Wm october 2014

inside: A shepherd in a Muslim world • Who’s first: God or mammon? • A call to freedom

mission & money A truly poor church

o c to b e r 2 014 • n o. 282 • VO L X X V i • 5 0 p es os • ISSN 0116 - 8142

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editorial

Time to change The Asian Catholic Monthly Magazine

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EDITOR: Fr. Dave C. Domingues, MCCJ REDACTION: Corazon A. Uy (secretary), Joey Villarama and Fr. Lorenzo Carraro, MCCJ (staff writers) COLLABORATORS: Fr. Jose Rebelo,MCCJ (South Africa) Fr. Joseph Caramazza (UK), Kris Bayos (Philippines) and Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil (India) MANAGEMENT: Fr. Raul Tabaranza, MCCJ wm.administration@gmail.com Ma. Corazon P. Molvizar (secretary) Angeles S. de Vera (circulation) PROMOTION: Fr. Dave C. Domingues, MCCJ wm.promotion@gmail.com ART & DESIGN DIRECTION: Ric M. Gindap GRAPHICS & DESIGN: Victor Garcia SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (11 issues and Calendar) Regular (Philippines):.........................P500.00/year Six months (Philippines):...........................P300.00 Overseas–Air mail: Asia................................US$35 Rest of the world.............................................US$40 DISTRIBUTION: WORLD MISSION is distributed to subscribers by mail. Entered as Second Class Mail at the Parañaque Central Post Office under Permit No. 214-89 (March 9, 1989; valid until December 31, 2014). Published monthly in Parañaque City, M.M. Composition: World Mission.

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L

ast July, Pope Francis addressed a closed-door conference titled “The Global Common Good: Towards a More Inclusive Economy.” Organized by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in Rome, the final statement that echoed a central idea defended

by Pope Francis – the need to reverse the current “throwaway” culture to put the human person at the center of the global economy – was signed by 70 financial experts.

The blunt disparity and inequality between the few rich and majority of the poor in the world population today fuel many evils which cannot be properly addressed without tackling their root causes. A research from Oxfam shows that 85 of the richest people in the world control as much wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population. Those richest 85 people share a combined wealth of £1 trillion, as much as the poorest 3.5 billion of the world's population have. It's a chilling reminder of the reality of the extent of wealth inequality in our world. (www. theguardian.com).

This widening inequality is the backdrop of the numerous, cruel and senseless attacks on humanity we all have recently witnessed – the senseless murder of almost 300 people on Malaysian Airlines MH17 over Ukraine, the horrendous violence inf licted on Christians in Pakistan, the devastation in Gaza, the thousands decimated in South Sudan because of a power struggle,…just to mention a few. This dehumanization speaks of a selective capitalism which leaves behind the majority of humanity, where peoples are reduced to numbers, leaving behind basic options on market integrity, justice, equal opportunities, solidarity, reciprocity… so fundamental for the well-being of all.

As Church, we are not immuned to this economic panorama of the

Dave Domingues EDITOR

We are called to ‘sail against this wind of division and inequality’ by making cause with the poor, the vast majority of the world’s population today.

world. We cannot be! We are called to ‘sail against this wind of division and inequality’ by making cause with the poor, the vast majority of the world’s population today. Pope Francis, in his message for this year’s World Mission Day, states it clearly: “The joy of the Gospel is born of the encounter with Christ and from sharing with the poor. For this reason, I encourage parish communities, associations and groups to live an intense fraternal life, grounded in love for Jesus and concern for the needs of the most disadvantaged.”

It is urgent to move towards a more humane economic system where profit may not dictate the rules but moving toward a more “inclusive capitalism,” a system where the human person takes precedence over any economic and political game and, in this, the Church has a great role to play: leading by example and placing the means we have truly at the service of the poorest and most neglected; abstaining ourselves from compulsive consumption; using the money entrusted to us as means for mission and not as means in itself, nurturing that freedom that the Gospel tells us: “Do not be afraid, you are worth much more than many sparrows” (Mt. 10:31). It is time to rekindle the joy of taking part in the mission of building a more humane and fraternal world where “the crumbs that fall from the table of the rich” (Mt. 15:27) may become the bread of dignity for all.

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your let ters Write to: The Editor, World Mission Magazine • 7885 Segundo Mendoza Street, Villa Mendoza Subd. − Sucat 1715 Parañaque City, M.M. – Philippines • E-mail: wm.editor@gmail.com WAKE-UP CALL Congratulations to the World Mission for its September issue. The theme on Man and Earth was timely and cohesively supported by the thought-provoking articles in the inside pages. The unidentified photo on page 18 was simply majestic.

The Editorial was indeed a wake-up call to remind Man that the real world is not man-made. That wake-up call became more audible by the “alarm clock” effect of the essay of Leonard Pollara. Yes, there are many Concrete Men out there. I was, many times before, one of them - spending most of my waking hours as a corporate executive in the concrete jungle of financial business districts.

My reconnection with Mother Earth is a work-in-progress. The spiritual reflection in Fr. Lorenzo Carraro’s article will certainly help me find my way back so that I may learn again from the “lilies of the field and the birds of the air,” to borrow a line from the theologian Soren Kierkegaard.

I continue to be a great fan of the WM such that I have sent copies to some friends in Africa, so they, too, might benefit from this gem of a magazine. « Eve Avila, Pasig City, Philippines SERVING NON-CHRISTIANS

I’m very grateful to you for sending me a copy of World Mission magazine regularly. I request to renew my subscription for another year.

I promise to offer four Holy Masses for the intentions of the Comboni Missionaries.

I enjoy reading your magazine wherein I find good articles about the Church in Asia and Africa, with good and relevant photographs.

I am also involved in social action apostolate in a community of non-Christians, mostly economically poor. They ask me several questions about Christian religion. Children know little about Christianity in their school. Due to political reasons, this community is afraid to become Christians. Many of our hospitals here are known as Mission Hospitals and people have great faith in them.

Once again, thanks for all your gifts and support to our Jesuit Mission in Delhi. « Fr. Remy Shah, SJ,

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INTERNAL JOY

I marveled in your article, “The simple life,” on Pauline Carr. Thank you for sharing Pauline’s way of lifestyle, one that makes me feel ashamed of mine – being a religious. There are a good number of “Paulines” whose lives remain undiscovered. To print a story like this in your WM magazine of September 2013, makes the readers look into their own lifestyle.

Because of Pauline’s internal joy of life, she is able to share it with other miserable people and bring joy in their lives. Let us discover how internal joy is to be shared with others. « Sr. Mary Joan Gomes RNDM,

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subscribing to world mission

www.worldmission.ph events to remember in october 01 10 12 16 18 19 26 28

- St. Therese of the Child Jesus - Feast of St. Daniel Comboni - Indigenous Peoples Sunday - World Food Day - Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist - World Mission Sunday - Prison Awareness Sunday - Feast of Sts. Simon & Jude, Apostles

prayer For Evangelization

That World Mission Day may rekindle in every believer zeal for carrying the Gospel into all the world.

inside THE POWER OF MONEY

In this highly capitalistic society, money dictates the rules and profit seems to be the highest priority, putting fundamental human values of solidarity and justice at the margins of our daily living. However, money in itself is not evil. We all need money to meet our daily needs, provide for our families, and carry out our different fronts of mission, ad intra and ad extra, in the Church.

What is malignant is the desire to accumulate, ignoring the needs of others in the process, and the unscrupulous usury of money in fake charity, exploiting the poor even further. Money has the power to corrupt, harden, and even destroy our hearts, taking away the credibility of our being Church. However, it also has the power to rebuild lives, restore dignity, and bring back the joy of a decent human life to millions who are deprived of it by poverty, exploitation, and oppression. We are called to be a “Church of the Poor,” good stewards and not owners of the blessings received.

06 11

world touch

WM special | mission & money

By Fr. Emmett Coyne, contributor

frontiers

A valuable gift

By Tony Magliano

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IN FOCUS | New challenges for the Church

A shepherd in a Muslim world

By Fr. Dave Domingues, mccj

30

in focus | bishops' synod

The family in crisis

By Faye Tobias-Naval, Journalist

32

spiritual reflection | giving up everything

A call to freedom

By Fr. José António M. Rebelo, mccj

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Missionary vocation | José Maria Velez Zaragoza

A legacy cast in stone

By Fr. Lorenzo Carraro, MCCJ

38

THE LAST WORD

A prison cell is the second Church in Europe

By Fr. SILVANO FAUSTI, sJ

16 Who’s first: God or mammon?

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What does it profit one?

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A truly poor church

WORLD MISSION has the exclusive services of the following magazines for Asia: ALÉM-MAR (Portugal); MUNDO NEGRO (Spain); NIGRIZIA (Italy); NEW PEOPLE (Kenya); WORLDWIDE (South Africa), AFRIQUESPOIR (DR of Congo); ESQUILA MISIONAL (Mexico); MISION SIN FRONTERAS (Peru); and IGLESIA SINFRONTERAS (Colombia).

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w o r l dto u c h SOUTH KOREA

Koreans infected with 'Francis syndrome' A former Korean ambassador to the Holy See spoke of the effects of Pope Francis' recent visit to South Korea, saying that all of Asia now feels a long-term challenge to imitate his humble ways. “All the media in Korea are already speaking of 'Francis syndrome,'” former Ambassador Thomas Han said. “The Korean people, having been deeply impressed by Pope Francis' person and his lifestyle, seriously reflect upon the meaning of their lives and seek to see the things in life that really matter.”

Han explained that leaders “at every level of society” now feel an “unspoken pressure to make their own the leadership style the Korean people have witnessed in Pope Francis…Therefore, it is safe to say that such 'Francis syndrome' will surely serve as a momentum for the Koreans to promote the culture of love, thereby contributing to authentic humanization of the Korean Peninsula in the long term.”

Pope Francis traveled to Seoul, South Korea on August 14-18, where he met with youth participating in the 6th Asian Youth Day, as well as with government officials, local Church leaders and heads of other faith traditions.

Marking the first time a Roman pontiff has visited the Peninsula since John Paul II in 1989, the voyage has had an impact on the entire Asian continent, particularly the youth, who were touched by the Pope's heart-to-heart way of communicating, and those affected by the Sewol ferry disaster that happened earlier this Spring.

“Pope Francis has, at last, satisfied their quenchless thirst for true leadership.

His coherence between words and actions, his simple lifestyle, his humility, the way he embraced the poor, the disabled, the outcasts greatly impressed them.” It is rumored that following the Pope's visit, many Koreans are now purchasing the compact Kia Soul (the small car he chose for his use in Korea).

What the Korean people saw in the Pope was “a witness to hope,” the former

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ambassador explained. “The hope that, with the leadership of Pope Francis, the world can be made a better place to live in.” Speaking on the particular impact Pope Francis made on the Asian youth, Han noted that they viewed him as the Good Shepherd who came “not to be served but to serve and to give his life toa redeem many people.”

Drawing attention to how the Asian continent currently is home to over 60% of the world’s population, Han noted that, along with this number, come “flagrant inequalities” both in terms of one’s possessions, as well as in the exercise of political power. “More than half of the 900 million absolute poor in the world who survive on less than $1.25 a day are in Asia,” he stated, observing also how “women experience a very low level of gender equality in the world” and “the deprivation of the right to life of the unborn child is widespread.”

Noting the significance of choosing Korea for his first trip to Asia, the former ambassador explained that Pope Francis’ presence in a country suffering division for 70 years signifies that he came “to Korea and to Asia as pontiff, that is, as a builder

of bridges with God and between peoples.”

He came “as apostle of true peace, to encourage the Catholics and all the other Asians to dialogue and work together to overcome all the inhuman situations that occur in the continent to build a more equitable society, a more stable peace in the world.”

In this context, Pope Francis’ visit represents “a challenge to Korea as a nation and the Catholic Church therein to assume a greater role in pursuing authentic human development of peoples in Asia, particularly in the Korean Peninsula,” Han observed. “Both Korea and the Catholic Church well deserve to play such a role and (are) ready to embrace such a challenge,” he said. “The Pope’s visit will stimulate the ongoing renewal of the Catholic Church’s determination to take the lead in the evangelization of Asia, including the Korean Peninsula.”

At the same time, he continued, it will serve “as an effective catalyst to Korea’s constant willingness to assume its own responsibility for the humanization of Asia, particularly the Korean Peninsula, by promoting the culture of love, justice and peace.” www.catholicnewsagency.com

FOOD

food alert in West Africa's Ebola-affected countries The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says access to food is becoming a major concern for many people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The three countries have suffered the worst of the Ebola virus disease outbreak. Neighboring countries are not faring any better foodwise.

Bukar Tijani, FAO Regional Representative for Africa, says "with the main harvest now at risk and trade and movements of goods severely restricted, food insecurity is poised to intensify in the weeks and months to come. The situation will have long-lasting impact on farmers' livelihoods and rural economies," he added. The food alert issued comes in the wake of the worst Ebola epidemic ever witnessed. Due to restrictions in movement and fears of infection, farmers in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are not tending to their crops, and food prices in most West African countries are on the rise.

FAO says Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are all cereal importers, with Liberia being the most reliant on external supplies. The closure of some border crossings and the isolation of border areas where the three countries intersect – as well as reduced trade from seaports, the main conduit for large-scale commercial imports – are resulting in tighter supplies and

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sharply increasing food prices.

In a recently-conducted rapid market assessment in Monrovia, Liberia, the results indicate that prices of some food items have increased rapidly. For example, in some parts of Monrovia, the price of cassava went up to 150 percent within the first weeks of August.

"Even prior to the Ebola outbreak, households in some of the affected areas were spending up to 80% of their incomes on food," said Vincent Martin, head of FAO's Dakar-based Resilience Hub, which is coordinating the agency's response. "Now, these latest price spikes are effectively putting food completely out of their reach.

This situation may have social repercussions that could lead to subsequent impact on the disease containment."

The depreciation of national currencies in Sierra Leone and Liberia, in recent months, is expected to exert further upward price pressure on imported food commodities. To meet short-term food relief needs, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) has launched a regional emergency operation targeting some 65,000 tons of food for 1.3 million people.

Preventing further loss of human life and stopping the spread of the virus remain to be everyone's top priority. www.en.radiovaticana.va

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon lamented the fact that, in a world threatened by some 17,000 nuclear weapons, not a single one has been destroyed so far. Instead, he said, countries possessing such weapons have well-funded, long-range plans to modernize their nuclear arsenals. − www.ipsnews.net ISIS

softening criticism of U.S. over ISIS “The U.S. is indirectly responsible for what is going on in Iraq as it said it would ensure democracy and the well-being of the people but 10 years have passed and, on the contrary, we have gone

WordPress.com

backward,” Patriarch Louis Sako told reporters at Beirut's airport.

He was responding to a question following remarks attributed to him in the local daily Ad-Diyar in which he accused the U.S. of supporting ISIS. “Iraq has been divided ... and the Americans left Iraq in the midst of a vacuum where there was no army to protect [the people] and ISIS and these jihadist groups have been present for four years,” he said, before boarding a plane to Iraq.

“There were about one million Christians in Iraq and more than half of them have been displaced. Only 400,000 are left while displacement is still rising,” Sako added.

Sako was quoted as telling Ad-Diyar that “America is behind ISIS, which is the crime of the century, and they want to brazenly displace Christians from their homes and churches.”

“The West watched us and it seemed they have ignored our suffering,” he said. “But we will not leave our land, whatever the sacrifices.”

Sako had also criticized Muslim countries for lack of support. “Our Muslim neighbors did not help us,” he said, as he urged Muslim preachers to issue a religious ruling against the killing of all innocent people. “Issuing a fatwa preventing Muslims from killing fellow Muslims is not enough,” Sako said.

“America is responsible for what happened to the Christians in the East. And the patriarchs did not beg Arabs nor others to instill [peoples’] rights,” Sako said. www.dailystar.com

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ECOLOGY

alarming mercury levels in ocean waters The amount of mercury near the surface of many of the world’s oceans has tripled as the result of our polluting activities, a new study has found, with potentially damaging implications for marine life as the result of the accumulation of the toxic metal.

Mercury is accumulating in the surface layers of the seas faster than in the deep ocean, as we pour the element into the atmosphere and seas from a variety of sources, including mines, coal-fired power plants and sewage. Mercury is toxic to humans and marine life, and accumulates in our bodies over time as we are exposed to its sources.

Since the Industrial Revolution, we have tripled the mercury content of shallow ocean layers, according to the letter published in the peer-review journal Nature. Mercury can be widely dispersed across the globe when it is deposited in water and the air, the authors said, so even parts of the globe remote from industrial

sources can quickly suffer elevated levels of the toxic material.

Simon Boxall, lecturer on ocean and earth science at the University of Southampton, said it was “hard to say” from the research how much damage had already been done to marine life, including edible fish species, and how quickly any such damage would become apparent. “I would not stop eating ocean fish as a result of this,” he said. “But it is a good indicator of how much impact we are having on the marine environment. It is an alarm call for the future.”

Deep waters in the North Atlantic showed more mercury content than similarly deep waters of the South Atlantic and the Southern and Pacific Oceans, the authors of the report said. Mercury at the surface will disperse to lower layers in time, but this can take decades. However, the process of the damage to marine life becoming apparent can be faster in some areas, such as

those closer to the poles, than areas nearer the equator, said Dr Boxall.

The North Pole and the Arctic Circle, because of the winds and ocean currents, are areas where many pollutants released elsewhere across the globe accumulate.

Top predators, such as polar bears, have been found to have high levels of toxins in their bodies as a result. These animals are sometimes eaten by indigenous Arctic peoples.

Mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants can be reduced by using chemical filters but while this is increasingly the norm in the rich world, many developing countries have yet to catch up.

Another source of the metal is from sewage. Developed countries have means to reduce this impact but, again, developing countries are less likely to have in place the treatment systems necessary. www.theguardian.com

"The crisis of marriage and the family has been increased by individualism in the contemporary society, breakdown of morals, attacks on the family unit, poverty and unemployment." – From the final communiqué of the 18th Plenary Assembly of AMECEA (Association of Members of the Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa). www.fides.org

“The individual and his dignity must always come first. Work is no laughing matter! Whoever takes away work for business, money or profit reasons should be aware that this takes away people’s dignity!” – Pope Francis, during a General Audience at St. Peter’s Square, on September 3

"The privileged place for the encounter with Jesus Christ is our sins. If a Christian is not capable of recognizing himself as a sinner, saved by the Cross of Christ, then he is a halfway Christian, a lukewarm Christian.” – Pope Francis in his homily at St. Martha’s House on September 4.

"We live in a culture that considers capitalism to be the law that governs the use of money. For the religious, it should not be this way. It is the Gospel that must prevail."

– Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, Prefect, and Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, Secretary, in a circular letter on the use of financial resources by religious orders, last August. www.ucanews.com

"The Gospel is newness!

The Gospel is celebration! And the Gospel can only be fully lived in a heart joyful and renewed."

– Pope Francis, in his homily at St. Martha’s House, on September 5.

"The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience." – Pope Francis, in his message for the World Mission Day, 2014

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AMERICA/MEXICO

About 45,000 children missing and abducted

Global

Displacement of religious communities reaches all-time high In 2013, the world witnessed the largest displacement of religious communities in the world. Millions of Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and others representing a range of faiths were forced from their homes on account of their religious beliefs. Out of fear or by force, entire neighborhoods are being emptied of residents. Communities are disappearing from their traditional and historic homes and dispersing across the geographic map. In conflict zones, in particular, this mass displacement has become a pernicious norm.

In Syria, as in much of the Middle East, the Christian presence is becoming a shadow of its former self. After three years of civil war, hundreds of thousands fled the country desperate to escape the ongoing violence perpetrated by the government and extremist groups alike. In the city of Homs, the number of Christians dwindled to as few as 1,000 from approximately 160,000 prior to the conflict.

Elsewhere, in the Central African Republic, widespread lawlessness and an upsurge in sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims reportedly resulted in at least 700 deaths in Bangui in December alone and the displacement of more than one million people throughout the country during the year.

Anti-Muslim violence in Meikhtila, Myanmar, led up to 100 deaths and an estimated 12,000 displaced residents from the area in early 2013. This event showed that mob violence against Muslims was no longer confined to western Rakhine State, where over 140,000 persons have also been displaced since 2012. Although the government’s overall human rights record continued to improve, organized anti-Muslim

hate speech, harassment, and discrimination against Muslims continued, exploited by those seeking to divide and pit Buddhist and Muslim communities against one another, often for political gain.

All around the world, individuals were subjected to discrimination, violence and abuse, perpetrated and sanctioned violence for simply exercising their faith, identifying with a certain religion, or choosing not to believe in a higher deity at all.

Militants in Pakistan killed more than 400 Shia Muslims in sectarian attacks throughout the year and more than 80 Christians, in a single church bombing; the government arrested and jailed a number of those responsible for sectarian attacks, but it generally failed to prevent attacks.

Both Shia Muslims and Christians faced violent and deadly attacks in Egypt, and Shia Muslims in Saudi Arabia continued to face discrimination and prejudice, as were others who did not adhere to the government’s interpretation of Islam. In Iran, officials threatened, detained and harassed members of almost all non-Shia religious groups.

Hindus and other ethnic and religious minorities in Bangladesh faced increased harassment and physical attacks amidst political turmoil while, in Sri Lanka, violent Buddhist nationalist groups destroyed mosques and churches while security forces simply stood by.

Members of unregistered religious groups were continuously intimidated in Eritrea, where 1,200 to 3,000 people were imprisoned because of their religious beliefs.

And yet, amidst the darkness of religious strife, lay inspiring and unheralded

In Mexico, approximately 45,000 children and young people have been abducted and are victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking of organs.

This is the complaint made by the Foundation for the Research of Missing and Abducted Children.

Criminal gangs are mainly active in the Federal District and in the States of Mexico, Veracruz, Tijuana, Monterrey, Guadalajara, and in the border areas in the north and south of the country.

Often, young people are lured by criminal networks with enticing offers. According to American and French authorities that observe the phenomenon in Mexico, the victims are operated in American hospitals, where their organs are removed by corrupt doctors. The age group of these children who are kidnapped ranges between 7 and 10. Younger children are often kidnapped for adoption. In order to face this serious problem, the Foundation for the Research of Missing and Abducted Children has created a free campaign on the phenomenon of child abduction in the schools of the Federal District and in the States of Mexico, Veracruz and Puebla. According to UNICEF, 1.2 million children go missing worldwide each year. www.fides.org

acts of interfaith solidarity. Following the deadly Peshawar church bombing in Pakistan, resilient Muslim community members formed human chains around churches during services in a show of solidarity and to stand up against senseless violence.

In Egypt, Muslim men stood in front of a Catholic church to protect the congregation from attacks. And after an increase of mosque attacks in the United Kingdom, a local Orthodox Jewish neighborhood watch team began assisting Muslim leaders to ensure safe access to mosques and alert them of possible attacks. www.ucanews.com

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UNITED NATIONS

500 days of action to build a better world “Action now will save lives, build a solid foundation for sustainable development far beyond 2015 and help lay the groundwork for lasting peace and human dignity,” the Secretary-General said at a special event at the U.N. Headquarters in New York.

He was joined by more than 500 young people, including Ms. Yousafzai, who became an education advocate after being attacked by the Taliban on a school bus.

“The ideas and inspiration of young people have been especially critical in this effort and their role must grow even more,” Mr. Ban said, underscoring the progress made in development and the importance of youth involvement in national plans to accomplish even more.

As part of today’s events, “MDG supporters” are expected to speak out about the need to accelerate progress towards reaching the targets. The U.N. has said that it expects 500 minutes of MDG support today to mark the 500 days left to achieve the targets.

The eight MDGs, agreed by world leaders at the U.N. summit in 2000, are described as a 15-year roadmap to fight poverty, hunger and disease, protect the

environment and expand education, basic health and women’s empowerment.

“Against the predictions of cynics, the MDGs have helped unite, inspire and transform,” Mr. Ban noted. He highlighted that poverty has been cut in half, more girls attend school, and fewer people are dying from malaria, tuberculosis and other deadly diseases.

Inequality remains a challenge, however, as does childbirth, maternal mortality, universal education, and environmental sustainability, according to a report Mr. Ban presented to Member States in July.

“Now is the time for MDG momentum,” the U.N. chief stressed, noting that the international community now has many more tools at its disposal than when the targets were created, ranging from the expanding reach of technology to the growing understanding of what works and what does not.

Mr. Ban details four areas where governments can help fuel progress, including backing of social programs despite budget cuts, and deepening cooperation with civil society, the private sector and other networks.

Strategic investments in health,

education, energy and sanitation are also key, Mr. Ban said. He particularly noted investment in areas that empower women and girls.

He also emphasized focusing on the poorest and most vulnerable countries, communities and social groups that have the toughest road to progress despite their best efforts.

In her remarks, Ms. Yousafzai expressed her desire to see every boy and girl to attend school. She stressed how all countries should invest in education, which would cultivate young people’s potential.

She also suggested the need to change the mind-set that women are weaker than men. “Often, women are likely to believe that they are actually somehow ‘less’ than men, just because they have never been told otherwise.” Education, she continued “offers a chance to learn, free yourself, and contribute to positive change.”

“Always believe in yourself. We are all the same and everyone can make a difference,” Ms. Yousafzai concluded in her message of empowerment for all the people around the world. www.un.org

un.org

 GAINING MOMENTUM. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Malala Yousafzai on the remaining 500 Days of Action for MDGs.

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f r o n t i e r s

A valuable gift by

Tony Magliano *

C

atholic social teaching is, unfortunately, the Church’s best kept secret.

But because it directly addresses the world’s most pressing social justice and peace issues, Catholic social teaching, instead, needs to come out of hiding and be discovered, read, preached, proclaimed and lived in our parishes, schools, universities, media, homes, and society.

Five years ago, a very valuable contribution to Catholic social teaching was given to the Church, and the world,

by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. His encyclical letter Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth) was given a respectful but short hearing, and then put on the shelf to gather dust.

Let’s shake off five years of dust, and really begin to appreciate this gem.

Foundational to all just solutions to the world’s ills is unconditional love.

And as our retired Holy Father wrote: “Love – caritas – is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace. It is a force that has its origin in God, Eternal Love and Absolute Truth.”

Benedict insists that authentic charity or love needs the assistance of truth. “Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way,” he wrote.

He taught that the truth contained in the values of Christianity are “essential for building a good society and for true integral human development.”

He emphasized “the truth of Christ’s love in society,” and added that “development, social well-being, the search for a satisfactory solution to the grave socio-economic problems besetting humanity, all need this truth.”

“Without truth, without trust and love for what is true, there is no social conscience and responsibility, and social action ends up serving private interests and the logic of power, resulting in social fragmentation, especially in a globalized society at difficult times like the present,” he wrote.

Pope Emeritus Benedict’s insights are right on the mark.

Because the quest for love, a love influenced by truth, is not on the agenda of so many individuals – especially so, many individuals who hold political

Without truth, without trust and love for what is true, there is no social conscience and responsibility, and social action ends up serving private interests and the logic of power, resulting in social fragmentation, especially in a globalized society.

and corporate power – social action is, indeed, largely serving private interests and the logic of power.

Just consider how income and wealth over the last 30 years have dramatically increased for a tiny percentage of the population, while the working class’ share of the economic pie has stagnated, and various programs to assist the poor have significantly been cut.

While some claim that the Great Recession is over, that claim is of no consolation to countless human beings who are struggling with poverty, hunger, homelessness, unemployment and underemployment. And all of this painful injustice continues while corporate profits are at or near all time highs, and CEOs are racking in astronomical salaries.

A greedy, unjust toxic economic atmosphere is suffocating countless brothers and sisters. Social conscience and responsibility are not in the air.

Although the atmosphere is foul, we, as disciples of the Lord, are called to be men and women of hope.

For just as air pollution can be reversed, so, too, can economic pollution be cleaned up. As Christians, we have the ultimate remedy: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For as our retired Holy Father wrote: “The Gospel is fundamental for development because in the Gospel, Christ, in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of His love, fully reveals humanity to itself.”

Christ became human to show us what true humanity should ref lect: Divine Love and Absolute Truth!

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frontline • New challenges for the Church

A shepherd in a Muslim world The gem of Christianity seems to be very much alive in the Muslim enclave of Northern Arabia. Bishop Camillo Ballin, a Comboni missionary, had made it his own choice to serve in Arabic countries. After an enriching experience in Egypt and the Sudan, he is now shepherding the Catholic flock, as Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, & Saudi Arabia – a distinct mission full of challenges, with the clear aim of doing good to all. by

Fr. Dave Domingues | comboni missionary

 SHEPHERDING. Bishop Ballin presides over a Eucharistic celebration, nurturing his flock that continues to grow in the Arab countries.

Most Rev. Bishop, you have been appointed as Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia. What was your reaction to this appointment?

I was astonished because the Gulf has never been considered an area of our missions. I remember that I asked the then-superior general on what I should do: to accept it or not? He told me: “Accept, but don’t ask me for personnel.” At the same time, I was happy because I had seen, some years before, the reality in the Gulf and I was enthusiastic. To have more than 1,000 people at the daily Mass, (compared to) when (I was) in Cairo (where) I had only 4 or

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5 people, many can understand my enthusiasm for the Gulf. However, I did not realize the very big challenges that I would soon meet.

When we think of the territories you serve as bishop (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia), we think of a vast Muslim world. How many Catholics are there? Among Christian denominations, are they the biggest?

Surprisingly, there are around 2.5 million Catholics; among them, 1.5 million in Saudi Arabia alone. The Catholic Church is, by far, the most populated Church. There are also many other

communities, but there is no comparison with the Catholic Church as far as number is concerned.

Has the number of Catholics remained steady or has it been increasing?

It is always increasing because only the migrants can effectively do the manual work which our countries are in need of. Most of all, although many workers have their job in the oil field, there are also other fields of work: construction of roads, buildings, bridges, etc. There are clear instructions from the various governments to hire local people and to decrease the number of

expatriates. But very many types of work can be done only by our poor migrants.

Are Church authorities allowed to evangelize, gain converts among the local citizens? Are there Catholics among the locals?

In all the Arabic countries, the official religion is Islam and conversions from Islam to another religion are strictly forbidden. Meanwhile, it is very easy to convert from any other religion to Islam. Our mission is not to convert. I have been in the Arabic countries for 45 years but never had I witnessed a conversion, never had I provoked a conversion; and never had I expected a conversion. The life of Jesus has many aspects: Jesus who preaches, teaches, heals the sick, prays, etc. and, during the centuries, various religious congregations and orders specially took one of these aspects. What is the face of Jesus that we want to announce? It is Jesus who went to all the towns, Jewish and pagans, doing good to all the people. Our aim is to do good to all, be they Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.

When we say we want to do good to all, it is not an indirect way to extend the Catholic faith. We just want to do good.

That is all. That is the image of Jesus that we want to witness in our relations with the non-Christians.

Among the locals, there are very few Catholics – 3-4 families in Kuwait.

In Bahrain, some individuals (who are already Catholics) have been granted the Bahraini nationality; among these fortunate people is myself.

Could you describe how it is to be a Catholic in the Muslim world? Are there restrictions? Or can Catholics freely practice their faith? How about other Christian denominations?

In Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, all Christians can practice their faith within the compound of their churches. We have complete freedom of worship inside the churches in these three countries. We cannot have processions

 TOGETHER. Bishop Ballin counts on his clergy to continue doing good for all the people.

What is the face of Jesus that we want to announce? It is Jesus who went to all the towns, Jewish and pagans, doing good to all the people. Our aim is to do good to all, be they Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. or other religious manifestations in the streets though!

If there are restrictions, does this make catechetical instruction difficult? Is the importation of religious books and sacramentals allowed?

Our restrictions, in the three abovementioned countries, are in the space.

We have thousands and thousands of people in our churches and, especially on Friday, our weekly day off, there is no one minute nor one meter of space free. In Bahrain, I received many religious books sent directly to my house without any problem. In Kuwait and in Qatar, we have to follow the regulations of these two countries.

Are Catholics allowed to wear sacramentals, display images, rosaries, Catholic pictures in public?

Yes, inside the compound of the churches. Outside, it can be a provocation to the radicals. However, in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, I always dress, especially outside, in my cassock and wear my pectoral cross and I have always been respected by all. I am the

first bishop who dresses in public like that. Understandably, people look at me with curious eyes. I want to think that, in spite of my age (69), they still find me handsome!

Does the government allow churches/ shrines to be built? Since when? Any limitations?

Bahrain allowed the building of churches from 1939. The first Catholic church was built in Northern Arabia, 75 years ago. Kuwait allowed the building of a church in the 50’s. Qatar allowed it some 8 years ago. Bahrain has now allowed the building of a second church, which will be the Cathedral of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia and will be dedicated to Our Lady of Arabia.

The King of Bahrain was so proud to have a cathedral in his country that he made me a national of Bahrain. The land for the Cathedral is his biggest gift to the Catholic Church.

How many Catholic churches or chapels are there in the country? Do you think more churches will be built in the future?

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We have two churches in Kuwait, one in Qatar, one in Bahrain and another one coming up soon, the Cathedral.

We need two more churches in Qatar and others in Kuwait.

Can you say that the practice of religion in the area you serve is free?

As I said, we have freedom of worship. Everyone can practice his faith within the compound of the church.

This is for the three countries: Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

Do Catholics/Christians have a voice in society?

Our faithful are all migrants, hence, they don’t have the passport of the country where they work. They cannot interact with the government nor have an official voice in the society. However, they practically have a very important role in the society through their witnessing as Christians: to spread the love of God everywhere. Their good Christian behavior is a big help for a better society in the country. So we can say that, indirectly, they have a powerful voice in the society.

How about vocations? Are there men and women who are interested to become priests, nuns, or religious?

Extremely few because, here, college is only for the locals, not for the foreigners. So, after secondary school, the student has to leave these countries and go elsewhere for college.

Do you think the freedom with which the Bahraini government is allowing Catholicism to be practiced in its land will soon be experienced in other Middle Eastern countries?

I don’t think so, at least for quite a long time.

Do you think missionaries should increase their efforts to evangelize in these areas, or do you think the current level is acceptable, so as not to antagonize or abuse the government's goodwill?

Of course, we need more priests.

But we cannot have more because of lack of space. The only parish in Qatar serves around 350,000 church-goers! I myself need more priests, but our space is only for 7- 8 priests.

I cherish a lot of good memories. These people do strengthen my faith. Their hard life but cheerful disposition inspires me. In spite of the little they make for a living, they can donate a generous amount for a spiritual cause, such as the building of the Cathedral.

 WITNESSING. Bishop Ballin with a Filipino family. They, too, are agents of evangelization.

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If there are limitations to evangelization, how can missionaries promote the Gospel and the laity express their faith further?

Evangelization through our daily life has no limitations. On the other hand, a good Christian will be always appreciated by all. If what you mean by “evangelization” is conversion to Christianity, this is not our goal, as I have said.

Is there space and willingness for interreligious dialogue?

Yes, in Qatar, they started holding the annual Conference for Interreligious Dialogue eleven years ago. Bahrain had its first Conference from May 5 to 7, 2014.

As a bishop, what are your dreams for the people you are serving?

We have many nationalities and many rites. My dream is to form all these communities into one Catholic Church, not many Catholic Churches beside each other.

You are a Comboni missionary. Does this identity make a difference in your being a bishop in these areas?

For the Muslim world, this area is quite similar to the areas of other Arabic countries. I had asked, from the very beginning of my priestly life, to be sent to the Arabic countries and this happened in 1969. After 45 years, I am still here and am happy to be here, as happy as I was in Egypt and in the Sudan, my previous mission assignments.

Could you share with us a lasting memory from your many experiences during the past years?

I cherish a lot of good memories.

These people do strengthen my faith.

Their hard life but cheerful disposition inspires me. In spite of the little they make for a living, they can donate a generous amount for a spiritual cause, such as the building of the Cathedral.

To them, feeding the body only comes next to feeding the soul!

frontline • New challenges for the Church

enclave of Northern Arabia Bahrain

Geography: Bahrain, which means “two seas,” is an archipelago in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The islands for the most part are level expanses of sand and rock. A causeway connects Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.

Government: Constitutional monarchy.

King: Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifah (1999) Prime Minister: Khalifah bin Sulman al-Khalifah (1970) Land area: 239 sq mi (619 sq km); total area: 257 sq mi (665 sq km) Population (2012 est.): 1,248,348 (growth rate: 2.65%); birth rate: 14.41/1000; infant mortality rate: 10.2/1000; life expectancy: 78.29; density per sq km: 1,080 Capital and largest city (2009 est.): Al-Manámah, 163,000 Monetary unit: Bahrain dinar National Name: Mamlakat al Bahrayn

KUWAIT

Ethnicity/race: Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001) Religion: Islam (Shiite and Sunni) 81%, Christian 9% National Holiday: National Day, December 16 Literacy rate: 86.5% (2011 est.)

QATAR

Geography: Qatar (pronounced KAH-ter) occupies a small peninsula that extends into the Persian Gulf from the east side of the Arabian Peninsula.

Saudi Arabia is to the west and the United Arab Emirates to the south. The country is mainly barren.

Government: Constitutional monarchy.

Emir: Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (2013) Prime Minister: Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifah Al Thani (2013) Total area: 4,416 sq mi (11,437 sq km) Population (2011 est.): 1,951,591 (growth rate: 4.93%); birth rate: 10.23/1000; infant mortality rate: 6.81/1000; life expectancy: 78.09; density per sq mi: 214 Capital (2011 est.): Doha, 1,450,000 (city proper) Monetary unit: Qatari riyal Languages: Arabic (official); English a common second language

Geography: Kuwait is situated northeast of Saudi Arabia at the northern end of the Persian Gulf, south of Iraq. It is slightly larger than Hawaii. The low-lying desert land is mainly sandy and barren.

Government: Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy, governed by the al-Sabah family.

Emir: Sheik Sabah al-Ahmad alJabir al-Sabah (2006) Prime Minister: Sheikh Jabir al-Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah (2011) Total area: 6,880 sq mi (17,819 sq km) Population (2012 est.): 2,646,314 (growth rate: 1.883%); birth rate: 20.96/1000; infant mortality rate: 7.87/1000; life expectancy: 77.28 Capital (2009 est.): Kuwait, 2.23 million Monetary unit: Kuwaiti dinar (KD) National name: Dawlat al-Kuwayt Languages: Arabic (official), English

Ethnicity/race: Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, others 7% Religions: Islam 85% (Sunni 70%, Shiite 30%); Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and others 15% National Holiday: National Day, February 25 Literacy rate: 93.3% (2005 census)

Saudi Arabia

Ethnicity/race: Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, others 14% Religion: Muslim 77.5%, Christian 8.5%, other 14% (2004 census) Literacy rate: 89% (2004 census)

Geography: Saudi Arabia occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula, with the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba to the west and the Persian Gulf to the east. Neighboring countries are Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, Yemen, and Bahrain, connected to the Saudi mainland by a causeway. Saudi Arabia contains the world's largest continuous sand desert, the Rub Al-Khali, or Empty Quarter. Its oil region lies primarily in the eastern province along the Persian Gulf.

Government: Saudi Arabia was an absolute monarchy until 1992, at which time the Saud royal family introduced the country's first constitution. The legal system is based on the Sharia (Islamic law).

Sovereign: King Abdullah (2005) Land area: 829,995 sq mi (2,149,690 sq km) Population (2012 est.): 26,534,504 (growth rate: 1.52%); birth rate: 19.19/1000; infant mortality rate: 15.61/1000; life expectancy: 74.35; density per sq mi: 31

Capital and largest city (2010 est.): Riyadh, 5,254,560 (city); 6,800,000 (metro) Other large cities: Jeddah, 3,900,00; Makkah (Mecca), 1,800,000 Monetary unit: Riyal National name: Al-Mamlaka al'Arabiya as-Sa'udiya Language: Arabic Ethnicity/race: Arab 90%, AfroAsian 10% Religion: Islam 100% Literacy rate: 78.8% (2003 est.)

SOURCE: www.infoplease.com

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wm special • mission & money

Who’s first: God or mammon?

Money, as depicted in media, is the root of evil. Even Jesus, during His public ministry, went head on against the evils of money. Money, however, has a positive side to it, especially if it is used to feed the hungry and to aid those who need it the most.

Digging deeper into Jesus’ teachings helps us to understand that it is not the evil of money itself that we are up against, but our desire to accumulate more, as well as our failure to distinguish what matters more in life… and after this life. by

Fr. Emmett Coyne | contributor

 AT THE SERVICE. Money is not evil per se, but our desire to accumulate more and more is, blinding us from the needs of the poor.

J

esus seemed preoccupied with wealth as He spoke so often about it in the Gospels, which are unique in their focus on wealth and poverty. This seeming fixation by Jesus is unusual and can only be attributed to the Gospel writers. Jesus never wrote anything, unlike Mohammed, who took dictation from God through the angel Gabriel. We assume the Gospel writers from oral tradition passed on, in written form, Jesus’ words on wealth and poverty.

The Economic Landscape

Jesus wasn’t speaking to Wall Street types but largely to rural people who made their living from farming, herding, and fishing. While Jesus finally

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went up to the big city of Jerusalem to meet His end, He spent most of the time in rural Galilee. The population of Palestine in Jesus’ time was estimated to be between 500 to 600 thousand while, today, the similar geographical area has approximately ten million people. Those who heard Jesus speak on the issue of wealth and poverty were quite small in number.

Without any form of communications media, it is understandable that Jesus was constantly on the road to share His jarring message.

The situation at that time was probably similar to that of today; the 1% of the wealthy had a vast disproportion of wealth while the masses languished, depending on luck to get their daily

bread. The poor had no barns to stock up their reserves, as with the majority of people today, who live from day to day with nothing set aside for the rainy days.

Few wealthy persons were probably in the audience. One wonders if the writers wrote them into their accounts.

There, however, is the instance of the rich man who could not swallow Jesus’s challenge to go and sell what he had and give it to the poor. The Gospel writers note: “At this, the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” It was then that Jesus turned to those remaining, those without, and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” We are told that those who remained were amazed at

the pronouncement. Jesus repeated Himself so that they will get what He is saying. With this example, Jesus turned their understanding upside down; that is, that the rich were not the elect of God after all! The traditional thinking was that they were wealthy because they were doing things rightly. But Jesus says not so!

Although written from different sources, the Gospels agreed on Jesus’ position, often insinuating that the wealth that the rich amassed is ill-gotten. The Letter of James also affirmed this Gospel thinking that the rich’s wealth is often questionable. “Look!

The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you.” Biblically, wealth is often viewed with suspicion that it may have been accrued though injustice. This was an about face to the belief that was commonly held. It must have been liberating for Jesus’ listeners to sense that the rich were rejected by God. Possibly, few of Jesus’ listeners possessed great wealth, if at all they had it, because economic classes generally do not mingle. One of the songs in the musical Camelot goes: “I wonder what the peasants are doing tonight”; but this is fanciful, the stuff of a musical.

The wealthy spend little time thinking about the plight of the poor. In Haiti, some of the less than 1% who enjoy the wealth of that most impoverished country are able to take a helicopter from their homes to the airport, passing the sprawling slum that is Port au Prince. They take flights to shop in Miami’s malls, and then f ly back, again via helicopter, up the hills, avoiding the teeming masses of poor citizens. Jesus, on the other hand, was focused on the poor, engaged with the multitudes. He didn’t try to avoid them but purposefully sought them out and engaged with them. “And he looked out on the crowds and was moved with compassion for them.” Therefore, the litmus test for discipleship was how to treat the least ones rather than, “he who dies with the most toys wins!”

 LEARNING. Sometimes Mother Nature teaches us what really matters in life the hard way.

One only realizes what is really of value when one’s house is destroyed and possessions are taken by fire or flood. It is then that some have a “eureka moment,” when they realize the most precious possession they have is the gift of one’s life, family, friends.

The Desire for More

Money is often cited as the root of all evil but the scriptural teaching is that the desire for money, and not money itself, is the root of the problem. “For the love of money is the root of all evils.”

Money should be a means to an end but when it becomes the end, mammon is worshipped. In speaking to the masses that had little, nonetheless, Jesus would speak of a cautionary tale: “Take heed and beware of all desire; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of one’s possessions.” Even if one has little, one can be possessed by them.

There seems to be an innate desire to hunger for more. In fact, there is a book entitled just that, The Hunger for More, which examines how one’s wants exceeds his or her needs, and the difficulty to restrain this lust, especially since media bombards us daily to tempt us to seek more and more and more.

The antidote Jesus offers is to lay up treasures in heaven, i.e., seek the immaterial – joy, peace, love, truth, etc.

The gifts of the Spirit provide richness to a person’s inner life. That is, if one nurtures an inner life. Otherwise, we

are but a shell of a person. As a poet observed: “Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.”

The Wake-Up Call

Those advancing in age often speak and act about downsizing, living with less, extricating themselves from all the useless stuff they accumulated over the years, realizing that, in advanced years, having is more of a burden than a blessing, and that the real wealth is health. Finally, for some, the wisdom of “less is more” is achieved. But taking to heart Jesus’ teaching on material possessions, one doesn’t have to reach advanced years to possess this wisdom. It is here for the taking.

S ome t i me s, Mot he r Nat u re teaches us the hard way; one only realizes what is really of value when one’s house is destroyed and possessions are taken by fire or f lood. It is then that some have a “eureka moment,” when they realize the most precious possession they have is the gift of one’s life, family, friends, and neighbors. Things may be replaced but not a unique life.

Such is irreplaceable.

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Cost of Discipleship

 WANTS. Our insatiable appetite for wealth makes us slaves to mammon.

When one’s goal in life is to build bigger barns, one can become ruthless in the process and use and abuse others, becoming unjust in the process. To pursue bigger barns as a goal makes mammon our god. The material becomes an end and not a means.

Hence, Jesus’ teaching to the multitudes cautioned about the desire to build bigger barns. He told a parable of a rich man who had such a bountiful harvest that he had to pull down his barns and build bigger ones. Then the rich man said to himself: “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” But a disturbing thought saw it otherwise. “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”

People with money, as well as those without money or material means, can equally become a slave to mammon.

Jesus warns us that we can’t have two masters. Most believers might not judge themselves as putting mammon before God, but in practice, where is our heart? “For where your heart is, there is your treasure.”

Wants vs. Needs

All can easily fall victim to the desire to consume more than we need. How many of us can clearly distinguish between wants and needs? There is a movement in England today, “The Joy

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of Enough,” which seeks to encourage people to know the difference between wants and needs, to become responsible consumers, not the ones hypnotized by advertisements to acquire more or desiring more than we need, but to freely put the brakes on consumption and to realize what really matters.

A sign that people lust for more is the purchase of lottery tickets. People will sometimes squander money and forego their daily needs to buy lottery tickets in the hope of winning the big one. Most persons who buy lottery tickets are people on the lower rung of the economic ladder. The lottery ticket is often called a tax on the poor because many governments depend on lottery monies to pay for the government expenditure of others. It is only the mega lottery that attracts the wealthy to buy tickets. But it is the poor who create the mega pool of money from their hardearned cash, driven by the possibility to increase their material well-being. It is understandable why poor people would be tempted to purchase lottery tickets, but the purchase of the tickets only makes them poorer.

Jesus sought disciples for the Kingdom of God. He sought to imbue simple people with a sense of mission. The cost of discipleship is being other-oriented, dying to self. This is a fierce challenge as we are so self-oriented, acting most of the time out of self-interest even when we convince even ourselves that we are not. If we allow ourselves to be subjected to scrutiny, our true motives could be easily unmasked. Dying to oneself in today’s psychological understanding is letting go of the ego. Most of our energy is spent on reinforcing the ego. The paradox of the Christian life is dying and rising, dying to the self to rise to newness of life.

When Jesus sent out 72 disciples, He instructed them to take nothing for the journey. The number 72 is significant because it underscores Jesus’ commissioning of many persons to proclaim the Kingdom of God, not simply the 12 closest to Him. “Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals…” In this teaching, Jesus is seeking persons who will not be concerned about their own security but those who will embrace insecurity and limitations, and will accept dependence on others rather than be focused on self-sufficiency. Service to others is where the self dies. When one’s goal in life is to build bigger barns, one can become ruthless in the process and use and abuse others, becoming unjust in the process. To pursue bigger barns as a goal makes mammon our god. The material becomes an end and not a means.

Mammon has prevailed.

More than themselves, people want their children to be successful in life.

But if success is measured primarily by material gain, then children are being sent on a dangerous mission for they can easily lose their soul in the process.

Many parents feel they have failed if their children embrace a mission to serve others, if they pursue work to assist the well-being of others, often involving insecurity or less monetary compensation and prestige. They, however, should compliment themselves

wm special • mission & money for raising children who know the difference between what matters and what seems to matter.

Distinguishing God vs. Mammon

The struggle for one’s daily bread is overwhelmingly consuming. So, is the teaching of Jesus only for a particular class of people? Jesus spoke to those for whom the pursuit of their daily bread was provisional – people at the bottom of the economic ladder or who lived along the margins of society; people in dire straits can do dire things for survival. The poor, as well as the wealthy, are subject to stealing. They, too, can resort to horizontal violence especially toward one another in seeking a material end. When Jesus asked, “what do you think?” after sharing a parable, He is actually engaging even the least ones in critical thinking about their lives. It is important for all persons to reflect on their decisions, even those faced with very limited choices or none.

The parable method of Jesus was similar to the Socratic Method. Both methods are about asking and answer-

ing questions to stimulate critical thinking. They were not teaching from the top down or considered people as having the mind of a tabula rasa – a blank slate, born without any mental context. Both sought to draw persons into the conversation and have them share their thinking or how they interpreted things.

There is a creative ministry developed in Germantown, Maryland entitled “The Ministry of Money.” It offers retreats for people to examine their attitude toward money and material things. Part of the examination centered on one’s family’s financial history even if the family struggled to survive materially. What were the attitudes fostered and passed on? What baggage does one carry with him/her from the family experience of having or not having money and material means? Cultural and societal attitudes and how people overtly process them are also examined. How many persons would subject themselves to such a reflection? It, however, offers a practical means to determine who’s first, God or mammon?

Jesus’ teaching on God and mammon is to take an inner journey to question our attitude toward material possessions, to challenge ourselves to where our heart truly lies. This is best facilitated in a community that creates the environment for discernment.

 OPENNESS. Like the disciples of Emmaus, we need to keep our hearts burning by His love.

I had an uncle in Ireland. He was born years after “The Great Famine” which devastated the country and its people. The oral tradition of this event was powerful, affecting the psyche of the people for a long time after it happened. For those who didn’t migrate, the overriding fear was to end up in the poor house. This would be tantamount to a death sentence. As a result, my uncle hoarded what little money he earned. He was fearful of spending anything as it would possibly put him in great jeopardy in later years. There was no pension or state supported social net. It depended on each one to prepare for their future. He became a victim to what little money he had.

Ultimately, he died of malnutrition, despite having money in the bank. His trust was in mammon.

To be on a mission for the Kingdom of God seeks to balance means and end, self and others, the material and immaterial, security and insecurity. Essentially, it means being focused more on the common than the achievement of personal good. Unfortunately, many religious emphases are placed on external observances or rituals. Jesus’ teaching on God and mammon is to take an inner journey to question our attitude toward material possessions, to challenge ourselves to where our heart truly lies. This is best facilitated in a community that creates the environment for discernment. Alas, there are few communities which enable such selfjourney to unmask mammon. It seems the more common journey is: through life’s trial and error, when a person gains and losses things, money and might have an epiphany that mammon was one’s god.

“The best things in life” are not the things a bumper sticker proclaims.

Journeying with Jesus, we are provided with food that is not bread alone. In our willingness to be a disciple like those on the road to Emmaus, who realize their hearts were burning within them, we, too, can receive illumination from His presence.

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wm special • mission & money

What does it profit one?

In a highly-capitalistic society such as ours, it seems that making a profit is the end-goal of everyone who possesses money. History has been witness to this, prompting even the major religions to lay down rules to discourage profiteering. It is, therefore, very odd to encounter persons or groups who lend out money to the needy, even without profit. However, keeping at heart the things that matter the most in this world, as Jesus continually reminds us in the Gospels, helps us to see money, not through greedy eyes, but through the economics of faith. by

Fr. Emmett Coyne | contributor

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song claims that “money makes the world go round.” However, it’s not money itself that makes the world spin but the profit from that money. Profit is the engine of capitalism, the dominant economic engine of our time. But profit isn’t unique to capitalism. Some form of money has been

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exchanged through the centuries and among cultures as a means to exchange goods and services. Early on, though, there were those who recognized that profit could be made from money.

These “sharks” went for the kill. Today, the pursuit of profit is unprecedented in the history of our world.

Profiteering through the Ages

From the beginning of the history of the Jewish people, there was a prohibition against making profit at the expense of another, especially in their misfortune.

“If thou lend money to any of My people, even to the poor with thee, thou shalt not be to him as a creditor; neither shall

ye lay upon him interest.(Ex. 24:22) This is evident that, even at this early epoch of humanity, some sought to take advantage of others by demanding interest for loans. Predating even the Jews, among Hindus and Buddhists in India, there was a disdain for anyone taking interest from another. But again, there were loan sharks out to increase their money through interest even then.

The Roman Church followed the tradition of the Jews, with a prohibition against usury as far back as the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. This was reinforced through the centuries by councils, popes, and theologians. The 3rd Lateran Council was so severe that it even decreed a person couldn’t receive the sacraments or a Christian burial if engaged in usury. Theological historian John Noonan argues that "the

St. Thomas Aquinas held that usury was double-charging.

With the rise of capitalism, the absolute prohibition against usury gradually eroded. Some claim that capitalism took off when the Roman Church took a softer stance on usury. doctrine of usury was enunciated by popes, expressed by three ecumenical councils, proclaimed by bishops, and taught unanimously by theologians.”

St. Thomas Aquinas held that usury was double-charging. With the rise of capitalism, the absolute prohibition against usury gradually eroded. Some claim that capitalism took off when the Roman Church took a softer stance on usury.

Islam takes a strong position against usury and remains more vigilant about the abuse of taking interest unscrupulously. It has developed a form of banking complaint with Islamic law (Shariah) to safeguard abusive interest.

Jesus told a parable of the nobleman who, before going off on a journey, gave money to his servants with the instruction to trade with it until he returned.

When he did, he called them in and asked for an account. The first had been given ten pounds and gained ten more in his absence. The second was given five and increased it five more. While the third had done nothing to increase the pound given him because he judged his master a severe man: “You reap what you do not sow.” Of course, this response did not sit well with the master who told him to give it to the good servant who had increased the master’s

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In the play, Shylock demanded, as collateral, a pound of flesh from a nonJew. When the man defaulted, Shylock insisted on his pound of flesh. The caricature of the Jew which Shakespeare created would reverberate through the centuries with more than a pound of Jewish flesh demanded from Jews. Jews no longer secured their corner of the banking market. It was now a coveted business with ruthless competition.

Usury, interest and capitalism

 EXPLOITATION. The desire for profit by all means can lead us to use others as mere means.

From the beginning of organized society, there were those willing to take advantage of someone in material need, and unscrupulously endeavored to profit from another’s misfortune. There, however, were also those willing to loan to others without gouging them. money most. In telling this parable, Jesus was directing his attention towards the ruling class, which had the money to increase their fortunes. This, however, was not simply a parable but a reality being practised by those who had surplus wealth and who desired to increase it by any means, and use others in the process for their greed.

Jews and Usury

In a sense, Jews became the scapegoats for money-lending or usury. Because the Church had strong prohibitions against the taking of interest, those with extra capital sought a way around making interest from their spare cash. Jews were held as outsiders in the dominant Christian society of Europe. Christians with surplus cash would, therefore, loan money to Jews. Jews, in turn, now had the capital to make loans to the largely peasant class who were frequently cashstrapped. The Jew was the middleman, and middlemen usually got beaten by the other two parties. The interest rates were generally very high, as much as 30-40% of the loan. The peasants had a hard time paying back but if the Jews

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did not collect their money with interest, they could be killed. Jews were forced to charge high interest rates in order to cover their losses as well as to provide a living for themselves.

Money-lending was one of the few work opportunities allowed to Jews in Christian countries, being banned from owning land, farming, joining the guilds, serve in government, etc. They were forced to take work that others wouldn’t, like collecting rags and lending money. Because of the Christian prohibition on usury by default, at the behest of Christians with capital, they loaned money. Historically, this set them on the path to become leaders in banking which was considered more reputable than simple money-lending.

Shakespeare, in his play, "The Merchant of Venice," created a disreputable money-lending character, Shylock, who was, of course, a Jew. Although Jews had been expelled from England since the thirteenth century and, therefore, were not part of the England of Shakespeare’s time, the playwright was evidently aware of the plight of Jews elsewhere.

Usury originally meant something negative, i.e., making questionable loans in order to enrich the lender. From the beginning of organized society, there were those willing to take advantage of someone in material need, and unscrupulously endeavored to profit from another’s misfortune. There, however, were also those willing to loan to others without gouging them. Psalm 15:5 is evidence of this historical effort when it praises those who lend to the poor without taking interest.

Interest seems to be the engine of capitalism. “Goods and services are developed to fulfill a need. In return for providing a need, goods or service, the individual or business makes profits. The individual or business uses these profits to purchase goods and services from others.” Persons who initiate goods and services and fulfilling needs are now called entrepreneurs.

One can hardly quibble with someone who provides goods and services and receives just compensation. But it doesn’t stop there. The provider will push the market to see what it will bear, how much profit it can demand.

Capitalism holds that “without the profit incentive, individuals would not be as motivated to develop new ideas within the marketplace. Without profits, nobody would bother to provide needed services.” But, before capitalism, there was the same need for goods and services, and persons stepped up to fill the need. Historically, there was more bartering with people, exchanging goods and services with one anoth-

wm special • mission & money er according to their individual skills.

Profit was not always the overriding motivation in rendering goods and services. Artists, in general, produce “art for art’s sake.” Many an artist received little or no profit for their artistic expression in their lifetime. Often, after their death, their works became extremely valuable and many persons profited from the long dead artist’s effort.

Often, goods and services were provided, not for individual profit, but for the common good. The early monastic communities, like the Benedictines, were extremely inventive and produced goods and services for a greater common good. The emphasis and priority given to individual profit is a later historical development which capitalism has sanctioned and blessed.

Today, corporations rule the world and are more powerful than nations.

Corporations are not content to simply provide goods and services for the widest possible market but for maximum profit. Boards of Directors are not content with last year’s profit margin but seek to increase them to ever higher profitability, often at a cost to human lives. In corporate capitalism, profit takes precedence over the person. Corporations seek out the country in which they are able to receive material incen-

 ALL FOR PROFIT. Corporations seek profitability instead of for a greater common good.

tives to relocate. Too often, workers in such places work for the lowest wages possible. The result, increasingly, is the toll on human lives. In Bangladesh, the November 2012 fire, where 117 persons died, was one of several deadly disasters that have exposed harsh and unsafe working conditions in Bangladesh's lucrative garment industry. Also, a factory collapse last April killed more than 1,100 workers. Factories in which corporations have their goods produced, more often than not, are dangerous working facilities. Corporations, unless

 HUMAN COST. Relatives of the Bangladeshi victims are left only with pictures to remember.

made to buckle by public pressure, are neither concerned about safe facilities nor fair worker compensation. Corporations seek the maximum profit for the minimum investment. In a way, the consuming public, who demands the best bargains for goods without investigating their history and origin, bears some responsibility.

The Christian perspective on profit

As long as capitalism is the main economic engine, the desire for profit is a virus that affects all. It is easy to lose sight of the Christian perspective in our world as it is. “What does it profit one to gain the whole world but to lose one’s soul?” Yet, the Christian worldview is simple: People before profits, and the common good before the individual good. “We also believe that the economic system does not take sufficient account of the need for respect, and development of the human being emphasizes money and profits instead,” Brazilian Cardinal Aloisio Lorscheider once said.

It is hard to harness the push for profit. Individuals constantly seek means of increasing their profit. But businesses have particularly sharpened their appetite for ever-increasing profit. Stock markets throughout the

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wm special • mission & money planet take the financial pulse daily.

People with extra cash seek to invest in order to increase their investment, often, without scruples as to where their money is invested. Weapons manufacturing attracts many to invest because there is an insatiable appetite for instruments of death. There are, on the other hand, persons who do not seek to make a profit without scrutinizing where their funds are being invested.

Beyond capitalism

Happily, not all are driven by maximizing their profit. Profit must be in the context of justice which is about the right relations between persons and things.

This spirit has been and continues to be

practiced, largely informally, by lending to others without expecting any interest on the loan. Immigrants have often helped one another materially without interest. The only interest is in the well-being of their fellow immigrant, struggling to survive. My immigrant father was fortunate to have a fellow immigrant who landed a better-paying job and was able to save some money. In time, he loaned my father money for the down payment on a house and put his name on the loan since he could financially qualify. Over the years my father paid him without interest. Fortunately, this is not an isolated incident.

Among Korean immigrants to the United States, there is a practice called

Weapons manufacturing attracts many to invest because there is an insatiable appetite for instruments of death. There are, on the other hand, persons who do not seek to make a profit without scrutinizing where their funds are being invested.

kye. A dozen or more meet monthly and contribute the same amount to a common pot. Each month, a different member is entitled to take the common pot and pay interest to the others. No one person is to profit from the low interest but, ultimately, to the group.

As banking grew to be a major business and profited from making loans, others sought formally to be a counterweight to banks. Credit unions ref lect a cooperative movement where members banded together for the group to profit rather than for a few individuals. Their origin dates back to 1852 in Germany. In time, they would spread around the world. They are now in over 100 countries and number over 52, 000. In North America, the first one started in Quebec, Canada: a man learned of a case where the court ordered a man to pay $5,000 interest on a loan of $500.

 ATTRACTED. There is a growing desire for instruments of death; it has become a profitable market at the expense of many victims.

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Human ingenuity is not limited to entrepreneurs. There are many creative persons who seek means of enabling persons to be liberated from loans and credit which enslave them. The vast majority has no collateral and, therefore, banks are unwilling to provide loans. Microcredit or microlending has emerged throughout the world in recent times. Such loans are provided largely to impoverished women allowing them to develop entrepreneur skills in order to support their families. This concept is credited to the Bank of Grameen which began making microloans to the impoverished in 1983. As of 2009, an estimated 74 million men and women held microloans that totaled US$38 billion.

Grameen Bank reports that repayment success rates are between 95 and 98%.

The jury is still out on its effectiveness, but it represents the search for an alternative system to liberate the poor from being victims of usury by loan sharks.

The Peruvian economist, Hernando de Soto Polar, realized that if the poor had collateral, they would be eligible for loans. In Peru, many families had been living on land for generations without title to their land. Once they were able to obtain title, they would have collateral.

Eventually, more than 1.2 million families obtained title. Since his initial efforts in the 1980’s, his concept has been adopted in 23 countries.

These are a few examples of persons who are not motivated directly to gain personal profit for their desire to expand goods and services to people. In a sense, their creative ingenuity is similar to artists. They use their skills not for profit but to execute an innate ability that doesn’t profit them.

How to get off the profit wheel

There is a very small movement of people who resist making profit from anyone or anything. They feel that profit has been more of a curse than a blessing. They are hardly a legion. Most persons want to make a profit even if they will not openly admit it. Profit in itself, like money, is not necessarily in-

 ALTERNATIVE. The enduring value of the human person can never be replaced by profit.

If we maintain the Christian perspective that the person comes before profit, and the common good before the individual good, we can be good stewards of what is God’s, and witness to a world where this is the enduring value. trinsically bad. It is a question of whether it is a means to a just end. Is one consistently seeking to increase one’s profits or use the profit to assist others?

If one has profited from making interest, one can elect to loan to others in need without interest. This may inspire someone, when in a better financial place, to do similarly to another in need. This is risk taking but such is the life of faith.

There are now organizations, again due to human ingenuity, which will process one’s money to assist others who are in need with loans at low interest. The lender receives little or no interest in the transaction. Five organizations which fit this category are: Kiva, Lending Club.com, Propser.com, VirginMoneyUS.com, and Zopa.com.

St. Paul, writing to Christians in the wealthy city of Corinth, enjoined them: "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded." Not only our money and profit is a gift from God but ingenuity, skills, and talents, which often enable one to profit, are gifts from God. If we maintain the Christian perspective that the person comes before profit, and the common good before the individual good, we can be good stewards of what is God’s, and witness to a world where this is the enduring value.

“What does it profit to gain the whole world and lose one’s soul?” This is ballast as we navigate on the sea of life in a capitalistic world.

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wm special • mission & money

A truly poor church

In many of his pronouncements, Pope Francis has constantly clamored for a “church of the poor.” Although many members of the clergy and laity are beginning to follow the Holy Father’s lead, many are still confused about which direction the Church should take because of the existing structures and values within the Church. Only with an overhaul and reorientation of these values can the Pope’s dream of a truly poor church be eventually realized. by

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Fr. Emmett Coyne | contributor

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mong the first words out of the newly-elected Pope Francis’ mouth were: "How I would like a church that is poor and for the poor.”

To speak of the poor immediately was unusual for a new pope. Taking his new name from Francis of Assisi, who is universally identified with the poor, only underscored where he wants to take the Church that is always in need of reform (ecclesia semper reformanda est).

These days, however, it is easy to ignore the priorities that Jesus has laid down, especially when they become challenging. But the Spirit is constantly provoking members of the Church and will continue to “remind you of everything I told you.”

The priority and only judgment of discipleship is Matthew 25: "Whatever you do to the least ones you do to Me." Unequivocally, Jesus identified first with the least ones; we are to encounter Jesus primarily in them. No other world religion or philosophy makes the poor the most important. This is radical stuff that has yet to be embraced even by those who consider themselves His disciples. But Francis of Assisi took Jesus at His word.

In a provocative article on the Resurrection, published in the Boston Globe on Easter Sunday 2014, New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman, who identifies himself as an agnostic, noted that "Christianity in our age has turned into a religion all about power and wealth and influence. The point about Jesus is that He was not a man of power, wealth, and inf luence. He was a lower-class peasant who was crucified. So I would think that Christians who are celebrating Easter should recognize that the One that God vindicated was a lowly person who was in support of the poor and the oppressed." To miss this point is to make Jesus into our image of what we want Him to be rather than what the historical record demonstrates He was.

Pope Francis, at least implicitly, is acknowledging that Christianity today is perceived as being about power, wealth and inf luence. Otherwise, why

 ICON. St. Francis of Assisi is a model of what the renewed Church ought to be.

The richest 1% owns 46% of the world's wealth while 3 billion persons have $2 a day or less. The Church has to be unequivocally seen on the side of the vast crowd of the least ones and not on the side of the few wealthy and powerful. would he pine for a church that is poor and for the poor?

The richest 1% owns 46% of the world's wealth while 3 billion persons have $2 a day or less. The Church has to be unequivocally seen on the side of the vast crowd of the least ones and not on the side of the few wealthy and powerful.

The Pope is musing aloud so that we can hear him plainly and join in a dialogue of how the church will be poor and for the poor. He is responding to a world of inequity in which a tiny fraction has unfathomable wealth compared to the majority who only has crumbs. The church must reform itself first if it is to be salt and light for humanity.

The Pentecost event

At Pentecost, the Spirit was poured out among all, not just the leaders of the community. At Baptism, the Spirit

is invoked to come upon the newlybaptized and again at Confirmation.

"The Spirit blows where it pleases." (Jn 3:8) But the Spirit can only come under my roof if I am open to the Spirit. The Spirit does not force its way in. Francis of Assisi declined to be a priest. He heard the Spirit's call to "go and build my house" as a layman. Francis took his cue from there.

Getting the ball rolling – the person

Like St. Francis, we can allow the Spirit to work in us to do His bidding.

However, before we can begin, we must first have the proper perspective. We need to re-emphasize that the person is more valuable than anything. The radical message of Jesus is to give priority to the person, and no less, the least person, even at the expense of the law.

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When Rome was still under the Caesars, the deacon Lawrence, as treasurer of the church, was ordered to hand over the church's wealth. First, Lawrence distributed the valuables of the church, like sacred vessels and any material possessions to the poor of the city, and then gathered the poor and brought them before the emperor to witness that the poor are the church's treasure. While it is a legend, the teaching point is that persons, no less the least ones, are the church's true wealth. This is a point that is often missed and needs to be constantly reaffirmed. This story reflects the teaching of Jesus regarding the least ones, that the person is more sacred than any object or place, no matter how lowly the person is. This is the unique characteristic of Jesus’ teaching but members have not always embraced it. Hence, Francis raises the issue again for the whole Church to ref lect on.

The new Rome

With the importance of the person – the poor – in mind, we can now look at the institutions, structures and systems that are in place. Currently, the headquarters of the Catholic Church is in Rome which is situated in a privileged part of the planet. The seat of the Church should move to one of the poorest countries of the world. The ten poorest countries in the world are not Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist, but Christian, and cumulatively, most of the people in these ten poorest countries are Catholic.

I would suggest that papacy be relocated in Haiti, the poorest of the ten, and the most Catholic. Pope Francis recently made a Haitian a cardinal, the first ever. He also made cardinals in several other poor countries, again, to underscore that they are not forgotten.

Of course, Roman businesses would not like to see the papacy leave Rome as it is their main business anchor. Imagine how Haiti might be financially helped if pilgrims traveled to the "New Rome?"

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There are those who might argue that Rome is sacred. But that would be idolatry. The papacy abandoned Rome numerous times, usually for political reasons. For 69 years and through seven popes, it was in Avignon, France.

For the papacy to move to a poor country like Haiti, not for political reasons, but to be more attuned to the Gospel, would underscore the church's primary identification with the least ones. Can you imagine the impact this would have on the whole world? Would this not be the New Evangelization?

Sacred persons, not places

The church needs to have a moratorium on lavish buildings. A song offers: "Lord, we don't need another mountain. There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb...till the end of time." The song continues: "What the world needs now is love, sweet love.

It's the only thing that there's just too little of." There are endless cathedrals and shrines all over the world. What is the point of seeking to build more, and to engage competitively in bigger and more lavish ones? Jesus did not lament

the loss of the Temple. For him, the true temple where the Spirit dwells is within f lesh, the person. Too often, Catholics can't spend enough on buildings and yet ignore poor Lazarus at the door of the shrine or cathedral.

Church as museum or garden?

The Vatican needs to rethink maintaining museums. It is not its mission but a deviation from it. St. John XXIII observed: "We are not on earth to guard a museum but to tend a blooming garden full of life." In other words, the church should be not about dead, inanimate things but nurturing the living. Museums are the mission of others, but not the Gospel's mandate.

More material resources are too often consumed in the construction and maintenance of buildings in the name of God than the building up of the Body of Christ in providing the least with their daily bread.

Simplicity of life

Pope Francis has, by example, encouraged shepherds to "smell like the sheep." This meant simplicity in life-

The poor are intimidated by those who have the symbols of power.

Where one lives and what one wears can make the poor far from feeling they are "one in Christ" with persons who live far beyond their means and attired in symbols of power.

 DWELLING. Every human person is a temple of the Holy Spirit, sacred and a true treasure.

wm special • mission & money Service is an antidote to the corruption of power. The poor are powerless. With power, one stands over those without power. By coming as a servant to the least ones, they would not be intimidated. Again, it reinforces the kenosis, the emptying out of Jesus to become a servant.

Discernment through the community

 MINGLING. Bishop Franzelli shares his life joyfully with his people in Lira, Uganda.

Service is an antidote to the corruption of power... With power, one stands over those without power. By coming as a servant to the least ones, they would not be intimidated. Again, it reinforces the kenosis, the emptying out of Jesus to become a servant. style and external attire. Prelates are not exactly stumbling over one another to fulfill his request. The poor are intimidated by those who have the symbols of power. Where one lives and what one wears can make the poor far from feeling they are "one in Christ" with persons who live far beyond their means and attired in symbols of power.

In Philippians 2, Jesus, who is described as being one in God, did not deem equality with God, but emptied Himself taking the form of a servant.

For prelates to preen about with titles and unique garb that makes them appear as distinct from the rest of humanity glosses over the kenosis or the "emptying out" of Jesus. They live in cognitive dissonance as to the person of Jesus.

Recently, Pope Francis put the brakes on elevating priests to the title of Monsignor, "my lord," another step towards "emptying out." The same challenge applies to all disciples, to "live simply so that others may simply live."

It would mean being converted from a consumer lifestyle to one of sharing

one's resources with others, especially the least ones. But if those in leadership positions (shepherds) do not lead in this regard, one can hardly expect the sheep to divest themselves. Pope Francis, nonetheless, is setting the example, and at least, making others, perhaps, uncomfortable. It is a beginning.

To set simplicity in motion, Pope Francis could simplify his nine titles to one without any doctrinal difficulty.

Pope Benedict XVI dropped one (Patriarch of the West) during his tenure in office.

Jesus’ teaching is that the greatest among you will be the one who serves.

Pope Francis could drop eight of his titles and retain the one few would covet – servus servorum Dei (the servant of the servants of God). By having only this one title, the message is clear: that the way of the Kingdom of God is not about acquiring power but serving.

In Matthew 23, Jesus counseled against acquiring titles and seeking privilege. By emphasizing service unequivocally, the message would be clear to all members.

The above points are simply some starter points for a further discernment by the community of believers and to encourage more to offer their insights as to how the church can be poor and for the poor.

This new church will never be a reality if it is something created from the top only or by a few from below. As many believers as possible need to offer their insights, and through discernment from the larger community, the new church of the poor and for the poor will begin to take shape.

Be part of the dialogue of discernment

I invite readers of World Mission magazine to enter into the dialogue with Pope Francis, to help envision a church that is poor and for the poor. I would suggest that readers respond by forwarding their response how Pope Francis' question might be realized. How do you envision a church that is poor and for the poor? I would encourage you to send your response to me at my email address or to World Mission magazine (eacoyn@gmail.com or wm.editor@ gmail.com), and in a future article, we can compile the responses of readers in the hope that it will reach others and prompt them to contribute further These responses can then be forwarded to Pope Francis to show him that others have heard him loud and clear.

But that will not be the final word.

Rather, to offer the findings to a wider audience of the Body of Christ to further discern what Pope Francis requests. The future Church is in our hands.

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in focus • bishops' synod

The family in crisis

The family has always been regarded as the nucleus of society, the “domestic Church” in the Catholic manner of speaking. Values, education, and how children eventually turn out in life depend on how solid a family is. These days, however, a new and evolving concept of the family is emerging, founded on the pretext of gender equality and human rights, and compounded by “new winds of doctrine” or simply the erosion of traditional values. Recognizing the need to address the changing tide as well as the needs of Catholics who, although they may be in a situation deemed sinful, sincerely want to participate in the life of the Church, Pope Francis has convened the bishops of the world to find out how best to resolve these challenges – through the standpoint of doctrine and the eyes of mercy. by

Faye Tobias-Naval | Journalist

E

rning and Fidela, a highly-esteemed couple in their community, have been joyfully serving the Church as parish workers since they transferred to the locality 13 years ago.

Fidela is a greeter and collector at Mass, while Erning has been helping out with the physical arrangements and security during processions and church events.

Their children, all grown up, participate in parish activities as much as they can. During an “audit” for the annual formation and renewal of church volunteers in their diocese, however, a fellow parish worker, albeit without malice, revealed that Erning and Fidela were married before a judge, but not in church.

Members of the Parish Pastoral Council, through the parish priest, gently reminded the couple about Church laws governing marriage, and asked them to refrain from serving in a parish ministry for the time being. It also meant not being able to receive Communion, pending their sacramental marriage.

Although the couple accepted the judgment, they, including their children, were totally devastated.

Co-habiting Catholic couples like Erning and Fidela, whose zeal to serve and love for the Church are unquestionable, are only some of the unique, previously unheard of, or difficult family situations that Catholic Church leaders from all over the world will examine during this month’s Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family that the Holy Father convoked from October

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5 to 19. Around 150 Synod fathers will participate in the meeting to discuss the pastoral challenges of the family in the context of proclaiming the Gospel.

Pope Francis appointed three cardinals to serve as presidents during the Synod.

They are French Cardinal Andre VingtTrois, Brazilian Cardinal Raymundo Damaseceno Assis, and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.

Not Just the Divorced

In the months following the announcement of the Synod by the Pope, some bishops, priests, and lay persons frowned at the scope of the gathering, saying it has been delimited to the case of remarried divorcees or those in irregular marriages. In countries like the Philippines, for example, divorce and same-sex marriage are not allowed or recognized by the law, and are, therefore, not a matter of concern for the local Church.

However, in his flight back to Rome from his apostolic voyage to the Holy Land last May, Pope Francis recognized the vast pastoral problems confronting families, not just the divorced. “I don’t like that to many people, even in the church, priests have said: ‘Ah the Synod for giving Communion to the divorced.’

I have heard it as if the whole thing had been reduced to a case study. No, the matter is more than this, it is wider.

Today, everyone knows it, the family is in crisis: it is in a global crisis. Young people don’t want to marry or they don’t marry but live together. Marriage is in

crisis and so, too, the family,” the Holy Father said.

For Erning and Fidela, the solution seems to be within reach – to simply be married by a priest. But for many others, the doors of the Church seem to have already been shut, and separation from the Lord in Holy Communion may be lingering or even permanent. Aside from remarried divorcees and same-sex couples, single parents, interreligious couples, those in polygamous marriages, those whose marriages were sealed under the caste or dowry system, etc. are waiting for pastoral guidance from the hierarchy so they can participate in the life of the Church once again.

Aside from these cases, the Church also has to confront legislation that undermines the permanence and sanctity of marriage, laws that reinterpret or redefine human rights, the increasing practice of surrogate motherhood, etc.

What matters, too, is Church teachings concerning such family issues are properly disseminated and taught by the hierarchy and perfectly understood by the faithful in plain and simple language.

Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, admitted that the working document that was released by the Vatican to the Synod fathers will not cover all bases and that a more thorough deliberation will take place on the Synod floor: “The document offers a broad, yet by no means exhaustive, perspective on the present-day situation of the family, on

the challenges of the family, and on the reflections related to the family today.”

The Basic Questions

Before the Synod fathers could buckle down to work, they needed to get a sense of what the global community and the so-called “modern family” are experiencing today. To this end, the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops sent out questionnaires to dioceses all over the world to find out what these challenges are. The questions were roughly categorized as follows: (1) how the Church’s teachings on the family are understood today, if at all the faithful are aware of them, and what factors hinder their reception or acceptance; (2) how natural law weighs in on the concept of the union between man and woman, the family, as well as the other cultural areas of society; (3) how faith and doctrine are applied in preparing for marriage and the eventual formation of a family into a Christian one; (4) what form of unions, aside from “regularly constituted ones,” exists in a particular Church, if civil law allows such, and if the Church has mechanisms to address the needs of couples in these situations; (5) how the welfare and Christian formation of children in “irregular marriages” are being addressed; and (6) how contraception is viewed by Christian couples in light of Church doctrine and the reception of the sacraments, among other issues confronting the person and the family.

The Fundamental Platform

In addition to the questionnaires, Pope Francis asked German Cardinal Walter Kasper, whom the Holy Father has praised a couple of times for his writings on “mercy as the fundamental trait of God,” to get the ball rolling and introduce the contentious issues for discussion during last February’s Extraordinary Consistory of the Sacred College of Cardinals in preparation for the Synod.

During his discourse, Cardinal Kasper cited the case of Catholics whose marriages have failed, who

 CHALLENGES. Families today, more than ever, need mercy and not rush judgments.

The Holy Father insinuated that “mercy,” which has been the Pope’s recurring “platform” since becoming Bishop of Rome, should be the fundamental value that each Synod father should exercise during their deliberations. have sought a divorce, and who eventually remarried because they found support, stability, and happiness in the new union. While recognizing that the Catholic marriages of these couples have not yet been dissolved, Cardinal Kasper recounted that, as a diocesan bishop in 1993, he issued specific pastoral instructions to help his priests minister to such Catholics who want to be in communion with the Church.

(However, this plan was thumbed down by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, then under Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. – Ed) Kasper believes a similar pastoral plan, if carefully crafted and deliberated on by the Synod fathers, can provide a “win-win” situation for the Church and estranged Catholics.

Before anyone could overreact, Cardinal Kasper was quick to emphasize that there will absolutely be no wholesale abandonment of the teachings of Jesus Himself on the indissolubility of sacramental marriage. But he appealed to his Brother Cardinals not to give up hope for estranged Catholics and to find solutions for very specific cases, in the context of healing, forgiveness,

and mercy. Cardinal Kasper went on to cite an article, by then Fr. Ratzinger in 1972, invoking a form of “canonical penitential practice” in the Early Christian Church that allowed the gradual reintegration of those in a sinful state into full communion with the Church.

There is no doubt that Cardinal Kasper’s speech raised many questions. But Pope Francis expressed his support for Cardinal Kasper’s “serene theology” on the family. On the second day of the Consistory, the Pope remarked: “It did me well and I had an idea, and excuse me if I embarrass Your Eminence, but the idea is: this is called doing theology while kneeling. Thank you. Thank you.”

Without explicitly endorsing Cardinal Kasper’s proposal, the Holy Father insinuated that “mercy,” which has been the Pope’s recurring “platform” since becoming Bishop of Rome, should be the fundamental value that each Synod father should exercise during their deliberations. "If forgiveness is true for the thief and the murderer," Cardinal Kasper said, "then it is also true for an adulterer.”

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spiritual reflection • giving up everything

 DETACHMENT. There is great freedom in detaching oneself, surrendering it all, to the One who calls and guides us.

A call to freedom

“None of you can be My disciple unless you give up everything you have,” says Jesus (Luke 14:33). What does it mean to give up everything? Is it to be understood literally or only symbolically? The call is universal but it is answered differently. It is a call to greater freedom or detachment – from goods and people. by

Fr. José António M. Rebelo | comboni missionary

W

hen I was assigned to work in South Africa and left Manila for good in 2012, the cheapest way to fly to Portugal, my home country, was to take two different airlines: one from Manila to Bangkok, and the other, from Bangkok onwards. As a result, I was only allowed to carry 20kgs of luggage. This meant that, after seven years in Manila, I had to leave behind some personal things, especially clothes and books that were particularly heavy.

Selecting exactly what to leave was not easy. In fact, it is always never easy.

Over the years, we tend to accumulate papers, gifts and souvenirs. So when moving time comes, we have to ask ourselves: “What do I really need?” Among

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the things I need, essentially for my work as a journalist, are my laptop and camera. Therefore, I didn’t leave them behind. I didn’t leave “everything.” Because there is no point in leaving things that are very much needed, only to buy them in the next destination.

To leave goods and people behind is part and parcel of our missionary life. It happens in all our transfers. It’s a matter of fidelity to Jesus. In the missionary discourse, He is quite strict with His disciples and commands them not to go along with many things.

He knows that material securities may prevent them from trusting, as they should, in the Lord of the vineyard and in the treasure of the message they carry. But what pain us most are not the

things we leave behind, but the relationships, starting with members of our close-knit family.

In the above passage from Luke, Jesus is talking about the discipleship’s total dedication (Lk 14: 25–35). It is clear that to follow Jesus entails a high cost.

It requires an exercise of detachment from goods and people. This is understandable for missionaries who are some of Jesus’ disciples. What about for other disciples – all the other Christians who are not called to live a life of evangelical perfection. Do the words of Jesus apply to them in the same way?

Detachment is the call

There’s an episode in the Gospels in which a rich man – the evangelist Luke

introduces him as young (Lk 18: 18-30) – comes to Jesus to inquire how he can “gain eternal life” (Mt 19:16-30; Mk 10: 17-31). First, Jesus recalls the commandments and praises him for following them. Then He asks him to “go, sell what you have, give all to [the] poor … and then come, follow Me.” The man could not take the challenge, thus he goes away sad. Can we consider Jesus’ challenge valid for all Christians?

Should Christians give away everything and become beggars or dependent on others? Do the words of Jesus mean we have to liquidate our bank accounts, sell our homes, cars, everything? No, of course not! But it does mean that our attitude towards all our possessions needs to be put in the right perspective.

Dealing with money is not easy. The Apostle Paul warns against the trap of riches: “Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evil, and some people, in their desire for it, have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Tim 6: 9–10; cf. Prv 23: 4; 28: 22).

We are not always wise in the way we manage our resources. Through the Prophet Isaiah, God asked: “Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what does not satisfy?” (Is 55: 2). Unfortunately, it happens. Often, our priorities are upside down; our values depend on the latest fashion or trend…and we don’t use God’s gifts to grow in our humanity and to uplift others.

The same Paul recommends to the Christians of Corinth that “each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9: 7). Material goods are a blessing. We have been entrusted to care for them and administer them as good stewards. They should be at the service of a greater good, at the service of the Kingdom.

Closed like hedgehogs

The needs out there are enormous and what we share can do a lot of good for the less fortunate. But, paradoxically, those who will gain most with our generosity are ourselves. Sharing helps us attain freedom and a greater trust in the Lord of Life, preventing us from being tempted to believe that we can build "a home" by ourselves.

In some of Jesus’ parables, the Kingdom of God is compared to a treasure buried in a field or to a fine pearl which, once discovered, requires selling everything to buy it (Mt 13: 44–46). “Selling” means “getting rid” of all that could prevent us from gaining the Kingdom. Instead of “selling” what they have, many evangelizers are “buying” – mostly gadgets and devices they do not need – and are dragged into a consumeristic way of life.

Attachment to money and material possessions is a threat to experiencing Jesus’ Kingdom and His salvation. The late Archbishop of Milan and renowned biblical scholar, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, commenting on the Beatitude, “blessed are the poor in spirit” explains: “He who owns much, materially and morally, who is sure of

himself, barricaded in his privileges and in everything that he has and is, always fears to be disturbed, to see the throne that he has conquered faltering. He then closes himself, like a hedgehog, to the new and courageous proposal of Christ Jesus.”

The detachment model for the Christian and evangelizer is Jesus Himself in His self-abasing attitude (Phil 2: 7–8). Being God, He emptied Himself, became one of us, suffered and died an ignominious death out of love. He lived what He proclaimed: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Mt 16: 25).

The words of the Master asking His disciples to leave behind everything seem hyperbolic. He is telling us to allow nothing, absolutely nothing, to stand in the way of our Christian discipleship. The Kingdom – our relationship with Jesus, the ‘space’ of true happiness – must come first. It is the prize worthy of the cost of selling everything. Writing to the Corinthians, St. Paul says that “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor the mind of man conceived what God has in store for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2: 9).

The needs out there are enormous and what we share can do a lot of good for the less fortunate. But, paradoxically, those who will gain most with our generosity are ourselves. Sharing helps us attain freedom and a greater trust in the Lord of Life.

 SERVING. Fr. João, a Comboni missionary in Chad, Africa, sharing his life with the people.

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missionary vocation • José Maria Velez Zaragoza

A legacy cast in stone

Throughout his career, Jose Maria V. Zaragoza manifestly used his talent in architecture for the glory of God. His structures combined modernism and Filipino traditional motifs and styles.

Although he played a prominent role in the reconstruction of post-war Philippines, particularly Manila, which was ravaged by the Second World War, his deep faith and talent were most noticed in places of worship he designed, like the Santo Domingo Church, which is considered his masterpiece, and countless other churches. A daily communicant, his personal foundation and original inspiration was his love for the Virgin Mary. He prayed much while he worked and was totally devoted to the Blessed Mother. José Maria Zaragoza was declared National Artist for Architecture posthumously by President Benigno Aquino III in June 2014. Although he has passed on, his legacy will long be remembered – because it is cast in stone. by

Fr. Lorenzo Carr aro | comboni missionary

O

n December 6, 2012, an unusual circumstance brought together religious and academic authorities in Angeles City, Philippines: the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of its most illustrious citizens, Architect José Maria V. Zaragoza.

The Most Rev. Socrates B. Villegas, D.D., Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, presided over the Mass marking the opening ceremony of the occasion.

The Mass was held at the university chapel of the Holy Angel University and was followed by the unveiling of the 40-foot Saint Lorenzo Ruiz beatification mural which Zaragoza designed and which the Zaragoza family donated to the Holy Angel University for repair and safekeeping. (The mural was part of the background for the pontifical altar at Rizal Park in Manila, where Pope Saint John Paul II, in February 1981, celebrated Mass and beatified Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint. It was the first beatification rite held outside Rome.)

As part of the celebration of Zaragoza’s centennial, the Center for Kapampangan Studies also held a program-exhibit on the works of the Guagua-born architect at the same university. The family of the late architect graced the events with their presence.

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Birth and Career

José Maria Velez Zaragoza was born on December 6, 1912 to a Kapampangan mother, Rosario Velez of Guagua, and a Spanish father, Elias Zaragoza y Rojas, who descended from the same Cepeda clan of Spain to which St. Teresa of Avila belonged.

Zaragoza took up B.S. Architecture at the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas and graduated in 1936.

Two years later, he placed seventh in the licensure examination and became the country’s 82nd licensed architect. Later, he got a diploma in liturgical art and architecture from the International Insti-

tute of Liturgical Art in Rome. He also obtained a diploma in comprehensive planning from the Hilversun Technical Research Center in The Netherlands.

Zaragoza’s career spanned more than half a century and yielded a significant body of architectural works that addressed the spiritual and secular requirements of the modern Filipino.

Jose Maria V. Zaragoza belonged to the third generation of Filipino architects, a category ascribed to those educated in local universities prior to the outbreak of World War II. He and his contemporaries advocated the progressive ideas of modernism in rebuilding the Philippines from the ashes of war in the mid-20th century and, in the process, developed an architectural identity befitting a newly-independent nation-state.

The extraordinary coherence of Zaragoza’s works is based on a solid intellectual framework grounded in modern aesthetics and coupled with nationalist fervor. His professional training was rigorous, allowing him to experiment and generate a new set of building principles that have become indispensable to the understanding and practice of modern architecture in a tropical milieu and in the post-colonial and social context.

 MASTERPIECES. Some of the most famous creations of Zaragoza: St. John Bosco Parish (main), Santo Domingo Church, Miraculous Medal National Shrine and Meralco Building (from top). All are familiar to most Filipinos.

In his lifetime, Zaragoza pioneered a path that revealed both his spiritual and professional calling of designing landmark worship spaces, spiritual centers, as well as some of the nation’s iconic edifices of commerce and culture. Zaragoza’s name is eminently synonymous with modern ecclesiastical architecture. He completed not less than 35 churches in the Philippines and abroad. Zaragoza’s architecture for congregational worship is daring and sculptural. It creates an atmosphere that solicits spiritual reflection, fortifying one’s faith in God. He also excelled in secular works, crafting 273 residences, 36 office build-

ings, 3 hotels, 15 airport terminal offices, 5 public buildings, and countless housing projects – all demonstrating his versatility as a designer and his mastery of the modern architectural vocabulary. These made him one of the great masters of 20th century Philippine architecture, in the service of God and humanity.

Zaragoza’s famous landmarks include the Meralco Building, the Santo Domingo Church, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal National Shrine, St. John Bosco Church, Villa San Miguel (the official residence of the Archbishop of Manila), and the renovated Quiapo Church.

He also designed the Pontificio Collegio Filippino in Rome and helped the Vatican do appraisals on damaged and destroyed buildings after World War II. Recognizing his contributions to the Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II conferred on Zaragoza the title Gentiluomo di Sua Santità (Lay Member of the Papal Household) in 1992. Men who receive such title serve as lay attendants of the Pope in Vatican City. Zaragoza died at 81 in 1994.

Sacred Masterpieces

Without doubt, Zaragoza’s most famous religious building is the Santo Domingo Church and Convent which

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he designed for the Dominicans, his mentors at the University of Santo Tomas. The design married old and new since it followed the plan of the church-tower-convento complex of the colonial period. While the building embodies the simplicity of modern design, such features as arches give it a traditional touch. The Santo Domingo Church is the biggest in Metro Manila and one of the biggest churches in Asia.

The massive church is a unique blend of Spanish colonial and modern architecture. On October 4, 2012, during the traditional enthronement of Nuestra Senora del Santissimo Rosario de La Naval de Manila, the Philippine government officially proclaimed the Santo Domingo Church as a National Cultural Treasure. The declaration recognized both the towering edifice and the exquisite ivory image of La Naval with the Infant Jesus as cultural treasures of the nation.

On March 4, 1978, Cardinal Jaime Sin, Archbishop of Manila, inaugurated the newly-built Saint John Bosco Parish Church. Also known as the Don Bosco Church, the modernistic sacred building is now one of the most famous landmarks of Makati’s central business district. Its distinctive concave facade features a cross, seemingly riding the crest of a magnificent wave. In the hallowed expanse beneath the wave, thousands of weddings, baptisms and other sacred events have been celebrated for the past 36 years, with the iconic starburst tabernacle upon golden anahaw leaf as dramatic backdrop.

Widening ripples above the altar evoke the graces streaming from the Blessed Sacrament and flowing into the vaulted ceiling – a stylized net for the “fishers of men” – arched over the parish community at worship. Behind the main church is the small Blessed Sacrament Chapel whose tabernacle, mounted on a flame-like structure, shares the same receptacle for the Blessed Sacrament with the main church. Intimate

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 THE BELIEVER-CUM-BUILDER. Zaragoza with daughter, Loudette.

Daddy said he wanted to give the illusion of a tent. The molded cement ceiling was designed to carry the simulated folds of a tent.

He said that, to build community and to worship, the Israelites gathered around the fire which represents Yahweh’s presence. weddings, weekly parish baptisms and wakes for distinguished parishioners are held in this chapel.

Zaragoza’s daughter, Loudette, writes: “Daddy said he wanted to give the illusion of a tent. The molded cement ceiling was designed to carry the simulated folds of a tent. He said that, to build community and to worship, the Israelites gathered around the fire which represents Yahweh’s presence. I thought it was a great idea, people intimately gathered in a tent around the flame of God’s loving presence.”

Loudette said that the personal favorite among her father’s works is the Miraculous Medal National Shrine.

The church is known for its palm ceil-

ing and fiery-shaped altar. This church was also patterned after a tent, the worship place in Moses’ time. The fieryshaped altar, where people used to dance, represented God. She concluded: “My father’s works are very symbolic because they came from a faith that was very profound.”

The works of José Maria V. Zaragoza, regarded as the “builder of churches,” seem to echo what the Bible says about what God’s temples and churches should be like: “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, God of hosts. My soul is longing and yearning for the courts of the Lord. The sparrow herself finds a home and the swallow, a nest for her brood; she lays her young by Your

missionary vocation • José Maria Velez Zaragoza altar, Lord of host, my King and my God. They are happy who dwell in Your house, forever singing Your praise. One day within Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. The threshold of the house of God I prefer to all the other dwellings” (Psalm 84).

The Meralco Building

His most famous office building is the Meralco Building, considered by many as the most beautiful building in Ortigas Center. The late architect and architecture historian, Benedictine Father Rodrigo Perez III, said that the 15-story Meralco Building “is slightly curved to give it more stability and to avoid the boxlike appearance of rectangular buildings and the ‘train effect’ of straight corridors. Tapering vertical sunbreakers enhance the gentle curve of the concave façade.” Biographer Ruben David Defeo wrote that Zaragoza, in designing the building, made use of the louver as a significant feature of the structure. Zaragoza is believed to have been inspired in designing the building by the fender of the fashionable car during his time, the Cougar.

The facade of the Lopez Building, named after the owner, alternates solids and transparencies. The sides are solid, like two monolithic towers. Inside are four sections: the pedestrian level, the main structure, an additional level and a crown with a f lat roof. The firstclass Lighthouse Restaurant at the top floor reflects the owner’s “abiding love for good food.” Moreover, it includes the impressive Meralco Theater.

A bridge which connects the offices, corridors, and the elevator lobby supports both portions of the building.

Zaragoza likened these to “two people supporting each other, with the bridge serving as outstretched arms.”

When Zaragoza designed and built the Lopez Building, he was at the height of his architectural career.

He was ably assisted by his wife, Pilar Rosello, in most of his architectural projects. Together, wrote Defeo, they were the “tandem to beat, Zaragoza doing the structural aspects of the building, and his wife, the interiors made of wood, including the carpentry and furniture.” She designed the Theater’s wooden paneling that lines the walls of the auditorium.

Up to the present, “no other building in the country has duplicated his feat of having a series of vertical blades in concrete, arranged in a concave manner, not only to shield the building from sunlight and even rainwater, but to breathe subtlety and supremacy of form into the structure.” Its structural strength was seen when it remained undamaged during the July 16, 1990 earthquake.

Rooted in God’s love

Zaragoza found fulfillment and welcomed the challenge to do complex structures. He put together not just building materials but people’s talents and worked towards consolidation and synthesis. He was bold and daring when he mastered a particular style in architecture to go and explore new lines and curves. Her daughter writes:

“Dad conceived magnificent things for others but, for himself, he was content with his reliable white Volkswagen Beetle. He drove my younger sister and me in this simple but sturdy vehicle to school every day, sans air-conditioning, along the not so congested EDSA in the late ‘60s till the early ‘70’s.”

“Even if my Dad enjoyed music immensely, the only rhythm, cadence and melody in the car were the Hail Marys we prayed during our 30- to 40-minute drive from our home in Quezon City to our school in Makati.

After the rosary, we used to recite almost chant-like a prayer for every bead of the rosary in Spanish: “Sagrado Corazon de Jesus en vos confio” ("O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee"). He set the mood, the focus and the purpose of our day. He even told us about the life of the saint of the day, which greatly inspired my younger sister and me.”

“My father saw his talent as a gift from God. His life was so deeply rooted in his love for God and his devotion to Mama Mary. That I am confident, with the help of those who believe in the preservation of cultural treasures, Dad’s work and memory will live longer than a hundred years.

“I saw him as a very prayerful man and I feel that his creativity sprung from his daily Mass and his devotion to our Blessed Mother. He soared in his humanity because he was rooted in his deep love for God and the propagation of His Kingdom, thus contributing works not only of historical importance, but also for God’s greater glory.”

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the last word

A PRISON CELL IS THE SECOND CHURCH IN EUROPE by

Fr . SILVANO FAUSTI, s.J. | BIBLIST & WRITER

“The jailer brought up Paul and Silas into his house.”

– Read Acts 16:16-40

P

aul’s encounter with the pagan world at Philippi is a string of unexpected vicissitudes. There is also the new thing of a world made up of slaves and masters. This will make Paul understand that God’s wisdom and power differ from the world’s, like life from death. The only strength of the evangelizers is to live out what they proclaim. They share the mystery of the Just One who overcomes evil with good. Hence persecutions, beating, imprisonment and death threats; but also resurrection for convicts and birth into a new life for jailers. If we can say that the first church in Europe is Lydia’s house, the second is the prison where the jailer has his home.

Paul and companion go towards the river to pray. Along the way, it is “a divining spirit” who takes up the task of “evangelizing.” The Greek consider it good, “a demon;” but, for the Jews, it is an evil spirit, a devil. Also in the Gospels, the demons are the first to proclaim Jesus as God. But Jesus orders them to be silent. It is a temptation. God reveals Himself from the Cross.

Only there, on the Cross, is the manifesto of His power: love that serves and gives life. Our power, instead, is egoism that enslaves and gives death. Human beings want to be like God. But what kind of God? The One Satan advertizes from the tree in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1ff ), or the One revealed from the tree of the Cross? Even Peter is called Satan because he wants a powerful God (Matthew 16:16-23). It is what merely human religions affirm and atheists rightly deny.

Paul chases away the demon from the slave girl even while she is giving him a free promotion. But her masters, having lost their source of income, accuse Paul to be a troublemaking Jew. Paul and Silas are beaten up and put in the wooden stocks inside the deepest part of the prison, as in a tomb. Even the Christ who triumphs over the “nets and chains,” by which Satan imprisons everybody, is nailed to the wood of the Cross. The nightly earthquake, which opens all doors and unties stocks and chains, is a resurrection scene. The whole passage is a liberation and salvation interplay. The woman is freed from the evil spirit and the convicts, from stocks and chains. The jailer, in turn, is freed from death, baptized and saved with his whole household. While

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the exorcism shows Christ’s triumph over paganism, the liberation of the convicts and their guardians – (In this world, all of us are somehow both convicts and jailers!) – shows that God wants to free humanity from all types of slavery.

The scene is similar in Acts12:3-17. The mission to the pagans is God’s work: nothing can stop it: neither beatings, nor stocks, chains, prison. The demons themselves can’t help favoring it. In front of goodness, evil dissolves like darkness in front of light.

The town of Philippi, Roman colony, is a “useful context” for the confrontation between the Gospel and the pagan world. Long have the Jews “inculturated” themselves, even if not without difficulty. As a matter of fact, they are looked upon with suspicion.

The anti-Jewish tendency is ages old. Although Judaism is “religio lecita” (a religion which is allowed to exist), all the same, the anti-Jewish tendency is widespread and touches also the JewsChristians Paul and Silas. After Constantine’s edict, Christianity has become a state religion and has, unfortunately, inherited the anti-Jewish prejudice proper of all the powerful who fear those who are free.

The Church in Europe starts with simple and common people: a Jewish woman-trader and a pagan jailer. God reveals Himself to poor and simple people, but hides Himself from the worldly wise and powerful. “God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are” (1 Corinthians 1:28). The Christian message attracts everybody because it shows the Crucifix. He is the “Son of Man” who identifies with every person. In Jesus, even the least of human beings can recognize Himself. Even God himself. As a matter of fact, if you take away from people what they have, what they are will remain: simple human beings. And human beings, as such, are the only image and likeness of God.

© Popoli – www.popoli.info

REFLECT AND PRAY – Why is it that Paul and the convicts are so free that they remain inside the prison?

– Why is it that the jailer is such a slave that he decides to take his own life?

– Can you say how the edict of Constantine damaged the Church?

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“The Lord’s disciples persevere in joy when they sense His presence, do His will and share with others their faith, hope and evangelical charity.”

– Pope Francis in his message for the World Mission Day, 2014

“The missionaries will have to understand that they are stones hidden under the earth, which will perhaps never come to light, but which will become part of the foundations of a vast, new building."

– ST. Daniel Comboni