Agreement between the Holy See and China

Today (December 7) there took place an exchange of Notes between the Vatican and Taipei, by which the Secretary of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs communicated, respectively, that the Holy See and the Republic of China have completed the necessary procedures to allow the entry in force of the Agreement between the Congregation for Catholic Education of the Holy See and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China on Collaboration in the field of higher education and on the recognition of studies, qualifications, diplomas and degrees.

The Agreement was signed in Taipei on December 2 by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect for the Congregation for Catholic Education, and Wu Ching-Ji, minister for Education of the Republic of China on November 20 it was unanimously approved by the parliamentary assembly (Legislative Yuna) of the Republic of China.

It is an agreement “of a cultural and administrative character”, stipulated within the framework of the UNESCO Regional Convention on the recognition of studies, diplomas and teaching grades in Asia and the Pacific, signed in Tokyo on November 26 with the participation of China and the Holy See, among other States. It regulates two sectors: the academic administrative domain of the reciprocal recognition of studies, qualifications, diplomas and grades, and that of collaboration in the field of higher education, which would include the presence of the Catholic Church in the university environment within the Chinese language zone.

By this agreement, China concedes to the Holy See the recognition of study title sand ecclesiastical grades issued throughout the world, respect for canon law on the structure and management of Catholic universities and ecclesiastical faculties of theology in Taiwan, and the possibility of proposing Catholic values in the academic field in faculties other than those of theology. The latter two guarantees are included, fundamentally, in Article 2, which regards the recognition of the unique character of the education system, specific to ecclesiastical universities and faculties.

This recognition implies respect for canon academic legislation, the protection of the Catholic character of academic institutions, the exclusive competence of the Holy See for content, academic programmes and the appointment of directors and teaching staff, as well as the individual written commitment on the part of teachers and administrative staff to moral conduct compatible with Catholic doctrine and morality. The rest of the Agreement is mostly concerned with the technical and bureaucratic aspects of the recognition of studies, qualification, titles and grades. The relevant UNESCO Regional Conventions are cited, often literally.

The Agreement will also bring advantages to priests, seminarians and clergy from continental China who undertake studies at the Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei.

(VIS)

Christmas revelation from Pastor Jerome Fernando

Ken de Joodt

It was my great blessing and joy to walk into the King's Revival Church in Mount Lavinia, where Pastor Jerome Fernando, a present day Prophet, Apostle, Teacher and Evangelist, was conducting a fiery, lively service, to a packed hall of over 500 people. It was also overwhelming to be in a celestial atmosphere inside a Church building, where the power and Love of the Holy Spirit and the joyful presence of God was in the midst of His People.

After a glorious time of singing and splendid gospel music, came the testimonies of God's wonderful healing and people's true experiences of receiving divine, supernatural answers from Christ Jesus, to their personal problems. Here was proof of the faith they had gained, by listening to God's word and been obedient to God's instructions - which they received through Pastor Jerome, with the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

In his sermon Pastor Jerome Fernando said, “Christmas Day” is a day to remember! A day to celebrate - as the Birthday of Jesus Christ!

In the Holy Bible it is written that there are some things we must never forget and it is important that we remember things relating to our own lives or the lives of others. Great Biblical personalities of Faith in God, like Abraham, Moses, Noah, David, Joseph and many more illustrious characters are worth remembering. So is Jesus Christ - whether He was born on the 25 or not - is irrelevant! Thank God He came to this earth to reveal Himself as the Son of God and to substantiate our belief in God - (or else we could have ended up as Atheists. The Word of God portrays a man who has no belief in God - as a fool!).

God does everything in His plan - as the first Revelation. If one reads the Scriptures in Luke Chapter 2 verse 1 to 7, there are three “Revelations” of Christmas and the significance of Jesus Christ's Birth, in this passage. Mary brought forth her first Son Jesus through the womb, a virgin birth.

She wrapped Jesus in linen cloth and laid Him in a manger. When you look at His Birth, one sees a reflection of His Death too. At His death many years later, He was wrapped in linen cloth and laid in a tomb! At Birth, it was beneath a tree in Bethlehem and at Death He was hanging from a tree - the Cross of Calvary.

God Reveals His Heart to Us - is the second Revelation. At Christmas, God reveals His Heart through the Birth of Jesus. God Lives inside of you - Christ in you the Hope of Glory. He is a Spirit that lives in you. Nothing happens by accident, it is all connected to God's Plan as much as Miracles are connected.

God Reveals His Thoughts - is the third Revelation. How does God think? Many Christians ask the question “How does God's hand work?” It is answered by the fact that God Thinks! When God does something for you, He is connecting your miracle with His Plan, as He did in Bethlehem, with Jesus hidden away in a manger, in a stable. God hides greatness in places where normally people cannot find it.

What is the greatness of Christmas? Its knowing that God came to this earth in the form of human flesh, in a supernatural way! In the Gospel of John Chapter 1 verse 11, he says “Jesus came into this world...which belonged to Him…and they who was His, did not recognize neither Him nor receive Him or welcome Him.”

Now that was over two thousand years ago...TODAY we have seen the truth and ample evidence to rejoice and quote from Luke 2 verses 10 and 11 - “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people. For unto you is born this day in the town of David - a Saviour, Who Is Christ the Lord!Ó

Sath Waram

Perusing the composition of psalms and stanza of the sage one realizes that the rhythm of those lyrics with poetical flavour cannot be tasted in a busy and disturbing milieu for they are meant to be for serene minds and elevates to the spiritual realm than mundane enjoyment.

Listen to the intoning of psalms by a leader of religious community at given times of the day or the recitation of the Pali stanza – gatha, by the Buddhist clergy. Those age old stanza or psalms were meant to listen or join to recite with piety unlike the jazz music of the west, to which there is a tendency today in the “now generation”.

The psalms, the Sacred writer of the Old Testament tells us, were composed by people in exodus appealing to God to relieve them of their difficulty without abandoning them to die in the desert with no hope of salvation, they meant entering the “Promise Land”.

The Stanza has, had a religious purpose. The poems, songs or hymns very much differ both in use and purpose. There is no elevation of the mind to the spiritual realm.

The rhythm of singing also differs from culture to culture. The Asian rhythm is different to that of African or Western Culture. But with the ‘the global village’ concept we now live in there seem to be everything getting mixed up and this is common even to the song and dance.

The composers of poems, songs or hymns, articulate well the hopes, anxiety and aspirations of his/her community or give expression to sorrow, pain of mind and body, or joy, happiness or give expressions to his/her feeling about the sun, the moon or the stars in the sky, about the wind, the birds, the fish, the grass and flowers, the sea and the river, the whole milieu or the surroundings and the composition of music to suit each draws the hearts and minds of lovers of music not only to listen but also either to sing or hum, the song or the poem very much close to their hearts.

This preamble to poems, songs and hymns comes as a prelude to introduce the Sath Waram a collection of several stage drama songs, 14 in all, of a different type I enjoyed listening a few months ago. The lyricist and composer of music to the songs and poems found in the CD named Sath Waram is from Joseph A Dias from Maggona.

In actual fact he hails from Wennappuwa but God had a different plan with his upbringing at Ulhitiyawa and Duwa and he was sent to Maggona Reformatory after working with late Rev. Fr Michael Croos OMI in Anuradhapura, for about two years. He was involved in variety of work with late Rev.Fr. Cyril Perera OMI, the Divine touched him. Dias responded positively and was able to stage several dramas for the school competitions.

The children of the reformatory did p well and brought credit to their alma mater. Dias became much experienced and mature master of stage drama. His biggest achievement was the staging of Sathuran Piligath Maha Hithawathano in 1971, a drama which had a very big impact on the people of the day.

This CD contains songs of dramas he directed and the voices are of the very same singers who originally joined singing as young men and women. “If I had engaged famous singers to sing these songs I would have collected extra money. If I was after money I could have earn.

But I did not want to sell my soul. Hence I got the very boys and girls now adults to sing the very songs they sang years ago. They feel happy, recognized and valued. Their happiness no money can give me”, he has pen down these in his introductory note to the booklet accompanying the CD.

The booklet provides wealth of information to the student and the keen reader as to what is music. “Music moves not only humans but animals too.” The music found in this CD has used to the maximum, the tunes we are familiar with, like poems, poetic expression, while in chenas spending the nights alone and away from home, poems recited while going in the cart, while swinging, while planting or harvesting or stanzas recited at healing ceremonies.

In his note to the reader and to those keen to listen to the CD, Dias says though he wanted to do a CD, the means could not afford. The delay was due to lack of means. In simple language no money to invest in this project and he lavishly expresses his gratitude to those who supported to realize one of his long cherished dreams…“I will come with another CD, if the generous people extend their support having listened to what contains in the CD”, he writes. He articulated, gave flesh and blood to the anxiety which reigns in the hearts and minds of many in the field he represents.

Though he comes from Wennappuwa his young life was spent at Ulhitiyawa and he was almost absorbed to the community of people, the fishermen and families. Being with them, he almost got possessed with the nurthi-nadagam style of stage drama, theatre, the passion plays of Duwa, also a community which represent fishermen, the majority.

Writing about him Fr. Justin Silva, one time Editor Bakthi Prabodhanaya, a Catholic Magazine, the oldest in this country, says though enriched with many facets of the life, Dias is where he should be from the point of the Divine and his contribution through drama, music and literary work has done a great deal to safeguard the lives of children and for the well being of the society.

It would have been better if the CD or the booklet had provided some essential information regard to what scene, what drama and what year the play was staged that would help the student or the keen reader to enhance his/her knowledge about the drama and the period of history.

Wiruma

Jesus was born years earlier claims Pope

An article by Nick Squires in Rome published in The Telegraph London 2012 appeared in the local press where Pope Benedict XVI in his book titled ‘Jesus of Nazareth; Infancy Narrative’ has stated “The calculation of the beginning of our calendar – based on the birth of Jesus was made by Dionysis Exiguus, who made a mistake in his calculation by several years. The actual date of Jesus’ birth was several years before.

Not only does the Pope raise this controversy over the birth date, he also said that contrary to traditional nativity scene, there were no oxen, donkeys or other animals at Jesus's birth. This is also confirmed by Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, where he has said as reported by Sophie Borland, from London on 21.12.07, ‘The Nativity story, Jesus was probably not born in December at all. His assumption is that Christmas was because it fitted well with the winter festival.’

When was Jesus Christ born?

Then the question arises as to when Jesus was born. The Bible does not make any mention of Jesus’ birth, but the story goes that he was born in Bethlehem. Prior to his birth it is said that bright stars shone over Bethlehem heralding the coming of a King of Kings. Going by this, researchers claim the ‘Christmas Star’ was most likely a magnificent conjunction of the planets Venus and Jupiter, which were so close together they would have shone unusually bright as a single beacon of light which appeared suddenly and pinpoint the birth as June 17 rather than December 25.

Australian astronomer Dave Reneke has used complex computer software to chart the exact positions of all celestial bodies and map the night sky as it would have appeared over the Holy Land more than 2000 years ago. Using the St Mathew's Gospel as a reference point, Reneke pinpointed the planetary conjunction, which appeared in the constellation of Leo, to the exact date June 17 in the year 2 BC.

Why was 25 December chosen?

The most importnt intriguing question to be posed is, why and how December 25, was chosen as Jesus Christ's date of birth. Here is the findings of that researcher Dan Brown, who in his book Da Vinci Code wrote – ‘Bible is said to be collated by the Pagan Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. Constantine was a Pagan. In Constantine days, Rome's official religion was Sun worship – the cult of Sol in invictus (The invincible Sun) and Constantine was the High Priest.

A religious turmoil was growing in Rome. Three centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Christ's followers multiplied exponentially. Christians and Pagans warring and the conflict grew to such proportions that it threatened to rend Rome in two. Constantine decided something had to be done. In 325 AD he decided to unify Rome under a single religion – Christianity. Constantine converted the Sun worshipers pagans to Christianity by fusing Pagan symbols, dates and rituals into the growing Christian traditions, he created a kind of hybrid religion and was acceptable to both parties.

Egyptian Sun discs became the halos of Catholic Saints. Pictograms of Isis nursing her miraculously conceived son Horus became the blue-print for our modern images of the Virgin Mary nursing baby Jesus. Virtually all elements of Catholic rituals were taken directly from early pagan mystery religion.

The pre-Christian God Mithral – called the sun God and the light of the world was born on December 25, died and buried in a rock tomb and the resurrected in three days. December 25 is also the birthday of Osiris and Dionysus. Even Christianity's weekly Holy day was stolen from pagans. Christianity honoured the Jewish sabbath on Saturday, but Constantine shifted it to coincide with pagan's veneration day of the sun.

The Bible is the outcome of a ecumenical gathering known as the Council of Nicaea, where all what is said above had been debated and arrived at.

What is stated above need not hurt the feelings and beliefs of world wide Christian population and celebrate Christmas as done all these centuries on December 25 for what is fundamentally required is to celebrate Jesus Christ's Birth or will the Pope Benedict XVI and Rev Rowan Williams the Archbishop of Canterbury take a bold step to declare June 17 as the Christmas day, taking the scientific findings of the astronomers.

G A D Sirimal

Christmas News

The Sri Lanka Army Eastern Region Security Headquarters will conduct several Christmas programmes in collaboration with the Catholic and Christian clergy and Heads of State Institutions till 25.

The army personal with the help of the local people renovated and colour-washed the church buildings in Irudiyapuram, Thirudiya, Aandawa, and St Anthony's Church at Muttur that began from December 16.

According to the media release, there will be Bakthi Gee, Catholic hymns dancing recitals and awarding school children will go hand in hand with other events connected to Christas celebrations. The areas the Sri Lanka Army will cover include Arugambe St Francis Xavier SChurch, Methodist Church at Indrasarapura, Pothuwil Methodist church, Kandumadu ABG Sabhawa, Edahiliwanthayanyange Dewa Sabawa, St Anthony's Church, Arugambe Subaranchi Sabawa and Lahugala Pansalgoda Swarnadeva sabawa.

The Sri Lanka Army paraded the streets of Kanthale singing Christmas Carols from the 18 will go singing carols in the streets of Trincomalee beginning from the Catholic Church grounds. The Carols will go on till December 28.