Lent...Making the Choice to Defeat the Evil One

Quietly but surely, the season of Lent is dawning upon us again.  It only seems like just yesterday that we have celebrated Christmas...looking for the star...searching for Christ.

Once again in this early part of the New Year 2013, we experience a fast forward from the hidden silent growing up years of Jesus in Nazareth and dive straight from the scene in Bethlehem to Jerusalem…transforming what is just a mere 10 km or 6 miles distance between these two venue to a key moment that has changed humanity forever.  From the birth of our Jesus to the Passion of the Christ…from the wooden crib to the wood of the cross…from the manger in Joseph’s hometown to the unused tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

The Latin term for this most Holy and penitential season of Lent is “quadragesima” or more commonly known as “forty days”…forty days prior to Easter…a time of scrutiny, self-examination, quiet reflection, penance, fasting, sacrifices, repentance, turning-over, change…bringing about discipline, towards a new spring into our lives…renewing our journey through life…renewing hope.

I would like to see it simply as an annual time of preparation for the celebration…re-steering our lives, our journey back towards God…living the Gospel values daily…becoming a bit more like Jesus…to others.

 

For the majority around the world, the beginning of Lent merely passes by without a whisper of reflection, sandwiched between the more “popular” Valentine’s Day and Chinese Lunar New Year of the Snake.

For Catholics and certain denominated Christians, the sacred period of Lent is an opportune time of grace showered upon us to save ourselves from the eternal fires of hell.  For many others, in certain parts of the politically corrupt world, on-going oppression and persecution persist against the backdrop of unhealthy, corrupted and stained so-called “democracy”, whereby general elections are rigged and mainstream news media twisted to report lies and brain-wash; the people’s cry for change constantly dampened and evil continue to blatantly rule the day.  For the latter, only a clean and fair general election can provide the only opportunity to evict the ruling government for the first time after 50+ years.

 

Lent in this Year of Faith 2013 will be so much more significant and meaningful for many across the world who constantly harbour hopes of change for a more equitable, clean, free and just future, free of the evil sins of corruption and provoking racial persecution; many a land across the world must be healed and turned God-ward.  Indeed, Lent 2013 will be a period of intense spiritual warfare where the good will prevail to see the ultimate defeat of the evil one.

 

With this, let us pray this Lent that we will always keep our eyes constantly fixed on Jesus and to simply and meaningfully reflect on the reason and purpose of Jesus’ sacrifice and death on the cross for each and every one of us.

Indeed, if we simply listen to our hearts and dare exercise our choices bravely and wisely, Lent will be a time for the cleansing of our souls…the beginning of a new and better tomorrow, the rise of a new dawn…the healing of this noisy and corrupted materialistic world, the forging of solidarity amongst humanity…acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, the Alpha and the Omega…and Allah as the One True God for the Christians, Jews and Muslims.

 

The Long Walk to Freedom...709 Malaysia

 
“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31, Douay Rheims)

Pilgrims in Malaysia have just shared that the entire pro-government-editor-controlled mainstream media in Malaysia is expected to carry shocking and bold headlines (lies!) reporting that the BERSIH rally today was a disaster...failing to muster any support from the people (6,000 a local daily claim)...numbers and stories will again be twisted in favor of the fearful ruling government!

What else is shocking in Malaysia...well, certainly not “truly Asia”, as the government tourism brochure will claim...BUT a land where the poor people are simply held as slaves to injustice, conspiracies, fabrication, blatant denials, un-clean electoral system, suppression of religious freedom, other evil you can think of...just to stay in power.

Well, according to our pilgrim friends in Malaysia, the “exodus” has begun...as the people “slaves” take their first brave steps out of “Egypt”...

The “seemingly deaf, dumb and blind, un-mandated” leader of the Government of Malaysia was earlier today forced to cancel his “get-away” from the country and was utterly disgraced when, as reported by alternative internet media sites, thousands (Foreign News Agency Al Jazeera claims 20,000) of brave and disciplined civilians, of various ethnic and religious background, turned up, in solidarity, in pouring rain from the heavens, on July 9, 2011 for the BERSIH rally to push for free, clean and fair elections.

These people turned up because they carried hope...they believed. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, must surely be weeping for Malaysia...even if there was just one “sheep” who dare stand up for what is evil.

BERSIH is an umbrella group representing 62 Non Government Organizations, led by one of the eight women worldwide to receive the US Secretary of State's Award for International Women of Courage in 2009.  Thumbs up to her for being an obedient instrument of God!

As a woman was instrumental in bringing Jesus Christ into the world and similarly, many great prophets in the Bible...many women today continue to speak up and lead reforms throughout the world for the sake of freedom, equality, justice...ultimately, for life!

The 709 (July 9) March was peacefully aimed at pushing for a “cleansing of the electoral filth in the nation”, but the police, instruments of the powers that be, were deliberate and aggressive...tear gas and chemical-laced water cannons were used extensively to prevent the peaceful walk for fair and clean elections!

Similar BERSIH rallies conducted by Malaysians in many countries all over the world, amongst them in Seoul, South Korea, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Australia, Osaka, Japan, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Singapore, London, Paris, Switzerland, Taipei, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Ottawa, Canada, went on peacefully, some even congratulated, by the foreign police, for having organized such a peaceful demonstration!

In Malaysia, following pre-rally threats, road blocks and forced city lockdown, the supposedly guardians of the nation- the police, were busy ruthlessly baton-charging, firing tear gas and chemical-laden water cannons all over the city...including, believe it or not, into a Maternity Home...worst of all, amidst the scuffles, causing the death of a civilian!!

Reports indicated that the police have been relentless and oppressive in their efforts to bring down the marchers by sheer force, who are mostly civilians, even to the extent of locking up the public toilets in the city!

During the week before this historic day, the Government of Malaysia seems to have been badly infected with “xanthophobia” (the fear of the color yellow – BERSIH T-shirts)...resulting in the police crackdown on any persons wearing yellow...inciting hatred against the ruling party, they claimed...  It would seem that Malaysia requires police reforms as well...something that is only possible when the government changes hands...through clean and fair elections!

Nevertheless, the memorandum pleading for free, clean and fair elections in Malaysia was not presented to the King at the palace, because many of the pro-BERSIH leaders and social activists were intentionally arrested, including the youngest daughter of an Opposition leader; altogether, more than 1,600 people; men, women, boys and girls!

God is great, His protection was over the people who dared to walk for justice...today, the 709 Rally was a great success as it has awaken the people and raised their political awareness of the need for immediate electoral reforms...more than that, the people were able to witness the shameful display of raw power and “big bully dirty tactics” by the fearful “over-staying” government in their corrupt high handedness to suppress such reforms.

Today, begins a new dawn for Malaysia as the courageous citizens and fellow pilgrims rise, with God to defeat evil, corruption and injustice across the land...restoring the world that God has intended for all His children to live in, that we may love Him even more.

We continue to pray fervently for the pilgrims and the people of Malaysia as they await their new dawn...that God, the merciful, will always protect them and bring about justice, repentance and peace.

As we reflect through this experience of our fellow pilgrims in Malaysia and meditating on the Word of God this coming Bible Sunday, we should come to the realization that each of our journeys is different...each is unique...we need companions...most importantly, we need God...we need to listen to His Word...to know Him...
  

The Lord Hears the Cries of His People...

   
“My beloved friends, with an upright, magnanimous heart that is also compassionate, you can transform this continent, freeing the people from the whip of greed, violence disorder and guiding it through the path of those principles that are indispensible to any modern democracy.  Those principles…include respect, transparent governance, freedom of the press, health care and adequate schooling as well as the promotion of human rights.  Never be silent in the face of corruption and abuses of power.” – Pope Benedict XVI, Tour of Africa, 2009

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the head of the Roman Catholic Christian Church.  In the words of His Holiness, Christianity is “…the truth that resonates with the law written on the human heart.”

Pope in Latin and Greek means papa or Father.  The Pope is the direct successor of St Peter; in that he is head of the bishops as St Peter was head of the apostles.  The Pope is the father leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics; translating to slightly more than 17% of the world’s population of approximately 7 billion.  However, as more appropriately termed by St Augustine, the Pope is the Servant of the Servants of God.

“Benedict” translates to “The Blessed: in Latin.  The name was chosen probably to depict the Holy Father's mission in pursuit of reconciliation, peace and harmony in a turbulent, warring and chaotic world…to echo the reassuring voice of Jesus Christ, to build bridges and remind the citizens of the world to put Christ, first in our lives, in all our thoughts and deeds…to open the hearts of the world to this intimate friendship with God.

“Man is not a lost atom in a random universe: he is God's creature, whom God chose to endow with an immortal soul and whom he has always loved.” – Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), 2009

The Pope’s role is especially important especially when His Holiness receives powerful and influential political audience from around the world; many of the latter merely looking for ‘headlines’ or even the ‘implicit endorsement from the Holy Father”, the Vatican is that much aware.

The Pope's number two, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, has this much to add, “The Church invites everyone - above all those who hold public responsibility in any administrative, political and judicial area - to be committed to a more robust morality, a sense of justice and lawfulness…(as) the Vatican was worried about the effects that reports of such behavior was having on families, young people and future generations.”

Such commitment to justice, morality, lawfulness, freedom of religious worship and notably free and clean elections seems to be greatly lacking in many countries today.  Un-mandated “leaders” (not fairly elected by the people) stained with the crimes of corruption, injustice, lawlessness, murder, conspiracy and character assassination continues to hang on to power.  The cries of the people for freedom, transparency, justice and fair rule of power have been suppressed by threats from the powers that be.

By the grace of God, it is these visits from these political “leaders” that His Holiness must aim to touch and evangelize, bringing healing, repentance and conversion.

In the apostolic letter “Ecclesia in Asia”, the Pope said, “…by 'speaking the truth in love' you can help your fellow citizens to distinguish the wheat of the Gospel from the chaff of materialism and relativism. …While resisting the ‘dictatorship of positivist reason’ that tries to exclude God from public discourse, we should…stress on human rights and the freedom of religion and its practice.”

Following my previous blogs with regards to the endless cries from the fellow pilgrims in Malaysia, South East Asia, for free, fair and clean elections…justice, an end to corruption, there is talk in the international media that the, non-people-elected, scandalized ‘Prime Minister of ‘Muslim-majority’ Malaysia’ will be meeting the Holy Father on July 18, 2011

Apparently, this meeting with the Prime Minister of Malaysia will not take place at the Vatican, where the Holy Father usually has his audiences, but has been tentatively scheduled at the Papal summer Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, 25km from the Vatican - a holy place where the Holy Spirit moves...where many encyclicals have been written.

In this case, it seems quite unusual for the Holy Father on retreat to even entertain any private or special audiences, what more for a self-professed leader such as this.  Well, God works in mysterious ways...perhaps the Holy Father, an instrument of God, sees great urgency to radiate the healing and penetrating Light of Christ upon certain people....perhaps the Lord have heard the cries of the people of Malaysia for justice...

This ‘perceived election ploy’ meeting with the direct successor of St Peter comes following peaking tensions between Malaysian Muslims and religious minorities over complaints of religious discrimination and subtle religious persecution.  Malaysia is one of about 16 or 17 countries together with China, Afghanistan, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Vietnam — that currently have absolutely no diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

The Pope has previously preached at a mosque in Jordan that, “Religion can be corrupted...when pressed into the service of ignorance or prejudice, contempt, violence and abuse.  ...Often it is the ideological manipulation of religion, sometimes for political ends, that is the real catalyst for tension and division and at times even violence in society.”

To the Christians in Malaysia, one of Pope Benedict XVI’s message echoes very clearly, “Do not become disheartened, but continue to proclaim with conviction the 'unsearchable riches of Christ,' so that all may come to hear of the love of God made manifest in Jesus.”

“Let love be without dissimulation. Hating that which is evil, cleaving to that which is good” (Romans 12:9, Douay Rheims).

We continue to pray fervently , by the grace of God and the intercession of Blessed Mother Mary and all the heavenly saints, that the Holy Father’s continued encounters with political ‘un-holies’ from around this chaotic secular world will continue to bring about inner-awareness, self-repentance, conversion and transformation…so that there will be change and reformation...bringing back justice, freedom, integrity, inter-religious dialogue, peace, dignity and harmony across the land.  May these political “un-holies” come to personally encounter the miraculous healing presence of Our Lord, Jesus Christ and repent...may the words of the psalmist come true...

“The Lord has eyes for the just

and ears for their cry.

The Lord’s face is against evildoers

to wipe out their memory from the earth.

When the just cry out, the Lord hears

and rescues them from all distress.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted,

saves those whose spirit is crushed.

Many are the troubles of the just,

but the Lord delivers from them all.

God watches over all their bones;

not even one shall be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked;

those who hate the just are condemned.”

(Psalm 34:16-22, NAB)

Our Humanity…Need God's Healing…

As human beings, we continue to search endlessly for identity…for meaning…for hope.  Our journey through life…our search…our struggles are never easy…it is fraught with many obstacles…many pitfalls…many illusions that tend to camouflage reality…many veils that hinder us from seeing…from understanding…the truth.



Today and everyday, we continue to read of such ‘hope-less’ headlines making the ‘so-called’ news headlines from around the world…

• Boasts on the raid and brutal killing of Osama bin Laden
• Continuing Muslim-Christian clashes in Cairo
• President Obama losing no sleep over the raid and killing of Bin Laden
• “Buy-elections” in Malaysia
• Endless heavy fighting in Libya
• Building of a large rare earth refinery plant in Malaysia
• Sectarian clashes in Egypt over the alleged conversion of an Egyptian Christian woman to Islam
• Gunmen attacks in Afghanistan
• Brutal and explosive murder of a Mongolian model beauty
• Government-controlled media inciting and provoking hatred, religious disharmony and heaping odium on Christians in Malaysia
• Continuous vows around the world to avenge the death of Bin Laden
• Political character assassination via manufacture of pornography in Malaysia
• Bombing and killing of security forces in Thailand
• The rise of a “new McCarthyism” in Malaysia, etc, etc


It is somewhat sickening to be bombarded daily with these.  Is there no good news?  Such promotion of violence destructs the very continued existence of the human race, our world community.  Violence such as these destroys and humiliates the very dignity of every human being.  These so-called ideals, promoted by some selfish and corrupted politicians are seen as the most pitiful sham for them to remain or cling on to power.

In the history of humanity, we have read about nuclear arms race between the superpowers of the world, apartheid in Africa, military rule in Burma, hundreds and thousands of American troops in Vietnam, restrictions of non-Muslim religious forms of worship in Malaysia, alleged “terrorist” attacks on the twin towers, abusive use of the no-longer-relevant Internal Security Act in Malaysia and many parts of the world…bombs dropped on defenseless Asian villages, bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki…destroying, disfiguring young children, innocent people…all these, for what?  What sort of a journey are these so-called ‘leaders’ in the world promoting today?  What sort of corrupt values?

There are many nations like the United States, Malaysia, Middle East, Thailand, Australia, China, Pakistan, Africa, even Britain, who claim to be fighting for religious truth, justice, freedom, equality and other values of the spirit but what do we actually see?

Countries such as these and the rest of the world, in general, are in a state of corrupt madness, chaos and selfish desperation. Nothing has changed...in fact, it has gotten worst over the ages!

A Trappist monk, the late Thomas Merton, sometime ago, has this to say about the exploits in Vietnam…


“Vietnam seems to have become an extension of our old western frontier, complete with enemies of another “inferior” race.  This is a real “new frontier” that enables us to continue the cowboys-and-indians game which seems to be part and parcel of our national identity.  What a pity that so many innocent people have to pay with their lives for our obsessive fantasies”.

It is a fact that this statement is still so relevant for us today.  There are still so many countries and governments around the world today who blatantly persecute “inferior” and “innocent” people with their political “game” of violence; whether physical, spiritual or emotional – destroying human dignity, curbing human freedom.

From the simple and quiet Mohandas Gandhi, we can learn a lot about non-violence.  Gandhi, a model of integrity which we simply cannot afford to ignore, echoes the contemplative spirit of India.  Gandhi’s motivation has always been spiritual and religious.

In fact, Gandhi too, learnt a lot from Jesus’ words quoted in the Sermon on the Mount.  To Gandhi, political freedom, without the spiritual freedom of the individual person that flows from authentic human unity, held no meaning at all for him.

“When the practice of ahimsa becomes universal, God will reign on earth as He does in heaven” – Mohandas Gandhi (ahimsa is a Sanskrit word for “nonviolence”.  Himsa means injury or harm or violence; the privative a- negates that meaning.)

Despite these persecutions and subtle abuse of powers, many of us choose to be quiet and indifferent.  What can I do?

Should the oppressed or persecuted write or speak out against violence of political war - whatever the inner conscience seems to dictate?  Or should these people maintain a discreet monastic silence, bury their head in the ground, as if all is ok...and just pray for a better tomorrow?


We have seen that the Christian spirituality is not one that is withdrawn from the world…we have a mission in the world.  Transformed Christians, wherever they may be, must commit themselves to the pursuit of justice and the truth.

“We may never succeed in this campaign, but whether we succeed or not, the duty is evident.  It is the great Christian task of our time.  Everything else is secondary, for the survival of the human race itself depends upon it.

We have to make ourselves heard. …Christians have a grave responsibility to protest clearly and forcibly against the trends that lead inevitably to crimes which the Church deplores and condemns.   Ambiguity, hesitation and compromise are no longer permissible.

…We have still time to do something about it, but the time is rapidly running out.  …The great issues that face us are the defense of man, the defense of truth, the defense of justice.” (Thomas Merton)


This mad world of today seems to love promoting violence and only understands love as mainly sentimental love....or love of money...love of power.


As Christian pilgrims, we know that love is much more than that…“love comes from within and goes out to the other, not because of the lovableness in that person’s actions, but because one sees a human dignity, the very image of God, that even violence and evil cannot erase.  It is the love Jesus spoke of when he called his followers to love, not only the neighbor, but the enemy and those who persecute them” (William H Shannon)


In this mad age of aggression, do you allow such endless noise and distractions to affect your journey?  What will the future be like for our children?  What is your response to help heal the world today?

Do not just HOPE for change, VOTE for change!  Vote for a better world today!  Bring back the good news...

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
– Mohandas Gandhi

The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism

This easy-to-read, 300-pager book will help Catholics treasure what others are finding in our church; providing an accurate account, offering profound hope and satisfying the hunger for the truth. The first sparks of this book came to the author during the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, under the disguise of the very words entitling this book.
David J. Hartline is the editor of a popular online journal called Catholic Report (www.catholicreport.org). He believes that we “need to hear all the ‘under the radar’ good news and great events happening in the Catholic Church” throughout the world – events that, more often than not, go unnoticed. As such, he tells us the largely untold story of why the Catholic Church is gaining in strength and appeal. The fundamental thrust of this book is to inform and encourage the reader and to facilitate “the springtime of evangelization” for the church.

The book passionately begins with the last few years of Pope John Paul II’s papacy – highlighting aspects of his life, his leadership during the dark days of the church when scandals of abuse penetrated the church. As the pontiff lay dying…huge crowds outside, many of them young…”For years I came to you,” he said. “Now you come to me.” At the pope’s funeral, the world witnessed the signs, symbols and rituals of the Catholic Church; the world was mesmerized when they heard the chanting of the Litany of the Saints. The author begins his reflection that the tide did not start to turn until the death of John Paul II.

The book then goes on, shedding much light, with many, many thought provoking facts to show how the Holy Spirit is still active and very much alive today in the Catholic Church since the very first Pentecost - touching on the laity, youths, traditions, clergy, sacraments, Sunday worship, Mary, the Eucharist, the Bible, education, mega churches…every where the tide is turning. There is even a short chapter on the Crusades – what were the Crusaders up against and what does it mean for us today?
A chapter on the Catholic vote will help introduce and highlight how traditional Catholic values are working into the electoral process, voting on many social issues. The author goes on to provide interesting facts about Marian apparitions and the increased devotion to Mary. The rosary, the author quotes Archbishop Fulton Sheen, “…is the book of the blind, where souls…enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known…the power of the rosary is beyond description.”

In addition, the author also shares his view about influences that creep into the church – what are we to do about these – literature, music, amongst many others? He assures us that the foundation of the Catholic Church remains unchanged despite all these winds of change – “the foundation made of rock best stands the test of time.”