"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!

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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

Ridiculous Religious Relativist

Last week, I received an SMS from a trusted source who told me a certain Catholic priest from a certain order made the following statement at an inter-religious university students conference:

"Our [Catholic] faith is unique but NOT superior to other religions"

Personally, I find his statement very condescending towards people of other faith groups. Did it ever occur to this particular priest that there are plenty of knowledgeable and well-read individuals from various religions, who are very well aware of the Roman Catholic Church's implicit claim of Her superiority over ALL religions? Take the following statement for example:

"... Christ's Catholic Church alone, ... is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained"
- Second Vatican Council, Decree on Ecumenism

Besides the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) further confirms Her claim by stating that the "ultimate truth of God's Revelation" (2071) is the Word of God (i.e. Sacred Scripture AND Sacred Tradition; which by the way can only be found in the Catholic Church which Christ Himself established) And if that is not enough, the Catholic Church also claims to have God leading her toward the fullness of truth (CCC 2625).

So tell me what or rather who can top the superiority of God's revelation?

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Related posts:

• Part 2: Do all religions lead to God?
  
• Absolute Truth VS. Philosophical Relativism
  

P/S: What do you call "a person who holds controversial opinions, especially one who publicly dissents from the officially accepted dogma of the Roman Catholic Church"? Click here.

My Pet Fish

My Pet Fish
Originally uploaded by bookofjohn.

Gonna celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with my cell group on the 18th of September! YAY! :) Really excited about the whole thing. Reminds me of the good ole' days when I was still a lil' kid staying in Kampung Kebun Teh. *ahh...* :)

More World Youth Day Memorabilia!

JOY! I was at the Youth Centre this afternoon and I was pleasantly surprised when Brother Alberto gave me these memorabilia from the 2005 World Youth Day! Thanks Brother! :) Just in case you were wondering: the badge says "We Are Pope's" (in German) and the wristband has the words "20th World Youth Day Cologne 2005" embossed on it. Ah... more stuff to add to my Catholic collection. :D

Kepada saudara sekalian...

"...tetapi jika mereka berdoa kepada-Ku lalu bertaubat dan berhenti melakukan perbuatan jahat, maka dari syurga Aku akan mendengarkan mereka, dan mengampunkan dosa mereka, serta menjadikan negeri mereka makmur semula." - 2 Tawarikh 7:14

HEAVEN: Christians Only?

As promised I will reply to questions that were posted as comments on my previous entry.

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"Suppose there are two guys. One's nice old Mr Lim. Mr Lim has been a devout Buddhist all his life. He works as a maths teacher in primary school and loves nurturing young minds. He is a vegetarian, he is a devout husband to his wife and a caring father to his children. He also helps other less fortunate people through charities in his free time.

Now supposed that the other guy is Adolf Hitler. He murdered millions of innocent people and he allowed his army to rape and pillage at will. However, let's say that on his death bed, Hitler suddenly and truly saw the errors in his way and repented for all his sins and embraced God, Jesus Christ, and Christianity with all his heart. And I don't mean some desperate bid for salvation, I mean he REALLY and TRULY believed in Jesus and God.

Now my question is, based on Christianity, who goes to heaven and who to hell when both of them dies here? According to my religious Protestant friend, it's gonna be Hitler. All is forgiven. Disbelievers are condemned to hell, no matter what their other attributes and past actions were.

And I definately cannot see the fairness in this."

-Cypher

Dear Cypher,

Thank you for taking the time to post the comment above. I am Catholic and I will do my best to answer your question from the stance of the Catholic Church.

According to the Dogmatic Constituition on the Church: Lumen Gentium, non-Christians can go to heaven if they fulfill these conditions:

1. "[T]hrough no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church"
2. "[S]incerely seek God"
3. Doing God's will "as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience"

However the third condition is a tricky one to fulfill, because "often men, deceived by the Evil One, have become vain in their reasonings and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, serving the creature rather than the Creator". What's more Pope Benedict XVI warned that religions which "depend on superstitions or other errors, constitute an obstacle to salvation" (Dominus Iesus, Ratzinger). That is why it is important for us Catholics to proclaim the Gospel to fulfill Christ's Great Commission to us ("Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you...", Matthew 28:19-20) as well as to help others receive God's salvation. As followers of Christ we must pray for St. Paul's spirit to evangelize, and remind ourselves with his words: "Woe to me, if I do not preach the Gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:16) Having said all these, the Catholic Church does recognize "[w]hatever good or truth..." that is found in other religions.

As for the question whether "Mr. Lim" goes to heaven or hell? I cannot answer that; for who am I to judge one's conscience? I'll leave that up to God. ;) But if "Mr. Lim" does get to heaven, he did so only through the favour and mercy of Our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)

God bless.

Catholic Calendar

Know when are your feast days, solemnities, memorials, holy days of obligation and more!

CLICK HERE.

World Youth Day 2005 Rubber Wristband

I got this rubber wristband as a souvenir from Adrian who went for the 2005 World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany. He bought it from one of the pilgrims from Bulgaria (?) I'd never buy these wristbands for myself or thought of wearing them (especially those sold by McDonald's; I find them a lil' cheesy), but I just had to wear this one... Why? 'Cause it's just. so. Catholic! :) P/s: did you notice the embossed image of a ten-bead rosary? ;)

24th August: St. Batholomew's Day

St. Bartholomew was one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus. Bartholomew (Greek Βαρθολομαιος) comes from the Aramaic bar-Tôlmay, meaning son of Tolmay or son of the furrows (perhaps a ploughman).

According to scripture, St. Bartholomew was one of the disciples to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Tiberias after the resurrection (John 21:2). He also witnessed the ascension (Acts 1:4, 12, 13).

Tradition has it that after the ascension, St. Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India, where he left behind a copy of the Gospel of Matthew. In works of art he is often represented with a large knife, or, as in Michelangelo's Last Judgment, with his own skin hanging over his arm, tradition holds that in Armenia he was flayed alive and then crucified with his head upside down. This fate has led to him being adopted as the patron saint of tanners.

Source: Wikipedia.com

Year A: Homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Father Simon Yong, SJ

Have you heard of Crab Mentality. It means to pull people down. We don’t like people to be up there—something like misery seeks company. (You know when you’re miserable…you don’t want others to feel good). We like it when people are like us… down here. Today we should be happy because we are to meet one such person: Peter—who is weak like us. It is true that God used him and therefore can use weak individuals like us for his glory but to focus on “Peter being weak like us” is to miss an important fact today.

I want to take a closer look at Peter’s relationship to Jesus and what that means to us as Christians. In the gospel, Peter declared Jesus as Messiah. From here we think in chronological (time) sequence that Peter first declares Christ as Messiah and because Peter is so clever then Christ decides to make Peter be the rock upon which to found the Church. It’s like one after the other. The point I want to make today is that it’s not “first this” and then only “second this”. In fact, I believe that Christ always goes together with Peter. If you want, Peter represents the Church who throughout every age declares Jesus as the Christ. Therefore, one can say that in Peter we have a Petrine ministry whose function is to safeguard the proclamation that Jesus is the Christ. This is why the Pope is called the Servant of the Servants of God. Precisely, his job function is to echo Peter’s answer: You are the Christ. Only then can the office (or the job function) of the Pope make sense. Peter’s ministry and all those who succeed him in the Petrine Ministry are the guarantee of obedience to who Christ is and so to his teachings. That is why that the Church cannot simply do as she likes. If you want; Peter and the Pope are the incarnation of this “obedience”. Let me give an example. During the time of John Paul II, he was asked to change the Church’s teaching on divorce or the indissolubility of marriage. His answer was that the Pope cannot do anything he wants, but he must on the contrary continually rekindle our sense of obedience to the teachings of Christ.

This ministry of the Pope is crucial to the Church’s faithfulness and obedience.

This is where we have trouble and difficulty in believing in this Petrine Ministry because we are disturbed by weakness or perhaps better, we are fascinated by weakness. For example, have you heard of Pope Benedict IX? He was quite scandalous, apparently he became Pope at the age of 11 and not only that for he was 145th, 147th and 150th Pope. Or what about Alexander VI who has always been quoted as one of the most corrupt popes?

The fact is not so much Christ can use weak people but rather that Christ’s power can break through and will always shine through our of human weakness. The Petrine Ministry has existed for 2000 years and what Popes like Benedict IX or Alexander VI had done would have destroyed the Church but they have not. What happened was that those who exercised authority have allowed their humanity to get in the way of their responsibility. Despite that, Christ’s Church has stood. Therefore this speaks more about Christ than about our weaknesses. Therefore, our trust is in Christ’s words: the Church will be built upon Peter and that the power of the underworld can never overcome his Church.

This has implication for us and where I become personal. But it is not an attack of the personal decisions that people have taken. They might have reasons to do so. Yet, I think this where we may make a big mistake. Let me give an example: A misunderstanding with the priest or the parish office staff was very rude and then the person goes to another denomination. I think the person has failed to appreciate Jesus’ promise. I once heard that of this Catholic who proudly proclaimed that she’s now gone to Damansara Utama Methodist Church. The pastor was more happening but most of all they were more accepting. Often people leave the Catholic Church because they have disagreement with Church teachings or with their priests.

Unfortunately this betrays a lack of understanding of the promise of Christ. Put in another way, if there is supposed to be a Church, then the Church of Christ in its fullness cannot be without Peter. The promise of Christ to Peter stands forever, irrespective of whether the Pope is strong or weak. His promise doesn’t become activated when we are weak like the song that is sometime sung: ~You are my strength when I am weak~… No, even if the Pope is strong, Christ would still be his strength.

In conclusion, Christ gave his authority to Peter forever even though every now and then those who exercise this authority let their humanity get in the way of their responsibility. As someone said Christianity is not a collection of truths to be believed or of laws to be obeyed. Rather, Christianity is a person. Christianity is Christ. And therefore the Church must proclaim this person every day in season and out of season and that proclamation is tied to Peter and all his successors who must ensure that the Church does it through her teachings, her celebration and administration. We have something or someone no other religion has… not a celebration of weakness but rather the power of Christ working through human instrumentality.