'We have to be one with Christ'

Aravinda Hettiarachchi

Fr. Benedict Joseph the Archdiocese Director for Social Communication in Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church is one of the most significant religious figures to be involved in religion through various sociological and intellectual fields in this island.

Q - What do you think is the most relevant way to activate the Christian mission in this neo-technological 21st century?

A - In short we have to identify the personality of Christ himself and his message preached at that time. We should then try to enliven his word to the present. Therefore, it is very simple that we have Christ as our messager who guided us. He makes us realize what it is to be a Christian. Thus we need to identify Christ as a whole person and then only can we find out exactly what the message he brought to this world was. We need to pursue as to why we are able to bare testimony to the life of Christ. Today we are the limbs of Christ who are introducing Christ to the others. Our voice need to be the voice of Christ today.

In short, what Christ brought to this world is love. His message is love one another as I have loved you. In other words, Christ is the preacher and the teacher who convinces his followers to do what he did. This is the basic message that Jesus brought to this world. We need to know how he put this into practice. He did that by his word, the word of God. He always lived by his word. There wasn’t any empty space between what he said and what he did. What ever he said, he followed it with deeds.

Q - Do you think the present institutional system of the Catholic church in Sri Lanka is sufficient to spread the word of God?

A- We need take into account that the times are very complex today. Also the thinking of the people have changed tremendously. People are carried away by ‘free thinking’ and they themselves deciding on how their life pattern should be. Today most of the people are ready to take things for granted. They always expect explanations, clarifications of what the person says. The People are not ready to accept things because it comes from a superior, someone in authority. They compare and contrast. If things do not click, they are unable agree with what has been told. Then credibility suffers. Therefore it is necessary to have a very broad understanding on what’s happening around us. Person to person relationships are more valid today than ever before. Respect for the other person or other party has no value today. Thus there should be a give and take policy. Both parties need to be awake.

Q - You are living in a country where a less percentage of people worship the God of Christianity compared to other religions in this island. You couldn’t change this reality from the day that the Catholic Church has been established here. Are you, as a church, aware of this reality?

A - We are quiet aware of this reality. Yet there isn’t any challenge. When it comes to religion, there is no competition or race taking place. Also there is no conflict or problem either. Because according to religion, we have certain tenets. Our Christian tenets are so clear that we live by them. We have a certain way of living our religion. These things never contradict with others. We have been living in this country for over 500 years or so. Consequently we are conscious of this reality and we try to live in harmony.

Q - Does globalization of the world economy affect Christianity or any other religion in a negative way?

A- One thing that matters, is that all of us are human beings. All of us are conditioned by so many forces.

We have our traditions and customs. We are living in a country where we have to have a proper consciousness of the social dimension. Therefore whatever is common to any human being become our heritage. So, naturally the economy will affect the life of anyone. Consequently, it will affects ourselves as well.

We are not an individual Island cut off from the rest of the people. Whenever Globalization affects, the life of the people, it affects us too. We need to think of our personal lives, family lives etc. Globalization aspects on human living has some impact to us. We need to be aware of these things.

The Decade of the Blessed Sacrament

E. Weerapperuma

The DECADE OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT was declared solemnly on August 28 at the National Basilica of Our Lady of Sri Lanka at Tewatte, Ragama, on Sunday August 28, 2011, with the closure of the Colombo Archdiocese Blessed Sacrament year begun in August 2010. The Declaration was made in the presence of His Eminence Bernard Cardinal Francis Law who presided over the Blessing of the Sick, an annual religious event held at same venue.

‘Mary of the Blessed Sacrament’ will be the Theme of the First Year of the Decade of the Blessed Sacrament.

Apostolic Nunciate Archbishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Spiteri, Bishop of Mannar Diocese Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph, Archbishops Emeritus Rt.Rev.Dr. Nicholas Marcus Fernando, Oswald Gomis, along with His Lordship Rt.Rev.Dr. Marius Peiris, the Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo were present at the ceremony.

The Year of the Blessed Sacrament of the Colombo Archdiocese was specifically declared to strengthen the faith and devotion to the sacramental presence of the Triune God, one of most fundamental truths of Catholic belief.

Although a decade is set into increase the devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, our sublime honour and respect to God is not limited to that period of time.

The year decade of the Blessed Sacrament, prepared the ground for the devotees to deepen their conviction of the presence of God the Saviour in the Blessed Sacrament.

The year has also given an opportunity to enhance the knowledge of the devotees and experience His presence in their day to day life.

In the past long before the school take over in 1961, schoolchildren at that time studying in the Government Assisted Schools, had to participate at the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on certain days of the week and it was linked to the religious education as part of the school curriculum.

It is also regrettable that exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday evenings is not heard today unlike in the past and the year gave ample time to reflect upon the revival of such practices.

While appreciating the initiative taken by the Colombo Archbishop His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith in this regard, in my view, it would have been ideal if the Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka had resolved to have the Year of the Eucharist declared in all the 12 dioceses of the country. Such a course of action would have given the opportunity to the entire Catholic community to manifest their faith and devotion to God as members of one family.

We are positive that the Bishops in the respective dioceses would take steps to declare a period of special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament in the near future.

It is very pertinent here to delve into the historical past of the devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and other issues emerged in respect of the Blessed Sacrament, one of the fundamental beliefs and supreme aspect of the tenant of the Catholic faith.

The Blessed Sacrament was instituted by Our Lord Jesus Christ on the day He was betrayed, to be with us on earth until the end of time.

In the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Catholics manifest their utmost faith, solemn and sublime honour to the Divine, not by mere bending of their knees before the Blessed Sacrament, but pay homage in the oriental style by bending the five parts of the body, the entire physic, passanga, or shastanga and touching the ground with their foreheads.

A Belgian Cistercian nun, St. Juliana (1193-1258), was the first to propose a special feast in Honor for the Blessed Sacrament and the development of devotion towards the Blessed Sacrament led to the practice of exposition and to institute the Feast of Corpus Christi, i.e. the Body of Christ, by Pope Urban IV in 1264. St Thomas Aquinas had composed the Divine Office for the Corpus Christi feast on the request of that Pope.

The Church was born in Calvary when Jesus atoned for the sin of humanity and won the grace of God for us all, to be the members of His family. It was His Father’s will that Jesus should offer Himself, an innocent victim, for the sin of the mankind.

Jesus gave His Church rites which we call Sacraments. Jesus gave His disciples the power to forgive sins, offer Holy Mass which is both a Sacrifice and a Sacrament and also the chief Catholic rite of worship.

The same power is being used to this date and until the end of time by the successors of the Apostles (sent-forth). They are the Catholic Bishops and the successor of St Peter is the Bishop of Rome.

It is to be noted that this fundamental fact of the establishment of the Church with Peter as Supreme Head and the Popes down line, his successors are being questioned and challenged even in this century, who consider themselves to be the ultimate authority and Universal Church is wrong!

We hear some Catholic priests among us expressing views contrary to this fact and for them the Pope is not the successor of Peter, the First Apostle, the Rock on which Christ set up His Church.

Perusing the pages of the history of the Universal Church, we observe that there had been a number of controversies over the Real Presence of God-Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and such controversies used to appear from time to time.

But the teaching of the Universal Church has been triumphant always for Jesus promised to Peter, to be with the Church until the end of times.

The issue of the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament is related to the priesthood, the succession to Peter and to the Apostles. Hence we have to deal with both issues simultaneously.

Christian Thought for the Week

I was trying to understand what the vision meant when suddenly someone was standing in front of me. I heard a voice call out over the Ulai River, ‘Gabriel explained to him the meaning of what he saw. ‘Gabriel came and stood beside me and I was so terrified that I fell to the ground.

He said to me, ‘Mortal man understand the meaning. The vision has to do with the end of the world’. While he was talking, I fell to the ground unconscious. But he took hold of me to my feet, and said, ‘I am showing you the result of God’s anger be. The vision refers to the time of the end.

Parable on the text–Angel Gabriel reveals to us what Lord’s plans are for mortals through a vision... and Gabriel explains it to the mortal who falls unconscious but is helped on to his feet. Subtly He makes us understand that the end is nearing but when, how or where is known only to the Lord.

Beware of false prophets who try to prophesise the world’s end.

No one will ever know because ‘the Lord will come like a thief in the night’ as we sleep...... but he sends his intentions through a vision of Gabriel.

It is for us to be prepared being true to Christian faith in keeping with what the Lord has taught and promised us.

Gwen Heart from the Holy Bible.

Hope among the ashes in Texas

Rev. Marji Bishir

Yesterday I returned from a disaster response trip to Bastrop, Texas, a town of approximately 7,000 people, where recent wildfires have destroyed entire neighbourhoods. I was the team leader of a group of seven who came to help homeowners sort through the ashes of their homes.

The disaster was so extensive that a Presidential Disaster Declaration has been received for Bastrop County. Since Sunday, September 4, 2011, a total of 1,814 homes have been destroyed by wildfires. While we were there, three new fires broke out. Our team heard sirens and saw helicopters flying overhead, hauling buckets of water. So it isn’t over yet.

Our Early Response team was comprised of people from all different churches in the North Texas Conference. None of them knew each other before we left, but they’d all taken an UMCOR Basic Early Response Team class, had badges, and were able to go with just a few days’ notice. We had four men and three women. The main thing they shared in common was the desire to serve others and to be a Christian presence.

When we arrived, we received a debriefing from our UMVIM field coordinator, Larry Etter. Larry described our task as “doing funerals for houses.” Most of the homeowners, who are required to be present with the team, just want to find something they can keep as a reminder of their previous lives. Usually, they hope to recover jewelery or other precious items.

Unfortunately, our team didn’t find a whole lot that survived the extreme heat of the fires. Using mesh screens, we dumped buckets of ashes and sifted through them. At one house, we found the Navy dog tags that belonged to the father of the homeowner. Periodically we’d unearth ceramic items that survived completely intact. It was almost like doing an archeology dig, with very traumatized people directing our efforts.

our first day, my team was joined by Vickie Huffman from San Antonio and Sean Raybuck from Wimberley, TX. They had taken a special UMCOR class in spiritual and emotional care last July, taught by UMCOR consultant Mary Gaudreau, who specializes in this training. Vickie and Sean’s purpose on the team was to act as listeners who would be especially sensitive to the tangled ball of emotions present in the fire survivors. However, my team soon discovered that others in the community were suffering as well.

One night our team was confronted by a firefighter who was a church member. He saw the lights on in the church where we were staying and thought we might be looters (which has been a problem in Bastrop.) Once he realized we weren’t looters, he sat down and visited with our team for a while. The firefighter was struggling with a massive sense of guilt because he’d been in a position where he had to decide which houses were saved, and which ones burned. He knew all of the people who lived in those homes.

One homeowner we were helping was angry because his auto insurance company was questioning whether his burned out shell of a van was “really totaled” even after he’d sent them a picture. He also told us his children were so “afraid of the trees” that their family decided not to live in another wooded area. They were relocating to town.

At Cedar Creek United Methodist Church, Pastor Paul Harris said almost 30 families were burned out, “maybe 40 if you count the families in the preschool,” he said. Most of them are starting to disperse and Pastor Harris thinks they probably won’t come back. He suspects this is because of the unique natural area that these folks lived in, called Lost Pines. Central Texas doesn’t have a lot of pine trees, but there was one isolated pine forest, and that entire area burned. Since it won’t be a pine forest again in their lifetimes, many families will relocate somewhere else. This leaves the church struggling with so many families leaving. First United Methodist Church of Bastrop is in the same position.

Some families had only 15-minutes notice to grab what they could and get out the door. Our team wondered what we would have done if we’d been in that position. I commented that it would take me 15 minutes just to get my elderly dog in the car. Then we met a family who had been on vacation the day of the fire. They told us all of their pets had burned in the fire.

Despite all of this trauma, we also saw signs of hope. We saw a green shoot growing out of the ground where everything else was charred and black. We saw the community coming together to help each other out. First United Methodist Church of Bastrop was feeding people lunch each day. They welcomed our team even though we were covered with grit and filth. I think our Christian presence there was a sign of hope as well to the people of Bastrop.

It will be a long time before this town recovers from all that has happened. The drought (which caused all of this to begin with) continues. The fires aren’t even 100% contained. Yet I know from the grateful smiles directed my way and the hugs I received that we made a difference in the lives of those we served.

The city of Santiago de Compostela

Continued from Monday September 19

It was believed that the ship carrying St James’ body capsized off the coast of Spain and was lost, but the body washed ashore undamaged, covered in scallops. Another explanation is that the scallop was of practical use as a drinking vessel or as a makeshift bowl for eating. It also acts as a metaphor, since the grooves of the shell come together at a single point representing the various routes travelled by the pilgrims culminating in the burial place of St James. The scallop is also a metaphor for the pilgrim. Just as the ocean washes up scallop shells on to the shores of Galicia, God’s hand guides pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela.

Today, Santiago de Compostela is a favoured destination for not only the faithful, but also for many sight-seers and tourists from around the globe.

Concluded