Gratefulness.

It seems only appropriate for me to end the year with a closing post on my life in 2005. There are many things which I am grateful for and I wish to write them down before I forget.

1. I am grateful that I am able to continue my studies and pursue a degree in psychology
2. I am grateful for knowing those from my college
   
3. I am grateful to receive my first and second semester's exam results (hopefully, I will be grateful for the third ;))
4. I am grateful to have a growing cell group
5. I am grateful to have a roof over my head
   
6. I am grateful to have housemates :)
7. I am grateful to live comfortably
8. I am grateful to have my family
   
9. I am grateful to have inspiring Jesuit priests at my parish
10. Finally I am grateful to live to be grateful for another year ;)

Here's wishing all of you a Happy New Year!

What I have learnt from the Full Metal Alchemist...

People cannot gain anything without giving something in return.
To obtain, something of equal value must be lost.
That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange.

- excerpt from popular Japanese anime; Full Metal Alchemist (FMA)

FMA is set in a world where things can be materialized almost instantly through a technique called alchemy, but the catch is something equivalent must be exchanged. For example, if you want to make paper you need wood, or in the case of diamonds you might need coal. :) But there are some things which are forbidden, one of which is to materialized humans. And that was precisely what the Elric Brothers (the protagonists of the story) did - they tried to revive their beloved long-dead mother, as a result - Edward lost an arm and a leg while Alphonsus lost his whole body. Oh by the way, their mother never came back to life and you might have guessed, that's how FMA started. :)

FMA has become my favorite anime to date, not only because of it's fresh plot but also because of the Christian elements I see in it via my Christian "looking-glass". :)

Here is what I have learnt:

1. Understanding Sin Through Equivalent Exchange
   We know that sin is our direct disobedience to God, but do we also realised that sin requires something in return? That "something" is our freedom. As Jesus says: "everyone who sins is a slave to sin." (John 8:34, NIV)
   
   
2. Understanding Salvation Through Equivalent Exhange
   From point number one we are able to infer that we are all slaves to sin because "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23, NIV) Therefore we are seperated from Godl, for "[n]o one can serve two masters." (Matthew 6:24) ; we cannot be both slaves of sin and servants of God. God knows this, so He sent Jesus who has no sin to die for us to pay for the sins of the whole of mankind - past, present and future.
   
   Question: How is this Equivalent Exchange?
   
   Jesus is able to pay for the sins of Mankind because He is fully human, and the reason why the value of His death is able to extend from the past to the future is because of the fact that He is also fully God; who is infinite in value.
   
   Through this, Jesus has bought the whole of Mankind freedom. So technically, believers or not we belong to Him. (1 Corinthians 6:20) But of course Jesus gave us the freedom of choice to believe in Him, so until we claim the "ticket to freedom" (i.e. believe in Jesus) we are still slaves to sin.
   
   
3. The Value of the Human Life
   Although it was not mentioned in FMA why alchemy cannot be used to revive humans, but through my Christian view-point I see the reason lies in the inherent priceless value of the human life. This priceless value is not only attributed by the fact that we were made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27) but also further confirmed by the infinite price Jesus paid through His death.

See? Cartoons are good for you :) Hehe.

RE: News: Trading Bibles For Porn

CARLSON: The bottom of this, on your web site, you have a statement: "We find that morality should not be derived from religious texts." What should morality be ... what should it be derived from?

JACKSON: Well, morality is not derived from religious texts. Religious texts actually contradict each other. If you read the Bible, it contradicts itself on nearly every page. And the fact that people can decide which one to go with shows that they are getting their morality from somewhere else.

Morality is actually based off of empathy, and failing empathy, it's based off of fear of reprisal from the law. That is where morality comes from.

CARLSON: Yes. But the law, it's a circular argument. You need to think through it a little bit more, Thomas, because the law itself is based on at least a notion of abstract right and wrong, and that is not rooted in empathy or any emotion, but ... you know, an abstract belief that this is right and this is wrong because someone larger, in control, says so.

- Excerpt from MSNBC, Trading bibles for porn in San Antonio

---

For everything there is a need for a benchmark (or a standard). Without a benchmark there will be no opportunity for comparison; i.e. no way to tell good from bad. This applies also to the issue of morality.

Morality cannot only be based on empathy or the fear of law and order; because if that is so there will be chaos, as empathy and fear are things that vary and change! Therefore we need a constant; something that don't change like the speed of light. In the case of morality, we have God; who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

I rest my case.

Season's Greeting

The word Christmas is a contraction of Christ's Mass, derived from the Old English Cristes mæsse. It is often abbreviated Xmas, the X originates from the Greek letter Χ (chi) which has often historically been used as an abbreviation for Christ (Χριστός in Greek).

- Wikipedia.com

It's Christmas Eve! Have a Blessed Christmas and a Joyful New Year. :)

Fourth Sunday of Advent / Night-Out with the IMU Gang

It's the fourth Sunday of Advent - that means Christmas is in a week's time! Yayness. :)

---

It has been around 3 hours plus, since I came back from the IMU farewell cum birthday party. Prior to the party, I went with the gang for caroling at an orphanage in Sri Petaling (an experience which I will blog about another day). What I would like to blog today is to say that I was encouraged to see the family-like bond between the members of IMU's Catholic Students Society (CSS). Everyone was real, there was no faking it. I was so touched by the friendships I see; that for a moment, I actually wished I was studying medicine in IMU! :)

God's favor is truly upon the CSS of IMU. I praise God that IMU CSS is not made up of just Catholics but also FRIENDS.

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
'Cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long

To live as friends

- Friends are Friends Forever, Michael W. Smith

News: Trading Bibles For Porn

(link: MSNBC , via: XXXChurch.com)

"A group of atheists at the University of Texas in San Antonio is trying to tempt college kids into trading their Bibles for pornography. It's part of a program called Smut for Smut sponsored by the student organization called Atheist Agenda."

All I can say now is: it's a sad sad world... Click here for the transcript between MSNBC's Tucker Carlson and the group's president, Thomas Jackson.

Pink Sunday

If you want to see your priest in PINK, today's the day - the 3rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) ;) The readings for today is from Isaiah 61 1:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 and John 1:6-28 [click here for the full text], all of which are connected to the joy Christians experienced in anticipation of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A picture of Father O. C. in pink and a glimpse of St. Francis Xavier's on Gaudete Sunday...

Pssst... the song "Gaudete" is available in radio.blog. Enjoy! ;)

Way Too Cool

(link: BoredBeyondBoredom, via Dayton Daily News)

USD10,000 of total costs...

25,000 bulbs...

One fantastic display.

Nikki's Maharani

Many thanks to Patrick, last night I finally got my copy of Nikki's latest album - Maharani :) Incidentally this is the first M-Pop album I've owned, nevertheless I have listened to numerous international albums. I have to say Maharani is to the music scene as Sepet is to the big-screen.

10 REASONS WHY MAHARANI IS A GEM:

1. It's a double-disc-ed album (Includes a CD of remixes and minus-ones)
   
   
2. There are obvious would-be-hits like: Imaginasi, Julangan Permata, Janji, Pinta, Aku Maharani, Cinta Baru and Bahagia Selamanya
   
   
3. The remix disc contains real remixes, my favourites are: Midnight Acoustic Mixes of Julangan Permata, Janji and of course my favourite among favourites - Imaginasi
   
   
4. Ning Baizura's makes a special appearance after the last track
   
   
5. Jimmy Palikat composed Sunudai Oku
   
   
6. You get to listen to Nikki's trademark whistling
   
   
7. Poetic and meaningful lyrics
   
   
8. Included in the CD sleeve is Nikki's personalized "Thank You" message
   
   
9. Beautiful cover art
   
   
10. It's only RM29.90.

Go get the album. Need I say more? ;)

---

Related post: Interview with Malaysian Idol's Nikki Palikat

Yum! Delicious Marmite Sauce.

I've discovered my other talent - cooking! Heh. :) Based on 5xmom's recipe here's what I've cooked up.

It's Marmite Chicken, basically it's fried bits of chicken covered in delicious marmite sauce. So the secret is actually the sauce...

THE RECIPE

Ingredients (makes for 300grams of meat):

• 2 tablespoons of Marmite/Bovril/Vegemite
• 4 tablespoons of hot water
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• Black pepper
• 2 pips garlic (chopped)
• Oil

Instructions:

• Dissolve marmite and sugar in hot water.
• Heat some oil in pan
• Saute garlic
• Add generous amounts of black pepper
• Pour in marmite sugar mixture.

I have tried to use marmite sauce as the main sauce for bits of fried chicken and steamed dory fish fillets. Both works rather well. :)

Happy experimenting!

Phew.

Exams are over, peace is restored once more :) Thanks for the prayers.

Exam

In less than 8 hours time will be the start of my (marathon) finals; from 8am to 6pm. Please do say a prayer for me. Thanks.

We are now in the...

2nd Sunday of Advent
Originally uploaded by bookofjohn.

Monkeys 'R Us

I've been on study break for the past week; while studying one of the chapters in Anthropology I noticed the terms "pre-humans" and "humans". So I thought to myself:

Why is there a debate between evolutionists and creationists Can't we reconcile creationism AND evolution? Honestly I don't find it absurd to think that we originated from a family of Primates. After all, God used dust (non-human; pre-human, if you wish) to create us humans. :) IMHO, evolution is a non-issue when we put God (instead of chance) in the picture.

Just my two cents.

When God Ran

by Phillips, Craig & Dean, based on Luke 15.
(via Sheena's blog)

Almighty God, the great I am,
Immovable rock, omnipotent, powerful, awesome Lord.
Victorious warrior, commanding King of Kings.
Mighty conqueror, and the only time,
the only time I ever saw Him run...

Was when He ran to me, He took me in His arms,
Held my head to His chest, said “My son’s come home again.”
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes,
With forgiveness in His voice He said,
“Son, do you know I still love you?”
He caught me by surprise when God ran.

The day I left home I knew I’d broken His heart.
And I wondered then if things could ever be the same.
Then one night I remembered His love for me.
And down that dusty road ahead I could see,
It was the only time – it was the only time I ever saw Him run...

And then He ran to me, He took me in His arms,
Held my head to His chest, said “My son’s come home again.”
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes,
With forgiveness in His voice He said,
“Son, do you know I still love you?”
He caught me by surprise as He brought me to my knees,
When God ran – I saw Him run to me.

I was so ashamed, all alone and so far away,
But now I know He’s been waiting for this day.

He ran to me, He took me in His arms,
Held my head to His chest, said “My son’s come home again.”
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes.
With forgiveness in His voice He said, “Son”,
He called me Son...
He said, “Son, do you know I still love you?”
He ran to me and then I ran to Him,
When God ran.

---

At first read I find that the lyrics has this sort of "build up" (e.g. it begins with God's glamourous names; Almighty God, Immovable Rock, King of kings, etc..) to a "touching climax" (the part of lyrics where it says:"when God ran"). Eventually I got hold of the song, took a listen to it and what can I say? It lives up to its lyrics - simply beautiful. :)

:: AVAILABLE NOW ON RADIO.BLOG ::

Advent starts today!

The Season of Advent begins today - the first Sunday of Advent; which is always the 27th of November. Advent is a time where the faithful is given the opportunity to experience how the Jews felt 2000 years ago anticipating the coming (advent) of our Lord, and it also serves to prepare ourselves for Christ's second coming.

During this season, some churches would have the Advent Wreath (the picture on your left) put up. The Advent Wreath is made out of evergreens (a symbol of eternal life and a reminder to us that God is faithful) and four candles (for each week of Advent): three purple and one pink. Purple candles to remind us of that this season is about being remorseful of our sins (penitential) whereas the pink candle is to be lit for the joyful Sunday in Advent (the third Sunday, i.e. the Gaudete or the Rejoice) reminding us that Advent is almost here, thus the joy! Notice that the wreath is circular; a symbol of eternity and also a reminder that God has neither a beginning nor an end. There are plenty more symbolisms to the Advent Wreath than what is listed here; if you'd like to know more, check out CatholicCulture.org.

Christmas is not only celebrated on one day, rather it is suppose to be celebrated throughout the whole month of Advent; with Christmas Day being the climax of the season. Why not make this year's Christmas a more meaningful one? Start your very own Advent Wreath today!

John Paul II On Stupidity

Inspired by Doulos' recent entry on quotes, here's one which cracked me up!

"Stupidity is also a gift of God, but one mustn't misuse it."

- Pope John Paul II

(first heard in CatholicInsider.com)

Harry Potter Ain't All Bad

Transcript of the Vatican Radio program 105live on Thursday, July 14, 2005.
by Fr. Roderick Vonhögen (www.catholicinsider.com)

We turn to an event taking place on the 16th of July, one much awaited by the fans of the best-selling Harry Potter books, the publication of the sixth in this series: Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince. Simply because world media is suggesting pope Benedict XVI believes these books put readers on a slippery slope with their subtle seduction and distortion of Christianity in the world.

"Put perhaps", says monsignor Peter Fleetwood, an expert on New Age and former official at the Pontifical Council for Culture, "no offense, the lady who complained to the then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger about Joanna Rowling's popular series back in 2003, may not have quite understood a very British sense of humour".

Monsignor Fleetwood also recalls how he was first asked about Harry Potter at a press conference in the Vatican during the presentation of the New Age document by the title of "Jesus Christ, Bearer of the Water of Life" in February 2003.

Msgr Fleetwood:

"I've been asked by a lot of people if they should allow their children to read Joanna Rowling's books about the trainee-magician Harry Potter. And the reason why they ask, is that they've heard that some of the content is anti-christian. I can't see that personally.

I was asked once in a press-conference in the Vatican whether I thought the witchcraft and magic in Harry Potter was a bad thing, and I said to the people present: 'did anyone in this room grow up without stories about witches and fairies and magic and spells and mystery and so on and so forth?', and everyone seemed to agree that none of us had grown up without those things. And then I said: 'did it make us into ennemies of the faith, or ennemies of God, or ennemies of the Church?' And people seemed to say: 'no, no'. And I said: 'well, I can't see any problem with Harry Potter, because, really, all the stories are about the victory of good over evil'.

People say: 'yes, but Harry uses magic spells!' Well, that's only a kind of literary device to keep children interested. It's not putting forth a theory about magic. I know lots of teachers in England, and they've all said to me: 'How remarkable! All of a sudden we don't have to ask children to read books!' There's been a real craze. The unfortunate thing is, people call it a 'cult book' and then mad people say: 'oh, it's a cult' - meaning a religious cult, and it's not!

It's just a fashion, because every child tells every other child: you should read Harry Potter. So they've all read all the books, and they all know all the details and so on and so forth. And the teachers I know in England just say simply: 'isn't it marvelous? That kids want to read? We don't have to force them to read'. And many parents have said the same thing.

And parents have asked me about Harry Potter's books. I've always said: why don't you read them? Or read them with your children, or read them to your children. Or you read them first and see if you can see anything bad.

I was sent a letter from a lady in Germany who claimed to have written to the then cardinal Ratzinger, saying that she thought Harry Potter was a bad thing. And the letter back, which I suspect was written by an assistent of the then cardinal Ratzinger in his office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, suggested that there was a subtle seduction in the books. What that subtle seduction was, was not specified, which makes me think it was a generic answer. And she had written a book on these subjects and so the Cardinal's signature was at the bottom of the letter, suggesting she should send me the book.

She sent me the book, and I found it a very unsatisfactory book. I don't think she understands English humour. For example, she said: one sign that these books are making fun of Judaism and Christianity is that Voldemort, the wicked magician, who is the great evil power against whom Harry Potter has to fight, is referred to often as 'he who must not be named', and she takes this as an insult to the name of God in a similar way that Adonai, which is often written as Jawhe, is the name that should not be said in Jewish religion. Well I replied to her: don't you know that even within English families, men who make fun of their relationship with women in a nice, lighthearted way say: oh, she who should not be named, meaning the power in the house, their wife. You know, I think it was meant on that kind of level.

In any case though, the very people who complain about such things are the ones who would want priests above all, and teachers within the catholic faith, to speak about the devil, and to name the devil, rather then to speak of some abstract, evil force. Harry Potter is the only one, in the Harry Potter books, who names evil: Voldemort. The 'flight of death' if you like, that's what his name literally means. So Harry is the one that doesn't avoid naming evil, or naming the evil one. Harry is doing exactly what those people want, and showing by his lack of fear of evil, that he believes that goodness will triumph.

And in fact, Rowling's books all follow the classical mythological pattern and good always triumphs over evil. She studied classical mythology at the university and uses that structure of myth as the basis of the way she writes her novels. She also was brought up as a Christian and I mentioned that in the famous press conference. People quoted that as saying that I had said that her books were imbued with Christian morals. I said no such thing. I simply suggested that there's no ignoring your own background. I also said that she's not the kind christian your average zealous priest might want, in the sense of practicing religion every week, but there is no denying that she has a christian background. I said no more.

And people have obviously worked of a strange translation of what I said in Italian. It is notable that the only complaints I got were from people using a translation. I don't know who made that translation. They never asked me any questions about whether they got it right. They certainly didn't understand what I'd said in the press conference. So I only whish there had been more time to talk then, but the press conference was about something quite different, and it was only one question that was blown out of proportion.

But I remain firmly convinced that the Harry Potter novels are very well written. They are written on the classical plot of good versus evil in the standard way that the old myths were written. The characters are built up around that: the goodies and the baddies so to speak, and I can't see that that's a bad thing for children, when goodness, and the people on the side of goodness are portrayed as the ones who will eventually win. Harry's ennemies resort to all sorts of evil things, and they are the ones who loose in the end. I don't see what's wrong with that, and I can't see that does any harm to children.

What my advice would still be to parents: if you're in doubt, read the books yourselves, the first one, that's the shortest one, and see what you think. Don't simply rely on somebody else's opinion, not even on my opinion, since it's only an opinion. But it's probably a good thing to enjoy it and to see that there are no evil influences there.

Some of the people who complain to me quote a priest who has worked in Rome and has been described as the exorcist of Rome, saying that evil is just behind every line in the books. Well, I answered that by saying: I'm a priest as well, I'm not as holy as that man, but his is an opinion and mine is an opinion, and neither of us automatically has a right to the opinion being more authorative. I would say you'd have to prove a thing like that, when you say that evil is behind every sentence. I can't see it.

Maybe I'm blind, as one article about me said, maybe I'm stupid and doing the devil's work, as another article about me said. I have a funny feeling I'm not doing the devil's work, and I have another feeling I am not blind or stupid. I just think that there's a lot of scare-mongering going on, particularly among people who do like to find the devil around every corner. I don't think that's a healthy view of the world. And as I said before, I'm one of the people who would name the devil, I don't keep the devil out of my preaching or out of my understanding of christianity; I'm one of the few that would mention him, so I don't know where these people get their mad ideas. And I do think do think they are mad ideas.

I think one has to be quite calm in judging cultural phenomena. I've got a funny feeling that the success of Rowling is what started some people. Is it a kind of envy? I don't know. But why they got so mad against her, I just don't understand.

Another problem is comparing the Harry Potter books to the Lord of the Rings. I think they are very different sorts of literature really. Tolkien needed to entertain his children. He was a professor of ancient English or middle English, and he knew all this runic language that he invented is part of a world he constructed, originally to keep himself amused and his children amused. And this whole world is the world in which the Simarillion and the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings take place, whereas Harry Potter is just set in the amusing setting, if you're an English person or a British person, of a public school, which is anything but public if people know what a public shool is. It's very private.

My parents could not afford to send me there but that's the world where Joanne Rowling said young witches and wizards would be trained. It's obviously a totally nonsensical idea; it's not constructing a world the way Tolkien did in the Lord of the Rings and so on. It's much more down to earth and normal and banal if you like. It's just a setting for an adventure between good and evil to take place. And she has an amazing talent of writing books that you don't want to put down, that's all there is going on there."

Former official at the Pontifical Council for culture, Msgr. Peter Fleetwood is currently working at the Council for European bishops conferences.

:: Vatican Radio program 105live (Thursday, 14th July 2005) available on Radio.Blog ::

Podcast: Catholic Insider

Roman Catholic priest Fr. Roderick takes you on a journey of discovery through the fascinating world of the Catholic Church. A catholic show, but not just for catholics! Explore the history of the catholic church during soundseeingtours all over Europe, learn more about the catholic faith and catholic culture through documentaries and interviews, and the passion of this catholic priest for Star Wars, Harry Potter, the latest developments in video games, media and technology.

- CatholicInsider.com

Click here to subscribe for FREE!

---

Get Juice to download your podcasts!

Quiz Farm: Which theologian are you?

You scored as Augustine. You have a big view of God and also take human sin and depravity very seriously. Predestination is important for you. Anselm 100% Augustine 100% Karl Barth 100% John Calvin 73% Friedrich Schleiermacher 60% Charles Finney 60% J�rgen Moltmann 47% Paul Tillich 47% Jonathan Edwards 33% Martin Luther 33% Which theologian are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Hmm, almost accurate. By the way, I don't think predestination is important to me. ;)

Spammers Giveth?

Sounds familiar? *grin* It's a cute parody of a verse from the Bible: "[T]he LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away..." (Job 1:21, KJV) Cool eh? ;)

Wonka's Chocolate

What bliss! Need I say more? :D Thank you so much for the chocolate! (you know who you are) ;)

My Two Cents: The Shadow Proves The Sunshine

"Here's a tune that is a bit different than anything we've done before. ... It ended up being one of my favorite songs on the record. ... I can't wait to play this song live- it feels like it needs to be sung outdoors, against the backdrop of a dark night."

- Switchfoot on The Shadow Proves The Sunshine

The Shadow Proves The Sunshine reminds us that on every cloud there is a silver lining. That the fact that we are able to identify what is suffering shows that deep within us (conscious or not) we know that there is an ultimate good out there. And that really we are never on our own... because God is with us.

The Shadow Proves The Sunshine

by Switchfoot (via Let'sSingIt.com)

Sunshine, won't you be my mother
Sunshine, come and help me sing
My heart is darker than these oceans
My heart is frozen underneath

We Are
Crooked souls trying to stay up straight
Dry eyes in the pouring rain,
When the shadow proves the sunshine,
the shadow proves the sunshine

Two scared little run aways
Hold fast till the break of daylight where,
The shadow proves the sunshine,
The shadow proves the sunshine

O, Lord, why did you forsake me?
O, Lord, don't be far away (away)
Storm clouds gathering beside me
Please Lord, don't look the other way

I am a,
Crooked soul trying to stay up straight
Dry eyes in the pouring rain
Where the shadow proves the sunshine,
the shadow proves the sunshine

Two scared little run aways
Hold fast till the break of daylight where,
The shadow proves the sunshine,
The shadow proves the sunshine

Yeah, yeah!
Shine on me

Yeah, yeah!
Shine on me

Yeah, yeah!
Shine on me

Yeah, yeah!
(shine on me)

(Oh!)

(Oh!)

(Oh!)

We're,
Crooked souls trying to stay up straight
Dry eyes in the pouring rain
Where the shadow proves the sunshine,
the shadow proves the sunshine

Two scared little run aways
Hold fast till the break of daylight where,
The shadow proves the sunshine,
The shadow proves the sunshine

Yeah, yeah (the shadow proves the sunshine)
Shine on me (the shadow proves the sunshine)

Yeah, yeah (the shadow proves the sunshine)
Shine on me (the shadow proves the sunshine)

Yeah, yeah (the shadow proves the sunshine)
Shine on me (the shadow proves the sunshine)

Shine on me, (the shadow proves the sunshine)
Let my shadows prove the sunshine (the shadow proves the sunshine)

---

:: Now streaming in Radio.Blog ::

P/s: I would love to read your intepretation of the song in the comments section :)

Thoughts on the Exorcism of Emily Rose

Emily Rose truly exemplifies the verse...

"...we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose."
(Romans 8:28)

The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a MUST watch.

"Why do people pray to saints?"

Why do people pray to saints? Do each patron saint have their own prayer? Is it better to pray to saints then to God himself?

-Centerpide

Definition for the word "pray" (according to Dictionary.com)

1. To utter or address a prayer or prayers to God, a god, or another object of worship.
2. To make a fervent request or entreaty.
3. To utter or say a prayer or prayers to; address by prayer.
4. To ask (someone) imploringly; beseech. Now often used elliptically for I pray you to introduce a request or entreaty: Pray be careful.
5. To make a devout or earnest request for: I pray your permission to speak.
6. To move or bring by prayer or entreaty

Based on the definition above, Catholics do pray to the saints to request/implore/beseech the intercession of these people of God but never as worship. "Praying to the saints" come from the the understanding that we are part of the body of Christ (i.e. His Church) and that we pray for one another (James 5:13-18). And saints too are part of the body of Christ, therefore they are also able to pray for us. The only difference is that saints are already united with the Lord (which is a bonus point for those they are praying for; as Scripture says: [the] prayer of a righteous person is effective; James 5:16)! If we know of certain Christian on earth who seem to have special power because of their great faith/holiness, imagine how much more powerful and effective are the prayers of those who are already in heaven!

Let's move on to...

What is a patron saint?
Patron saints are chosen as special protectors or guardians over areas of life. These areas can include occupations, illnesses, churches, countries, causes -- anything that is important to us. The earliest records show that people and churches were named after apostles and martyrs as early as the fourth century. Recently, the popes have named patron saints but patrons can be chosen by other individuals or groups as well. Patron saints are often chosen today because an interest, talent, or event in their lives overlaps with the special area. For example, Francis of Assisi loved nature and so he is patron of ecologists. Francis de Sales was a writer and so he is patron of journalists and writers. Clare of Assisi was named patron of television because one Christmas when she was too ill to leave her bed she saw and heard Christmas Mass -- even though it was taking place miles away. Angels can also be named as patron saints. A patron saint can help us when we follow the example of that saint's life and when we ask for that saint's intercessory prayers to God.

- Catholic Online - Saints & Angels

I am not sure whether each patron saints have prayers of their own but I know well known ones like St. Jude do. :)

Last but not least, please remember that the practice of praying to the saints is just to "supplement" our prayer to God and it can never substitute prayer and worship due only to God Himself. Also do bear in mind that all Christian prayer (whether it's from the Blessed Virigin Mary/saints in heaven/Christians on earth) is directed to God our Father through Jesus Christ His Son who is the "one mediator between God and men" (1 Timothy 2:5)

Movie of the Month: Cinderella Man

Cinderella Man is a wholesome slice of old-fashioned Americana, offering welcomed relief from the shallowness of many summer blockbusters. In dramatizing the legendary Depression-era comeback of impoverished boxer Jim Braddock, director Ron Howard benefits from another superb collaboration with his A Beautiful Mind star Russell Crowe, whose portrayal of Braddock is simultaneously warm, noble, and tenacious without resorting to even the slightest hint of sentimental melodrama. The desperate struggle of the Depression is more keenly felt here than it was in Seabiscuit, and Howard shows its economic impact in ways that strengthen the bonds between Braddock, his supportive wife (Renée Zellweger) and three young children, and his loyal manager (Paul Giamatti); all are forced to make sacrifices leading up to Braddock's title bout against heavyweight champion Max Baer (Craig Bierko) in one of greatest boxing matches in the history of the sport. Boasting the finest production design, cinematography and editing that Hollywood can offer, this is a feel-good film that never begs for your affection; it's just good, classical American filmmaking, brimming with qualities of decency and fortitude that have grown all too rare in the big-studio mainstream

- Amazon.com

I believe a good movie touches the heart strings of its audience and this movie did just that. Cinderella Man will make you laugh, cheer or at least shed a tear. ;) Watching this movie is truly money well-spent. :)

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

by Father Brian Harrison, O.S.


Dear friends,

Some of you may have seen over the last year or so that I have sounded the alarm in several Catholic magazines about a couple of viciously anti-Catholic movies disguised as "history" : "King Arthur" (2004) and "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005).

I have just been to see another new movie about the Church, with the full expectation of being provoked into circulating yet another "thumbs-down" warning about it among people like yourselves.

Well . . . Halleluia! Would you believe that that particular expectation of mine has just been smashed - astonishingly, wonderfully! - into smithereens? Can anything morally or spiritually good come out of Hollywood - especially in this day and age, more than half a century after the "good old" days when some movie moguls were (putatively at least) "on our side"? To my utter amazement, I now have to admit that the answer is 'Yes"! Divine grace - actual if perhaps not yet necessarily sanctifying - may be having its effect even in Tinseltown!

Ever since the big box-office success of the original version of "The Exorcist" more than thirty years ago, exorcism-flicks have become a sort of sub-division of the horror movie genre. Most of them have been pretty trashy, depending mainly on sensational special effects and frequently embodying malicious and embarrassingly ignorant caricatures of Catholic beliefs, rites and practices.

Not this time. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" gets it right. Scarily, yes, but at the same time beautifully, powerfully - inspiringly. This one is the real thing, folks. (I speak as a priest who has had direct experience with real-life exorcisms: in Rome, with Fr. Gabriel Amorth, the Pope's leading exorcist and author of several books on the subject.)

Like "The Exorcist", "Emily Rose" has its basis in a true case-history, but is far superior to the former movie in just about every respect. It's about a 19-year-old American girl from a conservative/traditionalist Catholic family, who becomes possessed and eventually dies in that state after an unsuccessful exorcism. The family's parish priest who attempted the exorcism, Fr. Richard Moore, is then charged with criminal negligence leading to her death. This is because, having being totally entrusted with Emily's welfare by her devout family after psychiatric treatment and medication has proved fruitless, the priest decided to suspend all natural treatments in order to rely on the spiritual power of Christ and His sacred priesthood.

That forensic context alone makes fascinating watching for those who - like most of you reading this - are very conscious of the exclusion of Christ's social kingship from modern societies dominated by the "wall of separation" between Church and State. The superbly acted and directed court scenes in "Emily Rose" present a kind of microcosm of this radical internal conflict at the heart of post-Enlightenment Western culture. They effectively portray the legal dilemma that now arises when an officially agnostic political/judicial system is forced to come to grips with evidence that radically calls in question the secularist orthodoxy which dogmatizes that all possible events must - at least in the public, civil forum - be explained in terms of natural, scientific laws. This dilemma is highlighted in the gripping, brilliantly-written, dialogue confrontations between Fr. Moore's defense counsel (Laura Linney) and the prosecutor bent on persuading the jury that the priest's "archaic superstitions" were responsible for the girl's death. And the drama is ingeniously heightened by the paradox that while this publicly secularist prosecutor boasts that he is privately a "man of faith" (have we heard something a little like that before?), Fr. Moore's attorney has to openly admit that she's personally an agnostic. (The screenplay throughout this movie is excellent.)

That old "with-'religious'-friends-like-these-who-needs-enemies?" scenario will certainly resonate with the so-often-frustrated experience of so many of us traditionally-inclined Catholics in recent decades. A further touch of the same post-conciliar realism comes to light quickly when we learn that the accused Fr. Moore, an honest-to-goodness, orthodox Catholic priest, finds the rug being pulled out from under him by - you guessed it! - the modernist, politicking archdiocesan chancery officials who don't really believe in all that stuff about the devil and possession, and are just plain embarrassed by the whole business! (Yes, folks, this decidedly non-liberal script is actually coming from an 'establishment' Hollywood movie! Mel Gibson had nothing to do with it.)

As a matter of fact, Fr. Moore (played by Tom Wilkinson) comes across as more than just an honest-to-goodness, orthodox priest (wearing his clerical suit and collar whenever he's out of his prison uniform). He's an exemplary, prayerful priest. A holy priest. A traditional priest who knows how to talk back sternly in Latin when the demon croaks at him mockingly in the Church's language. He is quietly dignified in his humiliation in prison and in court. This priest manifests true Catholic pastoral charity and zeal for souls, and a Christ-like willingness to sacrifice his own temporal reputation and freedom for the sake of telling the truth about Emily. Moreover, Wilkinson's portrayal of this character is totally credible, with his acting rising to a superb level in the last court-room scene where he gives his final testimony about Emily. For my money, Wilkinson's Father Moore - here in the dark Third Millennium, no less! - is a thousand times better than Bing Crosby's superficial "cool", crooning priest characters from the supposed golden days of the 'forties and 'fifties. In short, this was a film that left me feeling proud to be wearing my Roman collar as I exited the theater!

Even though the Catholic-influenced Legion of Decency which vetted movies back then has long since disappeared, "Emily Rose" has no foul or blasphemous language (even though it's about demonic possession), no sex, and no nudity. So the most deeply traditional Catholic parents can see, and allow their kids to see, this film, provided only that the latter are old enough not to be traumatized by the scary scenes. Indeed, such families will empathize with the Rose family, whose devout, orthodox Catholic convictions are treated with sympathy and respect throughout the film.Maybe you are thinking by now that in spite of all these merits, "Emily Rose" still sounds overall like a pretty depressing movie: after all, we're talking about a FAILED exorcism which ends in the hideous death of the possessed girl. If that's what you're thinking, then never fear! You should know that there is a simply wonderful, profoundly moving, surprise ending to the film which puts that whole scenario in a totally unexpected, supernatural light. I assure you you'll leave the theater after seeing "Emily Rose" with your faith strengthened, your spirit elevated - and probably with tears welling in your eyes. All the more so because we assured at the end that this story is basically history, not fiction.

One final comment. I said above that Mel Gibson had nothing to do with this movie. On second thoughts, maybe he did - unwittingly. Could it be that the box-office success of "The Passion" last year is finally getting the message through to some Hollywood studios that there is a huge potential market out there for films which respect, rather than ridicule, traditional religion? If so, we traditional religionists should confirm this message for them by going to see "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". I urge you not to miss it - and take your older children along too. As far as I'm concerned it is a masterpiece: one of the finest and most moving films I've ever seen in my life, and indeed, a worthy companion to "The Passion of the Christ".

Blessings and best wishes,
Fr. Brian Harrison, O.S.

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Click here for the story of the REAL Emily Rose
(via 'Not So Quiet' Catholic Corner)

Watch 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' on 10th November 2005

Is Confession Biblical?

The Catholic sacrament of penance and reconciliation is the method given by Christ to the Catholic Church by which individual men may confess sins committed after baptism and have them absolved by a priest. This sacrament is known by many names, including penance, reconciliation, and confession (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Sections 1423-1442). However, because confession is only one aspect of the sacrament, it is no longer officially called "confession." Official Church publications always refer to the sacrament as "Penance and Reconciliation," or shorten it to "penance" or "reconciliation."

- Wikipedia.com

1. Let's turn to 1 John 1:9
   
   
   "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (NIV)
   
   
   Now let's turn to James 5:16
   
   
   "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (NIV)
   
   
   
   For starters, based on the verses above we are able to infer that confession of sins to one another is important for the forgiveness of sins.
   
   
   
2. Let's turn to Matthew 9:6-8 (in context: Matthew 9:1-8)
   
   
   "But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men." (NIV)
   
   
   
   Why did Jesus made a reference to His humanity (Son of Man) instead of His divinity (Son of God) as He was making known to His followers His authority to forgive sins? Because Jesus wanted His followers to know that mere men too has been given the authority to forgive sins. "When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men" (Matthew 9:8), the crowd understood Jesus and praised God.
   
   
   Question: Who are these people that has been given the authority to forgive sins?
   
   
   NOTE: While it is true that Jesus commanded his followers to forgive one another (Matthew 6:14; Matthew 18:21-22; Luke 17:3-4) it is also true that He gave special authority to a group of chosen ones (whom we will examine in the following point), to forgive sins in God's name.
   
   
   
3. Let's turn to John 20:21-23
   
   
   "Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."" (NIV)
   
   
   
   The verses above illustrate Jesus appearing to His disciples (i.e. the apostles) and sending His disciples to forgive sins; just as how God the Father had sent Him to forgive sins during His time on earth. (To further affirm the fact that Jesus gave the apostles the authority to forgive sins, please turn to Matthew 18:18.)
   
   Because the Roman Catholic Church is an apostolic church (i.e. we have an unbroken line of priestly order that has been passed down since the time of the apostles); until today priests has the authority (that Christ gave) to forgive sins.

So the answer is: Yes, Confession (a.k.a. the Sacrament of Reconciliation) is Biblical. :)

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Resources:

• Catholic.com: Confession
• Catholic and Christian by Alan Shreck

Universalis: Online Liturgical and Devotional Resources

I am pleased to present you the Universalis; a Catholic site packed with liturgical AND devotional resources. My personal faves are Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer! Ah... perfect during dry spells of prayer life. ;) Simply wonderful!

"He Rescued Me"

Earlier this evening I was at The Starhill Gallery attending Gillian Tan's talk on Recognizing Angels, organized by The Photographers' Gallery. One of the photos featured was entitled "He Rescued Me" (i.e. the photo attached to this entry), which has a story behind it: about how God saved a man who called out to Him in his time of desperation.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

P/S: Incidentally this story was also published in the papers August last year.

THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF CONVERSION TO ISLAM

Document issued by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia

THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF CONVERSION TO ISLAM

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,

If you convert to Islam, there are important changes in your legal status and what you can or cannot do. Your conversion to Islam will be registered with the Religious Department and the National Registration Department, both of which are computerised so access to this information is available throughout the country.

Under Syariah enactments of most of the 13 States of Malaysia:

• Conversion back to your former religion is either
  a. not allowed under law, or
  b. a criminal offence which means that you may be fined, whipped, detained or imprisoned under most State Islamic laws.
• If you are under 18 years of age, you require your parent's permission to convert to Islam
• Your identity card will record your conversion to Islam. Therefore, even if you are no longer practising Islam, you may be fined, whipped detained or imprisoned for violation of Syariah laws such as praying in Church, eating in public during fasting month, "khalwat" etc
• You cannot marry a non-Muslim. If you decide to divorce and attempt to convert out of Islam, you will lose custody of your children because they are Muslims.
• Upon death, your non-Muslim relatives will lose their rights to any property, money etc. that you want to leave to them. The corpse of a convert to Islam will be taken away from his or her non-Muslim family for Islamic rites and burial even if you have not been a practising Muslim for many years.
• In the event that your spouse converts to Islam, you may have no right to either your children or your spouse's property.

We know that certain Christians who convert to Islam for whatever reasons, are not aware of or do not consider seriously the implications of such conversion. Hence, the need to inform you.

By this, we are neither against Islam nor freedom of religion, which is guaranteed for all Malaysian in Article 11 of our Constitution which gives the right to an individual to choose freely his or her religion. But to choose correctly, you need to know clearly what you choose and the consequences of your choice.

[Signed by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur; Bishop Anthony Selvanayagam, Bishop of Penang; Bishop Paul Tan, Bishop of Melaka-Johor]

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CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ACTUAL DOCUMENT

Blessed Mid-Autumn Festival

The following is a song I tried googling but to no avail; but thank God(!) I found it in my songbook. :) So here is the lyrics (with chords) for those of you who were looking for it. Hehe. Enjoy!

---

UMPAMA BULAN

E_____________E_C#m_ A_B7
Pom pom pom pom ....
E______C#m ________A B7 __E __C#m A B7
Umpama bulan yang menerangi malam
E_C#m_______A ___B7 _E __C#m_A_B7
Begitulah kasih Yesus pada kita

A__________ B7
Dia menerangi hidup kita
__E ______C#m ___________A
Sepanjang perjalanan ... oh .. oh .. oh!
_________B7
Dia datang m'mbri cahaya
E ___________ C#m _ A __B7
Untuk membawa kita ke alam...
_______E _C#m_A_B7
Yang sempurna

Pom pom pom pom ....

Homesick

As the Mid-Autumn Festival draws near, this sense of nostalgia came upon me and I started to feel quite homesick... *sigh* I miss my parents.

Triumph of the Cross

by CatholicCulture.com

This feast was observed in Rome before the end of the seventh century. It commemorates the recovery of the Holy Cross, which had been placed on Mt. Calvary by St. Helena and preserved in Jerusalem, but then had fallen into the hands of Chosroas, King of the Persians. The precious relic was recovered and returned to Jersualem by Emperor Heralius in 629. The Breviary lessons tells us that Emperor Heraclius carried the Cross back to Jerusalem on his shoulders. He was clothed with costly garments and with ornaments of precious stones. But at the entrance to Mt. Calvary a strange incident occurred. Try as hard as he would, he could not go forward. Zacharias, the Bishop of Jerusalem, then said to the astonished monarch: "Consider, O Emperor, that with these triumphal ornaments you are far from resembling Jesus carrying His Cross." The Emperor then put on a penitential garb and continued the journey.

This day is also called the Exaltation of the Cross, Elevation of the Cross, Holy Cross Day, Holy Rood Day, or Roodmas. The liturgy of the Cross is a triumphant liturgy. When Moses lifted up the bronze serpent over the people, it was a foreshadowing of the salvation through Jesus when he was lifted up on the Cross. Our Mother Church sings of the triumph of the Cross, the instrument of our redemption. To follow Christ we must take up his cross, follow him and become obedient until death, even if it means death on the cross. We identify with Christ on the Cross and become co-redeemers, sharing in His cross.

The Sign of the Cross we make over ourselves before prayer helps to fix our minds and hearts to God. After prayer we make it to keep close to God. During trials and temptations our strength and protection is the Sign of the Cross. At Baptism we are sealed with the Sign of the Cross, signifying the fullness of redemption and that we belong to Christ. Let us look to the cross frequently, and realize that when we make the Sign of the Cross we give our entire self to God — mind, soul, heart, body, will, thoughts.

O cross, you are the glorious sign of victory

Through your power may we share in the triumph of Christ Jesus.

Symbol: The cross of triumph is usually pictured as a globe with the cross on top, symbolic of the triumph of our Savior over the sin of the world, and world conquest of his Gospel through the means of a grace (cross and orb).

The Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following September 14 marks one of the Ember Days of the Church. See Ember Days for more information.

Interesting bit:

• Folklore has that the weather on the Ember Days of this month (September 15, 17, and 18) will foretell the weather for three successive months. So Wednesday, September 15, will forecast the weather for October; Friday, September 17, for November; and Saturday, September 18, for December.

Something for you...

I've added "Building One World"; the 2oth World Youth Day Compilation to my radio.blog as a treat to all of you: faithful readers! :) Hehe. If you like the album, please lend your support by purchasing the CD. In the mean time, enjoy! :D