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”.