A Story for Advent (5)

Deck the malls with boughs of holly!...... so wrote a friend on her Facebook page a few days ago.

That was a couple of days after we as a family had dutifully did the rounds of seasonal shopping at a couple of shopping malls on both the mainland and island. This is what we found:

Mall No. 1 had decorated its main entrance with "A Tinkerbell and Peter Pan Christmas" theme, complete with a flying Peter Pan and gently hovering Tinkerbell all decked out in their fairy costumes! My 7 year old was suitably impressed and immediately began making plans to make it for the official "launching" of a fairy tale Christmas!

While, Mall No. 2 had come up with - wait for it - "A Power Rangers Christmas!". No kidding! - all 5 super heroes in their colorful costumes were going to make an official appearance at the mall beginning in a few days' time and for I can't remember how long! The setting was striking - complete with an impressive stage and backdrop. This was even more thrilling for my young fellow, especially that he's just got into this Power Rangers craze.....

Now, that's just 2 malls in Penang! How many malls are there in the country? The mind began to boggle!

Now, before we start emailing newspaper editors and other "powers that be" and begin other non-violent mass demonstrations at these and other places of interest, I'd like to recall that
something similar happened in a forgotten town in an old Roman outpost some 2000 years ago .

The Jews couldn't fathom the fact that the Messiah whom they had been waiting - albeit alternatively patiently and otherwise, for so long, wasn't really the "superhero" type. Rather, unlike the typical king/hero they were expecting and contrary to popular opinion, this Messiah was born in a manger, to a virgin who was married to a carpenter, among a variety of barn animals and with a rather dubious crowd of shepherds and mysterious men from equally mysterious places as his witnesses. To top it off, there was a whole choir of angels present too, in all their glory!!!

I don't know but I'd like to think that even the most creative marketing guru would find it a tad difficult to transform that scenario into a profitable shopping opportunity. Maybe that's why during these gloomy economic times, retailers have had to resort to these assorted superheroes to "save" their businesses!

So how can we respond then? Maybe the following heart warming story of how one ordinary man has gone about educating people on the real meaning of Christmas can help us. Not just for one or two years mind you, but for a staggering 63 years! And he has gone about doing it in a very creative way too - by playing the role of Santa Claus in a rather pro-active way!

Thanks to CNA (Catholic News Agency), the story begins here like this:

It’s a sight to see: a real, live Santa Claus on his knees, hands folded, inclining his head reverently toward statues of the Holy Family. This is how one Virginia man celebrates Christmas. For 63 years he has devoted himself to teaching children about the true meaning of the holiday season.

and continues here.

Maybe if we could all take a leaf out of his book and each one tried to make it our business to tell others of the real meaning of Christmas. If we could keep our small acts of witnessing going faithfully over the years just like our friend in the story above, maybe in due time, we will have less such "superheroes" in our malls while at the same time, enabling others to see indeed that it's Jesus who's the real reason for the season.

O Come Let Us Adore Him!

A Story for Advent (4)

This is an excerpt from "Advent Reflections: Come Lord Jesus", by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan from December 2007. I found his insights on the 3 comings of Jesus - His coming in History, His coming in Mystery and His coming in Majesty something really to think about as we approach the last week in Advent.

His article begins here:

Our Lord Jesus Christ came in history. This is, of course, the coming that drove the dreams of the faithful people of Israel, who had waited so eagerly and so long for the coming of the Messiah. What we try to do as the Church in Advent, in a small way, is to consolidate those centuries of waiting into four short weeks. And we’re reminded — guess what? — that God takes His sweet old time in fulfilling His promises.

God may have promised a Savior in the Garden of Eden. You bet He did. But He was slow in following through on that sacred promise. So that’s why we hear words such as “yearning,” “waiting,” “hoping,” “watching,” “longing,” “looking,” and “preparing” throughout this holy season. These words all become part of our Advent vocabulary at the sacred liturgy. But all that yearning, waiting, hoping, watching, longing, looking, and preparing — was it ever worth it when He finally did come, for as St. John the Evangelist records: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). There is His coming in history.

And continues here.

The Rev. Dolan was named Archbishop of Milwaukee in 2002 by Pope John Paul II.
For more about him, go here.

A Story for Advent (3)

This is a short story titled "The Gift of The Magi" by O. Henry (1862-1910).

During this time of economic gloom and uncertainty, when many have lost their jobs, and countless others facing the same fate as the new year looms, here's a heart rending story of two individuals bound together totally in love - one that reflects the same love that came down from heaven and dwelt among us some 2000 years ago.

Read The Gift of The Magi here.

For a comprehensive background of O. Henry, go here.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Today is the Feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas.

Ten years after the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1521, an Indian peasant named Juan Diego saw a beautiful lady standing on the barren hill of Tepeyac. The lady was dressed like an Indian woman, she had Indian features and she spoke to Juan in his own language. She gave him a message for Bishop Zumarangga. Juan Diego's story was doubted: he was illiterate and naive. The bishop asked for a sign. Three days later, Juan returned, his arms full of roses gathered from the barren hill, his cloak imprinted with the Lady's image. The significance of the story reaches beyond place and time: God has used the poor and powerless to act as social critics of their time. Juan Diego not only helped reverse attitudes of political and church authorities toward native people, but he also initiated an experience of faith that has survived over four centuries" - so goes the blurb on the movie Our Lady of Guadalupe directed by Bruce Baker.

Probably the best way to understand the meaning of Guadalupe is to go back to the year 1531 and those days in December when Mary revealed herself and God’s love to a simple Indian peasant called Juan Diego.

Read the rest of the story here.

In the article, the writer Virgilio P. Elizondo, talks about Mary and the New Evangelization and how John Paul II was inspired in his maiden papal trip to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in America. There, he begged that she would teach us the true path of evangelization.

Catholic Online tells of the two lessons that we can draw from Guadalupe - one of faith and another of understanding. Read the whole article here.

While here in Malaysia, we have our own OLOG parish in Puchong, Selangor. Wikimapia has this location map. It's a very strange place to have a church - right smack in the middle of commercial and industrial buildings! And there have been rumblings about the heirachy of the Church being shortchanged by certain parties on the exact location and size of the plot of land alloted to build the present chuch. All "fertile" ground for evangelization, perhaps?

They have an excellent website, with plenty of information and even downloadable pdf forms! It's an example of how the "church in the modern world" can evangelize - by using effective modern methods of communication and resources. The pictures above were taken at the church sometime in early November 2008.

Which can lead us to ask ourselves especially during this Advent, of waiting for the Christ - how can we best understand and live this message of Guadalupe here today?

For me, it's very simply this:

Lately in Malaysia, we have witnessed the increasing use of intimidatory tactics by the very institutions that are supposed to protect citizens - the police, the use of immoral laws, the sheer arrogance of government, the complete and utter failure to acknowledge that we are in the midst of a recession, etc, etc.

I think each one of us, like Mary and Juan Diego - can avail ourselves to God by saying "Yes" - that most difficult and yet almost surreal surrender to His will to use us in every aspect of our ordinary lives - to bring about His kingdom of peace and justice here in Malaysia by:

• Striving to understand all those around us, especially people of other faiths and creeds;
• Continuing to build bridges that unite and tear down the walls that separate us;
• Discovering new ways to reach out to all those around us.
  

The following Opening prayer of the memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe may help us mouth our own prayer to the Virgin:

God of power and mercy,
you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac
with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe.
May her prayers help all men and women
to accept each other as brothers and sisters.
Through your justice present in our hearts
may Your peace reign in the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever.

Amen.

Advent Resources

I've always been fascinated by Advent Calendars. Maybe it's because I find a certain kind of "magic meets mystery" theme running through them. An Advent Calendar is simply a special calendar that is used to celebrate the days of Advent and count down the days to Christmas. Some are strictly religious while others are secular in their content. And, over the years, it has become a seasonal fixation for me - especially after reading Jostein Gaarder's "The Christmas Mystery".

It is a delightful little story, told through an advent calendar, of a girl named Elisabet who chases a lamb through a department store and across country. On her travels, she meets various figures from the nativity scene and discovers that they are all travelling across time to Bethlehem and the birth of Christ.

Here are a couple of links to some great online Advent calendar resources:

1. The EWTN Advent Calendar; and,

2. My choice for this year, is a rather unique one from Xt3 - the official social networking website of the 2008 WYD - where you may actually bump into Pope Benedict XVI online! This particular one has lots of little things that helps us get the best out of the Advent season. Fun for the whole family!

For information about purchasing one, click on the Amazon banners on the right.

Happy Advent-uring!

A Story for Advent (2)

Is it just me or has this past 12 months been a catalogue of one disaster after another - rising consumer prices, shrinking pockets, rising crime rates, waning civil liberties, increasing violence, worsening inter-religious relations, etc. etc.?

So much so that as Advent arrives quietly, marking the beginning of the Christmas season, I find myself torn between the devil and the deep blue sea. The usual suspects run through my head: "Is there anything to celebrate at all?" "How indeed to celebrate?", etc. etc. The "answer" came in this seemingly absurd phrase: "Behold, I make all things new" (Revelations, chapter 21 verse 5). Which didn't really help matters.

Until I found this poem by Ann Weems, who poignantly describes what Christmas really is and the greatest and most important reason why we should all celebrate it - no matter how miserable our lives may be. Indeed it's to such wretched ones that the message of Christmas is most directed to:

Not Celebrate?

Not celebrate?
Your burden is too great to bear?
Your loneliness is intensified during this Christmas season?
Your tears have no end?
Not celebrate?

You should lead the celebration!
You should run through the streets
to ring the bells and sing the loudest!
You should fling the tinsel on the tree,
and open your house to your neighbors,
and call them in to dance!

For it is you above all others who know the joy of Advent.
It is unto you that a Savior is born this day,
One who comes to lift your burden from your shoulders,
One who comes to wipe the tears from your eyes.
You are not alone,
for He is born this day to you.

Maranatha!
Come Lord Jesus!


Note: Ann Weems is the wife of a Prebyterian minister whose son Todd died less than an hour after his 21st birthday. She has in the following years voiced out her pain in a series of beautiful poems. Her books can be found here and here.

A Story for Advent

It's 27th November 2008. Last week, we marked the end of the Catholic liturgical year with the feast of Christ the King. This weekend marks the 1st Sunday in Advent and the start of a new year in the Church's calendar.

Already, the shopping complexes are busy decorating their malls. People are already talking about making "Christmas plans" and "Christmas shopping". The first sounds of Christmas tunes begin to play in the air.

All the more then, that the story reproduced below may well be worth reading and reflecting upon, during one of the most hectic periods in our lives:

Mary and Martha
by Rev. Henry Ticknor

Unitarian Universalist Church of the Shenandoah Valley
(note: edited for space).

For most of the people I know, rather than being a time of quiet expectation, the four weeks of advent are filled to the brim with the rush of seasonal activities. There is shopping to be done, the cooking of favorite and traditional foods, decorating the house, the yard, and making the usual round of pre-Christmas parties and social gatherings. This headlong rush lasts through New Years and then there is a collective crash as we hunker down for the dark days of winter.

This season of advent, leading up to Christmas is a time of paradoxical feelings and contrasting emotions. We are excited about the holidays, but all that we are expected to do wears us down. We can feel very sentimental about family traditions; and at the same time we may resent the time and effort required to meet other people’s expectations. Seeing family and friends can be exhilarating; and yet we can also feel pangs of loneliness and despair. The media bombards us with the message that this is a time of love, hope and joy. But the love and joy that the season represents can also be mingled with worry about money, jobs, children and our relationships. Hope can be dashed by the current events. In the end, all the hustle and bustle of this season can leave us emotionally and physically drained.

you won’t find it in any collection of contemporary seasonal writing. In fact, I doubt very much that it appears in any discussion of the Advent season at all and I may be the only person who really thinks this story has anything at all to do with Advent. It comes from the Gospel of Luke and the beginning words may have a familiar ring:

“ Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word.

But Martha was combuered about much serving, and came to him and said, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, ‘Martha, Martha, thou art careful and worried about many things: But one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

At this time of year, this season of Advent, I am always reminded of this story of two sisters, of Mary and Martha and I am sure that many of us can relate our own life experience to this story.

Martha is the perfect host. I can imagine her now in her kitchen stirring a pot with a big wooden spoon, her hands and face white from the flour used to bake bread. I can see her moving quickly from pot to pot—the potatoes are boiling over, the meat dish is overdone in the oven, the table still needs to be set and to make matters worse, Mary has invited guests for dinner. So when Martha walks out into the front room looking for some help and support from her sister what is Mary doing? Well, to Martha’s mind she isn’t doing much. Mary is sitting on the floor engaged in conversation with the guests.

I like to think that they are catching up on important events in their lives, sharing stories, possibly even some local gossip. In short, they are talking about the essential matters in life. Issues dealing with faith, hope and love.

Now, I can picture the situation coming to a head as Martha goes barging into the front room wondering why in the world her sister isn’t helping her in the kitchen. But what is interesting here, is that Martha does not direct her remarks to Martha but to Jesus. interesting in this story is that Martha does not direct her anger at Mary, but rather she scolds Jesus. “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me.” By her words She implies that all this extra work she must do is somehow his fault and in a way she tells him off by saying, “Don’t you care that I am stuck in the kitchen doing everything by myself? Tell Mary to help.”

Now Jesus has apparently attended self-esteem workshops and is well versed in issues around manipulation and triangulation and he quickly realizes that Martha is trying to get him to take sides. And how does he reply?

Martha, Martha, you are too busy with all your cooking and all your preparations—you have too many things on your plate(!)—but Mary has chosen to sit and talk with me. Long after the meal is over, she will carry the memories of this time we spent together. And this is the end of the story. We don’t know whether Martha suddenly realized that Jesus was right, took off her apron and entered into the conversation; or whether she took on a major martyr attitude and slunk back into the kitchen being resentful and feeling sorry for herself.

What an instructive story this is for the weeks leading up to Christmas. How many of us are like Martha—running around trying to decorate the house, wrapping presents in just the perfect gift wrap, writing cards with a personal note in each, and cooking everyone’s favorite foods?

How quickly do we become angry or jealous of those who seem to have found the time to relax, to visit, to talk with one another about their shared hopes, shared dreams and shared visions for what this troubled world might be. How many of us become resentful and feel like we are “stuck” doing all the things no one else will do?

My Christmas wish for this year is that we would all try to behave more like Mary and a little less like Martha. How I wish we could spend more time listening to each other, really listening and hearing the stories of joy, of pain and of discouragement. All too soon even the most elegant meal is leftovers; the beautiful wrapping paper is in the re-cycling. But the time we spend with friends and loved ones—our families and our friends—this time is precious. This is the good portion that can not be taken away.

And in a very real sense this congregation is in a season of waiting, of expectancy, of preparation. We are waiting for the new building that may yet take several months to complete. We are waiting for our future story to begin and to unfold. And just as the advent season is a time of personal reflection over the next several weeks I invite each person here to reflect upon what this church and community means to you.

“If there were no advent,” writes John Taylor, “we would need to invent it". We human creatures, in spite of all that has happened to us and been done by us, are stillhopeful. Something new, something vital, something promising is always coming, and we are always expecting. Thus in Advent candles are lighted to mark the time of preperation, and with each new light our anticipation grows—as it should. We are, after all, a hopeful people.

For the full story, please go here.

I Am God's Dwelling Place

These words came across in a strangely very candid, almost "transparent" kind of way today:

"I am God's dwelling place"

....so goes the opening lines of today's meditation from the Irish Jesuits prayer website - Sacred Space.

Which let a whole range of emotions and memories of past experiences wash over me. When I let them sink a little further, I can just about see how blessed I am, indeed how blessed we all are, how wonderfully made, in God's own image.

But then reality hits in. I find as with many others, that health problems arise as we grow older; financial dilemmas threatening to overwhelm us especially in the light of the current global recession; difficult inter-personal relationships as we discover new people coming into our lives; swimming against the tide with floundering faith in the face of mass deception by the media, elected government and perhaps most disturbingly, within and among the Church itself.

Why is there so much misery today? Within me? Among one another? Among races, between nations?

In the musical Jesus Christ Superstar, there's a song called "Poor Jerusalem" that goes in part like this:

If you knew all that
I knew, my poor Jerusalem,
You'd see the truth, but you close your eyes...
But you close your eyes.

Today's Sacred Space reflection tells us that "Jesus was sorrowful that they did not recognise the visit of God when he came" and more poignantly, ".... He weeps not for the destruction of bricks and mortar, but for the suffering of the people in the city and the destruction of peace".

In the book "Mary, Shadow of Grace" by Megan McKenna, the author tells a delightful story of how we can all be present to one another. It goes something like this:

Once upon a time there was an abbot of a monastery who was very good friends with the rabbi of a local synagogue. It was Europe and times were hard…

The abbot found his community dwindling and the faith life of his monks shallow and lifeless. Life in the monastery was dying. He went to his friend and wept. His friend, the rabbi, comforted him and told him: “There is something you need to know, my brother. We have long known in the Jewish community that the Messiah is one of you.”

“What,” exclaimed the abbot, “the Messiah is one of us? How can that be?”

But the rabbi insisted that it was so, and the abbot went back to his monastery wondering and praying, comforted and excited.

Once back in the monastery, walking down the halls and in the courtyard, he would pass by a monk and wonder if he was the one. Sitting in chapel, praying, he would hear a voice and look intently at a face and wonder if he was the one, and he began to treat all of his brothers with respect, with kindness and awe, with reverence. Soon it became quite noticeable.

One of the other brothers came to him and asked him what had happened to him. After some coaxing, he told him what the rabbi had said. Soon the other monk was looking at his brothers differently and wondering. The word spread through the monastery quickly: The Messiah is one of us. Soon the whole monastery was full of life, worship, kindness and grace. The prayer life was rich and passionate, devoted, and psalms and liturgy and services were alive and vibrant. Soon the surrounding villagers were coming to the services and listening and watching intently, and there were many who wished to join the community.

After their novitiate, when they took their vows, they were told the mystery, the truth that their life was based upon, the source of their strength and life together: The Messiah is one of us. The monastery grew and expanded into house after house, and all of the monks grew in wisdom, age, and grace before the others and the eyes of God. And they say still, if you stumble across this place, where there is life and hope and kindness and graciousness, that the secret is the same: The Messiah is one of us.

Glory to you, Source of all being
Eternal Word and Holy Spirit,
Who dwells in our midst
Both now and forever. Amen.

In other words, we are all God's dwelling places. If we can remember that every now and then in the daily grind of our lives and continue to work for peace and justice, we may yet succeed in building new "Jerusalems" right where we are.

The Brick Prophet!

From Michel Quoist and Jeremiah a reminder of the task each one of us has been entrusted with:

"The brick layer laid a brick on the bed of cement.
Then, with a precise stroke of his trowel, spread another layer
And without a by-your-leave, laid on another brick.
The foundations grew visibly,
The building rose, strong and tall, to shelter men.

I thought, Lord, of that poor brick buried in the darkness
at the base of the big building.
No one sees it, but it accomplishes its task,
and the other bricks need it.
Lord, what difference whether I am on the rooftop
or in the foundations of your building,
as long as I stand at the right place?"
(The Brick - Michel Quoist)


Juxtaposed here with The Call of Jeremiah in the Old Testament:

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

"Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."

But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."

(Jeremiah 1:4-10, NIV)

I like the last line in Michel Quoist's prayer: "as long as I stand in the right place". May we then, all of us, blessed and sent, stand tall and strong in our proper places, in all the circumstances of our lives, living our call, whatever it may be.

Be Awake!

It's so darned difficult - to have to crawl out of bed at 6 am - especially when its cold and dark outside. The mind screams silently to snuggle back into the warm comforts of my bed but the alarm clock and the realities of a new day keeps telling me otherwise - Get up! Awake!

And so, begins the reluctant daily routine of most days - stumbling out of bed in the dark, feeling the cold floor beneath my feet and making my way to the living room to where the altar is. "One small step for man - One giant leap for mankind" - not!

As has been a ritual for a few years now, I light up the tea candles on the altar. Their soft light throws an ambient glow in welcoming the morning. I open the large sliding doors to the balcony. I watch the shadows of the night pass away with the coming of the dawn of a new day. It's a reluctant process, yet, a necessary one. To get out of dreams of the night and to step into the waking hours of the new day just dawning.

Which is all fine and good, but the truth is that modern life can be very unnerving, unfair and difficult for me and I suspect for most of us. I"d rather not be faced with the "truth" because truth hurts. It's painful, even though I know it is necessary for growth. So, unable and unwilling to face the hard facts of life, I choose to close my mind and instead let myself be led by gutter minds that spew out garbage at worse and which keep me forever sedated at best.

It's so contrasting with what Luke is saying in his epistle, chapter 12, verses 35-38 today:
"Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit" (v.35)

The Christian Community Bible commentary tells of "being wide-awake; to be concerned about tomorrow's world; being aware of the truth" (pg.153 - New Testament).

"Truth? What is that?" - a chilling reminder of Pilate's own words. Well, Aljazeera this morning hit me with these realities:

"Post-election violence in Kenya included rape"
"Wall Street gripped by uncertainty"
"UN warns of soaring unemployment"

While in the land of Truly Asia, as reported by Malaysiakini, it was business as usual:

"Internal Security Act - for I Simply Arrest",
"More graft", and
"Emergency motion on new Chief Justice rejected"

Pretty bleak news - right at the break of dawn. If my interpretation of Luke is at least half accurate, it's this - that he exhorts us to work, stay awake and carry out our mission. In other words, however depressing the world may be, however difficult the circumstances of our lives are, we are called to go above and beyond ourselves, but with God's help.

We have a duty to find out. We have a duty to seek the truth. We have a right to seek justice, freedom of information and genuine peace, in our land and in the world. That's clear. That's the mandate. That's OUR mission. Not someone else. Not just the government of the day. Not the next door neighbour even though he or she may well be the state councilor or member of Parliament!.

For, as the following words by Mother Teresa reassure us: “God has not called me to be successful; He has called me to be faithful”, even as Oscar Romero, the late archbishop of San Salvador reminds us that "We are the workers not the master builder. Ministers not Messiahs. We are the prophets of a future not our own. Amen."

Startling words. Scary even. "Workers, Ministers and Prophets. Of a future not our own." But, when I let those words sink in, it becomes a little clearer. Could that be another way of saying "Priests, Prophets and Kings" - our very own baptismal promises? I would like to think so.

If that's true, then we are here not merely for ourselves but for all those who are here with us now, for all those who come after us - our children and their children. For the nature that surrounds us and its environment. For our nation and all nations under heaven.

We cannot just remain anonymous, following the crowd, playing the safe game. Because eventually, just like fool's gold, that road will only lead us to destruction. And worse, the destruction of all that we care about and all that really matters.

I'm thinking of putting up a sign up in my room - "Worker, Minister, Prophet - Of a future not my own", just to remind me, every now and then.

Here's a little "gift": Get your own free pdf copy of Romero's book "The Violence of Love" from Plough books.

Human Trafficking

I was switching channels back and forth on my Astro remote control last Saturday night, the 4th of October, when up popped this movie on the Hallmark Channel 702, with this disturbing title: "Human Trafficking".

The 2005 tele-movie starring Mia Sorvino and Donald Sutherland is a composite story of a 16 year old Ukrainian girl, a single mother from Russia, an orphan from Romania and others who are caught in the ruthless web of human trafficking and sold as sex slaves in various parts of the world.

What I saw was enough to disturb my sleep that night. I was alternating between feeling raging anger against the perpetrators and utter helplessness for the victims. Until I figured I could rant and rave all day long and it wouldn't change a thing. Except raise my blood pressure even higher. So, I did some "research" and found out things I was maybe just vaguely aware of at best, and totally ignorant at worst. This is what I found, thanks mainly to Google and another local blogger, Miss Crankshaft.

Read the sheer extent of the misery brought on by human trafficking by clicking on the following link:

• Human Trafficking.Org
  

Malaysia isn't spared either. According to one country report, Malaysia is NOT only a destination country but also a source country for human trafficking. It is purpotedly controlled by organised crime syndicates. Now, does this mean that the many children who have gone missing in Malaysia end up like these unfortunate ones too? Like Sharlinie, aged 5, who went missing in January this year, and who has still not been found. Or has something even worse happened to them? Are they still alive even, given the circumstances? It's terribly shocking and numbing.

Tenaganita, the local NGO championing the rights of women in the country highlights this in detail on its webpage.

Watch this You Tube video by Free The Slaves.net

Co-incidentally, the gospel (the Good News) for 6th October was Luke 10:25-37, about the Good Samaritan. We can draw parallels between this biblical parable and real life situations like human trafficking. There is so much misery that is going on all around us while we go about our daily routine, mostly oblivious to us. Is it because we are too caught up with our own life situations? Is it because we are cocooned within our own comfort zones? Is it because we think this sort of thing doesn't happen around us? Is it because this sort of thing will somehow "defile" us?

Both the parable of the Good Samaritan and the news contained in the websites mentioned above testify to the stark reality this is indeed the kind of world we are living in today. The sad truth is that, however we may want to avoid it, evil is right here among us, in front of us, behind us. Like what one character in the movie mentioned: "the next victim could be your own mother, sister or daughter."

Hallmark may have reminded us of that reality. The Gospel may have pointed out what we we can choose to do or not in a given situation. We have been informed. What we do with it or not is our decision.

For comprehensive action plans and information on human trafficking and how you can help, go here.

"It is impossible to help another without helping yourself, or to harm another without harming yourself" - Anthony de Mello, in "the Prayer of the Frog".

Prayer and Fasting For India

This might be a bit late, but still better late than never:

YWAM (Youth With A Mission), an international movement of Christians from different denominations, is calling its 17,000 workers worldwide to join in three days of prayer and fasting from the 29th September till 1st October 2008 for the church in India as it continues to face violent attacks .

For more information on YWAM and its mission, click here and here.

Meanwhile, the executive body of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, has expressed its utter disappointment with the relevant authorities after a meeting in Bangalore last Friday, the 26the of September.

Maybe we could initiate the same wherever we are, in solidarity not only with the persecuted in India, but also for all victims of religious violence irrespective of their faith, wherever it may be happening even as we pray for those in India. Gandhi once said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". So, if we are not going down that path, what can we do then? We could go the opposite way and try - peacemaking.

The Catholic site New Advent gives a brief explanation for the term "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God."

Christianity Today offers more explanations on the term here, and you can find a detailed article by the Brethren Revival Fellowship here.

Listen to the One Song - A Song For World Peace and Togetherness here at You Tube. It's only 3 minutes long, and comes with a catchy melody and beautiful graphics.

A Plea for Orissa

The situation in Orissa, India is getting from bad to worse. The violence by groups linked to prominent Indian political parties, against the minorities especially Christians, have escalated since my earlier post on September 1, 2008. According to testimonials from someone I know in India, the appeals by church officials have so far gone unheeded. It's most commonly thought that the state and federal governments are both reluctant to act fearing voter backlash in the next elections.

The following You Tube videos shed some more light on the urgency of the situation in Orissa.

You Tube 1
You Tube 2
You Tube 3
You Tube 4
You Tube 5
You Tube 6
You Tube 7
You Tube 8
You Tube 9
You Tube 10
You Tube 11

Read here for more news and peace initiatives that have been attempted so far:

• ASSIST (ANS) news service report
• Behind the anti-Christian violence
  

What you can do:

Please write letters expressing your concern and request the authorities to:

• ensure protection of the lives and properties of the Christians in Orissa;
• provide immediate relief and adequate compensation to the victims;
• create a congenial atmosphere for peaceful civil coexistence; and
• bring perpetrators to justice in order to stop impunity.

Send letters to:

Madam Pratibha Patel, President of India

Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi , India ,

Fax: (91) 11-2301 7290 & (91) 11-2301 7824

E-mail: presidentofindia@rb.nic.in

Send Copies to:

1. Dr. Manmohan Singh

Prime Minster of India

Prime Minster's Office, South Block

Raisina Hill, New Delhi 110 011, INDIA

Fax: (91) 11-2301 9545 / (91) 11-2301 6857

E-mail: manmohan@alpha.nic.in; pmosb@pmo.nic.in

2. Mr Naveen Patnaik

Chief Minister of Orissa

Bhubaneswar – 751001, Orissa , INDIA

Fax: (91) 674 253 5100

Email: cmo@ori.nic.in

3. Diplomatic representatives of India in your country.

4. Say a prayer for Orissa. Something like this: "We pray to you, Almighty God, that this senseless violence against all of your children, for whatever the reasons may be, cease. Give us, together with all people of goodwill both far and near, the grace to work to bring about peace to this disturbed land in whatever ways you are calling us to do. May we stop hurting one another in Your name. May we not continue to cause great harm to You by hurting Your own subjects. Help us to once again be one. Amen."

A Gentle Reminder from God Tube!

I have been checking out God Tube - a sort of a Christian version of You Tube on and off over the past few weeks. And, I find that they have some pretty good stuff worth watching like this one on the Figtree Video Choice bar on the right entitled "Mommy's Wisdom". It reflects what most mums are trying to say!

The one below brings back memories of the time when we used to act out this particular scene during Youth Camps a long time ago! Titled "Satan's Meeting" - it is an extended, modern take on the classic C.S.Lewis book "The Screwtape Letters" - which is a good read in itself.

Watching this brought home some powerful reminders for me. How careless I can become. How everyday "busyness" can lead me away from God. And what is really important in my life.

For more information on God Tube, go to their website here. The FAQ page is here.

Plea for End to Orissa India Religious Violence

I received this plea today from my grand-uncle, a Francisan O.F.M. Capuchin monk in India, on the current violence on Christian minorities in the state of Orissa. The message includes:

• the statement of the CBC of India,
  
• statistics of violence and damages,
  
• an appeal for justice and peace in Orissa,
  
• a sample protest letter addressed to Mdm. Pratibha Patel, the President of India which you can copy and edit before sending,
  
• background information on the violence in Orissa, and
• a list of sources and reliable websites with information to the ongoing tragedy.

The full story here:

COMMISSION FOR JUSTICE, PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF INDIA

Chairman: Bishop Yvon Ambroise, Episcopal members: 1. Bishop Mathew Arackal, 2. Bishop Gerald Almeida,

Exec. Secretary: Fr. Nithiya ofm.cap, Tel: +91-11-23366127 , Mob: +91-9868511018 , email: jpdcommission@gmail.com, nithiyas@gmail.com

From

Fr. Nithiya ofm.cap

Executive Secretary,JPD Commission
CBCI Centre, 1, Ashok Place ,
New Delhi - 110001

Dear and Respected Brothers and Sisters,

SUB: CBCI Commission for Justice, Peace and Development takes up the Orissa situation at the UNHRC - United Nations Human RIghts Council, Geneva through the help of Franciscans International

Greetings of Peace from Delhi .

In the past days, you must have received the details about the Anti Christian Violance in Orissa. On behalf of the JPD Commission, I sincerely thank you for the immediate response by sending emails, fax and signatures to the concerned authorities.

The Commission has circulated similar documents to all our international collaborators like Justice and Peace Commissions of other Episcopal Conferences, Pax Christi International, Franciscans International and Hotline Asia .

I am glad to inform you that the Franciscans International, which has Special ECOSOC status at the United Nationa Human RIghts Council(UNHRC), is taking up this issue in the UNHRC office in Geneva . The updated materials (attached) were circulated this evening (29th) to the Diplomatic authorities. Tomorrow (30th), this issue will be presented to the UN Human RIghts COuncil.

May I request yuou to continue to pray for the success of our mission of Justice and Peace. Kindly forward these information to all the your email contacts. In case you have not sent email or fax messages to the concerned authorities, please kindly use the attachment and do the needful.

Ever grateful to you for your kindness in this moment of crisis, I remain yours

Fr. Nithiya ofm.cap

Attachments:

A.. The updated statistics of destruction in Khandmal District. ( attached)

B. Appeal for Justice and Peace - material for sending fax,email etc. - Please continue to send them to the concerned authorities.

STATISTICAL DATA OF VIOLENCE AND DAMAGES

IN KHANDMAL DISTRICT, ORISSA , INDIA

24-28 AUG, 2008

1. Houses Destroyed – 4014
2. Killings - 26
3. Shops Destroyed in Raikia - 10
4. Convents - 4
5. Hostels -5
6. Institutions damaged -6
7. Priests, Rel. Attacked -6

Note:

1. These data are not full. The following data are only from one district of this state. Violence and destruction is still continuing in the place as well as in the nearby districts.

2. Most of the people, including priests, and nuns and laity have fled into the remote forests and are unable to come back to their villages for fear of their life.

3. All the people affected are poor villagers. All of them are tribals and Dalit people, oppressed and the most neglected people of the country.

Caution:

(Please keep the names of the individual persons confidential. Since some attacked persons names were given during the December violence, they and their relatives were targeted again in this violence)

B. AN APPEAL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE IN ORISSA , INDIA

Protect Christian Minorities in Orissa - INDIA

A. SUMMARY OF THE INCIDENTS IN ORISSA , INDIA

Since 24 August 2008, at least nine people have been killed in unabated violence, four of them in police firing, in Orissa's Kandhamal district, as a backlash to the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. Another three persons were killed when their houses were torched in Raikia area. Two others, including a woman, were killed when a missionary-run orphanage was set on fire on 25 August. Another source, the Global Council of Indian Christians, has revealed a staggering number of 18 deaths.

The on-going carnage apparently targets the Christian community, mostly Dalits and tribals, in the Kandhamal district of Orissa and in several other districts including the state capital of Bhubaneswar since 23 August 2008. A large number of churches, houses, and vehicles have been torched by mobs in areas including Nuagaon, Udaygiri, Raikia, Phiringia and Baliguda since 24 August. A nun from the diocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar has been gang-raped in a separate incident before the building of a social service centre was destroyed.

As the carnage continues unchecked and death toll rising every day, innocent Christians in Orissa find themselves in a very precarious situation. Hundreds of Christians, priests, nuns and children have fled to the jungle in order to escape further attacks.

The state government was widely criticized of failing to uphold law and order in order to ensure the safety of Christian minorities in Orissa. At the end of his weekly general audience on 27 August, the Pope appealed to "religious leaders and civil authorities to work together to re-establish among members of the different communities the peaceful coexistence and harmony which always have been a distinctive sign of Indian society."

*** Please respond immediately ***

B. ACTION REQUESTED

Please write letters expressing your concern and request the authorities to:

• ensure protection of the lives and properties of the Christians in Orissa;
• provide immediate relief and adequate compensation to the victims;
• create a congenial atmosphere for peaceful civil coexistence; and
• bring perpetrators to justice in order to stop impunity.

Send letters to:

Madam Pratibha Patel, President of India

Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi , India ,

Fax: (91) 11-2301 7290 & (91) 11-2301 7824

E-mail: presidentofindia@rb.nic.in

Send Copies to:

1. Dr. Manmohan Singh

Prime Minster of India

Prime Minster's Office, South Block

Raisina Hill, New Delhi 110 011, INDIA

Fax: (91) 11-2301 9545 / (91) 11-2301 6857

E-mail: manmohan@alpha.nic.in; pmosb@pmo.nic.in

2. Mr Naveen Patnaik

Chief Minister of Orissa

Bhubaneswar – 751001, Orissa , INDIA

Fax: (91) 674 253 5100

Email: cmo@ori.nic.in

1. Hon'ble Justice Shri S. Rajendra Babu, Chairperson

National Human Rights Commission,

Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi , PIN 110001, INDIA

Fax: (91) 11 2338 4863

E-Mail: chairnhrc@nic.in; covdnhrc@nic.in; ionhrc@nic.in

4 Diplomatic representatives of India in your country.

C. SAMPLE LETTER

Madam President,

We write with deep concern over the communal violence that has engulfed many districts in Orissa since 24 August 2008. The target of the violence has been the Christian minorities, most of whom are tribals and Dalits. The ongoing carnage has resulted in the death of nine persons. A nun has been gang-raped. Many people, including priests and nuns have been injured. Their properties and places of worship have been vandalized. Hundreds, including Catholic school children, were forced to escape into the forests and live in fear and insecurity.

The uncontained violence in many districts of Orissa, which we understand to be a state notorious for a culture of communal violence in recent years, points out that the state government has failed in its duty to protect the lives of Christians. This violates their right to life and personal liberty – the very right enshrined in the Constitution of India (Article 21) and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR Article 6) to which the Government of India is a party.

It is time that your Nation State, which is a member of the UN Human Rights Council, honoured the commitment it has made to the United Nations on 19 April 2006, when a pledge was made for its candidacy to the UN Human Rights Council: India's commitment to "promoting and protecting human rights flows from the realization that in a truly pluralistic society, the growth and well-being of citizens can only be guaranteed through a culture of protection and promotion of human rights."

In this context, and with great urgency, we appeal to you, Madam President, to initiate suitable measures that:

• protect the rights, lives and properties of Christians in Orissa;
• provide immediate relief and adequate compensation to the victims as per ICCPR Article 2.3.1;
• ensure a climate of peace and harmony in Orissa state so that people may live without fear; and
• bring perpetrators to justice in order to stop impunity.

D. Background information about Orissa violence

In Orissa's Kandhamal District, the worst-hit region by violence between Hindus and Christians, the Christians are still nursing their wounds from the Christmas 2007 violence, with hundreds of them still live in a refugee camp in Barakhama. Majority of the destroyed churches, which exceeds 100, remain in ruins; burnt houses are still to be fully rebuilt. Kandhamal is a primarily tribal area, where Christian missionaries have worked for decades. Almost 20 percent of the district's people are Christians.

Fresh violence broke out following the killing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his disciples in an ashram at Jalespeta in Kandhmal district on 23 August 2008. Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was killed by unidentified armed assailants despite the fact that he had supposedly reported threat to his life to the police 12 hours before his assassination. His killing has been widely condemned by various church leaders in India . While the government held Maoists responsible for the killings, the Hindu fundamentalist groups blamed Christians for the incident.

Tension ran high as the bodies of the slain were taken from Jalespeta to Chakapada, sparking violence when unruly mobs torched vehicles at Baliguda, G-Udayagiri and Nuagaon and damaged a police outpost and NGO offices at Nuagaon. Churches and prayer halls were attacked at various places.

According to local groups, the police have not given adequate protection. It is possibly due to the political climate in the state, where the ruling political party – Biju Janatha Dal – is being supported by Hindu fundamentalist groups. Hard-line Hindus accuse Christian missionaries of trying to convert illiterate tribal or Hindu villagers by alluring them with promises of free education and medical care, a charge denied by the missionaries.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the continuing violence, the administration has extended the curfew for an indefinite period from the Kandhamal district to sensitive areas, such as Phulabani, the district headquarters, Tumudibandha and Baliguda. Authorities have issued shoot-at-sight orders and police staged marches on 27 August in Kandhamal.

E. SOURCES FROM JOURNALS AND RELIABLE WEBSITES

- The Statesman

- The New Indian Express

- Asian Human Rights Commission

(http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2006statements/528/)

- Business Standard

(http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=332643)

- Voice of America (http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-08-27-voa14.cfm)

- Catholic News (http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804378.htm)

- Compass Direct News (http://www.compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=news&lang=en&length=long&idelement=5545)

- www.cbcisite.com

- http://orissaburning.blogspot.com/

You can also check out: The Indian Catholic for updates.