".....fanning the flames of the Holy Spirit."
Mission Ministry Medical Mission, Jan. 25
January 31, 2009
Mission Day is about People….Caring…….Serving…..and LOVE.
MARAMING SALAMAT PO !!!!!
(click link for more photos.)
http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l84/cruznvw/jan09mission/
SJRM Recollection
January 17, 2009
Resource Person: Fr Jimmy Allen (Discalced Carmelite Friar)
Sponsored by: Healing and Intercessory Ministry
Theme: The Way of Friendship: PRAYER
“The synthesis and fullness of friendship with God are reached when we follow or imitate Christ, when our will is in union with His. This is the essence of the love of friendship. Prayer occupies a privileged place in this path of imitation. On one hand, prayer is the spiritual nourishment bringing vitality and perseverance to our imitation. On the other hand, prayer itself is an outstanding way to imitate Christ. In praying we imitate the most essential aspect of His personality; his intimate union with the Father. Our prayer becomes incorporated into Christ’s prayer and it makes us share in his own intimacy and friendship with the Father. This is why prayer is the path to friendship.”
Mariage Enrichment Weekend
January 29, 2009
Where are we Ten Months Later?
Joey and Arnee Villa - ME25 (from the Journey)
Our families then wondered why we are attending a marriage enrichment weekend. Were we having marital problems? Was our relationship on rocky ground? Actually, we also questioned the relevance of our attending the Marriage enrichment Weekend. It’s one weekend away from our daughter. Will this really benefit us?
Looking back, just before the ME Weekend, we didn’t think our marriage was in any sort of trouble but something was out of sync. We knew we love each other but our petty fights were starting to get to our nerves ( as they were becoming more often ) and flaring anger seems pretty much order of the day. The daily pressures of life, it seems, was taking it’s toll.
The ME weekend gave us some time to have a good look at where we are, and a wonderful journey back in time to when we walked down the aisle and said our “I dos”. But the best thing that came out of the weekend was re-discovering God. We were out of sync because we were losing sight of what mattered most - God’s handy works in our marriage!
Ten months down, we still have our petty fights, but they are few and far between because we now make a joint effort to address them and not let them escalate. By acknowledging God and His handy works in our lives, we are able to let go of stress, worry, and anger, which usually eat usup inside. We still struggle with our individual spiritual ity and spiritual maturity but now the journey is lighter because we have learned to pray together as a couple and call on God for enlightenment. We also remind ourselves of our love for each other and how important it is to keep the flame alive.
Today we are very thankful that we joined the ME weekend because we did not only re-discovered God in our daily lives and rekindle our love for each other, but we also found a new family with our Caring Circle and the SJRM community. How wonderful it is to belong to the Catholic Church and be welcomed with knowing smiles and warm embraces, to be amongst brothers and sisters as we celebrate the Eucharist, to find meaningful works as a family in Christ and recognize how lucky we are to have an extended family to our daughter Sofia.
Ten months down the track, God’s handy works are more evident in our daily lives as He leads us on our wonderful journey of coming back to him.
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The upcoming Marriage Enrichment Weekend Number 26, will be held this coming February 13-15, 2009, at the BLD Covenant House.
It’s a wonderful opportunity to share the love of Jesus and to give others a chance to experience all the blessings that we ourselves have received from the ME and from being part of the renewal.
The fee for the weekend is P3,500 per couple, inclusive of board and lodging and all meals. Please contact Cindy and Martin Fernandez, 09175290009, Eric and Ivy Amante, 09173268121 or Renewal Office, 8076001 for more details.
by: Martin and Cindy Fernandez (from the Journey)
Joining the Marriage Enrichment 22 was the beginning of the new life for us. The magic of ME began when we realized that we care about each other enough to invest a weekend of one on one time totally focused on one another. We valued each other enough to invest in our relationship and a chance to make it better.
The second magical discovery came during the weekend , as we realized that there are struggles and challenges, as expected of every marriage, some heavier than others, but WE ARE NOT ALONE. We became aware of a third important member of our marriage, one that we tend to relegate to the background, instead of giving Him His proper place, at the center of everything. God will journey with us through every stage of our life as a couple and as a family, and that is enough to know that we can and will make it.
But the real magic of ME comes after the weekend, as we journey on, not just a couple anymore, but a couple armed with ; 1) God at the steering wheel, driving tthe car, and 2) a new family, our ME FAMILY ; a family that supports and loves us through our new life, and helps us grow spiritually. A family that listens without judging, a family that we can enjoy good times with, a family who will be there to embrace and comfort us during bad times.
Yes, its been almost five years since our ME weekend, five years of new and wonderful memories formed with our faith family, with more to come. As we now shepherd our own ME class, ME25, our family has grown, and we are blessed to witness the miracles that happen when God is at the center of a marriage.
New Way of Being Church in Asia
1. Evangelization in Asia
1.1. Harvesting in Asia
A recent article by Michael Jaffarian, who had worked on the second edition of the World Christian Encyclopedia, is both revealing as well as instructive. Commenting on an extensive and comprehensive research covering all the 283 countries in the world, Jaffarian points out that in the year 2000, the majority of the Christian population, 58%, were in the “Third World” (Asia, Africa, and Latin America). He further comments: “As a percentage of the global population, Christianity declined in the twentieth century, from 34.5% of the world in 1900 to 33.0% in 2000″. This, decline, however, is due more to the “slight decline in North America, even slighter decline in Latin America, but more serious decline in Europe”. On the other hand, Africa and Asia saw amazing growth during this same period. For example, “Asia grew from 2.3% Christian in 1900 to 8.5% Christian in 2000″ while “Europe began the twentieth century 94.5% Christian and ended it 76.8% Christian”.
The statistics are instructive in that it helps one to understand why there is a concerted effort by all quarters to step-up missionary and evangelization efforts in the Third Worlds, particularly Asia. The Evangelization 2000 project by the charismatic wing of the Catholic Church, which had sought the conversion of Asia to Christianity as the greatest birthday gift to Christ, was one such venture. The hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Rome, too, have their eyes set on Asia. For example, when Pope John Paul II went to New Delhi in November 1999 to proclaim the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia, he made a comment about wishing and hoping that in the third millennium a great harvest of faith would be reaped in the vast continent of Asia.
The comment, of course, angered not only many of the local Hindus and persons of other religions, but many Catholics as well. The former felt the Church looked upon them as no more than objects for conversion while the latter felt Rome did not understand what it meant to be Christian in multireligious societies. To be sure, such proclamations by the Head of the Church can give rise to tragic consequences which are in the main borne by the local Christian community. For instance, shortly after the Pope’s visit, a very prominent Indian journalist-politician, Arun Shourie, pointed out that the Pope’s statement is proof that the Catholic Church’s ultimate goal is to convert Asia to Christianity. Because the Church is out to destroy the Hindu and other religions, they ought to be stopped, if not annihilated altogether. Hence, violence against Christian missionaries and churches is subtly justified as simply in defense of one’s religion. Shourie even brought out a book entitled, Harvesting Our Souls, in which he lays bare some of the imprudent missionary strategies employed by the Church.
1.2. The Church in Asia
Ironically, the event which resulted in the publication of the document Ecclesia in Asia, namely, the Asian Synod, was like a “coming-out” experience for the Church in Asia. For, it was this event which saw, for the first time, the Asian bishops entering into deep discussions with the Roman curia on what it means to be Church in Asia. Specifically, the Asian Synod saw the explicit and open dialogue or debate between the bishops of Asia and the bishops of the Vatican on critical issues such as interreligious dialogue, mission, and evangelization. In a way it was the Asian Synod which opened up for discussions the various ways in which the Asian Church sees itself in relation with the other religions as well as the Church’s understandings of its mission in Asia.
More appropriately named the “Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Asia” the Asian Synod, which was held from 18 April to 14 May 1998, was convoked by Pope John Paul II for the Church to welcome the Third Millennium of Christianity. As a preparation for the Synod, a Lineamenta, which was a kind of “outline” on the theme of the Synod, was drafted and sent to all the Episcopal Conferences of Asia with the instructions that it be studied and responded to. It was precisely in these responses to the Lineamenta which saw the beginnings of the debate, dialogue and tension between the Asian Church and curial officials of Rome. In particular, the curial officials, who were responsible for the agenda of the Synod, were insistent that the Church has to embark on a new campaign of evangelization in Asia. Evangelization, in their view, simply meant the proclamation of Jesus as the one and only savior in view of his being accepted by Asians, resulting in their conversion to Christianity and baptism into the Church. The Asian bishops, however, had another vision of what evangelization means in Asia. Specifically, they insist that evangelization has to be through the witness of life and works on behalf of humanity. More importantly, the other religions are looked upon as partners in this mission of evangelization rather than competitors or enemies to be conquered. In particular, the bishops of Asia suggest that the methods of evangelization used of old is today found to be not only irrelevant but oppressive as well. Hence, they advocate that dialogue be the principal means of the new evangelization which the Church in Asia is embarking on. In view of the significance of this vision, the rest of the paper will look at how it was articulated openly for the first time by the Asian pastoral magisterium in their dialogue with the Roman pastoral magisterium. In particular, the paper will look at its articulation by the Episcopal Conferences in their responses to the Lineamenta and then also at its articulation by individual bishops at the Asian Synod itself.
2. The Episcopal Conferences speak
In responding to the Lineamenta, especially to the way it depicts evangelization and the mission of the Church, the many Episcopal Conferences decided it would be important to look at the very fundamental meaning of being Church in Asia in the context of its colonial history. This, they continued, had to also involve a shift in understandings of how theology is being done in the context of Asia’s multiculturality and multireligiosity. A look at these issues is in order now.
2.1. On The Church in Asia
One of the main points raised by the bishops of Asia is that any discussion of the history of evangelization in Asia ought to take note not only of the “accomplishments” of Western missionaries, but also of its negative aspects. The Indian bishops urged the Synod to be reminded that “among the liabilities is Christianity’s link with colonial oppressors… [in that] along with the spread of Christianity by so many missionaries — clerics, religious and lay — also inevitably came behavior that was repugnant to basic rights and religious sensibilities. As a result, still today the image projected by some Christians seems definitely foreign both to Gospel teaching and Indian culture… We Christians in India recall especially the colonial period, when some of those professing to be disciples of Jesus were intolerant and unjust towards followers of other religious traditions. There were also certainly harsh apologetics, offensive propaganda, and a disregard for the cultural values and beliefs of those who followed other religions besides Christianity”.
The Taiwanese bishops shared similar sentiments, for in their response, they said: “The Church in Asia, especially in China, in the past gave the impression that her activities bore colonial features and were too Westernized”. Along similar lines, the bishops of the Philippines suggested that even as the Church in Asia is already “de-colonized”, it continues to be very much “foreign in relation to Asia’s other religions”. To be sure, “the Church has not ‘theologized’ on its own and is generally Westernized, particularly ‘Romanized,’ in its theological reflection”.
The bishops of Vietnam, however, while appreciating the Christian missionary activities of the past four centuries, also reminded that “well before that date, from time immemorial, three great religions — Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism — had flourished in this land together with many popular beliefs deeply rooted in the soul of the Vietnamese people”. Because the “ways and customs, civilization and humanity had been formed and made firm by all that was connected to these beliefs… the proclamation of the Good News to the Vietnamese people inevitably provoked hurts — even to the point of incompatibility — between the traditional and the new, between what was considered of the very essence of the Vietnamese soul and what passed as a mere foreign import”.
Hence, the Asian bishops insist that any reflection on evangelization in post-colonial Asia has to take note of these Asian and historical realities.
2.2. On Evangelization in Asia
In view of such realities it would be expected then that when discussing mission and evangelization in Asia, the Asian bishops have a peculiarly different approach from that which the Roman curia takes. While for the Vatican, evangelization begins with the proclamation of Jesus as the one and only savior, emphasizing his uniqueness and culminating in the call to conversion and the establishment of churches, for the Asian bishops, evangelization begins with relationship-building and the witness of life, emphasizing the servanthood of Christ, and culminating in the building of God’s Kingdom. In this regard, the Indian bishops had this to say:
“At the very start we want to stress what Christ’s mission means to us. Essentially it is nurturing life-unto-fullness and proclaiming this ever new life-in-Christ by words and deeds of loving service…. To us, proclamation begins with an evangelizing presence. It consists essentially in being who we are in Christ, individually and as a community, which exists not for itself but for others. We are a community who do not seek to conquer but to serve. Following the lead of Our Lord’s own approach to the Asian people of his time, we believe that the first requisite of mission is to enter people’s lives and to become one with them. We believe that the Spirit is recalling for us this most fundamental truth of evangelization and proclamation: mission begins and proceeds according to the pattern of Christ’s incarnation. It has meaning and relevance as it addresses the concrete realities of life in a spirit of faith. It attains its completion by a process of self-emptying (Lk 9:23-26)”.
The Japanese bishops pointed out that in the Lineamenta, “the word ‘Proclamation’ is stressed and used over and over again”, whereas “not enough attention is given to the necessity of ‘Dialogue’”. They then reminded that “in the context of evangelization in Asia, ‘compassion with the suffering’ has been identified time after time at the General Assemblies of the FABC as a most important element. [Hence,] in missionary work among those of other religions, what is more important than convincing words is the attitude of standing by the side of the weak and powerless and showing them compassion”. Along similar lines, the bishops of Thailand suggested that “Asian people are satisfied with their own religion, and feel that they are able to lead their personal and social life in a proper and peaceful way. They consider their traditional beliefs and religion as part of their society and country. They consider other religions as foreign. [Thus,] if we want to reach the hearts of Asian people, these are the ways: Evangelization must be a witness showing clearly that the teaching of Christ brings goodness and peace to the people, to a level they could not imagine. Evangelization must establish good relationships with other religions through respect and acceptance of each other’s values. Evangelization must recognize the traditions of other religions as friends or even relatives living together. Evangelization must participate in human and social development to reach and teach the goodness of supernatural life, as well as of natural life”.
In this regards, the Vietnamese bishops suggest that “the Church of Vietnam believes it must rethink its ways of evangelizing in Asia” as “this continent is not virgin or fallow soil on which one can sow any kind of seed. [To be sure,] it is a land of very ancient religions and civilizations when compared to Europe”.
2.3. On The New Way of Being Church in Asia
Following from their views on evangelization, the Asian bishops then deferred to the methodology established by the FABC as to how this evangelization ought to be conducted. Specifically, many referred to the FABC’s position which states that “evangelization is linked with the triple dialogue: dialogue with the poor, dialogue with the religions, and dialogue with the cultures”. The dialogue with cultures takes place through the process of inculturation for the purpose of establishing local churches, the dialogue with the religions is often called interreligious dialogue, and the dialogue with the poor is in view of facilitating integral liberation for all and especially the poor and marginalized. These three ministries are mutually involving components of the evangelizing mission of the Church and constitute what has come to be referred to as the New Way of Being Church in Asia.
In this regard, the bishops of Indonesia suggest that evangelization “has to take full account of whatever good and true is found in other religions, and to proceed according to Christian principles of authentic inculturation. [Moreover] sincere Christian dialogue appreciates values of the Kingdom wherever they are found, and provides room for indigenous Christians to make use of their religious traditions in order to express those values in ways familiar to them”. The bishops of Laos depict this dialogue thus: “Christians live in a Buddhist environment, coming together for ceremonies, rites, burials, marriages, village feast. They share the same concerns in the great moments of life, follow the same program on the great feasts, join together in the construction of Buddhist shrines”. Such sharing could also be opportunities for learning, as advocated by the Taiwanese bishops, who said: “The Catholic Church can also learn from other religions their hospitality, openness and mild and humble attitude in dialogues”. These sentiments were confirmed by the bishops of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, who asserted: “The Church can, like the Asian religions, learn to be more open, receptive, sensitive, tolerant and forgiving in the midst of plurality of religions”. The Korean bishops also agreed with this but further added that besides the opportunity to gain and learn from the other religions, whatever new understandings we have of the other religions can assist the Church in the process of inculturation: “We have to study and re-evaluate the meaning and role of the great traditional religions in Korea. They too play a part in the salvific economy of God. This understanding is essential for the inculturation of the Gospel. Ignorance of these religions and their culture, and a sense of superiority and exclusivism in religion should be eradicated”.
In focusing on the theme of dialogue and integral liberation, the bishops of the Philippines remarked: “Christians must become Christ-like, do mission in dialogue and not in any sense of superiority and triumphalism but in true incarnation of Jesus Christ in the cultures of Asia, in mutual enrichment, in human promotion, in the struggle for justice and peace, in the promotion of the Kingdom of God”. To this, the Indian bishops added: “The Church has been given the special task of continuing the mission of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. The Church can do this only in collaboration with peoples of good faith. The Church needs to cooperate with these other believers and nonbelievers in the task of the Kingdom: to establish God’s reign by promoting freedom, fellowship and justice in the world.” Over and above this, the bishops continued, the “Indian Christian Community is now being called to an ecclesial conversion: to be a Church of the Poor…. and to take a much stronger and more prophetic stand on behalf of India’s hundreds of millions of poor, irrespective of their religions”.
2.4. On Asian Contextual Theology
In order for this New Way of Being Church to take roots, the Asian bishops realized that there has to be significant transformations in our traditional Western-based theological understandings, so that they be “replaced by what is truly Asian, as Asian theologians learn more about their cultures, their thought patterns and world views”. On this matter, the Japanese bishops commented that “the theology which the Lineamenta is based is the theology of the Christian West, and appears to the eyes of non-Christians as overly self-complacent and introverted”. The bishops of Vietnam clarified this by suggesting that “Western, and especially Scholastic theology, is not adapted to the religions of Asia, because it is too rational… [whereas,] for the Asians, one cannot analyze the truth nor explain the mystery. [Instead,] there is a preference for silence over words”. To this, the bishops of Japan added: “In the Lineamenta a great deal is made, as in traditional scholastic theology, of ‘distinctions’ and ‘difference’. However, in the tradition of the Far East, it is characteristic to search for creative harmony rather than distinctions”. The Vietnamese bishops then suggested that “the Church of today should accept pluralism in matters of theology. If there is a theological way of thinking and speaking which is proper to the West, there should also be one proper to Asia, at least directed to Asia, and only Asian Christians know how to effect it.”
Thus, “an Asian Theology… is based not on a Christ whom we only grasp in our minds, but who speaks to us in our hearts through his living presence and activity”, remarks the bishops of Japan. In other words, if “Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life… in Asia, before stressing that Jesus Christ is the TRUTH, we must search much more deeply into how he is the WAY and the LIFE”. In this regard, the Indian bishops added: “A deficiency of our present Christology is that it sometimes uses exclusive language, which deals with only one part of the great mystery of Christ – as though valid for all times and places. For example, we here consider the Lineamenta’s phrase, ‘Jesus Christ… the one and only Saviour’. In union with the Father and the Spirit, Christ is indeed the Source and Cause of Salvation for all peoples; but this fact does not exclude the possibility of God mysteriously employing other cooperating channels”. The bishops of India then postulates what they believe is an Indian and perhaps also an Asian contextual approach to understanding Jesus:
“The Indian Christological approach seeks to avoid negative and exclusivistic expressions. Christ is a Sacrament, a definite Symbol, of God’s salvation for the entire humanity. This is what the salvific uniqueness and universality of Christ means in the Indian context. That, however, does not mean there cannot be other symbols, valid in their own ways, which the Christian sees as related to the definitive Symbol, Jesus Christ. The implication of all this is that for hundreds of millions of our fellow human beings, salvation is seen as being channelled to them not in spite of but through and in their various socio-cultural and religious traditions. We cannot, then, deny a priori a salvific role for these non-Christian religions. In summary, our language strives to be inclusive and holistic as far as possible”.
3. The Bishops speak
Aside from the above responses made by the Episcopal Conferences in the name of all the bishops, individual bishops also had the opportunity to articulate their vision during the Asian Synod itself. The following sections will look at some of these articulations, especially on the Asian bishops’ understanding of the notion of the “triple dialogue” in the context of the New Way of Being Church in Asia.
3.1. Dialogue with Asia’s Cultures
The first delegate to speak at the Asian Synod was Archbishop Leo Jun Ikenaga of Osaka, Japan. Speaking on evangelization in Asia, he said, rather pointedly: “The faith has never flowered, baptisms are few and the message of the Gospel has not really sunk into Asian society. Why is this? What can we do about it?” Ikenaga then suggested that unlike Buddhism, which was also a foreign religion introduced to Japan and yet managed to flourish within 50 years, Christianity has not because of the different cultural mindsets between Europe and East Asia. These comments were confirmed by his compatriot Bishop Berard Oshikawa of Naha, Japan. In particular, Oshikawa pointed out that the norm for Christian life until today continues to be that of the Western Church. While this is good for Churches in the West, it has been detrimental to the process of evangelization for the Churches in the East. He then urged that the “principle of graduality” be used in the Roman curia’s relationships with Churches of Asia. By this Oshikawa suggests that the Holy See allows space and freedom for the local Churches to evangelize in such a way that the peoples of Asia grow into Christ gradually, taking into account their religious context which emphasizes the WAY rather than the TRUTH. Another Japanese, Bishop Augustinus Jun-ichi Nomura, of Nagoya, advocated that perhaps the answer lies in a better integration of faith and life, so as to facilitate a more fruitful harmony of soul, heart and body. This, he said, relies on the fact that in Asia, the “eyes” have a more central role to play than the “ears.” In other words, in evangelization, it is the witness of life which is more important than the preaching of doctrines. The Gospel, if embodied in lives of Christians, carries more credibility and power than a “Gospel that has been wrapped up in beautiful words, teachings or moral injunctions”.
Cardinal Peter Shirayanagi, also of Japan, then, suggested that “dialogue” is the only pro-active response to this gridlock. He went on to elaborate this by referring to a passage from Felix Wilfred’s foreword to the collection of FABC documents:
“Foreignness is one thing which characterizes all the local churches in Asia. The main reason why Christianity has been viewed as alien is because the local Churches in the countries of Asia have, by and large, kept themselves aloof from the mainstream of the life of the people, their history, struggle and dreams. They have failed to identify themselves with the people. It is against this background that we should understand and appreciate the orientation of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC). If we were to summarize the orientation of the FABC in one word, it is DIALOGUE”.
To this, Archbishop Leonardo Legaspi of Caceres, the Philippines, added that this dialogue, in an attempt to inculturate the faith, calls for “Pauline creativity and courage”, for it could lead the Churches in Asia to explore dormant areas of ecclesial life. These initiatives, Legaspi asserted, should not only be allowed but even actively promoted. The Archbishop suggested that the Spirit might be leading the Church to a new pluralism of theologies, ecclesial praxis and laws — a pluralism that would strengthen the spirit of communion and usher in a richer dialogue based on pastoral insights rather than legalistic imperatives.
3.2. Dialogue with Asia’s Religions
This new pluralism could not be felt more anywhere than in the dialogue with the religions. Inherent in this dialogue is the acknowledgment, as posited by Archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil of Verapoly, India, that the many religions of Asia – Christianity being just one of them — are all Asia’s contribution to humanity. Thus, the dialogue of the various religious experiences of peoples living in Asia can only serve to reveal the fullness of God’s action in the world. Bishop Anicetus Sinaga of Sibolga, Indonesia, saw this dialogue as not only an attempt to journey in brotherhood with peoples of other religions, but as also an occasion to “liberate” the Churches in Asia from their “colonial imprinting”, so as to facilitate “the harmonious coming back home of Christianity to Asia”.
Bishop Patrick D’Souza of Varanasi, India, urged that it is Asian Christians who must be engaged in dialogue since they are the ones privileged to witness the “deep religious piety” of their brothers and sisters of other faiths. Evangelization, therefore, has to “build on this heritage” of the other religions as it is very much part of the religious and cultural ethos of the peoples of Asia. While acknowledging that some Church officials may be worried about the dangers of eclecticism in dialogue, D’Souza exclaims: “But the opposite is worse.” Christians must never forget their own heritage of having been descendants of persons of other religions, which is God’s gift to us in history. Sharing from his own personal experience of working with his Buddhist friends, Bishop Bunluen Mansap of Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, asserted that at times it is his Buddhist friends who are “evangelizing us” through their simplicity of life, openness, humane relationships and their unassuming ways in dealing with others. Conversely, Mansap said, his Buddhist friends also admire the Church for her commitment to society and especially in the Church’s “Spirituality in Social Action.” But, at the same time, they are “scandalized by our triumphalistic attitude, our absolutism and arrogance”. Many of them perceive Christians as acting as if they “possess the whole truth,” Mansap shared, with regret.
This last point was also reaffirmed by Bishop Vianney Fernando of Kandy, Sri Lanka, who shared that even as the Church was admired for her many health-care and educational endeavors, she continues to be viewed with suspicion. This is in part because of the fact that our churches and institutions project an image that often “reflect triumphalism” as well as “affluence and power”. Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo of Semarang, Indonesia, then pointed out that in Asia, people believe what they see. In other words, the image of the Church is as much a content of preaching than any catechetical instructions. Relationship-building, therefore, is an even far better mode of evangelization than preaching. Suharyo thus called for greater attention to be paid to the “dialogue of life,” where we discover what the Spirit of God has been doing in the peoples of other religions.
3.3. Dialogue with Asia’s Poor
These last comments about the image of the Church point to the importance of the dialogue with the poor. Bishop Mansap, for instance, also pointed out that because of the Church’s magnanimous institutions, she is often perceived as siding with the rich, and of preserving the status quo. The challenge therefore is for the Church to make a shift so that there is an explicit move to be in the service of “the poorest of the poor”, Mansap insisted. In this regard, a number of bishops acknowledged that the witness of Mother Teresa of Calcutta supersedes all other efforts of evangelization in Asia. Archbishop Henry D’Souza, of Calcutta, India, was the first to speak on this and reminded that it is in the “preferential option for the poor”, actions on behalf of justice and peace, and solidarity with those whose basic human dignity are lost, that the Church’s evangelizing mission is most appreciated. His comments were ratified by Bishop Ignatius Pinto of Shimoga, India, who posited that in Mother Teresa, the compassion and love of Jesus for the poor is communicated. She, her Sisters and their co-workers “communicate the Gospel more by witness and deeds than by mere words”.
The Archbishop of Changanacherry, India, Mar Joseph Powathil, took these comments a little further and reminded that the majority of the world’s poor reside in Asia. Thus, the Church cannot be “deaf and dumb” in the midst of this Asian reality. Instead, she has to embrace the grief and sorrow of the poor and the afflicted as her very own grief and sorrow. Powathil then reminded that the fundamental mission of the Church is spelt out in Lk. 4:18-19, where she is anointed to preach the good news to the poor, to liberate captives and give sight to the blind. Among the priorities of the many poor ought to be the 100 million indigenous and tribal peoples, says Archbishop Telesphore Toppo of Ranchi, India. These are often the most marginalized, disadvantaged and disregarded people, and are also often exploited or abused. Himself a member of a tribal community, Toppo urged the Church to acknowledge the presence of this community, appreciate their cultures and heritage as well as speak up in defense of their basic rights and dignity. Archbishop Pascal Topno of Bhopal, India, expressed similar sentiments and challenged the Church to raise her voice and side with these tribals who are often the worst victims of national development, in particular those development programs “which do not give primacy to human beings especially the poor and the powerless”.
Taking these concerns to a wider perspective, Bishop Carlos Belo of East Timor, — co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the defense of his people amidst the carnage brought upon by the incursion of the Indonesian military — urged the Church to make it her mission to protect human rights in whatever sphere it may be violated. But, Belo was quick to qualify that by saying that if she is to be an effective human rights’ champion, the Church has to take a “hard look at the manner and degree in which fundamental rights are observed and applied within her own organization”. In essence, Belo’s call was, on the one hand, for the Church to be at the forefront of human promotion, and on the other, that the Church be seen as a witness to this human promotion. It is in this witness and deed that the success or failure of the evangelizing mission of the Church ought to be measured against.
4. Conclusion
The preceding discussions no doubt reveal that there is a difference in approach between the Mother Church in Rome and the local Church in Asia on the meaning and essence of evangelization. These differences inevitably spill over to the Church’s priorities and especially her understandings of the role in which other religions play in this evangelizing mission. Thus, the ongoing dialogue and tension between Rome and Asia, made explicit at the Asian Synod, is also about how to be Church in Asia. While the former is concerned with the doctrinal, the latter’s preoccupation is more with the pastoral. Thus, while the Vatican speaks of the “new evangelization” in terms of the proclamation of Jesus and the conversion of Asia to Christianity, the bishops of Asia are emphatic that evangelization has to progress through the triple dialogue as that’s the New Way of Being Church in Asia.
In essence, this tension is not so much about the “who” or “why” of mission but about the “how” or “when” it ought to take place. To be sure, the Asian bishops are in total agreement that Jesus Christ has to be proclaimed, but they believe that this proclamation has to be through deeds and witness of life, rather than through words and doctrinal formulations. Hence, theirs is not so much a concern over orthodoxy as is over orthopraxis. In a way, the struggle or tension between the pastoral magisterium of Asia’s Church and the universal magisterium of the curial officials could also be looked upon as a tension between tradition and experience. The Vatican stresses adherence to the tradition of the Church, while the bishops of Asia stress an adaptation to their lived experience of Asia’s religious pluralism.
While remaining faithful to the Church’s tradition, the Church in Asia has opted to place priority on the triple dialogue in her evangelizing mission. For, only through such a dialogue will the Church discover what it means to be truly Christian as well as truly Asian. In a way, this dialogue will enable the Church to be baptised in the Jordan of Asia’s religiousness as well as to pass through the Calvary of Asia’s poor. Only then will the Church be truly inculturated and, thus, be able to walk the Emmaus of the Asian cultural matrix as one of her very own. Such is the task of the new evangelization for the Church in Asia.
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The Holy Spirit
November 11, 2008
The Holy Spirit is the bridge to God within you. It is the part of your mind—the part of your Spirit—that is joined with the Mind of God. The Holy Spirit is the Voice for God and acts as a reminder to all of God’s children of the unconditional love that God has for them.
God loves His children so much that He wanted His children to always know that they are safe, they are loved, and they are whole. God created the Holy Spirit as a way to ensure that God’s children would always know these things. God gave this Voice to His children, and this Voice is now a part of them. It is the eternal perspective of Truth, Love, and Reality that cannot be taken from God’s children. It is the Voice of God instilled within and the ever‑present reminder to God’s children of the Truth of Who and What they are and the Love their Father has for them.
By creating the Holy Spirit, God provided a way to bring His Voice into each of His children as they went out into the world so that they could always remember the Truth of Who and What they are. The Holy Spirit’s function and purpose is to bring God’s Voice to each of God’s children, guiding them, directing them, loving them, and restoring their thinking to God’s.
Little by little, as you hear, recognize, understand, and become aware of the Holy Spirit in different ways—through your thinking, correcting a thought with this Voice, recognizing this Voice in another, sharing this Voice with a friend, and so on— the Holy Spirit is brought into the world and given to each of God’s children. This Voice is recognized in each of God’s children and used as a reminder for God’s children of the Truth so that they can overcome the world.
The Holy Spirit was given to each of God’s Children by God, put within each one, and is now a part of them. It is not to think that the Holy Spirit is separate from you, is really only a part of God, or will one day be separate, because in Truth, the Holy Spirit is a part of you. It has now been blended and melted into you. That is why it is important to recognize this Voice of God in everyone you meet because It is part of them as well.
The Holy Spirit is within each of God’s children and cannot be extracted. It is there as a constant Resource, Companion, and speaker of Truth no matter what you think you have done, what you think you are doing, or what you think you might do. This Voice for Love within you holds no judgments, never condemns, and only remembers your true Perfection. In that is the impossibility of sin or anything related to it.
It is not possible for the Holy Spirit to judge you in any way because this part of God can only see the Truth of who you are and not who you think you are. God’s Voice is within your mind and is ever available to you to restore your thinking to Truth. In any moment you decide that you do not want to participate in the belief of separation—if you decide you want peace, if you decide you want to remember Who you are and What you are— the Holy Spirit is there within you waiting to join with you in Truth. It has been within you since your first step into the world and offers you an alternative to pain and suffering, to fear and loathing, to vengeance and death. This Voice for Love within you offers you Peace, Oneness, Truth, and everlasting Life.
The Gifts of hearing the Holy Spirit
Even though God’s children live in the world and have forgotten their Oneness with God, there is still an inkling left within each child that causes them to have a tiny bit of the memory that they are One with God. Even with all of the thoughts and beliefs that they have acquired that have caused them to think that they are unworthy, God isn’t real, they are fine on their own, or other beliefs that keep them from remembering fully—despite all of that—there is still a glimmering within them that they are One with God. Somewhere deep down, they remember that God is their true Creator and Source Whom they yearn to return Home to.
The words, the perspective, and the love that comes through the Holy Spirit are a reassurance and a promise for that restoration to one day be complete. You are the only one keeping you from it. You are already perfect, worthy, and fully and completely loved by God; you just have to eventually remember that. Whether you remember in this instant, or this instant, or this instant, it doesn’t matter. In each instant that you can remember, you are born. You are born in Reality, not the world.
Truly one gains everything by hearing God because there is no Reality in the world. When one hears the Holy Spirit, they are in Reality for that moment. When one hears the Holy Spirit, they experience validation or proof of what they have always known somewhere in the back of their mind, no matter how buried that knowing may be beneath the accumulated thoughts and beliefs that say otherwise. Hearing God proves to the little spark of hope that was there all along that there is more to life than this.
It is so easy to live in the world, to attempt to succeed and excel in school, to succeed and excel in work, and to make the perfect family, home, and lifestyle. “Lifestyle” here means the right place to live, the right home, furnishings, car, clothing, vacations, or entertainment system. One goes about continuing to accomplish, attain, succeed, and excel in all of these worldly ways until they die. And so many people walk around in the world saying, “Isn’t there more to life than this?”
This is just a game that one plays for fun, for learning, and for different experiences. This is not reality. When one can hear God, they can step out of the need to strive, excel, and succeed, and instead seek peace and love in their hearts, in their minds, in their lives, in their relationships, and in the world so that the life they are living is an expression of God and a remembering of the Oneness that you are with God. This allows you to live a life that has meaning in so many of the moments, encounters, and experiences rather than in the things.
It is not that one must sit and worship God in a church, a God that looks like this and thinks like that. When one talks about false idols, they are talking about the belief that striving to own the perfect entertainment system is more important than striving toward expressing kindness toward their family. Many people put much more energy and resources into creating the perfect entertainment system than they do into showing their family that they love them. Some think they are showing their family that they love them by buying them the right entertainment system. When one has learned that joy or happiness comes from a screen and they experience love when they watch a story on that screen, then it makes sense that the perfect entertainment system is a wonderful way to love one’s family.
Ultimately, what each one seeks from the bottom of their hearts is God’s Love, true Love, the remembrance of their Oneness, the remembrance that God is everything, God is good, and they are within God always, safe and sound, loved and cherished, accepted and understood just as they are. To sit with God with this perspective is so much more fulfilling and rewarding than anything that is on the screen.
What does one gain from hearing the Holy Spirit? They gain themselves. They gain God. They gain everything that really is, everything that really matters, and with that, all the peace and comfort that they can experience.
