Christian Persecution Update

ASIA/PAKISTAN - The Director of the PMS: "If Rimsha becomes a symbol, everything will be more difficult"

Karachi (Agenzia Fides) - "If Rimsha becomes a symbol for her release everything will be more difficult. Today and tomorrow we will pray in all churches for her and her family ": is what Fr. Mario Rodrigues, national Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Pakistan says to Fides, on the eve of the hearing on September 1, when the Court of First Instance of Islamabad is expected to rule on the case of Rimsha. The defense had filed a medical report that defined her "a minor and mentally disabled"; yesterday the counter-party challenged these results.
Fr. Rodrigues told Fides: "We remain confident about her release, so that justice is done. We are happy for the support received from Muslim leaders who have spoken out publicly in favor of Rimsha. I believe that something is changing in public opinion, even about the blasphemy law, which for years we have criticized."
As reported to Fides, in a meeting of the "Special Group" set up to monitor Rimsha's case, formed by the "Pakistan Interreligious League" (PIL) and the "All Pakistan Ulema Council" (APUC), a coalition of Islamic religious leaders, the President of the PIL, Sajid Ishaq, invited everyone to "avoid distortions and exploitation, and to observe the case with transparency and objectivity."
In a statement sent to Fides, the NGO "Christian Solidarity Worldwide" notes: "The postponement of the court is extremely frustrating and prolongs Rimsha's suffering. The cruel decision to oppose to granting bail is a reflection of the mentality of those who support the accusation. We hope that the judge may decide on the case without undue pressure or intimidation."
The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), ecumenical organization made up of many Protestant Churches in Asia, expressing "shock and disbelief," writes in an open letter, sent to Fides: "We pray and express solidarity to all Christians in Pakistan "inviting institutions to" take into account the vulnerability and innocence of a helpless girl who is now in a state of shock, separated from her parents." The Conference condemns the "draconian blasphemy law" and supports the Church and the civil society in Pakistan "in calling for a review not only of the blasphemy law, but all laws that discriminate and punish people on the basis of religion or gender" . (PA) (Agenzia Fides 31/08/2012)

ASIA/PAKISTAN - Attack in the Christian area: one victim and two injured in Karachi

Karachi (Agenzia Fides) - The young Christian Faisal Masih was killed two days ago in shots fired in the attack of an Islamic extremist group in the Christian suburb of Essa Nagri, on the outskirts of Karachi. This is confirmed by Fr. Mario Rodrigues, a priest in Karachi and Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Pakistan. As he explains to Fides, in the area, densely populated, there are about 50,000 Christians, in conditions of extreme poverty and lack of basic services. In the suburb of Essa Nagri there are about 15 churches of various denominations and various NGOs working with projects of education, social and economic support to the community. Among these, the NGO "Mission and Action for Social Services" (MASS), reported to Fides the latest attack against the community, already in past months subject to terrible violence and abuse (see Fides 27/3 and 14/1/2012). After the attack, which occurred on the night of August 29, a crowd of Christians staged a peaceful protest, but the police intervened to disperse the protesters, firing tear gas and seriously injuring Pastor Cornelius and another young Christian man, Shahzad Riaz, both in hospital.
As stated by MASS, "the police, instead of arresting the perpetrators of the attack, arrested dozens of Christian demonstrators." In Essa Nagri Christians are harassed by criminal gangs and Islamic terrorist groups of ethnic Pashtuns: armed to the teeth, the militants enter the area to collect the "Jizya" (the tax imposed, according to the sharia, on the non-Muslim minorities), and extort money from the Christian merchants. MASS activists have been denouncing for a long time continuous robberies, violence and abuses committed under the cover of some Police officials. Militants raid houses, steal and abuse women and children for fun. The local population is terrorized and residents, exasperated, have decided to form their militia of security to defend themselves. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 31/08/2012)

 

Mary TV Daily Reflection 8/31/2012

(c)Mary TV 2012 The Blue Cross - many messages have been given here!

+ J.M.J August 31, 2012   Dear Family of Mary!   "Dear children! Also today, with hope in the heart, I am praying for you and am thanking the Most High for every one of you who lives my messages with the heart. Give thanks to God's love that I can love and lead each of you through my Immaculate Heart also toward conversion. Open your hearts and decide for holiness, and hope will give birth to joy in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my call." (August 25, 2012)   Our Mother is very grateful that we are living her messages with the heart. This is a great joy for her. Why? Because her messages are inspired by the Holy Spirit, and designed to build the Kingdom of God in us, and through us in the world. Her messages are prophetic words for us in these days, words that will bring life to all who listen with the heart. Her messages are concrete directions for us so that we will remain very close to her and to her Son, Jesus, in these dangerous days. Her messages are messages of love from our Mother to us. Our Lady can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that we are living her messages with the heart!   Fr. Slavko pondered why Our Lady would want us to live her messages in his reflection on the message of October 25, 1992:   When we do our best to follow her words wholeheartedly now while she is still with us, it will be easier for us later when she is no longer with us to still be able to live from them. She has told us many very beautiful and motherly things and did so with all imaginable patience. How often did she tell us: "I am with you." or "Do not forget that I am your mother. I love you."? May we never again forget that she told us: "If you knew how much I loved you, you would cry of joy." Still, even when it is important for us to have her with us, it is as important if not more so to always remember her words and to live according to them as best we can. This is like every child who must confront the fact someday that the mother is no longer there but then continues living according to and out of love for the mother and life even then continues being possible. She came to speak to us and to lead us onto the path to peace, a path that we had really forgotten. So may it happen that we really live her presence with joy. Yet may it also happen that after she has gone we experience that her words will have stayed deep within our hearts, that we often think about her words and that it can then also be said about us, as St. Luke said about Mary herself, that we as she did, thought about them, weighed them and in love and trust lived according to them. (Fr. Slavko Barbaric, OFM. Mother! Lead us to Peace!! p. 161)   As the best of mothers, Our Lady is inscribing her words of love on our hearts, so that they will guide us into eternity. She wants all her children to be with her in heaven. Her messages will be inner guides for us as we live our lives, helping us along, as a mother would help her children along. Thanks be to God, for sending Mary to us in these days!   In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2012   PS. We are awaiting the message on September 2, 2012 through Mirjana!

 

Patron Saint of midwives, pregnant women, unborn children, & women in labor: St. Raymond Nonnatus [video]

St. Raymond Nonnatus Reflection for 8/31/12 www.apostleshipofprayer.org More http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4aCvO4Cdq4&feature=player_detailpage

Pray Without Ceasing

Tribulation Times

August 31, 2012  

THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).

(1Th 5:17) Pray without ceasing. 

POPE BENEDICT XVI: "Prayer is not a waste of time, it does not rob much space from our activities, not even apostolic activities, it does the exact opposite: only if we are able to have a life of faithful, constant, confident prayer will God Himself give us the strength and capacity to live in a happy and peaceful way, to overcome difficulties and to bear witness with courage". 

REFLECTION: Turbulence, in the Sky and in the Church by Bishop Thomas J. Tobin

I don’t recall if it was on my flight to or from my Florida vacation this summer, but at one point the pilot announced, “Folks, we expect to be passing through a little turbulence in a few moments, so we’d like you to return to your seats and check your seatbelts to be sure that they’re securely fastened.

And please remain seated for the duration of the flight.” 

Now, if you fly very often you’ve probably heard similar announcements. Turbulence isn’t at all unusual. It’s caused by unstable air that’s often found on the edge of a thunderstorm, or while passing through a cloud bank or flying over mountains. Turbulence usually isn’t harmful to the plane which is built to withstand tremendous forces, but it can be dangerous if unsecured bodies or other objects fly around the cabin.

It strikes me that the turbulence in the air is a fitting image of the turbulence in the Church these days. And in this case it’s being generated by both external and internal forces.

First, the Church is being buffeted by external forces found in the changing winds of our contemporary world.

These include threats to religious freedom, in our own country where the federal government is interfering in the life of the Church, and even more dramatically in other countries where Christians are being attacked – suffering violence and even death – simply for being Christian and practicing their faith. Another source of turbulence for the Church is the relentless challenge to traditional moral values which are pivotal for the Church and society – the dignity of human life and the definition of marriage for example. And we know that the Church is passing through the dark clouds of secularism, atheism and hedonism that make the living-out of the Christian Faith more perilous everyday.

But some of the turbulence is coming from unsettling forces within the Church too.

Here I think of the rapid decrease in sacramental practice among the faithful – with fewer Catholics attending Sunday Mass, young couples living together without the blessing of marriage, parents not having their children baptized and educated in the faith, and more of the faithful even eschewing the traditional funeral rites of the Church.

The Church suffers today from the widespread lack of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental doctrines and moral tenets of the Catholic Faith. So many, even among the faithful, are unable to explain what the Church teaches and why, often leaving it to the secular media to present and apply our doctrines.

The Church is roiled with controversies among its members, with headlines and the blogosphere pitting the “Vatican against the Nuns,” with priests in Western Europe defying their bishops and disobeying key teachings and disciplines of the Church, and even the Vatican itself seemingly unable to govern – with backroom intrigue, public conflict among senior prelates, investigations of the Vatican Bank, and leaked confidential documents of the Pope.

Is there any question that these are turbulent times for the Church? How does one survive the journey through the unfriendly skies the Church is navigating?

Well, the first thing is to keep some historical perspective. The Church, like the planes in which we travel, is built to withstand the significant turbulence that’s part of our journey, and has done so for two-thousand years. As challenging as these times are, there have been worse, much worse, and the Church has survived both the external attacks on its existence and mission, as well as the embarrassing defects of its all-too-human leaders and members.

Some are now predicting (perhaps hoping for) the total collapse of the Catholic Church. Consider this quote: “People look upon the Church and say, ‘she is about to die. Soon her very name will disappear. There will be no more Christians; they have had their day.’” It’s instructive to note, however, that this description of the dying Church was used by St. Augustine 1600 years ago! It reminds us that our moment in history is but one brief passage in the long and rich history of the Church.

Second, we can point to all the good things the Church represents and does every day. Even during these discomforting times the Catholic Church is a large, diverse and vibrant community with many, many dedicated and fully-engaged clergy, religious and laity. The Church continues to offer a positive and fulfilling perspective of human life and illuminates the path to eternal salvation. More than any other institution on the planet, the Catholic community provides a vast array of pastoral services, educational opportunities and social services – genuine expressions of charity, justice and peace – in our own country and around the globe. It’s important to be aware of and proud of all the good the Catholic Church does every day!

And finally, we should remember that the Church has survived the years and continues to carry on its mission because it’s so much more that just another human organization. The Church was founded by Christ and is guided by the Holy Spirit. While its members are human, its mission is divine. “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of time,” Jesus promised.

So, fellow traveler, be of good cheer. Do not be afraid. Without a doubt the Church will survive the turbulent skies of the moment and will arrive safely at its final destination. But in the meantime, fasten your seatbelts. Might be some rough skies ahead!

FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA Jim McCrea: This is from St. Rose of Lima whose feast we celebrated recently. This is an excerpt of what was in the breviary:

Our Lord and Saviour lifted up his voice and said with incomparable majesty: “Let all men know that grace comes after tribulation. Let them know that without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. Let them know that the gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase. Let men take care not to stray and be deceived. This is the only true stairway to paradise, and without the cross they can find no road to climb to heaven.” 

When I heard these words, a strong force came upon me and seemed to place me in the middle of a street, so that I might say in a loud voice to people of every age, sex and status: “Hear, O people; hear, O nations. I am warning you about the commandment of Christ by using words that came from his own lips: We cannot obtain grace unless we suffer afflictions. We must heap trouble upon trouble to attain a deep participation in the divine nature, the glory of the sons of God and perfect happiness of soul.”

VIA Frank Rega: I have a new Padre Pio book out. It is called The Truth about Padre Pio's Stigmata and Other Wonders of the Saint. It is available in Print or Kindle editions.  Below is the table of contents. Some of the articles are brand new, others have been published in Catholic magazines. Thank you!

Introduction i
1 The Truth about Padre Pio’s Stigmata 1
2 Padre Pio and the General - a Study in Bilocation 17
3 Padre Pio, a Patron Saint for the Unborn 31
4 The Pope, Padre Pio, and a Miracle 41
5 Padre Pio's Secret: his Shoulder Wound 59
6 Salvation Outside the (Visible) Church 65
7 The Gemma Di Giorgi Mystery 83
8 Padre Pio and Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae 101
9 Padre Pio and the Tale of the Empty Tomb 117
10 The Amazing Story of Giovanna Rizzani 125 

Thoughts and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God

17. Do not distress yourself on account of any distaste or dryness you experience in God's service. He wills that you should serve Him fervently and constantly it is true, but without any other help than simple faith, and thus your love will be more disinterested, and your service the more pleasing to Him.

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Prayer request?  Send an email to: PrayerRequest3@aol.com

This month's archive can be found at: http://www.catholicprophecy.info/news2.html.

[video] Little Sisters of the Poor

Little Sisters of the Poor Reflection for 8/30/12 www.apostleshipofprayer.org More

Fr. James and Fr. Francis Need Your Assistance: Please Help

via opusbono.org

Deacon Giglio

Today, our president Joe Maher, received two urgent pleas for immediate assistance from Fr. James and from Fr. Francis. Fr. Francis just returned home after a three week emergency stay in the hospital. His cupboards are bare and he is requesting $450 for food and medicine. Fr. James needs $500 for car repairs in order to return to work on Tuesday. Both of these men were directed to Opus Bono by their brother priests who have helped them as much as they can financially.

They have no one else to turn to, but to us!

I ask you out of the kindness of your heart and your great love for the Catholic priesthood to please make a donation so that we can assist these men. As always, I am only writing to you now because our hearts are broken that we do not have the funds available in our account at this time to help them. With over 1,000 priest needing our assistance on a regular basis, it is impossible to give Fr. James and Fr. Francis what they need to survive without your financial support.

Please, please consider making a contribution on-line today at our website: http://www.opusbono.org/donate.html

Or by mail at Opus Bono Sacerdotii, P.O. Box 663, Oxford, MI 48371. Making a donation on-line will get to Fr. James and Fr. Francis quicker.

No amount is too big or too small!

We appreciate your prayers and for your financial sacrifice to love and care for Catholic priests. I thank you in advance for your support.

Gratefully,

Pete

Pete Ferrara
Treasurer
Opus Bono Sacerdotii

PS The need is urgent! I ask you again to please consider making a donation now at http://www.opusbono.org/donate.html. Be assured of our remembrance of you and your needs during our daily Noontime Mass in Our Lady of Priests Chapel located here in our offices.

CATHOLIC HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST SAYS PAKISTANI BLASPHEMY CASE IS CONCOCTED

ROME, AUG. 28, 2012 (Zenit.org).- A leading Catholic human rights activist in Pakistan is calling for charges to be dropped in the case of a young, special needs girl accused of blasphemy.

Peter Jacob, executive secretary of the National Commission for Justice and Peace for the Church in Pakistan, told Aid to the Church in Need that he strongly doubts the allegations leveled against Rimsha Masih.

She is accused of burning 10 pages of the Noorani Qaida, an Islamic booklet used to learn basic Arabic and the Koran.

A police case was registered against Rimsha and she was placed in custody.

Intentional desecration of the Koran carries a sentence of life imprisonment according to Section 295B of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Jacob told Aid to the Church in Need today that efforts toward Rimsha’s release should be redoubled after medical experts reported today that Rimsha’s physical age is under 14 and that her mental age is lower.

The findings mean that Rimsha’s case will be heard by Pakistan’s juvenile court system.

Amid reports that Rimsha has Down syndrome, Jacob highlighted evidence that Rimsha is illiterate, adding: “I would say the case against Rimsha is concocted – engineered.”

Jacob said a team of Christian and Muslim lawyers were now preparing a petition for her release which would be put before a judge, with a hearing due possibly on Thursday. 

He went on to appeal to Pakistan’s government to “show more political will” in its response to the Rimsha and other blasphemy cases.

“There is seldom a clear investigation into such cases," he said. "The government is reluctant to take a stand.”

Mr Jacob said a change in the blasphemy laws was only possible with pressure from the international community.

Also speaking today to Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Sebastian Shaw, apostolic administrator of Lahore, referred to attacks on people’s homes in Islamabad, where Rimsha lives. "Minority people are very much afraid," the bishop said. 

He said he had spoken to Rimsha’s bishop, Rufin Anthony of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, who recently visited the girl’s family.

Bishop Shaw said: “We are all very sorry about Rimsha. Bishop Rufin has consoled the family and it is clear they are very afraid.”

via zenit.org

Muslim leaders: "Rimsha must be released, the sharia says it"

ASIA/PAKISTAN - Rimsha, new postponement: the counter-party does not recognize the medical report

Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) - The case of Rimsha Masih, an 11-year-old Christian girl accused of blasphemy in Pakistan gets more and more complicated. This morning, at the hearing before the judge Javad Abbas, a Court of First instance in Islamabad, the lawyer defending the child, Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, found something new: the lawyers of the counter-party (in this case the boy who had filed a complaint against Rimsha, signing the First Information Report, as an eyewitness of the blasphemous act) were present. So far, in previous hearings, the counter-party was absent. The lawyers raised an objection, questioning the results of the examination on Rimsha carried out by the medical Commission and not recognizing the final report. The judge therefore ordered that this report is subject to a review by experts (forensic experts and senior officials) of the state. The Court then set a new hearing for after tomorrow, September 1st.
The lawyer Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, revealing his and Rimsha's family disappointment, explains to Fides: "We had to deal, for the first time with other lawyers, who did their job. Now we have to wait for the results of this check concerning the Report of the medical Commission, then everything will be in the hands of the Court. I think that September 1st could be the final hearing on the case. We remain confident about the outcome."
Fides sources note that the "counter-party" lawyers were probably funded by radical groups that oppose the release of Rimsha, some of whom were in the courtroom. What surely had an influence were Maulana Tahir Ashrafi's statements, leader of the '"All Pakistan Ulema Council": in recent days he said that the bearers of false accusations against Rimsha Masih (including the imam of the mosque in the neighborhood) should be punished by law and. So a legal battle began and Rimsha is a victim: as confirmed to Fides by the lawyer Chaudry, "the girl is in jail and is not well, she is suffering a lot because of the absence of her parents."
Peter Jacob, Executive Secretary of the Commission "Justice and Peace" of the Episcopal 'Conference, told Fides: "It is sad that, like Rimsha, false accusations of blasphemy cases continue to occur: it is a trend that is recognized in Pakistan and should be stopped. However it should be noted that there is great sympathy towards Rimsha and also on behalf of the Pakistani media: this confirms the growing sensitivity in civil society, the media and also in the Muslim community. In Pakistan there is an introspection on the meaning and consequences of this law. We hope that some forms of safeguards are introduced to stop the abuse and protect the innocent victims. I believe that the debate in the media can create the conditions and the cultural terrain useful to intervene and change the law." (PA) (Agenzia Fides 30/08/2012)

ASIA/PAKISTAN -

Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) - Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer is a Salafi Muslim leader. He is the current Secretary General of the "Jamiat Ahle Hadith" ("Assembly of the followers of the sayings of the Prophet"), the political-religious party, part of the Islamic fundamentalist network "Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal", present in Parliament. He is the director of the monthly magazine "Al-Ikhwah", published in Urdu. In past years it was at the forefront in all the demontrations of fundamentalists to define the blasphemy law "untouchable". According to information sent to Fides, Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer spoke in favor of Rimsha Masih, a Christian girl accused of blasphemy: "If she is found to be a minor, she has to be released, and if the allegations are false, the guilty must be punished. No one has the right to take justice into their own hands. The blasphemy law needs procedural amendments to prevent abuse."
After the words of Mullah Tahir Ashrafi, leader of the '"All Pakistan Ulema Council", who defended Rimsha in recent days, calls for "an impartial investigation and protection for the Christian community", Pakistan Muslim leaders and intellectual scholars who have spoken out in favor of Rimsha grows. Fides has gathered the opinions of leaders of various Islamic organizations and institutions.
According to Muhammad Hussain Akbar, head of "Idara Minhaj-ul-Hussain", "the girl, a minor, is not to blame and should be released immediately." Pir Shafaat Rasool, Administrator of the madrasa "Bilal Markaz" in Lahore, points out that according to the sharia the girl is blameless: "Islam protects all non-Muslims. In order to prove the charges against a minor Islam prescribes a different procedure than that required for a mature person. Instead of inflicting punishment, Islam should teach and guide a child with love and sympathy, if he/she commits an error. Therefore, in my opinion, Rimsha must be released immediately."
Allama Mushtaq Hussain Jafri agrees, President of the organization "Tahafuz-e-Pakistan Jafria": "Islam respects and protects the rights of all and provides for different procedures when it has to do with children. Moreover, one cannot attribute to another a phrase until the charge is not proven. "
Allama Javed Akbar Saqi, head of "Wahdat-e-Islami" and Secretary General of the "Interreligious Peace Committee" of Punjab said: "The girl is a minor and mentally disabled. An impartial investigation is necessary. The story seems stale and contrived. In the past incidents such as these proved to be false and without foundation." Also according to Hafiz Muhammad Mudassar, leader of "Khateeb Jamia Masjid Anwaar-e-Madina", "the girl is not an adult and mentally ill. It is not appropriate to allocate these allegations to her. She must be released immediately."
Liaqat Baloch, Secretary General of "Jamat-e-Islami", announced his commitment: "We are trying to find a solution to resolve the situation. One should bear in mind that the girl is a minor and has mental problems. It seems to me that there is too much lawlessness in Pakistan and that no one is safe."
According to some scholars interviewed by Fides, the choice of the Sunni Muslim leaders in favor of Rimsha has two sides: religious (according to the Islamic law) and also political. After a recent massacre of Shiite Muslims by the Taliban in Pakistan, in fact, the rift between Sunni Muslims (the majority) and Shiites (25%) has deepened, which in the past were united on issues related to Islam. The Shiites, considered by the Taliban "non-Muslims", are defined as "minority" and have broken the alliance with the leader of Sunni organizations. They now plan to work towards reunification, seeking a common position on a case of great media coverage such as the case on Rimsha. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 30/08/2012)

 

Mary TV Daily Reflection 8/30/2012

(c)Mary TV 2012 Open your hearts...

+ J.M.J August 30, 2012   Dear Family of Mary!   "Dear children! Also today, with hope in the heart, I am praying for you and am thanking the Most High for every one of you who lives my messages with the heart. Give thanks to God's love that I can love and lead each of you through my Immaculate Heart also toward conversion. Open your hearts and decide for holiness, and hope will give birth to joy in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my call." (August 25, 2012)   "Open your hearts..." How often do we hear this request from Our Lady? Almost every message!! It must be very important to have open hearts. But what does this mean? Again I want to turn to Fr. Slavko for an answer:   There is one simple dimension in which we can become similar to Our Lady, and that is in the act of 'waiting for the Messiah'. What Mary did was to wait with an opened heart and mind. In this openness, while waiting, she prayed and fasted. There is no other way of waiting. If we are not waiting with openness, we cannot pray and fast. If we are not praying and fasting, then we are not waiting with openness. Many have lost the spirit of prayer and fasting because they have also lost the spirit of waiting. The greeting of 'Maranatha' which means 'Come Lord' was a greeting of 'waiting for the Messiah.'   What we should ask ourselves is, "What can we do to remain in this waiting?" We pray, fast and read in the Bible how the prophets foretold this waiting. We must also find out what is hindering us, - what tires us from waiting for the Messiah and from losing this desire of 'Maranatha - Come Lord.' Sometimes what tires us is we expect that the answer to our prayer or our fasting will come quickly, or even immediately....   The basic question is love, the wait is love and the expectation is love. What we wait for is love. Love is the main thing that needs to be looked at each day. Are we loving others? Are we loving Jesus? Are we loving ourselves? If we meet Jesus every day when He comes, then our love is growing. We must be awake and always pray for this desire of waiting, this 'Maranatha - Come Lord!' When we lose this desire, we then forget that love is the expectation and thus we eventually lose the love. Our Lady makes us aware and helps us to remain awake for this everyday expectation and everyday love by her daily presence. (Fr. Slavko Barbaric. Be Similar to My Heart. p. 53-55)   Openness of heart means that we are waiting for the coming of Christ, we are waiting for the coming of the Kingdom, we are waiting for love. Our hearts are open like a door is open, expecting the beloved guest to enter. Our desires are focused on one thing alone, the coming of the beloved. Our prayer is a prayer of hopeful expectation! Our fasting is an expression of our desire to make room for this guest. Our hope is that Love will come. And so our hearts are open if we are waiting with love for our Savior. And since Our Lady was the best at waiting, her Heart was and is the most open of all.   If we examine our hearts and find them less than fully open, we can ask Our Lady to help us to root out anything that might be stopping us from waiting, stopping us from expecting, dimming our hope, extinguishing our desire for love. She can do it! Just read her messages and they will help.   In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2012   PS. Tonight we have another Fruit of Medjugorje! 8:00 pm, EDT! www.marytv.tv

 

A letter from Anne, a lay apostle . . .

August 29th, 2012 A letter from Anne... Dear fellow apostles, It is with great joy that I greet you today. We, Direction for Our Times, have acquired the property known as the Abbey. Yes, dear apostles, the Lay Apostolate of Jesus Christ the Returning King has a headquarters for the future! We are the official owners. May God be praised. Meanwhile, as Ryan told you, we recently finished another retreat with fifty young college students. Three days of immersing ourselves together in the beauty of the Catechism and our Catholic faith left us all filled with hope and enthusiasm. To participate in the youth activities of this apostolate leaves little room for doubt that God is serious about Renewal. "And you will be part of the greatest renewal in the     history of your world" (Jesus, Vol 1.) If the retreats for young people were all that was happening, it would be enough. But simultaneously, our work with prisons continues to thrive. This is the result of committed lay apostles, dynamic prison chaplains and also many, many holy prisoners. May God make us all worthy of this sublime work which brings hope to so many who are incarcerated, and, through their efforts and prayers, their families. "And you will be part of the greatest renewal in the     history of your world" In the meantime, our prayer groups soldier on, receiving God's graces and drawing others into the spirituality which is helping to develop a co-responsible laity, meaning, a lay people who take equal responsibility with clergy for the spread and identity of the Church on earth. This is us, apostles! And through all of our efforts, the apostolate in India has anchored itself by the forming of many prayer groups. Many blessings are being received through the veneration of the image of Jesus Christ, the Returning King there. This is no surprise to us but fills us with gladness all the same. "And you will be part of the greatest renewal in the     history of your world"  I, myself, recently heard the testimony of a former prisoner who, upon release from prison, made it his ministry to bring whatever Volumes he could afford each month and hand deliver them back to the prison. "Anne," he said, "These books are like water to men in a desert. I know what they need and that's why I do it." "And you will be part of the greatest renewal in the     history of your world"  We, DFOT, and you, the dedicated apostles serving alongside us, are working hard. It is clear that if a renewal is to happen swiftly, it will require the following: a co-responsible laity acting with serious commitment to their vocation and serving in communion with the local parish and home diocese. If this occurs, a global renewal occurs. We must always remember that the Church can only be reclaimed through personal holiness. Rejoice, dear friends. God has asked for our help and we have answered yes. With love from your sister in Christ, Anne, a lay apostle direction For Our Times relies on donations to supplement the cost of publishing the messages. Currently, only 40% of the publishing cost is covered by the sale of the books. Thank you for your prayerful consideration.   Direction for Our Times (DFOT) is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to spreading God's messages as revealed in the Volumes.

Should You Also Go Away?

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Should You Also Go Away? Pope Benedict Says Judas Should Have Left, Should You?   Pope Benedict XVI   From Pope Benedict’s Wednesday Audience: Dear brothers and sisters! In the past few Sundays we have meditated on the “Bread of Life” discourse that Jesus pronounced in the synagogue of Capernaum after feeding thousands of people with five loaves and two fishes. Today, the Gospel presents the disciples’ reaction to that speech, a reaction that Christ Himself knowingly provoked. First of all, John the Evangelist – who was present along with the other Apostles – reports that “from that time many of His disciples drew back and no longer went about with Him” (Jn 6:66). Why? Because they did not believe the words of Jesus when He said: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood will live forever” (cf. Jn 6:51-54). This revelation, as I have said, remained incomprehensible to them, because they understood it in a material sense, while in these words was foretold the Paschal Mystery of Jesus, in which He would give Himself for the salvation of the world: the new presence in the Holy Eucharist. Seeing that many of His disciples were leaving, Jesus addressed the Apostles, saying: “Will you also go away?” (Jn 6:67). As in other cases, it is Peter who replied on behalf of the Twelve: “Lord, to whom shall we go? – and we too can reflect: to whom shall we go? – You have the words of eternal life and we have believed and know that You are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6:68-69). On this passage we have a beautiful commentary of St. Augustine, who says in one of his homilies on John 6: “Do you see how Peter, by the grace of God, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has understood? Why did he understand? Because he believed. You have the words of eternal life. You give us eternal life by offering your risen body and your blood, your very self. And we have believed and understood. He does not say we have understood and then we believed, but we believed and then we understood. We have believed in order to be able to understand; if, in fact, we wanted to understand before believing, we would not be able either to understand or to believe. What have we believed and what have we understood? That You are the Christ, the Son of God, that is, that You are that very eternal life, and that You give in Your flesh and blood only that which You are” (Commentary on the Gospel of John, 27, 9). So Saint Augustine said in a homily to his faithful people. Finally, Jesus knew that even among the twelve apostles there was one that did not believe: Judas. Judas could have left, as many of the disciples did; indeed, he would have left if he were honest. Instead he remained with Jesus. He did not remain because of faith, or because of love, but with the secret intention of taking vengeance on the Master. Why? Because Judas felt betrayed by Jesus, and decided that he in turn would betray Him. Judas was a Zealot, and wanted a triumphant Messiah, who would lead a revolt against the Romans. Jesus had disappointed those expectations. The problem is that Judas did not go away, and his most serious fault was falsehood, which is the mark of the devil. This is why Jesus said to the Twelve: “One of you is a devil” (John 6.70). We pray to the Virgin Mary, help us to believe in Jesus, as St. Peter did, and to always be sincere with Him and with all people. ____________________ Tell us what you think: Should Catholics who disagree with the Church on teachings of faith and morals leave?  Yes or No? Discover More Pope Benedict XVI: Insincerity Is The Mark Of The Devil!

The Stuck Inside Literary Award by FR. GORDON J. MACRAE

Labor Day weekend is approaching in the U.S., and for prisoners that means another long stretch locked behind stone walls and steel bars with nothing but time. It's not a total loss, however. Our U.K. readers will especially want to share this.  Don't miss Father Gordon MacRae's much awaited 

"These Stone Walls' Second Annual Stuck Inside Literary Award."

Pope greets roughly 2,600 altar boys in Rome [video]

Pope to altar boys: Tell your friends about the happiness you receive from God After the general audience, the Pope made it a point to greet roughly 2,600 French altar boys who are visiting the Eternal City. More
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Mary TV Daily Reflection 8/29/2012

       
  (c)Mary TV 2012
"Give thanks to God's love that I can love and lead each of you
through my Immaculate Heart also today toward conversion."

 

+

J.M.J

August 29, 2012

The Passion of St. John the Baptist

 

"Dear children! Also today, with hope in the heart, I am praying for you and am thanking the Most High for every one of you who lives my messages with the heart. Give thanks to God's love that I can love and lead each of you through my Immaculate Heart also toward conversion. Open your hearts and decide for holiness, and hope will give birth to joy in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my call." (August 25, 2012)

 

Conversion! Our Lady uses this word a great deal. She longs for us to be converted. We know that conversion is a turning towards God, a reorienting of our lives towards Him. And we know that conversion is a daily process. But what does conversion look like in our lives?

 

Fr. Slavko said some wise things about conversion in his fasting retreats, recorded in the book, Be Similar to My Heart. I quote him from his talk on Prayer and Fasting:

 

There are two conversions that should happen to us: IN OUR PRAYER and TO OUR PRAYER. The first conversion is to start to pray. Many people do not pray at all. The second conversion takes place in the prayer itself. We make 'free' our desires. Our prayers must be free of wanting to gain something from God, but rather to just 'be' with God. Some people's prayers consist only of their wants, needs and desires. They come to tell their story to God but do not wait for an answer. Once they finish the list of wants, they immediately leave. We must be very cautious when we are praying and fasting, so as not to 'blow the horns' in front of us. We may end up 'boasting' to God about our prayers and be blind to giving Him our love. Sometimes we know we should go to Confession, but at the same time, we are not aware of the fact that we must change first. Conversion is not just saying many words, but is then seen really by actions.

 

An example of true conversion in our prayer is when we are looking for God because he loves us rather than looking because we want our needs met. (Fr. Slavko Barbaric. Be Similar to My Heart. p. 35)

 

Now we can see why Our Lady's Immaculate Heart is so necessary for our conversion. Her Heart is totally converted! Her Heart is free of all personal agendas. Her Heart is perfectly at home in God's presence, and she can just "be" with the Lord in total peace and acceptance. And so if we place ourselves in her hands, her Heart will teach us how to pray. We will learn to set aside our interests and concerns and begin to comprehend the great blessings that God has in store for us, and we are filled with hope by this. This is the hope that leads to joy! It is the hope born out of the great future God has planned for us. And we can only glimpse that future when we have let go of our own preconceived notions about it. What God has planned is so much better than what we could design!

 

So, our conversion must first show up in our prayer, a prayer of the heart that is open to God and surrendered to Him in trust and love. May Our Lady lead us with Her Heart!

 

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2012

Benedict XVI explains Martyrdom of John the Baptist

 

The verdict on the case of Rimsha has been postponed; for doctors she is a minor and mentally disabled

ASIA/PAKISTAN - 

Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) - The hearing of the Court of Islamabad on the case of Rimsha, the Christian girl in prison on charges of blasphemy has been postponed to August 30 (see Fides 23/08/2012). The reason for the postponement is procedural and relates to the demand for the formation of the medical Commission that was entrusted with the task of examining the child. Rimsha's defense had to resubmit it to the magistrate.
Fides sources confirm the results of the medical exams, carried out yesterday and anticipated by the Pakistani press: in a report submitted to the Judges, the Medical Commission constituted by a court in Islamabad, after examining the child, asserts that Rimsha is a minor (legal age is 18), considering her age is "less than 14." It also defines her mental level "not equal to her age," but about 8-9 years old.
Based on these findings, Tahir Naveed Chaudhary, the girl's lawyer, then submitted to the Court a request for immediate release, since, according to the provisions in force concerning children, the complaint ("First Infomation Report") must be canceled immediately. According to the Pakistan Criminal Code in fact, she should not even have been arrested and detained. According to art. 82 and 83 of the Penal Code, in the section on juvenile justice, the act of a child under twelve years of age "cannot be defined as an offense," given that the subject "has not reached the legal age of understanding to judge the nature and consequences of her conduct. "
A Pakistani Catholic lawyer, contacted by Fides, confirms that "according to the law, the police violated the procedure and the courts have held the girl in custody illegally for nine days." The child should have been housed in a specialized institute for children and not in a prison. In addition, the law provides that "a judge's assistant should give a report on the child's character, education, social status and morale," before any pronouncement: this provision was not respected.
Police arrested Rimsha on Aug. 16 due to the pressure of hundreds of Islamic radicals, accusing her of having burned a page with the words of the Koran. More than 600 Christian families in the neighborhood Mehra Jafar, where the Rimsha's family lived, have had to flee for fear of retaliation on behalf of extremists. Meanwhile, about 100 Christian residents have camped out in a park in Islamabad where they have begun to build huts and a small chapel made of wood. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 28/08/2012)

 

Mary TV Daily Reflection 8/28/2012

Dear family and friends, Please let me know if you do not wish to 

receive these daily email posts regarding Medjugorje. I don't want 

to offend anyone and I respect your wishes to let it go. If I 

don't hear from you, I will continue to send them out to the group.

Blessings+

Deacon John

(c)Mary TV 2011 Our heart is restless until it rests in Thee.

+ J.M.J August 28, 2012 St. Augustine of Hippo             Dear Family of Mary!   "Dear children! Also today, with hope in the heart, I am praying for you and am thanking the Most High for every one of you who lives my messages with the heart. Give thanks to God's love that I can love and lead each of you through my Immaculate Heart also toward conversion. Open your hearts and decide for holiness, and hope will give birth to joy in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my call." (August 25, 2012)   On this beautiful feast day, let's ponder the famous passage from The Confessions, in which St. Augustine speaks about the heart...the heart that is restless until it rests in God. St. Augustine is called the Doctor of Grace. He speaks so eloquently of the things of the heart, where God wants to dwell. Let's allow him to sing to our hearts today, awakening them to the presence of the beloved, our Jesus who loves us:   Great are you, O Lord, and exceedingly worthy of praise; your power is immense, and your wisdom beyond reckoning. And so we men, who are a due part of your creation, long to praise you - we also carry our mortality about with us, carry the evidence of our sin and with it the proof that you thwart the proud. You arouse us so that praising you may bring us joy, because you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you. Grant me to know and understand, Lord, which comes first. To call upon you or to praise you? To know you or to call upon you? Must we know you before we can call upon you? Anyone who invokes what is still unknown may be making a mistake. Or should you be invoked first, so that we may then come to know you? But how can people call upon someone in whom they do not yet believe? And how can they believe without a preacher? But scripture tells us that those who seek the Lord will praise him, for as they seek they find him, and on finding him they will praise him. Let me seek you then, Lord, even while I am calling upon you, and call upon you even as I believe in you; for to us you have indeed been preached. My faith calls upon you, Lord, this faith which is your gift to me, which you have breathed into me through the humanity of your Son and the ministry of your preacher. How shall I call upon my God, my God and my Lord, when by the very act of calling upon him I would be calling him into myself? Is there any place within me into which my God might come? How should the God who made heaven and earth come into me? Is there any room in me for you, Lord, my God? Even heaven and earth, which you have made and in which you have made me - can even they contain you? Since nothing that exists would exist without you, does it follow that whatever exists does in some way contain you? But if this is so, how can I, who am one of these existing things, ask you to come into me, when I would not exist at all unless you were already in me? Not yet am I in hell, after all but even if I were, you would be there too; for if I descend into the underworld, you are there. No, my God, I would not exist, I would not be at all, if you were not in me. Or should I say, rather, that I should not exist if I were not in you, from whom are all things, through whom are all things, in whom are all things? Yes, Lord, that is the truth, that is indeed the truth. To what place can I invite you, then, since I am in you? Or where could you come from, in order to come into me? To what place outside heaven and earth could I travel, so that my God could come to me there, the God who said, I fill heaven and earth? Who will grant it to me to find peace in you? Who will grant me this grace, that you should come into my heart and inebriate it, enabling me to forget the evils that beset me and embrace you, my only good? What are you to me? Have mercy on me, so that I may tell. What indeed am I to you, that you should command me to love you, and grow angry with me if I do not, and threaten me with enormous woes? Is not the failure to love you woe enough in itself? Alas for me! Through your own merciful dealings with me, O Lord my God, tell me what you are to me. Say to my soul, I am your salvation. Say it so that I can hear it. My heart is listening, Lord; open the ears of my heart and say to my soul, I am your salvation. Let me run towards this voice and seize hold of you. Do not hide your face from me: let me die so that I may see it, for not to see it would be death to me indeed. (St. Augustine's Confessions - Lib 1,1-2,2.5,5: CSEL 33, 1-5)   "Say to my soul, I am your salvation. Say it so that I can hear it. My heart is listening, Lord; open the ears of my heart and say to my soul, I am your salvation." Oh, how we need to hear these words. We need the Savior of our souls to speak His love to our hearts. May we be listening...   In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2012

 

Mary TV: Denis' update - August 27, 2012

"My eyes and my heart will be here,   even when I will no longer appear."    President:  Denis Nolan  P.O. Box 899 Notre Dame, IN  46556  574-287-7875  www.marytv.tv   Mary TV is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization         August 27, 2012 Feast of St. Monica   Dear Family of Mary TV:   In this weeks episode of "Tea With Rosie" we're told of an amazing miracle that just took place in Medjugorje! And in tonight's episode of "Fruit of Medjugorje" Mamma Masnica tells of her experience leading a band of Medjugorje mothers who pushed their way through army lines and a police blockade to tear down boards nailed across the doors of St. James Church! 8:00pm (EDT) at <www.marytv.tv> Tell family & friends!   God bless you!   Denis   PS. Mark you calendar: Mary TV will stream live Ivan's apparition and the time of prayer in St. Stephens Cathedral, September 25, 2012. Streaming begins at 10:00am (EDT) <www.marytv.tv>

The long trail of Christian children raped or killed in Pakistan

FIDES NEWS 27-08-2012

News Fides Service ASIA/PAKISTAN -  Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - The last case reported to Fides happened a few days ago in Islamabad:  the 14-year-old Christian Waiz Masih was killed by young Muslims, after a "discussion on religion." The boy was savagely beaten and then thrown, unconscious, in a channel. There are stories, besides this one, that emerged on the international news: the case of Sunil Yaqoob Masih, a 14-year-old Catholic orphan from Faisalabad, whose body was found mutilated and without any internal organs, and that of Rimsha Masih, a Christian 11-year-old arrested on false charges of  blasphemy. We are talking about a long trail of Christian children killed for different reasons: hatred towards  minorities, attempts to convert to Islam (over 700 girls a year), organ or human trafficking, enslavement. All crimes have a common denominator: Christian children are considered "goods"  and deprived of their dignity. Fides Agency recalls high-profile cases in recent years: - Amaria Masih, an l8-year-old Catholic, raped and murdered on November 27, 2011 in the village of Samundari (Punjab) by the young Muslim Arif Gujjar, who wanted to marry and convert her. She has been defined the "Maria Goretti of Pakistan" (see Fides 02/12/2011). The family has forgiven the murderer. - Sabir Bashir, a Christian teenager, tortured and killed in October 2011 in the territory of the district of Khanewal District (Punjab), by Muslims because of "land grabbing": the criminals wanted to steal the land which belonged to Christians and this is why they attacked the children. Other children were  injured in the attack. - Anna, a 12-year-old Christian girl, Arif Masih's daughter, scavenger in Shahdra, a small town near Lahore (Punjab): kidnapped and raped repeatedly for eight months by a gang of Islamic militants.  Annihilated and traumatized, was converted and forced to an Islamic marriage (Fides 11/10/2011). - Four Christian children killed in 2011 with their mother near Jehlum (Punjab) because they refused  to leave a village which was predominantly Muslim. - Farah Hatim, the Catholic girl kidnapped, forced to marry and convert to Islam in the city of Rahim Yar Khan, in Punjab. Some non-governmental Organizations in Pakistan and outside the  country officially brought the case to the United Nations (Fides 22/08/2011). - Rebbecca Masih and Saima Masih, two Christian girls kidnapped by a group of Muslims in the  district of Jhung, in Faisalabad (in Punjab), and forced to convert to Islam and forced to marry a  rich local businessman (Fides 27/05/2011). - Shazia Bashir, a 12-year-old Christian girl, who was raped and murdered in January 2010  (Fides 08/02/2010). Chaudhry Naeem, the rich Muslim lawyer, responsible for the crime, was  acquitted. Behind the event there is a sinister turn of sale, trafficking and enslavement of children. - Lubna Masih, 12 years old, raped and murdered by a group of Muslims in Rawalpindi  (Fides 13/10/2010). - Kiran George, a girl from Sheikhupura (Lahore) who died on March 10, 2010 from burns all over her body, after the Muslim Ahmad Raza, a police officer, poured gasoline on her and lit her on fire.  The young woman had been enslaved by a woman, Sama, a dealer of youth to be sold as prostitutes or slaves to wealthy Muslim families (Fides 22/03/2010). (PA) (Agenzia Fides 24/08/2012) Christian Teenager raped and murdered in Punjab Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - A teenage Christian Muqadas Kainat was raped by five men and brutally killed near the town of Sahiwal in Punjab. This is yet another incident of violence, which brings attention to the long trail of abuses suffered by children and young  Christians in Pakistan (see Fides 24/08/2012). The incident happened on August 14, but has been reported to Fides Agency by local sources only now, on the eve of the hearing in Court for another case, that of Rimsha Masih, an 11-year-old Christian arrested for blasphemy. Muqadas Kainat, 15 years old, was the daughter of Rafique Masih, a humble Christian worker, employed in one of the brick kilns, scattered in the plains of Punjab. In the  factory, belonging to the society, "Al-Ghani Bricks Company", in the Sahiwal area,  Rafique Masih works with his wife and seven children, including the youngest, Muqadas.  The family lives nearby. On August 14, the girl left home and no longer came back. Despite the family members  research, she was not found. On August 15, a factory worker said he had received an  anonymous phone call stating that the girl was in a nearby field. The police was alerted,  the research led to the discovery of Muqadas Kainat's body. An autopsy determined  that the girl had been raped many times by at least five men and then strangled. A complaint against persons unknown (First Information Report) was registered, but  "still no culprit has been arrested," says to Fides the Pastor and lawyer Mushtaq Gill,  President of the NGO Christian LEAD ("Legal Evangelical Association Development")  who is providing legal assistance to the family. The fear in the local Christian community,  shocked by what happened, is that crime does not go unpunished.  (PA) (Agenzia Fides 27/08/2012) Pakistanis in Europe are mobilizing for Rimsha Masih Rome (Agenzia Fides) - "Let us save Rimsha Masih": is the campaign launched by  Pakistani Christians in Europe to save the Christian girl falsely accused of blasphemy  and currently in a juvenile prison in Islamabad (see Fides 23/08/2012). Tomorrow the  Court will rule on the request for her release filed by the girl's lawyers, on behalf of the  family and the "All Pakistan Minorities Alliance". From Rome to London, mobilization is increasing: the Pakistani Christians in Italy  have issued an appeal to be sent to the President of Pakistan Ali Zardari  (for adehesions salviamorimshamasih@gmail.com). In a statement sent to Fides, the  "Association of Pakistani Christians in Italy" asks: "Who is the real culprit in the case  of Rimsha? Is it who threw the papers (which Rimsha then burned) knowing that there  were pages of the Koran?". The Association sends " Rimsha Masih, her family and  religious minorities of Pakistan a message of sympathy and solidarity, reiterating the  request for waiver of prosecution and immediate release." It also emphasizes  "full support to all the different organizations, and any Christian denomination, working  for the abolition or revision of the blasphemy law, for the law, for the defense and  security of religious minorities." "All those who believe in freedom of worship and respect for religious beliefs of others  cannot remain indifferent in the face of this violence," says to Fides Adan Farhaj,  President of the "All Pakistan Christian League" in Italy, who organized a public  conference yesterday in Porto Sant'Elpidio to ask for Rimsha's release and to show  solidarity with all those who suffer violence because of their faith. In London, the "British Pakistani Christian Association" held in recent days, a protest in  front of the Prime Minister's Office in Downing Street and launched an online petition  (at http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/ freerimshamasih) asking the British  Government, the European Union, the United Nations, to put pressure for the girl's  release. The petition will be sent to the "Human Rights Commission of Pakistan," a  Pakistani government body. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 27/08/2012)