Benedict XVI: The love of Christ is our strength

Complete human formation is solution to dictatorship of relativism, Pope says

Vatican City, Sep 30, 2009(CNA).

- With 10,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI dedicated Wednesday’s general audience to retracing the stages of his journey to the Czech Republic. The history of the region, the Pope explained, shows us that progress must either be rooted in “integral human formation” or risk falling prey to dictators. In our day, the dictator is relativism, coupled with the dominance of technology.

The journey to the Czech Republic, he said, “was both a true pilgrimage and a mission to the heart of Europe, a pilgrimage, because Bohemia and Moravia have for over one thousand years been territories of faith and holiness, a mission, because Europe needs to find in God and His love the firm foundation of hope.”

"The love of Christ is our strength,” the Pope stated, explaining that it is "a force which inspires and animates real revolution, peaceful and free, and which sustains us in times of crisis, allowing us to rise again when painfully recovered freedom is in danger of being lost, of loosing its true meaning.”

Recalling his visit to the Church of Our Lady Victorious in the Czech capital, where the famous statue of the Infant of Prague is located, Benedict XVI reminded the faithful that, “The love of Christ began to reveal itself in the face of a child." The Infant of Prague statue, he added, “reminds us of the mystery of God made man, God close to us, the foundation of our hope," and in that church "I prayed for children, parents and the future of families."

Prague’s castle, in the words of Pope Benedict, "contains numerous monuments, environments, institutions, almost like a polis: the cathedral, the palace, the square, the garden. Thus I could touch both the civil and religious which are not juxtaposed but in a harmonious closeness in their distinction.”

Thanking God for the success of the visit, the Pope recalled the ecumenical meeting in the Prague archbishop’s residence, where representatives of various Christian and Jewish communities were present. "Looking back at history and the bitter conflicts of the past,” he said, “it is a cause for gratitude to God to have found ourselves together to share our faith and historical responsibility in the face of current challenges. The effort to move towards a more full and visible unity among us makes our joint commitment to rediscover the Christian roots of Europe stronger and more effective.”

The Holy Father also recounted that in his encounter with the academic world he insisted on the role of universities in the context of the “common commitment to rediscover the Christian roots of Europe.”

"The University,” he concluded, “is a vital environment for society, ensuring peace and development, as demonstrated by the so-called 'Velvet Revolution.'"

"Twenty years afterwards, I raised the idea of integral human formation to counter a new dictatorship, that of relativism combined with the domination of technology. Humanistic and scientific culture cannot be separated, they are two sides of the same coin. The Czech lands themselves remind us of this, being home to great writers like Kafka and to abbot Mendel, pioneer of modern genetics."

Pope Benedict to promote using new media to evangelize

Vatican City, Sep 29, 2009 (CNA).

- Pope Benedict XVI plans to focus his message for the next World Day of Social Communications on the new media and how they can serve the spread of the Gospel. The papal message encourages priests especially to make use of the new means of communicating.

The full title of the Pope's theme for the January 24, 2010 celebration is, "The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word." The Day is observed every year on the Feast of St. Francis of Sales, patron saint of journalists.

A statement published on Tuesday by the Vatican said that the goal of the Pope's message is "to invite priests in particular, during this Year for Priests and in the wake of the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to consider the new communications media as a possible resource for their ministry at the service of the Word. Likewise, it aims to encourage them to face the challenges arising from the new digital culture."

The Holy Father will also use his message to touch on how the “new communications media, if adequately understood and exploited, can offer priests and all pastoral care workers a wealth of data which was difficult to access before, and facilitate forms of collaboration and increased communion that were previously unthinkable," the Vatican says.

The Vatican statment goes on to point out that if the new media are wisely used, enlisting the help of experts in technology and the communications culture, they “can become - for priests and for all pastoral care workers - a valid and effective instrument for authentic and profound evangelization and communion."

Priests’ work is irreplaceable, Pope Benedict tells gathering of clergy at Ars

Ars, France, Sep 29, 2009 (CNA).

- In a video message to an international spiritual retreat for priests at the French shrine of Ars, Pope Benedict XVI said that priests’ work is irreplaceable and that the Church’s recognition for their “unreserved” commitment is “immense.”

The retreat, marking the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Mary Vianney, is scheduled for September 27 through October 3. Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, Archbishop of Vienna, is the preacher of the retreat, whose theme is “The joy of being a priest, consecrated for the salvation of the world.”

In his video message to the priests, made public on Tuesday, Pope Benedict said that the priest is “called to serve human beings and to give them life in God… He is a man of the divine Word and of all things holy and, today more than ever, he must be a man of joy and hope. To those who cannot conceive that God is pure Love, he will affirm that life is worthy to be lived and that Christ gives it its full meaning because He loves all humankind.”

The Pope then turned to priests who serve a number of parishes, saying they commit themselves “unreservedly” and that the Church’s recognition for them is “immense.”

“Do not lose heart but continue to pray and to make others pray that many young people may accept the call of Christ, Who always wishes to see the number of His apostles increase,” he added.

Pope Benedict asked the audience to consider the extreme diversity of the ministries they perform, such as the large number of Masses they celebrate “each time making Christ truly present at the altar.”

“Think of the numerous absolutions you have given and will give, freeing sinners from their burdens. Thus you may perceive the infinite fruitfulness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Your hands and lips become, for a single instant, the hands and lips of God,” he reflected.

Such thoughts should ensure “harmonious relations” among the clergy to help build up the body of Christ and consolidate them “in love.”

“The priest is the man of the future,” he said.

“What he does in this world is part of the order of things directed towards the final Goal. Mass is the only point of union between the means and the Goal because it enables us to contemplate, under the humble appearance of the bread and the wine, the Body and Blood of Him Whom we adore in eternity.”

“Nothing will ever replace the ministry of priests in the heart of the Church,” Pope Benedict’s message continued. He called priests “the living witnesses of God's power at work in the weakness of human beings, consecrated for the salvation of the world, chosen by Christ Himself to be, thanks to Him, salt of the earth and light of the world.”

Benedict XVI announces second book on Jesus could be completed in 2010

Aboard the papal plane, Sep 29, 2009 (CNA).-

Pope Benedict XVI said this past weekend that while he has not yet fully recovered from the broken wrist he suffered over the summer, he has been working on the second part of his book on Jesus and that he could complete it by the Spring of 2010.

During a press conference on the way to Prague, the Holy Father told reporters, “The right hand works, and I can do the essential things: I can eat, and above all, I can write. My thought is developed mainly through writing; so for me it was really a burden, a school of patience, not to be able to write for six weeks.”

However, he continued, “I was able to work, to read, to do other things, and I also made a little bit of progress with the book. But I still have much to do. I think that, with the bibliography and everything that is still to be done, 'Deo adjuvante,' it could be finished next spring. But this is a hope!”

Caritas in Veritate

Responding to a question about the impact of his latest encyclical “Caritas in Veritate,” Pope Benedict XVI said, “I am very content that this serious discussion is taking place. This was the aim: to provide incentives and reasons for a discussion on these problems, not to leave things be as they are, but to find new models for a responsible economy, both in individual countries and for the totality of humanity as a whole.”

“It seems to me,” he went on, “that it has really become clear today that ethics is not something outside of the economy, which could work mechanically on its own, but is an inner principle of the economy, which does not work if it does not take into account the human values of solidarity, of reciprocal responsibilities, if it does not integrate ethics into the construction of the economy itself: this is the great challenge of this moment.”

The Holy Father said he was confident that the encyclical “contributed to this challenge.”

“The debate underway seems encouraging to me. Of course, we want to continue to respond to the challenges of the moment, and to help make the sense of responsibility stronger than the desire for profit, responsibility toward others stronger than egoism; in this sense, we want to contribute to a humane economy in the future as well,” Pope Benedict said.

Catholic public figures who scandalize faithful must repent publicly, Archbishop Burke says

Washington D.C., Sep 29, 2009 (CNA).-

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, delivered a speech on September 8 discussing how to advance the culture of life in the U.S. and how to rectify the “scandal” of publicly known Catholics who confuse and distort Church teaching.

At the 14th Annual Partnership Dinner of InsideCatholic.com, Archbishop Burke said that those who have publicly espoused and cooperated in gravely sinful acts lead people into confusion and error about “fundamental questions.” Just as their dissent was public, their repentance must also be public.

“The person in question bears a heavy responsibility for the grave scandal which he has caused. The responsibility is especially heavy for political leaders,” the archbishop added.

Repairing the damage done by such scandal “begins with the public acknowledgment of his own error and the public declaration of his adherence to the moral law. The soul which recognizes the gravity of what he has done will, in fact, understand immediately the need to make public reparation,” Archbishop Burke said.

Particular harm is done by those who profess Christianity but promote policies and laws which “permit the destruction of innocent and defenseless human life” and “violate the integrity of marriage in the family,” he said.

The result of these actions is that citizens are confused and “led into error” about basic moral tenets.

Catholics who contribute to that confusion cause the “gravest harm” to their Christian brethren and also to the whole nation, Burke added.

“In our time, there is a great hesitation to speak about scandal, as if, in some way, it is only a phenomenon among persons of small or unenlightened mind, and, therefore, a tool of such persons to condemn others rashly and wrongly,” he observed.

In the archbishop’s view, it is ironic that those who experience scandal at the “gravely sinful” public actions of a fellow Catholic are accused of “a lack of charity” and of causing division within the Church.

“Lying or failing to tell the truth, however, is never a sign of charity. A unity which is not founded on the truth of the moral law is not the unity of the Church. The Church's unity is founded on speaking the truth with love,” he remarked.

The contrary attitude is characteristic of a society governed by the “tyranny of relativism,” one in which “political correctness and human respect” are the ultimate criteria, he said, warning that Catholics’ consciences have become “dulled to the gravity of certain moral issues.”

Archbishop Burke explained that the disciplines of the Church are not a judgment on the eternal salvation of someone’s soul but are “simply the acknowledgment of an objective truth… that the public actions of the soul are in violation of the moral law, to his own grave harm and to the grave harm of all who are confused or led into error by his actions.

For the archbishop, it seemed clear that the inspiration for the founding of the United States came from “a declared faith in God and in the inalienable rights with which He has endowed man.”

“To deny the Christian foundation of the life of our nation is to deny our very history,” he added, later saying that it is a “false notion” that a Christian or any person of faith must “bracket his faith life from his political life” in order to be a true American citizen.

This habit is not true to the founding principles of the U.S. government, the archbishop stated.

“What kind of government would require that its citizens and political leaders act without reference to the fundamental requirements of the moral law?” he asked rhetorically.

When Christians fail to articulate and uphold the “natural moral law,” Archbishop Burke added, they fail in their fundamental patriotic duty to love their country by serving the common good.

“Christian love does not have its foundation in blind tolerance of others and of what they think and say and do, but rather in the profound knowledge of others and their beliefs, and the honest acknowledgment of differences of belief, especially in what may compromise the life of the nation.”

Benedict XVI: Integrated education must be regained

Pope: The challenges of our time call for Christian unity

Pope warns against attempts to marginalize Christianity from public life

Prague, Czech Republic, Sep 27, 2009 (CNA).-

During a meeting held this Sunday afternoon at the Archdiocese of Prague, Pope Benedict XVI warned members of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Czech Republic that in a country where about half the population claim to be “non-believers,” there is a risk that Christianity will be marginalized from public life.

“Europe continues to undergo many changes. It is hard to believe that only two decades have passed since the collapse of former regimes gave way to a difficult but productive transition towards more participatory political structures,” said the Pope at the beginning of his address.

“During this period,” he continued, “Christians joined together with others of good will in helping to rebuild a just political order, and they continue to engage in dialogue today in order to pave new ways towards mutual understanding, cooperation for peace and the advancement of the common good.”

“Attempts to marginalize the influence of Christianity upon public life, sometimes under the pretext that its teachings are detrimental to the well-being of society, are emerging in new forms,” the Holy Father warned, saying that this phenomenon “gives us pause to reflect.”

“We may ask ourselves: what does the Gospel have to say to the Czech Republic and indeed all of Europe today in a period marked by proliferating world views?”“Christianity,” Pope Benedict explained, “has much to offer on the practical and ethical level, for the Gospel never ceases to inspire men and women to place themselves at the service of their brothers and sisters. Few would dispute this. Yet those who fix their gaze upon Jesus of Nazareth with eyes of faith know that God offers a deeper reality which is nonetheless inseparable from the ‘economy’ of charity at work in this world: He offers salvation.”

The Holy Father said that Christians must take confidence “in knowing that the Church’s proclamation of salvation in Christ Jesus is ever ancient and ever new, steeped in the wisdom of the past and brimming with hope for the future.”

“As Europe listens to the story of Christianity, she hears her own. Her notions of justice, freedom and social responsibility, together with the cultural and legal institutions established to preserve these ideas and hand them on to future generations, are shaped by her Christian inheritance. Indeed, her memory of the past animates her aspirations for the future,” he added.

Pope Benedict then said that Christians today must open themselves to present realities and affirm “all that is good in society.” They “must have the courage to invite men and women to the radical conversion that ensues upon an encounter with Christ and ushers in a new life of grace.”

“Dear friends, let us ask the Lord to implant within us a spirit of courage to share the timeless saving truths which have shaped, and will continue to shape, the social and cultural progress of this continent,” he concluded.

Priests from 75 countries on international retreat at Cure of Ars shrine

Ars, France, (CNA).-

More than 1,200 priests from 75 countries are participating in an international retreat September 27 to October 6 in the hometown of St. Jean Marie Vianney at the Shrine of Ars as part of the Year for Priests.

The theme for the retreat is, “The joy of being a priest: Consecrated for the salvation of the world.” According to Bishop Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars, the theme expresses “the positive nature of the meeting and the happiness that priests experience” in their vocation.

The shrine’s rector, Fr. Jean Philippe Nault, said, “The Cure of Ars is truly a great brother. Because of his testimony and his life, this saint resonates powerfully in the hearts of priests.”

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna will give his reflections during the retreat, and the daily Masses will be celebrated at the Church of Our Lady of Mercy by the prefect for the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris, Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston and Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon.

L’Osservatore Romano noted that the homilies and talks will be translated into eight languages.

Holy See Gives Keys for Authentic Development

Person Must Be at Center, Archbishop Tells UN

GENEVA, Switzerland, (Zenit.org).- The centrality of the human person, an appropriate environment, justice and equality are the fundamental elements for promoting authentic integral development, according to the Holy See.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See’s permanent observer at the U.N. offices in Geneva, affirmed this in his Sept. 22 address to the 12th session of the Human Rights Council.
The prelate first noted that the present financial crisis “shows national economies' level of global interdependence" and the danger of “compromising the efforts of the international community to reach the millennium development goals and many countries' other development objectives."
In this context Archbishop Tomasi stressed the importance of creating a list of criteria for the right to development and of operative secondary criteria that are based on three components: “development centered on the human person, an environment that is hospitable to him [and] justice and equality in the social sphere.”
The objective, in fact, is “an integral development centered on the human being that implies the indivisibility and the interdependence of all human rights, as well as the relevance not only of the results of development, but also of the process of realizing development and its sustainability,” without forgetting “the ethical and spiritual dimensions of the person," he said.
According to the archbishop, a general agreement on these criteria could represent “a fundamental step” in the direction of “a systematic consideration of the human person, of his rights and his dignity in the elaboration of a politics of development at every level.”
In the process of development, the representative of the Holy See continued, the human person is not only the recipient of help, but also “the true protagonist.”
States, for their part, have the duty to create, “individually and collectively,” an environment adapted to the realization of development, Archbishop Tomasi affirmed. Because of this, states “are called to remove the obstacles to development that are caused by violations of human rights” just as the international community must “support the process of development, above all in poor countries.”

Subsidiarity and solidarity
In this perspective, Archbishop Tomasi explained, a relevant role is assumed by the principle of subsidiarity, which should be considered as the compliment to solidarity.
If in fact solidarity refers to the “mobilization of financial and human resources for development,” he said, subsidiarity “helps to identify the most appropriate level for decision making and intervention.”
“The principle of subsidiarity can therefore be considered a transversal criterion for the creation of an environment that promotes the right to development,” the prelate said, emphasizing how this concept “permits the participation of beneficiaries of aid in the process of development through the responsible use of their freedom and their talents.”
Archbishop Tomasi then noted how the Holy See’s delegation supports the adoption of criteria of social justice and equality “which implicate moral imperatives that move [us] to action in defense of human rights and for the equal distribution of the benefits of development."
In respect to these rights he mentioned access to food, shelter, education, medical assistance and employment.
With this purpose he called for the promotion of action to “identify operative criteria for the right to development and to engage in dialogue regarding the reduction of poverty, debt remission [and] the transfer of technologies.”
“We believe," the archbishop concluded, "that this work is laying a foundation that will allow states and the international community to work to concretely reduce economic and social disparities that are too often caused by violations of human dignity and human rights."

Humanity Will Always Seek Truth, Affirms Pope

And Truth Is What Makes Universities Accountable

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, (Zenit.org).- The yearning for freedom and truth cannot be stamped out of the human spirit, according to Benedict XVI.

The Pope reflected on man's longing for truth when he addressed today in Prague representatives from the world of academia and culture.
"I address you as one who has been a professor, solicitous of the right to academic freedom and the responsibility for the authentic use of reason, and is now the Pope who, in his role as Shepherd, is recognized as a voice for the ethical reasoning of humanity," he said.
The Holy Father considered during his discourse the dynamic of reason and faith.
He said: "While some argue that the questions raised by religion, faith and ethics have no place within the purview of collective reason, that view is by no means axiomatic.
"The freedom that underlies the exercise of reason -- be it in a university or in the Church -- has a purpose: It is directed to the pursuit of truth. [...]
"Indeed, man’s thirst for knowledge prompts every generation to broaden the concept of reason and to drink at the wellsprings of faith."
The Pontiff noted how classical wisdom, "assimilated and placed at the service of the Gospel" was brought to central Europe by the first Christian missionaries. And, he continued, this same spirit led Pope Clement VI to establish there a university in 1347, which continues to "make an important contribution to wider European academic, religious and cultural circles."

Authority
It is the authority of truth, Benedict XVI continued, to which universities must be accountable. And this is what gives meaning to their autonomy.
"Nevertheless," he continued, "that autonomy can be thwarted in a variety of ways."
The Holy Father recalled how the "great formative tradition" was "systematically subverted by the reductive ideology of materialism, the repression of religion and the suppression of the human spirit."
"In 1989, however, the world witnessed in dramatic ways the overthrow of a failed totalitarian ideology and the triumph of the human spirit," he said. "The yearning for freedom and truth is inalienably part of our common humanity."
The Pontiff asserted that this yearning can "never be eliminated," and, he said, if this longing is denied, it is "at humanity's own peril."
Thus, Benedict XVI explained, both faith and reason seek to respond to the human yearning for freedom and truth, "both on the level of disciplined reflection and on the level of a sound praxis."

Pontiff: Gospel Is Not an Ideology

Says Christians Are Obliged to Remind Europe of Roots

PRAGUE, (Zenit.org).- The Gospel is not an ideology, but rather, illuminates the dignity of the human person generation after generation, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope affirmed this today in an ecumenical meeting held in the context of his three-day apostolic journey to the Czech Republic. He returns to Rome on Monday.
The Holy Father told the representatives of Christian religions that "as Europe listens to the story of Christianity, she hears her own."

"Her notions of justice, freedom and social responsibility, together with the cultural and legal institutions established to preserve these ideas and hand them on to future generations, are shaped by her Christian inheritance," he said. "Indeed, her memory of the past animates her aspirations for the future."

Spreading the faith
The Pontiff went on to reflect on the testimony of the saints, saying they show how commitment to spreading the Gospel is founded on the "conviction that Christians should not cower in fear of the world but rather confidently share the treasury of truths entrusted to them."

And Christians today, 20 years after the fall of communism, "must have the courage to invite men and women to the radical conversion that ensues upon an encounter with Christ and ushers in a new life of grace," he continued.
Benedict XVI said that in this perspective "we understand more clearly why Christians are obliged to join others in reminding Europe of her roots."

"It is not because these roots have long since withered," the Pope affirmed. "On the contrary! It is because they continue -- in subtle but nonetheless fruitful ways -- to supply the continent with the spiritual and moral sustenance that allows her to enter into meaningful dialogue with people from other cultures and religions.

"Precisely because the Gospel is not an ideology, it does not presume to lock evolving socio-political realities into rigid schemas. Rather, it transcends the vicissitudes of this world and casts new light on the dignity of the human person in every age."

The Holy Father concluded by asking his listeners at the ecumenical gathering to pray that God would "implant within us a spirit of courage to share the timeless saving truths which have shaped, and will continue to shape, the social and cultural progress of this continent."

Pope: Don't Pass the Buck on Climate Issue

Addresses UN Summit With Video Message

(Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says neither the poor nor future generations should pay the price for current waste of shared resources, and he urged governments to take responsibility for the environment.
The Pope gave this exhortation in a video message taken from a general audience by which he addressed the U.N. summit on climate change this week.
The Tuesday meeting was a lead-up to this December's event in Copenhagen.
"The Earth is indeed a precious gift of the Creator who, in designing its intrinsic order, has given us guidelines that assist us as stewards of his creation," the Holy Father affirmed.
He said that the Church considers protecting the environment to be an issue "intimately linked" with integral human development.
The Pontiff added that "the natural environment is given by God to everyone, and so our use of it entails a personal responsibility towards humanity as a whole, particularly towards the poor and towards future generations."

Right signals
Benedict XVI affirmed that it is important for the international community and governments to "send the right signals" and counter harmful ways of treating the environment.
"The economic and social costs of using up shared resources must be recognized with transparency and borne by those who incur them, and not by other peoples or future generations," he said.
The Bishop of Rome also affirmed that it "is essential that the current model of global development be transformed through a greater, and shared, acceptance of responsibility for creation: This is demanded not only by environmental factors, but also by the scandal of hunger and human misery."

Ready to change
According to a summary from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the day-long summit brought assurance that the Copenhagen meeting should ensure five points: "Enhanced action to assist the most vulnerable and the poorest to adapt to the impacts of climate change; ambitious emission reduction targets for industrialized countries;
"nationally-appropriate mitigation actions by developing countries with the necessary support; significantly scaled-up financial and technological resources; and an equitable governance structure.

DI BINTISEIS DJADUMINGU SIKLO B

Promé Lektura : Numbernan 11, 25-29
Salmo : Salmo 19, 7, 9, 11-13
Di dos Lektura : Hakobo 5, 1-6
Evangelio : Marko 9, 38-43. 45. 47-48

E nòmber ku nos a duna nos Iglesia "katóliko", òf sea, "universal", ta konstansia di e bunita evangelio di awe. Nos ta katóliko na midí ku nos no ta sera nos mes den nos gruponan; ora nos ta kapas pa mira ku Dios ta den kurason di sernan humano ken sea ku nan ta i di unda ku nan ta bin. Por ta ku nos ta masha fásil na ora di huzga otro. Nos no ta kompetente pa huzga sin mas, ken ta di Señor i ken no.
Hesus no ta prohibí e hòmber ei pa sigui hasi bon. Esun ku ta bon, i den loke e ta bon, no mester ser strobá pa hasi e bon ku e ta hasi, maske ta parse ku nos ta mira algun defekto i algun iregularidat den e forma di hasié. No laga nos difikultá tarea di esun ku ta hasi bon, maske e no ta "un di nos". Un di e kualidatnan ku ta parse ku un berdadero siguidó di Kristu mester tin ta libertat di kurason. Tin un kurason liber ta sa ku inklusive esnan ku no ta ku nos den nos Iglesia por hasi kos di Dios. E doktornan di lei i e fariseonan tabata papia malu di Hesus. Ta suponé ku esun ku ta usa su nòmber no ta papia malu di djE. Esnan ku ta lucha kontra maldat for di amor, tá ku Dios, maske nan no ta di nos Iglesia.
Por ta ku algun hende ta skandalisá di loke ta bisa i ta di puntra si tras di tantu "radikalismo" hopi biaha no ta skonde imadures, falta di seguridat i di pertenensia, opseshon, trouma, i ta kibrá paden... Rekonosé Dios den e otro ta eksigí separashon interno di un kurason yen di miseria humano i biba den libertat di Spiritu. Pa e personanan aki di skandalisashon fásil lo bisa nan ku ser kristian no ta ser i biba manera nan ta kere. Tin hopi ruta pa yega na Dios pero un solo kaminda: amor.
Un di dos momento di e Evangelio ta rekordá nos pa ku mester tin mashá kuidou pa no kai den maldat. Nos ta keha pasobra nos ta bisa ku ta e otronan ta esnan ku ta laga nos sufri, ta laga nos peka, etc. Den bèrdat ku por tin den e afirmashon aki, Hesus ta enfrentá nos ku nos mes. E ta hasi uso pa komparashon ku partinan di kurpa. E kurpa ta lo mas íntimo ku nos tin, ta lugá for di kua akshonnan ta sali. No ta e piká ku ta bini di pafó ku ta preokupá Hesus, e ta e piká ku ta nase di paden, di nos interior, di nos mes. Ku otro palabra: sigui Kristu sin piká ta nifiká bandoná e malu ku ta sali di nos mes.
Por ta ku bira lomba pa piká pa sigui Kristu ta laga nos manera batí, manera ku nos falta algu den nos bida, asina tantu ta e sklabitut na kua ta someté nos; pero mas grandi ta libertat di esun ku ta liberá nos. Òf nos ta mata piká den nos òf piká ta mata nos. Nos tin ku destruí e loke ta sklavisá nos.
Kua ta nos sklabitutnan?
Kada ken tin di dje. Ya na otro okashon a komentá ku ta únikamente un shelu tin, pero fièrnunan ta hopi, kada ken tin di dje. Pa esun fièrnu por ta den su kobardia i kompleho, den su imadures i den su seksualidat, den su envidia i renkor... Kada hende mester mira su mes pidi kombershon outéntiko ku ta nase di un bon kurason.
Loke ta mas tristu di un kreyente ta ku e ta konformá su mes den e situashon di piká i no ta anhelá superashon di su defektonan spiritual pa entregá su mes kompletu na Kristu.
Vatikano II ta rekordá nos ku Dios no ta privilegio di algun hende. Tur ser humano, no únikamente kristiannan, den forma ku Dios so konosé, ta partisipá den e misterio Paskual di Kristu. Ora ku egoismo di grupo aparesé, ku ta reklamá poder de Hesus komo herensia pa nan so, Hesus i kun’ E nos propio Iglesia, ta rechasá tal forma di pensa. Spiritu Santu no ta keda prezu den grupo i institushonnan, sino ku e ta infinitamente liber pa yega na kurason di kada ser humano i biba aden.
Mantené bo mes alerta; kaminda ménos bo ta pensa i ku kende ménos bo ta kere lo bo por tin un enkuentro ku Hesus.

Pontiff Ordains 5 Bishops

Urges Priests to Be Faithful, Prudent, Good Servants

(Zenit.org).- On Saturday, Benedict XVI ordained five Italian bishops in St. Peter's Basilica, and urged them to be servants that exemplify fidelity, prudence and goodness.
The Pope had been working with three of the new prelates in the Secretariat of State, and now will be sending them as his representatives to various countries.
Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia was appointed apostolic nuncio to Lebanon in July. Archbishop Franco Coppola will represent the Pontiff in Burundi, and Archbishop Pietro Parolin will be nuncio in Venezuela.
Bishop Raffaello Martinelli, a close collaborator with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was ordained by the Pontiff to lead the Diocese of Frascati, close to Rome.
The fifth newly ordained prelate, Bishop Giorgio Corbellini, who served for some time as the vice secretary-general of the Governor's Office for Vatican City State, was appointed in July as president of the Central Labor Office of the Holy See.
Priestly essence
In the homily of the ordination Mass, the Holy Father underlined the role of the bishop, and all priests, as "servant."
It is the "most profound nucleus of Jesus Christ's mission" and the "true essence of his priesthood," he said, to serve and "give yourselves" for God.
Benedict XVI pointed out that Christ has "made the term 'servant' his highest title of honor," thereby giving us "a new image of God and of man."
The Pope urged the bishops to be servants who exemplify three characteristics: fidelity, prudence and goodness.
Regarding the first of these, the Pontiff explained that the servant "is entrusted with a great good that does not belong to him."
He continued: "The Church is not 'our' Church, but his Church, God's Church.
"The servant must give an account of the way that he has taken care of the goods that have been entrusted to him. We do not bind men to us; we do not seek power, prestige, esteem for ourselves.
"We lead men to Jesus Christ and so to the living God."
"Fidelity is not fear," the Holy Father clarified, "but it is inspired by love and its dynamism."
Truly reasonable
Speaking about the second characteristic, Benedict XVI explained, "Prudence means engaging in the pursuit of truth and acting in a way that conforms to it."
He exhorted his listeners to become "truly reasonable men, who judge on the basis of the whole and not according to accidental details."
"We do not let ourselves be guided by the little window of our personal cleverness," the Pope affirmed, "but by the big window that Christ has opened up to the whole truth for us." In this way "we look upon the world and men" and from this perspective "see what truly counts in life."
The third characteristic that Jesus lauds in a servant, the Pontiff stated, is goodness.
He affirmed that God "is the Good, the Good par excellence, Goodness in person."
The Holy Father continued: "In a creature -- in man -- being good is therefore necessarily based on a deep interior orientation to God. Goodness grows with interior unification with the living God."
This was the second episcopal ordination celebrated by Benedict XVI, the first having taken place on Sept. 29, 2007.
The Pope's secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, also took part in the ordination, along with the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Joseph Levada.

DI BINTISINKU DJADUMINGU SIKLO B

Promé Lektura : Sabiduria 2, 12. 17-20
Salmo : Salmo 54, 1-4. 6
Di dos Lektura : Hakobo 3, 16-4,3
Evangelio : Marko 9, 30-37


E Evangelio di awe ta pone nos dilanti di reflekshon riba dos tema masha importante den bida kristian: humildat i sirbishi.
Hesus ta aparesé kombersando ku su disipelnan ku no ta kaba di komprondé loke E ta bisando nan tokante Yu di hende. Nan no ta komprondé i tin miedu di hasi pregunta. Nan tabata pensa riba e reino di kua Hesus tabata papia ku nan den término simplemente humano. Señor ta tuma inisiativa i ta kontestá nan tokante nan preokupashonnan.
E promé kontesta ku Kristu ta duna ta referí na humildat.
Segun siglonan ta pasa por ta e loke ta nifiká ser humilde a kambia di su realidat original.
Asina nan tabata yama esun ku kompleho humilde, esun sin karakter, esun ku no a kaba di klara su mes interiormente, i tabata hasi referensia poniendo esaki kontra di esun ku tabatin su mes forma di ser i di pensa. Santa Teresa di Hesus tabata bisa ku "humildat ta e bèrdat", òf sea, ser humilde ta rekonosé nos mes dilanti Dios, dilanti nos mes i dilanti di otronan, tal manera nos ta, ku nos tragedia i miserianan, ku nos karisma i kualidatnan. Ken por duda ku San Pedro i San Pablo, personalidatnan mas ku fuerte, tabata personanan humilde? Sigur nan tabata pasobra nan a pone nan mes dilanti Dios tal i manera nan tabata i Dios a duna nan kontesta pa nan bida, transformando nan for di paden.
E disipelnan ei tabata programando nan futuro ambishonando puestonan haltu den e reino ei ku Hesus lo a trese, pero awor e Maestro ta plantea na nan otro tipo di ambishon. Na lugá di ambishon di ku lo hasi tur kos pa nan E ta eksponé na nan e ambishon pa hasi kos pa otro. Loke e disipelnan tabata deseá, na lugá di ser un medio pa gana preferensia den su reino, únikamente tabata sirbi pa e reino aki lo no yega.
E mundu ku ta toka nos na biba riba dje no ta lugá kaminda ta defendé humildat; lo bisa todo lo kontrario, djei un di e konfliktonan permanente ku e tipo aki di sosiedat kaminda esnan mas debil i esnan mas humilde ta esnan marginá. Nos komo kristian den e mundu di awe mester ta e mihó defensornan di esnan mas debil i indefenso, sin kere ku nos ta salbadó di ningun hende sino purbando ku di bèrdat tur hende ta konosé e úniko Salbador.
Kreyentenan den Hesus ta yamá pa ser humilde pa por sirbi. Ora komo kristian ta papia di "opshon preferensial pa esnan pober" nos no ta propagando literatura barata, sino nos ta konstatando presensia di Señor den esnan mas débil i sin poseshon.
E di dos yamada ku Hesus ta hasi na nos ta sirbishi na otro. Sirbishi desinteresá na otro,spesial pa esnan mas débil i pober di nos mundu. Nos tin ku siña laga nos egoismo i ambishonnan chikitu lòs pa komprendé e misterio di Kristu. E disipelnan tabata ke prestigio, rekonosementu humano i hasi karera, no sirbishi na otro.
Algun hende lo por bisa ku sierto rason ku "hende no meresé nada..." "... total... pa loke nan lo bai gradisíbo..." I por ta ku e afirmashonnan aki ta enserá algu di bèrdat, pero e kristian sa kiko e ta hasi i pakiko e ta hasié, i den e akshon aki e ta deskubrí boluntat i e amor di Dios den su bida.
E reino di Dios ta un reino di sirbidónan na otro. Kuantu bia den nos komunidatnan nos ta mira rumannan ku ta buskando rekonosementu humano pa nan tarea! Nan ta keda frustrá ora nan tuma nota ku dediká bida na otro no ta pa rekonosementu humano sino e profundidat dibino ku ta loke lo tin komo rekompensa.
Iglesia no mester parse strukturanan sivil, si e hasié anto e lo alehá e modelo di Kristu di su ser komunidat konvoká i yamamentu huntu di Hesus. Bèrdat ta ku den Iglesia lo mester tin un outoridat i un organisashon, pero e komportashon lo mester ta masha diferente na e outoridat mundano. Den e mundu di fe outoridat ta sirbishi.
Sirbi pa ser esun mas grandi, esaki ta un di e mensahenan mas importante ku Hesus a laga pa nos. Su ehèmpel a bai mas ayá, E no a hasi únikamente bon obra sino ku El a entregá su mes den e akshon mas grandi di sirbishi na otro i den su entrega nos ta alkansá salbashon.
Humildat i sirbishi, dos aspekto di amor na kua Dios ta kombidá nos. Komprondé den forma bibu e dos proposishonnan aki ta nifiká ku nos mester tin otro mirada pa mundu i pa nos. Mundu no por kambia e kristian. Únikamente Kristu ta esun ku por transformá nos .Kiko lo bo gana ku esaki ? No hopi kos material, ni prestigio, ni poder ni plaka, únikamente na final, den e último aeropuerto di bo bida, dos ruman mayó lo ta sperando bo... i Dios... lo demas lo no tin kasi ningun importansia...

Participants at the AEC Justice and Peace Seminar at Seminary of St.John Vianney, Trinidad

L to R starting front Row

Bishop Emeritus Anthony Dickson, Leela Ramdeen Chair Catholic Commission for Social Justice Commission (CCSJ) TT; Bishop Emmanuel Lafont of Cayenne, French Guiana Chair of AEC J&P Commission; Mr. David Brooks, Mandeville Diocese,

Mr. Gerry Granado General Secretary Caribbean Conference of Churches, Sr Roberta CCSJ, Rhonda Maingot, Living Water Community TT,

Fr Peter McIssac SJ, J&P Commission Kingston, Jamaica; Sr. Bernadette Hughes Mandeville Diocese, Attorney Sylvie Compper Cayenne J&P Commission, Attorney Maureen Tjon Jaw Chong, Suriname J&P Commission;

Bishop Neil Tiedemann Mandeville, Jamaica, Deacon Mike James General Secretary AEC, Msgr Michael Stewart Rector St John Vianney Seminary, Attorney Gino Persaud Guyana J&P Commission.

AEC Justice Seminar highlights key regional issues in light of Pope's latest Encyclical

by Mike James

“Let’s keep together.” These were the parting words of Bishop Emmanuel Lafont, Diocese of Cayenne, French Guiana and Chair of the AEC J&P Commission, to the 19 participants who attended the AEC Justice & Peace Seminar at St John Vianney Seminary on 12 and 13 September.

Inter alia, the Seminar provided a wonderful opportunity for fellowship/solidarity/strengthening relationships across the region. Representatives from French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago considered:

• the main issues arising out of Pope Benedict XVI’s 3rd Encyclical, Charity in Truth; and the challenges and opportunities of applying the Encyclical in the context of our various Dioceses/in the region;
• the role of the AEC in promoting and supporting Diocesan J&P Commissions;
• the ways in which Diocesan J&P Commissions can better address priority issues – including a concern to promote the integrity of creation – environmental/ecological issues;
• Strategies for strengthening the AEC J&P Commission.

Bishop Lafont provided an overview of the Encyclical and Msgr. Jason Gordon and Leela Ramdeen, Chair of the Catholic Commission on Social Justice of Trinidad and Tobago presented papers focusing on the applications and challenges of the Encyclical for us in T&T and on the Methodology and Structure of a J&P Commission – using CCSJ as an example. Analyses on the Human rights Challenges in Jamaica and Guyana were presented by Fr. Peter McIssac S.J. and Attorney Gino Persaud while reports were also received from the other territories represented.

General Secretary of the Caribbean Conference of Churches Gerard Granado’s participation in the Seminar helped focus attention on regional issues as well as on ways of strengthening ecumenical response and inter-faith relations even as justice and peace issues are addressed.

All Commission representatives agreed to make the workshop content the subject of study in their own Commissions and the Trinidad and Tobago representatives agreed to organize a Seminar in October to plan how to address the 6 main challenges identified at the Seminar – in light of the Encyclical and T&T Synod Resolutions

At the end of the Seminar it was agreed that in order to contextualise the Encyclical within the Caribbean context, reflections on the following themes will be submitted to Bishop Lamont by March 2010 for consideration by the AEC Bishops at their Annual Plenary Meeting in April 2010:

T&T: Climate change – taking into consideration issues arising affecting the region addressed at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, 7 – 18 Dec. 2009;
Jamaica: Racism
Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana: Youth and the challenges they face in the midst of unemployment, HIV/AIDS, crime and violence and racial divisions;

Caribbean Conference of Churches: Economic arrangements impacting on integral human development in the Caribbean e.g. addressing concerns about the sustainable development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean, in light of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union.

It is to be noted that although specific dioceses have been allocated areas of responsibility above, each diocese, including those that were not represented, will be invited to submit reflections on each of the 4 areas by March 2010. It was also agreed that all dioceses be encouraged to establish active Justice and Peace Commission to assist the Church to respond to the very pressing issues facing the region, and especially those on which the Encyclical urges priority response

A report of the presentations and the discussions that took place over the 2 days will be produced and circulated to the 20 Catholic Dioceses across the region.

It was agreed that all representatives will work in their organizations to study and reflect on the implications of this Encyclical for individuals, communities and territories. A particularly useful precis of the encyclical was noted as available on line at www.coc.org and the US Bishops also have a useful study guide on the Encyclical at www.usccb.org/jphd/caritasinveritate/

The meeting agreed with the assessment study guide assessment that Charity in Truth “provides helpful guidance for finding answers to the social, economic and moral questions of the contemporary world in a search for truth…it is a call to see the relationship between human and environmental ecologies and to link charity and truth in the pursuit of justice, the common good, and authentic human development. In doing so, the Pope points out the responsibilities and limitations of government and the private market, challenges traditional ideologies of right and left, and calls all men and women to think and act anew.”

In a world that is becoming more and more secular and in which individualism and moral relativism is rampant, the Pope’s words are pertinent: “Without God man neither knows which way to go, nor even understands who he is.”

Participants ended the Seminar full of hope, encouraged by Pope Benedict XVI's reminder that “the current crisis obliges us to re-plan our journey, to set ourselves new rules and to discover new forms of commitment, to build on positive experiences and to reject negative ones. The crisis thus becomes an opportunity for discernment, in which to shape a new vision for the future.”

DI BINTIKUATER DJADUMINGU SIKLO B

Promé Lektura : Isaias 50, 5-9a
Salmo : Salmo 116, 1-9
Di dos Lektura : Hakobo 2, 14-18
Evangelio : Marko 8, 27-35


E pasashi aki ta aparesé den e Evangelio di Marko, despues di a konta di hopi milager i palabranan sabí di Hesus. E ora ei ya Hesus a multipliká pan, ela kana riba awa, a resusitá e yu muhé di Jairo, a laga doktornan di lei i fariseonan keda ketu, a kura e esnan siegu i surdu; tur kos tabata sali Hesus bon! Tabata opvio ku tur e susesonan aki tabata spièrta den e apòstel- i hendenan ku tabata kana ku Hesus un espektativa di liberashon, di salbashon. I ta p'esei nan tabata puntra nan mes , ken esun ei ta ku ta realisá tur e milagernan ei ?

Den e pasashi aki Hesus ke aklará na nan kiko ke men siguiE.
Pa esaki ta importante e situashon inisial ku e Evangelio ta trese. “Riba kaminda Ela hasi nan e pregunta aki”. Hendenan tabata sigui Hesus i E tabata ke ta sigur ku nan lo tabata sa tras di ken nan tabata kanando, ken nan tabata siguiendo. Sentro di e pasashi aki ta den e aklarashon ku Hesus ta hasi di e palabra Mesias. Mesias no tabata nifiká poder, violensia, i dominio. Todo lo kontrali, Hesus ta kibra ku e strukturanan di violensia ku tabata hasi asina tantu daño na su pueblo i ta mustra otro manera di ta Mesias. Hesus tabatin ku sufri, muri pa e ora ei por biba den plenitut, resusitá. Esaki tabata e Bon Notisia di su Reino! No e interkambio di poder (entre Romano i Hudiunan), sino e abolishon di poder di esun riba e otro komo kaminda di realisashon di hende.

Ta p'esei Hesus ke aklará na nan: esun ku ke siguiE, mester renunsiá e set di poder i di vengansa, e mester pone un banda tur deseo di imponé su mes riba otro; e kristian (siguidó di Kristu) tin ku hisa su krus, ke men, brasa su realidat i kana den solidaridat, den karidat i pordon. Kiko Hesus ta primintí nos ora nos hasi esaki? Definitivamente ku no ta gloria di mundu, sino si gloria di Dios.

Den kuantu struktura di poder nos ta envolví! For di mucha nos ke ta grandi p'asina nan no manda riba nos; di soltero, kasá p'asina nan no bisa mi kiko mi tin ku hasi ku mi pareha; di hóben nos ke ta “liber” p'asina nan laga nos pa pas; i kasá nos no ke pa nos pareha bisa nos kon nos tin ku stim’é. Ora toka nos biba algun momento difísil pa motibu di malesa, di finansa òf amor, nos ta sufri pasobra nos no tin poder pa kambia e situashon.

Ta parse ku no semper nos ta komprondé nos papel komo kristian: nos salbashon ta den duna na kada ken “poder” di disidí i pa biba. Tal manera Kristu a bisa na e dòktòrnan di lei i e fariseonan, maske esaki lo a nifiká su morto. Nos no mester asumí krusnan di otro p'asina nos karga ku tur; esun ku ke sigui Señor, hisa su krus, esun di dje mes, esun ku realidat ta presentá na dje i asina ei lo e ta siguiendo Hesus. Laga nos habri nos kurason pa amor, laga nos purba risibí di otro loke nan ke duna nos i no loke nos ke ranka di nan ku chantahe i inklusive violensia (físiko òf moral).

Awe nos tur sa ku Hesus ta e Mesias, e Kristu, esun Ungí, e Yu di Dios, Nos Salbador. Pero kua Mesias nos ta kere ku E ta?

Ta sugerí pa nos duna nos mes oportunidat pa risibí di otro loke nan ke duna nos , pa akseptá realidat i asumí su goso i tambe su sufrimentu; pa stima manera Kristu a stima nos.

Vatican Letter on Catholic Education

Zenit.org

"Religious Education in Schools Fits Into the Evangelizing Mission of the Church"

Here is the letter the Congregation for Catholic Education sent to the presidents of the bishops' conferences on the topic of religious education in schools. The letter was published on September 8th 2009.

* * *

Your Eminence/Excellency,

The nature and role of religious education in schools has become the object of debate. In some cases, it is now the object of new civil regulations, which tend to replace religious education with teaching about the religious phenomenon in a multi-denominational sense, or about religious ethics and culture – even in a way that contrasts with the choices and educational aims that parents and the Church intend for the formation of young people.

Therefore, by means of this Circular Letter addressed to the Presidents of Bishops’ Conferences, this Congregation for Catholic Education deems it necessary to recall some principles that are rooted in Church teaching, as clarification and instruction about the role of schools in the Catholic formation of young people, about the nature and identity of the Catholic school, about religious education in schools, and about the freedom of choice of school and confessional religious education.

I. The role of schools in the Catholic formation of new generations

1. Education today is a complex task, which is made more difficult by rapid social, economic, and cultural changes. Its specific mission remains the integral formation of the human person. Children and young people must be guaranteed the possibility of developing harmoniously their own physical, moral, intellectual and spiritual gifts, and they must also be helped to develop their sense of responsibility, learn the correct use of freedom, and participate actively in social life (cf. c. 795 Code of Canon Law [CIC]; c. 629 Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches [CCEO]). A form of education that ignores or marginalizes the moral and religious dimension of the person is a hindrance to full education, because “children and young people have a right to be motivated to appraise moral values with a right conscience, to embrace them with a personal adherence, together with a deeper knowledge and love of God.” That is why the Second Vatican Council asked and recommended “all those who hold a position of public authority or who are in charge of education to see to it that youth is never deprived of this sacred right” (Declaration Gravissimum educationis [GE ],1).

2. Such education requires the contribution of many agents of education. Parents, having given life to their children, are their primary and principal educators (cf. GE 3; John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris consortio [FC], 22 November 1981, 36; c. 793 CIC; c. 627 CCEO). For that reason, it is the responsibility of Catholic parents to look after the Christian education of their children (c. 226 CIC; c. 627 CCEO). In this primary task, parents need the subsidiary help of civil society and other institutions. Indeed, “the family is the primary, but not the only and exclusive educating community” (FC 40; cfr GE 3).

3. “Among all educational instruments the school has a special importance” (GE 5), as it is “the principal assistance to parents in fulfilling the function of education” (c. 796 §1 CIC), particularly in order to favour the transmission of culture and education for co-existence. In this educational setting – and in conformity with international legislation and human rights – “the right of parents to choose an education in conformity with their religious faith must be absolutely guaranteed” (FC 40). Catholic parents “are to entrust their children to those schools which provide a Catholic education” (c. 798 CIC) and, when this is not possible, they must provide for their Catholic education in other ways (cf. ibidem).

4. The Second Vatican Council “reminds parents of the duty that is theirs to arrange and even demand” for their children to be able to receive a moral and religious education “and advance in their Christian formation to a degree that is abreast of their development in secular subjects. Therefore the Church esteems highly those civil authorities and societies which, bearing in mind the pluralism of contemporary society and respecting religious freedom, assist families so that the education of their children can be imparted in all schools according to the individual moral and religious principles of the families” (GE 7).

To sum up:

- Education today is a complex, vast, and urgent task. This complexity today risks making us lose what is essential, that is, the formation of the human person in its totality, particularly as regards the religious and spiritual dimension.

- Although the work of educating is accomplished by different agents, it is parents who are primarily responsible for education.

- This responsibility is exercised also in the right to choose the school that guarantees an education in accordance with one’s own religious and moral principles.

II. Nature and identity of the Catholic school: the right to a Catholic education for families and pupils. Subsidiarity and educational collaboration

5. The Catholic school plays a particular role in education and formation. Many communities and religious congregations have distinguished themselves, and commendably continue to devote themselves to the service of primary and secondary education. Yet the whole Christian community, and particularly the diocesan Ordinary, bear the responsibility “of arranging everything so that all the faithful have a Catholic education” (c. 794 §2 CIC) and, more precisely, of having “schools which offer an education imbued with a Christian spirit” (c. 802 CIC; cfr c. 635 CCEO).

6. Catholic schools are characterized by the institutional link they keep with the Church hierarchy, which guarantees that the instruction and education be grounded in the principles of the Catholic faith and imparted by teachers of right doctrine and probity of life (cf. c. 803 CIC; cc. 632 e 639 CCEO). In these educational centers – which are open to all who share and respect their educational goals – the atmosphere must be permeated by the evangelical spirit of freedom and charity, which fosters the harmonious development of each one’s personality. In this setting, human culture as a whole is harmonized with the message of salvation, so that the pupils gradually acquire a knowledge of the world, life and humanity that is be enlightened by the Gospel (cf. GE 8; c. 634 §1 CCEO).

7. In this way, the right of families and pupils to an authentic Catholic education is ensured and, at the same time, the cultural aims – as well as those of human and academic formation of young people – that are characteristic of any school, are fulfilled (cf. c. 634 §3 CCEO; c. 806 §2 CIC).

8. Aware of how difficult this is today, it is to be hoped that the school and the family will be in harmony as regards the process of education and as regards the individual’s formation. This will avoid tensions or rifts in the goals of education. Hence, close and active collaboration among parents, teachers and school authorities is needed. In this regards, it is appropriate to encourage means of parents’ participation in school life: associations, meetings, etc. (cf. c. 796 §2 CIC; c. 639 CCEO).

9. The freedom of parents, associations, and intermediate institutions – as well as the Church hierarchy itself – to promote schools of Catholic identity, constitutes an exercise of the principle of subsidiarity. This principle excludes any “kind of school monopoly, for this is opposed to the native rights of the human person, to the development and spread of culture, to the peaceful association of citizens and to the pluralism that exists today in ever so many societies” (GE 6).

To sum up:

- The Catholic school is truly an ecclesial subject because of its teaching activity, in which faith, culture, and life unite in harmony.

- It is open to all who want to share its educational goal inspired by Christian principles.

- The Catholic school is an expression of the ecclesial community, and its Catholicity is guaranteed by the competent authorities (Ordinary of the place).

- It ensures Catholic parents’ freedom of choice and it is an expression of school pluralism.

- The principle of subsidiarity regulates collaboration between the family and the various institutions deputised to educate.

III. Religious education in schools

a) Nature and aims

10. A concept of the human person being open to the transcendent necessarily includes the element of religious education in schools: it is an aspect of the right to education (cf. c. 799 CIC). Without religious education, pupils would be deprived of an essential element of their formation and personal development, which helps them attain a vital harmony between faith and culture. Moral formation and religious education also foster the development of personal and social responsibility and the other civic virtues; they represent, therefore, am important contribution to the common good of society.

11. In a pluralistic society, the right to religious freedom requires both the assurance of the presence of religious education in schools and the guarantee that such education be in accordance with parents’ convictions. The Second Vatican Council reminds us: “Parents have the right to determine, in accordance with their own religious beliefs, the kind of religious education that their children are to receive […].The right of parents are violated, if their children are forced to attend lessons or instructions which are not in agreement with their religious beliefs, or if a single system of education, from which all religious formation is excluded, is imposed upon all” (Declaration Dignitatis humanae [DH] 5; cf. c. 799 CIC; Holy See, Charter of the rights of the family, 24 November 1983, art. 5, c-d). This statement finds confirmation in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (art. 26) and in many other declarations and conventions of the international community.

12. The marginalization of religious education in schools is equivalent to assuming – at least in practice – an ideological position that can lead pupils into error or do them a disservice. Moreover, if religious education is limited to a presentation of the different religions, in a comparative and “neutral” way, it creates confusion or generates religious relativism or indifferentism. In this respect, Pope John Paul II explained: “The question of Catholic education includes […] religious education in the more general milieu of school, whether it be Catholic or State-run. The families of believers have the right to such education; they must have the guarantee that the State school – precisely because it is open to all – not only will not put their children’s faith in peril, but will rather complete their integral formation with appropriate religious education. This principle must be included within the concept of religious freedom and of the truly democratic State, which as such – that is, in obedience to its deepest and truest nature – puts itself at the service of the citizens, of all citizens, in respect for their rights and their religious convictions” (Speech to the Cardinals and collaborators of the Roman Curia, 28 June 1984, unofficial translation).

13. Based on what has been said, it is clear that teaching the Catholic religion has its own specific nature vis-à-vis other school subjects. In fact, as the Second Vatican Council explains, “Government therefore ought indeed to take account of the religious life of the citizenry and show it favor, since the function of government is to make provision for the common welfare. However, it would clearly transgress the limits set to its power, were it to presume to command or inhibit acts that are religious” (DH 3). For these reasons, it is for the Church to establish the authentic contents of Catholic religious education in schools. This guarantees, for both parents and the pupils themselves, that the education presented as Catholic is indeed authentic.

14. The Church identifies this task as its own, ratione materiae, and claims it for its own competence, regardless of the nature of the school (State-run or non-State-run, Catholic or non-Catholic) in which such teaching is given. Therefore, “The Catholic religious instruction and education which are imparted in any schools whatsoever are subject to the authority of the Church […]. It is for the conference of bishops to issue general norms about this field of action and for the diocesan bishop to regulate and watch over it” (c. 804 §1 CIC; cf. also, c. 636 CCEO).

b) Religious education in Catholic schools

15. Religious education in Catholic schools identifies the educational goals of such schools. In fact, “the special character of the Catholic school, the underlying reason for it, the reason why Catholic parents should prefer it, is precisely the quality of the religious instruction integrated into the education of the pupils” (John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi tradendae, 16 October 1979, 69).

16. In Catholic schools, as everywhere else, the religious freedom of non-Catholic pupils must be respected. This clearly does not affect the right/duty of the Church “in [its] public teaching and witness to [its] faith, whether by the spoken or by the written word”, taking into account that “in spreading religious faith and in introducing religious practices everyone ought at all times to refrain from any manner of action which might seem to carry a hint of coercion or of a kind of persuasion that would be dishonorable or unworthy” (DH 4).

c) Catholic religious education from the point of view of culture, and its relationship with catechesis

17. Religious education in schools fits into the evangelizing mission of the Church. It is different from, and complementary to, parish catechesis and other activities such as family Christian education or initiatives of ongoing formation of the faithful. Apart from the different settings in which these are imparted, the aims that they pursue are also different: catechesis aims at fostering personal adherence to Christ and the development of Christian life in its different aspects (cf. Congregation for the Clergy, General Directory for Catechesis [DGC], 15 August 1997, nn. 80-87), whereas religious education in schools gives the pupils knowledge about Christianity’s identity and Christian life. Moreover, Pope Benedict XVI, speaking to religion teachers, pointed out the need “to enlarge the area of our rationality, to reopen it to the larger questions of the truth and the good, to link theology, philosophy and science between them in full respect for the methods proper to them and for their reciprocal autonomy, but also in the awareness of the intrinsic unity that holds them together. The religious dimension is in fact intrinsic to culture. It contributes to the overall formation of the person and makes it possible to transform knowledge into wisdom of life.” Catholic religious education contributes to that goal, in which “school and society are enriched with true laboratories of culture and humanity in which, by deciphering the significant contribution of Christianity, the person is equipped to discover goodness and to grow in responsibility, to seek comparisons and to refine his or her critical sense, to draw from the gifts of the past to understand the present better and to be able to plan wisely for the future” (Address to the Catholic religion teachers, 25 April 2009).

18. The specific nature of this education does not cause it to fall short of its proper nature as a school discipline. On the contrary, maintaining this status is a condition of its effectiveness: “It is necessary, therefore, that religious instruction in schools appear as a scholastic discipline with the same systematic demands and the same rigour as other disciplines. It must present the Christian message and the Christian event with the same seriousness and the same depth with which other disciplines present their knowledge. It should not be an accessory alongside of these disciplines, but rather it should engage in a necessary inter-disciplinary dialogue” (DGC 73).

To sum up:

- Religious nature is the foundation and guarantee of the presence of religious education in the scholastic public sphere.

- Its cultural condition is a vision of the human person being open to the transcendent.

- Religious education in Catholic schools is an inalienable characteristic of their educational goal.

- Religious education is different from, and complementary to, catechesis, as it is school education that does not require the assent of faith, but conveys knowledge on the identity of Christianity and Christian life. Moreover, it enriches the Church and humanity with areas for growth, of both culture and humanity.

IV. Educational freedom, religious freedom, and Catholic education

19. In short, the right of parents and pupils to education and religious freedom are concretely exercised through:

a) freedom of choice of school. “Parents who have the primary and inalienable right and duty to educate their children must enjoy true liberty in their choice of schools. Consequently, the public power, which has the obligation to protect and defend the rights of citizens, must see to it, in its concern for distributive justice, that public subsidies are paid out in such a way that parents are truly free to choose according to their conscience the schools they want for their children” (GE 6; cf. DH 5; c. 797 CIC; c. 627 §3 CCEO).

b) The freedom to receive confessional religious education in schools, integrating one’s own religious tradition into the school’s cultural and academic formation. “The Christian faithful are to strive so that in civil society the laws which regulate the formation of youth also provide for their religious and moral education in the schools themselves, according to the conscience of the parents” (c. 799 CIC; cf. GE 7, DH 5). In fact, the Catholic religious instruction and education which are imparted in any school are subject to the authority of the Church (cf. c. 804 §1 CIC; c. 636 CCEO).

20. The Church is aware that in many places, now as in earlier periods, religious freedom is not fully in force; both in law and in practice (cf. DH 13). In these circumstances, the Church does her best to offer the faithful the formation they need (cf. GE 7; c. 798 CIC; c. 637 CCEO). At the same time, in keeping with her mission (cf. Vatican Council II, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 76), she never stops denouncing the injustice that takes place when Catholic pupils and their families are deprived of their educational rights and their educational freedom is affected. She urges all the faithful to commit themselves so that those rights may become effective (cf. c. 799 CIC).

This Congregation for Catholic Education is certain that the above-mentioned principles can contribute to finding ever greater consonance between the educational task , which is an essential part of the mission of the Church and the aspiration of Nations to develop a society that is fair and respectful of each person’s dignity.

For her part, the Church, exercising the diakonia of truth in the midst of humanity, offers to each generation the revelation of God from which it can learn the ultimate truth about life and the end of history. This is not an easy task in a secularized world, characterized by the fragmentation of knowledge and moral confusion. It involves the whole Christian community and constitutes a challenge for educators. We are sustained, in any case, by the certainty that – as Pope Benedict XVI affirms – “the noble goals of [...] education, founded on the unity of truth and in service of the person and the community, become an especially powerful instrument of hope” (Address to Catholic educators, 17 April 2008).

We request Your Eminence/Excellency to make the content of this Circular Letter known to all those concerned with the educational service and mission of the Church. We now thank you for your kind attention and, in communion of prayer with Mary, Mother and Teacher of educators, we take the opportunity to express our sentiments of highest esteem, consideration and respect, remaining

Yours in the Lord,

Zenon Card. GROCHOLEWSKI, Prefect

+Jean-Louis BRUGUÈS, O.P., Secretary

Wanted: Permanent Deacons for Frontline Ministries

By Mike James


In the Acts of the Apostles 6 it is recounted that as the disciples of Jesus increased in numbers, the Greek speaking converts began to express concern that the widows in their community were not receiving sufficient attention from the Apostles in the daily distribution of food to the poor which was one of the service priorities of the early church. Acts 6:2 records that the twelve Apostles called together the community of disciples and told them, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, choose among yourselves seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and Wisdom whom we will appoint to this duty. Meanwhile we Apostles will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word”. The seven were duly appointed and the apostles laid their hands on them and commissioned them. The first group of Deacons included Stephen, the first Christian Martyr. But the time St Paul’s first letter to Timothy he would set out their duties and qualifications , “Deacon must be serious, not double tongued, not addicted to much wine not greedy for gain; they must hold the mystery of faith with a clear conscience” (I Tim 3:8).


Given their role in the church it is not surprising that they were called deacons which is derived comes from the Greek diaconia, meaning servant or service.


Last week CELAM, the Episcopal Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean sponsored a meeting in Panama of representatives from Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean on the Permanent Diaconate of the Roman Catholic Church in the Region. The office of Permanent Deacon which was gradually phased of in the Roman Catholic Church by the 11th Century was restored by II Vatican Council. Representatives from some of the countries represented reported that since 1969, the number of permanent deacons ordained and serving the Church has increased quite steadily. Bishop Luis Felipe Gallardo, Bishop of Vera Cruz, and Head of the Mexican Episcopal Commission on Priestly Vocations and Ministry and the Permanent Diaconate, reported that there are now 709 deacons serving in Mexico. In the Dominican Republic there are 511 deacons and in Puerto Rico 456 deacons, serving in all the dioceses in that country, while in Cuba there are 72 deacons


It was also reported at the meeting that the country with the largest number of Permanent Deacons is the US with some 14,000 deacons, followed by Italy and Germany with about 3,000 deacons each.


On the other hand there are many dioceses in the region which have not reintroduced the permanent diaconate and even within countries there is a significant fluctuation. Bishop Gallardo reported that while there are 380 deacons in the diocese of Chiapas, a large rural mountainous with a large majority of indigenous people, some 47 of the country’s 85 dioceses have no deacons.


In the AEC Antilles region, there are 88 permanent deacons serving and 70 in training, with Jamaica accounting for the largest numbers 27 deacons. 24 are now completing in training in Trinidad. One the other hand 7 of the 23 dioceses in the AEC do not have diaconate programmes.


In the review of the different ministries being undertaken by permanent deacons across the region, all the country reports noted that in addition to liturgical and service of the Word functions, most deacons are heavily involved in services to the wider community in areas such as chaplaincies to prisons, development agency work, social services, education and work with remote rural communities as well as in marginalized urban areas.


Representatives strongly endorsed the stress placed on the priorities for diaconal service at the last General Assembly of CELAM in Aparecida. The Conference had noted that Deacons “are ordained to serve the Word, charity, and the liturgy, especially for the sacraments of Baptism and Matrimony; also to aid in the formation of new ecclesial communities, especially in geographical and cultural frontline areas, where the Church’s evangelizing activity ordinarily does not reach.” (Aparecida Document Art 205)


The meeting addressed priority inputs for a Continental meeting of CELAM scheduled for 2011 in Brazil. Representatives urged that the Continental Meeting place high priority of training and commissioning deacons to work in “frontier ministries” especially with indigenous and other marginalized groups who have little or only sporadic contact with the church. They also recommended that the Church in the Continent give greater publicity and recognition to the need to foster vocations to the permanent deacons as well as to the priesthood and religious life. In welcoming a message from Cardinal Claudio Hummes, Prefect of the Vatican Congregation of the Clergy to all permanent deacons encouraging them in their vocation, representatives also recommended that consideration be given to making the Topic of the Permanent diaconate the subject of one of the periodic Synods of Bishops in Rome.

Statement by Archbishop Pinder on Marital Rape Legislation in the Bahamas

Beloved in Christ:

(Statement on the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2009)


Consultation and dialog are essential aspects of the formation of public policy in a vibrant democracy. As a dialog partner in the current public conversation regarding the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2009 (commonly referred to as the “marital rape ban”), I offer this contribution on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church.

From Genesis through the writings of St. Paul, it is evident in Sacred Scripture that God created man and woman in such a way that through their bodies it would be self-evident that they are called to love and give themselves to one another in the gift of Marriage.

Love generating life is the fundamental description we have for God who created us and redeems us. The reality (mystery) of God’s love for us is made present in a unique way in Marriage. This is at the basis of our Catholic understanding of Marriage as a Sacrament. This is the essential insight of Ephesians chapter 5 where Marriage is placed in the context of life redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There we are told: “He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, because we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” (Ephesians 5:28b-31) By its nature, then, marriage is an intimate union of life and love.

The nuptial blessing found in the Rite of Marriage puts it in these memorable words. “Father, you have made the union of man and wife so holy a mystery that it symbolizes the marriage of Christ and his Church. Father, by your plan man and woman are united, and married life has been established as the one blessing that was not forfeited by original sin or washed away in the flood.”

Marital life, of which conjugal love is an essential aspect, must reflect the reality of this intimate union of life and love. This love is to be above all fully human, that is to say, a compound of sense and spirit, reflecting each party’s free gift of self to the other. It is also to be an act of free will, whose trust is meant not only to survive but to grow. This love of spouses for each other is to reflect, totally, a personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything. In Marriage man and woman become husband and wife and they love each other not only for what one can give the other but each loves the other for his or her own sake. This means each respecting the unique dignity of the other as a human being and as an equal partner before the Lord.

The radical equality between man and woman in Marriage is made manifest in the Genesis story of creation. It describes the relationship between the first man and woman as the originating model of Marriage: “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.’” (Genesis 2:18) In response the man states, “This one at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh….” (Genesis 2:23) This response expresses the profound equality and intimacy between the man and the woman as intended by God. In other words woman and man exist in a partnership where one partner completes the other partner. The relationship is one of complementarily and not ownership. No person can be the possession of another. Human dignity does not allow this. The legacy of slavery and its abolition has surely taught us this lesson.

It is from this perspective that the Catholic Church in The Bahamas addresses the proposed legislation amending the Sexual Offenses Act. When an individual is forced to engage in sexual activity against his or her will then the perpetrator does violence to the dignity and value of the human person created in the image and likeness of God.

When forced sexual activity takes place within the context of Marriage, the biblical understanding of Marriage is distorted and the relationship between husband and wife is ruptured. Such sexual activity is not conjugal love and is rightly seen as a crime against the dignity of the human person.

It must be clearly understood that rape is never an act of love nor is it ever an act of intimacy. It is always an act of violence against the person. Like any act of violence, be it physical, verbal or otherwise, rape has no place in the communion of life and love which is Marriage properly understood.

In our tradition of moral thought rape holds a place of unique disdain as an act of violence which is never allowed or permitted or justified or rationalized under any circumstance whatsoever. In our Bahamian community today we need to become much less accommodating of violence in our domestic and social transactions.

Clearly this proposed amendment is not without its difficulties relative to the application of the law. When husband and wife share a common home, it is reasonable to presume that they engage in sexual activity. Under the circumstances it may be very difficult, in some cases, to prove that such sexual activity was achieved without the consent of the wife. Such cases make the application of the law difficult.

Therefore every effort must be made to ensure that this law serves its purpose well. In particular care must be taken to protect against false accusations of rape within marriage so as to safeguard the presumption of innocence which is a fundamental right of all persons.

Toward this end it may indeed be necessary to amend section 6 of the Act to provide that no prosecution may be commenced against a person accused of marital rape without the consent of the Attorney General.

To the extent that the proposed legislation seeks to address the unfortunate reality of marital rape and in the measure that it seeks to preserve the dignity of every person and to safeguard Marriage as a covenant of life and love between a man and a woman, the Catholic Church offers its prayerful support.

May God bless our efforts to seek Wisdom, Truth, Justice and Peace. May God bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Devotedly yours in Christ,


August 27, 2009

Most Reverend Patrick C. Pinder
Archbishop of Nassau

Cardinal Hummes writes to the Church's Deacons

My Dear Permanent Deacons:

The Church discovers more and more the richness of the permanent diaconate. Whenever Bishops come to the Congregation for the Clergy, on the occasion of their ad limina visits, the theme of the diaconate, among others, is often commented upon and the prelates are generally very much pleased and full of hope in regard to you, Permanent Deacons. This fills all of us with joy. The Church thanks you and recognizes your dedication to your qualified ministerial work. At the same time, the Church would like to encourage you on the way of personal sanctification, in your prayer lives and in the spirituality of the diaconate. To you one can equally apply what the Pope has said to priests, for the Year for Priests, that is that it is necessary “to work in favor of this pull of priests toward spiritual perfection, upon which, above all, depends the efficacy of their ministry.” (discourse of March 16, 2009).

Today, on this feast of St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr, I would like to invite you to reflect upon two areas, your ministry of the Word, and your ministry of Charity.
We recall with gratitude the Synod on the Word of God, celebrated in October of last year. We, ordained ministers, have received from the Lord, through the mediation of the Church, the task of preaching the Word of God to the ends of the earth, announcing the person of Jesus Christ, who has died and risen, His Word and His Kingdom, to every creature. This Word, as the final Message of the Synod affirms, has one voice which is His, Revelation, has one will which is His, Jesus Christ, and one Way which is His, Missionary Activity. To know Revelation, to adhere unconditionally to Jesus Christ as a fascinated and enamored disciple, to base oneself always upon Jesus Christ and to be with Him in our Mission, this is then what awaits a permanent deacon, decisively and without any reservation. From a good disciple a good missionary is born.
The ministry of the Word which, in a special way for Deacons, has as its great model St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, requires of ordained ministers a constant struggle to study it and carry it out, at the same time as one proclaims it to others. Meditation, following the style of lectio divina, that is, prayerful reading, is one well traveled and much counseled way to understand and live the Word of God, and make it ones own. At the same time, intellectual, theological and pastoral formation is a challenge which endures throughout life. A qualified and up to date ministry of the Word very much depends upon this in depth formation.
We are awaiting, in the proximate future, a document of the Holy Father regarding the Synod which we have referred to. This must be welcomed with an openness of heart and with profound commitment to study it

The second reflection regards the ministry of Charity, taking as a great model St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr. The diaconate has its roots in the early Church’s efforts to organize charitable works. At Rome, in the third century, during a period of great persecution of Christians, the extraordinary figure of St. Lawrence appears. He was archdeacon of Pope Sixtus II, and his trustee for the administration of the goods of the community. Our well beloved Pope Benedict XVI says regarding St. Lawrence: “His solicitude for the poor, his generous service which he rendered to the Church of Rome in the area of relief and of charity, his fidelity to the Pope, from him he was thrust forward to the point of wanting to undergo the supreme test of martyrdom and the heroic witness of his blood, rendered only a few days later. These are universally recognized facts.” (Homily Basilica of St. Lawrence, November 30, 2008). From St. Lawrence we also take note of the affirmation “the riches of the Church are the poor.” He assisted the poor with great generosity. He is thus an ever more present example to permanent deacons. We must love the poor in a preferential way, as did Jesus Christ; to be united with them, to work towards constructing a just, fraternal and peaceful society. The recent encyclical letter of Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), should be our updated guide. In this encyclical the Holy Father affirms as a fundamental principle “Charity is the royal road of the social doctrine of the Church” (n. 2). Deacons must identify themselves in a very special way with charity. The poor are part of your daily ambiance, and the object of your untiring concern. One could not understand a Deacon who did not personally involve himself in charity and solidarity toward the poor, who again today are multiplying in number.
My dear Permanent Deacons, may God bless you with all his love and make you happy in your vocation and mission! With respect and admiration, I greet the wives and children of those of you who are married. The Church thanks you for the support and multifaceted collaboration which you give to your respective spouses and fathers in their diaconal ministry. In addition, the Year for Priests invites us to manifest our appreciation for our dear priests, and to pray for them and with them.

Vatican City, Feast of St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr, August 10, 2009

Claudio Cardinal Hummes
Archbishop Emeritus of Sao Paulo
Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy

DI BINTITRES DJADUMINGU SIKLO B

Promé Lektura : Isaias 35, 4-7a
Salmo : Salmo 146, 7, -9a, 9bc-10
Di dos Lektura : Hakobo 2, 1-5
Evangelio : Marko 7, 31-37

Ki mágiko e akshonnan aki di Hesus ta parse nos! Hinka dede den orea, tochi lenga ku skupi. Definitivamente ku esakinan no ta práktika mashá komun pa nos; ta dikon Hesus ta hasié asina?
E promé palabranan di evangelio ta konta nos ku Hesus tabata pasa dor di Decápolis, área no hudiu. E konteksto pagano aki ta permití nos mira kon Hesus tabata hasi uso di mesun señalnan ku e kuranderonan tabata usa, pero El a duna nan un sentido kompletamente distinto. Pa e pagano, kura tabata muestra di poder ku e kurandero tabatin riba su dios p'asina e hasi loke e tabata ke; sin embargo, Hesus na momentu di kura ke hasi presente e Amor di Dios, su Tata, riba hendenan i no tantu su poder riba Dios. Ta p'esei E ta hisa kara na shelu i suspirá, pasobra E sa ku e Spiritu ku kua E tabata kura tabata di Dios, i ku su poder no tabata nada otro ku un signo di algu muchu mas trasendental, kier men, e tabata signo di poder di Dios ku tabata kumpliendo su promesa hasí ya for di profetanan, manera nos ta skucha den e promé lektura, di hasi su mes presente lagando esnan muda papia i e surdunan tende. Ta p'esei ora Hesus ta hasi uso di e signonan aki, E ke papia ku e paganonan den mesun lenguahe pero no pa e hasi su mes manera nan, sino pa for di einan, elevá nan na un fe muchu mas profundo i trasendental, fe den Dios Tata.

E akshon aki di permití nan skucha i papia, ta un anunsio kla na paganonan (destinatarionan di e Evangelio di Marko) ku tabata skucha e Evangelio, esta pa nan mes tambe tabata proklamá e Evangelio pa nan skucha i pa nan a bai anunsi’é.

Den e Evangelio aki ta resaltá e preokupashon di Hesus pa hende, pasobra e ser humano ta biba i biba den plenitut. Hesus sa di pone “prewisionan” ritual un banda i ta aserká e paganonan pa hiba nan tambe na salbashon. Awe lo parse ku nos a hasi eksaktamente lo kontrali buskando den nos strukturanan eksterno un “hustifikashon” pa nos falta di union.

SPLIKASHON:

Ta bèrdat ku esun divorsiá ku a bolbe kasa no por aserká pa tuma komunion, pero esaki no ta nifiká ku e no por aserká Kristu, mediante su orashon, su bida kristian i su obranan di mizerikòrdia; si Dios no ta rechas’é, dikon nos ta mark’é i rechas’é? Esnan ku ta biba den forma miserabel riba kaya, e prostituta, esnan ku malesa aids, dikon nos ta alehá nos mes di nan manera ta trata di “leproso”, pagano kende tin ku rechasá i mantené alehá di nos misanan di manera ku e ambiente ta keda puru.

Na nivel mas komun, mayoria di nos ta kombibí ku hende ku, maske nan ta bisa di ta batisá i kristian, di ningun manera ta biba nan fe: òf pasobra nan no a hinka esaki den nan for di chikí, òf pasobra no ta kombensí, òf a aserk’ é únikamente pasobra e kos ta den dje, òf simplemente pasobra ta kumbini’é. Den kada un di nan tin un surdu i muda manera esun di den e Evangelio. I nos, kiko nos ta hasi pa habri nan oido? Pero no aserkando nos mes ku aktitut di kondená, sino, tal manera Hesus a hasi, habriendo nos mes pa kultura di e otro, aserkando nos mes na dje, i pidiendo Dios pa sea E kende lo lag'é tende i papia.

Pero pa realisá esaki, promé nos mes tin ku siña skucha i papia. Awe nos kristiannan ta biba, den mayoria, manera hende ku ta surdu i muda; ta parse ku nos ta biba ku nos orea blòkiá pa e Palabra di Dios, òf únikamente nos ta lag'é drenta t’e kaminda e no ta inkómodo pa nos. Nos ta skucha ku Hesus a sirbi esnan mas desabilitá, a biba pa nan i a biba ku nan; i en kambio nos ta preferá di no skucha e parti aki i nos ta buska un religion mashá personal kaminda únikamente Dios i ami ta pas. Nos ta skucha ku Dios ta papia ku nos di pordoná i ser solidario, pero nos ta preferá pone esaki un banda i skucha únikamente ku Dios ta pordoná nos i ta biba huntu ku nos.

E siman aki, ban kita e tapanan aki for di nos orea, esunnan ku no ta permití nos skucha esun den nesesidat, ni sirbi esun ku mester di nos. Laga nos mantené e orashon aki hinter siman: “Señor, no laga nos ta surdu pa bo bos”.