The Power of Christianity

Fear and hope drive every human person. This is my basic theory. It is out of fear that the child in his very early age clings to his mother, for he needs to survive. He depends on his mother and surroundings to be nourished but above all to be protected from any predator. The little smile of his mother brings him comfort but he is most comfortable when he knows that he is loved by her. Expand this notion to families, tribes, nations and the world. You will see the same model. Anxiety is at its highest when I know that I am threatened in my survival. The global economic hardship experienced today is a story about humans whose needs for survival are crushed by others who have followed their selfish greed.

And the reverse is true. I am happy when I experience the love of someone else especially if that person is powerful enough to protect me. When I was a child I was protected by this tender love of my mother. I love her because she loved me first. She actually sacrificed for me so much that I still love her even after she passed away. Is this not the most valuable thing in my memory? Let’s move this thought forward. How much is love sufficient? Can someone love me unconditionally like my mother? Of course she loved me because I am her natural offspring. This is the natural phenomenon which neuroscientists keep talking about. Certain hormones in the brain such as oxytocin help the mother bond with her child.

I must love myself. By this I mean that I always need to satisfy my survival needs. Beyond my love of myself, my love of my mother and my father is a response to their enormous sacrifices for my life. This response is manifested in many ways but at least it is manifested in my attitude to trust them, respect them and pray for them. As we grow together (the environment) and as we have many similar traits (genetics), I am open to love my brothers and sisters. One problem is sibling competition which can bring about envy since each one wants to get ahead and possess the greatest good for himself. The Biblical story of Cain and Abel is an example and so is the envy exhibited by Jacob’s sons towards their younger brother Joseph. Many questions have been raised about mimetic violence in family, community, and among nations. The more we have pride and envy the more we want to crush the other. My imitation of my model can turn me into an envious person. See the contemporary writings of René Girard in his Mimetic Theory. Predation is, in a way, the history of all creatures but only humans have enough intelligence to recast this evolution into a cultural development of respect and love.

From another angle too, it has been found by anthropologists that collaboration between men goes back to the cave-man. Reciprocity of goods is stronger than enmity. It develops in trades between tribes until it reaches mutual defence against a common enemy. Survival becomes a collective enterprise. You may wish to read “The Fair Society” by Peter Corning. In spite of violence, Steven Pinker traces evidence of the decrease of violence in the history of Western human societies and others. Altruism which is the self-sacrifice for the benefit of the community is also found not only in humans but other creatures, such as birds, as well. This has been documented in many writings for over 2 decades.

Love is the epitome of values. It is the reason why we miss the people we love. But it also demands self-sacrifice. Love is the highest norm of every true civilization.

What amazes me is the Christ event. Regardless of any culture or religion, Christ showed by action and teaching that love is not only possible towards my people, but also towards the strangers and above all towards my enemies. But Christ pushes the limit to eternity. He loved his disciples, his fellow Jews, the strangers whether in Canaan or Samaria, and his enemies who crucified him and killed him. And the fruit of his love has been the spreading of his good news. The Gospel only tells us a little about Christ, and this is why we attempt to follow those who imitated him: the Church of the apostles, martyrs, and saints. Christianity did not survive only because of emperors embracing it but mainly because many followed Christ and dared to imitate him in building a huge civilization of learning. For we all must learn and continue to learn what he illuminated the world with: Love.

As for hope, it is characteristic of human persons since humans are endowed with unique intelligence and memory. If you can remember who you are, you surely want to live eternally without the minimum suffering. But true hope is more than selfish hope - because if you love others you want them to be with you. Heaven is a state of joy where all lovers and beloved are together. According to the law of non-contradiction, it is impossible to hate whom you love. From a Christian perspective, according to the late Richard John Neuhaus, faith is hope anticipated and hope is faith disposed toward the future.

If, according to the New Testament, God is Love, then God must love another in order to be love in His essence. According to the Biblical revelation, God wills that everyone be saved. He creates out of love and saves out of love. The Trinity can be perceived although never comprehended. According to St. Augustine, God the Father begets His Son eternally in selflessly loving Him. The Son loves the Father too. The bond of this eternal love from the Father to the Son and from the Son to the Father is the Holy Spirit. Modern theologians look to Christology “from below” in order to reference everything from the humanity of Christ. The idea is not flawed since he who is eternally begotten from the Father was born by the power of His Spirit from the Virgin Mary in time. Taken from this direction, if Christ brings humanity to God, it follows that he is God incarnate otherwise he would not have been able to save any human person.

Such is the beauty of Christ and Christianity! Today we need Christ and His Church more than ever!

Thérèse of the Child Jesus - The greatest saint in modern times

"Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19: 14)

If we literally analyse the above statement of Jesus in the Gospel, we conclude that children will be in heaven. This tells us that people who have a child-like trust in God as children do with their parents, will enter heaven, or rather heaven will grow in them.

But what makes Thérèse the greatest saint in modern times? She did not perform any miracle in her life. She did not have the stigmata nor was she able to penetrate other people’s hearts. She was not a prophet, nor a teacher. She did not even see people but was a cloistered nun in a simple convent in Lisieux. We, in fact, would not have known anything about her short life had she not written her autobiography on order from her superior.

She was born in 1873 to two pious parents (who have recently been beatified). She was the 9^th and youngest child of Louis and Zelie-Gerin Martin, therefore, the most spoiled of their children. Her father used to call her affectionately “My queen”. She was walking with him one night and saw the stars making the letter T in the sky. Amazed she told her dad “Look, my name is written in heaven!” Her mother died of breast cancer when she was only 4. Her father had a stroke and died when she was only 15. Thérèse grew in the atmosphere of a religious family: all her sisters, like her, became nuns. This shows the example of the parents in bringing up their children. They respected their children and loved them. They recognized their dignity and joyfully carried them to become what they wanted to be.

Now little Thérèse was very sensitive – after her mother’s death she adopted her sister Pauline as her second mother. Thérèse wanted to be happy. When as a child she was asked to choose one toy from a basket of toys, she grasped them all. She claims to have been miraculously cured from illness when the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary seemed to smile to her. However, her change from “mine” to “yours” came about when she had an inner conversion experience on Christmas eve when she was almost 14 years old.

Her desire to be with Jesus grew and became an exploding love which led her to plead with Pope Leo XIII to enter the Carmelite order at the early age of 15. Approved on an exceptional basis she was admitted. Here started her “little way” - doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way. She wanted to be a saint but saw that she could not imitate the great saints who fought the spiritual wars and “earned” their merits with great deeds. For her, it was enough to do one’s little job but only do it with confidence in God’s merciful love. Thérèse practiced this way to the end. A happy girl, confident in God’s love, finding satisfaction in reading the Bible since she did not understand the great teachers, and doing her daily duties with care, she grew in carrying the cross of Christ. Her doubts of the existence of God and her physical illness did not prevent her from growing in faith, hope and love. She died of tuberculosis at the early age of 24. Her last word was “My God, I love you!”

We know now from history that Pope Benedict XV in 1922 had to break the rule that no cause for sainthood could be considered for at least 50 years after her/his death. She was beatified in 1923 and canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. In 1997, on the occasion of the centenary of her death, Pope John Paul the Great, who himself was one of the most learned popes, made her Doctor (i.e. Teacher) of the Church.

The reason was simple: She was simple. She attracted many people to her “Little Way” to sainthood. When her book was published a few years after her death, it became a phenomenal best seller among ordinary lay people. Her popularity became world-wide with “showers” of miracles and conversions attributed to her intercession. Many churches have been consecrated to her, and at Lisieux where she lived and died, there is a shrine of her.

She has been, and continues to be, one of the most beloved saints in the history of the Church.

How important is this example for us and our world in this post-modern age where the rule is no rule, love is rather the selfish physical desire, and greed is the driver of souls.

Thérèse of Lisieux – Teacher of the World! That is what I think.

The End?

The End is characterized by the Second Coming of Christ. The Gospel tells us in vivid parables that we must remain vigilant. But what does “vigilant” mean? If you are a student you have an incentive to study hard. You spend time sharpening your skills and memory to get the best marks. It is serious for you. This is how important the Second Coming of Christ was to the early Christians. Note that Mark 13 talks about two different events: The first is the destruction of the Temple which took place in 69-70 AD when the Romans, led by Titus, destroyed Jerusalem and killed its inhabitants. The second event is the eschatological coming of Christ “on the clouds” which is more important to us. Writing in “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary” (1991), the Jesuit Biblical scholar Daniel Harrington indicates “The cosmic portents (in reference to “the Sun will be darkened...”) preceding the coming of the Son of Man echo certain Old Testament texts: Isa 13:10; Ezek 32:7; Amos 8:9....” However, the Son of Man here is not the angelic figure described in Daniel 7:13 but “is clearly Jesus” says Harrington. According to Harrington, the Biblical message is an exhortation to confidence and vigilance (Mark 13: 28-37). The definitiveness of Christ’s saying is expressed here “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Jesus speaks the language of Isa 51:6 and 40:8 to underscore the divine authority of his teaching.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Although Arians in the 4^th century, and today’s Mormons argued, based on this text, that Christ did not know the exact time of the end of the world, the early Church was confident of the divinity of Christ to whom Thomas testified “My Lord and My God”. According to Tradition, Christ meant that he was not going to reveal what he knew as the Son of God of the mystery of the end, but only as humans are curious the question may not be answered. This interpretation is in harmony with the Church’s doctrine that Christ was not only God but also fully human. In the 11^th century St. Malachy received the gift of prophecy and is said to have received a vision of the popes from his day to the end of time. According to the documented vision, there remains only one pope after the current Pope Benedict XVI before the end of time (see http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-malachy-omore/)

Meeting Jesus is the most important event that we must prepare for. Confidence in Jesus, as shown in the lives of saints, is the key to this preparation. This is the meaning of the Third Secret of Fatima which many Christians seem to be curious about. This is particularly important in the current crisis of global economic hardship. Preparation requires personal repentance and forgiveness. Christ asks us to love God and love each other as he loved us. Reading the Gospel and praying need to be followed by actions including helping those in need, and by receiving the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist. Confidence in Jesus will move us to thank him for everything he does and allow him to enter in our minds and hearts.

One particular prophecy of Christ intrigues me, although it can safely relate to the persecution of the early Church: “children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.” In my opinion, this prophecy can be applied too to today’s attempts by governments to eliminate old people. When my own mother had her stroke in 1999, she was transferred to the nearest hospital in Brampton. As she was in vegetative state, doctors and nurses in the hospital urged us to authorize them not to resuscitate her if she gets a heart attack. She was 79 when she had her stroke and lived 3 more years in this state. We refused to authorize doctors to pre-emptively kill an innocent person. For the government, she was only a number who occupied a bed. The budget for healthcare medicare is a matter of cost. This is another thing that you must be vigilant about.

In the teaching of the Church, every life is sacred from natural conception to natural death. The tightening of economic spending may force governments to implement such ideas as euthanasia especially because the elderly live longer than years ago. However, as Christians we must oppose such barbaric ideas resurrected from the Nazi’s regime. As Christians we are invited to console the elderly in their loneliness. For love must triumph in the end. While we suffer here we are confident that Christ will wipe out every tear when we hopefully join him in the New Jerusalem of heaven (Cf. Revelation 21: 4). We hope we will be among the elect.

Curé d'Ars - A Spiritual Father

Jean-Baptist Marie Vianney lived in 19th century France. Born a son of a farmer in 1786 near Lyons, he entered the seminary at the age of 20 but had difficulties in his theological studies. He was, however, ordained a priest because his bishop felt it was necessary to have not only knowledgeable priests but holy ones too. His first appointment was to assist the parish priest at Ėcully who appreciated Vianney's assistance until his death in 1817. Vianney was then appointed parish priest of Ars-end-Dombes (a remote small village of about 250 inhabitants). There the curé d’Ars, as he was popularly known, started his active campaign against immodesty. He preached everyday and received confessions of the faithful that was unmatched by any known priest before him. He spent 14 to 17 hours a day in the confessional. His fame spread quickly especially that he was regarded by all as a miracle worker. He was also given the gift of reading people's hearts. People from far away visited him and requested his guidance which forced the atheist government of the Revolution to set up transportation routes to Ars. One story stands out which tells us of his holiness. On entering the church he saw a peasant sitting in front of the Eucharist. Vianney asked him what he was doing and the answer came: I look to him and he looks to me! That was Jesus in the Eucharist who continues to look to every one for a little prayer or at least a look. The great Curé experienced much suffering and diabolical temptations but he never broke his commitment to Christ! He died in 1859 and was canonized in 1925.

Maximilian Kolbe in imitation of Christ

Maximilian Kolbe was a Capuchin priest when he was arrested with other Christian and Jewish Polish people by the Nazi during World War II. He had been publishing devotional material that promote consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary, for when he was a child the Virgin Mary appeared to him in a vision and offered him two crowns a white one (for purity) and a red one for martyrdom. He said he accepted both. During his theological studies at Rome, he observed the vehement demonstrations by Freemasons against the Pope in which they placed the black standard of the "Giordano Burnisti" under the windows of the Vatican, on which the archangel Michael was depicted lying under the feet of the triumphant Lucifer (Satan). The event inspired Maximilian to organize the militia immaculata to convert Freemasons to the Catholic faith through the intercession of the Blessed Mother of God. When the German military occupied Poland in 1939, they sent those suspected of hiding the Jews to Auschwitz concentration camps where they were subjected to hard labour and eventually extermination. The story of Maximilian's true heart is shown in the last few weeks of his earthly life. As always, prisoners attempted to escape the brutal situation, and at one night on July 31, 1941 three prisoners succeeded in their escape. The German commander immediately picked up 10 men to be starved to death as a deterrent for other prisoners. The men, picked up randomly, cried out in despair but one of them shouted "My wife; my children!" At this moment, Maximilian asked the commander to take him instead saying "I am an old priest and this man has a family." The commander accepted and Maximilian went to the starvation prison with the other 9 people. One of the most dramatic moments in the life of the universe echoed then and there, for it was followed by the conversion of those taken with Maximilian due to his persevering and encouraging prayer with them. On August 14, 1941, he was injected with a lethal injection as, while all his co-prisoners were already dead, he appeared to survive longer than expected. A hero of love in imitation of Christ, this man died so that another man and his family may live. He was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1971 and canonized as a martyr by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 1982 in the presence of Franciszek Gajowniczek, the man who was saved by Maximilian's death in the War.