Saint Augustine stands as one of the greatest and most influential of Christian theologians. "It may be safely predicted that while the mind of man yearns for knowledge, and his heart seeks rest, the Confessions will retain that foremost place in the world's literature which it has secured by its sublime outpourings of devotion and profound philosophical spirit."

It should be borne in mind that the Confessions was not intended to be an intellectual exercise, removed from the everyday realities of life. In it, Augustine seeks to lay bare his heart, his soul - before God and before his fellowmen. It is an honest book and a book that speaks to the heart first of all.

We moderns may find some difficulty in his allegorizations, especially those found in the last three books. But one translator aptly remarked, "Where the strict use of history is not disregarded, (to use Augustine's expression) allegorizing by way of spiritual meditation, may be profitable." Certainly his insights are not to be despised!

Born in 352, in a small city of Tagaste, Africa (in what is now Algeria) Augustine lived in the time of the growing ascendancy of the Christian Church and the growing decline of the Roman empire. It was scarcely a quarter of a century earlier that the great Council of Nicaea had been held, and there were heresies and schisms throughout the Christian world that still held sway over hearts and minds. Donatists continued to hold that many Catholic Orders were invalid because they came through traditori (those who had denied the faith during the severe persecution and had later repented and been restored to the Church).

In his later years, Augustine would spend much effort in fighting for the unity of the Church against their schismatic beliefs. Arianism (denying the full divinity of Christ) succeeded in winning the allegiance of the Emperor and his mother, and echoes of that threat to the peace and unity of the Church continued to resound throughout Augustine's lifetime. But for Augustine personality, his sojourn among the Manicheans gave the background for much of the material we find in the Confessions. After his schooling under a harsh tutor in Tagaste, he was sent to Madaura for a short time. Family finances forced his return home and resulted in an idle year, 369-370. He was then sent to Carthage, to what would be equivalent to a University, where he distinguished himself in the rhetorical school. His father died in 371, but his mother continued to support his schooling with the aid of a wealthy patron, Romanianus. It is evident that he continued to cherish high ambitions for his worldly success. While at Carthage, Augustine came under the influence of the Manicheans and took a mistress, to whom he was faithful for fifteen years. To them was born one son, Adeotus.

After some years of teaching at Carthage, Augustine decided to go to Rome. His mother opposed the idea, but could not dissuade him. After a brief stay in Rome, he was appointed in 385 as Public Teacher of Rhetoric at Milan, where he first came under the influence of Saint Ambrose. In 385-386, the Empress Justina demanded the surrender of two churches to the Arians. Saint Ambrose led his people in a refusal to surrender the churches, even when confronted by military force. Augustine was aware of this crisis, but he was not personally involved.

Ten years spent with the Manicheans had brought Augustine many intellectual difficulties with their system. Although they had encouraged his own sceptical approach to the Sacred/Holy Scriptures, they had not satisfied his thirst for sure knowledge nor his growing uneasiness with his disorderly life. With his mother's help, Augustine's mistress was dismissed and arrangements were made for his marriage, which had to be postponed because his intended was underage. But his struggles with the flesh resulted in his taking a new mistress because he felt morally incapable of making a better choice. He chronicles the inner struggles which led, with timely help from Ambrose, to his departure from the Manicheans and his conversion to the Catholic faith. He was baptized at Easter, 387, along with his son, Adeotus. Having resigned his position as professor of Rhetoric, he and his company were waiting for a ship to make their way back to Africa when his mother suddenly became ill and died at Ostia, the port of Rome.

The next year, having returned to Tagaste and sold his property there, Augustine set up a monastic kind of community with a few friends, continuing his writing. In 391, with much misgiving on his part, he consented to be ordained presbyter at Hippo, a nearby city of about 30,000. The Church was not strong there, its population being a mixture of pagans, Jews, several schismatic sects, and a large group of Donatists. In 395 (in violation of the eighth canon of Nicaea) he was made assistant bishop to the aged Valerius, and succeeded him as bishop the following year.

It was not long after his election as bishop that he began the Confessions, completing them probably in 398. Thus they represent his thought and the account of his life in its midstream. He wrote this book "at the request of friends who begged him to commit to writing those recollections of his former life to which he often referred in private conversation. He consented for the characteristic reason that he desired his friends to mourn and rejoice along with him as they followed his retrospect of past years, and on his behalf to give thanks to God."

Augustine's years as bishop involved struggles with errors he believed to be a threat to salvation and to the welfare of the Church on several fonts: Manicheans, Donatists, Arians and Pelagians. In addition to these very real battles, the Roman empire itself was under mortal assault. It is one of the great ironies of history that as Augustine finished his immortal City of God in the quiet of his monastic residence, the Vandals were pillaging the countryside of North Africa. "While the Vandals besieged Hippo, Saint Augustine died (August 28, 410) in the sanctity and poverty in which he had lived for many years. Shortly afterward, the Vandals destroyed the city, but left his cathedral and library untouched."

Sending the Confessions to a friend, Augustine wrote, "In these behold me, that you may not praise me beyond what I am. Believe what is said of me, not by others, but by myself."

                                                                   Page 1
If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

On using the name of the Lord Jesus and the true cause for the apostles to rejoice:

Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. - Luke 9:1-2 - Matt. 10:1 - Mark 6:7 -

John spoke up. 'Master', he said 'we saw a man casting out devils in your name, and because he is not with us we tried to stop him.' But Jesus said to him, 'You must not stop him: anyone who is not against you is for you.' - Luke 9:49-50 -

The Lord Jesus Christ appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, 'The harvest is rich but the labourers  are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. - Luke 10:1-2 -

The seventy-two came back rejoicing, 'Lord', they said 'even the devils submit to us when we use your name.' He said to them, 'I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.' - Luke 10:17-20 - John 12:31-32 - Rev. 20:12 -

Reverend Father Martin Luther ( 1472 to 1553 ) had never intended to break away from the Catholic Church, he had hoped to reform it from within, but events spiraled out of his control. It was on the date of 'All Souls Day' in 1517, that Rev. Fr. Martin Luther inadvertently began the Reformation (religious upheaval) of the sixteenth century. Then, came the others as well as the English Reformation. As the Reformation and Protestantism spread over Europe, a parallel 'Counter-Reformation' was established within Catholicism. Both the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation had common roots in a shared desire to end the evil of corruption and abuses of power of the late medieval Church; thus, those who broke away from the Church became known as the 'Reformation' whilst those that remained are known as 'Counter-Reformation.'

When Paul III, who became Pope in 1534. He make his two teenage nephews cardinals which of course, did not bore well for reform, but most of the other cardinals, the Pope Paul III appointed were reformers. On the whole the Pope was keen to reform the Church and the papacy. A commission was set up to investigate abuses in the Church and make recommendations for reform: known as the Concilium, was widely published and was quite damning. A lot of abuse had been detected throughout the Church, and the commission advised that the Pope, the Cardinals should think spiritually and act about spiritual matters, practices 'Holiness' and spend less time worrying about their position and benefits in the world.

Finally, in 1545, Pope Paul III succeeded in overcoming the anti-reform party in the Church and calling a council at Trent to address the whole problem of ecclesiastical abuses and Protestantism. As far as the doctrine is concern, the 'Council of Trent' refused to fully budge in the direction of the Protestants. But the 'Council of Trent' agreed with the Protestants that faith is necessary to salvation, but it disagreed with them that it is sufficient. Similarly, the 'Council of Trent' rejected the Protestants' contention that the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible is the sole source of doctrine and that it is more authoritative than the Church.

Instead, the 'Council of Trent' retain the traditional view that the Church and the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible form a whole, undivided body of teaching. This means that Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible is indeed authoritative, only it is interpreted by the Church. Thus, the 'Council of Trent' reaffirmed the seven Sacraments, the doctrine of Purgatory, the use of Relics, the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Clerical celibacy and other elements that the Protestants denounced as not scriptural. The doctrine of transubstantiation [the presence of the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist] was reaffirmed and it was made explicit.

Pope Pius IV promulgated the decisions of Trent in 1564. After that, Trent acted rather as the 'Council of Nicaea' it provided a universal of doctrine and discipline within the Catholic. Many Catholics became more concerned of their faith that the Protestants disagreed or rejected, such as the seven Sacraments and the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was in this period that the 'Ave Maria' or 'Hail Mary' prayer had come into universal use in the eleventh centuries till today.

Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with you,
Blessed are you among women,
And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

As the Catholic Church is progressing, a new force is appearing, that is, the 'Society of Jesus' also known as 'the Jesuits.' The Society of Jesus or 'the Jesuits' were founded by a Spanish soldier named Ignatius of Loyola, under the service of the king of Spain, who prided himself in his military prowess, and he was a nobleman. One day, in a battle between two rival cities, a canon ball fell upon his legs and exploded. One of his legs was shattered, and he was carried home by his enemies, no less, because they respected his bravery in battle. His recovery was very slow and very painful. After some months of convalescence, he asked for some books to read to while away his time. He requested for some romantic novels, but there were only two books available, a book on the Life of Christ and a book on the Lives of the Saints.

So Ignatius of Loyola had no choice but to read these two books and became interested in spirituality. After leaving the hospital, he spent times in prayer and meditation in monastery, and came out of this deeply wrought experience with a deep rooted desire to 'help souls.' For him this meant essentially to help people discover their pathway to God. After a while of so doing, he was warned by the Church authorities not to carry on unless he had qualified himself with a Church degree. This is what turned his mind towards studying theology and to the priesthood, and eventually brought him to the University of Paris, where he found himself rooming with Francis Xavier and Peter Favre.

In 1540, Pope Paul III approved the new 'Society of Jesus.' The principal virtue for its Jesuits - who were all priests - was obedience, to the general of the order and the Pope. The Society of Jesus as a whole was to the service of the Pope in whatever capacity he saw fit. The Jesuits did not have a specified rule to follow, but they did have the Spiritual Exercises that Ignatius of Loyola wrote. And eventually the Spiritual Exercises was use as a tool, an instrument and as a way or method for helping people to discover themselves, their desires, their personal experiences and their way to God.

It seem that Saint Ignatius of Loyola had in mind to preach to the Muslims, and in fact, some of the first missions that he sent the early Jesuits on were to Muslims.

 However, the Church recognized the value of the Jesuits in opposing Protestantism and put them to work in this major mission. Jesuit scholars began to study the arguments and the beliefs of the leading Protestants and wrote answers to them. The Jesuits went through theological debate with them as well. A renowned Italian Jesuit named Robert Bellarmine, a theologian with impeccable reputation for preaching that Protestants as well as Catholics came to hear his sermons. Saint Robert Bellarmine was a deeply charitable person who was known to clothe the poor and needy with his tapestries and he was a very honest man. Appointed to the post of professor of controversies at the Jesuit college in Rome by Pope Gregory XIII, Saint Robert Bellarmine studied the works of the Reformers and wrote fair-minded responses to the Protestants. He was not simply a reactionary who denied that the Protestants had said anything worthwhile: on the contrary, he aimed to defend an understanding of Christianity which was rooted in the Church fathers, especially Saint Augustine of Hippo.

To engage in such scholarship, Jesuits had to be well educated, and from an early stage Saint Ignatius of Loyola was determined that education would play a key role. It was, after all, supposed to be a Society of elite priests, dedicated to spreading the Christian message, and this required extensive spiritual training and spiritual education. Spiritual schools and training centers were therefore opened. By the time Saint Ignatius of Loyola died in 1556, there were 35 Jesuits schools throughout Europe. He believed that spiritual education should be available to everyone, and it were extremely popular, and this did a great deal to stem the advance of Protestantism.

Saint Peter Canisius play a major role in the German Counter-Reformation, he was the eighth person to join the Society of Jesus. Saint Peter Canisius spent many years preaching throughout Germany and he had opened Jesuit schools there. Saint Peter Canisius was present at the Council of Trent and wrote a number of books explaining Catholic doctrine: the short Catechisms he composed, with small explanations of each belief, were extremely popular and still used in the nineteenth century. And this stem the advance of Protestantism. Catholics remember Peter Canisius as the 'second apostle of Germany' after Boniface.

In order to successfully quashed Protestantism, the Jesuits continue to opened spiritual schools. The Jesuits translated anti-Protestant and devotional works into their own native language, popularized the Catholic liturgy, and official Catholicism was still struggling for dominance with Orthodoxy in Ukraine. Finally, the Jesuits penetrated Ukraine and helped to bolster Catholicism, an effort formalized in 1596 with the Union of Brest. This declaration created a brand new church, the Ukraine Catholic Church, which was in communion with the Roman Catholic Church but used Orthodox rites.

The latter half of the sixteenth and seventeenth century saw a large number of extraordinarily brilliant men emerge from the ranks of the Jesuits. Some, such as Saint Matteo Ricci, made a splash on the world stage; others, such as the scientist Athanasius Kircher SJ, were content to explore volcanoes or study the causes of disease. Many Jesuits studied science. That made Jesuits great explorers, too - of the 8 major rivers in the world, 5 were first charted by Jesuits.

The Jesuits successfully quashed Protestantism, and that the most famous missionaries of the era were all Jesuits. In fact, half of Europe have apostatized, but the Renaissance explorers had revealed whole new worlds which might be amenable to Catholicism.

                                                                   Page 1
If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

God has always been present to His Church in a way different from His presence elsewhere. The Church of the Old Testament already enjoyed a prototype, show of the Eucharistic Presence. The ancient sanctuary contained two items of particular significance: the lamp stand and the bread of presence. Saint John applies both to Christ, the Light of the World - John 8:12 - and the Bread of Life - John 6 -

Saint Paul epistle to the Hebrews 9:2 - records that "there was an outer tabernacle which contained the lamp stand and the table and the loaves set before God; sanctuary was the name given to this." The so-called table of the show bread was important not so much for the table itself as for the bread placed upon it. It was the bread of presence, literally "bread of the face." It was to this bread of presence that Christ referred to Matthew 12:4 as "the loaves set out there before the Lord." The bread was meant as a memorial placed continually in God's presence.

The bread is to be a token sacrifice to the Lord. - Lev. 24:7 -

Each Saturday a fresh supply of bread was substituted for the old loaves, twelve in number, one for each of the twelve tribes. All were thus represented, little Benjamin no less than royal Judah, Dan as well as the priestly Levi, and just as much for one tribe as for another. No part of God's family was forgotten. Each was fully represented, and they were always before Him.

The table is to hold the loaves of bread which are to be set out continually in My Presence. - Ex. 25:30 -

The bread of the Old Testament was thus the presence of the people before the Lord, but the Bread of the New Testament is the Presence of the Lord before the people. In the Old Testament there was never a moment when they were out of His sight. Bread was a continuous reminder to Him of His covenant relation to them and of His promises to them of a Savior and Redeemer. As the twelve tribes were made one in His presence, so also His ecclesia, His Church, by "the one bread is made one body, though we are many in number; the same bread is shared by all." - 1Cor. 10:17 -

The bread of presence was before His face; that is why it was called the continual bread: "keep hallowed loaves set forth continually" - 2Chron. 2:4 - "the bread set forth there as always." - Num. 4:7 -

The bread was to be made of the finest flour, and, upon each row, incense was placed to indicate that the offering was a sacrifice to the Lord.

Put grains of fine incense upon them; the bread is to be a token sacrifice to the Lord. - Lev. 24:7 -

Thus was prefigured the union of the sacrament and sacrifice under the New Law.

Even a "sanctuary lamp" was provided - not that the bread was the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ, but only a shadow, an anticipation.

Never must the altar be empty of this perpetual fire. - Lev. 6:13 -

From that day to this, a lamp announces the Presence.

For the Christian who lives in the realm of grace, the demands of the holiness of God are not less demanding that they were for the Jew under the Old Testament. If those who rebelled in the desert did not escape judgment, much less shall we who are privileged to live in the fullness of revelation.

Beware of excusing yourselves from listening to Him who is speaking to you. There was no escape for those others, who tried to excuse themselves when God uttered His warnings on earth; still less for us, if we turn away when He speaks from heaven. - Heb. 12:25 -

The Old Testament contains seven instances of sudden judgment in connection with the tabernacle or the temple, its liturgy, its worship or its vessels. Three of them had to do with the offering of incense, three with the ark, and one with the candle stick.

Probably the first to die in the desert were Aaron's two sons who had just been ordained priests. God had sent down fire from heaven upon the altar of sacrifice and directed that it be always kept burning, like a sanctuary lamp before a tabernacle. - Lev. 9:23-24 - What their sin was is uncertain - it may have been drinking alcohol in forbidden circumstances - Lev. 10:9 - but in any case, they offered a "strange fire." They may have lighted a fire themselves instead of taking it from the altar, and they may also have mixed a strange incense which was expressly forbidden - Ex. 30:9-10 - "whereupon the Lord sent down fire which devoured them and they died there in the Lord's presence." - Lev. 10:2 -

To approach the tabernacle with the spirit of the world in our soul instead of the Spirit of Christ is to offer foreign fire. But whatever the sin of those Old Testament priests was, we are bidden to "worship God as He would have us worship Him, in awe and reverence; no doubt of it, our God is a consuming fire." - Heb. 12:28-29 -

The ark fell into the hands of the Philistines - 1Kings 4; 1Sam. 4 - because the Jews had used it as a magical charm to protect them in time of war. The Philistines put it in the temple of Dagon, and the statue of the god fell prostrate before the ark, as those who came to arrest Our Blessed Lord fell down at the mention of His name. - John 18:6 -

When the Philistines refused to acknowledge the power of God, great numbers of them died with the plague. - 1Kings 5:6; 1Sam. 5:6 - As the ark was a source of blessings to those who reverenced it, it was similarly a source of affliction to those who refused to recognize the power of God, Who dwelt symbolically in it. The same is true of Christ.

We are Christ's incense offered to God, making manifest both those who are achieving salvation and those who are on the road to ruin; as a deadly fume where it finds death, as a life-giving perfume where it finds life. Who can prove himself worthy of such a calling? - 2Cor. 2:15-16 -

Everywhere the ark went while it was in the hands of the Philistines, there went the punishment of God:

No city was free from the fear of death, and God's heavy visitation; even those who survived had shameful sores to tend, and everywhere cries of anguish went up to heaven. - 1Kings 5:12; 1Sam. 5:11-12 -

Though we see no such manifestations of this power when the Eucharist is profaned, may it not be that God is reserving His judgment for those who approach it without faith? Men may plead that they have eaten in His Presence and done wonderful works in His name and cried, "Lord, Lord" but He will say that He knows not such workers of iniquity. - Matt. 7:21-23; Luke 12:25-27 -

The Philistines finally became penitent, returned the Ark, and offered tokens of reparation for their sins; but how much more mercy they would have obtained if they had acknowledged God's presence not in terror, but in appeal to His mercy!

If God punished the Philistines so harshly for keeping the ark, which was only a promise and prototype of the Eucharist, then what reverence should the Eucharist itself not awaken in those who have the reality and the substance! How terrible a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God! - Heb. 10:31 - How feeble Nebuchadnezzar seemed when he fed on grass! - Dan. 4:30 - What a contemptible "god" did Herod appear when worms were devouring his vitals! - Acts 12:21-23 - How Belshazzar trembled with fear, his knees shaking at the sight of the handwriting on the wall! - Dan, 5:6 - How Felix fled from enlightenment when Paul reasoned with him about righteousness and judgment! - Acts 24:25 - Persons who are filled with slavish fear seek to banish what causes them terror rather than part with the sin that alone makes God an object of dread. But to us has been given the power to call down the Lord on our altars! Our greater privileges should make us tremble at knowing how God punished those with fewer talents and less light.

Another Old Testament incident that helps the bishop and priest to see how much reverence God demands for His Sacrament is seen in the punishment that was given to the people of Bethshemesh. They were happy to receive the ark back from the Philistines, but they failed to show respect. Rather, manifesting an unlawful curiosity, they looked into it and were smitten by God. - 1Kings 6:19; 1Sam. 6:19 -

Such was the Lord's displeasure when any irreverence was shown to the ark. The law was clear as to who might touch the ark and how it should be carried. It was not proper to put it in a wagon, as had been done, nor was it to be touched by anyone except the priest:

Then when Aaron and his sons have wrapped up the sanctuary and all its appurtenances ready for the march, the sons of Caath (Kohath) will enter and carry them away in their wrappings; they are not to touch the things of the sanctuary, on pain of death. - Num. 4:15 -

The ark should have been carried by two stave, held by priests. Uzzah was not a priest and was accordingly not authorized to touch the holy thing. This violation of God's command may have been the fruit of a habitual irreverence induced by long familiarity with the ark. God's action showed that no service was acceptable to Him unless regulated by strict adherence to His revealed Will. The utmost reverence was demanded of all who approached Him. - Lev. 10:3 -

How strictly the Lord enjoins His priests:

Keep yourselves unsullied, you that have the vessels of the Lord's worship in your charge. - Isaiah 52:11 -

The privilege of belonging to the Mystical Body of Christ implies both tremendous privileges and equally tremendous responsibilities.

Nation is none I have claimed for My own, save you; and guilt of yours is none that shall go unpunished. - Amos 3:2 -

Such are the judgments falling upon men in connection with the tabernacle, its worship, its holy vessels or its priesthood. When all these are taken together, one trembles at the reverence God demands for the things that are His and the punishment He metes out sometimes for the least infraction of what is dedicated to His service. The altar at which the priest stands is holy.

If the angels tremble, shall we not quake? But the Presence must not kindle a fear born of sin or impiety, but a holy fear begotten of love for One Who dwells among us.

BY ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN  ( 1895 to 1979 )

                                                                     Page 3
If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Preaching is not the act of giving a talk, seminar, sermon; it is the art of making a preacher. The preacher then becomes the talk and sermon.

It is from the heart's overflow that the mouth speaks. - Luke 6:45 -

The preacher without the Spirit of Christ is like Gehazi whom Elisha sent to revive a dead man. Although Gehazi brought with him the prophet's staff, no miracle happened, for the virtue of the staff was negated by the hands that held it. - 2Kings 4:25-38 - One may hold the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible of the Lord in the pulpit, as Gehazi held the staff in his hand, but no souls are saved. The absence of an inner spiritual life makes sermonizing dull, stale, flat and unprofitable.

It is possible for the bishops, priests and clergy to experience a hardening as a result of his intimate contact with the spiritual, rather than an increase in spirituality. Sacristans are privileged to work or serve close to the Eucharistic Lord but that does not prevent some sacristans from being perfunctory in their genuflections. Jewelers become used to jewels. Husbands grow bored with beautiful wives if there is no "stirring up of the first zeal." Contact with the Divine is a privilege that can similarly turn into indifference unless each day one tries to get a step closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. Trafficking with the Word of God one day after another without prayer and preparation does not leave a bishop, priest, clergy the same; it leave him worse. Failure to climb means to slide backward. The only defense against acedia, against the tragic loss of divine reality, is a daily renewal of faith in Christ. The bishop, priest who has not kept near the fires of the tabernacle can strike no sparks from the pulpit.

The bishop and priest at ordination was told to preach. The office is to be taken so seriously as to make every bishop and priest cry out with Saint Paul:

It would go hard indeed with me if I did not preach the Gospel. - 1Cor. 9:16 -

The best preacher or counselors are not the worldly wise with tape recorders or those who know all the psychological tricks of interviewing and presenting, those more concerned with congenial surroundings than with the presence of the Spirit. The best guides of souls are saintly bishops and priests who have suffered in union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Through such does the Holy Spirit pour His seven gifts. Those who live close to Christ impart Christ. As Saint Augustine said, "What I live by, I impart." Suffering brings wisdom, but books bring only natural understanding. The bishop and priest who has been crucified and has endured His passion with patience will always be found to be the merciful bishop and priest. If there is a long line outside one confessional on Saturday and only one or two penitents outside another, it is time for a bishop and priest to ask himself some questions. Holiness draws penitents to holy bishops and priests. The attraction of such bishops and priests is the attraction of Christ Himself.

If only I am lifted up from the earth, I will attract all men to Myself. - John 12:32 -

No bishops and priests sees problems so sympathetically as the bishop and priest who is standing on the watchtower of Calvary. Like the sun, it cannot be seen, and yet it illumines all else.

How many souls say of that great army of saintly bishops and priests: "He showed me my heart" or "He showed me the loveliness of Christ" or "It was like talking to Our Lord." It is not possible for a bishop and priest, at one and the same time, to be clever and to show that Our Lord is mighty to save. With noble iteration, no less than thirty-three-times does Saint Paul use the expression "in Christ." To him it is the secret of "encouragement, loving sympathy, common fellowship in the Spirit. - Phil. 2:1 - The bishop and priest imbued with this concept because he has "crucified nature with its passions and all its impulses" - Gal. 5:24 - always directs others in the shadow of the Cross and the light of the Spirit.

Bishop and priestly counseling is basically the application of the Redemption to the individual. It is not just preaching to one person instead of preaching to a crowd, for in counseling the individual presents his problem as does a patient to a doctor. The bishop and priest establishes the facts, as the doctor does; then he presents his diagnosis and treatment, always mindful of the words of Our Lord:

Only the Spirit gives life; the flesh is of no avail; and the words that I have been speaking to you are Spirit and Life. - John 6:64 -

The Spirit is particularly important when the bishop and priest is dealing with a problem of behavior rather than a intellectual problem. In almost nine cases out of ten, those who have once had the faith but now reject it or claim that it does not make sense are driven not by reasoning but by the way they are living. Catholics usually fall away not from any difficulty with the Creed, but from some difficulty with the Commandments. When this happens, the bishop's and priest's task is to arouse the conscience through the Spirit. There is not much reference to the conscience alone in Sacred Scripture, but there is abundant testimony that the conscience is aroused by the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul tells us that it was his conscience that was illumined by the Holy Spirit, making him ready to be doomed in order to save his brethren.

I am telling you the truth in Christ's name, with the full assurance of a conscience enlightened by the Holy Spirit. - Rom. 9:1 -

It is the work of conscience to witness to our fulfillment of our duty toward God, but it is the work of the Spirit to witness God's acceptance of our faith in Christ and our obedience to Him. Thanks to the Spirit, the testimony of conscience and the declaring of Christ in our life become identical. Conscience alone in a person may be likened to a room that is very poorly lighted and in which the Commandments are printed on the wall in small characters. When the Holy Spirit illumines the conscience , a brilliant light is shed upon those characters. The Holy Spirit restores consciences, so that they accept the guidance of the law of Christ. The Holy Spirit also shows the conscience the relationship between sin and its purging by the Blood of Christ, so that there is no more a consciousness of sin. - Heb. 9:14, 10: 2-22 -

It is never enough for a bishop and priest to tell his people that they must follow their conscience; he must constantly seek the illumination of their conscience by the Spirit.

The end at which our warning aims is charity, based on purity of heart, on a good conscience, and a sincere faith. - 1Tim. 1:5 -

One never understands the enormity of sin except through the Spirit, a truth that Our Lord explained to His apostles and priests the night of the Last Supper. Sin is best treated and overcome, not solely in relation to the breaking of a commandment, but in terms of the breaking of our bonds with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Sin disrupts our ties with the Heavenly Father because it alienates us as sons. Such is the message of the parable of the prodigal son. - Luke 15:11-32 - Sin also reenacts Calvary.

Would they crucify the Son of God a second time, hold Him up to mockery a second time, for their own ends? - Heb. 6:6 -

A personal equation must be established between the soul and the Crucifix. Sins of pride are understood through the crown of thorns; sins of lust, through the torn flesh; sins of avarice, through the poverty of nakedness; and sins of alcoholism, through thirst. Moreover, sin must be seen as resisting the Spirit of Love - Acts 7:51 - as stifling the Spirit of Love - 1Thess. 5:19 - and as distressing the Spirit of Love. - Eph. 4:30 -

Conscience is always enlightened when sin is seen as hurting someone we love. No sin can touch one of God's stars or silence one of His words, but it can cruelly wound His Heart. Once the penitent understands this truth, he can see why he has such emptiness and desolation in his soul: he has hurt one he loves.

Many who approach a bishop or priest still try to conceal their conscience. They offer spurious reasons to explain their actions. The bishop, priest, clergy who remains on a purely psychological level cannot always see through such deceits, and, in consequence, he cannot help the one who has come to him. It takes a spiritual X ray to penetrate such a mind.

Who else can know a man's thoughts, except the man's own spirit that is within him? So no one else can know God's thoughts, but the Spirit of God. And what we have received is no spirit of worldly wisdom; it is the Spirit that comes from God, to make us understand God's gifts to us; gifts which we make known, not in such words as human wisdom teaches, but in the words taught us by the Spirit, matching what is spiritual with what is spiritual. Mere man with his natural gifts cannot take in thoughts of God's Spirit; they seem mere folly to him, and he cannot grasp them, because they demand a scrutiny which is spiritual. Whereas the man who has spiritual gifts can scrutinize everything, without being subject, himself to any other man's scrutiny. Who has entered into the mind of the Lord, so as to be able to instruct him? And Christ's mind is ours. - 1Cor. 2:11-16 -

Thousands or millions would flock to the Church, frustrated souls and the young would seek the bishop and priest out, hearts unnumbered would seek comfort in the confessional did the bishops, priests, clergy but realize the extraordinary powers of direction, counseling and guidance that come from living in the Spirit of Christ.

                                                                     Page 2
If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Not all who visit a psychiatrist have need of his services, and while those who come to the bishops, priests, clergy have need of a psychiatrist. Christians, Catholics who are not emotionally disturbed will sometimes seek or consult a psychiatrist because God's appointed, anointed, and ordained bishops, priests, clergy have given up counseling. Today, the doctor is often more interested in diseases than in sick peoples while too many bishops, priests, clergy rely more of their index cards, secular profession than the gift of the Holy Spirit, that is, God's grace. Psychiatrist occasionally fill the void created by the want of genuine concern for the ills and woes of people, especially their soul on the part of the bishops and clergy. Thus, the state has largely taken over spiritual education and successfully converted it into secular education. And now psychology would take the soul away from the bishops, priests, clergy.

If we lose the Spirit of Christ, we lose a sense of sin. We are living in the first age in the history of Christianity which denies guilt. A time is coming when peoples will say: there is no crime, there is no guilt, there is no sin. Souls today are not sinners; they are patients. They have the psychic effect of sin, but are without forgiveness. Sin is not the worst thing in the world; the worst thing is the denial of sin. If I am blind and deny light, I shall never see; if I am deaf and deny sound, I shall never hear; if I am a sinner and deny sin, there is no forgiveness. The denial of sin is no forgiveness. There is only hunger. And when it is due, peoples come crying and fawning to God, the Lord Jesus Christ saying: "Give us bread" [Holy Eucharist]

We teach what scripture calls: the things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him.

These are the very things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us.

Therefore we teach, not in the way which philosophy is taught but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God: he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit. A spiritual person, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything, and his own value is not judged by other men. As scripture says: Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him? But we are those who have the mind of Christ. - 1Cor. 2:9-16 -

The unspiritual are interested only in what is unspiritual, but the spiritual are interested in spiritual things. It is death to limit oneself to what is unspiritual; life and peace can only come with concern for the spiritual. That is because to limit oneself to what is unspiritual is to be enmity with God: such a limitation never could and never does submit to God's law. People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not unspiritual but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.

So then, my brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live. - Rom. 8:5-13 -

Of course, it is the law that stresses the sin, and it is the Holy Spirit that emphasizes sin over and against the holiness of God. It is through such humiliation and through such conviction of sin that the Holy Spirit gives access to a personal relationship to God which it the true solution of guilt. The Holy Spirit instead of putting us in a legal relationship with God, puts us onto a personal relationship; it is a personal encounter with God; it is a personal experience with God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It brings a much greater severity with oneself and at the same time, a joyous adventure which is endlessly renewed.

Every bishop, priest, clergy, when he goes before God, the Lord Jesus Christ for judgment, will be asked, "Where are your children?" The vocation of the bishop, priest, clergy is primarily to beget souls in Christ. Shall they mount the pulpit and denounce unnatural birth control in the flesh while they practice it in the spirit? Shall mothers be blamed for not having more children when the baptismal records show no souls begotten in Christ?

Every soul is the bishop, priest, clergy responsibility, and many would enter the Church did they but ask them. Do the Church have catechetical centers and use them to train the laity to be apostles, teachers and live out the full responsibilities of the Sacraments? Every Church should be a nursery of souls who are not of the fold; every bishop, priest, clergy, a shepherd in search of lost sheep; every Holy Mass, a proclamation that redemption must be spread to the world.

The error of many bishops, priests is that they are concerned more with the administrative than the evangelical. In other words, they put priority on the world first, then, the Church, and then the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not supposed to be, but a prerequisite that the priority of the Lord Jesus Christ is always first, then, the Church, and lastly the world. Do they organize for soul-saving with the same zeal as they organize for fund drives? When money is needed, a bishop, priest thinks nothing of organizing a door to door fund raising and promptly canvass for donations; but how often does they make a door to door canvass for converts? Are they having the Church continually replenished by souls who come to tell what God has done for them? Where the Holy Spirit is, there are conversions of soul or heart:

Day by day the Lord added to their community those destined to be saved. - Acts 2:47 -

And there are other sheep I have
that are not of this fold,
and these I have to lead as well.
They too will listen to my voice,
and there will be only one flock,
and one shepherd. - John 10:16 -

In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers; after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. - 1Cor. 12:28 -

Only a few of you, my brothers, should be teachers, bearing in mind that those of us who teach can expect a stricter judgment. - James 3:1 -

But who among us does not know many [Bishops, Priests, Clergy, Laity, Believers] who have left the one fold and the one shepherd because of broken vows, lust for a second or third marriage, sophomoric pride or anyone of the seven pallbearers of soul, commonly called the seven capitals sins?

Is the Holy Spirit less bountiful, less able to save souls now than at Pentecost? Is the tenor of priestly life holding in check those fires and mighty winds of conversions? Why do the Pentecostal fires burn so brightly in the mission lands and so feebly in the Church? Has the tide of the Spirit run out of the harbors? The fault is not in the Spirit. The rushing of mighty winds has not calmed and stilled itself into stagnancy or sterility. The Holy Spirit is still ready to overshadow every priesthood, so that we may bring forth those who are holy.

God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice. - Rom. 11:29 -

The bishop, priest, clergy acts from without, the Holy Spirit from within. We wish one another blessings; The Lord gives blessings. God alone can plant in a heart, by His divine husbandry, the seed that will blossom into a new creature in Christ. - 2Cor. 5:17 - The selfishness and sloth that make us shrink from searching for souls can be consumed by His Spirit. And if we have the fire of the Spirit, would burnish them into jewels of the Kingdom of God!

                                                                   Page 1
If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible declared that God is Creator - the only being capable of making something from nothing - The book of Genesis also declared that God created humanity as "male and female." - Gen. 1:27 - Together they formed the blessed pair needed to replenish and subdue the earth.

Since God created the universe out of nothing, it is His and will always serve His purpose. As He shaped creation without any interference from anyone, He will bring creation to its desired end. No power can frustrate God in His purpose to complete the process started in creation and revealed in Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible. God is Spirit - not a material substance - it must mean more than physical resemblance. To be created in God's image means that human being, though a creature, is akin to God. Our hope rests in the sovereign power of Him who created the world and then recreated us through the saving power of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
I will bring you offspring from the east,
and gather you from the west.
To the north I will say, 'Give them up'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them.'
Bring back my sons from far away,
my daughters from the end of the earth,
all those who bear my name,
whom I have created for my glory,
whom I have formed, whom I have made. - Isaiah 43:5-7 -

I, I am Yahweh,
there is no other saviour but me.
It is I who have spoken, have saved, have made the proclamation,
not any strangers among you.
You are my witnesses - it is Yahweh who speaks -
and I, I am your God, I am he from eternity.
No one can deliver from my hand,
I act and no one can reverse it. - Isaiah 43:11-13 -

By sin, death came into the world, and sin had destroyed the plan of God's creation. Humankind was created without sin, morally upright and inclined to do good. - Eccl. 7:29 - But sin entered into human experience when Adam and Eve violated the direct command of God. - Gen. 3:6 - Thus, a new creation was necessary.

Well then, sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned....... Again, as one man's fall brought condemnation on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone life and makes them justified. As one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous. When law came, it was to multiply the opportunities of falling, but however great the number of sins committed, grace was even greater; and so, just as sin reigned wherever there was death, so grace will reign to bring eternal life thanks to the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ our Lord. - Rom. 5:12-21 -

Does it follow that we should remain in sin so as to let grace have greater scope? Of course not. We are dead to sin, so how can we continue to live in it? You have been taught that when we were baptised in Christ Jesus we were baptised in his death; in other words,when we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father's glory, we too might live a new life.

If in union with Christ we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his resurrection. We must realise that our former selves have been crucified with him to destroy this sinful body and to free us from the slavery of sin. When a man dies, of course, he has finished with sin.

But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him: Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him anymore. When he died, he died, once for all, to sin, so his life now is life with God; and in that way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus. - Rom. 6:1-11 -

Now if Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead?............ If this were not true, what do people hope to gain by being baptised for the dead? If the dead are not ever going to be raised, why be baptised on their behalf? What about ourselves? Why are we living under a constant threat?...You say: let us eat and drink today; tomorrow we shall be dead. You must stop being led astray: "Bad friends ruin the noblest people." Come to your senses, behave properly, and leave sin alone; there are some of you who seem not to know God at all; you should be ashamed. - 1Cor. 15:12-34 -

If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is filled and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separated part to work according to its foundation. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love. - Eph. 4:15-16 -

In his body lives the fullness of divinity, and in him you too find your own fulfillment, in the one who is the head of every Sovereignty and Power. - Col. 2:9-10 -

The Holy Eucharist is not only a sacrificial oblation but also a sacrificial meal. It is for the continuation of His work in the world. Through Holy Eucharist, or Holy Mass, or Holy Communion the Lord Jesus becomes incarnate in each one of us and continues His life through us. Jesus wants our human nature to be as completely at His disposal as was His sacred humanity during His life in the world.

Jesus said: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." No one can come to the Father except through me. - John 14:6 -

If Jesus Christ is not presence in the Holy Eucharist as our spiritual food and strength, as our love and life, the work of redemption might have been all in vain for us. Only Jesus Christ flesh and blood can unite heaven and earth. The stream of His blood and flesh flows on and shall flow till the end of time.

Jesus answered:

'I tell you most solemnly,
you are not looking for me
because you have seen the signs
but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat.
Do not work for food that cannot last,
but work for food that endures to eternal life,
the kind of food the Son of Man is offering you,
for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.'

Then they said to him, 'What must we do if we are to do the works that God wants?' Jesus gave them this answer, 'This is working for God: you must believe in the one he has sent.' So they said, 'What sign will you give to show us that we should believe in you? What work will you do? Our fathers had manna to eat in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat,' Jesus answered:

'I tell you most solemnly,
it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven,
it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven,
the true bread;
for the bread of God
is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.'

'Sir,' they said 'give us that bread always.' Jesus answered:

'I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me, will never be hungry;
he who believes in me will never thirst.
But, as I have told you,
you can see me and still you do not believe.
All that............

Meanwhile the Jews were complaining to each other about him because he had said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven.'...Jesus said in reply, 'Stop complaining to each other.'

'No one can come to me
unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me,
....... I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate the manna in the dessert
and they are dead;
but this is the bread that comes down from heaven,
so that a man may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I shall give
is my flesh, for the life of the world.'

Then the Jews started arguing with one another: 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' they said, Jesus replied:

'I tell you most solemnly,
if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink his blood,
you will not have life in you.
Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood
has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day.
For my flesh is real food
and my blood is real drink.
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me
and I live in him.
As I, who am sent by the living Father,
myself draw life from the Father,
so whoever eats me will draw life from me.
This is the bread come down from heaven;
not like the bread our ancestors ate:
that are dead,
but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.'

Jesus taught this doctrine at Capernaum, in the synagogue. After hearing it, many of his followers said, 'This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?' Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, 'Does this upset you? What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before?

'It is the spirit that gives life,
the flesh has nothing to offer.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit
and they are life.' - John 6:26-71 -

The flesh and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ continues to flow from heaven to the earth and from earth back to heaven. Holy Eucharist is the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ from which "grace for grace" comes to us. This is a great mystery. "Indeed, from his fulness we have, all of us, received - yes, grace in return for grace." - John 1:16 -

Holy Eucharist, or Holy Mass, or Holy Communion is the Completion, as the harvest is the completion of the process begun with the sowing of the seed. Sacrifice requires the sacrificial meal. Sacrifice is also prayer, the attempt to become one with God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - the Holy Trinity - belong together like Faith, Hope, and Love. These cannot be separated.

                                                                    Page 1
If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

THE REAL PRESENCE OF THE GLORIFIED CHRIST

Memorial, sacrifice, banquet. This is the fullness and plenitude of the Eucharistic mystery. Or better still, we should speak of the banquet of the sacrificial memorial. We have already pointed out above that it would be an exercise in futility to try and establish an internal priority, a sort of 'hierarchy of truths' among these three aspects of the Eucharist, for all three are equally essential and none of them should be stressed at the expense of the other two. It is a harmonious blend of all three that will give us the heart of Eucharist. Maybe in the past, and probably as an unconscious anti-Protestant reaction, not only the average Catholic catechism, but even the official Catholic position emanating from the center tended to lay an exaggerated stress on the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist, leaving the memorial dimension and to a minor extent even the meal aspect, somewhat in the shadows.

The realization of her own past mistakes often leads the Church to a certain pendulum reaction in the opposite direction, and this seems to have happened in the present case. For a few years after Vatican II the Church witnessed one such sudden swing from an over insistence on the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist to an almost obsessive preponderance of the banquet dimension. Some would even go to the extent of banning the sacrificial dimension altogether, to concentrate exclusively on the meal aspect. They would thus turn the Eucharist into a fraternal meal, a horizontal get together meant to foster unity and brotherhood, with the vertical, God-centered dimension practically forgotten and almost entirely neglected.

The remedy was even worse than the disease. The Eucharist can by no means be reduced to a sacrifice, a vertical self-offering to God, but much less can it be equated with a fraternal banquet. Extremes and exclusive positions are seldom correct. The Eucharist is certainly and most essentially - as we have seen above - a sacrificial memorial of Christ's death and resurrection. But it is also, and emphatically, a meal, a banquet, for it is a rather peculiar memorial which is celebrated under the form of bread and wine. It is plainly an edible and drinkable memorial and if this aspect of eventual consumption is left out, the memorial sacrifice is thereby crippled. This kind of edible sacrificial memorial leads necessarily to communion and communion is a consumption of the sacrificial victim previously offered to God. These three essential aspects - sacrifice, memorial, communion - are like three links in the same chain, closely intertwined and inseparable. Hence, the Eucharistic repast is by no means the passive reception of the sacrament, but rather the active participation of the faithful in the fullness of the sacrificial act.

The Eucharistic banquet is not the consumption of a symbol but rather the internal assimilation of divine life, imparted to the communicant by the transfigured Lord, Eucharistically present under bread and wine. The reality celebrated implies not only the sacramental presence of a past salvific event, but also the real, substantial presence of the very person whose salvific action is commemorated. The Jewish Passover brought home powerfully under the veil of sacramental symbols the past event of the Egyptian deliverance, making the celebrating Jewish community a sharer in the effects of that salvific act, but there was no real presence of any kind. Whereas now in the Eucharist the central mystery of our salvation is rendered symbolically present, and in addition to this the very person of Jesus, beyond the grasp of death and resplendent in his heavenly glory, becomes really present. It is a sacrificial memorial that is climaxed by a real, transfigured presence, a presence which is destined to act within the body of the communicant.

Until fairly recently, the common opinion held the sixth chapter of John's Gospel to be but a distant promise of the Eucharist by Jesus himself which would be fulfilled at the end of His life. It was said that John is the only evangelist that, surprisingly, does not breath a word on such a central event as the institution of the Eucharist. Jesus' so-called farewell discourse in the context of the Last Supper is certainly long, as long as it is profound and inspiring, but oddly enough, it does not contain one word of the Eucharist. The narrative of the 'washing of the feet' left out by the Synoptic and Paul is mentioned and given due emphasis by John; whereas the institution of the Eucharist, prominently mentioned by the other three evangelists, is apparently passed over in silence by John. Why this puzzling omission?

In reality there is neither omission nor promise. For John does speak of the Eucharist; in fact, he devotes to it one full. long chapter, which is a clear indication of the importance he attaches to it. The so-called 'promise' contained in John 6 is in reality not a promise at all but rather the fullness of the Eucharistic reality - only that John is not primarily a historian concerned above all with the accurate chronology of historical events. He does mention the institution of the Eucharist, but in 'the wrong place; as it were, not in the context of the Supper, shortly before the passion narrative, but rather and for reasons of his own, in the sixth chapter. This chapter, as we shall see presently, is not the faint glow of dawn - a promise - but rather the fullness of the midday sun. It is the presence of the bread of life that came down from heaven to instill divine life into the hearts of men, "that they may have life and have it abundantly." - John 10:10 -

John 6 is a most beautiful, profound chapter that contains an inexhaustible supply of spiritual nourishment. Fortunately gone is the time when such a jewel of spiritual literature used to be a bone of contention between Catholics and Protestants, the former emphasizing strongly the Eucharistic content of the passage and the latter denying it with equal vehemence. What is really John's own intention in this chapter? Is he laying stress on the reality of faith only, as some of the early Protestants contended, or is he giving us a full treasure on the Eucharist, as Catholics have traditionally maintained? Both sides were partly right and partly wrong. They were both right in what they affirmed and badly wrong in what they denied.

The "bread of life" theme which runs throughout the chapter does not refer to the Eucharist always and everywhere (that was a Catholic mistake, both exegetical and pastoral). But neither can John's emphatic statements be reduced to the sapiential theme of faith (and this was the Protestant error). A fuller, more objective study of the entire passage, in a calmer atmosphere and away from sterile polemics, has finally yielded a rich harvest of mutual understanding and peaceful agreement. The theme of faith is markedly present, and to this extent Protestants were undoubtedly right; the sacramental, Eucharistic meaning should also be given equal prominence, and to this extent the Catholic position was also correct. The danger arose when each side chose to insist exclusively either on faith or on the Eucharist, making a choice that was not John's. Why select arbitrarily only one of the two themes when in reality both are present?

BY REV. FR. LUIS M. BERMEJO S.J.

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -