Keep
your eyes open!...Keep
your eyes open!...
March 27, 2005
TRIB TIMES EASTER MESSAGE: ALL OUR PRAYERS FOR TERRI WILL BE ANSWERED!
HEADLINES
Schiavo
Family Asks Protesters to Go Home
Behind
a battle over life and death
Schiavo's
Parents Run Out of Legal Options
On
Easter, Schiavo's Parents Hold Out for Miracle
Parents'
supporters seeing Easter parallel in struggle
A casual look at the headlines above could easily lead to despair. But today is Easter, a day which leaves no room for despair. A day which resounds the Glory of God and the destiny of the Faithful. Let us instead look back to the Vigil and the timeless prayer of praise echoed in Catholic Churches throughout the world.
THE EXULTETRejoice, heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne! Jesus Christ, our King is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor, radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy, echoing the mighty song of all God's people!... O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!
Without the Fall, without the Cross, there
would have been no resurrection. Rather than fear suffering we need
to embrace it, following the example of our Lord, our beloved Pope,
and the saints throughout history.
"O Lord, You do not like to make us suffer, but You know it is the only way to prepare us to know You as You know Yourself, to prepare us to become like You. You know well that if You sent me but a shadow of earthly happiness, I should cling to it with all the intense ardour of my heart, and so you refuse me even this shadow... because You wish that my heart be wholly Yours."Life passes so quickly that it is obviously better to have a most splendid crown and a little suffering, than an ordinary crown and no suffering. When I think that, for a sorrow borne with joy, I shall be able to love You more for all eternity, I understand clearly that if You gave me the entire universe, with all its treasures, it would be nothing in comparison to the slightest suffering. Each new suffering, each pang of the heart, is a gentle wind to bear to You, O Jesus, the perfume of the soul that loves You; then You smile lovingly, and immediately make ready a new grief, and fill the cup to the brim, thinking the more the soul grows in love, the more it must grow in suffering too.
"What a favour, my Jesus, and how You must love me to send me suffering! Eternity itself will not be long enough to bless You for it. Why this predilection? It is a secret which You will reveal to me in our heavenly home on the day when You will wipe away all our tears.
"Lord, You ask me for this suffering, this sorrow... You need it for souls, for my soul. O Jesus, since You have made me understand that You would give me souls through the Cross, the more crosses I meet, the more ardent my thirst for suffering becomes.
"I am not happy not to be free from suffering here; suffering united with love is the lonely thing that seems desirable to me in this vale of tears" (St Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Letters, 32,50,23,40,58,224 - Story of a Soul).
Like St Thérèse our response
to suffering must be praise, with absolute faith that a praise-filled heart
will never be spurned.
Our response to this crisis must echo that of Mary, the sister of Lazarus:
(John 11:23-27) Jesus saith to her: Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith to him: I know that he shall rise again, in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, although he be dead, shall live: And every one that liveth and believeth in me shall not die for ever. Believest thou this? She saith to him: Yea, Lord, I have believed that thou art Christ, the Son of the living God, who art come into this world.
Those of us lacking in this absolute faith need not for a moment believe that our petitions will be unanswered. Heaven has provided and will continue to provide for us.
(Heb 4:14-16) Having therefore a great high priest that hath passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God: let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who cannot have compassion on our infirmities: but one tempted in all things like as we are, without sin. Let us go therefore with confidence to the throne of grace: that we may obtain mercy and find grace in seasonable aid.
Further, we can count on the intercessory prayer of Mary, our beloved mother. Mary, the Mother of God and faithful spouse of the Holy Spirit, will intercede for us today just as in Cana. Mary, the mother of Suffering, has been compassionately suffering along with those in need throughout the history of the Church. It is with eternal gratitude that "all generations will call her blessed" (Luke 1:48).
In this Easter week we, in addition, have the wonderful gift of the Divine Mercy Novena. Let us all join together in prayerful recitation of these powerful prayers.
As partakers in the resurrection we should recall with great hope and steadfast resolution Pope John Paul II's recent commentary on the Book of Revelations:
After the dramatic scene of the woman with child "clothed with the sun" and of the terrible red dragon (see 12:1-9), a mysterious voice intones a hymn of thanksgiving and joy.Terri Schiavo will play an important role in this radical change of liberation from evil.The joy stems from the fact that Satan, the ancient adversary, who stood in the heavenly court as "accuser of our brothers" (12:10), as we see him in the Book of Job (see 1:6-11; 2:4-5), was "cast out" from heaven and therefore no longer has great power. He knows that "he has but a short time" (12:12), because history is about to undergo a radical change of liberation from evil and that is why he reacts "in great fury."
The Tribulation Times will return, God willing after Divine Mercy Sunday. A heartfelt wish for a Happy Easter to all who read this.
(Heb 13:8) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.
Thoughts and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Will of God
27. You will obey promptly, simply, lovingly and
without replying, to those who have power to command you, remembering these
words: "I did not come to do my own will, but the Will of Him Who called
me."
February 9, 2005
(Eccl 3:1) There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
CATHOLICS URGED TO "DO SOMETHING EXTRA THIS LENT"
LENTEN SABBATICAL
The TRIB TIMES will not be updated again this year during the Lenten season, extending to the first week after Easter. I am looking forwards to an increase in time spent in prayer as well as in spiritual reading. Many saints of the early Church retired to the desert to escape societies that were primitive by today's standards. Though our modern lives may be more comfortable than those of past generations, it seems that the price that we pay is a lack of peace, that is true peace. Traffic, beapers, cellular phones, the internet and other modern "wonders" act together to drain us of our spiritual energy. Though a wonderful tool for evangelization and information, the internet can be spiritually stifling, sometimes even oppressively so. My prayer is that this Lenten season will provide the atmosphere necessary to more consistently lead a life centered in prayer and God's peace.
My computer time will be limited to 30 minutes each morning and evening during Lent. I will read all emails I receive, and will answer all that I can, time permitting. I may also occasionally email non-reformatted news articles to Trib Times subscribers that I find to be of particular importance. But barring a major event, the Trib Times web page itself will not be updated. Admittedly, a major event or two this Lent would not at all be surprising.
Areas of particular emphasis in prayer this Lent will include:
I can recommend the following links to keep up with important news:
Catholic NewsNewer subscribers may also be interested in a meditation that first appeared in the Trib Times last year, The Pain of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/headlines.asp
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/
http://cathnews.com/
http://zenit.org/english/Signs of the Times
http://www.spiritdaily.com/
http://www.lifesite.net/
http://www.thefactis.org/Readings & Meditations for Lent & Holy Week
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/index.html
http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/lent.htm
Father Altier's Homilies: http://www.desertvoice.org/Written.html
A Lenten Reflection: Humility reminds us that in the physical act of pointing at our neighbor's faults we must, by necessity, direct one finger at them and three fingers at ourselves.
"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be
gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give
you peace." (Num 6:24 -26)
Thoughts and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Patience & Generosity
9. O my Saviour, who am I, that Thou shouldst have
so long awaited my repentance!
February 8, 2005
(Joel 2:12-13) "Yet even now," says the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil.
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II FOR LENT 2005
ACTIVITIES
FOR LENT
By Anne Hansen
It is only a few days before the beginning of the Lent, time to think about and plan how the weeks leading up to Easter will be spent in terms of spiritual preparation.
For those of us who are 40- and 50-something and beyond, Lent conjures up memories of strict fasting and abstaining. Fridays in Lent, as all other Fridays in the "old days", were meatless and the food was not exciting. It was definitely a sacrifice to have meatless meals.
The Food Network did not exist. Emeril Lagasse and Martha Stewart were not around to add the creative touch that makes meatless meals the gourmet treat they are today. We had not discovered portabella mushroom paninnis and goat cheese quesidillas. We only had Betty Crocker to guide us and we ate a lot of tuna noodle casserole or macaroni and cheese on Fridays.
Lent felt somber and rule bound in those days. Giving up sweets, cigarettes or alcohol was common. Families discussed what they would forego as a form of Lenten sacrifice and often tried to help each other stay the course during the sometimes long weeks of Lent. It was not appropriate to have parties or weddings during Lent and when Holy week came around, especially Good Friday, it was expected that nothing social would take place.
These were not negative experiences; however, the emphasis on personal sacrifice and private prayer often overshadowed the community prayer and interaction that is an important part of the season. Even though some of the rules were difficult to abide by it was almost easier to observe Lent because it was laid out for you. Follow the rules of fasting and abstaining, keep a solemn tone and you had done the right thing.
Today we approach Lent differently. Fasting, abstaining and almsgiving (acts of charity), three traditional practices, are still encouraged. Denying ourselves, as was common in earlier times has not been disregarded. Rather, the shift has been more to action --- doing things that engage us in the community as we pray and continue the traditional practices of Lent.
The goal is to spend the days and nights of Lent becoming more open to and aware of Christ. Self-denial is meant to bring us to an awareness of something deeper and more meaningful than hunger pangs or missing the daily glass of wine. Giving up sweets during Lent or fasting is not meant to be a built in diet that helps drop ten pounds. If that happens, great --- but the real goal is to take the experience and use it as a reminder that we are refocusing our lives and renewing our relationship with God.
Reading the literature available about Lent can be confusing. Theological terms, sometimes not clear to the non-theologian, leave many of us wondering just what is an appropriate discipline for Lent.
I came across a list of activities that might be helpful. Jerry and Sylvia DeVillers of Camarillo compiled the document, entitled "Living the Lenten Journey," a few years ago for their Peace and Justice ministry. The list is simple and creative, but not without some challenges, depending on your personal situation.
The following are a few highlights from the list that might be helpful in your 2005 Lenten journey:
---Tell a small child the Easter story, using your won words. Refer to Luke 24.
---Read and enjoy a recent Catholic periodical such as America, Commonweal, Our Sunday Visitor or one of your own discovery. Expect to be challenged.
---Write notes of encouragement to the Elect (those preparing for Baptism and Full Communion) in your parish. Make plans to attend the Easter vigil to support them.
---Each week during Lent call someone you haven't talked to in at least six months. Renew friendships.
---Volunteer for literacy tutoring at county libraries, jails or Boys and Girls Clubs and get started during Lent.
---At a family meal, discuss memories of everyone's Baptisms, including your own. Refer to family pictures and videos.
---Visit or write to someone in jail or prison and offer hope.
---Plant a bulb garden that will bloom during the Easter season.
---Take time to listen to inspirational music on tape or CD. Pray as you listen.
---Listen to the call of God as you encounter strangers during Lent. Ponder: How is God present to me in new ways through people who are not just like I am?
Consciously planning a personal course of action for Lent that includes private and community experiences will make the 40 days more meaningful and renewing.
PREPARING FOR LENT
Spring
Training
Lent-
A Time of Preparation
It's
time to acknowledge failure and begin again
Thoughts and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Patience & Generosity
8. We cannot be saved without a struggle, for this
life is a continual warfare. But be of good courage, do not be dishearted
or troubled about your faults, but always try to draw from them a love
of abjection, which must never for a moment be absent from your heart.
February 7, 2005
POPE VOWS TO CONTINUE HIS MISSION
Pope John Paul II blessed the faithful from his hospital window Sunday, looking frail and speaking with difficulty but determined to show he can still lead the Roman Catholic Church.
The 10-minute appearance at an open window gave the public its first glimpse of the 84-year-old pontiff since his hospitalization, which rekindled questions about his ability to carry on.
He looked rested and alert, and a message read for him by an Argentine archbishop standing beside him seemed designed to quell doubts about the pope's readiness and ability to lead the Church.
"... In this hospital, in the middle of other sick people to whom my affectionate thoughts go out, I can continue to serve the church and the entire humanity," the message said.
A few miles from the hospital on St. Peter's Square, where several thousand people gathered to see the pope on four giant video screens, cheers went up as his image appeared. When the pope is well, he gives his weekly blessing from a Vatican window overlooking the square.
"To all and each of you I assure you of my gratitude, which is translated into a constant invocation of the Lord according to your intentions as also for the needs of the church and the great issues of the world," the pope said in the remarks read in Italian by Archbishop Leonardo Sandri.
"May the expression of my gratitude for the sincere and heartfelt affection reach all of you, dear brothers and sisters, and to all those in every part of the world who are close to me, something which during these days I felt in a particularly intense way," he said.
The message contained a new condemnation of abortion, urging people to "trust in the life that children who are not yet born silently cry out for."
Hospital workers watched, eyes moist with tears, as the pope sat quietly while the message was read, then gave his blessing and thanked those who had prayed for his recovery. Outside, pilgrims shouted "Viva il Papa!" ("Long Live the Pope!")
RELATED: Inside the Vatican Newsflash- "Ten Minutes Later, He would Have Been Gone"
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA READER: I have been looking for the address
given by the Pope that Fr. Altier mentions. I can’t seem to find anything,
could you let me know the date of the address or info on it so I can find
it?
EDITOR: I can't presume to answer for Father Altier but my best guess is that he is referring to the following news report:
POPE, SATAN WILL BE VANQUISHED BUT THE FIGHT IS LONG AND HARDThoughts and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Patience & GenerosityThe Pope commented today (12 Jan.) on the Apocalypse before the 7,000 people attending the General Papal Audience today in the Nervi Hall, indicating that the fight between good and evil, personified by Satan, is a very hard one, as shown by the manifold violence and injustice in the world today, however the outcome is certain, evil will be vanquished. Pope John Paul II explained, "God and the Lamb, Christ, surrounded by the 'Council of the Crown', are judging human history in good and evil, but showing us however the ultimate end in salvation and glory.
The songs which are found in the Apocalypse and which serve to illustrate the issue of divine glory which regulates the flux, often disconcerting, of the tide of human events". Of great significance is the first part of the hymn intoned by the 24 ancients who seem to incarnate the chosen people in their two historic stages, the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of the Church. The Pope continued, Satan, the original adversary, who accused our brothers in the heavenly court, has now been cast down from heaven and therefore no longer has great power. He knows he has not much time left because history is about to see a radical turning point in freedom from evil and therefore he is reacting full of great fury. And then the resurrected Christ will rise up, whose blood is the principle of salvation and who received from the Father royal power over the entire universe, in Him are centred salvation, strength and the kingdom of our God.
In his victory are associated the Christian martyrs who chose the path of the cross, not yielding to evil and it virulence, but delivering themselves to the Father and uniting themselves to the death of Christ by means of a testimony of donation and courage which brought them to give up life in order to die". He concluded, "the words of the Apocalypse regarding those who have vanquished Satan and evil through the blood of the Lamb, echo also in the splendid prayer attributed to the Christian martyr Simeon, from Seleucia-Ctesifonte in Persia, 'I will receive life without pain, worry, anguish, persecutor, persecuted, oppressor, oppressed, tyrant or victim, there I will see no threat of king, or terror of prefects, no-one will quote me in court or terrorise me and no-one will drag me or scare me".
7. If you are faithful to your promises, He will
be very liberal in His favors. He will give you peace after your struggles,
and unknown to you, will bring you to the goal He has planned.
February 4, 2005
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).
EXCERPT OF HOMILY BY FATHER ALTIER:
We need to look very seriously at these things within our own lives because they have eternal consequences. If we took a poll right now and said, “How many people here want to go to heaven?” as opposed to “How many want to go the other direction?” I assume that the vote would be rather lopsided for the former. But then if we took the next vote and said, “How many people want to live in this world a truly Catholic life?” as opposed to “How many people want to live a worldly life?” unfortunately, the vote would go the other way. Why would you want to go to heaven and live a Catholic life for eternity if you do not want to live it now? If you want money and power and prestige and all of the selfishness, the devil is more than happy to provide it. In hell, everyone is selfish. That is all there is in hell: selfishness, hatred, lies, cheating, walking on one another. It sounds kind of like America, doesn’t it? And not just America, it is a universal problem. We are called to live holy lives, to be humble, to be righteous. That means we are going to get walked on. It means people are going to violate us. We can look at that and say, “If I don’t want to get violated then it’s better to be like them!” Well, if it is better to be like them then we are going to be with them, not only in this world but in the next.
We are called to be Catholic. To live our faith in Jesus Christ is a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year proposition. You do not take a vacation from being Catholic. You cannot take a vacation from being you. Anywhere you go, anytime that you are anywhere, you are still you, and you cannot ever get away from that. But you are a member of Jesus Christ. You are baptized into Jesus Christ and you are called to live the life of Jesus Christ, so no matter where you are and no matter what time it is you are a Catholic. It is not a one-hour a week thing. It is not even something that we can say, “Okay, I’ll have a little time for prayer everyday.” It is every minute of every hour of every day that we have to live this life.
The time is short and it is critical. And while it is always imperative for us to maintain the state of grace, to keep ourselves always in the state of grace and to be seeking to live a holy life, it is more imperative now than ever. When the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth is telling us that an historical event is coming that is going to put an end to evil, we need to pay attention to that. The Holy Father is not prone to gross exaggerations. It is not like our Holy Father to see if he can stir up the masses into some sort of hysterical frenzy. He is telling us this because he is warning us. We need to make a choice. It is not so much a question of whether we are going to be part of the remnant that is going to remain; it is a question of whether or not we are going to go to heaven. That is all that matters. And the only way we are going to get there is if we are living the life that we have professed, if we are living according to our rebirth, because, in Christ, He is our wisdom, He is our righteousness, He is our sanctification, as Saint Paul tells us. It is about Him; it is not about us. If we are going to live it out, we need to keep our focus on Him and get the focus off of the self. This goes completely contrary to the ways of the world, but so does heaven. The ways of Christ are contrary to the ways of the world.
We need to make a choice, and we need to make it now, because it is not something that one day we are going to be able to wake up and suddenly say, “Okay, I’ve decided that I’m really going to do it now,” and think that we are going to be able to carry it out. If we are going to live the life, we have to start trying to put it into practice. We are not going to have many examples, and we are not going to have many people helping us. If we look at the call which is ours – to be humble, to be righteous – look around and see how many examples there are. Even within the Church, you are not going to find it. I am not talking just about the people of God; I am talking about the bishops and the priests and right down the line. The arrogance, the selfishness, the money-hungry, power-hungry people that are all over the place, they are right in the Church too. But we cannot look at that. We need to look at Jesus, and we need to keep our focus solely on Him. We need to live His life and not worry about what everybody else is doing because on the Day of the Lord there will be no hiding. All the money, all the power, all the materialism, it is all going to melt away before the justice of God. Each one of us, in essence, will spiritually stand naked before Him; so all the stuff of the world will be useless. The only thing that is going to matter is that of the soul.
We need to live the faith that we profess. Look at the Cross and keep your heart focused right there. Live the life of Jesus Christ, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Pray for humility, pray for righteousness, and seek to live it out, knowing that if you do you are going to be persecuted, you are going to be ridiculed, you are going to be rejected. But so was He. So why would we be surprised if it happens to us? But in the midst of all of that, we will learn what really matters. We will live the life that we are called to live, and we will save our souls so that we will be able to spend eternity with Him. If we want eternity with Him, we need to spend our time in this world with Him. To spend our time with Him is to live His life, and to live His life is to live the faith. So that is the point where we are at right now. The choice we have to make is a radical one. It is going to be radical in this life, but it is going to be radical for eternity. If you want to go to heaven and live a Catholic life for all eternity, then spend your time in this world living your Catholic life every minute of every day for the rest of your life.
Thoughts and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Patience & Generosity
4. Courage then! Finish what you have begun for
the sake of this divine Heart, and rest assured that our Lord will repay
you a hundredfold for all that you do for His love.
February 3, 2005
(2Ti 4:7-8) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
INSPIRATIONAL HEADLINES
93-year-old
priest hanging up cassock
German
nun endured N.Korea camps, taught deaf-mutes
Unwavering
devotion- Sisters dedicated to God and caring for 'His favorite'
Imprisoned
Yantai Bishop Gao confirmed dead
Pope John Paul II: a conservative who has revolutionised the papacy
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA TeagueFamily: Prayer for Priests by St. Therese of Lisieux
O Jesus, eternal Priest, keep your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart, where none may touch them. Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch Your Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with your Precious Blood. Keep pure and unearthly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood. Let Your holy love surround them and shield them from the world's contagion. Bless their labors with abundant fruit and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here and in heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown. Amen.
VIA Roy Tenn: My wife Carol and I have just now returned from our weekend attending the conference at the Cathedral of St. Ignatious Loyola in Palm Beach. The guest speaker, the Rev. Fr. John Corapi, spoke on the Holy Eucharist in response to the Holy Father's dedication of October 2004 to October 2005, a one- year devotion to the Holy Eucharist, and also the role of the Virgin Mary in salvation history.
The cathedral was filled to capacity with the faithful coming from various places in Florida as well as from out of state, to listen to Fr. Corapi. We were fortunate to have his blessing on our marriage of 48 years, and had a photo taken with him in rememberance of his enlightening and educational talks on important issues confronting the Church in what he referred to as the "end times."
In all he gave a series of 5 talks on these subjects, covering several aspects of the need for this devotion, and the acknowledgement of Our Lady's unique role given to her by the Holy Father in Heaven, for His Son to take Fesh and Blood from her in order to redeem us from sin.
I took notes on several key issues discussed in relationship to the deteriorating state of Godlessness in the world, and the reasons for their causes, which I have written about on several occasions, and it was good to have Fr. Corapi confirm the reasons for the falling away from grace due to sinfullness in the world.
Fr. Corapi is not surprised at the catastrophic events such as September 11, and destructive weather conditions that have caused the loss of thousand of lives over the past two years, because of sins such as abortion, and other immoral sexual indulgences which have threathened our security.
We were surprised but joyfully pleased to hear that the owner of Fox Television, Rupert Murdock, is in the process of creating a new TV program involving Fr. Corapi, and other key persons, to establish a religious program which is urgently needed because of recent public political interest in moral issues affecting their lives.
Fr. Corapi made it perfectly clear that he is not getting involved in politics, but his role as a consecrated priest of the Catholic Church requires him to come to the defense of his faith on certain moral issues that reject the teaching of Christ in conformity to the Ten Commandments, and the teaching of the Magisterium.
Since appearing on EWTN on which he has given a series of talks on the Catechism of the Church, and other spiritual topics, such as his discources on the Easter Tridium, he has biuilt a tremendous following, especially among Catholics who hunger to hear the truth of Christ preached.
FATHER CORAPI'S WEBSITE: http://www.fathercorapi.com/
UPCOMING TV SCHEDULE: http://www.fathercorapi.com/tv.aspx
ARTICLES BY FATHER CORAPI: http://www.fathercorapi.com/articles.aspx
Thoughts and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Patience & Generosity
3. Again I say, do not worry over your faults,
but when you have committed any, say quite trustfully to the all-loving
Heart of Jesus: "O my only Love, pay for Thy poor slave and repair the
evil that I have just done".
February 2, 2005
PRAYER ONLY SOLACE AFTER WAVES STRIKE
BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka — On the day that the tsunami reached this city, shock waves of concern spread to Sri Lankans living all over the world.
One of those waves reached Swendy Ariyanayagam in Fort Pierce, whose family is from the most exposed and affected area of the country, the east coast. She tried to reach her father and other relatives in the city of Trincomalee to the north and also in this city, but all she got was silence.
For Swendy, whose family forms part of the historic Roman Catholic minority in a country dominated by Buddhists and Hindus, all she could do was pray.
At a house right on the water here, her loved ones also were praying. The waves had washed right through their front door.
"Have you seen the movie The Ten Commandments, the parting of the Red Sea?" asks Swendy's cousin Celine Puvanesarajah, 59. "Well, it was like that. A great, brown wall of water."
Her daughter, Niranjala Basker, 29, also was in the house with grandson Angelo, 5. Over the door of Niranjala's room is a sticker bearing the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
"Why fear when I am here?" it asks.
"I'm sure she saved us," says Niranjala.
But even the Virgin had to work hard to do so. Swendy finally heard the story three days later when her calls got through.
The three managed to escape the house, with the boy in his mother's arms.
"We were trying to get to a staircase that would take us to the cement roof of the garage," says Celine. "But the water was swirling and wanted to take us in other directions."
The water was up to the women's noses when they finally reached the staircase. Celine, who has severe arthritis, never climbs stairs.
"But up I went," she says. "My God, I still don't know how I did it."
PAST 24 HRS "CREATION GROANING" (Rom 8:22)
Papua
New Guinea Volcano spews ash again
Eurasia-largest
volcano Klyuchevskoy in eruption
Lava
Dome Surges at Mount St. Helens
Scientists
continue to monitor two Alaskan volcanoes
ECUADOR TREMBLES AFTER HUNDREDS OF TREMORS
Hundreds of tremors off the coast of Ecuador in the past 11 days have sparked fears that a bigger quake could strike soon.
"This isn't normal," the director of Geophysics Institute at the National Polytechnic School, Hugo Yepez, told Reuters on Monday, "This area is capable of producing big earthquakes. Very big earthquakes."
About 320 tremors of more than 4.0 on the Richter scale have shaken the Pacific Ocean off the port of Manta since January 20.
MORE
Two
earthquakes rattled northeastern Taiwan
Shaken
New Zealand capital warned of more quakes
Earthquake
Hits East Jave Waters
Thoughts and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Patience & Generosity
2. You know that virtue is not practiced without
effort, but for one moment of suffering there follows an eternity of reward.
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