Death penalty: Revisiting its inadmissibility

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Pope Francis prays for the abolition of prisoner executions worldwide

Capital punishment is a topic that never fails to evoke strong emotive opinions from those who are for or against the punishment. It is no different in the Catholic Church. Since Pentecost Day more than 2,000 years ago, She has been on both sides.

It is a worthwhile topic to revisit because many Catholics tend to take extreme either/or positions and this has led to confusion.

Pope Francis’ seems to have settled the matter. His prayer intention for September calls for all people of goodwill “to mobilise” for the abolition of capital punishment throughout the world. (Watch video)

The Holy Father has persistently pushed to eliminate executions of prisoners since 2018 when he reformulated No. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to teach that the death penalty is no longer admissible. The previous wording read as “the right and duty of legitimate public authority to punish malefactors by means of penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime, not excluding, in cases of extreme gravity, the death penalty.”

Two years later, Pope Francis doubled down on the inadmissibility of capital punishment in his encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, much to the dismay of many Catholics, including clergy and theologians, who accused him of changing Catholic doctrine.

Has he?

No, he has not. Pope Francis is only advancing the doctrine to the next level from what his immediate predecessors had developed.

At the heart of this inadmissibility, he teaches that:

… more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption. Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person’.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 2267

Popes since 1969 call for end to death penalty

In 1969 Pope St Paul VI removed capital punishment from the fundamental law of Vatican City. After him, St John Paul II in his 1995 encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, taught that “If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority must limit itself to such means …”

This teaching was reflected in his updated version of his Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1997 that Pope Francis recently reformulated.

On Christmas Day in 1998, the Polish Pope reiterated his opposition to capital punishment with the message, “May Christmas help to strengthen and renew, throughout the world, the consensus concerning the need for urgent and adequate measures to halt the production and sale of arms, to defend human life, to end the death penalty …”

Pope Benedict XVI went further when he addressed the Community of Sant’Egidio during his November 2011 general audience with the message, “I express my hope that your deliberations will encourage the political and legislative initiatives being promoted in a growing number of countries to eliminate the death penalty …”

While the Pope has not change the doctrine on the death penalty, he teaches its application is no longer admissible.

In detailing Pope Francis’ rewording of CCC 2267, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Dicastery (Congregation previously) for the Doctrine of the Faith, explains, “This development centres principally on the clearer awareness of the Church for the respect due to every human life. Along this line, John Paul II affirmed: ‘Not even a murderer loses his personal dignity, and God himself pledges to guarantee this’.”

So, how does this development square with the Old and New Testaments where legal punishment of personal injury did allow “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Exodus 21:23-24)? Acts 5:1–11 speaks of the divine punishment meted out to Ananias and Sapphira when Peter rebuked them for their fraudulent action (Acts 5:1–11).

St Paul, in his Letter to the Hebrews 10:28 says that “a man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses”.

In Romans 13:14 he also writes that rulers acting against wrongdoers do so as “God’s servant for your good” and “does not bear the sword in vain”.

Doctors of the Church Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus invoke the authority of Scripture and patristic tradition for the death penalty. Their peers, Saints Robert Bellarmine and Alphonsus Liguor, were also in agreement that certain criminals should be punished by death.

Despite the episode of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 and St Paul’s Hebrew and Roman letters, Christians in the early centuries avoided capital punishment in Imitatio Christi (Imitation of Christ), which was then, as it remains today, the highest standard of holiness. The Church, then, was under persecution and Christians sought to follow Christ in His virtues, and in His sufferings, even to the point of martyrdom.

Christ rejects violence

Jesus, himself, refrained from using violence. He rebuked his disciples for wishing to call down fire from heaven to punish the Samaritans for their lack of hospitality (Luke 9:55). Later he admonished Peter to put his sword in the scabbard rather than resist arrest (Matthew 26:52).

The Church’s tolerance of capital punishment came about when Christianity was legalised in 313 AD and Catholics rose to positions of governance. Christian judges, especially, were required to dispense justice, including capital punishment, according to the laws of the land, but would be in mortal sin if the Church taught against legitimate authorities bearing the sword.

The clergy, though, were prohibited from participating in capital punishment for they were teachers of the Gospel and, as evangelisers, exercise the ministry of redemption.

What recent popes, especially Francis, have done and are doing is to reorientate the Church towards when She taught against capital punishment.

In Fratelli Tutti, the Holy Father reminds us that “Pope Nicholas I (858-867 AD) urged that efforts be made ‘to free from the punishment of death not only each of the innocent, but all the guilty as well. During the trial of the murderers of two priests, Saint Augustine asked the judge not to take the life of the assassins with this argument: ‘We do not object to your depriving these wicked men of the freedom to commit further crimes. Our desire is rather that justice be satisfied without the taking of their lives or the maiming of their bodies in any part. … Do not let the atrocity of their sins feed a desire for vengeance, but desire instead to heal the wounds which those deeds have inflicted on their souls’”.

Risk of executing the innocent

A key concern of the Church and people of goodwill has always been the miscarriage of justice that results in the execution of innocent people. While data covering all countries are unavailable, a 2014 study in the United States estimates that at least 4% of executed prisoners are innocent.

No justice system is perfect and the danger of executing the innocent is always there.

Despite all the safeguards in place, no justice system is perfect and we can assume innocent lives are lost through capital punishment up to this very day in countries that practise this punishment. In repressive authoritarian systems, the death penalty is also often used as a tool for vengeance and to silence political opponents.

Addressing the 6th World Congress Against the Death Penalty in 2016 Pope Francis makes this point.

(Capital punishment) does not render justice to victims, but instead fosters vengeance. The commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ has absolute value and applies both to the innocent and to the guilty.

The question must be dealt with within the larger framework of a system of penal justice open to the possibility of the guilty party’s reinsertion in society. There is no fitting punishment without hope! Punishment for its own sake, without room for hope, is a form of torture, not of punishment.

Returning to Scriptures, Moses sings that God will vindicate His people with the phrase “vengeance is mine” in Deuteronomy 32:35. He adds “In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.” In St Paul’s letter to the Romans, he also emphasises they should not “repay evil for evil” (Rom 12:17).

What we can take away from this is that man must not exact punishment on behalf of God for His honour. He will satisfy His own wrath. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah out of vengeance for their iniquity (Gen 19).

But He withheld vengeance from Nineveh after Jonah preached to them (Jon 3).

The Almighty, and not men, knows the hearts of every person and seeks repentance from all sinners, no matter how grave their offences are. He shows mercy to those who do and rain down His justice perfectly on those who refuse.

Submission of mind and will to Pope Francis’ teaching

So, while Pope Francis is not redefining capital punishment as “intrinsically evil” and therefore always wrong, which would have changed Catholic doctrine, he is teaching that its application is no longer admissible. This is the fundamental point that many Catholic theologians, clergy and laity have not given much weight or ignored outright.

At its core, what Pope Francis is teaching is that while “Legitimate public authority has the right and duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offense (CCC 2266)”, the reasons for applying the death penalty are no longer admissible. In CCC 2267 and Fratelli Tutti he makes this point that the Church “works with determination for its abolition worldwide”.

Catholic legislators and judges, therefore, would not be in mortal sin if they are required to dispense the legitimate laws of their jurisdictions. But they and all Catholics must give religious submission of mind and will to Pope Francis’ teaching on the death penalty.

Those who refuse to do so, will do well to read Donum Veritatis, the instruction that the then prefect Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s Congregation (Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued to theologians. But it is good reading for all Catholics. Key paragraphs:

28. … a particular application (is) the case of the theologian who might have serious difficulties, for reasons which appear to him well founded, in accepting a non-irreformable magisterial teaching.

Such a disagreement could not be justified if it were based solely upon the fact that the validity of the given teaching is not evident or upon the opinion that the opposite position would be the more probable. Nor, furthermore, would the judgment of the subjective conscience of the theologian justify it because conscience does not constitute an autonomous and exclusive authority for deciding the truth of a doctrine.

29. In any case there should never be a diminishment of that fundamental openness loyally to accept the teaching of the Magisterium as is fitting for every believer by reason of the obedience of faith. The theologian will strive then to understand this teaching in its contents, arguments, and purposes. This will mean an intense and patient reflection on his part and a readiness, if need be, to revise his own opinions and examine the objections which his colleagues might offer him.

According to available data, most executions take place in Asia, with China topping the global list. Only Bhutan, Cambodia, East Timor, Hong Kong, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have abolished the practice.

Main Image: Pexels, Koolshooters

天主教徒别无选择, 只能福传

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在福音当中，基督的指令非常清晰, “不随同我的, 就是反对我”

让我先问问两道问题。第一道问题：你是耶稣的门徒吗？
第二道问题：你是否曾有意带领其他人信从基督的？

当我们对第一道问题的回答是“是的“，却不能对第二道问题做出同样的回答时，就有些不对劲了。成为耶稣的门徒同时也意味着成为传道者。这是来自圣经的想法。在马尔谷福音4：19，耶稣并不仅仅是叫祂的第一批门徒 “来，跟从我”。当祂继续说：”我要使你们成为渔人的渔夫”时，祂提出了当门徒的最终目标。祂在一开始就说明了这个目标，并在最后又重复了这个目标。” 你们要去使万民成为门徒“（玛窦福音28：19）。在马尔谷的福音版本里，耶稣说，” 你们往普天下去，向一切受造物宣传福音“（马尔谷福音16：15）。路加记录了耶稣的最后提醒，祂的门徒要成为祂的见证人，要以祂的名向万民传悔改和赦罪。（路加福音24：47-48）。祂在宗徒大事录1：8中重复了这句话，作为整个教会故事的蓝本，” 在耶路撒冷及全犹太和撒玛黎雅，并直到地极，为我作证人。”

若望将这一呼唤作为复活的主的第一句话，”就如父派遣了我，我也同样派遣你们。”（若望福音20:21），并明确指出，对于那些说自己爱耶稣的门徒来说，传福音不是一个选项，”你爱我吗？” “你喂养我的羊群！”。你有没有想过你在这个世界上的最后一句话可能是什么？你可能希望这些话是你所爱的人最记得的。你会希望它能对你的一生产生影响。以同样的方式，我相信耶稣希望祂的最后一句话不是别的，而是祂的门徒们最关心的。

我们看到天主教会在接下来的几个世纪里一直忠实于这些话。在宗徒大事录的结尾，圣保禄终于到达了帝国的中心–罗马。从那里，福音向西进入欧洲。快进到16世纪，传教士在美洲、非洲登陆并返回亚洲。圣方济·沙勿略（St Francis Xavier），亚洲的传教士和传教士的共同主保圣人，试图激发那些自称是天主教徒的人的热情，使他们 “完全听从天主的呼唤。他们确实会从灵魂深处呼喊：’主啊，我在这里。祢想让我做什么？把我送到祢希望的任何地方，甚至远至印度！'”

虽然普遍的想法是，教会在梵蒂冈第二届大公会议后改变了对福音的教导，但这与事实相去甚远。 1974年，教宗保禄六世对教会的宗旨不吝溢美之词，”宣传福音乃是教会特有的恩宠及使命、她的最深的特征。她之所以存在，是为宣传福音”（在新世界中传福音 14）。教宗若望保禄二世呼唤教会：”我感觉到把教会的全部精力投入新的福音传播的时刻已经来临….，。没有一个基督信徒，没有一个教会机构能够逃避此一崇高责任：向万民宣讲基督”（救主的使命3）。在给亚洲教会和年轻人的具体信息中，圣若望保禄二世宣布：”如果亚洲的教会要完成其天赋的使命，那么，福音的传扬….，应占有绝对的优先地位。”（教会在亚洲 2）。教宗本笃随后成立了圣座促进新福传委员会。在我们的时代，教宗方济各呼吁将传教活动反映在教会结构的每个部分，作为教会所有活动的范式，”一股传教动力，足以转化一切，好使教会的习俗、风格、时期、行事历、语言和架构，都足以成为今日世界福传的管道……” （福音的喜乐27）。

耶稣不允许祂的跟随者选择不温不火，不参与福传（默示录3：20）。只有两种选择。耶稣说：”不随同我的，就是反对我；不与我收集的，就是分散”（玛窦福音12：30）。对于教会的绝大多数人来说，我们忽视了主的授权，就像门徒犹达斯那样的背叛；大使命已经变成了大遗失。现在是我们选择是否真正成为顺服耶稣的门徒的时候了。
你今天会把全心全意跟随耶稣作为你祈祷的意向吗？你是否愿意接受耶稣的使命作为你自己的使命，”寻找及拯救迷失了的人”，（路加福音19：10）呢？

How do you cultivate Biblical Fearlessness?

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Let’s face it, if you really think about it, life is scary – There is much more we cannot control than what we can. You might get to your destination safely but an errant driver can mount the sidewalk and mow you down. As part of your weekly routine, you could be going for a leisurely run in the park and then have a tree come crashing down on you like it did the lady in Marsiling park. In many instances in our lives, we actually take it “on faith” that things will work out. We ride the elevators in faith, we take public transport in faith, we soar through the air and cross international time zones in faith, yet, when it comes to the Lord’s will in our lives, we have more faith in the builders of rollercoaster rides than we do our heavenly Father.

What is faith?

In Hebrews 11:1, Faith is described as being “certain of what we do not see.” It is an absolute belief that God is constantly working behind the scenes in every aspect of our lives, even when there is “nothing your senses can discern”. When we fail to understand that God is always working behind the scenes, unbelief gains the upper hand in our thoughts, giving fear a moment to take hold and for anxieties to cloud your judgement. Let me put it this way, we don’t see the maintenance personnel keeping our aeroplanes flight worthy do we? Yet we trust that these winged contraptions will ferry us safely. What gives?

I fear nothing, for all is, as the Force wills

Anti-fragile faith or How to Trust your Heavenly Father

“Daddy, this is yummy! I like all the dishes you choose.”
Remember when you didn’t like any food I recommended?
“Yes.. but I was young!”
And then one day you decided to try the mee goreng I’ve always wanted you to try!
“And before that, prata with curry instead of sugar…”
And.. it was the dahl curry which wasn’t too spicy for you and now you eat all kinds of curry and spicy mee goreng.
“Now I know that daddy knows what I like and I can trust his choices!”

“Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

Matthew 7:9-11

Suffice it to say, as a father to two young children, I often find myself lacking in wisdom and intellect to steward these souls entrusted to me. We are flawed and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, dare we hope to raise children to reflect His glory. That said, our Father in heaven lacks nothing and so, if our children can trust in our human “goodness”, we definitely can trust in the Lord’s true goodness. Do you trust your Grabcar or Taxi driver to take you to your desired destination? If that is so, what more when Jesus takes the wheel?

What no sense discerns, faith reveals

Testimony: Is this bread? It looks like a stone!

Some time ago, I had prayed for deliverance from a particularly toxic boss, it was because of this boss, I spent all my lunch hours in fasting and prayer at the nearby church for close to two years. Eventually, I had two meetings with a potential new employer and while I was confident of God’s plans to prosper and not fail me (Jeremiah 29:11), what my eyes saw as doors opening, closed. But still, I understood, “His will, not mine be done”. When I finally received the call that it was not to be, I was sad, and even lost for a moment but a minute later, a weight lifted off my shoulders.

Why? Because God’s never breaks His promises. Since God promises that if you ask for bread, He won’t give you a stone, it is therefore not a stone and I trusted that God was planning something even better for me, so I fell to my knees and gave thanks. Indeed, almost a year later, something better did come.

David got up from the floor, washed his face and combed his hair, put on a fresh change of clothes, then went into the sanctuary and worshiped. Then he came home and asked for something to eat. They set it before him and he ate. His servants asked him, “What’s going on with you? While the child was alive you fasted and wept and stayed up all night. Now that he’s dead, you get up and eat.” “While the child was alive,” he said, “I fasted and wept, thinking GOD might have mercy on me and the child would live. But now that he’s dead, why fast? Can I bring him back now? I can go to him, but he can’t come to me.”

2 Samuel 12:20-24
Walk by faith, not by sight

Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that faith is a gift, and that faithfulness is a “fruit” produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). Our faith is a confident assurance in an omnipotent God who loves us and cares about our deepest needs. That faith grows when it is tested and we discover each time that God comes through for us. This gift is further nurtured when we get to know the Father as intimately as possible through the Bible and learn the attributes of His amazing character. Biblical heroes like David too experienced fear as he tells us in Psalm 56,  “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” Through the bible, God wants us to know Him and completely rely on His plan in our lives and the Bible is clear that faith does not mature and strengthen without trials. Adversity is God’s most effective tool to develop a strong faith. After all, in the Our Father, do we not pray “Your Will be done”?

A sovereign God of nations and the universe

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He governs by Divine Providence, intervenes in human affairs at specific moments

Not a day passes by that when we watch the news on television or read the newspapers there is always something contentious going on somewhere in the world that causes us to worry. Wars, threats of conflict, the rise of dictators and autocrats, terrorists killing innocent people or some kind of catastrophe that threaten the safety and survival of communities.

Often, it seems as though we are approaching the Parousia or Second Coming of Christ that 2 Tim 3:1-5 says will be preceded by,

Terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them.

But, in our trepidation, we forget that we have a loving God who is in control of everything. Sometimes we forget this even when we seem to remember the point because we unconsciously limit God to what He controls in our lives. But our lives are small and insignificant in comparison to the big things like COVID or the Russia-Ukraine War. Our God is in control of everything, but not truly everything.

So, let us return to the Book of Genesis, to the chapter that literally titled “The Table of Nations”. And let’s read each of the words there. They are not just words or names of people but of countries in the ancient world. Adam, Noah and Abraham were not only individuals, they were also the founding fathers – in a literal sense – of nations.

The Book of Genesis’ stories are about individuals and their relationship with God. At the same time, they are allegories and folk histories of the relationships between Israel and her neighbours in the exilic and post-exilic periods. For example, Esau’s countenance could be used to explain why Persians are tough people.

Abraham, along with Adam and Noah, was the founding father of nations

God intervenes in history when He wills

In his catechesis on 11 March 1998, Pope John Paul II teaches that “As we face the rather slow growth of God’s kingdom in the world, we are asked to trust in the plan of the merciful Father who guides all things with transcendent wisdom”.

Jesus, he says, “invites us to admire the ‘patience’ of the Father, who adapts His transforming action to the slowness of human nature wounded by sin. This patience was already revealed in the Old Testament, in the long history which prepared Jesus’ coming. It continues to be revealed after Christ, in the growth of his Church”.

Jesus speaks of “times” (chrónoi) and “seasons” (kairoí). These two words for time in biblical language have two nuances which are worth recalling. Chrónos is time in its ordinary course and is also under the influence of divine Providence, which governs everything. But into this ordinary flow of history God makes his special interventions, which give a particular saving value to specific moments. These are precisely the kairoí, God’s seasons, which man is called to discern and by which he must allow himself to be challenged.

Pope St John Paul II, 11 March 1998

If we bear in mind this perspective, the Old Testament becomes an epic of international history told through the eyes of Israel – and of God. This God determines the fate of nations by moving people around. If you are a millennial, you may compare this to positioning a hero unit in a real-time strategy game.

In Genesis, God moves Joseph out of Canaan to Egypt. This single action ends up affecting the fates of not one, but two, nations: Israel and Egypt. In Exodus, God takes Moses up the Nile to the Pharoah’s Palace and orchestrates a new season for Israel and Egypt again. As Israel moves through the desert, they encounter many other smaller tribes and nations, and their histories are likewise affected.

The Book of Jonah seems to tell the story of a single errant prophet. As it turns out, however, Jonah was no amateur prophet. He was employed as a professional court prophet in Israel. So he took his embassy to Nineveh not only as a personal mission to the King of the city, but also as a diplomatic mission between Israel and Nineveh, which was the capital of one of Israel’s most fearsome enemy, the Assyrians. At the time Assyria was a superpower just as America and China are today.

And again, in the Book of Esther, God raises Esther to be Queen of Persia. She becomes a bridge between Israel and the Persian Empire. The Jews also believed another Persian, Cyrus the Great, was sent by God to liberate Israel from the Babylonians.

We could say that God works on a chessboard of nations, like a big Risk board. And He knows which pieces to move in order to produce effects in history we can only dream of. God is like an expert chess player who thinks of moves several moves or years in advance.

If we try to look at things from His perspective, we may have a different outlook on history. While much of it may be speculation, it is a good exercise, nonetheless.

Let’s take a normal history question: Why did the British surrender Singapore to the Japanese? The secular reasons, if you are around Asia, should be quite well known. But let’s try a theological spin on the question: Why did God allow the British to lose Singapore to the Japanese? Could we apply a Bible verse to this historical event?

As it turns out, there are two that can fit:

“So, the last shall be first, and the first last”. (Mt 20:14)

“Pride goeth before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

The second can work because the British were proud of their belief in the 1930s of their “Empire on which the sun never sets”. They didn’t think much of the threat posed by the Japanese, the Empire of the Rising Sun. And, so, we could speculate that God used the Japanese to bring down Britain’s empire in the East.

If we follow this line of reasoning from Proverbs, the British loss of Singapore, Malaya and Burma was a punishment for their imperial over-confidence.

Matthew 20 can also fit because the Japanese were perceived as the last of the Allies at the end of the First World War, even after they had defeated the Russians. In the Second World War, they became the first in the Far East, eclipsing even China in the process.

But Matthew’s verse also works because of another reason that would not be obvious to a secular historian. After the Second World War, Britain lost its position as the world’s leading superpower.

The country that replaced Britain was the United States, which broke away from the United Kingdom in the 18th Century because they perceived that England was bullying them. From then and right up to the 20th Century, the US was the last of the world’s superpowers, even technically after Japan.

Along these lines, we could speculate that God used the Second World War to reshuffle the balance of power between Britain and the US!

Christ’s vicar, the Pope, is a sovereign religious leader. Image: Unsplashed, Agatha Depine.

Outside the realm of secular nations, in Christianity, we are also taught that the Church is a “holy nation” or the New Israel. Catholicism goes a step further to say that the Church is a visible sovereign government headed by the Pope.

Lumen Gentium (1964) defines the Church as such: “This Church constituted and organised in the world as a society” (LG 76).

The Catholic Church is sovereign

The Church is a society that is complete. That is, She preserves sovereignty separate from all other powers on Earth. The Pope is not just a religious leader, he is a sovereign religious leader. His sovereignty differentiates him from all other religious leaders, including those of other Christian communities. The Church, like the United Kingdom, Singapore, the US or China, is a sovereign nation. Just that it is not one defined by territorial boundaries, but by allegiance given to Jesus Christ.

As the Church is sovereign, She operates at the same level as secular states. When we think of God as literally sovereign, we can understand why the Church is so adamantly against the “privatisation” of religion. As a sovereign society, the Church possesses Her own public sphere that is distinct from the private sphere of Her members, including the clergy.

Participation in the public sphere is an acknowledgement of sovereignty since only a sovereign possesses a public sphere to operate in.

The sovereign interacts with subjects is his sole discretion. In the case of the Church, the true Sovereign is Jesus Christ, and – as taught in Scripture – He seeks to form a personal, brotherly relationship with all of us who are His subjects.

As Catholics, sometimes we hear our Protestant brethren talking about having a personal relationship with God, and may see some Catholic apologists argue against that belief. We may also see the Pope recently very frequently talking about Catholics building a personal relationship with God.

Is the Pope becoming more Protestant, or are those apologists making a mistake? Pope Francis is definitely not becoming more Protestant. The apologists may be making a mistake in some cases, but in most cases, they are trying to argue something totally different.

Sometimes, the Protestant approach risks turning Jesus into some sort of Agony Uncle or coffee shop buddy. But Christ is more than any Christian’s personal assistant or Good Samaritan. He is the Sovereign over all of creation. Therefore, our moral and faith life is not only a matter of private, secret practice, but also something in the public sphere – of laws and government.

Note the term “laws and government”. To govern is more than passing laws and enforcing them. Governing, like other types of leadership, also has a ‘softer’ side. Too often, however, Christians – Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox alike – tend to focus just on the legal aspect. This presents a picture of a God Who is cold, formal and distant, rather than One who cares to establish a familial relationship with His creation.

God is a God of Nations. But, more precisely, He is a God of people organised into Nations and, so, He values interpersonal connections more than procedures and rubrics.

The most important thing to remember is: Nations are first and foremost people before they are procedural administrative structures.

Discipleship is not about hanging out with one another

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At its heart are starting spiritual conversations, teaching others to form disciples

When we relaunched Lifeline College & Young Adults Ministry at the church of St Francis Xavier in Petaling Jaya, I dare say we did our best to love each person God sent our way. For an English-speaking parish, encountering Sabahans and Sarawakians was novel but we welcomed them.

We were inclusive of the Mandarin-speaking folks.  We patiently befriended those who had mental health issues. Every week, after Mass and the gathering, we went for lunch, sports or movie and even dinner.

So when one of the leaders described discipleship as hanging out with each other, it was understandable. But to me who knew discipleship was so much more, it was horrifying.

As Catholics, we were never raised in a disciple-making culture. Maybe I wouldn’t have been such a screw-up if someone had discipled me. So, I was extremely grateful to a college mate who had been with Campus Crusade for Christ for introducing the book, Personal Disciple-making, by Christopher Adsit.

I had never experienced intentionally discipling another person previously, so the dense biblical insights and practical ideas in the book completely overwhelmed me. I am still unpacking it today.

The book introduced me to two critical ideas.

First, I learnt to do discipleship outside of a formal context. As I “did life” with my student leaders, I learnt to broach into spiritual conversations. This is so important, especially when ministering to millennials who wouldn’t come for formal youth gatherings but are willing to chat over dinner.

If I disciple others to disciple others, the ministry grows exponentially as more trained workers are released into the harvest field.

Second, I started to see the vision for spiritual multiplication. No matter how effective I am, if everything only depends on me, every new person I‘m discipling is only a spiritual addition. But if I disciple others to disciple others, the ministry grows exponentially as more trained workers are released into the harvest field.  

The next stage in my formation as a disciple-maker was when I encountered the Fellowship of Catholic University Students in the United States (FOCUS) and Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) in Canada. At last, I was able to see and hear from living witnesses what the discipleship model looked like, especially in a Catholic context.

CCO demonstrated urgency in their bible studies. We only had a few years with the students so we had to be intentional in teaching what they really need to know and practise as Catholics.

FOCUS introduced a one-page Discipleship Road Map that made it clear it starts with calling for a commitment through a kerygmatic presentation of the Gospel. It “ends” when disciples are themselves making disciples.

The Road Map is invaluable as it helps us identify which stage we are at so as to know the next step forward. FOCUS also divided their formations into four areas: human, intellectual, spiritual and apostolic, which really helped me shape the conversations I am having with the people I am discipling. This includes a guideline to talk to men about the awkward topic of chastity.

The larger Catholic Church has entered the conversation on disciple-making primarily through Sherry Weddell’s book, Forming Intentional Disciples.

As more and more church leaders discover that our ad hoc formations and traditional youth and campus ministries aren’t forming missionary disciples who make missionary disciples, more focus has shifted to the discipleship model.

Though I have spent my last 25 years growing as a disciple-maker, I am humbled that there is always so much more to learn.

Where are you on your journey as a disciple-maker? How are you effectively fulfilling Jesus’ last command to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19)?

Catholic 10-point guide to ‘How to Evangelise’

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Prayer, social media, hospitality, events are some of the many tools in our toolkit

In my previous post, Top 10 Catholic excuses for not evangelizing, I left the 10th excuse, “I don’t know how to evangelise” unanswered because it deserves a response that requires a full-length article. So here it is in 10 points.     

How you can develop an evangelistic mindset

1. Pray for the salvation of souls, and not just for world peace, health, employment, or salvation upon death (Purgatory is not a second chance to get to Heaven. If a person ignores God on earth, there is not much hope), etc. Believe that God desires all men to be saved (1 Tim 2:4), so storm heaven for the miraculous conversion of people such as ISIS, Zakir Naik and others. Some find it helpful to list 10 non-Christian friends and pray for them on a decade of the Divine Mercy. Can anything withstand the onslaught of a praying Church?

2. Offer to pray for people in need. Pope Francis suggests ending conversations “with a brief prayer related to the concerns, which the person may have expressed” (Evangelii Gaudium 128). Show them that you genuinely care for their concerns and pray with simple words (formal prayers may mean a lot to Catholics but may come across as mechanical to the uninitiated). For example, after my personal trainer shared that he had concerns about hitting his target, I told him I will be praying for this intention. Recently, a lady had car trouble in church. We tried to help as best as we could but she was clearly traumatised. So, I asked the aunty if she would like us to pray for her. And we did.

3. Share your faith in a natural way on social media. Young people are less on Facebook and more on Instagram. Make your message interesting, clear and Christ-centred. We can do better than “Happy holidays!”, “Compliments of the Season!” or even “Christmas is a season of joy, gift-giving and of families united”. If it’s Christmas, the main celebration is not Santa Claus, Rudolph, snow or mistletoe, but the Christian belief that God became man. Say something about that!

4. Welcome and invite your non-Christian friends to a corporal work of mercy. I serve at a soup kitchen and I’ll just invite my friends to join me in a very natural way. But too often, our evangelization stops there. Serving the poor offers a natural opportunity for us to discuss the meaning of life. I would also invite them for drinks or a meal after serving where we can have spiritual conversations.

5. Initiate conversations with interesting questions like, “What do you think is the purpose of life?”, “If you could meet God today, what would you ask him?”, “How do you decide what is right or wrong?”, “What is your view of God/Jesus Christ/Catholic Church?” and so on. As the conversation progresses, it may be very natural to invite them further to an Alpha (There are chapters in most countries), a prayer meeting, Mass or even RCIA!

6. Be prepared to give an explanation for your faith (1 Pet 3:15). This includes a clear and simple story of how your life has been changed by Christ. Be ready also to share an answer to the question, “So what does Christianity teach?” You can find an example of a Catholic presentation of the Gospel, also known as the kerygma, at Sharing the Gospel.

Be ready to start conversations, even inviting your friends for a meal. Pexels, John Diez

7. Welcome and invite your non-Christian friends to a church event. Include them in religious celebrations like Christmas and Easter (if you are taking them to Mass, be ready to explain the essentials of the rituals or the festivities so that they can appreciate it and follow along as much as they may feel comfortable). If your parish or one nearby is running an Alpha, invite him along.

8. Raise parish hospitality levels. Resist the temptation to create religious cubby holes and cliques with other committed Catholics. “In all its activities, the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelisers” (Joy of the Gospel 28). In whatever parish ministry you are involved in, be creative on how it can welcome non-believers. For example, for the Parish Family Day, instead of giving bonus points for participants from the same Basic Ecclesial Community (Neighbourhood Christian Community in Singapore), give bonus points instead for inviting non-Christian friends. The Hospitality Team should do more than show people to their seats. Be ready to start conversations, especially with visitors, even inviting them to a meal!

9. Join the Catechetical team that prepares young people for the Sacrament of Confirmation or learn how to be an effective Godparent/sponsor. At 16 years old, the curious-minded are seeking answers to their questions and doubts. Invite them into a relationship with the Lord and train Confirmands with the goal of helping them to become evangelisers.

10. Connect with other missionary-minded Catholics. As hot coals that burn together, hold each other accountable and inspire everyone to persevere in evangelising.

You might even want to form an evangelistic apostolate. Many Catholics are unaware or have forgotten that by the Sacrament of Confirmation, they are “obliged more firmly to be witnesses of Christ by word and deed and to spread and defend the faith” (Canon Law 879). Build conviction and urgency for evangelism, which is the “why”, and coach others in the skills and practice of evangelism, the “how”. Catholics need to understand atonement and salvation. The biggest stumbling block to evangelism is that Catholics cannot explain what happened on Good Friday and are practical religious relativists.

There are very many people eager to engage in spiritual conversations if only there were Catholics who would generously talk to them: the Mormons, the Jehovah’s Witnesses and most recently the Korean World Mission Society Church of God. Get their numbers and call them out for a conversation!

Main Image: Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino’s St. Paul preaching at Athens

Top 10 Catholic excuses for not evangelising

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Christ commissions the baptised as His disciples to evangelise but not all obey Him

Christ calls every Catholic in each age and generation to spread the good news about Him. This command to evangelise to all nations comes after His resurrection and before His ascension into Heaven, when Jesus appeared before His disciples.

All three Synoptic Gospels record the Saviour of the World commissioning us, His disciples.  In Matthew 28, Christ says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

This Great Commission did not end with the death of the last Apostle, but is given to every baptised Catholic until the “close of age” or until He returns (Luke Lk 17:24, 2 Peter 3:10).

So, knowing what Christ and the Church teach us about evangelism, why do we see many neglecting the Commission He has given to all of us? What are some of the common excuses for not evangelising to those who have not heard or properly understood the Good News about Jesus Christ?

I’ve heard many, but these are the common Top Ten and my response to each one:

1. Everyone already knows about Christianity, they can google search the Internet if they don’t

Today’s generation suffers from information overload. With so many voices on the Internet competing for our attention, it makes a lot of difference when someone accompanies us in our spiritual quest. 

2. I’m not the kind to talk about my faith, I evangelise by my actions

It is true that evangelisation is both by deeds and words. Strictly speaking, evangelisation by words is called “proclamation” or “evangelism” and it is equally important as our lifestyle witness. Pope St Paul VI in Evangelii Nuntiandi (Nos 22) asserts that witness by actions “always remains insufficient, because even the finest witness will prove ineffective in the long run if it is not explained, justified –  what Peter called always having ‘your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have’ –  and made explicit by a clear and unequivocal proclamation of the Lord Jesus. The Good News proclaimed by the witness of life sooner or later has to be proclaimed by the word of life. There is no true evangelisation if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed.” 

Pope St Paul VI teaches that witness by actions “always remains insufficient, if not explained.

3. I’m not a holy Catholic

Neither was the Samaritan Woman in John 4. And yet, she quickly spread the message about the Messiah, by simply giving her witness to what Jesus had done for her (John 4:29). If we are trying to win people to ourselves, perhaps our personal sanctification may be the most important thing. But actually, who we are winning people to, is the Lord. It will be a big relief to you to know that the Gospel is not about you; it’s about Jesus and the question they have to grapple with is, “Who is this Jesus?”   

Having said that, evangelising will give us a boost to be more conscientious about our personal behaviour and life witness. So, evangelising will help you achieve your goal to be holy!

4. Non-Christians are going to ask me about the sex scandal. Why would we want to invite them to join our Church with all its problems?

Humbly acknowledge that the Catholic Church has messed up big-time. And Jesus made it clear what he thought about hypocrites. While it will be important to eventually talk about the Church, at this point we just want to focus on Jesus.  

5. I don’t know enough about my faith and they will ask me something which I don’t know how to answer

If your non-Christian friend asks you a question that you don’t know, be humble to admit your ignorance and offer to get back to him with the answer. It’s a chance for you to grow in the knowledge of the faith as well. But this question may be a diversion and you can invite him to return to your testimony or presentation of the Gospel. The Samaritan woman also tried to catch Jesus with such a question. He responded briefly and went to the heart of the matter (John 4: 19-26).

6. They already have their own religion and they are even better than us Catholics

Pope St John Paul II explained that respect for other religions “does not eliminate the need for the explicit proclamation of the Gospel in its fullness. Especially in the context of the rich array of cultures and religions in Asia it must be pointed out that ‘neither respect and esteem for these religions nor the complexity of the questions raised are an invitation to the Church to withhold from these non-Christians the proclamation of Jesus Christ’” (Ecclesia in Asia, Nos 20). We are called not to judge, and this includes deciding whether a person needs Jesus or not. Nicodemus was a teacher of the law and yet Jesus told him he had to be born again (John 3). We are called to respect each individual and their rights to know Jesus Christ.

7. I don’t want to come across as a pushy religious fanatic. If my friends want to know about Christianity, they can ask me

If you had the cure for cancer, would it be pushy to share it with others who are dying from the disease? We often see Jesus and the disciples take the initiative to enter into towns and preach the Gospel (John 4-5, Acts 8:26-40). There is a difference between disagreeing and being disagreeable. And if they do not want to accept the message of reconciliation, Jesus asks us to “shake the dust off your feet” and leave the situation to God (Matt 10:14).

8. Honestly, I’m scared they will reject me

The fear that some people would react negatively is not groundless. Jesus did not promise his disciples popularity but persecution (Matt 5:11). Christ Himself was rejected and explains, “whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects Him who sent me” (Luke 10:16). So don’t take this personally. But this is exactly when we will know if we have true faith when we desire to obey and please God rather than to fear man. American evangelist Bill Bright said it well, “success in witnessing is simply sharing Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.”

9. I don’t have the time to evangelise

We always find time for what is important. Even if you are not able to invest time to be discipled in evangelism, you can just share naturally with the people around you how God has made that change in your life.

10. I don’t know how to evangelise

Read my next article, Catholic 10-point guide to ‘How to Evangelise’

God’s love remains constant for 28 years

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A priest’s journey began as a mountain too high to climb, but not for Christ

Editor’s Note: Fr Peter celebrated his 28th Sacerdotal Anniversary Mass earlier this evening on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He shares with us the homily he preached.

Dear Readers,

Twenty-eight years ago, I was ordained as a Redemptorist priest in Melbourne by Bishop Peter Connor. It was a wonderful celebration and a joyous occasion, which I will never forget.

My journey to the priesthood, which began in Vietnam, was the biggest challenge in my life (read my story here: For God, every dark cloud has a silver lining ). It was like climbing up the highest mountain that has lots of twists and unexpected turns.

Sometimes it was like I had arrived at a dead end and there was no way out. But God rescued me from all those dangerous events and allowed me to settle in Australia. In a foreign land, I was able to start a new life and pursue my vocation. In reflecting on my journey, I am ever more convinced that with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).

On this 28th Anniversary of my ordination, I like to share with you an experience that took place during my Novitiate at the Redemptorist Monastery in Mayfield, Newcastle City in 1987. Since without this spiritual experience, I would not have been ordained as priest.

In fact, I would not be here today to celebrate Mass, in thanksgiving to God, on this most blessed occasion with special friends and parishioners at St. Thomas More College Chapel.

Every Friday during my Novitiate, I had to see my Novice Master for about an hour to discuss how things had been going with me, especially in terms of my spiritual life and vocation. I was asked to reflect on the vows that I must take by the end of my 12-month Novitiate. These included the vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. I told him the hardest for me would be Chastity, since I felt I was not able to live up to its expectation. My Novice Master advised me to pray over this and see what God would say to me.

In the Chapel, Novice Peter Hung heard God’s calling to “Come as you are”.

After leaving his office, I went immediately to the Chapel and was there alone. I poured out my heart to God and I told Him how I felt, especially regarding my future commitment as a member of the Redemptorist Congregation. I felt that I could not keep these vows completely.

I was anxious and wanted to give up on the idea of becoming a priest, since it was too difficult. I was in a state of despair and did not know what I had to do. While I was in that state, I heard the words of the Hymn: COME AS YOU ARE, composed by Sr. Deirdre Brown. It resounded in my mind, especially these verses:

Come as you are, that’s how I want you

Come as you are, feel quite at home

Close to my heart, loved and forgiven

Come as you are, why stand alone?

I came to call sinners, not just the virtuous

I came to bring peace, not to condemn

Each time you fail to live by my promise,

Why do you think I’d love you the less?

Watch and listen to the hymn, Come as you are

I could not believe what I was hearing, it was too good to be true. How could God love me that much, and even if each time I fail to live by His promise, God still loves me as I am.

Listening to the hymn, with those verses appearing vividly in my mind, I cried my heart out and was inconsolable for quite a while. I knew then that God was speaking to me directly with those words. It was very clear He wanted me to know nothing will ever change His love for me, even when I fail to keep my promises. I was so happy, felt strengthened by the experienced and, finally, told my Novice Master I would take my vows, with the knowledge I could fail from time to time.

Today, as I celebrate the anniversary of my ordination, I can honestly tell you that God has done everything in my life. Whatever I have achieved until now, it has been by the grace of God who has empowered and given me the ability to do so. All my being and everything I possess are totally from God, and I still feel I am not worthy of His service.

Fr Peter was blessed his mother, youngest sister (on his left) from Vietnam and two nieces
(on his right) from the United States were in Melbourne for his ordination on 16 July 1994.

I would like to conclude my homily this evening by sharing with you a story that is very meaningful to me. It is in fact just like my own story (The old violin nobody wanted was first published here on 12 July 2022).

There was an auction and buyers competed fiercely to outbid each other for everything that was on offer. Before long, they eagerly snapped up all the items. Except for one: an old violin.

Keen to find a buyer for it, the auctioneer held the string instrument in his hands and offered what he thought was an attractive price, saying “if anyone is interested, I would sell it for $100.”

A deathly silence filled the room.

After a while, it became apparent to the auctioneer that even at that price, it was not enough to convince anyone to buy the old violin. So he reduced its price to $80, but even this did not move anyone to take it off his hands. The auctioneer then lowered the asking price even further to $50, insisting it was the best price he could offer. Still, nobody raised their hands to buy it. Finally, in desperation, he dropped the price to only $20.

Then, after another short period of silence, an old gentleman who sat at the back, raised his hand and asked: “May I have a look at the violin, please?”

“Yes, surely, you may,” the auctioneer replied, relieved that finally, someone showed an interest in the old violin. The measly price did not bother him. At least, the stringed instrument faced the prospect of finding a new owner and home.

The old man rose from his seat at the back and slowly walked to the front and carefully examined the old violin. He took out his handkerchief and dusted the surface of the wooden music instrument. He then gently tuned each string until, one by one, they were in the right tones.

Finally, and only then, did he place the old violin between his chin and left shoulder, lifted the bow with his right hand, and started playing a piece of music. Each musical note he produced from the old violin penetrated the silence in the room and danced delightfully in the air. It stunned everyone and they listened attentively to what was coming out of the instrument in the hands of what was obvious to all: a maestro.

He played a familiar classical hymn. The melody was so beautiful that it quickly enchanted everyone at the auction, and they were awestruck. They had never heard of or even witnessed anyone playing music so beautifully, let alone on an old violin. And they never thought for one moment, it would catch their fancy later on when the auction resumed.

When the old man had finished playing, he calmly returned the violin to the auctioneer, so that he could try and sell it again. But before the auctioneer could even ask everyone in the room, if they would still like to buy it, there was a rush in the raising of hands. Everyone suddenly wanted it after the impromptu masterly performance.

From an unwanted item a short while earlier, the old violin was suddenly the focus, of the most intense bidding competition of the auction. From the starting bid of $20, the price immediately shot up to $500.

The old violin was ultimately sold for $10,000, which was 500 times more than its lowest asking price.

It took only 15 minutes for the old violin to transform from something nobody wanted into the star of the auction. And it had to take a maestro musician to tune up its strings, and play a wonderful melody. He showed that what looked unattractive on the outside, was actually a beautiful and priceless soul, inside the instrument.

Perhaps, like the old violin, our lives normally do not seem to have much worth at first. But, if we hand them over to Jesus, who is the maestro above all maestros, then He will be able to play beautiful songs through us, and their melodies will stun listeners even much more. Our lives, then, will catch the world’s attention, and everyone wants to listen to the music, that He produces out of our lives.

So tonight, I would like to pray for all of us:

“Lord, may our lives become your musical instrument, like that old violin, so that we may be able to produce beautiful music that people can enjoy to listen and bring happiness to their hearts. May we always give You thanks and praise to Your wonderful love that You have bestowed upon us.” Amen.

Battle to evangelise, catechise on the Internet

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Goal of missionary work to win hearts, not minds, in the face of division

I often wonder why God chose to enter human history more than two thousand years ago in Bethlehem. Why not in our day?

Imagine, how Jesus Christ would conduct His ministry in a landscape where the Internet and social media are major gathering points for people to interact and discuss issues. Picture Him having a YouTube channel with a global audience to deliver His “Sermon on the Mount”. Visualise St Peter and the apostles managing Christ’s social media accounts as His keyboard warriors.

They would have gotten the Pharisees hotter under the collar because of His global following. It will drive them mad to shout even louder, “Cancel Him, cancel Him!” But will Christ and His Apostles bow down to their persecutors’ demands? Nope. For sure, He will engage the Pharisees and uncover their hypocrisy on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Whatsapp!

We’d never know in our lifetime why He came to us on that ancient Christmas Day morning instead of now. But we, His disciples, live in this moment of history – the era of instant messaging.

What prompts me to write this column is the increasing incidences I’ve witnessed recently of frictions between people using social media to interact. It has left a trail of broken family ties and long-standing friendships.

Read: Pope Francis warns of toxicity in social media

The fight to bring Christ’s Light into the growing darkness

Communication technology has been advancing to the extent that it has made the world a lot smaller. Chatting with friends, family and even strangers halfway across the world for hours on end is almost cost-free, something that was unimaginable less that 30 years ago.

For the Church, the Internet provides an unprecedented tool to evangelise and catechise. Since the birth of the Internet in the 1990s, Popes St John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis have called on the Church to be ever present and visible on this online universe.

There is now a large presence of bishops, priests, deacons, religious men and women, and lay who are writing for Catholic news outlets, and their personal or group blogs and social media pages. Many are informative and live up to the Church’s mission of evangelising and catechising.

But just as many are misleading Catholics and we would do well to avoid them for our spiritual health. They have become channels of division and anger, especially against the Pope, his predecessors and their teaching Magisterium. They have and are pushing faithful Catholics on a path that is away from the Light.

There is now a large presence of Catholic clergy and lay on the Internet. Image: Pexels, Sora Shimazaki

To be sure, Pope Francis extols the Internet’s extraordinary possibilities in his 2019 World Communications Day message. He says the Web is “a source of knowledge and relationships that were once unthinkable,” adding that “It is an opportunity to promote encounter with others.”

But there are also major obstacles hampering the Internet from maximising its positive potential. Social media, for one, can be anti-social, anti-human and anti-Christian when they are used to increase differences, fuel suspicion, spread lies and vent prejudice.

It is too often based on opposition to the other, the person outside the group: we define ourselves starting with what divides us rather than with what unites us, giving rise to suspicion and to the venting of every kind of prejudice (ethnic, sexual, religious and other).

This tendency encourages groups that exclude diversity, that even in the digital environment nourish unbridled individualism which sometimes ends up fomenting spirals of hatred. In this way, what ought to be a window on the world becomes a showcase for exhibiting personal narcissism.

Pope Francis

A clutch of clergies, several who are popular and command a huge following in either their personal blogs or social media, are among those guilty of fuelling this division in the Church. They affirm and feed what their followers crave.

They are deeply critical of not only Pope Francis but also of John Paul II during his pontificate, especially when he initiated the historic 1986 inter-faith summit in Assisi and kissed the Koran in 1999 when he received Muslim dignitaries.

While a Pope’s private opinions and actions can be questioned, they have regularly gone beyond this. Without any serious attempt to verify facts, the Holy Father’s critics, for example, often misquote and misinterpret what the current Pope says. Every opportunity is also taken to vilify him to the point of demanding that he resigns.

The pen, as the adage goes, is mightier than the sword. Or the keyboard for that matter. As Christ warns, “what defiles us is what comes from the heart” (Matt 15:18). The apostle James reiterates this point that “the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell” (James 3:6).

Pride and prejudice

But social media discussion groups pose a greater danger to any idea of unity. They have followers that range in numbers from their tens and hundreds of thousands to millions. Catholic Facebook groups have not been spared.

The problem here is that they are populated with people with impressive learning backgrounds who yield power to sway opinions. They have influence but there are those who misuse their talents that unwittingly result in pitting Catholics against the Church and Her Shepherds.

What a Pope says and does can be misinterpreted and used to attack him online, as when Pope John Paul II kissed a Koran a the Vatican in 1999.

Their most common, and deadly, sin: Pride overflowing with big egos!

Often, the culprit of this temptation is the instant response feature of social media. In their desire to hammer the people they engage with, they post replies that demean those who oppose their views. Stepping back and letting some time to lapse are always better. If not, chances are high, interactions will end in destructive put-downs. Charity is always the victim.

This is precisely the point Pope Francis is making because social media is a double-edged sword that can either help people grow in their faith or destroy souls. What is the solution the Holy Father proposes? He first asks, “can we find our true communitarian identity, aware of the responsibility we have towards one another in the online network as well?”

A possible answer can be drawn from a third metaphor: that of the body and the members, which Saint Paul uses to describe the reciprocal relationship among people, based on the organism that unites them. “Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each to his neighbour, for we are members one of another” (Eph 4:25).

Being members one of another is the profound motivation with which the Apostle invites us to put away falsehood and speak the truth: the duty to guard the truth springs from the need not to belie the mutual relationship of communion. Truth is revealed in communion. Lies, on the other hand, are a selfish refusal to recognize that we are members of one body; they are a refusal to give ourselves to others, thus losing the only way to find ourselves.”

Pope Francis

Truth and, I might add, humility are what we need to engage others on social media. Without a doubt, I’ve been guilty of transgressing this wisdom many times.

We need to remember that in evangelising and catechising, missionary work is about planting seeds on fertile ground. And where can we find this fertile ground? It comes from the heart that loves our neighbour to quench their thirst for God’s Truth. It certainly does not flow from one that is conceited.

Main image: Pexels, Soumil Kumar

The old violin nobody wanted

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Often, it takes a maestro to help an instrument play beautiful melodies

A friend narrated this beautiful story about 20 years ago and it struck a chord and stayed with me ever since. I am sure many people can identify with it as well.

There was an auction and buyers competed fiercely to outbid each other for everything that was on offer. Before long, they eagerly snapped up all the items. Except for one: an old violin.

Keen to also find a buyer for it, the auctioneer held the string instrument in his hands and offered what he thought was an attractive price, saying “if anyone is interested, I would sell it for $100.”

A deathly hush filled the room.

After a while, it became apparent to the auctioneer that even at that price, it was not enough to convince anyone to buy the old violin. So, he reduced its price to $80, but even this did not move anyone to take it off his hands. The auctioneer then lowered the asking price even further to $50, insisting it was the best price he could offer. Still, nobody raised their hands to buy it. Finally, in desperation, he dropped the price to only $20.

Then, after another bout of silence, an old gentleman who sat at the back, raised his hand and asked: “May I have a look at the violin, please?”

“Yes, surely, you may,” the auctioneer replied, relieved that, finally, someone showed an interest in the old violin. The measly price did not bother him. At least, the stringed instrument faced the prospect of finding a new owner and home.

So, the old man rose from his seat at the back and slowly walked to the front and carefully examined the old violin. He took out his handkerchief and dusted the surface of the wooden music instrument. He then gently tuned each string until, one by one, they were in the right tones.

Finally, and only then, did he place the old violin between his chin and left shoulder, lifted the bow with his right hand, and started playing a piece of music. Each musical note he produced from the old violin penetrated the silence in the room and danced delightfully in the air. It stunned everyone and they listened attentively to what was coming out of the instrument in the hands of what was obvious to all: a maestro.

In the hands of a maestro, the violin played like a charm.
Image: Unsplashed, Victor Chartin

He played a familiar classical hymn. The melody was so beautiful that it quickly enchanted everyone at the auction and they were awestruck. They had never heard of or even witnessed anyone playing music so beautifully, let alone on an old violin. And they never thought for one moment it would catch their fancy later on when the auction resumed.

When the old man had finished playing, he calmly returned the violin to the auctioneer, so that he could try and sell it again. But before the auctioneer could even ask everyone in the room if they would still like to buy it, there was a rush in the raising of hands. Everyone suddenly wanted it after the impromptu masterly performance.

From an unwanted item a short while earlier, the old violin was suddenly the focus of the most intense bidding competition of the auction. From the starting bid of $20, the price immediately shot up to $500.

The old violin was ultimately sold for $10,000, which was 500 times more than its lowest asking price.

It took only 15 minutes for the old violin to transform from something nobody wanted into the star of the auction. And it had to take a maestro musician to tune up its strings and play a wonderful melody. He showed that what looked unattractive on the outside was actually a beautiful and priceless soul inside the instrument.

Perhaps, like the old violin, our lives normally do not seem to have much worth at first. But if we hand them over to Jesus, who is the maestro above all maestros, then He will be able to play beautiful songs through us and their melodies will stun listeners even much more. Our lives, then, will catch the world’s attention and everyone wants to listen to the music that He produces out of our lives.

Lord, may our lives become your musical instrument, like that old violin, so that we may be able to produce beautiful music people can sing to with You forever to give thanks and praise to Your wonderful love You have bestowed upon us.

Written at Puffendorf, Germany, on 16 July 2002, the Feast of Our Lady of Carmel and the eighth anniversary of my ordination.

Postscript: After studying in Rome (Italy), I went to Puffendorf in 2002 before returning home to Melbourne, Australia. Four years later, on the 12th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood, I spotted the above painting in a Melbourne shop and bought it. I framed and hung it on the wall and ever since have taken it with me whenever I move to a new place. It has become my treasure because it reminds me of the story of the old violin.

Desiderio Desideravi: Christ’s passion for all humanity

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In Apostolic Letter, Pope Francis takes us to the heart of the Eucharist in the Mass

If you translate the title of Pope Francis’ latest Apostolic Letter, Desiderio Desideravi, it reads “With desire I have desired”. The significance of a repetitive word may not be apparent to the English reader.

But in Latin, as in some Asian languages such as Chinese, Japanese and even Malay-Indonesian, it captures the essence of what it means. Desiderio Desideravi is taken from the Church’s Latin Vulgate of Luke 22:15, “et ait illis desiderio desideravi hoc pascha manducare vobiscum antequam patiar.” In English it is, “And he said to them: With desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you, before I suffer”.

To emphasise its meaning, the bibles of most Catholic dioceses around the world translate it as “I have ardently longed” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “I have eagerly desired” (New American Bible).

So, “With desire I have desired” can also be understood as a “passionate desire”.

It recalls the overwhelmingly successful movie, “Passion of the Christ”. Yup, that Mel Gibson movie. Not that he is a big fan of Pope Francis, as he has been stirring up discontent against the Holy Father’s motu proprio, Traditionis Custodes, that restricts celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.

Since it was released in July 2021, there has been much unhappiness among TLM followers. They accused the Pope of being a heretic for tampering with the “Mass of the Ages”, among other things. This is the underlying reason why the Holy Father wrote Desiderio Desideravi, which is addressed to all Catholics — clergy, religious and lay.

Rubrics’ purpose in the Mass

With his usual depth, the Pope sees the outroar over the TLM as not just about the Latin language or Mass. It goes far deeper than that. In his Apostolic Letter, Pope Francis takes us back to the heart of what the Eucharist is about, beneath all the rubrics.

In essence, the Holy Father points to Christ’s two great commandments: The first and greatest is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”. And the second, “Love your neighbour as yourself”.

Both were not meant to supplant or justify the 10 Commandments (or ten thousand, as the Pharisees would have it), but to indicate what the entire Law was supposed to achieve. Christ did that because the Pharisees had reduced the Law to burdensome, hard-to-follow rules.

Rubrics guarantee the beauty of the Eucharistic celebration. Image: Unsplash, Josh Applegate

This is exactly what Traditionis Custodes’ opponents have done. They are obsessed with rubrics to the point of forgetting why they are there. In Desiderio Desideravi, Pope Francis reminds us of the role they perform in the primary reason why the Eucharist exists.

The rubrics guarantee the beauty of the Lord’s Last Supper in the Mass: that it performs all its purposes. This is because the Eucharist is full of symbolic language, as it is based on the Passover, which is replete with symbolism.

When Christ said, “Do this in memory of me”, the “this” didn’t simply refer to the acts of breaking bread and sharing wine. It refers to the entire Passover celebration. This is why we call Christ the “Passover Lamb”.

In Desiderio Desideravi, Pope Francis explains how Christ coopted the Passover symbolism for Himself.

The first element is a celebration of God delivering the Jews from Egypt. In the Last Supper, Christ elevates the symbolism to God delivering all of mankind from the clutches of the Devil. Pope Francis highlights that the Eucharist is meant to be for “every man from every tribe, every nation” (Rev 5:9, cited in Desiderio Desideravi, Para 4).

In the original Passover, the Matzah bread is broken to denote the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus. As Pope Francis narrates, the Eucharist has replaced this with the breaking of Christ’s Body and Blood on the cross in cavalry.

And all of this is connected by the desire of Christ to be God-with-Us. As the Pope explains, the core of the Good News is that Christ desires to share this Last Supper with every person in the world due to the intensity of God’s love for us. In this sense, the Eucharistic celebration is the embodiment and the manifestation of Christ, “more than just a representation” (DD, Para 9).

The Old and New Creation link

The Church, as an assembly, is part of this ongoing Supper until Christ’s Second Coming. Our participation in this unfolding of God’s love begins when we are baptised and inducted into the Body of Christ. Pope Francis shares that water in the baptismal rite is a symbol of life and rejuvenation all the way from Genesis, where the Spirit of God hovered over the waters of formless creation.

And since Jesus is also the Water of Life, the baptismal font is the Christian’s first experience of the same Paschal Mystery of the Last Supper. At the Eucharist, we are plunged into the depths of God’s love just as we are plunged into water at baptism. What is common to both is the experience of being totally immersed in something. Because since God gave his full passion and dedication to us, we are obliged to return the same.

In the event of the Passion, the Church bursts forth from Christ’s side on the Cross, just as Eve bursts forth from the side of Adam in Genesis. Here, Pope Francis applies the famous metaphor of the Church as bride of Christ in a fresh way. Although, as Christians, we are nominally familiar with regards to Eve as Adam’s bride, but we don’t quite automatically make that link on the lance that pierced Christ’s Body.

There were no bridal salons in Eden, after all! Nonetheless, Pope Francis use of this reminds us of the eschatological link between the old creation in Genesis and the New Creation made by Jesus in the Gospel.

The liturgy is an event where God is with Us as Jesus was with His disciples at the Last Supper.

With this understanding at the core, we can approach the Eucharist from a proper perspective. The Eucharist must demonstrate the transcendent beauty of the Last Supper and provide for the participation of all members of Christ’s Mystical Body.

Although the Real Presence is real, the other elements of the ritual are also symbolic, bearing the transformed symbolism explained earlier in this article. Even the bread and wine are, in a certain sense, symbols. Although they are the true Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, they are also symbols of the entire Body of Christ, the Church.

Liturgy is where God is with us

Returning to the Apostolic Letter, the focus is on Christ, not on any individual Christian. The Liturgy, as an Event, is a free gift from Christ. It comes from God to man. It is not a performance of man for God. At the same time, it is a gathering. The physical bread that is broken as the Body of Christ is united again in the Mystical Body of Christ, which is that all believers are gathered to worship Him as one Body.

Pope Francis emphasises to us that the Liturgy is about the group, and not about individuals. If we forget this, then we fall into a Gnostic subjectivism, which is one of the results of secular post-modernism, with its focus on subjective feeling. Or else, we fall into a salvation-by-works neo-Pelagianism, where we believe a specific form of prayer achieves salvation.

In a sense, then, the Liturgy is neither made-for-us or made-for-God, but is an event where God is with Us as Jesus was with His disciples at the Last Supper.

The latter is the core problem with the opponents of Traditiones Custodes. They have focused too excessively on specific rubrics, such as the priest facing the altar instead of the people. In doing so, they have missed the spirit of the rubrics. Although Pope Francis does not make any allusions here, this is precisely the spirit of the Pharisees who chastised Christ for healing people on the Sabbath. It was for such that Christ provided the Two Great Commandments.

The key part of the Pope’s reflection is found in paragraph 31, where he comments that the point of the liturgical reform at the Second Vatican Council was to enable the Liturgy to allow Christians to “better grow in our capacity to fully live the liturgical action”.

With this in mind, the Church can consider how to help priests to properly understand what the Liturgy entails, which attains its perfection when it fully reveals the glory of God to all present. The rubrics are there to ensure perfection, so they cannot be improvised. And yet they are not totally irreformable, because liturgy is an art with its own intrinsic beauty. There is flow and pattern in the liturgy and all its various ritual gestures. This is the Art of Celebration, or Ars Celebrandi.

The rubrics are there to provide norms, just as when a professional artist trains his protégé in drawing forms and filling in colour.

This finally brings us to the position of the celebrant, who takes on Persona Christi at the liturgical celebration. The presiding role of the celebrant is itself a symbol of Christ’s presence at the Last Supper. And the rubrics are there to guide the priest on embodying this presence in the celebration, since this presence is the “highest norm” (DD, Para 57).

What we get ultimately is a unique channel of grace directly from Heaven to the entire body of Christ, where the celebrant – priest or bishop – is not the mediator of Lord Jesus, but His instrument or sign instead. And, in particular, he is the sign of God’s fathomless love for us.

Main Image: Unsplash, Ashwin Vaswani

Peace envelops us when we live God’s Will

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Our hearts will be filled with joy, even when we must go through raging storms

I’d like to share with you two major incidents in my life as a priest. The first took place in Vietnam at the Redemptorist Monastery, where I was teaching at the Redemptorist Studentate Seminary between 1998 and1999. The second while I was studying in Rome for my doctorate at the Alphonsian Academy from 1999 to 2003. These two events reinforced something that I have always been convinced of: God is always present in my life.

The following is an extract that I wrote in my dairy:

Redemptorist Monastery, Monday, 28 September, 1998.

“Behold, I come to do your will”(Hebrews 10:7)

The Lord sent me this phrase while I was lecturing on moral theology at the Redemptorist Studentate. After nearly a year of my stint there, I came up against some unexpected difficulties, brought on by external circumstances. It reached a point where I wanted to leave my Order’s assignment for me in Vietnam. I wanted to return to Australia, so that I could be free and able to breathe in some fresh air!

“Human beings are only truly happy when they fulfill and walk the way that God has outlined for them. The most important thing in our lives is how to discover God’s Will and what He wants us to do in life. Sometimes God’s Will can go against what we have planned or envisioned for ourselves. His Will can also invite us to accept a reality that we find difficult or insurmountable. But if God has invited us to commit and serve Him in such a situation, then, of course, He must have a contingency plan. The important thing is whether we have the courage to trust in God.”

Discovering God’s Will for us

Once we obey and walk in God’s ways, or in other words, we live His Will in our lives, we will be at peace, no matter what the external circumstances seem. What matters is not where we live, but where we are and where God wants us to be. That’s why Saint Francis de Sales very rightly said, “Where God planted me, there I blossomed.”

Lord, let me walk in Your ways and that You continue to guide me. May Your Will be done in me.

The second episode occurred when I was sent to study for a doctorate at Rome’s Institute of Moral Theology at the Alphonsian Academy, where the professors were Redemptorists. There, God again revealed to me the importance and benefits of spiritual life when I commit to living and following His Will, especially in entrusting my life to Him as the Captain of my ship.

The event in question happened one Friday morning in 2001 when I was researching and starting to write my doctoral thesis on the topic of Euthanasia and Assisted suicide. When writing the thesis, I usually stayed up late to work and sometimes I did not go to bed until 2.00am or 3.00 am. It meant I often woke up a bit later and could not join the Community for morning prayers.

On such occasions, I usually went to the chapel and said morning prayer by myself. This chapel was named after Saint Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorist Order in the 17th century. He was canonised in 1839, proclaimed Doctor of the Catholic Church in 1871 and is the patron of moral theologians.

Saint Alphonsus was a prominent moral theologian and had great influence in renewing moral theology after the 17th century until before the Second Vatican Council. This chapel is quite artistic and beautiful. It helps us to easily lift up our minds and hearts to God in prayer.

That Friday morning, I went to the chapel and said my morning prayer. When I came to the intercessions, I slowly responded in Italian, “Nella tua volontà, è la nostra pace, o Signore.” In English this means, “In your Will is our peace, Lord”, which is the Intercession response for Friday morning, week II of the psalter. 

Jesus is the only One who can give us a joyful peace that overcomes all adversities.
Image: Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834-1890)

A peace the world cannot give

For some reason, when I finished reading the intercessions, I felt as if the response had been seared into my mind a long time before that Friday morning. It is clear, even today.

I was in awe and prayed silently, asking God to enlighten and guide me, so that I could understand what He wanted to reveal to me at that moment. A while later, I realised He wanted to remind me that as long as I live and obey God’s Will, I will have inner peace. This is a priceless gift for those who are committed to following the Lord and want to become His true disciples.  As Jesus said:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”

John 14:27

That is, this peace only comes from Jesus and He is the only One who can give this to us. The world cannot give it.

I was delighted when I discovered this and thanked God for revealing it to me that Friday morning. It was truly a mystery of God’s revelation because He knows I really needed His gift of peace. For me, perhaps inner peace is one of the most important blessings in life. Because if we have this in our hearts, we will have joy and happiness, even though, we may encounter dark clouds or terrible storms in our lives.

And I was facing quite a few dark clouds in my journey as I have shared with you in my previous postings in The Asian Fishermen. The biggest storm was my journey by boat from Vietnam to Malaysia on the open sea, where 50 others and I nearly perished.

I pray that each of us will be able to discover the Will of God in our lives and have the courage to follow it, as I am convinced that if we do so, we will be able to experience genuine peace, joy and happiness in our daily living.

Then this past Sunday morning on 3 July, I had the opportunity to re-read the spiritual journal I wrote during my study in Rome. I was astonished by what I penned about 20 years ago in 2002, especially the following passage:

In the past few days, I have felt a special peace of mind, especially the sentiments of a life of complete abandonment to God, which I often experienced in my life. I have surrendered myself to God’s mysterious plan. After doing this, I felt very calm in my heart and a joy arose in my soul, I thought: ‘If I could always abandon myself to God and surrender my life to Him. I would be very happy and will experience the inner peace. How much happy we would be if we could abandon ourselves to God’s providence.’

The difficulty is that we still have very little faith in God. I have not yet fully surrendered and obeyed God’s will. Maybe I’m still afraid, because I worry about what will happen in the future, or maybe what God wants me to do is not the things that I want to do, or perhaps, I still cling to my own thoughts and what I desire to follow. So, once again, I ask God to strengthen my faith in Him and to let me know how I can live a total self-surrendering to Him, since Saint Jerome Nazianzeno said: ‘Your will is my peace.’

In this book, Pope St John XXIII extols Saint Jerome Nazianzeno’s prayer, “Your will is my peace”

I am sharing this personal experience, especially with the young people and our beloved readers, as a living testimony. I hope this conviction will inspire other young Catholics and faithful to learn how to follow the Will of God in their lives. If we do so with a firm belief that if we surrender ourselves to Him and do His will, then our lives will be blessed with joy, happiness and an inner peace.

As Pope St John XXIII in his writing in the Journal of the Soul (Il Giornale dell’Anima – Milano: San Paolo, 1989) extols Saint Jerome Nazianzeno prayer, “Your will is my peace.”

Vietnamese version: Thánh Ý Chúa Là Sự Bình An Của Con

Thánh Ý Chúa Là Sự Bình An Của Con

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Con người chỉ hạnh phúc thực sự khi biết tuân thủ và vâng theo thánh ý Chúa

Các bạn trẻ thân mến,

Hôm nay cha muốn chia sẻ với tất cả các bạn về một kinh nghiệm cá nhân đã xảy ra hai lần đối với cha vào hai thời điểm quan trọng, hầu minh chứng với các bạn trẻ một điều mà cha hằng luôn xác tín, đó chính là, Chúa luôn hiện diện bên con.

Học viện Dòng Chúa Cứu Thế Sài Gòn.

Thứ Hai, ngày 28 tháng 9 năm 1998.

Này con xin đến để thực thi thánh ý Chúa

(Dt 10:7)

Lời này đã được Chúa gởi đến cho cha trong thời gian cha đang phục vụ tại Học viện Dòng Chúa Cứu Thế, với tư cách là giáo sư bộ môn thần học luân lý. Trong khoảng thời gian gần một năm giảng dạy tại đây, cha đã gặp phải một số khó khăn ngoài ý muốn, do ngoại cảnh đưa tới…, đến độ, cha muốn rời bỏ nhiệm sở nơi cha đã được gởi đến để phục vụ, cha muốn trở về lại nước Úc để hít thở bầu khí trong lành và được tự do đi lại…!

Và dưới đây là những gì mà cha đã ghi lại trong sổ tay nội tâm của mình, cha xem đó như là lời nhắn nhủ của Chúa dành cho cha, vào thời điểm đặc biệt này. Giờ đây cha mạn phép chia sẻ với quý bạn trẻ và độc giả.

“Con người chỉ hạnh phúc thực sự khi chu toàn và bước đi trong đường lối mà Thiên Chúa đã vạch ra cho họ. Điều tối quan trọng trong cuộc sống của chúng ta là làm sao khám phá ra thánh ý của Chúa và những gì mà Ngài muốn chúng ta thực hiện trong cuộc đời.

Đôi lúc thánh ý của Chúa có thể đi nghịch lại với những gì mà chúng ta đã dự tính hay phác họa ra cho chính mình. Thánh ý của Chúa cũng có thể mời gọi chúng ta chấp nhận một thực tại mà chúng ta cảm thấy đầy khó khăn, khó có thể vượt qua nổi. Nhưng nếu Thiên Chúa đã mời gọi chúng ta dấn thân và phục vụ Ngài trong một hoàn cảnh như vậy, thì ắt nhiên là Ngài phải có một kế hoạch phòng bị. Điều quan trọng là liệu chúng ta có can đảm và có dám tín thác nơi Chúa hay không?

Một khi chúng ta tuân theo và bước đi trong đường lối của Chúa, hay nói một cách khác, là chúng ta sống thánh ý Chúa trong cuộc đời, thì chúng ta sẽ cảm thấy thư thái và bình an, cho dù hoàn cảnh bên ngoài xem ra có vẻ hơi bất lợi cho chúng ta.

Điều quan trọng không phải là cái nơi chốn mà ta đang sống, nhưng hệ tại ở chỗ: đâu là nơi mà Chúa muốn tôi ở. Bởi lẽ đó Thánh Phanxicô đệ Salê đã nói rất chí lý: ‘Chúa trồng con ở đâu, con nở hoa ở đó.’     

Lạy Chúa, xin cho con biết bước đi trong đường lối của Chúa và xin Ngài tiếp tục hướng dẫn con. Xin cho thánh ý Chúa được thực hiện nơi con.”

Sau này khi cha được gởi sang du học ở Rôma (nước Ý) cho học vị tiến sĩ về bộ môn Thần học Luân lý tại Học viện Thánh Anphongsô (Alphonsian Academy) do các cha giáo sư của nhà Dòng Chúa Cứu Thế (DCCT) đảm trách. Tại đây một lần nữa, cha đã được Chúa mặc khải cho cha về tầm quan trọng và ích lợi của đời sống thiêng liêng khi cha biết sống và tuân theo thánh ý của Chúa, nhất là biết tín thác cuộc đời của mình cho Chúa và để cho Ngài an bài.

Sự kiện này đã xảy ra đối với cha vào một buổi sáng thứ Sáu của năm 2001, khi ấy cha đang nghiên cứu và bắt đầu viết luận án tiến sĩ của mình về đề tài An tử và Trợ tử. Trong thời gian viết luận án, thông thường cha hay thức khuya để làm việc, đôi khi đến 2 hoặc 3 giờ sáng, cha mới đi ngủ, vì thế, cha thỉnh thoảng dậy hơi trễ và không thể tham dự giờ kinh sáng cùng với các anh em linh mục sinh viên trong cộng đoàn, nơi cha đang theo học.

Những lần như vậy, cha vào nhà nguyện của cộng đoàn và tự đọc kinh sáng một mình. Đây là ngôi nhà nguyện mang tên Thánh Anphongsô, vị sáng lập nhà Dòng Chúa Cứu Thế vào thế kỷ thứ 17 và đồng thời cũng là tiến sĩ của Hội Thánh Công Giáo, và cũng là Đấng bảo trợ của các thần học gia luân lý, vì ngài chính là một nhà thần học gia luân lý lỗi lạc và đã có công lớn trong việc canh tân nền thần học luân lý từ sau thế kỷ thứ 17 cho đến tiền Công Đồng Vaticanô I. Ngôi nhà nguyện này khá cổ kính và trang trí rất độc đáo và mỹ thuật, giúp cho chúng ta dễ nâng tâm hồn mình lên với Chúa trong lúc cầu nguyện.

Sáng thứ Sáu hôm ấy, cha vô nhà nguyện và đọc kinh sáng một mình, khi đến phần LỜI CẦU, gồm các lời nguyện cho kinh sáng hôm đó, cha đọc chậm rãi câu thưa bằng tiếng Ý: “Nella tua volonta, è la nostra pace, o Signore” tiếng Việt có nghĩa: “Lạy Chúa bình an của chúng con ở trong thánh ý Chúa” câu đáp này nằm ở phần “Lời Cầu” của giờ Kinh Sáng Thứ Sáu, Tuần II [1] .         

Không hiểu vì lý do gì mà khi đọc xong câu thưa đó, nó tự nhiên nhập tâm và in đậm trong trí óc của cha, như thể cha đã học thuộc lòng câu đáp ấy từ lâu lắm rồi. Cha rất đỗi ngạc nhiên…, và cha thinh lặng cầu nguyện để xin Chúa soi sáng và hướng dẫn cha, hầu cha có thể hiểu được điều mà Ngài muốn mặc khải cho cha trong giây phút đó.

Khoảng một lúc sau đó, cha đã nhận ra được thánh ý của Chúa và điều mà Ngài muốn nhắc nhở cũng như nhắn nhủ cha, đó chính là: bao lâu mà cha sống và vâng theo thánh ý của Chúa, thì chính cha sẽ cảm nhận được sự bình an nội tâm. Đây chính là món quà vô giá cho những ai dấn thân bước theo Chúa và muốn trở thành người môn đệ đích thực của Ngài.

Như Chúa Giêsu đã từng tuyên bố: “Thầy để lại bình an cho anh em, Thầy ban cho anh em bình an của Thầy. Thầy ban cho anh em không theo kiểu thế gian.”(Ga 14, 27). Nghĩa là sự bình an này chỉ đến từ Chúa Giêsu và Ngài là Đấng duy nhất có thể ban sự bình an đó cho chúng ta, và ngược lại, thế gian không thể ban tặng.

Cha vui mừng và sung sướng khi khám phá ra điều này, và cha tạ ơn Chúa vì Ngài đã mặc khải cho cha trong giờ kinh cầu nguyện sáng thứ Sáu hôm ấy. Quả thật là nhiệm mầu sự tỏ bầy của Chúa dành cho cha, vì có lẽ Chúa biết, cha thực sự rất cần món quà bình an của Ngài. Đối với cha, có lẽ sự bình an nội tại là một trong những điều quan trọng nhất trong cuộc sống.

Vì nếu chúng ta có bình an thực sự trong tâm hồn, chúng ta sẽ có được sự thư thái, niềm vui và hạnh phúc, cho dù ngoài kia… có biết bao sóng gió đang nổi lên và bủa vây xung quanh chúng ta, như thể muốn lôi cuốn và nhận chìm chúng ta vào cõi hư vô.

Rồi sáng hôm nay, chúa nhật ngày 3 tháng 7 năm 2022, cha có dịp đọc lại cuốn sổ nội tâm (the soul’s journal) của chính mình mà cha đã ghi chép trong thời gian cha du học tại Rôma (Từ giữa tháng 10 năm 1999 cho đến đầu tháng 4 năm 2023), và cha vô cùng ngạc nhiên khi chính mắt của cha lại nhìn thấy những gì mà cha đã viết cách đây khoảng 20 năm về trước (2002). Trong đó có đoạn cha đã ghi như sau:

Trong những ngày vừa qua, mình cảm thấy bình an trong tâm hồn một cách đặc biệt, nhất là những tâm tình của đời sống phó thác trọn vẹn nơi Thiên Chúa thường xuyên đến với mình và mình đã cầu nguyện và phó dâng mọi chuyện cho sự an bàinhiệm mầu của Thiên Chúa. Sau khi làm công việc này, mình cảm thấy rất bình thản trong lòng và một niềm vui tự trong tâm hồn dấy lên, mình thiết nghĩ: ‘Nếu cuộc đời của mình luôn sống được điều này, nghĩa là luôn luôn xác tín cách tuyệt đối nơi sự quan phòng của Thiên Chúa thì hạnh phúc biết bao.’

Cái khó ở chỗ là vì mình còn kém lòng tin nơi Chúa. Mình vẫn chưa phó thác cách trọn vẹn và tuân theo thánh ý Chúa. Có lẽ mình vẫn còn sợ hãi, vì lo lắng những gì sẽ xảy đến trong tương lai, vì có thể những điều đó nó đi nghịch lại với ý muốn của mình hoặc đôi khi mình còn bám vào ý nghĩ riêng của chính bản thân. Cho nên, lại một lần nữa, mình xin Chúa ban cho mình thêm niềm tin và lòng cậy trông nơi Chúa. Xin Chúa cho mình biết sống ‘tâm tình phó thác’, đặc biệt là phó dâng cho Chúa tất cả những gì trong tương lai của mình. Mọi sự mình chỉ biết xin vâng theo thánh ý Chúa, như Thánh Giêrôriô Nazianzenô đã nói: ‘Thánh ý Chúa là sự bình an của con.’[2]

Mọi sự mình chỉ biết xin vâng theo thánh ý Chúa, như Thánh Giêrôriô Nazianzenô đã nói: ‘Thánh ý Chúa là sự bình an của con’

Hôm nay, cha chia sẻ điều này với các bạn trẻ và với quý độc giả để minh chứng một điều mà cha đã từng xác tín từ lâu, đó chính là: “Thánh ý Chúa là sự bình an của con.”[3]

Cầu chúc cho các bạn trẻ Công Giáo và mọi tín hữu luôn biết tuân theo thánh ý Chúa trong cuộc đời của chính mình, để tất cả chúng ta sẽ cảm nhận  được niềm vui đích thực trong tâm hồn và tận hưởng sự hạnh phúc viên mãn ngay tại đời này lẫn ngày sau trên thiên quốc.

[1] . Xem Kinh Phụng Vụ, Kinh Sáng Thứ Sáu, Tuần II, trong phần “Lời Cầu”.       

Đáp: “Lạy Chúa bình an của chúng con ở trong thánh ý Chúa.”

[2] . San Gregorio Nazianzeno, “La tua volontà, o Signore, è la mia pace.” Trích trong cuốn Sách, “Il Giornale dell’Anima” của ĐTC Gioan XXIII, trang 18. Do Loris F. Capovilla (Biên soạn),  Il Giornale dell’Anima  e altri scritti di pietà (Milano: San Paolo, 1989).

[3] . Thực sự cha cũng không ngờ là niềm xác tín của chính bản thân cha cũng đã được Thánh Giêrôriô Nazianzenô tuyên xưng “la tua volontà, o Signore, è la mia pace,” và ĐTC Gioan XXIII đã trích dẫn lại trong cuốn sổ nội tâm của ngài, Il Giornale dell’Anima” của ĐTC Gioan XXIII, trang 18.

English version: Peace envelops us when we live God’s Will

38 million unborn babies aborted each year in Asia

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Why countries outside the US must not be too obsessed with Roe vs Wade ruling

When the United States Supreme Court reversed the decades-old Roe vs Wade case that recognised women’s constitutional right to have abortions, it received prominent news coverage around the world.

There is a sense of widespread relief among pro-life supporters. Why is this so? The latest ruling is not about abortion rights as it is about an interpretation of the US Constitution.

What the US justices ruled is that the Court’s previous decision in 1973 that the 14th Amendment protected abortion rights was “an abuse of judicial authority” and relied on “egregiously wrong” reasoning.

They returned to the 50 states the responsibility of deciding whether abortion should be allowed in their respective territories. At the time of writing, it is still legal in many states. Depending on which party is in power, who is to say Roe v Wade won’t make a comeback?

But this latest ruling has no bearing outside the United States. And Roe vs Wade should not be of any concern to Asia.

Why? Because of this grim statistic from the US-based Guttmacher Institute: The lives of 38 million unborn children killed in their mothers’ wombs each year in Asia. This includes almost six million in Southeast Asia from 2015 to 2019, which is an increase of 21% from the 1990-1994 period.

For the sake of comparison and depending on whether it’s the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or Guttmacher’s statistics are used, between 630,000 and a million mothers opt for abortions each year in the United States.

The problem as the numbers show is that this crisis is about 38 times more acute in Asia. In Southeast Asia only Brunei, Laos and the Philippines prohibit abortion outright.

In Singapore from a peak of 23,512 abortions in 1985 the numbers have steadily dropped to 4,029 (Ministry of Health) in 2020. Across the Causeway, the Federation of Reproductive Health Associations Malaysia estimates that about 90,000 pregnancies are aborted annually. The figure in Indonesia was 1.7 million in 2018, and 437,000 in Thailand during 2015–2019, according to Gettmacher’s data.

There are no official statistics for Vietnam, but the country’s news outlet, VN Express, reported in 2016 that 40% of all pregnancies in the country were terminated. This would put the number of abortions at about a million in that year which had 1.49 million live births.

Unplanned pregnancies have led many, especially impoverished women, to opt for unsafe abortion.
Pexels, Nicole Ganze

What it takes to stop the killing of unborn babies in Asia?

The answer to this is about changing hearts and minds. For Catholics, non-Catholic Christians and people of goodwill, this is the only sure-fire way to protect the lives of the unborn.

But the obstacle towards this goal is massive because not all cultures and religions believe that life begins at conception. Compounding it, legislation to provide “safe” access to abortion has been around since 1948, with Japan the first to legalise it in Asia, to curb the “population bomb” in the world’s biggest continent.

Adding to this problem, many secular governments are quick to rebuff religious teachings, especially the Catholic Church’s, as not being in touch with the times.

This point was underlined in passing the Singapore Abortion Bill in 1969 against the backdrop of too many women “resorting to dangerous do-it-yourself home procedures” or “to back-street and illegal abortionists, usually with tragic results”.

The then-Minister of Health Chua Sian Chin highlighted three main objections to the Bill, the first of which was religious:

Briefly the basis of objection is that abortions destroy the life of a foetus. Since the foetus is the beginning of human life, induction of abortion is equivalent to murder. This is a matter of viewpoint. Learned men, medical or otherwise, for centuries have not been able to agree on whether the foetus is human life.

In my view abortion is not murder. The destruction of the early conceptus differs in no essential way from destruction of the sperm cell or egg cell before the act of fertilization. No one mourns for a sperm killed by a spermatoxic contraceptive cream or an ovum permitted to die twelve hours after ovulation, because the woman from whose ovary it came knew how to prevent its survival by practising the rhythm technique of birth control.

After 53 years, is this the prevailing view today? I have no doubt it is with the growing secularism among Asians, even among not a few Catholics and in unlikely places such as in the Philippines. The Catholic majority country is under pressure from advocacy groups such as the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network to pass abortion laws. Rogue priests often aid their cause.

What must Christians do?

It is one thing to teach that abortion is the killing of an unborn human life and a grave sin. It is another thing not to address the underlying causes that lead women to end their children’s lives.

As cited in Singapore’s passing of the Abortion Bill in 1969, the causes are the same everywhere: unplanned pregnancies have led many, especially impoverished women, to opt for unsafe abortion. They have nowhere and no one to turn to for comfort and advice. The fear that they are bringing a baby into dire poverty is often the trigger to kill their babies before birth.

At the height of abortion cases in Singapore in 1985, Redemptorist Father Edmund Dunne started the Family Life Society (now known as Catholic Family Life) to offer pregnancy crisis counselling and help to all women, regardless of religious background. Two years later he started Pregnancy Crisis & Support, a hotline for those in dire need of a friendly listening ear. It was the first of its kind in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Fr Dunne’s efforts led to other non-Catholic groups reaching out to women facing a pregnancy crisis. Did all this good work lead to a decline in abortions over the decades? I have no doubt it did.

But this isn’t enough. Catholics cannot twiddle their thumbs and leave the heavy lifting to those like the late Fr Dunne. It takes a village to transform hearts and minds, and if we are to achieve this, every Catholic must get on board.

It begins with catechising our fellow Catholics, especially our young, on the sanctity of life and why sex outside of marriage can only lead to knots such as unplanned pregnancies. Abortion has never been and never can be a human right. Pope Benedict XVI emphasised this point in Vienna in 2007 in his address to diplomats and representatives of international organisations:

It was in Europe that the notion of human rights was first formulated. The fundamental human right, the presupposition of every other right, is the right to life itself. This is true of life from the moment of conception until its natural end. Abortion, consequently, cannot be a human right. It is the very opposite, it is a deep wound in society.

Pope Benedict XVI

Read: EU Bishops say ‘No such thing as a right to abortion’

The Jesus way to changing hearts

Faced with crisis, Catholics are often in the habit of asking, “What would Jesus do?”. That’s the wrong question because Christ left us a template on what to do. So, the question should be, “What did Jesus do?”.

Christ never forced His listeners to follow Him or do what He did. Instead, He invited people to listen to His Gospel, the Good News of Salvation. Christ spoke with love for the people who heard Him and the numbers who followed Him grew because they could not get enough of what He was teaching them. His following swelled to such an extent that it frightened the Jewish leaders into plotting to crucify Him on the Cross.

This is why activism in any form, for or against causes, never convinces anyone. Instead, it creates animosity, hatred and division.

Beyond catechising every Catholic first and creating disciples to spread this truth about the evil of abortion, we must evangelise the unbelieving world. And we must use every scientific evidence at our disposal and rope in such scientists to help us enlighten the sceptics of the world.

Read: Science on when human life begins

Only when we can speak of the Catholic truth about the beginning of life, we will have the vaccine to protect the unborn from the increasing abortion legislation to execute them before they are given a chance to live from womb to tomb.

When people realise this is what is actually written in their hearts about the reality of life and murder, then, our efforts to stop the killing of millions of babies in their mothers’ wombs in Asia and beyond can make real headway.

福传: 翻译中的迷失

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教会的存在是为了传福音，这也必须是我们的使命

作为天主教徒，你我都从未在传福音的文化中长大。一位在我们青年团演讲的神学院学生甚至大胆地断言，”教会不再传福音了”。在成长过程中，我相信所有的宗教都是一样的，只是通往天主的道路不同；我是一个宗教相对论者。我认为一种宗教的排他性主张是令人反感的新教。

当我阅读到圣人传记时，他们对灵魂的热忱听起来比我所领受的天主教信仰更像新教，这对我的宗教思想是一种冲击。16世纪亚洲福音事工的先驱、传教士的守护者圣方濟·沙勿略 （St. Francis Xavier）写道：

“这里有许多人没有成为基督徒，原因只有一个：没有人使他们成为基督徒。我一次又一次地想去欧洲的大学，特别是巴黎，像个疯子一样到处喊叫，吸引那些学识多于慈善的人的注意：”真是一场悲剧：由于你们，多少灵魂被关在天堂之外，落入地狱！”

事情开始改变了。我开始自己阅读圣经，并意识到如果我认为基督教的独家主张是偏执，那么耶稣就是源头。祂说。”我是道路、真理、生命，除非经过我，谁也不能到父那里去。” （若望福音14:6）。而现代教会在《在新世界中傳福音》（1975年）、《救主的使命》（1990年）、《教会在亚洲》（1999年）、《主耶穌》（2000年）和《福音的喜乐》（2013年）等文件中，从未改变过她的信息和对福音事工的迫切性。

教皇的教诲与信徒们在教堂里实行的天主教教理之间存在着巨大的鸿沟。不服从耶稣，甚至无视祂的命令：”去使万民成为门徒”（玛窦福音28:19），都需要被指出其本质所在：不服从祂，甚至是一种罪过。

我们在哪里出了这么大的问题？

1962-1965年召开的梵蒂冈第二届大公会议为现代世界的背景更新了天主教会的教导。圣神在这次大公会议中的引领从未受到怀疑（除了边缘地带的疯子）。但可以肯定的是，天主教会对其他宗教及其信徒的态度，发生了180度的变化。世界上的主教们感觉到圣神在呼唤教会在各教派中和宗教间的对话中建立桥梁，而不是开除教籍、诅咒和叫停异端邪说。

这并不意味着教会改变了她对基督和教会的独特作用的教导。她仍然相信耶稣是唯一的救赎途径，在教会之外不可能有救赎；但不同意别人的信仰并不意味着她必须是讨人厌的。

不幸的是，对于99%的天主教徒来说，这些细微的差别在翻译中丢失了。耶稣是唯一的中保，而其他宗教的人也能得救，这两个论断之间的矛盾仅仅意味着所有的宗教都是一样的，我们不需要再传福音了。因此，梵二大公会议之后的时期，对于没有谷歌搜索（Google Search）来检查神学院教授和讲道坛所传的内容的一代人来说，是令人困惑的。成片的天主教传教士开始怀疑他们是否浪费了自己的生命并离开了修会。在失去了为天堂改变灵魂的目的后，他们成了人道主义救济的代理人。

那么我们该怎么做呢？

天主教徒不应回避与穆斯林、佛教、印度教、不可知论者或无神论者的邻居建立热情的友谊。天主教徒应该秉持维护生命，站在家庭问题的最前沿，为移民服务并关心创造物。但天主教徒也应确信，”如果不宣布纳匝肋耶稣、天主的名字、教训、生活、许诺、天国及奥迹，则不是真正的宣传福音。” 在新世界中傳福音 22)。面对庞大的传教领域，如果有20亿亚洲人的灵魂，大使命，也就是耶稣的遗言，必须成为每个天主教徒的首要任务：培养能培养传教士的传教士。

对你和我来说，传教的转变将是非常巨大的。如果你爱主并希望参与这一变化，请加入我们的网页，我们将逐一解开这些问题。

English Version – Evangelisation: Lost in Translation

God’s unfathomable love for humanity

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He never abandons us, and is always ready to forgive our sins and heal all

One of my greatest desires in life is to yearn for God’s love and to love Him in return. This has been one of the reasons why I’ve always wanted to be a priest since I was a teenager in Vietnam.

I’d like to share a personal experience that happened to me last year.

On that day, 21 May, around 2.00pm, I left my office and went over to the chapel of St Thomas More College to get the Monstrance (The golden sacred vessel that is used to display the Blessed Sacrament during Eucharistic Adorations). 

After locating it in the sacristy, I opened the Lectionary and read a passage from the Gospel of John 17: 20-26 to prepare my homily for Mass the next day at the University of Western Australia. I’ll quote the full text of that verse:

I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one,I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me.I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.

I then sat in the chapel and reflected on this Gospel passage. After some time in prayer, I felt deeply – at my very core – the unconditional love that God has enfolded me in the past 60 years of my life: from the moment I was born, my childhood and adolescent years, to my entry into religious formation in the Redemptorist Congregation, ordination and my life as a priest.

The six decades of my existence have been marked countless times with the seal of God’s love, through all important milestones and challenges in my journey as His disciple.  His love follows and remains with me unceasingly, even in my human weaknesses: when my love for Him runs dry and lukewarm, or in moments when I haven’t been my best self or lived up to what is expected of me.

Meditating John 17:20-26 before the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel, I came to a deeper understanding of God’s love for humanity.

God doesn’t abandon me, but continues to love me still and ever ready to forgive my flaws, heal my wounds, and embrace me back into a loving relationship with Him. To be honest, it is impossible for me to count each of God’s blessings in my life, for they are innumerable. I simply recall and engrave them in my heart, so that I will never forget what He has done for me.

In reading John’s Gospel that afternoon in the chapel, I was again touched by his immense love, especially this line,

I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 17:23

I came to a deeper understanding that God’s love for humanity, which includes you and I, is manifested in the love that He has shown for His only Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. As I meditated on this, I felt so blessed and fortunate that God the Father loves me with the very same love that He has for His only Son. Upon realising this, I immediately felt a force enfolding my entire body, as if it wants to protect and shield me. It actualised within me a deep sense of joy and serene peace.

As the French writer, Victor Hugo once said, “The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved, loved for ourselves, or rather loved in spite of ourselves.”

Everyone desires happiness and to be loved, for no one is able to truly live without (or lacking) love. A person who doesn’t love (or be loved) may be physically alive, but spiritually dead.

This is why I truly felt so blessed, for I have at least more than once in my life, experienced God’s immense and everlasting love. It is from this same love that motivated me to respond to His invitation to be His disciple by sharing in the gift of His priesthood, which I have received 27 years ago in 1994.

I continued to silently sit there in the Chapel before the Blessed Sacrament and savoured the sweetness of His unconditional love for me in spite of my unworthiness.

It is also this same love that compels me to give of myself each day in the proclamation of the Gospel – the Good News that God loves humanity and desires to save us all.

Christ desires for us to be with him in His heavenly kingdom, imploring His Heavenly Father,

Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

John 17:24

I am always convinced that after our earthly journey, we will all be reunited with Christ, our most venerable and compassionate Master/Teacher, in our heavenly kingdom, where we will be able to see the Glory of God, to gaze at Him face to face and share in His everlasting joy and eternal happiness.

I’d like to share with you this special spiritual experience in order to give thanks to God for His great love for me and the many blessings He has continuously been giving me in my life. I will never forget His unfathomable love for me. All I want to do is to give my entire life to Him and to love God and His people with all my heart.

Main Image: Heinrich Hofmann

Catholics not doing enough to win souls

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Share Christ’s Gospel to help others know Him and leave the rest to the Holy Spirit

What is evangelism?

A Google search will give the definition as, “the spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness”. In 1974, key Protestant leaders at the Lausanne Conference reinforced this meaning by differentiating evangelism from social action and political liberation. For Catholics, the proper word for this initial presentation of the kerygma, is “proclamation”.

But “proclamation” feels like such a big word! It feels so formal and carries the connation that it is to be done by experts. So, I prefer to use the word “evangelism”.

Now let’s look at three misunderstandings of evangelism.  

Evangelism is not proselytisation (for Catholics at least)

“Proselyte” is an anglicisation of a biblical Greek word that refers to converts from paganism to Judaism (Matt 23:15, Acts 2:10; 6:5; 13:43). This is where it gets a bit more complicated. While in general English usage, “proselyte” simply means a new convert to any religion, in Catholic language, this word has negative connotations.

Pope Francis explained the difference in the context of the prosperity gospel, implying that the person who is proselytised is attracted not by Christ but by a vice – for example greed. It violates the conscience. Proselytisation is triumphantly obsessed with numbers rather than that the person has discovered eternal life.

Are concerns about proselytisation still valid?

Christians in India are still being accused of “rice bag conversions”. Even in Malaysia, one Sarawakian indigenous youth shared that conversion to Christianity is often because of gratitude for past help, or to gain a social standing. The issue is complex and sometimes we can swing to the other end of the pendulum where we offer corporal works of mercy but don’t share the faith.

A girl who had recently converted to Protestantism shared how she had studied at the library of a Catholic Church but no one struck up a conversation with her, let alone introduced her to Jesus. Well, she was spiritually hungry and when Protestants invited her to receive Christ, she joyfully accepted.

I wonder if the preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation might bear some tinge of proselytisation. Granted, the young person is already baptised, but there is the social pressure of going along with the herd. Sometimes, the young person is told that he will not be able to receive the Sacrament of Marriage in future, if he doesn’t get confirmed (which isn’t actually what Canon Law teaches).

Godparents should ask the young person to explain clearly and objectively why he believes in Jesus and the Catholic Church, and if necessary, to lovingly discern and discourage him if he is not ready, while promising to journey with him.

Pope Francis explained that a person who is proselytised is attracted not by Christ but by a vice – for example greed.

Evangelism is not evangelisation

“Evangelisation” is sometimes used interchangeably with evangelism (Catechism of the Catholic Church 905) but generally, it has a wider meaning that covers preaching, teaching, being a channel of grace, reconciling sinners with God, and perpetuating Christ’s sacrifice in the Mass.

Having said that, “there is no true evangelisation if the name, teaching, life, promises, kingdom and mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, are not proclaimed. (Evangelii Nuntiandi 14, 22).

How many of us have heard it said, or even personally repeated this phrase, “I just evangelise through my actions. If non-Christians want to know more about the Faith, they can always ask”. Another way that we have tried to sooth our conscience and say that we are obeying the call of Pope Francis to become a more missionary church is to re-categorised existing ministries as evangelisation.

Therefore, Migrants Ministry, Prison Ministry, Orang Asli Ministry, Children’s Home, St Vincent De Paul, Soup Kitchens, etc, are under the Ministry of Evangelisation. And so, the average Catholic deftly sidesteps getting trained and encouraged to take the initiative to proclaim Jesus.  

Conversion is really a work of grace and sometimes, the person may simply not be ready at the moment.

Evangelism is not converting others

While we hope those we evangelise come to accept Jesus and be baptised, success in evangelism is simply “sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God” (Bill Bright).

We are merely sharing information to help others make a decision. Conversion is really a work of grace and sometimes, the person may simply not be ready at the moment.

Having said that, too often, Catholics simply present information. We want our Sunday school students to memorise dates like when Francis Xavier came to Melaka rather than imbibe his missionary courage.

We celebrate feast days of saints but secretly hope that none of our children serve the church until they are in their 70s. We emphasis that we are not to hold hands during the Our Father but fail to call Catholics to obey the Great Commission.

We need to talk about personal life issues through the lens of faith, in a way that is heartfelt and persuasive.

Conversations can end in an invitation, “What would you like Jesus to do for you today?”, “Would you like to know more about Jesus?”, “Would you like to have a relationship with the Heavenly Father?” and so on. Even if the listener assents, becoming a believer and a disciple is a step-by-step journey so don’t get impatient or discouraged!

Is God so vain that we must glorify Him?

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Our Creator does not need anything from us, but giving Him praise is for our sake

As Christians, we hear many times over that we are supposed to give glory to God in all things. At Mass, we even have an entire prayer that begins with “Glory to God in the Highest”. After a while, we may begin to wonder: for things that we really put serious effort in, why can’t we claim just a little credit?

It would seem the Catechism of the Catholic Church doesn’t answer the question either:

[293] Scripture and Tradition never cease to teach and celebrate this fundamental truth: “The world was made for the glory of God.” St. Bonaventure explains that God created all things “not to increase his glory, but to show it forth and to communicate it”, for God has no other reason for creating than his love and goodness: “Creatures came into existence when the key of love opened his hand.” 136 The First Vatican Council explains:

This one, true God, of his own goodness and “almighty power”, not for increasing his own beatitude, nor for attaining his perfection, but in order to manifest this perfection through the benefits which he bestows on creatures, with absolute freedom of counsel “and from the beginning of time, made out of nothing both orders of creatures, the spiritual and the corporeal.

[294] The glory of God consists in the realization of this manifestation and communication of his goodness, for which the world was created. God made us “to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace”, for “the glory of God is man fully alive; moreover man’s life is the vision of God: if God’s revelation through creation has already obtained life for all the beings that dwell on earth, how much more will the Word’s manifestation of the Father obtain life for those who see God.” The ultimate purpose of creation is that God “who is the creator of all things may at last become “all in all”, thus simultaneously assuring his own glory and our beatitude.

At first glance, the message here is all glory comes from God, what you do means nothing at all, so zip your mouth, just genuflect and say, “All glory to God”.

And there are non-Catholic groups who will teach you just that: human effort counts for nothing because even this is a gift from God. Such an answer, though, seriously downplays the gift of free will to humans. If all effort came from God alone, then there is no choice available to us as to whether to apply that effort or not.

So let’s start again from the basics.

God’s glory is in that He is omnipotent and perfect in every dimension. His unlimited ability to create new things is a portion of that glory too. And the crown of His glory is His ability to create beings with free will who also can exercise part of that creative ability. These beings definitely include humans.

According to the Catechism, St Bonaventure teaches that God creates in order to demonstrate his glory. This makes sense because that creative ability is part of God’s glory. God created the Universe and everything in it, everything corporal and spiritual.

Did God create the Universe to boast to someone? That is impossible, because there was no one else present before God created the Universe.

Did God create the Universe and living beings to have someone to boast to? That is slightly more logical than the first suggestion, but is still problematic. Why would God have to boast when He has nothing to prove about His glory?

As the Ultimate Creator, He creates beings not in order for them to affirm His glory, but so that, out of love, He may replicate his glory in each of them. Or, as the Catechism teaches, “so that He may become ‘all in all’”.

This statement, if taken literally, would contradict the Church’s stance against pantheism, where God and the Universe are made to be identical to each other. That is an incorrect belief because God is still separate from creation.

Rather, this statement should be taken metaphorically. God does not become one with the Universe, but rather reveals His existence through the glory He displays and imbues in creation. God is the source of every goodness in our lives, the reason why possibility exists for goodness.

When we give glory to God, we are affirming that all these potentials derive from the glory of His creation. Pexels, Joshua Woroniecki

Every source of beauty and happiness comes from God.

When we give glory to God, we are affirming that all these potentials derive from the glory of His creation. In doing so, we are not sacrificing the fruits of our efforts, which still belong to us according to the purpose of God as spelled out in a famous verse from the Book of Jeremiah:

For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.

(Jer 29:11)

Rather, we are avoiding the trap of making ourselves into the source of all this goodness. We accept our positions as created beings, rather than as the Creator. In so doing, we avoid falling victim to a spirit of arrogance, and destroying our communion with God and with others around us.

History is replete with examples of people who did horrible things because they believed they were gods. From the tyrants of several millenia ago who actually formally claimed divinity, to today’s dictators who claim that they created their own glories and hence deserve to do with them what they please. All these have caused untold suffering to many people around them.

In our age and our region of Asia, some of this even manifests in the cultural sphere. There are legions of youth every year who chase after pop idols, getting drawn in by the allure of their popularity and glory in culture. The most dedicated fandoms advance from purchasing props – like pillows and perfume with their pop idols’ faces on it – to trying to live lives exactly like their pop idols.

This can go to crazy extremes. On Internet platforms like ebay, there are people who hawk old T-shirts and even used soap and perfume of these pop idols, and these can reach the price of a month’s salary. These sales may continue even if the star confirms they are not authentic items. These fans will go to such extents to live the exact life of their idol – or part thereof. Nothing is off-limits barring lack of money: earrings, hairdos, clothing, shoes, perfume, smoking, foul language, drugs, disrespect to elders and so on.

All source of beauty comes from God. Pexels, Matheus Bertelli

In ascribing all glory to their pop idols, these Asian youth are destroying their uniqueness and lives,as well as damaging those around them through their reckless behaviour.

This demonstrates the benefit of us giving all glory to God instead of ourselves or each other. When we ascribe all glory solely to God, we gain a perspective that allows us to assess our positive and negative qualities, and those of others more objectively.

So let us all reflect on how God’s glories eclipse each of us today!

Main Image: Pexels, Joshua Woroniecki

Eph 5: How Husbands can mirror Jesus at Home

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What is leadership? In much of Antiquity and indeed, the Roman Empire where Jesus and his disciples preached, it was not particularly enlightened. Often, it was through the use of tools of intimidation like threat of armed violence and asymmetrical power (those who have it using it on those who don’t). You were considered lucky if the leader of your tribe or kingdom was noble and ruled through respect and love rather than fear.

In Jewish eschatology, the Messiah is the future Jewish king from the Davidic line as foretold in the scrolls of Isaiah. The expectation of Christ or Anointed was that He would also be a great political and military leader who would rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, overthrow their Roman rulers and establish the Kingdom by conquering the enemies of Israel.

Pexels- Evelyn Chong

“The first will be last and the last will be first.”

Matthew 20:16

However, when Jesus came, He preached an “upside down world” – a new humanity built on service and sacrifice rather than dominance. That’s not to say that Jesus was militarily weak or did not have the will to fight either. After all, He did say to Pontius Pilate: “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” What Jesus demonstrated was complete obedience to God’s will.

Why Ephesians 5 matters: How husbands and wives argue/fight is the key to lasting relationships

Often couples show a fundamental disrespect for each other when mild complaints like “You didn’t do the dishes” escalate into a general criticism such as “You don’t do anything for the family.” In a very human interaction, a husband listening to this response can only come back with equally hurtful retorts in “self-defence” and before you know it, the disrespect is rampant, nobody hears the other, and the true grievances go unheard and unresolved while you are stoking the embers of vengeance in your hearts.

This is the “old humanity” that Jesus calls us to leave behind, the old humanity that was dependent on power, meanness and violence (physical or verbal).

How the Gospels portrayed Jesus is mirrored in St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

Ephesians 5:25

Male figures in the family have a high calling. All men are called to be leaders in their homes. It begins with St. Paul’s exhortation: “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Pexels – Josh Willink

The husband’s call to be Jesus at Home

In John 13:1–5, we see Jesus laying aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tying it around his waist, He then poured water into a basin and began washing the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. Even as He died on the cross, Jesus forgave the people who killed Him. In essence, the epitome of servant leadership.

In Ephesians, St. Paul has a conviction that how we usually behave and treat each other is superficial and he believes that true conversion comes from our new identity in Christ and it is from this well-spring of Christ-in-us that we as husbands must behave. In His time on earth, Jesus often used Jewish marriage customs as a beautiful allegory of God’s relationship with the church and this is how husbands must be to their wives.

Though it is never tacitly discussed, the Sacrament of Marriage, a lasting commitment between a man and a woman to a lifelong partnership, is on the level of the priesthood. In that sense, in the persona of Christ, husbands are to be of service to their wives and all the sacrifices that come with it (think Jesus turning His cheek – Matthew 5). This, however, should not to be mistaken for passivity but rather the acknowledgement that God will handle it.

In Scripture, we find many examples of what Jesus would do when someone wrongs Him. In John 18, Jesus is struck in the face by an official of the high priest. His response was to question why he was struck in the face. He asked the official to tell him what he said that was an untruth. 

John 19:3 shows that Jesus was struck in the face again when he was sentenced to be crucified. Looking far back into the Old Testament, we see David sparing Saul’s life again and again because 1 Samuel 26:9-11 tells us that David left the punishment of Saul to the Lord. Whether it is Jesus or David, the protagonists or antagonists in their lives are there by Divine Providence and thus, obedience to God (even unto death on the cross) and trusting God’s sovereignty over all aspects of your life, is the quintessence of Christianity.

“If you fight with your wife and win, what have you really won?”

Donnie Yen to the author during an interview

It is in biblical marriage that your old selfish self dies on the cross and husbands become mirrors of our Lord and Saviour. And what did Jesus say about the cross? “let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:26)

God – The Supreme Embroiderer Part 1

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He turns bad into good and takes our adversities to weave a beautiful picture

When I was a little boy, my mother used to embroider a great deal. I would sit at her knee and look up from the floor and ask what she was doing. She informed me that she was embroidering. I told her that it looked like a mess from where I was sitting, which was the underside. I watched her work within the boundaries of the little round hoop that she held in her hand.

She would smile at me, look down and gently say, “My son, you go about your playing for a while, and when I am finished with my embroidering, I will put you on my knee and let you see it from my side.”

I would wonder why she was using some dark threads along with the light ones and why they seemed so jumbled from my view. A few minutes would pass and then I would hear Mother’s voice say, “Son, come and sit on my knee.”

This I did, only to be surprised and thrilled to see a beautiful flower or a sunset. I could not believe it, because from underneath it looked so messy.

Then Mother would say to me, “My son, from underneath it did look messy and jumbled, but you did not realize that there was a pre-drawn plan on the top. It was a design. I was only following it. Now look at it from my side and you will see what I was doing.”

Many times, through the years I have looked up to my Heavenly Father and said, “Father, what are You doing?” He has answered, “I am embroidering your life.” I say, “But it looks like a mess to me. It seems so jumbled. The threads seem so dark. Why can’t they all be bright?” The Father seems to tell me, “My child, you go about your business of doing My business, and one day I will bring you to Heaven and put you on My knee and you will see the plan from My side.”

The above anecdote is taken from Embroidery (Author unknown). It is short and simple, but contains a wonderful message that helps to explain the questions and problems in life, especially spiritual ones, we often encounter.

For example, why does God allow me to suffer so much and bad things happen to me every now and then, even though I am not the agent or cause of these incidents? I am sure all of us have experienced such unfortunate situations at several points in our lives.

From accidents and natural disasters (storms, floods, forest fires, etc.) to those that man inflicts on others such as wars and criminal acts that cause us to lose those we love, our homes and personal property.

I, too, have been through several traumatic events and sufferings while growing up. I was born and raised during the Vietnam civil war, between people in the North and the South, due to differences in government and political ideologies. By the time the war ended in April 1975, I was 15 years old, but had witnessed many tragic scenes: bombs killing innocent people – especially women, children and the elderly – and destroying villages and cities.

I have seen mothers mourn their children, wives their husbands and the plight of orphans who no longer had parents. At least two million civilians and 1.3 million combatants died during the war that started in 1954.

In 1981, I had to flee my hometown and country. I had no choice but to leave behind everyone and everything dear to me, especially my parents, family and friends, to be free to answer God’s call for me to enter the priesthood.

The Communist authorities, who won the war and had taken over governing Vietnam, tried to stop me after discovering that a Catholic seminary had secretly accepted my application to study for the priesthood.

They forced me to enlist in their military in 1980 to fight against the Khmer Rouge, their rival communists in Cambodia, and it was highly unlikely I would have survived this war. So, I deserted the Vietnamese communist army and became a fugitive who was hunted like an animal.

There were times, while I was on the run from my pursuers that I silently lashed out at God, because He had called me to follow Him as a disciple of Jesus and I felt He had abandoned me. I asked why He chose and called me, only to leave me running for my life.

“God, could you see what you have done to me?” I complained to God. “I must endure persecutions because of my faith and because I did answer your call. I had to leave my home and family and must search for a way out of my own terrible situation, and it seems to me that there is no way out.”

The only way to survive this persecution, I concluded, was to escape from Vietnam. It can be said that from 1980 till the end of 1981 was the darkest time of my life. I lived completely in despair and in that great misery I pleaded many times with God to take my life, just as Tobias prayed to God in the Old Testament (Tb 3:1-6):

3:1. Then Tobias sighed, and began to pray with tears,
3:2. Saying, Thou art just, O Lord, and all thy judgments are just, and all thy ways mercy, and truth, and judgment:
3:3. And now, O Lord, think of me, and take not revenge of my sins, neither remember my offences, nor those of my parents.
3:4. For we have not obeyed thy commandments, therefore are we delivered to spoil and to captivity, and death, and are made a fable, and a reproach to all nations, amongst which thou hast scattered us.
3:5. And now, O Lord, great are thy judgments, because we have not done according to thy precepts, and have not walked sincerely before thee.
3:6. And now, O Lord, do with me according to thy will, and command my spirit to be received in peace: for it is better for me to die, than to live.

It is like the embroidered story at the start of this article. Seen from my side, I felt that everything was in chaos, deadlock and despair. I could not see a way out and became depressed and pessimistic during this dark time that had engulfed me. Life became meaningless and I did not want to live anymore.

I wanted to die peacefully so that I could be united with God in heaven. It was my sincere wish and great desire at that time because this would solve all my problems. Every night, with tears in my eyes, I prayed earnestly to God to take me away to Him.

I prayed this way for more than one month, only to get up each morning very much alive. God had remained silent and did not grant my wish.

For about 10 months I lived in such a terrible condition, hiding as a fugitive and constantly afraid the military police or local law officers would eventually catch up with me. My state of mind was dreadful that my family finally ordered me to flee Vietnam, as the situation had become quite dangerous for both me and them.

God weaves a beautiful picture of our lives but we can only see its beauty when He is finished His work.

I didn’t want them to suffer the consequences of my actions, so I searched and eventually found someone who was gathering other people who were in a similar dire situation. They had a small boat for 51 of us, including children, to escape Vietnam.

At the first opportunity in darkness one night, these agents goaded us like cattle to a meeting point at the coast and onto the boat so small there was hardly space for anyone to lie down and rest.

We had no choice but to endure what was no guarantee that we would survive our desperate flight from Communist oppression.

The weather was no friend either because fierce rainstorms conspired to accompany us at sea. For five days high waves tossed our boat vigorously and when the sea was calm, the blazing sun burnt our skins.

It came to the point that although no one fell off the boat in trying conditions, we were losing hope of surviving because no land had come into view, and we were running out of food and water.

Everyone, Christian or not, had quietly made their peace with God before what must surely come: death. Then, just as suddenly as our hope was almost gone, as twilight took over from day, we spotted lights in the distance.

As we squinted our eyes, we could make out people. It was land and we guessed it was probably a village of people going about their evening activities.

To our amazement when we reached the “village” it was a camp for other Vietnamese refugees like us at Pulau Bidong in the eastern coast of Malaysia.

The joy of everyone on our little boat that we had reached such a place was indescribable and one of unbelief. We had escaped from the jaws of death at sea. For us, it was a great miracle. Whether one believes or not, we were all convince that surely it was the Hand of God that had been with us all along at every step of our ordeal, in Vietnam and especially in our journey to freedom in the treacherous sea.

Through our jubilation, I could imagine God admonishing us: “O men of little faith?” (Mt 8:26)

Continue to Part 2

God – The Supreme Embroiderer Part 2

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He weaves beauty in our lives, but we won’t see the masterpiece until it is ready

Continued from Part 1

In transit at Pulau Bidong, the feeling was that of someone without any relatives or friends living in countries that accepted refugees. Odds were I was unlikely to be resettled and would eventually be sent back to Vietnam.

But after more than six months living there in poor conditions, I was fortunate that an Australian humanitarian delegation had requested to interview me. They eventually decided I ticked all the right boxes as a refugee and allowed me to resettle in Australia. This was my greatest joy yet, for it opened a new path for me to answer God’s call to the priesthood.

I arrived in Perth, Western Australia on August 10, 1982. It is nearly 40 years since that day, and I have worked to devote all my time and energy to be a worthy student of God.

My first task was to learn English, which I could not speak or write, with the view that one day I could go back to the Seminary to continue my vocation to the priesthood. I was very fortunate to have first entered Saint Charles Seminary in Guildford, in the Archdiocese of Perth in 1982.

Later at the end of the following year, I moved to Sydney to join the Redemptorist Order.

In February 1984, I officially started my formation program with them and after 10 years, my Provincial Superior approved and recommended that I be ordained as a Redemptorist priest. This happy occasion came to pass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Maidstone Parish in Melbourne on 16 July 1994.

After my ordination, the Provincial Superior allowed me to pursue the second-year program of my Psychology studies at the University of Western Australia. I then went on to study for a Master of Moral Theology at the University of Notre Dame in early 1996.

After I gained Australian citizenship, by God’s grace I was invited to Vietnam to teach Moral Theology at the Redemptorist Seminary in Saigon (also known as Ho Chi Minh City). After a year of teaching there, I was sent to Rome to pursue a Doctorate in this subject at the Alphonsian Academy in Rome.

The Redemptorists founded the academy in 1949 and since 1960 began specialising in moral theology as a part of the Pontifical Lateran University’s Faculty of Theology.

On April 8, 2003, after three years in Italy, I completed my doctorate and returned to Australia to continue the mission God and the Redemptorist Congregation entrusted to me.

I can now reflect with clarity on the important events that have taken place in my life: From accepting God’s call to beginning my journey towards the priesthood in a very difficult situation and entering the “underground seminary” to having to decide to leave my homeland via the sea voyage.

Living in the Pulau Bidong Refugee camp, my days were filled with hardship, suffering and despair because I did not know what my future would be like and where it would go.

When I arrived in Australia, I was faced with new challenges. First, I found myself in a completely foreign culture and language. I was like a lost sheep and helpless as I was alone in a foreign land without any friends or relatives. Except One. God was the only friend I had, and He was my companion. I had faith in Him, who was full of love and mercy, and hoped He would never abandon me in my misery!

But Australia has given me a golden opportunity to continue my priestly vocation journey. It also provided me with a good and favorable environment to indulge in my studies, so that I can continue to follow my dreams. With so many ups and downs, and many important events that have since happened, I reflected that I had a view exactly like the boy in the story.

I saw underneath the tapestry God was weaving in my life and was confused, bewildered and felt hopeless. I thought I will never be able to continue my vocation journey, even after I escaped from Vietnam because when arrived in Australia, I found it difficult to learn English.

Enunciating English words drove me crazy, as it does not have a consistent rule to guide me how to pronounce them correctly. Then, I did not dare think that I would qualify to study philosophy and theology at the Major Seminary, even if I were accepted. There were times when I felt completely exhausted and was convinced I would fail in my vocational endeavours.

Australia presented new challenges in my journey to the priesthood.

But mysteriously, God had His own plan and would carry it out to lead me through the twists and turns of my journey. I experienced the kind of melancholy mood of the two disciples on the way back to Emmaus, who were sad, depressed and desperate, because three days had passed and they still have not seen their Master risen from the dead, as he promised.

Like them, I wanted to retreat and give up, and to accept a return to my previous life. In that critical moment, Jesus himself appeared before me, just as He did to the two Emmaus disciples. He encouraged and gave me more energy, patience, and will-power so that I would be able to overcome the difficulties I was facing.

After 28 years since I was ordained as priest (1994-2022), I am amazed and realize it was God who weaved everything in my life. It was His hand that guided and led me to where I am today.

Indeed, He is a mighty God and a talented and brilliant embroiderer.
Only He can perform great things: from nothingness to existence, from the trivial to the great, from something ordinary to the extraordinary, from an unknown person to an evangelizer filled with a burning love of God’s good news and of His unconditional love for humanity.

Dear God, I thank You with all my heart and would like to express my deep gratitude to you. Thank you for illuminating and revealing to me Your wonderful message through the story “God’s Embroidery”. It gives me an insight into Your marvelous plan, although it can sometimes be too mysterious for me and others to comprehend it fully.

I am so deeply grateful for whatever you have done in my life. You truly know what is best for me and how to form me according to your Son’s image. May you continue to transform and help me to realize that I need to be more patient with myself, and with the work you are doing at present.

I need to wait until Your embroidery is completed. Only then can I fully understand and see the masterpiece of Your embroidery, and that is also the finished article that You want to show me of my life through the ups and downs that You have allowed me to experience.

May I always trust you wholeheartedly in your divine providence and in a plan that you have for me, since you are my God, a merciful and loving Father.

Penginjilan: Hilang dari terjemahan

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Gereja wujud untuk menginjil dan ini mesti menjadi misi kita juga

Sebagai penganut Katolik, anda dan saya tidak pernah dibesarkan dalam budaya penginjilan. Seorang seminarian yang memberi ceramah di program belia kami dengan berani menegaskan bahawa “Gereja tidak lagi menginjil”.

Sejak kecil sehingga membesar, saya percaya semua agama adalah sama, cuma berbeza perjalanan menuju kepada Tuhan; Saya seorang relativis agama. Saya menganggap tuntutan eksklusif satu agama adalah protestan yang bersifat menyinggung perasaan individu lain.

Jadi, apa yang mengejutkan pemikiran keagamaan saya adalah apabila saya membaca kisah tentang orang-orang kudus, yang mana semangat jiwa mereka kedengaran lebih Protestan daripada versi kepercayaan Katolik yang saya terima. Santo Francis Xavier, perintis penginjilan abad ke-16 di Asia dan penaung misi menuliskan:

“Ramai orang di sini tidak menjadi Kristian kerana satu sebab sahaja: tidak ada sesiapa yang menjadikan mereka Kristian. Berkali-kali saya terfikir untuk pergi ke universiti-universiti Eropah, terutamanya Paris, dan di mana-mana menjerit seperti orang gila, menarik perhatian mereka yang lebih berilmu daripada amal: “Trajedi apakah: begitu ramai jiwa yang terhalang dari syurga dan jatuh ke dalam neraka, terima kasih kepadamu!”

Saya mula membaca Alkitab untuk diri saya sendiri dan menyedari bahawa jika saya menganggap tuntutan eksklusif agama Kristian adalah ketaksuban, maka Yesus adalah puncanya. Dia berkata: “Akulah jalan dan kebenaran dan kehidupan.

Tiada seorang pun yang dapat datang kepada Bapa kecuali melalui aku” (Yohanes 14:6) Dan Gereja moden, dalam dokumen seperti Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), Redemptoris Missio (1990), Ecclesia in Asia (1999), Dominus Iesus (2000) dan Evangelii Gaudium (2013) tidak pernah mengubah mesejnya mahupun dalam keadaan mendesak untuk penginjilan.

Terdapat jurang yang besar antara ajaran Magisterial dan Katolik popular yang diamalkan oleh umat beriman di gereja. Melupakan atau enggan mematuhi perintah Yesus untuk ‘Pergilah, jadikan semua bangsa murid-Ku (Mat 28:19) bukankah juga perlu dikenal pasti sebagai ketidaktaatan dan dosa?

Di manakah silap kita?

Majlis Vatikan Kedua yang telah bersidang dari 1962-1965 mengemas-kini ajaran Gereja Katolik untuk konteks dunia moden. Bimbingan Roh Kudus dalam Majlis tersebut tidak pernah diragui (kecuali oleh mereka yang menghampiri kemaksiatan). Tetapi yang pasti, sikap Gereja Katolik terhadap agama lain dan pengikutnya, berubah 180 darjah.

Daripada pengusiran, kutukan dan panggilan “ajaran sesat”, para uskup dunia merasakan Roh Kudus memanggil Gereja untuk membina jambatan dalam ekumenikal dan dialog antara agama. Ia tidak bermakna bahawa Gereja telah mengubah ajarannya tentang peranan unik Kristus dan Gereja. Kepercayaan bahawa Yesus adalah satu-satunya jalan penyelamatan dan bahawa tidak mungkin ada penyelamatan di luar Gereja; dan tidak bersetuju dengan kepercayaan lain tidak bermakna Gereja harus bersikap menentang.

Malangnya, 99% penganut Katolik, nuansanya telah hilang dalam penterjemahan. Ketegangan antara dua dakwaan: bahawa Yesus adalah satu pengantara, dan bahawa orang-orang dari agama lain boleh diselamatkan, bermakna semua agama adalah sama dan kita tidak perlu menginjil lagi.

Oleh itu, tempoh selepas Vatican 2 mengelirukan untuk generasi tanpa Carian Google untuk menyemak apa yang diturunkan oleh profesor seminari dan paderi. Sebilangan besar mubaligh Katolik mula tertanya-tanya sama ada mereka telah mensia-siakan hidup mereka dan telah meninggalkan perintah agama. Setelah kehilangan tujuan mereka untuk membimbing jiwa ke syurga, mereka menjadi ejen bantuan kemanusiaan sahaja.

Jadi apa yang perlu kita lakukan?

Umat ​​Katolik seharusnya tidak berundur daripada membina persahabatan mesra dengan jiran mereka yang beragama Islam, Buddha, Hindu, agnostik atau ateis. Umat Katolik harus berada di barisan hadapan dalam isu keluarga yang pro-life, berkhidmat kepada pendatang dan menjaga ciptaan.

Tetapi umat Katolik juga harus mengamanahkan prinsip bahawa “Tidak ada penginjilan yang benar jika nama, ajaran, kehidupan, janji-janji, kerajaan dan misteri Yesus dari Nazaret, Anak Tuhan, tidak diwartakan” (Evangelii Nuntiandi 22).

Dalam menghadapi medan misi sebesar 2 bilion jiwa Asia, Perintah Agung, kata-kata terakhir Yesus, mesti menjadi keutamaan pertama bagi setiap Katolik: untuk menjadikan murid mubaligh yang menjadikan murid mubaligh lain.

Menjadi mubaligh untuk anda dan saya adalah perubahan yang besar. Jika anda mengasihi Tuhan dan ingin mengambil bahagian dalam perubahan ini, sertai bersama untuk berubah.

English Version – Evangelisation: Lost in Translation

For without me you can do nothing

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Like the smartphone that needs a battery to be useful, we need Christ for power

Last week, I had the opportunity to celebrate Mass at the chapel of the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle, Western Australia, and the Gospel reading was from St. John’s Gospel 15:1-17, which I quote as follows:

Jesus the True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 

6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. 

10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant[b] does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 This I command you, to love one another.

John 15:1-17

This is one passage among the four Gospels I love to read and meditate on. It contains a lot of Jesus Christ’s deep feelings that He wants to share and convey to his beloved disciples. Of course, this includes those of us who have been baptised as Christians.

The entire passage can be viewed as a “love letter” or “will” that Jesus desired to give His disciples before He entered his Passion, which ended with His disgraceful crucifixion and death on the cross.

Anticipating this was going to happen and knowing that time was running out, Jesus seemed anxious on giving his last thoughts and admonishing his disciples with these golden words:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:4-5

What does Jesus have to do with smartphones?

During my homily at the Mass on Wednesday afternoon, I invited students and lay people to learn about a rather practical truth in our spiritual life, which Jesus himself made clear to all of us as He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I abide in him, he bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing.”

I ask the students: Do you use smartphones, such as Samsung or iPhone? They replied: “Yes, Father.” So, I invited one of them to show me her iPhone 13 series, which is the latest model, and asked: “Can you tell me and your friends here, what your iPhone 13 can do for you? And what advanced features it has?

She stood up and happily shared with us the latest apps on her smartphone and said:

“This Iphone 13 is very smart and useful. You can use it to make phone calls and talk to people all over the world. You can use apps like Viber, Zalo, WhatsApp or Facetime to communicate and even can make video calls for free (that is, when you call and talk to your loved ones, you can see them and their surroundings).

“You can also use your iPhone to transfer money to relatives or friends or to pay bills, and especially to take pictures, record videos, scan documents and then email them to your family and friends. What’s more, this mobile phone can guide and direct you on what route to take when you are driving, especially to places where you have never been to. The Google Maps’ GPS system is convenient and accurate. I don’t have to look at a map and worry about getting lost.”

I listened to her sharing about the wonderful applications of smartphones, which most people around the world use today to the point that we cannot live and work efficiently without them. We all rely heavily on our mobile phones and we have them with us 24 hours a day. If you leave home without one, we can even say it is dangerous, because you won’t be able to contact anyone or send messages in an emergency.

After she finished telling us about what the wonderful apps of her new iPhone 13 could do, I gently asked her: but can you use that “amazing iPhone”, if it runs out of battery and you forget to recharge it? She looked at me, then smiled sadly and replied, “No, Father.” If my phone runs out of battery power, I cannot use it. My smartphone is dependent on the battery to work. Without power, it becomes useless, since it is not able to do anything.

Through the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, God imparts Grace to us to lead useful and fruitful lives in Communion with Him

Christ the Vine powers us to bear good fruits

I smiled, thanked her and said: “You are right, when the battery runs out, the mobile phone, no matter how advanced it is, becomes useless and impossible to use for anything it is designed to do.”

This is precisely at the heart of the matter that Jesus wants to convey to us, through the passage in John 15:1-17, because the Lord Himself affirms, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5).

Without a battery, the mobile phone couldn’t do what it is made for. Even the newest and most expensive ones become useless. The life of each of us Christians is the same. Without a close union with Jesus Christ, we too become useless and can do nothing, just like the branch must be united into the vine to survive. We need to draw life-giving energy from Christ the vine and then bear fruit.

This is the essential truth in the spiritual life of each one of us because without God we can’t do anything. So we need to abide in Him, like a branch needs to be united with the vine. Separated from the Vine, who is Christ, we the branches will wither, and eventually have to be thrown into the furnace to burn.

Jesus used this very real image to describe and help his disciples understand the mysterious truth in their spiritual lives. Jesus’ use of the image of a vine and a branch made it possible for his disciples and listeners in Palestine to understand and comprehend this sublime truth because in Israel everyone is familiar with it. So, it was easier for everyone to grasp and gladly receive this message from Jesus.

However, in our present time and the world that we live in, I use the image of a mobile phone to explain Jesus’ message in John 15 to my young University students, for them to understand this profound truth that Jesus reveals. This essential truth is that we need to be intimately united with God in our spiritual lives.

Read: Pope to Combonians: Without Jesus, we can do nothing

We are united to God in the Sacraments

Each one of us will be useless if we are not united with God through a life of prayer and diligent participation in the sacraments, the most important of which is still the Holy Eucharist we celebrate at Mass.

And through the Mass, God gives us an abundant source of grace so that each person can live their own “vocation” He has called them to be. The Catholic Church has always declared: “The Mass is the source of all graces and the summit of the Christian life.” (See Catechism of the Catholic Church’s “The Sacrament of the Eucharist”, Nos 1322-1418, Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy and Pope John Paul II’s The Eucharist in its Relationship to the Church, Ecclesia de Eucharistia)

The new and modern mobile phone will not bring any benefit to the user if it runs out of battery. Likewise, for us, too, our lives will become futile and meaningless, if we are not truly in close union with God.

Since God is the source of all graces and our great treasure that we always want in our lives, then when we find it, we will be filled with authentic joy and experience inner peace. Happiness, then, will fill our hearts.

I invite you to ponder Jesus’ “love letter and will” He has given us John’s Gospel. Read it slowly and meditate on it (Jn 15:1-17), so that you may be able to draw out the wonderful insights for yourselves.

May God bless you all.

For God, every dark cloud has a silver lining

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Meditating on His mysterious Providence as a loving Father for our lives

(Editor’s note: Fr Peter had to flee the clutches of the Vietnamese communist army to answer God’s called to the Priesthood. Watch the documentary on his dramatic escape in the video link provided in this story)

Recently, I felt very fortunate to have received two wonderful messages from God. The first message is this: God is weaving my life and each one of us, so we need to wait patiently until the embroidery is completed. Hopefully by then and only then will we be able to look closely and see in its entirety the splendor of this wonderful embroidered painting of which God is the author. Regarding this experience, I had written an article: God the talented embroiderer in order to share with the readers my own personal insight.

And this weekend, I received another message through the story: “Is Your Hut Burning?” by an unknown author. The heart of this story is that “every cloud has a silver lining”. People often call it “a blessing in disguise”.

I’d like to take the liberty of quoting the full text of the above story for your convenience.

“The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him.prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Though exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements and to store his few possessions.

Then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened: everything was lost.

He was stunned with grief and anger. “God, how could you do this to me!” he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.

‘How did you know I was here?’ asked the weary man of his rescuers. ‘We saw your smoke signal,’ they replied.”

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going badly. But we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is always at work in our lives—even in the midst of pain and suffering.

The next time “your little hut is burning to the ground” – remember, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

From Is Your Hut Burning? by an unknown author

When I read and reflect on this story, I think of some events that happened in my life in the past, but at that time, I could not understand or explain why. But these things happened to me, just like our shipwrecked friend who was washed up on a deserted island. Unfortunately, his hut eventually caught fire. It’s really cruel that things like that can happen to anyone.

Like this guy, my first reaction was to blame God for allowing bad things to happen to me, “God, how could you do this to me!” The year was 1980, the Communists were in control of Vietnam for five years and I was a fugitive from their military.

The military police was hunting for me because I had deserted from the army, six months after I was forced to enlist. I was on the run and had to keep travelling from place to place, just to evade them.

I was depressed and frustrated, and screamed to express my anger and resentment towards God. After all, I had given my life to serve Him and a seminary had quietly accepted my application to study for the priesthood. I tried to make sense of things in the hope of finding an answer, or at least something to comfort and help me accept the unfortunate realities that had engulfed my life.

After many days of scratching my head in an attempt to understand what was happening against my will, I still could not find a reasonable explanation on why God had allowed this to happen to me. In the end, I just had to surrender and accept things despite my desperate situation.

There were times when I fell into a state of complete despair, with no desire for anything or to continue with life because it had become meaningless. In light of such circumstances, could it be said that death is a better thing? I had such a thought, even though I knew life is the most precious gift God gives us and we, in every way, must sustain and protect it.

For almost a year, I wandered around under the weight of extreme depression and disappointment because I couldn’t see my future and find a way out of my desperate situation. In fact, it seemed to me there was no way out. Everything had become meaningless to me. Pessimism overwhelmed me and the will to live was slipping away.

Fr Peter at home in Perth besides a portrait of his late mother.

But indeed “in misfortune, there is luck”. Or in Vietnamese we say, Thành ngữ tiếng Việt: Trong cái rủi có cái may, which in English means “A blessing in disguise”. If I had not fled the training at a secret military camp, I would never have thought about escaping by boat from Vietnam. And I would not have been forced to leave my family and seek freedom, so that I could pursue my priestly vocation.

VIDEO: Watch Fr Peter’s journey from refugee to the priesthood: Heeding the Divine Call

But thanks to the chance I got to squeeze into boat, filled with my fellow refugees, and was able to flee from Vietnam that I was finally able to see a ray of hope for my future. Despite the difficult journey traversing the rough sea, the small wooden boat of about 11 meters in length and 3 meters wide held steady amid huge waves and strong winds.

After five days adrift we finally arrived safely at a small island, called Pulau Bidong in Malaysia. It turned out to be providential because it happened to be refugee camp for escapees, who were also from Vietnam. This was a great miracle for us. Everyone in our boat was happy because we had cheated death. We rejoiced and from the bottom of our hearts, we silently thanked “God” for giving us a chance to rebuild our lives.

As I was looking back, I believed that God’s wonderful divine hand led us to the camp. He has a way of acting that I sometimes cannot understand, for who can fathom God’s ways and His thinking.

Thanks to the experience I had during the most tragic and dark time in my life, I was later able to somewhat understand and sympathize with those who were in a similar situation as I was in.

Bishop Peter Connor ordained Fr Peter at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church
in Maidstone Parish, City of Melbourne on 16 July 1994.

So, every time I have the opportunity to meet and confide in these people, I share with them my hardships and tribulations in order to encourage and comfort them. I believe that all sufferings and difficulties in human life will eventually pass, as our grandparents used to say, “The river has a bend, man has a time.” Again, there is also the same Vietnamese saying that goes like this, “Con Sông có khúc, con người có lúc”.

When we think about that advice, it is very wise, as none of us have to live forever in extreme suffering. Moreover, if we are Christian, one who has faith in God as a bountiful and merciful Father, then He himself will never abandon us.

So, when I read these words, which are recorded in the Bible, they are the positive answer to our negative thoughts. I feel extremely delighted, because it turned out to be true with what I’ve been through.

These words from God correspond with my own experience when I say it is impossible but God instead replies, “Yes, it was possible because nothing is impossible with Me (Luke 18:27)”. I say I am not smart enough and may not be able to study in the Seminary. God again replies and say, “I give you wisdom” and “You can do all things” (Philippians 4:13). And the list of things I used to argue with God could go on as in this story I am telling you.

So, today, I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to re-read these golden words and I realise that the Word of God is really a light, guiding my way and it has given me the power to overcome all adversities.

His Word encouraged and uplifted me, especially when I was feeling down and wanted to give up everything. In short, the Word of God is the living Word, with incomparable power and the ability to transform us. It is like a light shining in the dark, helping us to see things and dispel fear.

For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive answer for each of them.

You say: “It’s impossible.”
God says: “All things are possible.” (Luke 18:27)

You say: “I’m too tired.”
God says: “I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: “Nobody really loves me.
God says: “I love you.” (John 3:16 & John 13:34)

You say: “I can’t go on.”
God says: “My grace is sufficient.” (2 Corinthians 12:9/Psalm 91:15)

You say: “I can’t figure things out.”
God says: “I will direct your steps.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say: “I can’t do it.”
God says: “You can do all things.” (Philippians 4:13)

You say: “I’m not able.”
God says: “I am able.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

You say: “It’s not worth it.”
God says: “It will be worth it.” (Roman 8:28)

You say: “I can’t forgive myself.”
God says: “I FORGIVE YOU!” (1 John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: “I can’t manage.”
God says: “I will supply all your needs.” (Philippians 4:19)

You say: “I’m afraid.”
God says: “I have not given you a spirit of fear.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

You say: “I’m always worried and frustrated.”
God says: “Cast all your cares on ME.” (I Peter 5:7)

You say: “I don’t have enough faith.”
God says: “I have given all a measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3)

You say: “I’m not smart enough.”
God says: “I give you wisdom.” (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: “I feel all alone.”
God says: “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Every cloud has a silver lining. God’s wonderful providence for our lives is so marvelous, which He has planned for us, but it’s unfortunate we are unable to see this clearly.

May God mercifully give us the strength and help us, so that we can always keep our faith and fully trust in Him, even when we feel hopeless and face dangers, sufferings and fall into difficult situations. Even at times like these, Lord, may we never lose our trust in you as a merciful and loving father who loves us deeply. Amen.

(A fuller version of Fr Peter’s story will be published here next week)

Mission to save lives: Shipwrecked crew (Part 1)

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What starts as work to lead people to safety can be detoured to self-indulgence

On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occurred, there was once a little life-saving station. The building was primitive and had just one boat, but the crew were committed to saving lives and kept a constant lookout for ships that got into trouble at sea. When a ship went down, day or night, they unselfishly went out to rescue people.

Because so many were saved, the station’s work became widely known. As a result, the station was overwhelmed with offers from people who wanted to give their time, talent and money to support its important work. New boats were bought, fresh crews were recruited and a formal training session was put in place for those who joined the ranks of the crew.

As membership grew, some were unhappy the building was old and had outdated equipment. They yearned for a better place to hold survivors they plucked out from the sea. So they built a large new building, replaced the old emergency cots with comfortable beds and brought in better furniture.

In time the station became a popular meeting place for the crew. They met regularly, always greeted and hugged each other, and shared stories about what had been going on in their lives. The love and care among the crew were evident.

As time passed, most members lost interest in going out to sea on life-saving missions. They hired lifeboat crews to handle this important task. About this time, there was a large shipwreck off their coast, and the new hires went out to sea and returned to the station with boatloads of cold, wet, dirty, sick, and half-drowned people.

The survivors were a mixed bunch. Some had black skin and others yellow. They were a few who were fluent in English, while most didn’t understand the language. Among them were first-class cabin passengers, and there was a clutch of deck hands. In just a short time, the station that had become a beautiful meeting spot was transformed into a place of chaos. The plush carpets got dirty and the exquisite furniture suffered scratches.

In the ensuing melee, the property committee swung into action and constructed a makeshift shower outside the building where the shipwreck survivors were cleaned before they were allowed inside.

At the station’s next meeting there was a rift among the members. Most wanted to stop their life-saving work as they were unpleasant and a hindrance to their fellowship. Others insisted that saving lives was still their primary mission and pointed out that the station still had this status. But this minority group was voted down and told that if they wanted to save the lives of all sorts of people that the station recently did, they could do this at another location down the coast. And that’s what they did.

Those who joined the original team were not transformed into disciples of the mission in which their belief in saving lives would have been deeply rooted. If this had been the case, the new members would, in turn, attract and transform others into disciples to believe in their cause.

As the years passed, the new place experienced a repeat of what afflicted and ended the mission of the station it replaced. It evolved into a place for fellowship, committee meetings and special training sessions about their mission, but few went out to save people from drowning. Survivors were also no longer welcomed in this new station that was supposed to save lives. Another station was founded further down the coast to do this.

History continued to repeat itself. And if you visit that seacoast today, you will find a number of adequate meeting places with ample parking spaces and plush carpeting. Shipwrecks are still frequent in those waters, but most people drown.

What went wrong with the mission of saving lives in this unfortunate tale?

It is apparent new members were attracted to the mission but were not adequately formed to actually love the work of saving lives. In time, they enjoyed the fellowship, which should be a by-product of the mission and not the main course.

The crux of the problem: Those who joined the original team were not transformed into disciples of the mission in which their belief in saving lives would have been deeply rooted. If this had been the case, the new members would, in turn, attract and transform others into disciples to believe in their cause.

We can view this story through the lens of the wider Christian missionary. Where do Catholics stand in comparison to other non-Catholic Christian groups? How robust are we? You will be surprised at the results of surveys that were conducted to measure how we faired.

Image: Katalin Rhorvát, Pexels

Part 2 Mission to save lives: The shipwrecked disciples

Mission to save lives: Shipwrecked disciples (Part 2)

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We need to build up more life-savers in the Catholic Church

In Part 1, I told a tale of a group of life-savers whose work to rescue survivors of shipwrecks attracted people to join their mission. But they were not deeply rooted in the cause of saving lives, lost their sense of mission and became a social club.

To be deeply rooted in a mission is to be transformed into missionary disciples. Such people who experience this type of conversion are so convinced of the good of their work that they in turn want others to join their cause. This strong passion for their work in helping others has the effect of creating more passionate believers.

In Christian terms, this will create disciples who create other disciples, who do likewise and so on and so on. But how do Catholics fare in the work of discipleship because he work Jesus Christ, in which we are called to join His mission, is about saving lives? It is not a one-off rescue outing to pluck people from the jaws of death. It has implications to place them safely for all eternity. This work, which has divine origins in Christ, is called evagelisation.

According to the apostolic exhortation “Evangelisation in the Modern World” the Church exists in order to evangelise (EN 14). But writing for Catholic Missionary Disciple in his article, 5 Reasons Catholics Don’t Evangelise, Marcel LeJeune notes that in a 2013 poll on the importance of Christians who actively shared their faith, Catholics ranked the lowest.

The poll conducted in the United States drew from the best and most engaged Catholics, and yet only 1 out of every 3 “active Catholics” agreed they had a responsibility to share their faith with others and actually did so in the past year. To my knowledge, no similar study has been done in the Malaysian or Singapore Church, but I doubt we are better off.

Catholics must stop making excuses such as “I’m not worthy cos I’m still struggling with sin”, “I don’t know enough about my faith”, “They won’t listen to me” and “I’m not that type” are some excuses you and I make are to exempt ourselves from the Great Commission. It’s similar to how Moses winced and whined before God. (Ex 3:11-22, 4:1-17).

Let’s look at some reasons why I believe Catholics are failing in their fundamental duty

1. Catholics aren’t disciples 

Most Catholics are baptised not because they consciously made a decision to become a disciple of Jesus. Sherry Weddell, author of “Forming Intentional Disciples” notes, “We have asked hundreds of diocesan and parish leaders from 60 dioceses throughout the English-speaking world this question: What percentage of your parishioners, would you estimate, are intentional disciples? To our astonishment, we have received the same answer over and over: ‘Five percent’. When Catholicism is just a religious duty to fulfil and Catholics cannot see the transforming value of Jesus in their lives, it is very unlikely that they will want to share Jesus with others.”

You and I need to look at what Jesus and the Church say about discipleship, before we can make changes, both personal and structural. If our lifestyle is one of compromise, mediocrity and lukewarmness, we would be good for nothing but to be thrown out. Live according to your calling as salt of the earth and light of the world. Then give testimony on how making Jesus the Lord of your life, has been life-changing.

2. Catholics are universalists or believe differences of faith don’t really matter

Universalists believe in the false doctrine that no one will go to hell. In our efforts to promote inter-religious dialogue, the nuances of church teachings are lost on simple Catholics and most have become religious relativists. Respect for other faith traditions and the truth that “all religions teach you to do good” has crossed over to claim that “all religions are the same” and that “everyone will go to heaven”. So what’s the point of introducing Jesus if you don’t believe that He is the One Mediator and lifeline to the Father (John 14:6)?

The nuanced Catholic teaching is found in the Vatican II Constitution, Lumen Gentium (No 16). After laying out the conditions in which a non-believer might be saved, it declares soberly that “VERY OFTEN (translation from the Latin, Flannery edition; capitals mine), men, deceived by the Evil One, have become vain in their reasonings, have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the world rather than the Creator.” This means that, while the Catholic Church teaches that there is a possibility that a non-believer goes to heaven – and always through Jesus – the probability is so low that we shouldn’t be presumptuous. Catholics must pray with heartfelt urgency, “On my Jesus, save us from the fires of hell” and be spurred to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

3. Catholics are scared and make excuses not to do it

“I’m not worthy cos I’m still struggling with sin”, “I don’t know enough about my faith”, “They won’t listen to me” and “I’m not that type” are some excuses you and I make are to exempt ourselves from the Great Commission. It’s similar to how Moses winced and whined before God. (Ex 3:11-22, 4:1-17).

Yet, Jesus gave the command to all, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19). I may be scared to evangelise but you know what frightens me more? That I will one day profoundly regret that I never shared with my loved ones, my secret to the fullness of life.  As part of God’s rescue mission, you and I need to grieve that family and friends who are stumbling without Jesus, could be lost forever (Rom 9:2-3). Only a Holy Spirit love for Jesus and the world can push us out of our comfort zones and make us unashamed of the Gospel! (Rom 1:16).

4. Catholics don’t want to be offensive and lose friendships with non-Christians

I put this as a separate category from the above because living in multi-religious societies, this is a genuine concern. It’s about how our message is going to be received. It’s true that some wouldn’t care. Others might even disagree and reject us. Jesus promised nothing less.

But you can disagree with someone without becoming disagreeable. In fact, there are many people who would want to discuss religion with Catholics. Protestants, Muslims, Mormons and Korean cult devotees. You may be irritated or offended but walking away sends the message that Catholicism doesn’t have an answer. Why don’t we see this as an opportunity to evangelise? I’ve known some Catholics who built up their faith through apologetics discussions. One even became a priest! Those who do not know Christ as Lord and Saviour DESERVE to know the truth and if it’s not going to be from you, then from whom?   

5. Parishes aren’t supporting nor training active personal evangelism

I will say this politely: Catholics, even leaders, who claim it is sufficient to witness with our lifestyle, is not teaching what the Magisterium teaches. Evangelisation is reduced to serving to the poor. Other times evangelism is just waiting for inquirers to sign-up for the RCIA. In one parish, it was a step-up for the priest to ask parishioners, week in and week out, to bring their non-Christian friends to Mass.

But to reverse the current Catholic culture and restore a practice of the apostolic church, Catholics need to be firstly taught “Why Evangelise” and then be encouraged step-by-step how to do it. Only when all parish leaders, including clergy, have had first-hand experience of personal evangelism, will we know how to make “missionary outreach paradigmatic for all the Church’s activities” (Joy of the Gospel 15).

What are five things you can do to help the Church recover Her evangelistic identity?

  • Join a training on personal evangelism. Learn how to share your story of conversion and how to present a basic message of Christianity that invites listeners to place their trust in Jesus. Read a book on how to answer basic apologetic questions like Trent Horn’s “Why We’re Catholic”.
  • Invite church friends to join you for training on personal evangelism. Make a point to share what you are learning about evangelism with someone weekly, especially to correct all the false understanding prevalent among Catholics. Better yet, offer to start the class on evangelism in your parish.
  • Pray daily for your non-Christian friends and lapsed Catholics. List 10 people you can name in a decade of the Rosary. If you are going to offer Mass for the dead, remember to put in intentions for your living non-believer friends as well. And you can always end a conversation by asking “how can I pray for you?”
  • Volunteer to be a hospitality minister that does more. In some parishes, it would already be amazing if they smiled and greeted you. Be friendly and ready to engage in conversation even to invite strangers to join you for a meal.
  • Plan every open event to be evangelistic. Can non-Catholics join in the hiking trip? They sure can. Can non-Catholics join in to serve the homeless? They sure can. Can non-Catholics join in the choir or caroling? They sure can. It may mean conscientiously planning for the presence of non-believers (singable hymns, inspiring homilies etc) and intentionally asking the Catholics to invite their friends especially for celebrations like Christmas and Easter.  

What do you think Is stopping you from evangelising? What can you do to start evangelising? We would love to hear any other ideas you might have to raise up an evangelistic Catholic culture.

Part 1: Mission to save lives: The shipwrecked crew

Sacred Heart heals all wounds

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Christ’s heart of love bears our pain to save us from ruin and hell

(Editor’s note: June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Solemnity is on 24 June)

“May you live in interesting times.” I learnt from a book on the history in China that this sentence is considered a curse in Chinese culture. Just because peace is boring, and war is interesting. Indeed, the heart of every story is a conflict between the protagonist and someone or something else.

In which case, I suppose modern Chinese must feel rather unfortunate to be living in an age with wars, plagues and other tragic events. And, as in many other epochs of history, the Apocalypse industry is back up again: pray, tell me, which COVID variant is God’s Divine Punishment, or are there different variants because each is meant to punish a different sin?

In the midst of all this chaos, it is important for Christians to refocus on the fact that our God is a God of Love, not a God of Judgement. In fact, as the Gospel of John teaches us, God loved the world so much that He sent His Only Son to die for mankind’s sins. The keyword here is “mankind”. Christ didn’t only die for Jews. He died for gentiles, including the Chinese people.

In such times, it is a huge temptation for us to lapse into conspiracy-theory mode. With COVID-19, we might ask whether the virus came from Communist bioweapons. Or was it planted by the Pentagon, James-Bond style? For the other major event, the Russia-Ukraine War, the theories may swing around whether the Russians are really brutal, or Ukraine is making use of liberal Western propaganda machines to paint themselves as more saintly than they actually are.

Conspiracy theories are instruments of the Devil. The Lord sees mankind as mankind, and not in our various nations. As Scripture teaches us, He takes on the burdens of our sins onto Himself. He is the Lord who cares for the widows of Ukraine and the unwilling soldiers of Russia. He cares as much for the Texan veteran who has COVID Beta as He does for the teenager in Shanghai who is down with Omicron. God does not do Real Politick.

One of the best ways to focus on the love of God is by meditating on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is a devotion that was developed by the French saint, Bernard of Clairveaux. The devotion gained prominence in the Catholic Church after the apparitions to Saint Margaret Alacoque more than a few centuries later.

This virtuous nun was given the privilege of lying against the Heart of Christ and told to spread the message of His love around the world. Her position allowed her to hear Christ’s heartbeat.

When interviewed about her apparitions, she said:

And He [Christ] showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin that made Him want to manifest His Heart to men,

This demonstrates how close Christ wants to be to each and every one of us. And in the Gospel, he demonstrated this closeness and love by sacrificing Himself on the Cross at Cavalry. This heart of Love is a heart of pain as well, the heart that bears all our pains so that we can be saved from the path of ruin that leads to Hell.

To get a real sense, imagine a stream of blood flowing out from the centre of the Sacred Heart. The Precious blood of Christ that purifies, cleanses and heals all our wounds from sin. As you meditate on the Sacred Heart, cast your pains onto him and imagine all the pains that dissolve in His Precious Blood.

Let us all remember then that Christ is the Prince of Peace that rescues us from the burden of “Interesting Times”.

Deposit of Faith and the 3 Persons

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Centred on the Trinity, it is a treasury of Catholic Truths

When I started reclaiming and relearning my Catholic faith about 20 years ago, I realised what I knew was probably at Primary 4 level. In my interaction with Catholics high up the pecking order, they used terms that were foreign to me.

Some of these I learnt quickly such as Magisterium. It comes from the Latin word magister, which means “teacher”. It refers to the teaching authority that Jesus Christ gave to St Peter and the rest of the Apostles. And from them to their respective successors. The Magisterium is exercised chiefly by the pope who can do so independently and the bishops who must teach in union with him.

One term that took a while to get my head round it is “Deposit of the Faith”. The words give the impression that faith is stored somewhere, such as in a vault. Something that banks do when we deposit our money with them. But faith does not have a physical form, and it took me a few years to understand the term fully.

Deposit of Faith simply means the vast body of divine wisdom that God has manifested to His people from the Old Testament. But it was especially revealed to us in the words and actions of Jesus Christ the Incarnate Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

It embodies all the teachings of Christ that He entrusted to the Apostles with the commission to make them known to the entire world (Matt. 28:16-20). They have since passed this Deposit of Faith to their successors to this day, without any additions or subtractions to preserve the purity of what they had received from Christ.

No one can change Jesus Christ’s teachings because they come from God. They are His divine plan for our Salvation – a roadmap to eternal communion with Him. Or else like a map that has had unauthorised alterations, it will lead us on the wrong path and we will be lost forever.

As St Paul in his epistle to the Thessalonians tells us, “We thank God constantly for this, that when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the Word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13).

“Deposit of Faith” has biblical roots as it appears in the Greek version of the New Testament. In the apostle’s letters to Timothy, St Paul entreats his fellow missionary, “O Timothy, guard the paratheke (παρακαταθήκην) or deposit (1 Tim 6:20). He repeats this again in 2 Tim 14 to “guard the paratheke that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit”.

This Deposit, then, is to teach Christians everything that Christ has revealed about Himself, the Father and the Holy Spirit. It serves as a bulwark against heresies that attempt to corrupt the Truth about God and His salvific plan for the whole world.

As the principal mode of transmission of His Teachings is through oral teaching, Christ gave the Apostles a simple formula to teach and recall them from the Deposit of Faith with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. This formula is founded on the Blessed Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Here, I’ll quote Monsignor Eugene Kevane, a pioneer in the field of catechetics, from his Introduction to Teaching the Catholic Faith Today (published in 1982 by Daughters of St Paul).

What was the content of Jesus’ teaching? How did He form the minds of His disciples? A catechetical reading of the Gospels shows that He taught them to understand who He Himself is and what the religion is by which mankind is to respond to this central doctrine.

“So that they would know who He Himself is, He taught them the mystery of the Trinity. Within the Godhead of Yahweh, the One God of the Hebrew revelation, there are three equal divine Persons …

“The Trinitarian pattern of this teaching that witnesses to Him is clear from His final mandate to His apostles as founders of His worldwide Teaching Church: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time” (Matt 28:19-20)

From the Trinity, springs forth all the teachings of the Catholic Church that are contained in the Deposit of Faith. “The Trinitarian profession of faith for baptism, with its subordinate topics for each Divine Person, became the Articles of Faith which the early Church called the Symbol and which we of the Latin Rite called the Apostles’ Creed from the Latin ‘Credo’,” Msgr Kevane wrote elsewhere.

“These Articles of Faith formed the first set of topics in the teaching. It formulated Jesus’ Deposit: it enabled his Apostles and their Successors to hand on the baptismal Profession of Faith by teaching. It was the substance of catechetical instruction then and now.”

Christ’s teachings do not change, even though the world went through a dramatic transformation in the last two thousand years. They are timeless and have addressed every issue of faith and morals in the ancient days of the Apostles and can do so now in our present day.

This does not mean our understanding of what Christ taught doesn’t develop. It does. A perfect example is the doctrine of “Outside the Church there is no salvation” or Extra ecclesiam nulla salus.

This doctrine was strictly taught in its narrow sense in the early years of the Church, especially to combat erroneous teachings within and without the Church, such as the Albigensian and other heresies. But the Church gained a fuller understanding of this teaching at the Second Vatican Council.

The Fathers at the Council taught that those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart … can be saved (Lumen Gentium, 16).

In doing so, they preserved the substance of Extra ecclesiam nulla salus: That the Church is necessary for Salvation and without Her no one can be saved.

In essence, the Deposit of Faith is a treasury the Catholic Church – as guardians of the revelations of Christ – draws from to define, teach and defend the Truths about God. The four Marian dogmas, which essentially are about the Person of Christ, are such occasions when the Magisterium has unlocked this precious treasury.

In the Solemnity of the Trinity today, it is important to reaffirm this essential toolkit Christ gave His Church to lead us to God.

Culture: Seeing Christ in the games we play

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Hero of world’s most popular computer game has a Messiah-like character

Although many of us despair about secular media, sometimes they contain elements that prompt us to reflect on our Catholic faith. This includes video games.

This is the case with Thoma, a playable character in the world’s most popular computer game to date, Genshin Impact. The name of the game is Japanese, but the producer is Chinese. “Genshin” translated into English means “The Original Deity”.

Thoma has two key designations that describe his prowess as a hero. The first, Blazing Defence, is the firepower that he has been given to fight monsters, and connected with his in-game skill, Blazing Blessing. The second, Protector from Afar, is about the game’s main storyline.

He is a foreigner who has been accepted as the servant of an heiress to one of the three great clans who rule the country. He is gentle and unassuming, but yet assertive. The first time a player and the character meets, Thoma helps him get a visa to enter the closed country. But he soon discovers his official position is the housekeeper for the heiress. He also runs errands for his mistress. These “errands” include trade negotiations, breaking up gang fights and investigating espionage. Not your average grocery shopper.

Thoma is not a perfect analogy, but in certain key aspects, he resembles Christ.

In-game, while he is among the best of the characters, his storyline shows that the most impressive thing he manages to do for the people at court is to conduct a housekeeping class for them. This recalls the story in the Gospels about Christ not being able to do any miracles in Nazareth because nobody believed He was the Messiah. They refused to call him anything other than “son of the carpenter”. Admittedly, a carpenter in the time of Christ was still more prestigious than a housekeeper, but they were not part of the learned classes like the Levites and Scribes.

Both Christ and Thoma share similar experiences of being under-appreciated because of who they appear to be. Thoma also suffers double because he is a foreigner. Our analogy here can remind us that we are called to be “in this world, but not of this world”.

Despite the abuse that he receives at the hands of the courtiers, he is still affable and kind towards them, telling the player that they are just the way they are as courtiers. When he gets angry, it is at the real ruffians and the monsters. Christ is also forgiving and merciful, even to the soldiers who arrest him. When Peter cuts off the ears of the high priest’s servant in the arresting party, Christ heals his ears. Of course, Christ goes several steps ahead of Thoma in that He eventually sacrifices his life for the salvation of all mankind on Good Friday.

Thoma possesses fire-element powers in the game. His normal skill is a lunging attack with a flaming spear. His second ability is an offensive-and-defensive fire power called “blazing blessing” which deals fire damage to enemies and creates a flaming barrier around him and his friends.

Fire is a potent image in the Scriptures. In the Old Testament, a pillar of fire leads the Israelites out of Egypt. God also shames the prophets of Baal with fire from Heaven. Christ brings a different sort of fire to the mix – a fire of the heart. The Holy Spirit that descends on the Apostles on Pentecost is described as tongues of fire in the Book of Acts.

There are also a few times when Christ is associated with strong lights or burning fire. In the Book of Revelations, John sees Christ standing with “eyes like a fiery flame” and “feet like polished brass in a furnace”. Earlier on in the Gospels, Christ appears with a burning visage during the Transfiguration.

So, He effectively dispenses “blazing blessings” to all of us.

The depiction “Protector From Afar” is ironic when applied to Thoma. Usually when one thinks of someone being “afar”, it is of someone who has cut off contact with all people and maybe lives in a monastery or somewhere similar. But Thoma is exactly the opposite. Everybody in the neighbourhood knows him and recognizes his face. However, they don’t know that he is also the legendary “Fixer”. In that sense, he is “afar” from everyone.

Similarly, Christ’s other name is “Emmanuel” or “God is With Us”, yet many times we feel He is far away and fails to recognize His presence in the people around us. He is also “afar” in another way. As the Second Person of the Trinity, He watches us from a context bigger than the 3D setting of our daily routines. He is able to work wonders in our lives because He has more resources than we can imagine.

The final similarity between Thoma and Christ, though, will probably be the most unique. It is also the one that inspired this article.

In Thoma’s quest, he brings the player to a tree in the middle of town where he feeds stray puppies every morning. He has developed a very close bond with the animals to the point of giving each of them names. In addition, he has not merely invited the player to feed the puppies but to also help knit sweaters for each of them, whom he loves. What is even more amazing is that he is the one who gathered all the puppies to the tree in the first place from different corners of the city!

Are you able to guess the analogy here? If you can’t, it is probably because the puppies are a distraction. (Boy, are they adorable!)

This aspect of Thoma dovetails very well with the parable of the Good Shepherd. Like Thoma, Christ as the Good Shepherd goes around the country seeking out the lost sheep and gathering them back into the sheepfold. However, thinking about Thoma’s tree, we could have another insight. While it is commonplace to believe that the Shepherd has one sheepfold, perhaps what the Shepherd really does is gather the lost sheep into many Sheepfolds all under His ownership.

This ties in with the doctrine of subsidiarity in the Catholic Church, where every local Church is the Church of Christ by itself and is not part of another local Church, including the Church of Rome. So, in that way there are many Churches but also just one Church. And all are the same in that they have Christ as their Shepherd!

So, if you are Genshin Impact player or have children who play the game, you can use Thoma as a weak cipher of Christ.

Our journey to Pentecost Sunday

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Travelling on the road of faith, hope and charity for TAF

It is almost a year ago since Deacon Adrian and I toyed with the idea of producing material that is easy to read for all Catholics. We had several conversations through WhatsApp and Zoom because he lives in Kuala Lumpur and I, in Singapore.

We agreed on a plan that if we were to do anything, it would be on a “Simple writing, simple reading” formula. But we had no clue initially on how to go about doing this or what medium it should be on or where we are going to get more help.

If it would be books, booklets, pamphlets or something else, was a question that continuously nagged at us.

We thought a website would be cool, but neither of us was at the level of creating one. It had been quite a while since I started my own blog, and was a little rusty. Besides, there are tons of Catholic websites on the Internet, why would anyone want to come to ours?

That was another question that had been nagging at us.

Our goal, though, is to help Catholics understand our faith better. It is not meant to teach those already neck-deep in studying Catholicism, but if we can contribute anything to their journey, that would be a bonus.

We want to cast our nets far and wide to all Catholics in Malaysia and Singapore, but primarily to those who are trying to understand and learn our faith, including students.

Our language style should, therefore, be easy to understand. As far as possible, we wanted to try and avoid terms that get people scratching their heads. This is no easy task, but we wanted to try.

In this light, we had conversations with a few Catholics who we felt were well-grounded in the faith, but that effort produced nothing. Just as our Lord Jesus Christ lamented that “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2-4)

So, instead of twiddling our thumbs, both of us prayed. We had to have faith.

During Advent last year a handful of promising names emerged. On Christmas Day I started writing at a site that hosted bloggers, just to keep our hopes alive. Then, on Ash Wednesday, two Catholics decided to join our mission: Jonathan Ho and Clement Wee from Singapore.

A few days later, Sister Shirley Chong came on board. She is a Daughters of St Paul Sister from Malaysia and based in Manila.

Our pace accelerated from then on and after several conversations, through Zoom and WhatsApp across Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, we decided to set up a website. We also agreed that we should cast our nets even further in Asia, and not just Malaysia and Singapore.

But baby steps first. We need to learn how to walk before we start jogging and then running. We also settled on our name, The Asian Fishermen, because we want to obey Christ’s Commission to everyone in His Church to evangelise. But we are going to do this through simple means and in our simple way.

As our journey crossed major Church days and seasons, we planned for our website to go live on Easter Sunday. But midway through our journey I fell ill and had to recuperate. The team decided they did not want to launch this mission without everyone on board.

So, we all agreed that the next important date available should be Pentecost Sunday, the day the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and send them on their way to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission of spreading the Gospel to the ends of the world.

We are here, then, on this day, to do our small part in this work for Jesus Christ. None of us have any clue where we are going or how The Asian Fishermen, or TAF, will develop. But we place our faith in the Holy Spirit to lead us where He wills us to go.

A happy and blessed Pentecost!

The Tohu va-bohu around LGBTQ

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Light and form, aided by the Holy Spirit, are needed

Tohu va-bohu (תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ) is the biblical Hebrew phrase in Genesis 1:2 that describes the condition of the Earth before the creation of Light: “And the Earth was formless and void…” Tohu means formless, chaos or confusion, and bohu means void and emptiness. By extension, Tohu va-bohu symbolizes the mental “confusion (storm) and lack of information (darkness),” which also describes what is around LGBTQ issues. Misconceptions contribute to the “tohu” while “bohu” is widespread. In this article, a few misconceptions are pointed out, and some unknowns are introduced.

The Misconceptions

# 1 – It is chosen. Having non-heterosexuality is never chosen. Just as a young person one day finds out his/her attraction to the opposite sex, some people also one day realise they are attracted to the same sex. This can lead to the next misconception…

#2 – It is somehow genetic. There are many identical twin studies done over decades. These studies show that when one twin is gay, the chances of the other twin being gay are only 11 to 14%. If the cause was genetic, the percentage should be close to 100% for identical twins since they share the same genome.

The latest and most thorough study, led by Dr. Andrea Ganna and published in August 2019, concluded that “there is no gay gene.” They performed a GWAS (Genome-Wide Association Study) on almost half a million individuals and found that even though many genes contribute to same-sex attractions, their combined effect accounts for only 8 to 25% of heritability. Dr. Melinda Mills, Director of Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science in Oxford, said, “This is a solid study.” Dr. Eric Vilain, a geneticist at Children’s National Health System of Washinton DC, said the study marks the end of “the simplistic concept of the ‘gay gene.’ ”

# 3 – People with homosexuality experience trauma or bad childhood experiences. Not all who have same-sex attractions have trauma and adverse childhood experiences. There are other factors – like relationship with the opposite gender is dominant, perfectionism, fear of being disliked, poor role models around – to name a few.

Even trauma and adverse experiences depend on who inflicts them and who—if any—is supporting them for recovery, healing, and prevention of re-occurrence. Each person with same-sex attraction has a unique set of underlying factors. To hold a narrow view that “trauma and adverse childhood experiences are the cause” excludes everyone else who struggles with homosexuality but does not have these experiences.

The Unknowns

#1 – Homosexuality exists in animals. There is a long list of animals that exhibit homosexual behaviour. Just Google it. Dr. Bruce Bagemihl’s 1999 book Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity is a very detailed scientific book. In it is written, “homosexual behaviour in animals is greeted with nonchalance from nearby animals…” In other words, no creature is incensed or outraged at the sight of homosexual behaviour. So, should humans learn from animals?

The human brain has a highly developed Neocortex where morality, religion, and abstract thought exist. Animals do not have a developed Neocortex and therefore have no cognitive dissonance with homosexuality. On the other hand, humans can reduce cognitive dissonance by giving up their moral-religious beliefs or modifying their moral-religious beliefs.

# 2 – Homosexuality exists in the unconscious part of human memory.  Human brain function is 95% unconscious. Much of conscious human memory is Explicit. It is the “software” we can learn through Episodic events and experiences, and Semantic concepts and facts through learning. We can “declare” these memories. That’s why it is “explicit.”

Emotional conditioning and Priming exist in the Mammalian Brain. Emotional conditioning is also the “software” that conditions a boy or girl to respond accordingly to relational experiences. A boy who feels “not as good as other boys” and is bullied by other boys does not receive enough positive conditioning as a male. A girl who is unable to fit in with other girls and constantly sees females being treated poorly with disrespect may have difficulty feeling emotionally conditioned as a female.

Such experiences can be grouped in a category called Same-Sex Disaffiliation. Other categories* that affect emotional conditioning include Same-Sex incongruence; relationships with the opposite sex are dominant; unhealthy relationships with the opposite sex; gender concept distortion; sexual conditioning; sexual abuse; certain physical attributes; insufficient occupation with reality; and certain neurological conditions such as high-functioning autism and OCD.

These mean that there are many situations where Priming and Emotional Conditioning are affected in ways not congruent to the biological sex. And much of these occur below consciousness. That is why the feelings are not chosen, are felt deeper than consciousness, and are felt as innate.


# 3 – Those who have non-heterosexuality but do not identify as LGBT are the majority. Once we understand that it is not chosen and anybody can be affected, then even those who are conservative and religious can have it. However, misconceptions, bad regard and taboo in their social-familial environment can be frightening and even dangerous to them. And so many are hidden, often very deeply. The table below shows that regions with more conservative-religious communities have high percentages of the hidden.

(Extracted from a study by Pachankis & Bränström, 2019).

With this knowledge, some important implications include:

  1. Not regarding all with non-heterosexuality as the same.
  2. Having detailed and differentiated language to describe who they are and what they need.
  3. Knowing detailed and differentiated approaches to help those who are hidden and those who are not.
  4. Having detailed information to educate the important people around them, including mental health professionals, religious leaders, governments, educators, parents, relatives, and friends.

For Pentecost, let us ask the Holy Spirit to provide us with more light to fill the void, and a framework to emerge as more information builds up our understanding – to “guide us into all truth” (John 16:13). Let us remember that nothing happens without God’s permission and that the greater good in us can sometimes only arise when we face problems. May these light and understanding help us to reduce abuses, prejudice, and negative regard around those with non-heterosexuality, especially in conservative religious communities.

—–

Reference: Pachankis, J. E., & Bränström, R. (2019). How many sexual minorities are hidden? Projecting the size of the global closet with implications for policy and public health. PloS One, 14(6), e0218084-e0218084.

*These categories are explained in detail in Bryan’s book “The Un-affirmed Core: Understanding the Factors Behind and Around Homosexuality”

  • To purchase a Paperback copy at SG$18.30 plus SG$5 local Singapore delivery, please email to eventsales.enquiries@gmail.com
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What a Cardinal William Goh means

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Singapore Church Shepherd set to be in largest Asian bloc to elect future Popes

  • What it means for the Asian and Singapore Churches
  • What it means to be Cardinal William Goh
  • Brief History of Cardinals
  • Electing a Pope and how Conclaves came about

At the College of Cardinals meeting Pope Francis has called for on 27 August, the Singapore Catholic Church will receive its first Cardinal. Archbishop William Goh is among 21, including five other Asians, the Pope will elevate to this rank at the Consistory.

This order of bishops, who don red hats, is only second in the Church hierarchy after the Vicar of Christ. As head of the Singapore Catholic Church, Abp William, 64, will be Cardinal Priest and the sole ethnic Chinese in the College who is also the only one who speaks Mandarin. He will join the group of Electors of future popes.

What it means for the Asian Church

His rise in rank, as well as those of other Asians, should be seen in the light of the work of European Catholic missionaries who arrived in Asia in the 16th century (the region eastwards of the Middle East). Their toil to spread the Gospel has been bearing great fruits for quite some time now.

Pope Pius XII gave due recognition to the work of these European missionaries In a 1946 Consistory when he created Asia’s first cardinal, Bishop Thomas Tien-ken-sin, Vicar Apostolic of Qingdao in China. Seven years later in 1953, he gave the Red Hat to the second Asian – Archbishop Valerian Gracias, head of the Bombay (Mumbai) Archdiocese in India.

Following in the footsteps of Pius XII, John XXIII also created two, Paul VI, 11, John Paul II, 20, and Benedict XVI, 8. But it is Pope Francis who, within nine years in the Chair of St Peter, went full throttle with 20, including those in the coming August Consistory.

Francis’ reach went into Asian countries that have never had Cardinals and touched those such as Bangladesh Archbishop of Dhaka Patrick D’Rozario in 2016.

Out of the 25 Asians currently in the College, he created 12 of them. Except for one, all were from Southeast Asia, including for the first time from the episcopal sees of Laos and Myanmar. Malaysian (2016) and Bruneian (2020) bishops were among this cohort but they have since died.

From end of August this will be total number of Cardinals in the College:

ContinentElectorsNon-ElectorsTotal
Europe8067147
North America23932
Latin America381856
Africa241539
Asia321446
Oceania422
Total201125326

This is a significant jump in Asian pope electors compared to the four previous conclaves when five were in the Sistine Chapel from which Paul VI emerged as Pope. Nine were there when John Paul I and II were chosen, and 10 were at both Benedict XVI and Francis’ elections. To put this in perspective, from the end of August Asian cardinals will have a far bigger say in who will be the next Pope. Whether he will emerge from among their numbers we do not know.

But their enlarged presence in the College will give the Asian Church’s voice more attention to evangelise a continent of 4.7 billion people that is still under 11 percent Catholic (excluding China, where statistics are difficult to compile).

What it means for the Singapore Church

A Cardinal William Goh will not change the nature of his office as Archbishop of Singapore. His episcopal see remains at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. It will be business as usual for the Singapore Church, but how Catholics address him will change. Currently, the style for Archbishop or Bishop is inherited from the British colonial days, which is “Your and His Grace” in greeting and writing. Outside of most Commonwealth countries, the norm is “His and Your Excellency”.

The British style for Cardinals is “His and Your Lordship”.

This is unlikely to be the case with Card William. After Abp Anthony Soter Fernandez was created Cardinal in 2016, a precedent was set as even the Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei styled him as “His Eminence”. This was also adopted for Brunei’s Apostolate Vicar Cornelius Sim in 2020. Both have since died in 2020 and 2021.

Vestments’ colour will also change. From amaranth red (similar to purple) for bishops, Card William will switch to scarlet.

What it means to be Cardinal William Goh

After he was consecrated and installed as the fourth Archbishop of Singapore on 18 May 2013, he told the Archdiocese Catholic News, “I am still the same old Fr William Goh, with the same passion and love for Christ and His Church.

“The office does not change me but I hope I can change the office. I will still be that Shepherd of Christ that I am called to be, to seek the lost, console the hopeless, heal the wounded, give sight to the blind, reconcile those estranged and build bridges and communion in the Church and with the rest of humanity.”

Abp William said his vision “is to work with my brother priests to renew the faithful and together with the laity, to build a vibrant and evangelical Church so that we will be the face of Christ in a world that is bereft of hope and love”.

He has done a lot since then. Setting up the Office of the New Evangelisation or ONE, is his signature centrepiece. His work in building up the Church will continue with more vibrancy and not regress as Cardinal. At heart, he is still Fr William, but some things will have to change and these are spelt out in Chapter III, The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, of the Code of Canon Law 349-359.

A few things stand out.

While the primary duty of Cardinals is to elect Popes, they are also required to assist the Holy Father collegially to deal with questions of major importance.

They may also be called as individuals to help him in matters they are familiar with or have a history of expertise. These include those living in their respective dioceses overseas. This means Card William will have to go to Rome whenever the Pope calls him if he is needed. These are instances that are outside his mission as Archbishop of Singapore.

Finally, although Card William will not live in Rome, the Pope will assign him a titular church in the city, as a symbol of his closeness to the Holy Father in assisting him in Church affairs.

Brief History of Cardinals

The custom of a group of select clergy assisting the Pope in the governance of the Church can be traced back to the 1st century when the third successor of St Peter, Pope St. Cletus or Anacletus (76–88), ordained 25 presbyters (early Church priesthood) for the city of Rome. They helped him, as Bishop of the city, to celebrate the Eucharist and administer the Sacraments in his place.

Towards the end of the 1st century, Pope St. Evaristus (97–105) divided the city’s Church’s titles or properties (today’s equivalent to dioceses) among the 25. This practice of assisting the Bishop of Rome developed in the 5th century during Pope St. Simplicius’ reign (468–483).

He arranged for some successor bishops of the original 25 to assist him at his major basilicas of St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Lawrence. In time they evolved to become his confidants in the governance of the Church and matters of doctrine. The “dioceses” of these chosen bishops are known today as ‘‘suburbicarian sees”.  In later centuries they were conferred with the rank of Cardinal Bishops.

The term “cardinal” first appeared during the pontificate of Stephen III. In the Roman Synod of 769, it was decided that Popes should be elected from among deacons and cardinal priests. At the time, the 18 deacons were charged with providing for the needy in Rome. By the 12th century, each of their deaconries had a cardinal leading their work.

The role of Cardinals and their College can change as the Pope sees fit because it was his predecessors who created them. And they have changed over the centuries and recently, John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II made substantial modifications.

Pope Francis is doing the same now.

So, how Popes are elected and the role of Cardinals can change. It is the prerogative of the Holy Father to select who should be in the College of Cardinals and no one else, as he is the Vicar of Christ and the Supreme Lawgiver for the Church.

More information: Why cardinals have ranks, and how Pope Francis changed them

CNS photo/Paul Haring

Electing a Pope and how Conclaves came about

Excerpt from the 2002 edition of the Catholic Encyclopaedia

Until the 4th century the method of electing the Bishop of Rome did not differ considerably from that used in other bishoprics. The neighbouring bishops, the Roman clergy, and the laity of Rome each participated in the election.

Since the role of these various classes of electors was somewhat unclear and the office was one of extreme importance, the procedure was open to abuse.

Consequently, with the advent of the Christian Roman emperors (4th century) the imperial influence was brought to bear on papal elections.

The first important step in the attempt to reform papal elections was taken by Pope Nicholas II on 13 April, 1059, at the Council of Rome. The decree, which he published, declared that the papal electors were henceforth to be only the higher clergy of Rome (i.e., the Cardinals) with the rest of the clergy and the laity permitted merely to give approbation to the election. The emperor was likewise to be informed of the results of the election and allowed to confirm the choice that had already been made, although it was made clear that this was only a concession granted to him by the Holy See.

Provisions were made also for holding the election outside the city of Rome, if conditions warranted.

At the Lateran Council of 1179 Pope Alexander III, in the Apostolic Constitution Licet de vitanda discordia, further stipulated that all Cardinals were to be considered equal, and that a two-thirds majority of the votes was necessary for a valid election. With the passage of time, it became apparent that the College of Cardinals was on occasion prone to delay its selection of a pope and, as a result, to inflict upon the Church the harmful effects of a long interregnum.

To remedy this situation, Gregory X, by means of his bull Ubi periculum (1274), instituted the conclave system of strict seclusion to secure a more rapid papal succession. Further modifications were added in 1562 by Pope Pius IV who issued regulations regarding the method of voting in the conclave through his bull In eligendis.

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