Revenge for the Dead and The Fear of Death

It is almost impossible these days to count the number of the dead people in the sectarian/civil war going on in Syria. In spite of calls from the 3 Patriarchs of Antioch for an end to the war and a reconciliation between the warring factions, more blood is shed unnecessarily on the soil of Syria. Last night we had an important discussion at Jesus the King Church of the reaction a Christian would have if one of his family members was killed. The number of innocent people who died in this war is a sign that human violence still rules the earth one way or another.  It is a fact too according to Steven Pinker that humans are the only species who enjoy torturing their captives. In his most recent book "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined" published in October 2011, basing his claim on historical statistical analysis of the behaviour of humans, the Harvard Professor of Psychology, however, maintains that violence has declined significantly in the past few centuries. If this is statistically true, it does not mean that humans became angels, but rather in my opinion, that education in the Christian humanist West has increasingly recognized the good nature of humans and the dignity of every human person created in the image of God. This doctrine has been taught by the Church since the early Christian Era centuries. Yet, the reality of human beings unmistakably reflects a continuing war between the good that God implanted in us and the selfish character of sin in what St. Augustine termed "Original Sin." The wound of Original Sin still exists in all humans even if baptized. The work of Christ in purifying the person is not completed without the continuous cooperation by the person with the grace of the Holy Spirit.
If one of his or her family members was killed, a Christian naturally reacts with anger. Of course anger begets hatred and hatred leads to hell. Yet, in the complex drama of salvation, God always offers himself in the prayer and sacraments for reconciliation, repentance and healing. It is a long process for probably most people to truly forgive the abrupt killing and death of their loved ones. Forgiveness is fundamental to peace with oneself, the community and God.
The commandments of Christ in the New Testament demand Christians to forgive. Only read the Lord's Prayer: In praying to our heavenly Father, the Lord teaches us to ask God's forgiveness "And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matt 6: 12). Notice the condition that we must forgive to be forgiven by God. We know that forgiveness is an act of the will in the vein of love which transcends mere emotions. If you want to succeed in earning an academic degree or a good career, you will surely make the necessary efforts. Our eternal life too requires efforts; for it is a great battle against the evil one. In the Letter to the Hebrews, it is written "In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood" (Heb 12: 4). Jesus Christ himself had to endure much suffering to the point of death on the cross because he willed to obey his Father and save us from hell. His glorious Resurrection was verified by his encounter with the Apostles and other disciples after his death and his own appearance to 500 followers in many places at the same time (for more, see Peter Kreeft's article here http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics-more/resurrection-evidence.htm ).  In his sermon on the mount, he taught the throngs who went to hear him "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matt 5: 44) and "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6: 37). He who is blameless forgave on the cross those who crucified him to death saying to his Father "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23: 34). The amazing thing is that God does not need us but we need him. Yet he continues to love all; for "God is Love." according to the New Testament.

Another question begets itself especially for older people like me: Fear of death. Since early childhood humans need security which they ideally find in the care of their parents. As we grow, we relate to our own family and gradually make friends with our peers who either help us get closer to heaven or closer to hell. Those who have been to Catholic schools can tell the rest of us what they learned about the importance of moral education. It is true that Catholics and other Christians can lapse in their faith and morals as any one else. Yet they have received family and school education that should help them in the time of temptation or in the dark night of the soul as St. John of the Cross aptly expresses. Growth in age should be accompanied by growth in wisdom. This is why we see more old people than young ones praying in Church. However we should all pay attention that the end of life may be sudden and unexpected. This fact applies to all generations especially due to the individualistic and selfish way we are increasingly seeing today that breaks society by breaking the family. In this connection the Lord said "You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour." (Luke 12: 40).
The persons who were killed in Syria in the past year died unexpectedly. They were living in peace before the "Arab Spring" so were many Egyptians massacred near Maspero in Cairo last year and in many other terrible incidents too in the past 17 months. Did they have a chance to repent before their death? "You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour."  says the Lord. We can only ask God to give them eternal life in his mercy, but we cannot judge them.
Closing the discussion, Fr. Michel gave us an example of prayer and faith that he had witnessed in Egypt when he was only 12 years old. He visited the mother of a poor family with 8 children who were classmates. He saw how she obtained food for the family. Not by begging but by prayer and faith in God. She opened the window and shouted at God "Is this how you will feed my family when I have nothing?" In half-an-hour, a messenger knocked on her door and brought a tray full of fish directed by a Sister nun among the Sisters helping the poor. How God worked in the heart of this nun when the lady shouted remains a mystery. What is amazing is the persistence of this mother. After receiving the free tray of fish, she went again  and shouted "How am I going to feed my children fish without bread?" To this prayer, God responded too by sending a basket full of bread to the lady and her family. "Do you see what faith does? Do you see what prayer does? I have seen it." Said Father Michel urging us to have trust in God.

What did we learn here?
1. To all Christians, the Lord asks us to forgive. Not only that but he asks us to forgive and love our enemies. And to be able to love our enemies, the process starts with repentance in the Sacrament of Penance; healing in the Sacrament of the Eucharist; and prayer with the Church and individually everywhere we can.
2. To all Christians, the Lord asks us to be ready for death. Death is not the end for the Lord has risen and went on to his glory body and soul. He opened the way for us to eternal glorified life with him if we choose to follow him.
3. To all Christian families, learn and teach your young ones the moral commandments of God. Bring them to Church. Read with them the Scriptures and follow the teachings of the Church. Live the commandments of God at home, at school, at work, in the street and in bed; for living in the presence of God brings more blessings.
4. To all Christians, have hope in God, and faith that He will give you what you need. To St. Paul, Christ said "My grace suffices you".
What else can we hope for when Christ himself gives us his body and blood in the Eucharist?
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Remove Excommunications!

I am asking His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to remove all excommunications declared by him, by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith or by any prior Ecumenical Council against any person in the long history of the Catholic Church. This request is in line with the commandment of the Lord to "Love your enemies" in spite of any actions or aggression against the teachings or the sons and daughters of the Catholic Church. This is also in line with the teachings of Vatican II and with those of Blessed John XXIII who wished to imitate "The Good Pastor" and Blessed John Paul II who requested forgiveness from all those groups, Churches and persons of any religion or ideology in the past 2,000 years of the history of the Church. 
We recall the visit of John Paul II to Athens in Greece in 2001 when Greek Orthodox Archbishop Christodoulos initially resisted to receive the Pope and the Pope's immediate response asking for the forgiveness of Orthodox people regarding violence by Catholics against Orthodox brothers since the Great Schism and the sacking of Constantinople by Crusaders in 1204! Archbishop Christodoulos in turn responded by praising the Pope and eventually praying with him to the astonishment of conservatives.
In their common declaration Pope John Paul II and Archbishop Christodoulos stated "We are watching that the scientific and social development of man is not accompanied by a probe into the concept and value of life which, in any case, is a gift of God, nor by a corresponding appreciation of the unique dignity of man. We ascertain with anxiety that wars, massacres, torturing and sufferings constitute the daily nightmarish reality for millions of our brothers.

"We are committed to struggling for peace all over the world, respect for life and the dignity of man and solidarity for all who are in need...We are watching attentively and with concern the process of globalization with the hope that it will provide gracious fruit...We are satisfied with the success and progress of the European Union. The unification of the European world into one state entity, without peoples losing their conscience, national tradition and religious identity, was the vision of its leaders." 

How far is the reality today of violence in the Middle East and elsewhere in China and Africa from what the above declaration in 2001 stated? How far is the reality today of globalization and excessive capitalism from what the above declaration in 2001 stated? How far is the reality today of the European Continent from what the above declaration in 2001 stated? 

For the above reasons, Christian leaders must work harder and give a good example to all their fellow Christians. Christian unity will be realized only when bad memories of hatred and greed have been eradicated.

It is in this spirit that I appeal to Benedict XVI to remove all excommunications.

God's work in the little and great souls today!

In this age of selfishness and materialism, I am grateful to God who allowed me to meet a number of great persons in the wedding of my nephew Edward with the down-to-earth Teresa Di Mascio. Teresa is very much the image of her mom who takes care of everyone around her. I always found Edward to be a caring person, but now I found many other souls who attended the wedding too. I think his upbringing in the love of God by his dear parents my twin brother Shaker and my sister in- law Marjia made a significant impression on his development as a man of great integrity. Marija too continues to inspire me for her dedication to the Church and her services to her family.

In the wedding I met many but here I will mention only a few. First: Stefania, a hero for us in accepting her long suffering and her love of the Lord. Second: Her daughter Mary, a teacher, and caring person of her mother and dad throughout their suffering and ageing. Third: Andrea, an organist at the local Church who plays as a volunteer in the Masses, an open-minded person, as well as her husband Steve who is a member of the Knights of Columbus. Steve's story is an impressive one in terms of giving to the point that he was elected Grand Knight  of his Knights of Columbus Council in Acton a couple of years ago and his story was published in the State Bulletin. That evening was a gift from God; for I was introduced to some of the souls that are accepting their suffering with diseases, the careless world around them with a smile, and volunteering or rather investing their time in serving those others who are in need.

In the 4th century, St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Constantinople, built a city for the needy and sick. He also said that as Mary the Mother of God delivered Christ to the world for the world's salvation, so too Christians must deliver Christ to the world in their commitment and services. When Blessed Pope John XXIII said that in this age the Church still bears many saints, some argued that he was too optimistic, but John XXIII went all the way in the Church's reforms through Vatican II which proved to be the greatest gift of God to his Church in the 20th century.

And back to my little world today, I dare to hope in God's mercy. It is true that Christ works through all in order to bring all to his Father. It is a matter of us accepting to work with him as he invites everyone of us to participate in his salvific work.

A Room for God in Your Heart?

This past Friday we had another great discussion with over 30 persons in attendance. The question as an extension to the previous discussion (See http://todayquestions.blogspot.ca/2012/07/serving-each-other.html) was suggested by Nassrin “Whom are we serving when we forget God? Is it possible to serve my neighbour when I am not thinking of God? And if so how can we, each of us, make room for God in our busy daily lives?”  After all, parents are both working – They hardly have time today to pay attention to their children and follow up their education. How can they dedicate time to God? Yet, we must understand that the community of Christians, based on the apostles, is more than a social secular network; for the Church is related to God who founded her.

After a brief prayer led by Fr. Youhanna, Ivan reflected on building our relationship with God basing his point on the two great commandments uttered by Jesus in the Gospel: Love God with all your heart, your mind and your strength; and love your neighbour as yourself.  The two great commandments go together so why deny God when serving our neighbour? Blessed Mother Teresa loved everyone of the dying whom she ministered to. But she also spent 3 hours every day kneeling and praying to Christ. Her strength came from Christ. According to the Bible, God so loved the world that even when he allowed Abraham’s son Isaac to be saved, he did not spare his own Son Jesus from death on the cross so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life (John 3: 16).

We asked a few participants whether they find room in their lives for God. One person answered that he finds God in serving the Church. Another said “I have a place dedicated to God in my home. This reminds me of spending some time with God when I wake up in the morning. I commit myself everyday to spend time with God and the saints.”

Fr. Youhanna spoke of the importance that we remember God in our daily activities and in our services. He continued “Our relationship with God starts with prayer and meditation but does not stop there; for it continues in our prayers as a community in the Mass and other prayers. God is a community of three persons in one God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God works in us and attracts us towards him.  We frequently fall but we get up and continue our journey. In this passing life, we have to take care to find and remain together in Christ and his Church.  We imitate Christ for Christ is the mediator between Man and God. He who is God came to earth and became man so that we may partake of the eternal joy in heaven.”

Indeed, we have a journey to go through until we see God. Blessed Mother Teresa who died in 1997 used to spend 3 hours every day in prayer before the holy Eucharist. Her spiritual prayers strengthened her in serving the dying people in Calcutta. Yet in her intense love for God, for 40 years she never felt God’s love towards her. In spite of her “dark night” she persevered trusting in God’s abiding love.

In the Church’s history, the Bible has been the most important source of guidance to millions of Christians. Biblical scholars since the 2^nd century continue to explore the treasures of the Bible whose writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit (See for example Scott Hahn online courses here http://www.salvationhistory.com/studies/courses/online). Holy persons wrote spiritual directions and instructions to Christians. To mention only a few, St. John Climacus in the 6^th century wrote “The Ladder of Paradise” (http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-john-climacus-by-monsignor-paul-guerin/).  St. Ignatius of Loyola who founded the order of the Society of Jesus in the 16^th century wrote “The Spiritual Exercises” for the Jesuits (his disciples) who continue to educate Christians in the world (http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-ignatius-of-loyola/)

Although God is present everywhere, we need to perceive his presence with gratitude.

The End of Civilization?

It is hard to watch today's global situation without thinking of the "End" of Civilization as we know it. One of the mortal sins is carried through the complexity of consumer-based data collected as "Big Data." To understand  Big Data, you may wish to watch the interview on Big Bad Data with some technical minds: http://ww3.tvo.org/video/174232/big-bad-data They simply tell us how big businesses in the IT industry collect your data and mine from what we look for on the Internet, analyse it and use the cumulative patterns  and intelligence to push more consumer products in the consumer markets. Is this not a direct slap to human dignity and what is called human privacy?
More dangerous is the advent of robots that are slowly but surely replacing human resources in manufacturing and services sectors. In the thrust for more efficient services and products in the financial sector, we know from experience how ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) replaced human tellers in the banking industry.The recent advances made in genetics and health care are now used in the industry to manufacture artificial organs that would make it cheaper and easier for transplant surgeries that are increasingly conducted by robots. Diagnosing diseases has been made much easier using scanners and other computer-based  tools. More recently, as indicated by MIT economist Andrew McAfee, large corporations such as IBM and Google have already embarked on advancing the development of artificial intelligence/robots. 
All of these trends threaten the human workforce and make it cheaper. The advent of computers has made life easier from a materialist perspective, but in their competition to survive, it has forced businesses to reduce their human workforce.  The winners are increasingly large corporations that swallow the smaller businesses out of the market and achieve near monopoly in dictating their agenda on the rest. 
With the success of American Capitalism since Nixon and Kissinger attracted the Communist USSR and China to the market policy in the 1970s, globalization became a great shaping force especially when Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher pushed the West into the sphere of more conservative Capitalism. While, in the past decade, a few countries emerged stronger in economic growth - namely the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), most advanced economies have suffered from a low economic growth and higher debt. The American ideology of excessive Capitalism has led to an increase in the gap between the 1% who are rich and the 99% represented in other classes. The Middle Class in most countries is suffering from such policies that encourage excessive Capitalism at the expense of the poor.
The big picture does not look good: Europe is in a recessionary turmoil because of its euro crisis; North America is also in hard times with growth of only 2% or less; and the Middle East is in violent turmoil after the so-called "Arab Spring". Intellectuals think that the most powerful countries are probably manipulating the region to divide its inhabitants along sectarian lines and thus gain control over the region by selling more weapons and capturing the resources of the region to their materialist advantages. The case of the invasion of Iraq by the U.S. armies in 2003 is still causing insurgencies and divisions along sectarian lines which caused many Christians to flee Iraq.


The reason is probably speculative but is highly supported by evidence from the news. In my opinion, it is the last leg of the war of materialism against religion which is found simply in the legalization of immoral laws including abortion, same sex marriage, sexual promiscuity that already hit teenagers at least in North America and Europe, "free society", excessive spending and living on credit - a consumerist society that does not want to live within its means. The consequences are enormous which deserve a separate post on morality and individualism.
The existential question facing the world today is about the meaning of life: Is life about material consumption? Is there life beyond this life?  Is it still possible to save ourselves from our greedy materialism? How about the next generation, our children? Will they have jobs? Will they have enough money in the economy to sustain them? Much more must be written and said.