Jesus of Nazareth - True God from True God!

Jesus was by far the most extraordinary man who lived on earth. He is the only one who claimed to be God, yet knelt before men and washed their feet. If his claim to divinity is true, then think again who is the God that you and I worship. This is not the God who thunders and curses men but the God who forgives and blesses his followers and enemies alike. If God really chose a manger to be born among us and announced his incarnation first to uneducated shepherds in the field, then this God must be different from the Sun that no one with his eyes can stare into.  Yet, strangely enough, he was somehow prefigured in the ancient civilizations that surely enough Persian astrologists sought him and Greek sages attempted imitating him. Nearly every other great religious or cultural leader attempted to imitate him or denigrate him, yet he survived all their attempts. Before his icon millions kneel every day, and in the Eucharist millions receive him unaware of his glory! But above all, Jesus opened the Jewish tradition to the entire world; for he himself healed the child of the Canaanite woman considered impure and unworthy in Israel. He providentially went to Samaria, and healed their people when he stayed there although his followers first suspected "How can a Jewish man talk to a Samaritan woman?" The parables uttered by Jesus are extraordinary in an ordinary form; for if we read the "Good Samaritan" we are filled with wonders and if we discern the great love of the father of the "Lost Son" we find joy in heaven that fills us with joy. The great news of the gospel are those of the Resurrection of Christ as he appeared to many and not only to few and therefore gave reassurance to his disciples to go in the known world and suffer as their teacher suffered and die as he died for the truth. This is only the beginning. We shall continue!

2013 - The Year of Faith?

In October 2012, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed a Year of Faith commemorating the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council.
What is more fitting to start the new year than with the beauty of Palestrina's "Kyrie" in the "Missa Papae Marcelli"? Listen to this extraordinary polyphonic music composition of Giovanni Palestrina of the 16th century Renaissance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIcrgNtyX0U

Listening to this sacred music lifts up the heart to God in praise and thanks for his creation. Beauty can never be hidden or eclipsed because it is the work of God. Humans express it in painting, architecture, videos, theater works, literature and above all in the "angelic" language: music. In abstract mathematical expressions too, there is, according to scientists, certain elegance that stimulates a feeling of satisfaction. For thousands of years, cosmologists have been watching the movement of great stars in the cosmos as a sign of wonder. Wonder is the cause not only of poetic expressions but also of scientific explorations. It seems that as scientists advance in understanding the complex relationships in living organisms and in physics they also advance in appreciating the beauty of the very small constituents of the universe. Quantum physics revealed certain communication between sub-atomic particles over large distances. The complexification of the living cell and its relationship to the growth of organisms is another finding in molecular biology that shows the development from the very small to the large. Much of scientific advances in space exploration, nuclear energy, manufacturing, and medicine,  has been made using computing systems which test the movement of objects through simulation and artificial intelligence machines.  Yet, the most significant advances today are taking place in communication networks that transform the entire global economy into one global village.

Why are we never settled in life? Why do we always wonder about finding more beauty in creation? What drives us to explore things? Probably because we search for the perfect beauty: The search for God.

In Genesis it is written "God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good" (Gen 1: 31). God's creation is good.  When we contemplate the beauty of his creation, we feel the hands of a loving God who cares and, according to our Christian belief, he died so that we can live with him. But we will never rest until we rest in God according to Augustine. The faith that moves mountains grows gradually as we contemplate the creation of God and his works; and in eternal life the elect will contemplate God himself in his limitless beauty. We give thanks to God as Palestrina did in his music even when there are troubles around. And God is still working in the world (John 5, 17). The drama of God is that he cannot rest until we rest in him. Let us thank him. This is the beginning of faith!

Pope Benedict XVI: 2012 Christmas Message

Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, a happy Christmas to you and your families!

In this Year of Faith, I express my Christmas greetings and good wishes in these words taken from one of the Psalms: "Truth has sprung out of the earth". Actually, in the text of the Psalm, these words are in the future: "Kindness and truth shall meet; / justice and peace shall kiss. / Truth shall spring out of the earth, /and justice shall look down from heaven. / The Lord himself will give his benefits; / our land shall yield its increase. / Justice shall walk before him, / and salvation, along the way of his steps" (Ps 85:11-14).

Today these prophetic words have been fulfilled! In Jesus, born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary, kindness and truth do indeed meet; justice and peace have kissed; truth has sprung out of the earth and justice has looked down from heaven. Saint Augustine explains with admirable brevity: "What is truth? The Son of God. What is the earth? The flesh. Ask whence Christ has been born, and you will see that truth has sprung out of the earth . truth has been born of the Virgin Mary" (En. in Ps. 84:13). And in a Christmas sermon he says that "in this yearly feast we celebrate that day when the prophecy was fulfilled: 'truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven'. The Truth, which is in the bosom of the Father has sprung out of the earth, to be in the womb of a mother too. The Truth which rules the whole world has sprung out of the earth, to be held in the arms of a woman ... The Truth which heaven cannot contain has sprung out of the earth, to be laid in a manger. For whose benefit did so lofty a God become so lowly? Certainly not for his own, but for our great benefit, if we believe" (Sermones, 185, 1).

"If we believe". Here we see the power of faith! God has done everything; he has done the impossible: he was made flesh. His all-powerful love has accomplished something which surpasses all human understanding: the Infinite has become a child, has entered the human family. And yet, this same God cannot enter my heart unless I open the door to him. Porta fidei! The door of faith! We could be frightened by this, our inverse omnipotence. This human ability to be closed to God can make us fearful. But see the reality which chases away this gloomy thought, the hope that conquers fear: truth has sprung up! God is born! "The earth has yielded its fruits" (Ps 67:7). Yes, there is a good earth, a healthy earth, an earth freed of all selfishness and all lack of openness. In this world there is a good soil which God has prepared, that he might come to dwell among us. A dwelling place for his presence in the world. This good earth exists, and today too, in 2012, from this earth truth has sprung up! Consequently, there is hope in the world, a hope in which we can trust, even at the most difficult times and in the most difficult situations. Truth has sprung up, bringing kindness, justice and peace.

Yes, may peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenceless and reaps innocent victims. Once again I appeal for an end to the bloodshed, easier access for the relief of refugees and the displaced, and dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict.

May peace spring up in the Land where the Redeemer was born, and may he grant Israelis and Palestinians courage to end to long years of conflict and division, and to embark resolutely on the path of negotiation.

In the countries of North Africa, which are experiencing a major transition in pursuit of a new future - and especially the beloved land of Egypt, blessed by the childhood of Jesus - may citizens work together to build societies founded on justice and respect for the freedom and dignity of every person.

May peace spring up on the vast continent of Asia. May the Child Jesus look graciously on the many peoples who dwell in those lands and, in a special way, upon all those who believe in him. May the King of Peace turn his gaze to the new leaders of the People's Republic of China for the high task which awaits them. I express my hope that, in fulfilling this task, they will esteem the contribution of the religions, in respect for each, in such a way that they can help to build a fraternal society for the benefit of that noble People and of the whole world.

May the Birth of Christ favour the return of peace in Mali and that of concord in Nigeria, where savage acts of terrorism continue to reap victims, particularly among Christians. May the Redeemer bring help and comfort to the refugees from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and grant peace to Kenya, where brutal attacks have struck the civilian population and places of worship.

May the Child Jesus bless the great numbers of the faithful who celebrate him in Latin America. May he increase their human and Christian virtues, sustain all those forced to leave behind their families and their land, and confirm government leaders in their commitment to development and fighting crime.

Dear brothers and sisters! Kindness and truth, justice and peace have met; they have become incarnate in the child born of Mary in Bethlehem. That child is the Son of God; he is God appearing in history. His birth is a flowering of new life for all humanity. May every land become a good earth which receives and brings forth kindness and truth, justice and peace. Happy Christmas to all of you!

------

Copyright Vatican Publishing House

Why Have You Killed Me?

We are unable to believe the shocking news of the murder of 20 kids, aged 6 and 7, and 6 of their teachers in a school in Connecticut last week. The question of every person murdered by a fellow person is "Why? Why have you murdered me?" But it cries out to God when the murdered are innocent kids. However, the question is much larger in the context of postmodernism. What a group considers a crime, another group considers defense of self. Example: Syria has been in a civil or sectarian war for almost 2 years, depending on your definition of the war in Syria. America and the West generally support Islamists to take over Syria, while Russia supports the president of Syria, Bashar El-Assad. In the meantime many innocent people are being killed from both sides and others are killing more. Hatred begets hatred.
Economically, large businesses swallow small businesses everywhere. Is this not a kind of murder? Military is  also involved in crimes committed by the political establishment such as invasions. But is the military force responsible for orders from their masters?
As legalized abortion continues to kill children in the womb, the so-called human rights code is not protected in North America, nor in Europe.
Who can guide us except the Virgin Mary as she leads people towards her son...This is Christmas. Think of the Virgin Mary who suffered and accepted God's gift, delivered the saviour of the world, and has been a mother of many generations and nations.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

In 1531, Mary, the mother of Jesus, appeared to a Mexican devout Christian named Juan Diego and asked him to get Bishop Zummaraga’s approval to build her a shrine at Tepeyak, a mountainous area where Mexicans lived. When the bishop refused Diego’s request, Mary showed him a place where Spanish-grown roses miraculously grew and flowered and asked him to bring them to the bishop as a sign that she can reproduce the Spanish flowers in Mexico by faith in God.  When the bishop received Diego, Diego simply opened his telma to show him the roses, but then not only did the roses fall before the bishop's eyes but also the image of "Our Lady of Guadalupe" was imprinted miraculously on Diego's tilma. Since then a multitude of miracles took place through the intercession of “Our Lady of Guadalupe.”


The Knights of Columbus and indeed all Catholics of the Americas must thank God for having Our Lady of Guadalupe as their patroness. History of this first Apparition of the Blessed ever-virgin Mary “Mother of the true God” in modern times is significant because it shows how heaven is always on the lookout for the lost sons (Luke 15) - The messenger appeared as a Mexican lady on the hill of Tepeyak, and spoke to Juan Diego in his language. In Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Church found a sign of inculturation which reflects that the Catholic Church is truly catholic i.e. universal (Vatican II; Lumen Gentium, 17).

The title Mary used “ever-virgin Mother of the true God” reminds Christians of the early Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431 AD when the bishops of the world proclaimed her Mother of God above all angels and archangels. And, of course, early devotion to Mary developed in both the Christian East and Christian West. She became fortress of faith and was called since then “Door of Heaven,” and “Morning Star”! So much grew devotion to her in the East that the Eastern Roman Emperor frequently called on her to protect Constantinople against the invaders whether Persians or Turks, and the Byzantine Church until today commemorate her in two long prayers: The Akathyst Prayers and the Paraklesis Prayer every year. In the West, more devotion grew to her heart particularly in the ancient hymn “Hail Mary” and the month-long prayers of the Rosary which make up only a fraction of a wide movement in Catholic pilgrims and shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Yet, in all of the above movements, the Marian theology is always a call to us to imitate her and “do whatever [Christ] tells you.”(John 2: 5). It appears that Mary’s role in the intercession for the salvation of the world is increasing, not only in ecumenical dialogue between Christian Churches but also in her role for dialogue with non-Christians.

Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared with stars on her coat. Her name is translated to “Crusher of the serpent’s head”. She is there to bring her seed who will crush the Serpent as written in Genesis 3. The serpent in the Aztecs culture was a symbol of the false god whose mythical power caused millions of native Indians to be sacrificed and killed alive for the sake of the serpent god. This in itself recalls to mind the great sign of heaven in Apocalypse [God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God....Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”] (Revelation 11: 19a; 12: 1-6a; 10 ab) This reading from Apocalypse is a reference to the sign of the woman whose son was destined to rule the nations. This is Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, crowned with twelve stars referring to the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of her Son and God. She is clothed with the sun and the moon is under her feet. That is how the Second Eve brought us salvation after the First Eve brought us the curse. The dragon, that is Satan, lured the First Eve into disobedience, and wanted to lead the Second Eve into disobedience too. But Mary, reminds us Luke, said “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

When Christians recall Our Lady of Guadalupe, we may wish to remember her fascinating miracles especially the enduring ones such as her image full of references to stars, the Sun and the Moon as well as the fact that the image itself did not deteriorate for over 450 years until today. Not only with the flowers that Bishop Zummaraga had requested and which when delivered miraculously appeared on Diego’s tilma in the presence of the Bishop, nor in the healings that took place with Joan Diego’s sick uncle following the Apparitions, but most significantly in the voluntary baptism of millions of Indian Mexicans who had refused a generation earlier to accept the missionary call to Christianity since they resented invaders attempts to enslave them.

The role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the history of salvation is far more important than merely giving physical birth to Christ. She participates in the Church’s continuing mission of bringing Christ to the world. In the 4^th century St. Basil the Great called on Christians to bear Christ and present him to others as the Virgin Mary delivered Christ to the world. In the 20^th and 21^st centuries Mary’s role became increasingly important. The Second Vatican Council declared her Mother of the Church. Blessed John Paul II consecrated the world to her heart.  The peaceful fall of Communism has been attributed to her intercession.

As violence and threats to Christians continue unabated in Arab countries following the “Arab Spring” Mary’s role is very much needed in the Middle East today.  The apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1917 to 3 children in Fatima, Portugal is significant. In his book "The First World Love” Bishop Fulton Sheen shows how the Apparition in Fatima is crucial for developing relationships between Christians and Muslims of the world. Fatima is the name of a Muslim woman venerated in Islam as the daughter of their Prophet Mohammed. In the Qura'n, Mary is considered the most pure creature of humans and next to her is Fatima according to a variant of Hadith. Muslims occupied Portugal for centuries before they were driven out by Catholics. A story about Fatima appears in Fulton Sheen's book: While Muslims were driven out from Portugal, a Catholic young man had fallen in love with a Muslim called Fatima in a little town. She became Catholic to get married to him and out of appreciation, the name of the town was changed to Fatima. While Muslims consider Christians to be infidels, Mary is the one common person who is exalted by both Catholics and Muslims as the most pure creature. Bishop Sheen believed she will play a significant role in the dialogue of Catholics and Muslims and in the end they will come to worship her Son Jesus.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is Patroness not only of the Americas but of all people on earth. She leads us to Christ. Through her example, she deserved the acclamation uttered by Gabriel “Hail Mary full of Grace” and her own prophetic word “Behold from now on shall all ages call me blessed” (Luke 1, 48).