Day: January 25, 2013

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Pope Benedict XVI’s latest Motu Proprio – Fides per Doctrinam (Faith through Doctrine)

http://www.annusfidei.va/content/novaevangelizatio/it/segreteria/FidesPerDoctrinam.html

Alternative link :

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20130116_fides-per-doctrinam_it.html

The full document of Pope Benedict XVI’s latest Motu Proprio, Fides per Doctrinam (Faith through Doctrine) released on 16 January 2013. It’s in Italian, so if you have difficulty, I believe the translator in chrome works quite well in translating this document to English.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motu_proprio

Motu proprio is a kind of document that is signed by the Pope and is a document issued by the Pope’s own initiative, and may deal with matter pertaining to certain parts of the faith or matters pertaining to the Church as a whole.

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=16902

A short explanation on the changes brought about by this Motu Proprio, mainly concerning transfer in the duties of some offices of the Roman Curia.

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Live Vespers from the Vatican, Solemnity of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle

http://www.vatican.va/video/

Live Vespers from the Vatican can be followed from the Vatican Player link above. The Mass will start at 5.20 pm Central European Time (UTC+1), Friday 25 January 2013, or 11.20 am Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5), and 11.20 pm West Indonesian Time (UTC+7), as well as 00.20 am on Saturday 26 January 2013 for those in Singapore and elsewhere following UTC+8 timezone.

The Mass will be live from the Basilica San Paolo fuori le Mura or Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, to be celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI.

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Friday, 25 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Mark 16 : 15-18

Then He told them, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. The one who believes and is baptised will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned. Signs like these will accompany those who have believed. In My Name they will cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

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Friday, 25 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle (Psalm)

Psalm 116 : 1-2

Praise the Lord, all you nations; all you peoples, praise Him.

How great is His love for us! His faithfulness lasts forever.

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Friday, 25 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle (First Reading)

Acts 22 : 3-16

I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up here in this city where I was educated in the school of Gamaliel, according to the strict observance of our Law. And I was dedicated to God’s service, as are all of you today. As for this way, I persecuted it to the point of death and arrested its followers, both men and women, throwing them into prison.

The High Priest and the whole Council of elders can bear witness to this. From them I received letters for the Jewish brothers in Damascus and I set out to arrest those who were there and bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment. But as I was travelling along, nearing Damascus, at about noon a great light from the sky suddenly flashed about me. I fell to the ground and hear d a voice saying to me : “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” I answered, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said to me, “I am Jesus the Nazarean whom you persecute.”

The men who were with me saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. I asked : “What shall I do, Lord?” And the Lord replied : “Get up and go to Damascus, there you will be told all that you are destined to do.” Yet the brightness of that light had blinded me and so I was led by the hand into Damascus by my companions.

There a certain Ananias came to me. He was a devout observer of the Law and well spoken of by all the Jews who were living there. As he stood by me, he said : “Brother Saul, recover your sight.” At that moment I could see and I looked at him. He then said, “The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know His will, to see the Just One, and to hear the Words from His mouth. From now on you shall be His witness before all the pagan peoples and tell them all that you have seen and heard. And now, why delay? Get up and be baptised and have your sins washed by calling upon His Name.”

 

(Alternative Reading : Acts 9 : 1-22)

Meanwhile Saul considered nothing but violence and death for the disciples of the Lord. He went to the High Priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues of Damascus that would authorise him to arrest and bring to Jerusalem anyone he might find, man or woman, belonging to the Way.

As he traveled along and was approaching Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute Me?” And he asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The voice replied, “I am Jesus whom you persecute. Now get up and go into the city; there you will be told what you are to do.”

The men who were travelling with him stood there speechless. They had heard the sound, but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, and, opening his eyes, he could not see. They took him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. He was blind and he did not eat or drink for three days.

There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, to whom the Lord called in a vision, “Ananias!” He answered, “Here I am, Lord!” Then the Lord said to him, “Go at once to Straight Street and ask, at the house of Judas, for a man of Tarsus named Saul. You will find him praying, for he has just seen in a vision that a man named Ananias has come in and placed his hands upon him, to restore his sight.”

Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and now he is here with authority from the High Priest to arrest all who call upon Your Name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to bring My Name to the pagan nations and their kings, and the people of Israel as well. I myself will show him how much he will have to suffer for My Name.”

So Ananias left and went to the house. He laid his hands upon Saul and said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me to you so that you may receive your sight and be filled with Holy Spirit.” Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he could see; he got up and was baptised. Then he took food and was strengthened.

For several days Saul stayed with the disciples at Damascus, and he soon began to proclaim in the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God. All who heard were astonished and said, “Is this not the one who cast out in Jerusalem all those calling upon this Name? Did he not come here to bring them bound before the chief priests?”

But Saul grew more and more powerful, and he confounded the Jews living in Damascus when he proved that Jesus was the Messiah.

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Four Transitory Deacons to be ordained today in the Archdiocese of Singapore

Four deacons will be ordained today, 25 January 2013, on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. They are Alphonsus Dominic, Benedict Chng, Edward Seah, and Jovita Cyprian Ho, who will therefore be transitory deacons upon their ordination today by Archbishop Nicholas Chia, Archbishop of Singapore.

Transitory deacons are deacons who were seminarians who has been ordained deacons in preparation of their eventual priestly ordination, which is usually less than a year from their deacon’s ordination. This is different from permanent deacons who remain deacons and do not become priests throughout their life.

The diaconal ordination will take place at the Church of St. Joseph (Bukit Timah), Singapore at 7.30 pm, today, 25 January 2013. Main celebrant and consecrator will be Archbishop Nicholas Chia of Singapore.

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New Metropolitan Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) installed – Wednesday, 24 January 2013

http://www.catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8310%3Anew-leader-for-kota-kinabalu&catid=326%3Ajanuary-27-2013-vol-63-no-02&Itemid=78

http://www.gcatholic.com/dioceses/diocese/kota0.htm

Archbishop John Wong Soo Kau (44), Metropolitan Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia was installed yesterday. He was initially named as Coadjutor Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu on 21 June 2010, and received his episcopal ordination on 1 October 2010. Archbishop Wong automatically succeeded the now Archbishop Emeritus John Lee on 1 December 2012 upon the latter’s resignation’s being accepted by the Pope, by virtue of being the Coadjutor Archbishop.

He was installed yesterday, 24 January 2013 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral of Kota Kinabalu Archdiocese. Possible slight misconception may occur to some upon reading the news article as it may seem that the Coadjutor Archbishop only took over yesterday and became Archbishop yesterday too, but in fact, Archbishop John Wong is no longer Coadjutor Archbishop since 1 December 2012, and not as of yesterday, since Coadjutor Archbishop automatically takes over immediately upon the resignation of the Archbishop, without need to wait for the installation. What happened yesterday was the official installation of the new Archbishop in the Cathedral of the Archdiocese.

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Thursday, 24 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor (Scripture Reflection)

Once again, we focus on Jesus as our High Priest in today’s readings, and how He as the High Priest, offered Himself, once and for all, which we witness in our celebration of the Holy Mass, the Sacrifice offered by the priests, united and one, and the same as the Sacrifice of Christ on the cross. While the priests of the Jewish people of the past were humans, and sinners like us, they too have to offer the sacrifices of animals to God for their own sins too, as they are not like Christ, who as the High Priest, and the perfect priest, is sinless, although He is just as human as we are, just as He is God.

Christ also offered the best that He had, just as Abel offered the best of his animals as sacrifice to God. While the offering of the priests can be compared to the offering of Cain, who offered grains, an imperfect offering in the eyes of God, and the priests of the Old Testament offered animals and their blood, while physically unblemished as ordered by the Law, they were imperfect, as they had to be repeated, and did not cover sins of all, did not serve all purposes.

But like Abel, who offered his very best to God, Christ, offered Himself, the very Lamb of God, and God Himself, whose Precious Blood is the only worthy sacrifice to redeem ALL mankind from their sins, once and for all. Through the Holy Mass that we should frequently participate in, we take part in Christ’s Sacrifice, and partake His Precious Body and Blood, that all of us truly take Christ into ourselves, and our beings become God’s Holy Temple. But, Christ’s offering is not just Himself and His being, as the Psalm clearly demonstrates the point. It is Christ’s ultimate and perfect obedience to God’s will, and His heart which is ever directed towards the Father, that He fulfills the will of God, that all of mankind can be saved from the slavery of sin and death. And who is more worthy of worship, than God who just like Abraham, willingly sacrificed His own Son, out of His love for us, that we too can be reunited with Him again in Heaven?

For the most important thing is not only the act and the externals of our being, but even more important is our hearts, whether we truly direct them towards the Lord, and the Lord alone, and to obey the will and the teachings of the Lord, as Jesus has taught us. This is why it is important to read the Scripture, and understand the very commandments of love that Jesus has given us, as the perfection of the Law and the Commandments of God. Let us therefore, align our hearts to God, lift up our hearts to the Lord, and always keep Him in our hearts, in whatever we do, wherever we are, and at all times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_de_Sales

Today we also celebrate the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. He is the patron saint of journalists and the press, and today is also the 47th anniversary of World’s Communications Day, in honor of St. Francis de Sales and his patronage. St. Francis de Sales was a very faithful and a very gentle priest, who eventually became Bishop of Geneva and wrote many books on the tenets of the faith. His deep faith and wisdom was made evident through his books, which influenced many even long after his death in 1622. He spearheaded many evangelism campaigns to return many Protestants in his time back into the true faith of the Church, and through his great preaching abilities and faith, many returned to the Church.

We may think that it is difficult to evangelise to others, especially those who are strangers to us. But let us begin from the place nearest to us, within our own families, and with our friends. We may be surprised to find that there are many people close to us, who are still in the darkness, and truly yearn to learn about God, to find God, and to reach out to Him. Let us not shut our ears to them, and let us gently approach them, just as St. Francis de Sales had done, to bring the Word of God to those who hunger, and to bring them into full understanding of the faith in God.

Communication requires at least two people, and we cannot just keep the faith to ourselves. Let us therefore today, renew the commitment to share our faith with others, that everyone too can be closer to God as we are, and together, we will worship Him, who is our High Priest, who through His great obedience to His Father, and through His offering of Himself, we are all promised of eternal life, as long as we remain true to Him. Amen.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

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Gun Ownership? Not necessary, seek God instead!

To all those who support gun ownership, why seek to make ‘peace’ by defending oneself with guns and all kinds of killing-capable machines and tools? Let us rather aim for true peace by instead working together to spread love and harmony to all, and to help one another, especially those amongst us who are ostracised, those amongst us who are misguided in their lives. 

If we help one another, and if we make ourselves available to others in need, although it may take time, there will be no more need for guns, and no more need to protect oneself, since nobody will be having any intentions on committing violence anymore. Do not fight hatred with hatred, but rather do what the Lord did, to confront hatred, with love and compassion. That is how Christ saved the world, by committing Himself to die on the Cross for us, His Sacrifice that brought about salvation, despite the hatred the world had on Him.