Keep
your eyes open!...
January 30, 2023
(Mat 5:3-10) Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are
they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their
fill. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed
are the clean of heart: they shall see God. Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are
they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
HEADLINES
An overview of the Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Running the numbers, Africa isn’t the Catholic future – it’s the present
Pope’s Congo visit seeks to heal ‘still bleeding’ wounds
ACN: Pope visits Congo and South Sudan as messenger of peace
On January 31, Pope Francis will land in Kinshasa for a short visit to
the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He departs for Juba, South Sudan,
on 3 February 3, and then back to Rome on February 5. It would take a
miracle for peace to return to these nations, but that is exactly what
the people expect from the Pope’s visit.
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) organized a January 16 online
conference, entitled “Pope Francis’ trip to the DR Congo and South
Sudan: A message of unity and reconciliation in two countries crushed
by violence and suffering.” Speakers stated that during his visit to
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and to South Sudan, Pope
Francis will be providing a much-needed boost to the local Church in
both countries, a Churches that play a major role in holding their
political establishments to account, and forging peace in countries
torn by war and conflict.
The Pope’s first stop will be in the DRC. Contrary to the first
schedule for his trip in 2022, which had to be cancelled due to the
Pope’s knee problem, he will not be visiting the east of the country,
where the worst of the conflicts take place. The security situation has
deteriorated significantly in recent months, although the Congolese
authorities are saying that the reason for cutting the trip to Goma is
due to the Pope’s health.
However, the Congolese Church is making efforts to bring internally
displaced people and others who have suffered from the effects of the
war between different rebel groups to Kinshasa, to meet the Pontiff
there, explained Father Godefroid Mombula Alekiabo, a Congolese
missionary based in Kinshasa.
With around 35 million faithful, which is 50 percent of the population,
the Catholic Church is the biggest religious confession in the DRC.
“The impact of the Catholic Church in DRC is difficult to overestimate.
Its schools have educated more than 60 percent of the nation’s primary
school students and more than 40 percent of its secondary students. The
Church owns and manages an extensive network of hospitals, schools, and
clinics, as well as many other projects”, explained Father Godefroid,
who is also a professor and academic secretary of Saint Augustine
University, in Kinshasa, the country’s capital.
Much of the Church’s influence dates to colonial times, but “the
reversal of the Church’s role in relation to the state since
independence has been striking. Formerly a reliable ally, it has
increasingly become the state’s most severe institutional critic,” the
Congolese priest explained.
“Overt conflict first erupted in 1971 when the state, as part of its
efforts to centralize and extend its authority, nationalized Catholic
schools. The conflict intensified in 1972 when, as part of an
authenticity campaign, all citizens were ordered to drop their
Christian baptismal names and adopt African ones. Cardinal Malula
protested the decision. The regime retaliated by forcing the Cardinal
into exile for three months and by seizing his residence,” the speaker
told the online audience.
“Later bans on having Christmas as a holiday, the nationalization of
schools and the forced replacement therein of images of the Pope and
crucifixes with portraits of Mobutu, were all short-lived. “The state’s
lack of managerial skills and resources rendered its takeover of the
education system a disaster. Faced with these realities, the President
asked religious institutions to resume responsibility for Church
schools. Courses on religion were once again integrated into the
curriculum,” explained Father Godefroid, concluding that today, “in
relation to the state, the Church is considered a voice of opposition
to authoritarian regimes.”
The Congolese priest expects Pope Francis to bring a message of
reconciliation for the people of the DRC that is badly needed and said
that this papal messageshould follow the teachings laid out in Fratelli
Tutti and in Laudato Si’. He also hopes to hear Pope Francis condemn
the multinationals that exploit Congolese mineral wealth and stoke the
fires of war. “Several rebel groups compete to extract maximum
commercial and material benefits at an exorbitant human cost of
millions of Congolese lives. The private sector plays a vital role in
the continuation of war by facilitating the exploitation, transport,
and marketing of Congo’s natural resources.” In the same conference,
Father Samuel Abe, Secretary General of the Archdiocese of Juba and
coordinator for the papal visit to South Sudan, spoke about the world’s
youngest country, which gained independence from Sudan proper in 2011
following decades of conflict between Christians and Muslims.
In a country that has been torn by internal tribal conflicts over
power, the motto for the visit is: “I pray that all may be one.” The
Pope has spoken often about the need for peace in different parts of
the world, but the attention paid to South Sudan has been special. In
April 2019 he invited political leaders, representing different
factions and tribal groups, to the Vatican for a spiritual retreat.
Because South Sudan is not an exclusively Catholic country, but also
has a significant number of Protestants, the Archbishop of Canterbury
and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland were also involved. In
fact, Pope Francis credited Archbishop Justin Welby with the idea of
the retreat.
The big surprise, however, came at the end of the retreat, when the
Pope kneeled and kissed the feet of the South-Sudanese leaders. “That
is an expression that he loves the people of South Sudan, and wants
them to live in peace,” said Father Samuel.
However, peace has eluded South Sudan since it became independent in
2011, admitted Father Samuel. “We have a problem with tribalism. My
late Archbishop Paulino Lukudu Loro used to say that to have a tribe is
not a problem, but it should be an expression that unites us with other
tribes. When we were one Sudan, there was a unifying factor, we used to
look at ourselves as one people. We didn’t allow problems to divide us.
Tribalism came about when we became independent.” Politicians, he
believes, are largely to blame. “As a Church we can say that the tribes
themselves are not bad, but we can see that the politicians are the
ones who incite people to hate opposing ethnic groups. If the
politicians could refrain from causing inter-tribal strife in the
villages, then we can have peace,” he told participants in the ACN
conference.
The priest ended on a hopeful note. “When the Pope touches the ground
of South Sudan many miracles can happen. We believe that the message he
will bring will be a follow-up message to the one he gave our leaders
in the Vatican, and we hope it will encourage our people to live as
brothers and sisters. Even at the moment, as our country is
implementing the peace agreement, there are signs that things are
changing for the better.”
RELATED: Catholics from eastern Congo make cross-country journey to meet pope
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Self-Control
50. He also said, 'Do not let your mouth speak an evil word: the vine does not bear thorns.'
January 27, 2023
(Mat 24:6-8) And you shall hear of
wars and rumours of wars. See that ye be not troubled. For these things
must come to pass: but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And there shall be
pestilences and famines and earthquakes in places. Now all these are
the beginnings of sorrows.
POPE FRANCIS:
In these months, the people of #Ukraine are always in my prayers. I
pray with you and for you, dear brothers and sisters of Ukraine, for a
future of #peace, one in which economic and political interests that
generate war will finally give way to the good of the people.
NEWS REPORT: Ukraine war moves 'Doomsday Clock' to 90 seconds to midnight
COMMENTARY: Ukraine: Is the Hammer About to Fall?
RELATED HEADLINES
Top Russian official warns of ‘global tragedy’ if allies send Ukraine new weapons
Kremlin expresses alarm over 'Doomsday Clock', blames U.S. and NATO
Ukrainian bishops say people ‘determined to fight on’ despite worsening conditions
INSIDE THE VATICAN: Letter #31, 2023 Wed Jan 25: The front
This war is nearly a year old, it has taken the lives of hundreds
of thousands, and all signs seem to indicate that the war is not
ending, but about to ratchet up and expand.
Let us pray:
Veni Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium.
[“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful”] et tui amóris in eis ignem accénde.
[“and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.“] Emítte Spíritum tuum, et creabúntur. Et renovábis fáciem terræ.
[“Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.”]
THE TABLET: Ukraine and Russia church leaders make contrasting unity appeals
Ukraine's Greek Catholic archbishop has marked National Unity Day by
reminding citizens that their capacity to defeat Russia and survive
depends on co-operating and staying together.
“This national festival naturally became a harbinger of the collapse of
the Soviet Union, that prison of nations”, said Major Archbishop
Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych.
“Today, this unity guarantees our stability and ability to win,
defeating an enemy which seeks to tear apart our nation and destroy our
statehood. Amid this terrible war's suffering, we wish to tell the
whole world there is one united and independent Ukraine, which is
surviving, fighting and praying”.
Preaching in Moscow the same day, however, Russia’s Orthodox patriarch
also called for national unity, and urged priests and parishes to do
more to give strength to soldiers fighting against Ukraine “when the
order to attack is given”.
“Even today, when Russia is a superpower with powerful weapons, we must
maintain internal strength, and be united and truly strong both
economically and politically”, Patriarch Kirill told listeners in
Moscow’s Epiphany cathedral.
“The Western world has turned against us, because we offer an alternative which is highly attractive.
“Russia, which rejects the worst manifestations of globalisation, has
become a beacon for the world, a country exemplifying loyalty to
traditional values such as family, duty and patriotism ... We are
really ahead with our ideas, our goals and our faith.”
The contrasting appeals came as Kyiv parliamentarians prepared to
debate government legislation to ban communities belonging to Ukraine's
Moscow-linked Orthodox church, the UOC, because of their affiliation
“with centres in a state carrying out armed aggression against Ukraine”.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Self-Control
49. He also said, 'The monk who cannot control his tongue when he is angry, will not control his passions at other times.'
January 25, 2023
(Php 4:6-7) Be nothing solicitous:
but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let
your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which
surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus.
BISHOP THOMAS J TOBIN: When We’re Summoned To Prayer
CATHOLIC CULTURE: Does Prayer Change God's Mind?
IN THE NEWS
THE CATHOLIC THING: Asking God for Things
A former student texted me with this question: “We ask God for things
that we want to happen, but we also want to surrender to Him. So how do
these two work together?”
I texted back: “God’s smart that way.”
This was not exactly a theologically sophisticated answer, but in my
defense, I’m terrible at texting. I can never hit all the right letters
when I’m trying to punch those darn little buttons. So I thought this
was probably the best I could do in a text.
I prefer in-person conversations.
When people ask questions like this, there’s usually something else
going on. The proper response is: “That’s a very good question, but
before we talk about it, what’s really your question?” As C. S. Lewis
once suggested, difficulties of faith are more often due to a lack of
sleep than the result of serious rational objections. And as it turned
out, my student was suffering from tonsillitis.
None of that makes her question any
less reasonable. I get asked it a lot, actually, and people have been
asking it, or something like it, for centuries. Plato, for example,
thought prayer was irrational. If God or the gods are “all good,” then
they will do what is good no matter what we ask them. So asking is
superfluous. A similar problem arises for Christians. If what God wills
for us is always good, why do we pray for things? If they’re good and
God wants us to have them, He will give them. If they’re not good, He
won’t. So why ask?
My student texted back: “But if I am totally surrendered to God, I shouldn’t be asking for things, should I?”
“God’s smart that way” hadn’t done the trick, it seemed, and knowing
this spirited, determined young woman as I did, I suspected saying “be
patient and wait until we can talk” wouldn’t be satisfactory either.
So, still not wanting to text much, I wrote: “Jesus said you should ask
for things you need. So maybe you should listen to Him because He
probably knows what He’s talking about, being God and all.”
This too was not sophisticated theology or inspired apologetics, but
it’s not so different from God’s response to Peter at the
Transfiguration: “This is my beloved Son. . . .Listen to Him!”
My student reported she was still confused. So I persisted: “So, on the
one hand, there’s you wondering whether you should pray for things you
need, and on the other hand, there’s God Incarnate who in multiple
places in the Scriptures tells us that we should keep knocking on the
door and asking for what we need. Who are you going to trust?”
After a pause, she wrote: “So I am supposed to be totally surrendered
to His will and also ask for stuff – not living life passively?” This
is the nice thing about the Holy Spirit when you’re teaching. It’s just
when you’re too lazy to do a good job or don’t know what to say that
the Holy Spirit steps in and helps students figure things out for
themselves.
For some reason, God seems to want
us to surrender to His will and also ask for things, “not living life
passively.” He wants us to cooperate with His grace. He isn’t merely
pulling our strings like a puppeteer. He doesn’t work in us without us.
His goal is to transform us. And for this to happen, we need to
cooperate with Him and do our part.
This is perhaps easier to see when
we’re dealing with others. When I discovered that my young friend was
ill, I wrote: “So am I not supposed to pray for you to get better using
the same reasoning? You pray for other people for the things they need.
Is that stupid?”
“Good point,” she wrote back. “But praying for others seems very
different from praying for myself.” Well, yes, it might seem that way,
but is it really so different? The commandment is to love your neighbor
as yourself. If you can see no reason to pray for yourself, how long
before you no longer can find a reason to pray for others?
It seems as though God wants us to
realize that we’re “in this together.” I am reminded of the way the
late, great Fr. James Schall used to say, as he was leaving: “Pray for
me, and I’ll pray for you!” God knows what our friends and loved ones
need before we ask, but we still pray for them.
Consider Abraham, who “bargained”
with God about Sodom and Gomorrah, getting Him down from fifty good men
to ten. What can we say other than God seems to like people like that –
people who believe in Him enough to treat Him like a person and not a
philosophical idea; people with the courage to stand up for things that
are important and make their case; people with enough faith that He can
do good things to actually ask Him.
When we don’t ask, is it because
we’re submitting to His will or because, deep down, we’re afraid that
God is so transcendent, He just doesn’t (or can’t) intervene in the
clock-like workings of the world, like the clock-maker who can’t
interfere with the mechanical working of his clock. That’s a very
reasonable view. But you can’t hold it and accept the reality of the
Incarnation. The God of the Scriptures is not especially timid about
intervening in human history.
There are no doubt good arguments
for petitionary prayer that involve a more sophisticated understanding
of divine governance. But in the end, most of us will probably fall
back on: “Jesus told you to keep knocking at the door, and He probably
knows what He’s talking about.” We ask God for things we want to
happen, but we also want to surrender to Him. How do these two work
together?
What can I say? God’s smart that way. He works it out.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Self-Control
48. He also said,
'The chaste monk shall be honoured on earth, and in heaven he will be crowned in the presence of the Most High.'
January 23, 2023
(Jer 1:5) Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew
thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee,
and made thee a prophet unto the nations.
FR. MARK GORING, CC: World Economic Forum Anger (over abortion)
CATHOLIC LEAGUE COMMENTARY: Abortion in the Post-Roe Era
CATHOLIC ANSWERS: Love God with Your Body
WASHINGTON EXAMINER: How the Catholic Church helped shape the anti-abortion movement in America
From its inception in 1974, the annual March for Life has been a
surefire place to encounter a host of Catholic clergy, laypersons,
nuns, and monks.
As the largest Christian denomination in the United States, the
Catholic Church has situated itself at the forefront of the nation's
anti-abortion movement for decades, from policy advocacy at the state
and national levels to praying and protesting outside abortion clinics
to maintaining a wide network of services for pregnant women and
infants in towns and cities across the country.
With the downfall of Roe v. Wade and the issue of abortion now a state
legislative issue, the anti-abortion movement and the Catholic Church's
involvement are entering a new phase.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Michael Burbidge, the
bishop of the Diocese of Arlington and the chairman of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops's Committee for Pro-Life Activities,
reflected on the church's role in the fight against abortion.
"The church has been steadfast. We have been tireless [and] relentless
in proclaiming the Gospel of Life that all life is sacred [and] is from
God," Burbidge said. "We never wavered, and we never will, because it's
the truth, it's the joy of the Gospel, and so what we have done, we
will continue to do."
Amid the new legal landscape, Burbidge noted that the movement has
entered "a new moment in time," that their work "is really just
beginning."
"We have to continue our work on the federal level, but we also have to
devote more now than ever, our resources, our energy, our strategies,
to the local level," the bishop said. "And I think it does give us a
moment to say, 'What are the new strategies? What are the new plans?
How are we going to open doors to elected officials who disagree with
us?' because we have to get plugged in, and we have to try to be
compelling, inspiring, and try, God willing, to transform hearts."
Brian Burch, the president of Catholic Vote, a conservative Catholic
political advocacy group, told the Washington Examiner that the
church's intellectual foundation to its moral teachings helped shape a
generation of legal minds that ultimately led to the overturn of Roe
last year.
"I think it's unmistakable that the church's social teaching is
grounded in a coherent intellectual idea about law itself," Burch said.
"That idea one might call a natural law understanding of ... civil law
has undergirded the judicial philosophy that shaped judicial
confirmations and ultimately, Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade."
Burbidge, who offered the opening prayer at the 50th annual March for
Life on Friday, said the church's disregard for public opinion and
focus on "the truth" provides "a great witness" despite the fact that a
substantial portion of Catholics support some form of legal abortion.
CNA: Now that the March for Life is over, here’s a snapshot of a shifting abortion landscape
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Self-Control
45. Hyperichius said, 'Donkeys are terrified of a lion. So temptations to concupiscence are terrified of an experienced monk.'
January 20, 2023
(Joel 2:12) Now, therefore, saith the Lord. Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and mourning.
ALETEIA: Why fast? To be free
CATHOLIC DAILY REFLECTIONS: To Fast or Not to Fast
Fasting is a wonderful spiritual
practice. It helps to strengthen the will against disordered fleshly
temptations and helps to bring purity to one’s soul. But it needs to be
pointed out that fasting is not an eternal reality. One day, when we
are face-to-face with God in Heaven, there will no longer be any need
to fast or do any form of penance. But while on earth, we will struggle
and fall and lose our way, and one of the best spiritual practices to
help us return to Christ is prayer and fasting combined.
Fasting becomes necessary “when the
bridegroom is taken away.” In other words, fasting is necessary when we
sin and our union with Christ begins to fade. It is then that the
personal sacrifice of fasting helps open our hearts once again to our
Lord. This is especially true when habits of sin form and become deeply
ingrained. Fasting adds much power to our prayer and stretches our
souls so as to be able to receive the “new wine” of God’s grace where
we need it the most.
FR. ED BROOM, OMV: Ten Ways We Can Practice Fasting
1. Eat less and receive the most Holy Eucharist more.
By this practice we give more
importance to our spiritual life and the salvation of our soul. Jesus
said: “Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures
for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you. For on him the
Father, God, has set his seal.” (Jn. 6:27—Discourse on the Bread of
Life)
2. Control your tongue.
Saint James says, “We should be
slow to speak and quick to listen.” Read James chapter three—one of the
best exhortations in the world to work on controlling our tongue!
3. Heroic Moments.
The Founder of Opus Dei has coined the phrase, “The Heroic Moment”. By
this Saint Jose Maria asserts that as soon as we hear the alarm-clock
we should spring from bed, pray and start our day. The devil of
laziness encourages us to push the Snooze-button! I do not believe the
Snooze-button exists in the vocabulary and practice of the saints. What
do you think?
4. Control those wandering eyes.
The eyes are the mirror to the soul. The holy King David plunged into
sin and more sin leading to murder for the simple reason that he
allowed his eyes to wander. His eyes wandered and gazed upon a married
woman—Bathsheba. Adulterous thoughts led to physical adultery, to
denial of his sin and eventually to killing an innocent man—the husband
of Bathsheba (II Samuel 11-12). Let us strive to live out the
Beatitude: “Blessed are the pure of heart, they will see God.”(Mt. 5: 8)
5. Punctuality.
Jesus says, “He who is faithful in
the small will be faithful in the larger things.” (Mt. 25:23) Being
punctual and on time is a sign of order, respect for others, and a
means to accomplish tasks well and on time.
6. Listen to Others.
It is all too easy to interrupt others when they speak and try to
impose our own ideas even before the person has finished his idea.
Charity, which means, love for God and for others, teaches us to
respect others and allow them to speak without interrupting and
imposing our own ideas.
Listening to others is also an act
of humility—putting others before ourselves!“Jesus meek and humble of
heart make my heart like unto yours.” (Mt. 11:28-30—Jesus describes His
Heart as meek and humble…)
7. Be Thankful Rather Than Complain.
Never allow a day to pass in which you do not thank God. We should
constantly be thanking God. Furthermore, we should make it a habit to
frequently give thanks to others. “Give thanks to the Lord for He is
good; His mercy endures forever,” (Psalm 118:1).
8. Smile, even if you don’t necessarily want to.
This indeed could be a great
penance—to smile at somebody even when you are tired, carrying with you
a headache or a cold. This is heroic virtue. A smile is something
small, but it is contagious. Indeed a sincere smile can lift those who
see it from desolation to a state of consolation. One of the most
evident signs of being a follower of Jesus is the smile of joy
radiating from the face.“Rejoice in the Lord; I say it again: rejoice
in the Lord.” (Phil. 4:4)
9. Pray, even when you do not feel like it.
Many of us unfortunately base our
spiritual life on mere feelings which are ephemeral, transitory and
passing like the dew that evaporates by the morning sun. Our best
example is of course Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Garden of
Gethsemane (Lk. 22:39-46). When Jesus was experiencing a mortal agony
and desolation that drew huge drops of Blood from His pores, He did not
really feel like praying. Nonetheless, Jesus prayed all the more
fervently.
Therefore, let us practice fasting
and penance in our lives and have a set time and place to pray and to
pray at times even when we do not feel like it. This is penance and
true love for God! This is a sign of true maturity in the faith!
10. Encouragement.
“Barnabus” actually means “Son of encouragement”(Acts 4:36). Let us get
out of our egotistic shell and focus more on God and seeing Jesus in
others—in imitation of the Good Samaritan. (Lk. 10). Let us learn to be
a Simon of Cyrene and help our brothers and sisters who are carrying
the weight of a very heavy cross. Let us lighten it by encouraging
words, motivational gestures and by a heart filled with love and
compassion. Remember the Golden Rule: “Do to others what you would like
them to do to you.”(Mt. 7:12) In the difficult storms of the earthly
battle, a word of encouragement can indeed be a powerful wind in the
sails!
Prayerfully read through these ten
suggestions on how to fast—how to deny yourself—and choose at least one
or two that you can start to practice right away. May Our Lady, Mother
of Good Counsel, encourage us to deny ourselves and say “yes” to the
love of God by serving our brothers and sisters with a generous heart!
(Lk. 1: 38—Mary’s “Yes” to God).
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Self-Control
46. He also said,
'Fasting is the monk's control over sin. The man who stops fasting is
like a stallion who lusts the moment he sees a mare.'
January 18, 2023
(Joh 15:18-20) If
the world hate you, know ye that it hath hated me before you. If you
had been of the world, the world would love its own: but because you
are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore
the world hateth you. Remember my word that I said to you: The servant
is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will
also persecute you. If they have kept my word, they will keep yours
also.
ACN: More than 100 priests and women religious kidnapped, arrested or killed in 2022
AT LEAST 12 PRIESTS AND FIVE WOMEN
RELIGIOUS WERE MURDERED DURING 2022 while fulfilling their mission.
Nigeria was one of the most dangerous countries in which to serve the
Church, but China, in Asia, and Nicaragua, in Latin America, also saw
many cases of harassment.
According to information collected
by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Nigeria was the country with the
highest number of victims, with four priests killed. Others who were
murdered while carrying out their pastoral duties include three priests
brutally killed in Mexico by members of drug cartels and two who were
shot in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The five
women religious murdered in 2022 while carrying out their missions were
Sister Luisa Dell’Orto, in Haiti, in June; Sisters Mary Daniel Abut and
Regina Roba in South Sudan, in August; Sister Mari de Coppi, in
Mozambique, in September; and Sister Marie-Sylvie Vakatsuraki, who was
killed in October, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A total of 42 priests were
kidnapped in different countries, of whom 36 have been released. Three
of those kidnapped in Nigeria were murdered, and ACN was unable to
obtain information regarding the status of two of the Nigerian priests
kidnapped in 2022. In Mali, the whereabouts of the German missionary
Father Hans-Joachim Lohre, a project partner of ACN, abducted in
November, remains unknown.
Two priests who were kidnapped in
2019, Father Joel Yougbaré, from Burkina Faso, and Father John
Shekwolo, from Nigeria, are still unaccounted for, bringing the total
number of missing priests to five.
Nigeria is the country with the
most kidnappings, with a total of 28 in 2022. Three were kidnapped in
December, but the worst month was July, with seven kidnappings.
Cameroon follows, with six, five of whom were kidnapped at the same
time, in September, and were released five weeks later. Haiti has
become one of the most violent places in Latin America. Five priests
were abducted by bandits and gangs during the year, although all have
since been released.
Almost impossible to know is the
number of Catholic priests and bishops detained in China during 2022.
According to information gathered by ACN, clerics from the underground
Church are repeatedly abducted by the authorities for some time to
force them to join the state approved Church. One example was the
disappearance of at least 10 priests, all belonging to the underground
Church community of Baoding (Hebei).
ACN calls on all countries involved
to do their utmost to guarantee the safety and freedom of priests,
women religious and other pastoral agents who work to serve those most
in need. The international charity also asks all friends and
benefactors to pray for those who remain in captivity, as well as for
the communities and families of those who lost their lives.
INSIDE THE VATICAN COMMENTARY: Letter #19, 2023 Tuesday, January 17: Top Ten 2022, #10: Bishop Jude Arogundade
Bishop Jude Arogundade, 60, of Ondo, Nigeria, said the Christians of
his country are suffering persecution so intense that it borders on
genocide.
“The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria has spoken against the
unprecedented insecurity situation in Nigeria repeatedly, but to no
avail,” he said in a November 16, 2022 speech in a committee room of
the U.K.’s Houses of Parliament.
“We have walked for life, protested and even called the President
(Muhammadu Buhari) to resign if he is incapable of fulfilling the basic
purpose of government — the security of lives and properties of
citizens. Even at that, nothing has changed,” he said.
“With 3,478 people killed as of June this year and the increased cases
of terror thereafter,” he said he strongly wished to appeal to the U.K.
government and “all people of goodwill to compel the Nigerian
government to stop the genocide” before Nigeria is overrun as
Afghanistan was.
Bishop Arogundade made his remarks at the launch in London of
“Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians Oppressed for Their
Faith 2020-22,” a project of the British branch of the pontifical
foundation Aid to the Church in Need.
RELATED HEADLINES
Islamic State bombs church service in Congo
Nigerian priest killed in Sunday attack; another in critical condition
Mozambique: terrorists attack Christian villages
Burkina Faso: ‘50 percent of our territory is under occupation’
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Self-Control
43. She also said,
'The pleasures and riches of the world must not attract you as if they
were of any use to you. Because of its pleasure the art of cooking is
respected, but by rigoruous fasting you should trample on that
pleasure. Never have enough bread to satisfy you and do not long for
wine.'
January 16, 2023
(Luk 18:7-8) And will not God revenge his elect who cry to him day and
night? And will he have patience in their regard? I say to you that he
will quickly revenge them. But yet the Son of man, when he cometh,
shall he find, think you, faith on earth?
THE PILLAR: Chaput: 'Speaking the truth is polarizing'
CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT: The three rejections of our age
BLOG: The Christian in the End Times
COMMENTARY: Nations, Beware!
O little flock, says God, be not afraid, For by Himself your littleness was made.
The Old Testament collection of 150
Psalms have, like the rest of the Bible, Almighty God as their primary
Author, while the various human beings that He inspired to compose
them, notably King David, are merely the Psalms’ instrumental author.
For the horrors of trench warfare in World War I, Great Britain sent
each of its soldiers to war with a copy of the New Testament and the
Psalms in their pocket. For the threatening horrors of World War III,
readers of these “Comments” will be wise to make themselves quite
familiar with God’s own manual of prayer – the Psalms. They are not at
all out of date. Here for instance is Psalm 2 which goes straight to
the point of World War III – the nations had better pay attention to
Almighty God and His only-begotten Son, the Messiah, Our Lord Jesus
Christ, because God exists, He mocks their foolish efforts to defy Him
and to drive His Son out of His world, and the nations will pay for it
if they do not soon come to their senses. The Psalm has four parts,
headlined below.
I The nations plot in vain against God and Jesus Christ
1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The
kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel
together, against the LORD and his anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst
their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.” From 1717 onwards,
Freemasonry was created by enemies of God, essentially to destroy the
Catholic Church. With its slogan of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,” it
so successfully infected men’s minds with godless humanism that in 2023
few modern men can still even imagine that turning their backs on God
is their huge problem. They will have to learn by suffering.
II All such plotting is doomed to failure, and to punishment
4 He who sits in the heavens
laughs; the LORD has them in derision. 5 Then He will speak to them in
His wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “I have set my king
on Zion, my holy hill.” Modern man, having no idea of God, has no idea
of how ridiculous before God is all his posturing and warmongering. But
modern man had better watch out, because if he goes on angering God,
WWIII will be devastating. God’s solution is the “holy hill” of “Zion,”
i.e. Jerusalem of the Old Testament, standing here for the “holy hill”
of the New Testament, i.e. the Catholic Church.
III The divine Decree, by which Jesus Christ is King of kings, and Lord of all nations
7 I will tell of the decree of the
LORD: He said to me, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you. 8 Ask
of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the
earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and
dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” The divine Father begets
from eternity the divine Son, and once the divine Son is incarnate in
human history, then He has only to ask, and the Father will give Him
“all power on Heaven and earth” (Mt. XXVIII, 18). Such power, that if
men’s sins make it necessary, not only the Ukraine but all the world’s
nations could be smashed to pieces.
IV Practical conclusion: nations, behave; blessed are the godly
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and
rejoice unto Him with trembling. 12 Embrace discipline, lest he be
angry, and you perish from the just way, for his wrath is quickly
kindled. 13 Blessed are all who take refuge in him. The fear of God is
the beginning of wisdom. Modern man’s scorn of God can have terrible
consequences. But souls that rightly fear God have, even in 2023,
nothing else to fear.
Kyrie eleison
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Self-Control
42. Syncletica said,
'Bodily poison is cured by still stronger antidotes; so fasting
and prayer drive sordid temptation from us.'
Links 
E-mail
Dr. Zambrano 
Home
Jubilee
2000: Bringing the World to Jesus
The
Tribulation Times Archives:
FAIR
USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the
use of which
has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We
are making such material available in our efforts to advance
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this
constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted
material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance
with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest
in receiving the included information for research and educational
purposes. For more detailed information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of
your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.