow effectively. That is, it enables us to remain satisfied and can satisfy others as well.

  So establishing constant and continual fellowship with the Lord is important for an individual to lead a contented and fulfilling life. This also gives you wisdom from God. “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority” (Col 2: 9 – 10 NIV).

 One needs to understand that you are blessed with a Heavenly Father who understands you completely. “God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us” (Act 15:8 NIV). The very thought of being understood by God is indeed refreshing to all of us. This assurance can relieve us of all the humongous and boundless efforts to impress others and gain their recognition and praise.

  Even in the most intimate and closest of relationships as marriage, the couple could remain clueless over certain behaviour or reactions even after long years of being together. This is true even for the couples who lead successful married life. This is not because of lack of communication or any other problems between them, but it is the reality that no person can understand another person fully. But the cravings for people to be understood do exist and so we get frustrated if this craving is not fulfilled in any of our relationships.

 To avoid frustration and other serious problems in our worldly relationships, one needs to establish a good relationship with the Lord. We also get the freedom from the constant efforts to please or satisfy us as well as other people around. God expect that from each one of us. “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15: 4 – 5 NIV). “But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (Romans 8: 10 NIV). 

  Thoughts about our Heavenly Father who understands and knows even our intentions are extremely relieving for a genuine and sincere person. This assurance would help us to tide over confrontations, accusations, criticisms and other negative life situations very easily. That is, we would no longer be affected by the small and big setbacks or upsets and other negative life situations that we confront on a daily basis. Through continual fellowship with the Lord we would be trained to look up to the Lord for the solution, rather than wasting time thinking about the issue and thereby getting deeply entangled in the issue. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41: 10 NIV). 

 If Christ takes control of us, we can live peacefully and happily.  

  In any relationship, say husband-wife; parent-child relationships; relationship between siblings, neighbours, friends, etc one cannot follow a clear-cut rule or policy to make it successful. There are lots of ups and downs in any relationship and it is the mental stability of the individual which helps him to attain the needed balance in any relationship. This state of mind (mental stability) can be attained only through the help of the Holy Spirit, the Helper whom God has given us. That is, only a spirit-filled person can take both negative and positive happenings with a peaceful mind. Holy Spirit would always fill us with the right thoughts, decisions and remind us what to speak, act and decide. “But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14: 26 NIV).

  If you sincerely urge for the infilling of the Holy Spirit you can become an anointed person and get freed from the worthless efforts to please people and the world. So take conscious efforts to taste and experience the gifts of the Holy Spirit and get better day by day...
 (The writer is a marine biologist based in Cochin)

THE GREAT EXODUS OF THIS CENTURY: Christianity finished in Iraq after 2000 years

 History is repeating itself. The painful saga of exodus in Bible is being reenacted in Iraq, one of the cradles of Christianity in the world. Christianity is now as good as extinct in the country after a series of religious cleansing, killings and exodus.
  Christians are fleeing on foot with no food, money or water to escape the wrath of ISIS militants. And it’s a pity that the conscience of the world has still not woken up. “Today the story of Christianity is finished in Iraq,” said a priest who identified himself as Fr. Nawar, according to CNA website.
 “People can’t stay in Iraq because there is death for whoever stays,” he was quoted as saying by CNA.
  Vatican is following with deep concern the dramatic news reports coming from northern Iraq, which involve defenseless populations. Christian communities are particularly affected: a people fleeing from their villages because of the violence that rages in these days, wreaking havoc on the entire region.
  In light of these terrible developments, Pope Francis renewed his spiritual closeness to all those who are suffering through this painful trial, and makes the impassioned appeals of the local bishops his own, asking together with them in behalf of their sorely tried communities, that the whole Church and all the faithful raise up with one voice a ceaseless prayer, imploring the Holy Spirit to send the gift of peace.
  Pope called on the international community to protect all those affected or threatened by the violence, and to guarantee all necessary assistance – especially the most urgently needed aid – to the great multitude of people who have been driven from their homes, whose fate depends entirely on the solidarity of others.
 The Pope also appealed to the conscience of all people, and to each and every believer he repeats: “May the God of peace create in all an authentic desire for dialogue and reconciliation. Violence is not conquered with violence. Violence is conquered with peace! Let us pray in silence, asking for peace; everyone, in silence....”
 The Obama administration announced late Thursday night that it had authorized “targeted airstrikes” to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and defend U.S. military advisors in the Iraqi capital of Irbil. It is also airdropping humanitarian aid to a Yazidi group trapped in the mountains of Sinjar without access to food or water.
  According to reports from BBC News, the Islamic State militants have taken down crosses and burned religious manuscripts.  Islamic State forces have given an ultimatum to Christians and other minorities demanding that they convert, pay the jizya tax or be killed.

He made no reply, not even to a single charge

 By SB

 When I was driving back home after dropping my kids at the school, I had to pass through a narrow lane with hardly space for one vehicle. Suddenly a scooter which was behind me suddenly brushed my car and tried to overtake, but the rider, a lady, couldn’t do it as the lane was too narrow for her.  

  She showered her choicest curses – yes, in a very abusive language – on me. I was dumbstruck for a couple of seconds by the reaction of the foul-mouthed lady. Should I react or not? I was thinking. Should I shout back or not? I was a bit angry with the uncourteous lady, but I decided not to be pejorative and instead kept quiet. I pressed on the gas and raced ahead, suddenly overtaking the scooter and sped past her. She continued her verbal assault but I didn’t look back.

  Later when I thought over and over about the incident, I wondered: I showed restraint though the other lady was abusive. I meditated about it and a Bible verse came to my mind.

  It was from a scene from the passion of Jesus. See what Mathew 26:62-63 says, “Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, 'Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?' But Jesus remained silent.”

 Again, in Mathew 27:13-14, we can read, “Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge — to the great amazement of the governor.”

  Jesus could have defended Himself. He could have shouted back and explain the reality. But He chose to hear all the abuses of high priests and soldiers. This is one lesson we have not yet learned. “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,” says James 1:19.

  We sometimes face wrong allegations and accusations. We are sometimes blamed for something which we are not responsible. But don’t overreact. As the Proverb says, “even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”

  I didn’t overreact in the scooter incident. On any other day, I would have showed my anger and disapproval and retaliated verbally. But somehow, I was able to withstand it.

 In short, we have to learn a lot on reacting to circumstances and situations. If we show restraint, we can avoid many ugly scenes and incidents. We read about road rages in metropolitan cities like Mumbai. Most of them start in a very small way: in one case it started with honking and in another case it was refusal to allow overtaking. Such incidents start with small arguments and end up even in murders.

  Silence is golden on some occasions. That’s what Jesus teaches us.

   

 

Who is the real prodigal son?

  One of the poignant stories in the Bible is the parable of the prodigal son. St Luke has portrayed it vividly (Luke 15:11-32) to describe different dimensions of the lives of a loving father and his two sons with contrasting lifestyles and attitudes. The central character is the elder son, who, like many of us, Pharisees and Scribes, turns jealous and calumnious. 

The younger son took his share of family property and left the household. He squandered the money and fell into hard times. “The central characters of the parable appear to be the prodigal son and the loving father who welcomed him back for many people. But I think the character to watch is the elder son,” says Rev Fr Biju Kollamkunnel of Little Flower Church, Nerul, in his homily on Sunday.
 When you look at the persona of the elder son, you can see  a couple of things. First of all, Jesus narrated this parable to people when Pharisees and Scribes started murmuring and whining about tax collectors and prostitutes who flocked to listen to the Word of God from Jesus. The ‘prodigal son’ was aimed at these Pharisees and Scribes whose attitude is similar to the elder son in the prodigal son parable.
  “Not only that, look at what he says about his younger brother. The elder son said he squandered the money with prostitutes. The loving father or the younger son or the servants didn’t say that. We also have a tendency to indulge in slander and character assassination of other people,” Rev Fr Biju says. The elder son is a perfect example of how one should not be in life.  
 The Bible says, “He was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me even a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!”
   He caviled and grumbled against the loving father. When you read the Bible, you will come across numerous occasions when Scribes and Pharisees behaved like the elder son. And we’re not far behind them. We’re one step ahead of him in our daily life.  
 The elder son was blinded by jealousy. He was not happy at the prospect of the younger son  back in the family. This is despite knowing and hearing that whatever the father has got is for him alone. For, there’s a custom in the Jewish families in those times that elder son gets two times the share of the property. Here, he would have got two-third of the family property while the younger had already taken away and destroyed one-third.
 The elder one was upset that younger brother repented and returned to the father’s house. Scribes and Pharisees also behaved like that when sinners came to Jesus. Aren’t some of us are like these Pharisees, Scribes and the elder son? We may not realize it initially or even later. If you’re a sinner, you should repent like the younger son. Don’t behave like the elder son. In short, the real unrepentant prodigal son is the elder brother.

Pope's apology... and encounters with Pentacostal community

  When Brian C Stiller, Global Ambassador, World Evangelical Alliance, met Pope Francis for lunch, he asked Pope Francis what his heart was for evangelism. Pope smiled, knowing what was behind Stiller's question and comment was, “I’m not interested in converting Evangelicals to Catholicism. I want people to find Jesus in their own community.  There are so many doctrines we will never agree on. Let’s be about showing the love of Jesus.” 

Stiller & Pope Francis

  Writing in his blog, Stiller says , "a vibrant pope, spiritually vital, tough in ethical leadership and competent in overseeing his world communion is critical. What he says and does has a profound affect on us all."
  "In his years in and out of Rome, he became friends with an Italian pastor. In time he came to learn that the church and pastor felt the power and presence of the Catholic Church, with its weighty presence, obstructing their desire to grow and be a witness. So he decided to visit the church and offer an apology for the difficulty brought to their congregation," Stiller writes.
  Earlier this week, Pope Francis went to southern Italian city of Caserta for a private visit to the Pentecostal community known as the Evangelical Church of Reconciliation. The Pope first met the founder of the community, Pastor Giovanni Traettino, during his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires and over the past year he has met and received groups of Pentecostals at his Santa Marta residence in Vatican.
  Pardon and reconciliation were the themes at the heart of the Pope’s words as, to loud applause he asked forgiveness for the words and actions of Catholics who have persecuted Pentecostals in the past.
  All of us are sinners, the Pope stressed, but all of us must continue to walk boldly in the presence of Our Lord. Quoting from St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, Pope Francis spoke of the diversity of the Body of Christ but he stressed that diversity is reconciled to unity through the action of the Holy Spirit.
  The Pope first met the founder of the community, Pastor Traettino, during his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires and over the past year he has met and received groups of Pentecostals at his Santa Marta residence here in the Vatican.
  Pope's friendship with Bishop Tony Palmer, the international ecumenical officer of the Communion of Episcopal Evangelical Churches and founder of the online Ark Community, who died recently following a motorbike accident in England was well-known. During one of his visits to the Vatican in February this year, Bishop Palmer recorded an iphone message that Pope Francis wished to send to a Pentecostal group meeting, chaired by Kenneth Copeland, in the United States. In that off-the-cuff video message, the Pope spoke frankly of his longing for unity and reconciliation, saying that all Christians share the blame for the sins of division.
  Writing about his luncheon meeting with Pope, Stiller says, "from the outset his charm set us all at ease. As we moved from the greeting hall to the conversation room, he stood by the door to turn out the lights. I noticed that gone were the papal slippers and instead shoes with dangling laces. At lunch, eaten in the cafeteria, it wasn’t the waiters who served us drinks; Pope Francis served Geoff Tunnicliffe, Secretary General of the WEA and me."
  "His presence undermines pomp or circumstance. One has to remind themself (sic) that sitting across the lunch table, smiling through moments of joy is one of the most influential persons in the world. His celebrity is muted by his kindly ordinariness. His influence is corralled by his loving affection for people. His power leans towards the poor, those trampled underfoot," Stiller's blog says.
  According to him, two dominant gifts showed. First his pastoral instincts and gifts are so evident. Stiller asked, “When you were presented on the balcony in St Peter’s Square after your election, did you plan to ask those in the square to pray for you and then bow in silence?” He laughed. “No,” he said, “in that moment I sensed the Spirit leading me to do that.” So Stiller asked, “When you did so, how did you feel?” He looked at Stiller and smiled, “I was so at peace.”
  Stiller says Vatican matters. "For Evangelicals and Protestants, of all shapes and sizes, the state and condition of the Roman Catholic Church matters. Of the over 2 billion Christians, one-half are linked to the Vatican. About 600 million are Evangelicals and another 550 million members of the World Council of Churches, (which includes the Orthodox Churches)," he writes.
  The religious environment is undergoing a transformation. There's a major religious shakeup worldwide. Christians are being persecuted in various countries, especially in the Middle East. The situation has taken a turn for the worst in Iraq and Syria. "The Middle East is on the edge of what we know not. Islam is on the rise," he says.
  Christians need the support of each other. Evangelicals, Protestants and Catholic Church need to put up a united front to withstand the attack on Christianity. 

NEW WEBSITE ON THE WAY: www.christianmonitors.com

New Christian website:

www.christianmonitors.com

 A new website is being launched to propagate faith in Lord Jesus Christ and spread the Good News of Salvation to all the nooks and corners of the world.   

Make sure there's no devil behind your cross at home

 When Mr Antony visited China recently, he bought a cross and rosary from one of its fabled markets. The cross looked very beautiful, or rather very alluring. He fell for the cross and didn't think twice before purchasing it. Mr Antony bought it dead cheap as a similar cross in any other country would have cost three or four times of what he paid.

  However, he had made a big mistake. Mr Antony realised this when he took the cross and rosary to a priest for blessing. The stuff that he bought from China was satanic. "A cross in upside down position and the figure of devil with horns were embossed behind the cross. You can't easily figure out satan's figure behind the cross. Had Mr Antony kept these things in his house, his life would have gone for a toss. Devil would have made his life miserable. Such a cross would influence the place and people where it's kept," said Rev Fr Jose Vettiyankal VC.

  Rev Fr Jose who conducts Divine Mercy outreach programme across the world, narrated this incident at a Charismatic prayer meeting in Mumbai last week.

  If Mr Antony had kept the cross in his house, he would have literally ended up worshipping Satan. Nobody is sure how many such crosses are floating in the market. "If you're planning to buy a replica of cross or a rosary, have a close look at these things before buying them. Otherwise, you could be in for big trouble," Rev Fr Jose says.

 The manipulator who crafted the cross committed the fraud in a clever manner. Nobody would have thought about this unique way of bringing Satan into people’s lives in their wildest of imaginations.  

  During a May 24, 1987, visit to the sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel, John Paul II said, "the battle against the devil which is the principal task of Michael the archangel, is still being fought today, because the devil is still alive and active in the world. The evil that surrounds us today, the disorders that that plague our society, man's inconsistency and brokenness are not only the results of original sin but also the result of Satan's pervasive and dark action."

  Satan is working overtime in the world to keep people away from God. It can be through temptation, enticement, seduction, greed and so on. The evil spirit has succeeded in this exercise to a big extent. But we know who is going to have the final victory -- Jesus.

  Please check the religious artefacts kept at your home. You shouldn’t end up worshipping Satan unknowingly.

  

How a Catechism teacher came back to God: An Italian story

By Sheena George

  Rev Fr Jose Vettiyankal VC is truly a gift from God. He has been preaching the Word of God and conducting healing sessions and charismatic meetings across the world for the last 24 years. His Divine Mercy outreach programme has been a hit with people with even non-Christians flocking to hear him and get healed. “God wants us to be happy, healthy and wealthy. It’s satan who tries to prevent this from happening,” he says.

  Rev Fr Jose, who was in Mumbai last week to conduct a one-day charismatic prayer service, narrated a story to depict God’s great mercy and the necessity of us – human mortals – to seek forgiveness and come and back to God.      

  This happened when Rev Fr Jose visited Italy many years ago. He happened to visit a parish when he went around Italy. He met the parish priest who told him about a woman in the parish. This lady was a catechism teacher and very close to parish and religious activities many years ago, but turned away from God and stopped coming to the church after an incident.     

  This Italian lady had a two-year old son. One day this kid who was playing in the second floor of their home fell from the balcony to the ground and died on the spot. This lady actually witnessed the whole thing -- her son falling to the ground and dying immediately thereafter in her arms.

 This incident shocked her so badly that she suffered from a stroke that led to the paralysis of her left hand. She turned desolate and melancholic and stopped going out. She refused to go to church or attend prayers. “Why should I pray to God? Why did God do this to me? God didn’t want to see me happy and took away my only son. Why didn’t God prevent this? There’s no meaning in prayers or going to the mass,” she used to say after the incident.

 The parish priest insisted that Rev Fr Jose should meet this lady. The priest was unable to convince her about coming back to God. The parish priest dropped Rev Fr Jose near the lady’s house and sat in the car.

 Rev Fr Jose rang the bell. The lady opened the door and asked him, “why are you here?”

  “I came to pray for you,” he said. “I don’t want anybody’s prayer. Please leave me alone,” she said. But Rev Fr Jose insisted, “I have come from India.” His pleas and her obstinacy continued for some time. But finally she relented when he told her that he wanted to pray for others, and not for her. “Let us raise our hands and pray for others,” Rev Fr Jose said.

  She raised her hands immediately! The 20-year old paralysis on her left hand was immediately cured and she could raise her hands. She was flabbergasted. She wondered: How this can happen? But Rev Fr Jose continued his prayer. He prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Then he saw a vision of her two-year old son sitting on the lap of Jesus. When he told her about this, she asked him, “what was he doing there?”

  “He was praying for you,” he said. This really struck her. “Oh God, my son with Jesus,” she said.

 She realized what was going on. Devil had bound her in a state of bondage. The idea that God was responsible for her son’s death came from devil. The master of all cheats knew that she would be in devil’s bondage. She suddenly understood devil’s game plan.

  After the prayer, she came out of all bondages and received both physical and inner healing. She resumed her catechism teaching and started going to the church once again. She repented and came back to God.

  “What a wonderful God we have got. He doesn’t want you to get into any physical or mental agony. Devil is a great trickster. Be cautious about him. Seek God’s help to overcome satanic influences,” Rev Fr Jose says.

  According to him, once you come out of the grip of satan, you will be healed of many diseases, trials and tribulations. “You must pray deliverance prayer every day. You can use the prayer of Pope Leo 13^th to cast out the devil from your life. Devil will try to keep you away from God. He did that to Adam and Eve,” he says.

  “However, the new Adam – that is Jesus – salvaged us. The new Eve – St Mary – strengthens us in our fight against devil,” he says. So walk with God all the time. Don’t come out of His protective cover. Then you will be saved.

   As I left Sacred Heart Church, a beautiful church in Vashi, Mumbai after attending Rev Fr Jose’s prayer meeting, I had a silent prayer in my mind: God, strengthen Rev Fr Jose in his spiritual journey and let hundreds and thousands of people get physical and mental healing and come to Your Kingdom. 

** Rev Fr Jose, who is currently superior of Vincentian Congregation’s monastery in Thodupuzha, India, is getting ready to set up a Charismatic retreat centre in Australia.       

            

'If we don't communicate with God, we're inviting satan'

Thomas Mathew Vattakunnel
  I recently met the 10-year old son of a relative. When I asked him about family prayers, he glanced at me with a surprised look.   "There's no regular prayer in the family... it happens once in a fortnight or a month," he said.

Nuns in Bangladesh brutally attacked

  Catholics in Bangladesh, a majority Muslim South Asian nation are outraged over an attack upon a convent where a large group of men invaded the convent premises and attacked with attempts to rape the nuns. The armed men reportedly attacked the convent of PIME, or Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions nuns in Boldipukur, a village mission in Dinajpur diocese in northern Bangladesh in the early hours of July 6.

‘Worry about your spiritual death, not your physical death…’

  Are you apprehensive about your physical death or spiritual death? A relevant question at a time when man can go – and he goes -- to any extent to look after his physical well being and comfort.  “These days many of us only care about our physical death. It shouldn’t be like that. You must be more worried about your spiritual death,” says Rev Fr Biju Kollamkunnel in a measured tone, choosing his words carefully, but hitting where it matters in his Sunday homily.

Louisiana ruling on confession rankles Catholics

Associated Press | BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)
 Catholics are decrying a recent Louisiana Supreme Court decision that reaches into the most sanctified of church places, the confessional booth.

100 minus 10 = 170. It's not 90

 What's 100 minus 10 (100-10)? Most of us will say 90 as the answer. 
 It's not necessarily 90. Then what's the answer? "It can be 170 also," says Rev Fr Kurian Karickal, a Christian charismatic preacher who's active in several countries.

'The banner of the poor is Christian... Communists have stolen it'

  Ever since Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio took over as the Pope on March 13, 2013, media has written reams about his close leaning towards communist ideology with some even calling him a 'communist'. 

You don’t need Jesus… You want only saints. Right?

Sheena George

 “You don’t need Jesus… you want only saints. Right?” asked our parish priest in  Mumbai who was dejected by the poor response to the feast of Sacred Heart of Jesus. His disappointment was not without reasons: only a handful of people – not even one-tenth of  2000-strong Catholic population in the area -- turned up for the feast last week. The church should have been full. When he looked at the empty benches, he became more melancholic. 

The savagery of ecumenical purges in Iraq, Syria, Egypt: Christians being wiped out

  Jerry Johnson, president of the National Religious Broadcasters, played a clip of Egyptian television’s coverage of a Christian who was beheaded at a conference of Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox church leaders in Washington recently.

Satan, that odious mountebank, is cheating us when we judge others.

Sheena George

 We are good at judging others. We mean most of us, Christians. We get some kind of pleasure in prosecution of others through judgments. Inevitably, most of the time, nay all the the time, we go wrong while making judgments.

Pope Francis stops car to bless young disabled woman

  Pope Francis stopped the car that was transporting him to see a young disabled woman and her family on the side of the road during his June 21 pastoral visit to the region of Calabria in southern Italy.
 A video posted online by a family in the southern Italian region of Calabria depicts the encounter with the Holy Father. The Pope passed by the highway near the family’s house as he returned from Cassano allo Jonio, where he spoke out against the mafia.
 The family members waited with banners reading, 'Please Pope stop here to see an angel who has been waiting for you', and 'Please come and bless little Roberta'. When the Pope saw their signs, he asked for his car to stop, and immediately went to greet and bless the people, according to Vatican’s news.va.
 Once the vehicle stopped, the Holy Father descended, approached the woman, who was laying on a moving stretcher, blessed her, kissed her and greeted her family and the children around her.
 The young woman – Roberta – is disabled and cannot travel far from her home, because she is dependent upon a machine to breathe. Her family voiced their gratitude to the Holy Father on Facebook. “I still can't believe it, thank you Holy Father...I thank the Pope for having given us a moment of great joy,” her sister, Pamela, wrote.
 “Today we can say that Christ stopped in Sibari in the vestments of Pope Francis,” added Ivan Vania, a friend who helped make the posters calling the Pope’s attention.

Don’t store up your wealth in this world

Thomas Mathew Vattakunnel

 If you keep all your savings in the bank or stock markets, will it help you? Jesus says it’s meaningless. Bible gives clear answers. It’s not worth storing up wealth in this world, which is a short period.

Vatican slams excessive speculation in financial markets

'Speculation in food prices is a scandal which seriously compromises access to food on the part of the poorest members'

'Don’t try to prevent your son or daughter from selecting this vocation...'

ON A WING AND A PRAYER
 Sabu Aruthottiyil of King Jesus Ministries, Kerala, India, is one my of favourite evangelists who regularly comes on Shalom TV, a Christian charismatic channel. He recently spoke succinctly and pithily about the vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life. In a nutshell, his message was “don’t try to prevent your son or daughter from selecting the vocation to the priesthood or religious life.”

Many people claim to be in Church but have only one foot inside

  Who offers the best critique of the Catholic Church? It’s none other than Pope Francis himself. He never misses an opportunity to punch holes in the ivory towers in the church. He calls a spade a spade and comes down on the misdemeanors and felonies in the church.

Bulgaria beggar donates thousands to church, treated as saint

Vessela Sergueva, AFP

  SOFIA: A 100-year-old beggar in a threadbare coat, "Grandpa" Dobri, is already celebrated as a saint in Bulgaria - a symbol of goodness in a country ravaged by poverty and corruption.

You’re not your kid’s friend or master... you’re just a guardian of this gift from God. By Simmy Joshy

CHRISTIAN WAY OF PARENTING

 “My daughter is like a friend to me,” my friend once told me. “We’re friends. I don’t treat her as a daughter.”
  Fine. But there’s something beyond all that. You must be a guardian of your kid. This principle must come first. Friendship and other things can come later.

This’s no bamboozlement… it’s the sacrifice by Jesus

Sheena George

  Rev Fr John Koovakunnel is an unassuming Catholic priest, young and unpretentious to the core. Born and brought up in Pune, which is around 150 kms south-east of Mumbai, Rev Fr John is a Catholic theologian in the making and fully engrossed in prayers, church services and related activities. His parting sermon at Little Flower Church, Nerul, near Mumbai, gave me new insights into the Holy Mass. Even as I was writing this piece he would have already moved to his new parish of Panvel, near Mumbai.

The Science of the Saints: Dr Scott Hahn’s treatise again

 Dr Scott Hahn, evangelical Protestant who converted to the Catholic Church and chronicled his journey to Catholicism in the famous book ‘Rome Sweet Home’, is undoubtedly an inspiring writer and speaker.

Pope Francis says papal retirements could become normal, favours celibacy for priests but "door open to change"

Pope Francis says papal retirements could become normal in Church

REUTERS, ROME, MAY 27: Pope Francis said on Monday he would be open to retiring eventually like his predecessor, Benedict XVI, instead of ruling for life, adding that the concept of a "pope emeritus" could someday become normal in the Church.

Pictures -- Pope Francis in Jerusalem

‘They live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived…’

 On Saturday, May 24, I had a chance to attend the funeral service of an old neighbour in Mumbai. “When we live we never realize that we’re going to die. We realize about the reality of death only at the end stage,” the priest said, quoting the words of my late neighbour who was suffering from cancer.

Pictures -- Pope's visit to the Holy Land

For a big miracle, we need to perform our small role

By Thomas Mathew 

  I have heard many people complaining about miracles not happening in their lives. They say that they keep on praying and seek God’s blessings. They ask for healing of their near and dear ones. But they don’t get answers. There’s no healing. 

Nuns & roses for Jesus and you

By Sheena George

    When I recently flew from Mumbai to Kochi, I met a Hindu girl from Nashik, which is nearly 200 kms north of Mumbai. Seated next to me on the flight, the 19-year old girl struck a conversation with me. “Are you a Christian?” she asked. She might have seen me doing the sign of the cross.  

Trickle-down theory and resisting the economy of exclusion

  The influence of Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and other Leftist economists on Vatican is conspicuous if one goes by the Papal documents and speeches from Vatican these days.

Harvard 'black mass' event met with shock, outcry

Harvard 'black mass' event met with shock, outcry :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Dying persons release countless photons which form the ghostly body of light -- By Dr Jose Paul

Research studies establish Biblical truth about spiritual bodies

 “What will happen to me after my death? Can you tell me about the death experience?” my father used to ask me during his last days.
He died at the age of 97 due to old age illness several years ago. My father thought that his son being a senior doctor who has seen thousands of deaths during his long years of medical practice knew something more about it. There was nothing wrong with his thoughts. But the truth was that I could not answer his questions then, because the near-death experience is something which no one has reported with certainty.

Dr Jose Paul MD

  What happens to us after death or when we face near-death experience? Latest research studies agree with the existence of spiritual bodies mentioned in the Bible. Damaged or dying atoms of our physical body release countless photons which is light energy. These photons can have consciousness. Photons, which are indestructible, are the foundation of the new pure and perfect body. Bystanders sometimes see foggy light leaving the physical body of dying person. I would like to connect science with Bible. The entire universe is created by light. Life gets transformed from one form to another. Read on.

NEAR-DEATH STAGE

  I have seen the end stage of many dying people. But the appearance of each one varied from person to person. In most of the young children, death appears to be a very calm event and the breathing stops very gradually. In the case of old people I have seen them making jerky movements affecting the face and lips. Some people appear to bend their body forward and stop breathing suddenly. Some people have convulsive movements affecting their eyes and forehead. A few people make shrieking sounds. Some people appear as if they were going to talk something but die suddenly without making any sound.

  Jerky movements of the lips are very common. Movements of the limbs like myoclonic cramps appear in some people. I have seen one 28-year old man dying of cardiac arrest while playing volley ball. Following each cardiac massage, he used to shout ‘njekku…njekku’ (massage… massage). After some time, his heart stopped and he died. What I mean to say is that some people are fully conscious till the last moment. But in most of the cases, the consciousness is lost just before the end, and people stop responding to pain, touch and call. In my opinion, death appears to be a painless process as the patient is unconscious at the end. I feel that death is not a nightmare as we fear. I have seen people appear to smile and die as if death is an enjoyable process.

  One of my hospital sisters, who is also a nun, had an accidental electric shock and was almost dead. She was not breathing, heart beating was not heard and pulse not felt. But after some time, she took a long breath and appeared as if she was coming back to life. She was almost in coma for a long time and recovered.

After recovery, she explained her near death experience (NDE). She felt as if she was watching a film where various events from her childhood were shown. She felt somebody pointing out her sinful acts during her lifetime. She was telling ‘I am sorry Lord’ every time. Some of you might have read the experience of dying people, like travelling through a tunnel aiming at a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

  This may be called a near death experience (NDE) but nobody could mention the after-death events, although some people have said that after the end of the tunnel they have reached another universe which was full of joy and peace. A few people have said during this period they could meet their near and dear ones. But we are not sure how true this is. I was wondering what exactly was happening at the time of death and after that.

WHAT BIBLE SAYS

  As we read from the Holy Bible, in St.Paul’s first letter to Corinthians 15:40, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 44. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 49. And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
  Luke 20 says: “Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels." 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 says, "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord."

PHOTON BODY EXISTS, THEY HAVE CONSCIOUSNESS

  Lately I was surprised to read some research results affirming these biblical truths about death. Research conclusions by Dutch scientist Maureen Venselaar explain the scientific reasons for some features of Near Death Experience (NDE) in one consistent Coherent theory based on astrophysical phenomena. She gives the explanations for the five phases of NDE.

When people are severely traumatized they lose conscience. They hear strange noise and feel vibrations and many small explosions in their body. Near death people receive another consciousness and a different ‘ghostly body’ almost instantly made of light energy. They see their own body in the death bed. They don’t feel any change in their personality with no feeling of pain but in peace. They can hear and see but cannot communicate with earthly people.

  According to Maureen, who belongs to the Institute of Noetic Sciences, damaged or dying atoms of our physical body release countless photons which is light energy. They could hear explosions within the body. These photons can have consciousness, with our daily consciousness transformed into another broader transcendent consciousness. These photons are indestructible. So next life can be eternal life. These photons can carry information about who we were and are. As near death trauma gets more severe near death people see themselves moving away from their physical body. They see earth, moon and stars, They realize they are getting as small as a sand of grain with their body of light. Then a tunnel opens and they travel through the tunnel faster than speed of light to a heavenly light at the end of the tunnel. This light is like a magnet. They experience sounds and colours.

  Maureen’s research says the more we reach the end of this life, more photons are released from our physical body. More photons means more compact our new body gets. As beings of light our ‘ghostly’ body of light is reduced to a tiny dot. The effect of gravity that cause contraction of a substance can lead to a black hole. It is a real hole in the fabric of space. It s not black but surrounded by light.

 LIFE REVIEW AT THE END OF TUNNEL

 Our travel through this tunnel gets faster until we reach the end of the tunnel to a great light. Only dead people cross this border and enter the other world. At the end of the tunnel, the NDE people have a life review, meeting other beings of light. Communication is instant like telepathy. Then there is a moment of Judgment, but that moment is full of grace and love. The reason seems to be light=love=knowledge/information. They know all the answers to all the questions of mankind. They also see two whirl tornadoes like two large sand glass, the upper tornado spinning clockwise and outward, the lower tornado spinning anticlockwise and inward.

 As scientist Stephen Hawkins says, theoretical model of our universe and the other universe is like a sandglass. It has an upper tornado and a lower tornado spinning in opposite directions. As NDE people they can travel through this tunnel to the edge of our universe. That is, this tunnel is the door to another astral universe.

Experience in the last phase is as follows. Near death people can sometimes choose between blue/green beam of light or a red/pink beam. It is like they know blue beam means continuing their life on earth and red means end of life on earth, but receiving an eternal life in another universe.

  Near-death people entering back into their physical body experience a reversal of all these processes they have gone through. They have forgotten all the wisdom they knew, when they were nearby the heavenly light. The red and blue colours they have seen may be due to Doppler effect. Matter looks blue/green means life on Earth and red/pink is created by matter which travels away from us.

 As near-death people, we return to earth with our compact out-of-body essence (during our journey through the tunnel/the private intra-universe wormhole). After this journey we will unfold nearby/in our physical body due to the reduction of the force of gravity. All the light-energy flows back into (the atoms of) the physical body and connect with it. Electromagnetic values probably change again. And after a while if our trauma doesn’t get worse we’ll gain our daily consciousness.

  It is said that love never ends. This is true as per Biblical description and the research experience. Jesus has said “I’m the light of the world”. God is love. So one can say that the spiritual body and photon body aims at the one point, that is love. Life is eternal as I have mentioned earlier. So we can see that love also is eternal.

  You might have seen Laser shows, where you see the shadow of living things. The photon bodies of NDE people could be explained as it is similar to the laser show. In aura photography one could see the aura light around a person. This explains presence of photon bodies. Many a time patients after amputation complains, pain over the leg which is already amputated. This explains the presence of photon body in the place of physical body.

 LIFE CONTINUES AS PHOTON BODY AFTER DEATH

  What I am interested is the similarity between the biblical description and the research findings. I shall be happy If I could give a small prick to to those who believe the Holy Bible with brain, more than the heart, as I was once. In the Bible as well as in the research experience we find a tiny interval between the near death experience and the actual death, when there is a change occurring in the physical body.

  The physical body is converted into a shadow of the physical body by the condensation of the photon particles in the light, according to the research experience. The spiritual body and photon body can pass through objects unnoticed by others. The spiritual body of Jesus is mentioned in the Bible as seen in Mathew 28:9. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him, says Mark 16:12.

  Jesus later appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. As Luke 24:36 says, Jesus appears to the disciples -- while they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

According to the research experience, the photon body can recognize their loved ones while travelling through the black hole and the tunnel. The aim of the body is towards a light. The spiritual body of Jesus was taken up to Heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father.

  Jesus had said “I am the light of the world” and “I and my Father are one”. Therefore the spiritual body of Jesus had gone to the Father who is the light. In Ephesus 2:6, we read that together with Christ Jesus, He (God) also raised us up and seated us in the heavens. As we read in the Bible, the life is being continued even after death. The research experience also agrees with this, saying that the life continues as photon bodies after death. In both the cases the life never ends and we live forever.

 One is not sure about the next universe where we are going to live, as nobody has reported the after death experience. The apparitions described by religious people may be the spiritual bodies or the photon bodies of the dead.

References:

1. Maureen Venselaar, PhD

2. Holy Bible

(The author is Director and Senior Consultant in internal medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital) 

29.8 million in slavery around the world; India leads with 13.3 mn

  Believe it or not, there are an estimated 29.8 million people enslaved around the world.

  The countries with the highest numbers of enslaved people are India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Taken together, these countries account for 76% of the total estimate of 29.8 million in modern slavery, according to Global Slavery Index released by Walk Free Foundation.