May 31: Pentecost Day

On this day, nearly 2,000 years ago, Holy Spirit, our helper, guide, comforter and healer filled the Church with power

 This year, Pentecost will be on May 31, 2020, observed on the seventh Sunday after Easter (April 12).
 Modern Christians observe Pentecost as a holiday, not to celebrate a wheat harvest, but to remember when the Holy Spirit invaded the Church in Acts 2 of Bible.
 The Holy Spirit filled the Church with power and added 3,000 new believers. The account in Act 2 reports that, after Jesus ascended into heaven, Jesus’ followers were gathered together for the Feast of Harvest (aka Pentecost), and the Holy Spirit “filled the whole house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2). “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4). 
 This strange occurrence drew a large crowd, and Peter stood up to speak to them about repentance and the gospel of Christ (Acts 2:14). By the end of the day that the Holy Spirit came, the Church grew by 3,000 people (Acts 2:41). This is why Christians still celebrate Pentecost.
John Gill expresses the significance in his commentary: “Through this baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, the apostles became more knowing, and had a greater understanding of the mysteries of the Gospel, and were more qualified to preach it to people of all nations and languages.”
 The Holy Spirit was prophesied in the Old Testament and promised by Jesus.  Jesus promised the Holy Spirit in John 14:26, who would be the Helper for his people.
 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
This New Testament event is also significant because it fulfills an Old Testament prophecy in Joel 2:28-29. “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”

 Historical Insights into Pentecost
 There are three things you need to know about Pentecost that will help you understand Acts 2.
1. Pentecost was a pilgrim festival. That meant that according to Jewish Law, all the adult Jewish men would come from wherever they were living to Jerusalem and personally be in attendance during this celebration.
2. Pentecost was a holiday. No servile work was to be done. School was out. The shops were closed. It was party time.
3. There were certain celebrations and sacrifices and offerings which were prescribed in the Law for the day of Pentecost. On Pentecost, the High Priest was to take two loaves of freshly baked wheat bread and offer them before the Lord. The wheat bread was made from the newly harvested wheat.
 In short, Pentecost in the time of the Apostles was a great and grand harvest celebration. The streets of Jerusalem were clogged with thousands of pilgrims who had come from every point of the compass to celebrate the goodness of God and the bringing in of the wheat harvest.
Source: www.christianity.com
 

Church not doing enough exorcism; Vatican, bishops & priests must step up fight against devil

 Catholic Church doesn’t seem to be doing enough exorcism to stop the devil or demons from taking people away from God. Many from the laity and even clergy still doubt whether exorcism is given its due importance in the Catholic Church.

 However, that’s not the case in many denominations. “In some denominations of the 
Protestant church, exorcisms are still practiced frequently and fruitfully,” wrote late Fr Gabriele Amorth, the official exorcist of Rome, in one of his books.

 Satan or devil or demon is not a concept. It’s an active force, a living, spiritual being that is perverted and that perverts others. It is a terrible reality, mysterious and frightening. We must destroy them to save souls for God.

  While the people – including Christians -- across the world are swimming in a sea of sins, there’s hardly any exorcism done in parishes or dioceses. Priests general avoid talking about the manipulations done by Satan in their sermons. There’s a general reluctance to accept the fact that devil is active in the world, the latest example being the coronavirus pandemic raging across the world. “I must point out that too many churchmen are totally disinterested in these problems (created by Satan), and so they leave the faithful defenseless,” Fr Amorth wrote.

 Whatever exorcism is done happens in Catholic retreat centres where charismatic preachers cast out devil from people. Catholic Church can do much more, especially at a time when more and more people are rampantly indulging in a sinful life.

 However, there are priests who refuse to believe that devil or Satan is a spiritual being with a personality. Their argument is that devil is just an evil power. All this shows that Catholic seminaries should ramp up their curriculum and empower priests in a better way to loosen the grip of Satan/           

 Devil does exist and he’s moving around like a roaring lion. If you give him millimeter of space to him, he will barge in and destroy you and take you away from God. In Bible, we can find several instances when Jesus Christ cast out demons from people. Jesus has given that right to His Apostles, and through them to the priests over centuries.   

 Vatican should spread the message about the need to eliminate the growing influence of devil on people. Bishops across many countries haven’t done anything to strengthen the ministry of exorcism. “Bishops must realize that this ministry is entirely entrusted to their care; it’s only they who can practice or delegate and exorcism. Sadly since most bishops have never performed an exorcism, they are seldom aware of the extent of the need,” said Amorth who performed thousands of exorcism over several decades.

 The first Pope to write about the danger posed by Devil in recent times is Pope Paul VI. “We know that this dark disturbing being exists and that he is still at work with his treacherous cunning; he is the hidden enemy who sows errors and misfortunes in human history… This matter of the Devil and of the influence he can exert on individuals as well as on communities, entire societies or events, is a very important chapter of Catholic doctrine which should be studied again, although it is given little attention today,” Pope Paul VI wrote in 1972.

 “The Christian must be a militant; he must be vigilant and strong; and he must at times make use of special ascetical practices to escape from certain diabolical attacks,” he says.

  It’s very important to get an awareness of evil if we are to have a correct Christian concept of the world, life and salvation. We see this first in the unfolding of the Gospel story at the beginning of Jesus Christ’s public life. Who can forget the highly significant description of the triple temptation of Christ?

 Vatican should lead from the front. Let’s hope and pray that Pope Francis will enlighten and empower people in the fight against devil and demons. Bishops and priests across the world should become warriors of the Lord and increase the awareness among people about the traps being laid by the evil ones. Let’s hope that they will step up their fight against the evil ones and lead people to salvation.

     

Coronavirus: Time to stop death dance of Satan

 Is the world largely out of the protective cover of God? There’s reason to believe it, especially looking at the way Coronavirus pandemic is raging across the world. Who brings death? Satan.

 Who gives life? God.

  When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, showers blessings and grave on people, there can’t be death in such a scale as is happening now. How does a person or place or country go out of the protective cover of God? It happens when sins increase. Naturally. When God’s blessings disappear, Satan takes over. Satan is a killer, liar and manipulator. No wonder, devil is having his macabre dance now in the form of coronavirus.

 Has sin increased in the world? Yes, without doubt. People across the world are swimming in a sea of sins, knowingly or unknowingly that they are being trapped by Satan through different ways.

 Sin happens through different forms. Go through the Ten Commandments. All are being violated rampantly and without any fear of God. From atheism, idolatry (in the form of money, property and people), abortion, sacrilege of the marriage, adultery, homosexuality/ same sex marriage, alcoholism, drug use, amassing of wealth, slander to murders/ killings, sins have multiplied across the world.

 When people sin, God can’t act or shower His blessings unless they seek forgiveness, reconciliation and repentance. Satan knows it very well. The world belongs to Satan as Bible also tells us. Unless we repent and reconcile with God, the death dance of Satan will continue.

  Satan goes berserk when sins increase and more and more people are getting into that trap. Sorry to say sins have multiplied in the so-called Western countries and the US where Coronavirus is taking a huge toll on human lives. God’s grace and blessings are urgently needed in these regions and for that, people will have to repent and turn away from sins. Sin means death. A sinless life with Jesus Christ means eternal life in glory.    

 In Old Testament, we come across many instances when God destroyed cities and regions through flood, fire and pandemics. How can we come out of the crisis? New Testament gives the answer. Follow His words. There’s no other way.

 All these thoughts leave a big question: Has the church lived up to expectations? Doubtful. Church has largely failed in evangelizing the world. Church hasn’t done much to stop the macabre dance of Satan. Church leaders spent more time in institutionalizing the church. Clericalism is at its peak. It has adopted a corporate culture.        

 Church is gripped by a web of obsessions and procedures. “If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life,” says Evangelii Gaudium.

 It’s time to seek God. It’s time for repentance. We must keep Satan and his minions out of our lives. Don’t give them control over lives. Satan has tightened his grip now: coronavirus is one example. We don’t know whether anything more is in store. But we can stop Satan’s death dance. As St John the Baptist said, turn away from sins and repent. It’s time now. There’s no other option.

 While each person individually will have to take efforts to come back to Jesus Christ like the prodigal son, church should lead from the front. Go all out against the evil one. Pope, bishops, preachers and priests have a big role to play in this battle. Let’s win this battle. That’s what God wants.

-- George Mathew

 

Lessons From Fr Gabriele Amorth’s First Exorcism

 Fr Gabriele Amorth’s very first exorcism remained especially impressed in his mind. He spoke of it in various interviews and in his book The Last Exorcist: My Battle against Satan, in which he narrates in depth what happened with so many other important exorcisms. (Fr Amorth was an exorcist of the Diocese of Rome who performed thousands of exorcisms over his sixty plus years as a Catholic Priest).

 His first solo exorcism was very particular, because he immediately clashed with Satan himself. After having as­sisted Father Candido Amantini for many years, he exorcised a simple man. The man was very young and slim and came accompanied by a priest and a third person, a translator.

 Initially, Father Amorth did not understand the reason for the translator, so the priest explained to him that when the demoniac was under possession, he spoke in English, and therefore it would be useful to have the translator present in order to understand what he was saying.

 Once the exorcism began, the young peasant did not com­municate with words or gestures; it was as if nothing affected him, not even when Father Amorth invoked the help of the Lord. But after the invocation, when the exorcist priest asked specifically for the help of Jesus, the young man fixed his gaze on him and began to yell in English.

 His curses and threats were aimed solely at the exorcist; then he began spitting at him and preparing to attack him physically; only when Father Amorth arrived at the prayer Praecipio tibi (I command you), did the demon seem to placate himself a bit. But then, screaming and howling, the de­mon burst forth and looked straight at him, drooling saliva from the young man’s mouth. The exorcist, at that point, continued with the rite of liberation, asking and ordering the demon to tell him his name and reveal who he was. Because this was his first exorcism,

 Father Amorth did not expect to receive such a ter­rifying response: “I am Lucifer.”

Thus, with great stupor, Father Amorth discovered that who he had in front of him in those moments was Lucifer in person, but at that point, he certainly could not give up or end the exorcism, so he engaged himself even more. He was convinced that he had to keep going as long as he had the strength.

 So, while he continued with the prayers of liberation, the demon resumed his shrieks, making the possessed turn his head back and his eyes roll; and he remained like this with his back arched for a quarter of an hour. Who could imagine what Father Amorth felt in those moments? Changes also occurred in the environment. All of a sudden, the room became extremely cold and ice crystals formed on the windows and the walls. The exor­cist, refusing to give up, ordered Lucifer to abandon the peasant. But almost in response, the young man’s body stiffened so much that he became hard and at a certain point began to levitate; and for several minutes, he remained hovering three feet in the air. Meanwhile, the exorcist continued with the prayers of liberation. Then, at a certain point, the possessed fell down onto a chair, and a little before disappearing, Lucifer announced the day and the exact hour that he would leave the body of the peasant.

 Father Amorth continued to exorcise the young man each week until the fatal day arrived. Then he let another week pass, and he rescheduled him. Upon his arrival, the young man seemed very tranquil, and in the course of the exorcism, he did not make any objections to the liberations, and indeed, he prayed tranquilly. Father Amorth asked him to explain how Lucifer left him, and he replied that on the day and at the hour that the devil had indicated he would leave, he began to howl like never before. Then, at the end of this, he felt new and light.

Father Amorth Speaks of the Good Angels

 Since exorcism must also be understood in the context of the good angels, Father Amorth wrote one of his columns in the weekly Credo on the good angels:

The angelic creatures who chose to remain faithful to their nature and to the goal for which they were cre­ated — that is, to praise God eternally — did a very simple thing: they remained obedient. They accepted being submissive to God the Creator, and they made their choice in the just view, not the diabolical view of feeling humiliated by this act of submission. To the contrary, in choosing to remain faithful to God, the angels were true to their nature and their end. It was an act of fidelity to the truth for which they were created by God, which is to love Him. This attitude does not humiliate them, because it does not infer a lack of something; rather, it reflects a fullness. 

 The angels have continued to be faithful to their nature, which refers them directly to God the Creator, the one who has inscribed in creation the laws that He considers best for the good of the creature. Thus, the way we read it in the book of Revelation (12:7 and further on) is the way it occurred. There was a giant war between the angels who remained faithful to God and those who rebelled against Him; in other words, the [good] angels against the demons. In those passages, the Bible tells us that the Archangel Michael led the angels into battle, and the rebel angels were guided by the dragon (the devil) and at the end were defeated. As a result, and I cite from memory, “for them there was no longer a place in heaven.”

 Something happened here that the Bible does not declare, but that I have no reason to doubt: the demons created hell — that is, they put themselves in a situation, in a state, that placed them in opposition to God, and in doing so, harmed themselves. Their new condition, known in the Bible as “hell,” means that the dev­ils are forever excluded from paradise — that is, the vision of God, and the goals of enjoyment and eternal happiness for which they were created.

 Therefore, the demons are definitively condemned; for them, there is no longer any possibility of salvation. Why? Because their intelligence, which is much superior to ours, since they are pure spirits, makes their choice definitive, because it was done with full awareness and is therefore not retractable. But the demons do not wish to take back such a choice.

 The same is true, but to the contrary, for the angels who have chosen God and enjoy Him in eternity; and it is also true for the saints, those who are already admitted to the eternal vision of God. And this is true also for us, who are called to sanctity here on earth and, if necessary, in purgatory.

How the Demon Enters Souls

 The journalist Marco Tosatti asked Father Amorth which are the paths preferred by the devil when entering the soul of men. Amorth responded:

 There are four methods the demon utilizes to enter souls; one regards saints, and two are extremely rare. When the demon tempts a person who seems holy, he attempts to make him renounce his godly ways. This case is extremely rare. The other extremely rare case is that of leading a person into a complex of extremely serious sins in a way that is nearly irreversible. In my view, this was the method [that Satan used] with Judas Iscariot. . . . The most frequent case — and I put it at 90 percent — is that of the evil spell. It happens when someone sustains an evil caused by the demon that has been provoked by some person who has turned to Satan or someone who has acted with satanic perfidy.

 The remaining, 10 to 15 percent — I do not have an exact number — regard persons who have participated in occult practices, such as séances or satanic sects, or have contacted wizards and fortune-tellers. These forms of Satanism are widely diffused, and I think that today they are spread by stars and celebrities who have a huge following… I have nothing against rock music; it is very respectable music; I am against satanic rock.

--  Fr Marcello Stanzione

 Published in www.catholicexchange.com

 This article is adapted from Fr. Stanzione’s introduction to a chapter in The Devil is Afraid of Me: The Life and Work of the World’s Most Popular Exorcist. It is available as an ebook or paperback from Sophia Institute Press.

Confronting The Devil’s Power

Confronting The Devil’s Power

Pope Paul VI - 1972

WHAT ARE the Church’s greatest needs at the present time? Don’t be surprised at Our answer and don’t write it off as simplistic or even superstitious: one of the Church’s greatest needs is to be defended against the evil we call the Devil.

Before clarifying what We mean, We would like to invite you to open your minds to the light that faith casts on the vision of human existence, a vision which from this observation point of faith reaches out to immense distances and penetrates to unique depths. To tell the truth, the picture that we are invited to behold with an all-encompassing realism is a very beautiful one. It is the picture of creation, the work of God. He Himself admired its substantial beauty as an external reflection of His wisdom and power.[1]

Christian vision of the universe

Then there is the interesting picture of the dramatic history of mankind, leading to the history of the Redemption and of Christ; the history of our salvation, with its stupendous treasures of revelation, prophecy and holiness, of life elevated to a supernatural level, of eternal promises.[2] Knowing how to look at this picture cannot help but leave us enchanted.[3] Everything has a meaning, a purpose, an order; and everything gives us a glimpse of a Transcendent Presence, a Thought, a Life and ultimately a Love, so that the universe, both by reason of what it is and of what it is not, offers us an inspiring, joyful preparation for something even more beautiful and more perfect.[4] The Christian vision of the universe and of life is therefore triumphantly optimistic; and this vision fully justifies our joy and gratitude for being alive, so that we sing forth our happiness in celebrating God’s glory.[5]

The mystery of evil

But is this vision complete and correct? Are the defects in the world of no account? What of the things that don’t work properly in our lives? What of suffering and death, wickedness, cruelty and sin? In a word, what of evil? Don’t we see how much evil there is in the world-especially moral evil, which goes against man and against God at one and the same time, although in different ways? Isn’t this a sad spectacle, an unexplainable mystery? And aren’t we-the lovers of the Word, the people who sing of the Good, we believers-aren’t we the ones who are most sensitive and most upset by our observation and experience of evil?

We find evil in the realm of nature, where so many of its expressions seem to speak to us of some sort of disorder. Then we find it among human beings, in the form of weakness, frailty, suffering, death and something worse: the tension between two laws-one reaching for the good, the other directed toward evil. St. Paul points out this torment in humiliating fashion to prove our need a salvific grace, for the salvation brought by Christ,[6] and also our great good fortune in being saved. Even before this, a pagan poet had described this conflict within the very heart of man: “I see what is better and I approve of it, but then I follow the worse.”[7]

We come face to face with sin which is a perversion of human freedom and the profound cause of death because it involves detachment from God, the source of life. And then sin in its turn becomes the occasion and the effect of interference in us and our work by a dark, hostile agent, the Devil. Evil is not merely an absence of something but an active force, a living, spiritual being that is perverted and that perverts others. It is a terrible reality, mysterious and frightening.

Seeking an explanation

It is a departure from the picture provided by biblical Church teaching to refuse to knowledge the Devil’s existence; to regard him as a self-sustaining principle who, unlike other creatures, does not owe his origin to God; or to explain the Devil as a pseudo-reality, a conceptual, fanciful personification of the unknown causes of our misfortunes. When the problem of evil is seen in all its complexity and in its absurdity from the point of view of our limited minds, it becomes an obsession. It poses the greatest single obstacle to our religious understanding of the universe It is no accident that St. Augustine was bothered by this for years: “I sought the source of evil, and I found no explanation.”[9]

Thus we can see how important an awareness of evil is if we are to have a correct Christian concept of the world, life and salvation. We see this first in the unfolding of the Gospel story at the beginning of Christ’s public life. Who can forget the highly significant description of the triple temptation of Christ? Or the many episodes in the Gospel where the Devil crosses the Lord’s path and figures in His teaching?[10] And how could we forget that Christ, referring three times to the Devil as His adversary, describes him as “the prince of this world”?[11]

Other New Testament passages

The lurking shadow of this wicked presence is pointed up in many, many passages of the New Testament. St. Paul calls him the “god of this world,”[12] and warns us of the struggle we Christians must carry on in the dark, not only against one Devil, but against a frightening multiplicity of them. “I put on the armor of God,” the Apostle tells us, “that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the Principalities and the Powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness on high.”[13]

Many passages in the Gospel show us that we are dealing not just with one Devil, but with many.[14] But the principal one is Satan, which means the adversary, the enemy; and along with him are many others, all of them creatures of God, but fallen because they rebelled and were damned[15] — a whole mysterious world, convulsed by a most unfortunate drama about which we know very little.

Man’s fatal tempter

There are many things we do know, however, about this diabolical world, things that touch on our lives and on the whole history of mankind. The Devil is at the origin of mankind’s first misfortune- he was the wily, fatal tempter involved in the first sin, the original sin.[16] That fall of Adam gave the Devil a certain dominion over man, from which only Christ’s Redemption can free us. It is a history that is still going on: let us recall the exorcisms at Baptism, and the frequent references in Sacred Scripture and in the liturgy to the aggressive and oppressive “power of darkness.”[17] The Devil is the number one enemy, the preeminent tempter.

So we know that this dark disturbing being exists and that he is still at work with his treacherous cunning; he is the hidden enemy who sows errors and misfortunes in human history. It is worth recalling the revealing Gospel parable of the good seed and the cockle, for it synthesizes and explains the lack of logic that seems to preside over our contradictory experiences: “An enemy has done this.”[18] He is “a murderer from the beginning, . . . and the father of lies,” as Christ defines him.[19] He undermines man’s moral equilibrium with his sophistry. He is the malign, clever seducer who knows how to make his way into us through the senses, the imagination and the libido, through utopian logic, or through disordered social contacts in the give and take of our activities, so that he can bring about in us deviations that are all the more harmful because they seem to conform to our physical or mental makeup, or to our profound, instinctive aspirations.

Ignoring the Devil

This matter of the Devil and of the influence he can exert on individuals as well as on communities, entire societies or events, is a very important chapter of Catholic doctrine which should be studied again, although it is given little attention today. Some think a sufficient compensation can be found in psychoanalytic and psychiatric studies or in spiritualistic experiences, which are unfortunately so widespread in some countries today.

People are afraid of falling back into old Manichean theories, or into frightening deviations of fancy and superstition. Nowadays they prefer to appear strong and unprejudiced to pose as positivists, while at the same time lending faith to many unfounded magical or popular superstitions or, worse still, exposing their souls-their baptized souls, visited so often by the Eucharistic Presence and inhabited by the Holy Spirit!-to licentious sensual experiences and to harmful drugs, as well as to the ideological seductions of fashionable errors. These are cracks through which the Evil One can easily penetrate and change the human mind.

This is not to say that every sin is directly due to diabolical action;[20] but it is true that those who do not keep watch over themselves with a certain moral rigor[21] are exposed to the influence of the “mystery of iniquity” cited by St. Paul[22] which raises serious questions about our salvation.

Our doctrine becomes uncertain, darkness obscured as it is by the darkness surrounding the Devil. But our curiosity, excited by the certainly of his multiple existence, has a right to raise two questions. Are there signs, and what are they, of the presence of diabolical action? And what means of defense do we have against such an insidious danger?

Presence of diabolical action

We have to be cautious about answering the first question, even though the signs of the Evil One seem to be very obvious at times.[23] We can presume that his sinister action is at work where the denial of God becomes radical, subtle and absurd; where lies become powerful and hypocritical in the face of evident truth; where love is smothered by cold, cruel selfishness; where Christ’s name is attacked with conscious, rebellious hatred,[24] where the spirit of the Gospel is watered down and rejected where despair is affirmed as the last word; and so forth.

But this diagnosis is too extensive and difficult for Us to attempt to probe and authenticate it now. It holds a certain dramatic interest for everyone, however, and has been the subject of some famous passages in modern literature.[25] The problem of evil remains one of the greatest and most lasting problems for the human mind, even after the victorious response given to it by Jesus Christ. “We know,” writes St. John the Evangelist, “that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one.”[26]

Defense against the Devil

It is easier to formulate an answer to the other question- what defense, what remedy should we use against the Devil’s action? — even though it remains difficult to put into practice. We could say: everything that defends us from sin strengthens us by that very fact against the invisible enemy. Grace is the decisive defense. Innocence takes on the aspect of strength. Everyone recalls how often the apostolic method of teaching used the armor of a soldier as a symbol for the virtues that can make a Christian invulnerable.[27] The Christian must be a militant; he must be vigilant and strong;[28] and he must at times make use of special ascetical practices to escape from certain diabolical attacks. Jesus teaches us this by pointing to “prayer and fasting” as the remedy.[29] And the Apostle suggests the main line we should follow: “Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. “[30]

With an awareness, therefore, of the opposition that individual souls, the Church and the world must face at the present time, we will try to give both meaning and, effectiveness to the familiar invocation in our principal prayer: “Our Father . . . deliver us from evil!”

May Our apostolic blessing also be a help toward achieving this.

Let us stand before the crucifix in our homes: Pope Francis on Palm Sunday

 Vatican City: On Palm Sunday, Pope Francis offered Mass in a nearly empty St. Peter’s Basilica and urged Catholics quarantined at home to remember "what really matters" in life: loving God and serving others.

 “The tragedy we are experiencing summons us to take seriously the things that are serious, and not to be caught up in those that matter less; to rediscover that life is of no use if not used to serve others. For life is measured by love,” Pope Francis said April 5 in his Palm Sunday homily.

 Holy Week liturgies at the Vatican are taking without the presence of the public this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

 During the Palm Sunday broadcast, the pope said that Catholics can look to the suffering Christ as an example of a life lived completely in the service of others.

 “In these holy days, in our homes, let us stand before the Crucified One -- look, look at the crucifix, the fullest measure of God’s love for us, and before the God who serves us to the point of giving his life, and let us ask for the grace to live in order to serve,” he said.

Pope Francis said that the coronavirus pandemic has allowed people to see that “the real heroes” are not the “famous, rich and successful people,” but are those who “are giving themselves in order to serve others.”

 “May we reach out to those who are suffering and those most in need. May we not be concerned about what we lack, but what good we can do for others,” he said.

 Pope Francis offered Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica with the miraculous crucifix of San Marcello and the Byzantine icon of Mary, Salus Populi Romani, near the altar. Both icons were present in St. Peter’s Square during the pope’s extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing on March 27.

 “Jesus ‘emptied himself, taking the form of a servant’ ... His love for us led him to sacrifice himself and to take upon himself our sins. This astonishes us: God saved us by taking upon himself all the punishment of our sins. Without complaining, but with the humility, patience and obedience of a servant, and purely out of love,” he said.

 The pope asked: “What can we do in comparison with God, who served us even to the point of being betrayed and abandoned?”

 “We can refuse to betray him for whom we were created, and not abandon what really matters in our lives. We were put in this world to love him and our neighbors. Everything else passes away, only this remains,” he said.

 Pope Francis said that just as God the Father sustained Jesus in the suffering in his Passion, the Lord also supports each person whose love and service of others is a via crucis in itself.

 “Today, in the tragedy of a pandemic, in the face of the many false securities that have now crumbled, in the face of so many hopes betrayed, in the sense of abandonment that weighs upon our hearts, Jesus says to each one of us: ‘Courage, open your heart to my love. You will feel the consolation of God who sustains you,’” Pope Francis said. 

 The pope led the Angelus prayer following the Palm Sunday Mass. He urged Catholics to learn from the Blessed Virgin Mary, who gazed upon her crucified son with inner silence and “the gaze of the heart.”

 “Beloved, let us set out with faith this Holy Week, in which Jesus suffers, dies and rises again. People and families who cannot participate in liturgical celebrations are invited to gather in prayer at home, also helped by technological means,” he said.

 “Let us cling spiritually to the sick, to their families and to those who treat them with self-sacrifice; let us pray for the dead, in the light of paschal faith,” Pope Francis said.

n  Catholic New Agency

REAL ESTATE BROKERS, MIDDLEMEN CALL THE SHOTS IN CHURCH

Clergy should stop acting like kings, come down from their ivory towers and walk with the poor and downtrodden

Catholic Church in Kerala (India) has fallen into the money trap. Church and clergy are running after money, power and position. Dioceses and parishes are rolling in money. They are buying land, renovating buildings and constructing multi-crore churches. Middlemen and brokers are calling the shots in bishop’s houses. The craze for mammon has brought church to a perilous state. Believers are perplexed and stumped, watching the spectacle with consternation and trepidation. Real estate brokers and middlemen are calling the shots in the church.
Bishops and priests – including independent congregations -- want to control the accumulating money, land and institutions. They are not ready to give up their claims. On the contrary, they want more power and live a life king size. Each diocese is a kingdom where the bishop acts like a king. Bishop and the curia (administration) do whatever they want with the money collected from the believers who always remain in the dark. Money is diverted. Taxes are not paid properly. Duty evasion is rampant, especially in land transfer.

This was going on in a brazen manner in several dioceses but never came out in the open. That’s until it happened in Ernakulam-Angamally diocese in Kerala where land was sold at the whims and fancies of some curia members. Money is lost. Church didn’t get the full money. Middleman and broker took everyone for a royal ride. Church is now sharply divided in Kochi – church headed by Cardinal Alencherry and his backers on one side and priests who oppose him on the other side. Catholic church is going the European way. Satan has tightened the grip.
Syro Malabar Catholic church needs to undergo glasnost and perestroika – that too asap. Otherwise, we will witness an outflow of believers from the church.
1.Church should cut down the financial powers of bishops and priests. Let a body of clergy and laity take decisions on financial matters.
2.A committee comprising experts, including clergy, should take decisions on financial matters. There should be complete transparency in decision making. Laity should be informed of the decisions.
3. Dioceses and parishes should put a ban on building multi-crore opulent church edifices, five-star hospitals, engineering colleges and medical colleges. Use this money to build houses for the poor and help children from poor families or fund their healthcare needs.
4. Bishops and priests should only concentrate on spiritual matters… not on buying land, accumulating bank balances and building palatial churches and institutions. They should come down from their ivory towers and walk with the poor and downtrodden. In short, clericalism must end.
Currently, actions by bishops and dioceses are opaque and authoritarian. This must end lest the land mess in Kochi will repeat elsewhere. The High Court recently came down heavily on Cardinal Alencherry, head of the church, and asked whether the "Cardinal is the King.” Yes, there are several kings in the church today.
Church in Europe was once vibrant and contributed maximum to its growth nearly 100 years ago. They later digressed, constructed huge church edifices in every nook and corner across the continent and started “celebrations” instead of evangelization and mission work. The fall was faster and steeper. European churches started declining in the middle of last century and they are in a pathetic stage now with huge edifices abandoned and believers deserting them.
Clergy must stop running after land, buildings, expensive cars, luxurious life, buildings and bickering over liturgy. It should not remain a toll-house. Church should not end up as a museum.
They must also stop extravagant feast celebrations which have turned out to be a money spinning exercise for the church. Church needs good governance and transparency. This is sorely lacking now.

PREACHERS TARGETED

 Cyber warriors have started targeting Christian preachers in Kerala. The persecution of preachers by these spiritual mountebanks, also comprising atheists, agnostics and non-believers, is by spreading canards and lies about them with the only intention of stopping evangelization.    

 It’s the work of devil. These persecutors have now started campaigning against preachers to prevent them from conducting prayer meetings and sermons in different parts of the world. They have launched nasty and obnoxious campaigns against preachers like Rev Fr Dominic Valamanal, Rev Fr Xavier Khan Vattayil and Rev Fr Daniel Poovannathil, making abominable and cheap comments through Facebook and Twitter.   

 The main argument of these cyber warriors: these preachers said diseases like autism, cancer and mental disorders are caused by the sins of their parents and forefathers. Now they are trying to stop preachers from getting visa to visit some countries.

 Why these warriors are running a campaign against preachers. These men of God spoke the truth. Nobody wants to hear the truth. Devil is guiding these warriors to stop the work of God. “The sins of you and your parents and forefathers will influence you. If you sin, you will get punishment… not only that the sins of your forefathers will affect you. You will also face failures in life as a consequence of your sins,” says Rev Fr James Manjackal.  

 Sirach (Ecclesiastics) 38:15 says, “he who sins before his Maker, may he fall into the care of a physician.” Bible is very clear about the consequences of sins. Quoting several examples of people who came to him for counselling, Rev Fr Manjackal says many of them led a sinful life – from prostitution, pornography, homosexual life and violation of first commandment.    

 The response of people in Kerala to the Word of God is not proper even though there are a number of retreat centres and preachers. Many people visit the retreat centre for physical healing and not for spiritual healing or to become a born-again Christian. Rev Fr Manjackal says he was persecuted by some people in Kerala for preaching the Word of God, forcing him to relocate to Europe.

 John the Baptist was beheaded for speaking the truth. Jesus Christ was crucified for speaking the truth. Similarly, some of the Malayalis in Kerala and abroad don’t want preachers who speak the truth – the true Word of God. They campaign against such preachers in Facebook and Twitter. They try to get the visa and tour programs of these preachers cancelled. They don’t want the truth to be told.

 Who is working behind such godawful characters? 1 John 3:8 says, “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.”  Whether you’re a Christian or non-Christian, you will have to face the consequences of sin, Rev Fr Manjackal says.

 These days, devil worship is common is major cities in Kerala. The number of people who practice non-Christian activities like yoga and reiki is increasing. Even some priests and nuns practice yoga and reiki which are incompatible with Christianity.

 Romans 2:9 says, “there will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil.” Rev Fr Manjackal says there’s a connection between sin and disease.

 Read Mark 2:3-12. “Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. However, some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” The paralysed man was healed when Jesus forgave his sins, but teachers of the law who were present there, protested. Some of the Malayalis are now behaving like these teachers of law. 

CHRISTIAN MONITOR: Persecution of Christians 'coming close to genocid...

CHRISTIAN MONITOR: Persecution of Christians 'coming close to genocid...:  Millions uprooted from homes, says UK-commissioned report, with many jailed and killed From The Guardian  Pervasive persecution of ...

Persecution of Christians 'coming close to genocide'

 Millions uprooted from homes, says UK-commissioned report, with many jailed and killed

From The Guardian

 Pervasive persecution of Christians, sometimes amounting to genocide, is ongoing in parts of the Middle East, and has prompted an exodus in the past two decades, according to a report commissioned by the British foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt.

Millions of Christians in the region have been uprooted from their homes, and many have been killed, kidnapped, imprisoned and discriminated against, the report finds. It also highlights discrimination across south-east Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and in east Asia – often driven by state authoritarianism.

“The inconvenient truth,” the report finds, is “that the overwhelming majority (80%) of persecuted religious believers are Christians”.

Some of the report’s findings will make difficult reading for leaders across the Middle East who are accused of either tolerating or instigating persecution. The Justice and Development (AK) party of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for instance, is highlighted for denigrating Christians.

Hunt described the interim report – published on Thursday, based on a review led by the bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Philip Mounstephen – as “truly sobering”, especially since it came as “the world was seeing religious hatred laid bare in the appalling attacks at Easter on churches across Sri Lanka, and the devastating attack on two mosques in Christchurch”.

Hunt, an Anglican, has made the issue of Christian persecution one of the major themes of his foreign secretaryship. “I think we have shied away from talking about Christian persecution because we are a Christian country and we have a colonial past, so sometimes there’s a nervousness there,” he said. “But we have to recognise – and that’s what the bishop’s report points out very starkly – that Christians are the most persecuted religious group.”

He added: “What we have forgotten in this atmosphere of political correctness is actually the Christians that are being persecuted are some of the poorest people on the planet. In the Middle East the population of Christians used to be about 20%; now it’s 5%.”

“We’ve all been asleep on the watch when it comes to the persecution of Christians. I think not just the bishop of Truro’s report but obviously what happened in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday has woken everyone up with an enormous shock.”

The interim report is designed to set out the scale of the persecution and a final report in the summer will set out how the British Foreign Office can do more to raise awareness of the issue.

The report shows that a century ago Christians comprised 20% of the population in the Middle East and north Africa, but since then the proportion has fallen to less than 4%, or roughly 15 million people.

In the Middle East and north Africa, the report says, “forms of persecution ranging from routine discrimination in education, employment and social life up to genocidal attacks against Christian communities have led to a significant exodus of Christian believers from this region since the turn of the century.

“In countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Saudi Arabia the situation of Christians and other minorities has reached an alarming stage. In Saudi Arabia there are strict limitations on all forms of expression of Christianity including public acts of worship. There have been regular crackdowns on private Christian services. The Arab-Israeli conflict has caused the majority of Palestinian Christians to leave their homeland. The population of Palestinian Christians has dropped from 15% to 2%.”

The report identifies three drivers of persecution: political failure creating a fertile ground for religious extremism; a turn to religious conservatism in countries such as Algeria and Turkey; and institutional weaknesses around justice, the rule of law and policing, leaving the system open to exploitation by extremists.

The report says: “The rise of hate speech against Christians in state media and by religious leaders, especially in countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia, has compromised the safety of Christians and created social intolerance.”

In findings that may pose difficulties for the UK as it seeks to build relations across the Middle East, the report states: “In some cases the state, extremist groups, families and communities participate collectively in persecution and discriminatory behaviour. In countries such as Iran, Algeria and Qatar, the state is the main actor, where as in Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Egypt both state and non-state actors, especially religious extremist groups, are implicated.”

“In 2017 a total of 99 Egyptian Christians were killed by extremist groups, with 47 killed on Palm Sunday in Tanta and Alexandria. Egyptian Christians were continuously targeted by extremist groups during 2017 and 2018.

“Arrest, detention and imprisonment are common in Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. For example in the course of six days before Christmas 2018, 114 Christians were arrested in Iran with court cases left pending as a form of intimidation. Though most cases in Iran involve converts, indigenous Christians such as Pastor Victor, an Assyrian Christian, with his wife, Shamiram Issavi, have also been targeted and imprisoned.”

It also highlights how states, and state-sponsored social media, sometimes incite hatred and publish propaganda against Christians, especially in Iran, Iraq and Turkey. “The governing AK party in Turkey depicts Christians as a ‘threat to the stability of the nation’. Turkish Christian citizens have often been stereotyped as not real Turks but as western collaborators.”

In Saudi Arabia, the report says, school textbooks “teach pupils religious hatred and intolerance towards non-Muslims, including Christians and Jews”.

The report says freedom of religious belief can also act as a means of helping those suffering gender discrimination, since there is clear evidence that female Christians suffer disproportionately.

Defending the claim of genocide, the report says: “The level and nature of persecution is arguably coming close to meeting the international definition of genocide, according to that adopted by the UN.”

The eradication of Christians and other minorities on pain of “the sword” or other violent means was revealed to be the specific and stated objective of extremist groups in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, north-east Nigeria and the Philippines. An intent to erase all evidence of the Christian presence was made plain by the removal of crosses, the destruction of church buildings and other church symbols.

“The killing and abduction of clergy represented a direct attack on the church’s structure and leadership. Where these and other incidents meet the tests of genocide, governments will be required to bring perpetrators to justice, aid victims and take preventative measures for the future. The main impact of such genocidal acts against Christians is exodus.”

Referring to the universal declaration of human rights, the report concludes: “The challenge that faces us at the beginning of the 21st century is not that we need to fight for a just legal system, it is rather that to our shame, we have abjectly failed to implement the best system that women and men have yet devised to protect universal freedoms.”

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WHAT THE CHURH SYNOD FORGOT TO DECIDE

The Permanent Synod of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church forgot to discuss and decide many things recently.

 The Synod, after its meeting last week, came up with a detailed set of guidelines to ensure “discipline” within the church. This was part of the circular on the decisions of the Synod issued by the church head, Cardinal George Alencherry. The Synod, the highest decision making body of the church, stated that the tendency to challenge disciplinary action with the help of the media and anti-church groups can’t be entertained. Rightly so.

 However, as usual, the Synod closed its eyes on many things. It remained silent on transparency in its financial and property dealings, costly construction activities, black money dealings and many more things. These issues dog many dioceses and parishes. Ideally, the Synod should have asked dioceses and bishops to observe the following things:

1. Strictly ban black money and cash dealings in church matters: Many dioceses still indulge black money dealings, especially to get permission for licences from government authorities and keep politicians on their side. This must stop. Black money is shelled out even for permission to build churches and acquire land. Do we need it?

2. Stop taking donations and cash for admissions and appointments in church institutions: The evil idea of taking money for admission and appointment in church institutions was rampant earlier. Though it has come down of late, this menace still continues in some places. Wealthy persons who can shell out money gain in the process, leaving poor in the lurch. The Synod forgot about this.

3. Ban construction of palatial and expensive church buildings. There should be a limit on the cost of construction: Construction of costly churches and institutions has become a big issue. Parishes across India are demolishing and reconstructing multi-crore, palatial churches. They collect money from poor people to build magnificent buildings. For whom? This money could be used for other productive purposes like building home for weaker sections or supporting the poor financially, but Synod doesn’t care about it.

4.  Dioceses should publish the accounts every year:  Each paise should be accounted for and taxes should be paid. However, there’s a lingering doubt whether dioceses are showing the full income and expenditure in their account books and tax returns. No tax is paid on cash transactions. It’s tantamount to robbing the government. Dioceses should publish their audited balance sheet without fail every year. If a plot is being sold, pay the proper tax and make the full disclosure.

5. Curia of each diocese should consult laity/ pastoral councils before taking major administrative and financial decisions: Church curia takes decisions – mostly foolish – without applying their mind. All decisions are taken secretively without informing the laity. Curia should consult experts and take permission from laity bodies or pastoral councils before executing major decisions.

6. Church should stop the practice of wealth accumulation and use its resources to help financially weaker sections: The main problem of the church – be it Catholic or Orthodox or Jacobite – is that the power of mammon has taken control of the church. There’s a huge tendency to accumulate wealth and build institutions. In the process, the mark of Christ, incarnate, crucified and risen, is not present. Synod should bring in an evangelical fervour instead of the empty pleasure of complacency and self-indulgence in our parishes.

 Dioceses and parishes are rolling in money. They are buying land, renovating buildings and constructing multi-crore churches. Middlemen and brokers are calling the shots in bishop’s houses. The craze for mammon has brought church to a perilous state. Believers are perplexed and stumped, watching the spectacle with consternation and trepidation. Synod must stop the hunger for money, land and institutions.

7. Dismantle clericalism: This initiative has to come from Vatican.  Clericalism is at the root of most of the problems troubling the Catholic Church. It has often led to sacramental blackmails in the church which are suppressed within its four walls. Clericalism is 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 of teachings and regulations worked out in ivory-tower isolation from the real world.

8. Take immediate action when reports about sexual misconduct surface in the church. This doesn’t happen now. Many dioceses recently tried to save the offenders instead of taking action. This is not done.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/synod-vows-to-enforce-discipline-within-syro-malabar-church/article26031025.ece

YEAR-END MUSINGS: Mammon rules the world… devil is tightening the grip

YEAR-END MUSINGS:

Mammon rules the world… devil is tightening the grip

 Yet another year passes by. The scramble continues. The mad rush for wealth, power and position continues. Everyone is in a hurry to conquer some material things in the world. It’s money and position that matter for most people. The unsatiated demand for wealth is driving people to new vistas, new areas and new ideas, while trampling down others in the process. Mammon rules the world and devil is tightening the grip.

 People are chasing money as if wealth is going to disappear from the earth. They want more and more money. Nothing satisfies them. They might have amassed wealth that can last for ten generations. Even then they want more. Yes, money makes the world go around. We forget the fact that Jesus Christ was born in manger. Born poor. Our Saviour had the simplest and humblest birth.  

  What we have seen, in most cases, is that people who amass huge wealth are unable to enjoy even one per cent of it during their lifetime. It goes to others. They forget the fact that man is mortal. Nothing is permanent in this world. They forget the fact they are not going to live beyond 100 years.

  They challenge the creator, Almighty God, in the process. They think money can buy anything, but forget the story of the rich man in the bible who wanted to make more money. Jesus told people in this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.  And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

 In another place, Jesus told a young man who wanted to follow him, “If you want to be perfect, then go and sell all that you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me!”  But when the young man heard Jesus tell him to give away his money, he was sad. He didn’t want to do this, because he was very rich. So he left.

 The bottom line is: share the wealth. Don’t keep the wealth that we accumulate to ourselves. Give it to the poorest of the poor in this world. As Mother Teresa once said, “give away your wealth until it hurts you.”

  The phenomenon of amassing of wealth is visible in all the religions. Even churches and various Christian denominations work hard to amass wealth. They build palatial buildings, institutions and roll in money. Baby Jesus Christ in the manger is conveniently forgotten. The world has become too commercial and a throw-away consumer culture has gripped the people.

 Yes, money is everything. Mammon rules the world. We want to make more and more money. Buy houses, properties and material things. Kingdom of God is far away.

 Life goes on and on. Bible is ignored. Jesus teachings are ignored. Race to acquire wealth, position and power continues. Remember, nothing in this world is permanent or indefinite.