8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

1/14

1 KARISMA

KNKs 19 th Anniversary MassKNK celebrated its 19 th anniversary with aThanksgiving mass held on 28 th June at 11am at St Peter Apostle Mission Parish,Hoppers Crossing. Sherwin led thecongregation in Praise & Worship beforemass. Our parish priest Fr PiusKodakkathanath was the celebrant andthe KNK Music Ministry was the choir forthe day.

Celebrations concluded with fellowship,where everyone enjoyed the shared lunchat the community centre.

Josephine and Buxtons 25 th weddinganniversary on 24 th June

KNK extends heartiest congratulations toJosephine and Buxton. They were prayed

over at the fellowship after the anniversarymass. We thank the Lord for this dedicatedcouple and their children who serve theLord through KNK. May the Lord bless,guide and protect them always.

Mommy Lumings 90 th Birthday

Mommy Luming, one of KNKs pioneermembers turned 90 on 8 th August. Praiseand thanks to our God for the gift ofMommy Luming and for the 90 wonderfulyears He has blessed her with. The KNKmembers wish her many more wonderfulyears filled with many joys & blessings.

Meet the Editor

We are pleased tointroduce to you ournew editor who hashelped reviveKarisma after sucha long break. AnitaDSouza is a longstanding member ofour prayer group.We thank God forthis silent prayerwarrior, who adorns

St. Peter Apostle Mission Parish, Hoppers Crossing, VIC Australia 3029 Ph: 9749 4300

Email: thomage@yahoo.com H elping to build the ody o f hrist Facebook a/c: Katawan N. Kristo

KNK Pra er Communit

Official Newsletter ofatawan i risto

(Body of Christ )Prayer CommunityVol No 2/September 2014

KNK Miscella-News

mailto:thomage@yahoo.commailto:thomage@yahoo.commailto:thomage@yahoo.commailto:thomage@yahoo.comhttp://knkprayercommunity.multiply.com/http://knkprayercommunity.multiply.com/http://knkprayercommunity.multiply.com/mailto:thomage@yahoo.com

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

2/14

2 KARISMA

our prayer group with her beautiful smile.With patience and love she ministers tothose in need, bri nging Christs love to usall. Anita is also a member of our prayerministry and now has taken this addedresponsibility of publishing the Karisma,sharing Gods abundant grace to one and

all. We wish her and her beautiful familymany blessings as they continue towitness Christs love to the world.

JOURNEY WITH DEMENTIACharismatic and Sacramental GraceBy Adrian Commadeur

Since 2008 Anne and Ihave journeyed with theprogress of dementia hertype being Lewy BodyDementia . This has been a

journey of grace and surrender. From thetime of marriage in 1974 when wepromised each other to be faithful insickness and in health , we haveexperienced the graces of the sacramentof marriage and the blessings of

Charismatic Renewal. Whilst Anne wasactive locally and I was active globally,both of us were deeply committed to theLordship of Jesus in the power of the HolySpirit. The journey with dementia has beenan expression of surrender to the Lordshipof Jesus. One of the graces has been toaccept the diagnosis when first made. Toknow that whatever the future would holdfor us, Jesus would be with us.

Progress of Dementia At first there were the medical appointme-nts and research project Anne wasinvolved in. This required of us planningand patience and cooperation with lots ofmedical and research staff. It interferedwith our time, but it allowed us to make acontribution to humanity! We learned howmany people today suffer from dementia,and a cure would save $8 billion from thehealth budget. We saw the dedication ofstaff, their professionalism, their concernfor the patients and the hopes they had for

a future cure. The graces of the dementiashowed another face of kindness. As Anneprogressed to walking with a stick, thenpushed in her wheelchair, the people in theparish and prayer groups and neighbour-hood began to show greater attention toher. They expressed the love of God

towards Anne, who usually smiled inresponse, and we both experiencedgoodness from people. Gods mercy cameto us through the compassion of many.

Late Stages of Dementia As Anne continued to deteriorate welearned of all the helps available to her andme as carer. This ranged from the localCouncil help, to Carers Victoria advice, to

Alzheimer s Australia for information, toStatewide Equipment Program foralterations to the bathroom, to localagencies providing day care for Anne. Inthis way God has provided for our everyneed just at the time it was required. Forme this was confirmation that as we bothsurrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Hewould meet our needs. Often I rememberSt Mary MacKillops saying: God gives mestrength for what is necessary. It is on oneof my favourite coffee cups! I have learntthat Gods timing has been perfect.Sometime people say that it must be hardfor me. To tell the truth, the grace ofmarriage and the fruit of the Holy Spiritmake my care for Anne a joyful experienceand our love for one another has growndeeper. I realise the dignity of Anne as aperson in the image of God. As I serve andcare for her, I serve and care for Jesus,who lives in her.

In High CareIn the month of May, in the month of Mary,

Anne was admitted into High Care. She isin a beautiful nursing home, with caring,smiling staff. I can see Gods provision inthe loving attention given to her. I am atpeace with our situation, I feel Godspresence, and especially I feel buoyed bythe prayers of so many. It is true that I nowlive alone, but I sense the presence of the

love of the Lord surrounding me. We donot know what the future holds, but we do

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

3/14

3 KARISMA

know Who holds the future. With thiscomforting thought sadness is diminished.

To the Future with Hope As I continue to surrender to the Lord, andask that Gods will be done in allcircumstances, there was a moment of

sadness when making Advanced CarePlans which concern the last stages ofdementia. In all circumstances I see Godsgoodness, especially when Anne has abetter day. There are two little statementsshe has made when more alert. One dayas I came in, Here comes my world! It wasa word of consolation inspired by the HolySpirit. Another day she whispered: I loveyou with all my heart . I know that Godallowed her to say that to comfort me whenthe going gets tough. I know that God byhis Holy Spirit will give me the strength tokeep going.

AN ESSAY ON CHRISTIAN HOPEBy Brendan Thomas

There have been manycriticisms of Christianity

and its apparentlyescapist tradition.Christians today areconfronted daily withcontradicting viewpoints, challengingsituations and scenarios which wouldnthave been possible two thousand yearsago. This undesirable condition is surelyattributed to societys vision for happiness

a vision that is completely self-absorbedand non-transcendental. A world that

believes killing can bring happiness is aworld that has its priorities completelyinverted. Christians are seen either ascowards, who want to avoid dealing withissues of the temporal world because oftheir intentional focus on the eternal world,or they themselves fall into the sin of theworld by succumbing to its beliefs. This isa world that is characterised byhopelessness, because they hope in

1 Henry Bars, Faith, Hope and Charity . London: Burns &Oates, 1961. p. 66

everything but God: they have lost theirsense of belonging, their sense of kinshipand their bearings in general. Christianhope is abandoned by many Christians aswell as non-Christians, and as such, theworld is a darker place. St. Augustinewarned believers of this disaster, yet many

Christians still lost their way. C.S. Lewisenlightened believers to the devils tacticof separating us from God, yet manyChristians still lost their way. Isak Dinesen,a non-Christian author, showed the worldthe benefits of having Christian hope, yetmany Christians still lost their way. Eventhe sacrament given for the specificpurpose of hope is undermined andunused. What is needed in todays societyis a revitalisation of Christian hope, a hopewhose sole object is to return to its creator. Hope is present in the Bible from Genesis.Henry Bars states that the Old Testamentis hope from beginning to end. It ispointed towards a future, which it firstexpects and then demands, with a sort ofanxious impatience. 1 The hope that isprevalent in the Old Testament is thelonging for salvation, the yearning ofhuman souls to return to a propercommunion with God. After Jesus Christsaved humanity, the Old Testament hopewas replaced with a joyful hope. Christianswere granted salvation, but still werentresurrected as Christ. Bars states that(Salvation) is obtained, but it is not heldindefectibly: it is here that hope comes in. 2 Faith and hope are very closely tied, to thepoint where they are sometimesindistinguishable, in the Bible. Christiansbelieve through their faith that they will beresurrected as Christ was, and they hopefor the second coming where theresurrection of the body will take place.Therefore, the resurrection of the bodyand life everlasting, as stated in the

Apostles creed, are the things Christiansare called to hope for: For if we believethat Jesus died and rose, so too will God,through Jesus, bring with him those who

2 Ibid , p. 70

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

4/14

4 KARISMA

have fallen asleep (1 Thes. 4:14). Hopingin worldly things however, will not attainsalvation.

St. Augustine clearly sets out the twochoices a Christian has in this lifetime inhis City of God. Augustines basis for The

City of God was the capture of Rome bythe Goths in A.D 410. He undertook toshow that it was the irreligion andimmorality of Rome which was the truecause of her downfall to show men thatthe City of God alone was eternal 3 Thisgreat figure in Church history attributed theemergence of two cities to the fall. This(the fall) is the reason why there existaccording to our Scriptures the twocities. One city is that of men who liveaccording to the flesh. The other is of menwho live according to the spirit. 4 Thesearch for happiness is embedded into thehuman person: At the heart of human lifeis a desire for an infinite happiness, andmans response to this desire determinesnot only the quality of individual life, but thestructure and destiny of societies.5 Augustine believes in a linear progressionof history, and as such states that all thingsare pointed towards something thatsomething is different for the two cities.

Augustine outlines some of the miseriesthat the human life is filled with, includingthe miseries of man in living with his ownmind and body, the miseries of the worldand the drawbacks of the society of men. 6 The undesirable aspects of the city of menis contrasted to the benefits of the city ofGod including peace, the absence of eviland every good one could ever think of.

Augustine therefore prescribes to readersthat in order to achieve true happiness,one must choose to live for the city of God.

The City of God isnt the only work inliterature that speaks against the city ofmen. Works like Screwtape Letterssuggest that it is one of the devils tactics

3 Marthinus Versfeld, A Guide To The City Of God .London: Sheed and Ward Ltd. 1958. p. 84 St. Augustine, City of God . Trans. by G.G. Walsh, D.B.Zema, G. Monahan and D.J. Honan. New York: ImageBooks 1958. p. 295

to draw men away from hoping in God andonly looking to the temporal sphere. C.S.Lewis The Screwtape letters was writtenin 1942. Lewis attempted to show readersthrough this satirical Christian apologetic,the various tactics demons might use todraw men into damnation. Letter fifteen

consists of Wormwoods uncle Screwtapesuggesting to Wormwood that the bestway to draw mankind away from God is tomake him focus on the future. The futurethat Screwtape prescribes only hastemporal glory as its goal such as"Creative Evolution, Scientific Humanism,or Communism 7 Screwtape feels thatthe enemy (God) would ideally havemankind concerned with eternity. The nextbest situation was that hed have them

concerned with the Present, although thiswouldnt be much better because thepresent is a reminder of eternity. He finallydecides that focussing on the temporalfuture is the best possible way to drawthem away from God. In a world, theFuture is, of all things, the thing least likeeternity. It is the most completely temporalpart of time for the Past is frozen and nolonger flows, and the Present is all lit upwith eternal rays. 8 The present therefore,is also important.

Isak Dinesens Babettes Feast portra ysthe disadvantages of disregarding thetemporal sphere completely. Babette is aCatholic, who shares no interest in the twopuritanical/Lutheran sisters foolishabstinence. The two sisters, who devotetheir lives to helping the people of theirvillage, dont live life to its fullest. Theirfather, the founder of the religious sect,taught that everything in this world wasaimed at evil only abstinence from allpleasures would result in happiness. Thisis portrayed directly through the food theyate: s plit cod and an ale-and-bread-

5 Versfeld, op.cit. p.726 St. Augustine, op.cit. XIX, chapters 4-9.7 C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters. London: FountPaperbacks, 1977. p. 778 Ibid, p. 77

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

5/14

5 KARISMA

soup 9 This is contrasted with Babettesoutlook on life. She is still a faithful andhonest maid who does her best to makethe sisters life comfortable, physically aswell as financially. Yet she strives to makeothers happy, the best way she knows how

cooking. The story culminates when

Babette provides a feast, spending all themoney she won in the lotto, for the twosisters and their small council of believerswho vow not to say a good work about thefood, because indulgence is sinful.Despite all this, they all walk out after thefeast overjoyed. When the sisters askedwhether Babette was to remain poor forthe rest of her life, she replies No, I shallnever be poor. I told you that I am a greatartist. A great artist, Mesdames, is neverpoor. We have something, Mesdames, ofwhich other people know nothing. 10 Thesisters who were so loved by everyone inthe village, didnt realise how muchhappiness Babette had brought to peoplearound her until this particular night.Babette wasnt striving for wealth ortemporal glory (as they thought she hadbeen). She just lived life in servitude andshowed two sisters who were admired fortheir faith, the disadvantages ofdisregarding the temporal worldcompletely. Therefore, a constant lookingforward to the future, in denial of thetemporal life, is never a recipe forhappiness.

These two examples of literature depictingthe relationship between hope andhappiness show the two extremes of hope.Screwtape encourages Wormwood toforce humans to look to a future oftemporal things, while the sisters inBabettes Feast look forward to a futurewith the impression of the world andeverything associated with it, as sinful anddisgusting. In both these cases, a properhope isnt apparent. In The ScrewtapeLetters , humanity would ideally not look

9 Isak Dinesen, Babettes Feast , in Anecdotes ofDestiny. London: Penguin, 2001. p. 36 10 Ibid. p. 6711 Bars, op.cit. p. 76

forward to eternity: In St. Augustinesterminology, they would choose the city ofman. In Babettes Feast , the sisters arelooking forward to a false sense of eternity.Bars speaks out against this view bystating that no man may hold his socialcommunity cheap, for it is also the

community of others.11

The Churchstrongly believes this notion, which is whypart of the sacraments of initiation is thatof confirmation.

Confirmation is the final sacrament ofinitiation that is commonly misconceivedas a mere spiritual coming of ageceremony. Others believe that it is aremembrance of Pentecost, but this againis false. Bishop Thomas Dowd believesthat these conceptions arise as atestament to the individualistic trend inwestern civilization. Confirmation is in factincorporation into the Church militant. TheChurch works within the boundaries ofitself, but also aims to influence changeand achieve peace outside its walls.Baptism incorporates one into thecommunity of the Church, whileConfirmation gives the individual the Wordof God and the Holy Spirit as guides toevangelise and combat evil in the world.Confirmation has a special meaning forChristians. It gives believers the toolsnecessary to wait in joyful hope for thesecond coming. Hope therefore, is themain objective o f Confirmation: I will askthe Father, and he will give you anotheradvocate to be with you always, the Spiritof truth, which the world cannot accept,because it neither sees nor knows it(John 14:16- 17) Confirmation is thetime for people to learn what it means tobe *Catholic*. 12 This sacramentencourages Christians to look forward toeternal life, while still staying strong andfighting for good in the temporal life. It isintrinsic to Christianity therefore, to involveitself in matters of the world while still

12 Bishop Thomas Dowd, Why Confirmation , inWaiting in Joyful Hope, published 8/05/20 04.http://bishopdowd.net/home/node/33

http://bishopdowd.net/home/node/33http://bishopdowd.net/home/node/33http://bishopdowd.net/home/node/33

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

6/14

6 KARISMA

looking towards heaven as the ultimategoal.

C.S. Lewis states Hope means acontinual looking forward to the eternalworld (which) is not a form of escapism orwishful thinking, but one of the things a

Christian is meant to do.13

He argues thatthe Christians that did the most for theworld were the ones who constantlythought of the next. This is logical even insimple terms. If a person wishes to berewarded, and the only way to berewarded was to be good and fulfil theLords prayer thy will be done on Earth,as it is in heaven then of course he/shewill do their best to be good and improvethe world. The Apostles were exemplars ofthis notion, and so too were the Churchfathers such as St. Augustine. Aim atHeaven and you will get earth thrown in:aim at earth and you will get neither. 14 Lewis very coherently emphasises theimportance of living on this Earth withHeaven in mind. He states three ways inwhich a man can attain a false sense ofhappiness: believing that it is achievedthrough worldly things; not believing thatworldly things have happiness; andaccepting that happiness is found in Godwho created all things, for humanitysbenefit. The last, he states, should be theChristians choice.

A Christian is called to look towards thenext life, for this life is temporal, full oftemptations and things that dont matter.Hope for eternal life in communion with

13 C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity. San Francisco: Harper,2001. p. 134

God is contrasted with the pleasures thatthe world has to offer. Examples of thesefalse sources of happiness are highlightedand contrasted in many literary sourceslike The Screwtape Letters and BabettesFeast . Confirmation is the sacrament thatendows a Christian with the tools to fully

realize hopes goals; this is done byimproving the temporal world, with thetemplate of the eternal one. There is noneed to be worried by facetious peoplewho try to make the Christian hope ofHeaven ridiculous by saying they do notwant to spend eternity playing harps. Theanswer to such people is that if theycannot understand books written forgrown-ups, they should not talk aboutthem. 15

THE GLORIABy Angela Vivona

During a Sunday masssome months ago, at ourlocal parish there was avisiting priest from Africa.During his homily, I

experienced the power ofGod manifested through his sharing of theGloria.

His love and understanding of the prayer,was evident in him. As he spoke his faceshone and his eyes sparkled, it was like hewas talking about heaven. His sharing leftme with an everlasting appreciation of theprayer. He said that the Gloria is a prayerof praise, thanksgiving and adoration andis so holy that when saying it, he could onlysay it with his eyes shut, and that duringthe prayer he felt the presence of immenseholiness. I am forever grateful to thatsharing and so when asked to lead theprayer meeting at KNK, I thought it was agood opportunity to share that beautifulinner peace and love which I experienced

14 Ibid. p. 13415 Ibid. p. 137

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

7/14

7 KARISMA

and will continue to experience every timeI say the Gloria.

The following is a brief explanation of mytalk, which I shared.

The G l o r i a is a joyful response to the

forgiveness received in the Penitential Act.It is called the Angelic Hymn because itbegins with the song of the angels that washeard at the birth of Jesus Christ (Lk.2:14)

Glory to God in the highest and onearth peace to people of good will .

The peace to people of good willannounced by the angels is one of thecharacteristics of the eternal covenantestablished through Jesus Christ: I wi ll

make a covenant of peace with them; itshall be an everlasting covenant withthem. (Ezek . 37:26)

The Gloria continues with praise of Godthe Father for His majesty:

We praise you, we bless you, we adoreyou, we glorify you, we give you thanksfor your great glory, Lord God,heavenly King, O God, almighty Father

Here we carry out two of the four ends ofprayer: Adoration and Thanksgiving. Wepraise, bless, adore, glorify, and thankGod for the glory He has revealed to us.While the old translation summarized allthese verbs we worship you, we give youthanks, w e praise you for your glory - thenew translation renders each oneindividually. It might seem a little repetitive,but those words do not all have the exact

same meaning. The abundance of wordsis a reminder of how constant our praise ofGod should be. It is also a sign of ourinability to describe our response to Godsgreatness with just one or two words.

The next part focuses on God the Son,Jesus Christ: the Father and the Son areboth invok ed as Lord God, affirming theequality of the Father and the Son. Afterinvoking Jesus by several of His titles, we

pray a three-fold litany asking Him to havemercy on us and hear our prayers:

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of theFather, You take away the sins of theworld, have mercy on us;

You take away the sins of the world,receive our prayer;

You are seated at the right hand of the

Father, have mercy on us.

Through invoking Jesus by these titles, theGloria describes our faith in who Jesus is.The three-fold litany (which was reducedto only two in the old translation) providesthe other two ends of prayer: contrition andpetition. We again ask the Lord for mercy(twice) and we beseech Him to hear us

when we pray. These four ends of prayer -adoration, thanksgiving, contrition, andpetition - are summed up here in the hymnwe sing most Sundays of the year. TheGloria, along with the Our Father, shouldbe a model for personal prayer: glorify Godand give Him thanks first, then presentyour needs to Him.

The hymn ends with a brief Trinitariandoxology. We profess the Son, the Spirit,and the Father as the one Holy and MostHigh Lord:

For you alone are the Holy One, youalone are the Lord, you alone are theMost High, Jesus Christ, with the HolySpirit, in the glory of God the Father.Amen.

The word alone here might bemisleading. It does not mean that Jesus isalone, for God is a living communion ofthree Persons, and neither the Father, northe Son, nor the Holy Sp irit can be alone.Rather, it means only, in the sense that

there is only One Who is Holy, the Lord,the Most High, and that One is three

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

8/14

8 KARISMA

Persons. The affirmation that Jesus Christis the Most High is another clearidentification of Jesus with God.

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTIONBy Sherwin Simangan

Being a Christian, I amproud to declare that I amblessed. It means that Iam a believer of a livingand loving God whoblesses me with life andsustains me with spiritualstrength to carry on in thislifes journey. For me being able to freelypractice and share my faith is a basichuman right that I cannot simply take forgranted.

It has been reported to the UN that over200 million Christians are beingpersecuted or being denied their humanrights for simply being a Christian. That isa staggering 10% of the Christianpopulation in this world. It is also claimedthat Christians like you and me are beingharshly targeted in at least 139 countries.It is estimated that for every five personsbeing persecuted for their faith, four areChristians i.e. 4 out of 5.

It may sound to be an exaggeration thatthis can occur in this modern time. But wedo not have to investigate further asChristian persecution is as real today as itwas during Jesus Christs time in thisworld. Christian persecution is not new,

our Lord Jesus Christ was condemned todeath but the persecution did not end onthe cross. Most of Jesus disciples werehunted down and faced a horrible death.The Romans also martyred manyChristian believers. Many Saints were alsomartyred for their faith and the tyranny ofChristian persecution persists even to thisday.

How are Christians being persecuted?

It can start with simple verbal abuse orbeing denied certain services such as

medical, education, housing andeconomic opportunities. Then itprogresses to being not allowed to openlyshow a Christian symbol such as a crossor a Bible and practice Christian activitiesor even being denied to worship and toevangelise. At worst, being physically

harassed, be driven out from their homes,confiscation of properties, to be subjectedto laws that contradicts Christian values,forced to renounce Christianity and toconvert, to be kidnapped, abducted,imprisoned, raped, tortured, murdered andeven crucified. In some cases, a Christianmay experience many of these forms ofpersecution rolled in to one.

Why are Christians facing persecution?It may be a political, religious, cultural or ahistorical motivation. As Christians we areeasily targeted because:1. Christianity is the largest religion in theworld. There are an estimated more than2 billion Christians around the world andcan be found almost everywhere.2. Christianity Evangelises. Our faith callson us to actively reach out to spread andshare Gods good news. Other religionsmay see this as confrontational and athreat to their faith.3. Christianity is a true religion ofmartyrdom. From Jesus Christ, to hisapostles and the early Church, manyChristians accepted martyrdom ratherthan denounced their Christian faith.Jesus himself reminded us that whoeverdenies me before men, I will deny himbefore my father in heaven Matth ew10:33. Thus our faith encourages us toface death rather than renounce the faiththat will lead us to eternal life.

So because of a big Christian population,being visible and actively seeking out toevangelise and to live and die for ourChristian faith, we find many of ourbrothers and sisters in Christ beingtargeted and attacked.

The persecution Christians face, is among

the largest human rights violation issues intodays world. The statistics I have

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

9/14

9 KARISMA

mentioned previously, are not justnumbers but a revelation and the truth thatChristians are suffering and are beingmade to suffer, simply for being a followerof Jesus Christ. Despite the technologywhere information can pass on from onepart of the world to another within a

second, the atrocities targeting Christianshardly made news. Many of us will beaware from the news of the current civilwar occurring in parts of the Middle Eastsuch as that of Syria and Iraq. The area isa battlefield with many human casualties.On the surface we understand that this isa civil war but if we look closely andintensely, this war is turning to genocide,not just a form of ethnic cleansing but alsoa religious cleansing.

The current civil war in Syria was aimed toremove a despotic government that hasbeen in existence for many decades.From the chaos in this civil war, an Islamicgroup called ISIS has grown as majorarmed resistance who are not only fightingthe Syrian regime but also systematicallytargeting Christians. The Christianminority who have existed for manycenturies in Syria, have faced persecutionand at times execution at the hands if ISIS.

In Iraq, the same Islamic group ISIS, agroup that even Al Qaeda distanced itselfbecause of its extremism, has singled outChristians in parts of northern Iraq.Christian homes are marked foridentification and confiscated whileChurches are occupied and raided.Christians are forced to leave everythingand there are those executed on the spotespecially those who will not renouncetheir faith. Today, Ir aqs second largestcity, Mosul is now virtually Christian free.What used to be a Christian community of60,000, all Christians have been drivenout. For the first time in its 1600 years ofChristianity in Mosul, no masses are beingcelebrated.

Recently, another Iraqi town Tal Kayf has

fallen. Once more the Islamic Jihadisthave forced out 100,000 Christians to flee

while their homes confiscated, churchesoccupied, crosses and ancientmanuscripts removed or destroyed. TheChristians fled with nothing but theirclothes on. The plight of Christians in Syriaand Iraq, is just one of the catastrophesbeing faced by Christians today.

Back in April this year in Nigeria, we heardabout the 300 teenage and young girls thatwere kidnapped by a notorious Islamicfanatic called Boko Haram. Perhaps, whatthe news did not reveal in detail is that90% of these young girls and teenagersare Christians. Some girls have escapedbut their captors are still holding many.The escapee told how they are beingforced to convert to Islam, forced inmarriage to a Muslim or sold as childbrides. Rape is reported to be common aswell as execution. This group Boko Haramhas been systematically targeting not justChristians but specifically Christian girls,as a way to weaken the Christianpopulation and humiliate it.

The anti-Christian assault is not justlimited from Islamic extremists. Just lastmonth in Sri Lanka, a hardline Buddhistgroup launched a 4-day campaign to stopall Christian activity in particular inevangelisation. An incident included 5Buddhist monks and its followers raided aChristian family who were praying at thattime. A female Christian was taken awayto a Buddhist temple and was both verballyand physically assaulted. She wasthreatened that she will be killed if shegoes back home.

Here in Australia, there is no apparentdirect persecution of Christians. But therehas been an aggressive kind ofsecularism, which is intolerant ofChristianity. Christians ideas, symbolsand activities are being marginalised. Ane.g., some schools or public places arebeing forced to not display images relatingto Christmas, instead being encouraged toshow other symbols of that season. The

nativity set is replaced by Santa and hiselves and during lent; it is about a bunny

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

10/14

10 KARISMA

and chocolate eggs. The Relaxation ofcertain laws about abortion, same-sexmarriages and euthanasia are affront toChristian beliefs. And this is happeningnow nationwide. An attack to Christianvalues is an attack to the Church and itsflock.

With the persecution of Christiansbecoming more frequent and extreme,how do we as Christs believers react tothis? How do we respond? Jesus Christtold us If the world hates you, you mustrealise that it hated me before it hatedyou. John 15:18. Remember the words Isay to you. A servant is no greater than hismaster. If they persecuted me, they willpersecute you John 15:20.

Here Jesus reminds us that as he waspersecuted, we as Christians could expectthe same treatment. This does not meanthat we should seek out persecution but tobe aware that we will encounter it in thisworld. To be persecuted is not the goal,but to live and follow Christ as he lived. Intimes of persecution it is a trial that will testour faith, a time to be one with God, toseek him and trust him. In persecution weare faced with two choices, to be with Godor to deny him. In Matthew 10: 32 -33,Jesus said Whoever acknowledges mebefore others, I will also acknowledgebefore my Father in heaven. But whoeverdisowns me before others I will disownbefore my Fat her in Heaven.

For the Christians who are enduringpersecution, Jesus promised this rewardBlessed are those who are persecuted inthe cause of uprightness; the kingdom ofheaven is theirs blessed are you whenpeople insult you, persecute you andfalsely say all kinds of evil against youbecause of me. Rejoice and be gladbecause great is your reward in heaventhis is how they persecuted the prophetsbefore you. Matthew 5:10 -12.

So what can we do for our suffering

brothers and sisters in Christ?

We pray. We pray for the sufferingChristians. And we pray for those whopersecute us. As Jesus has said, loveyour enemies and pray for those whopersecute you. Why pray? Because itworks. One example I can give to you is astory of a pregnant woman in Sudan who

was imprisoned last year for marrying aChristian. She was accused of renouncingIslam yet she maintained she was never aMuslim. Her brother in law in US started tofight for her freedom in a small prayergroup. They prayed and lobbied until theday she was released. Few weeks ago,Pope Francis in the Vatican welcomed thispersecuted Christian Ms Meriam Ishag.

Another example, 20 years ago inRwanda, the world has witnessed agenocide sohorrific thatsaw one millionpeople died in100 days. Onesurvivor namedConcillewitnessed allher childrenliterally being snatched from her arms andwere killed. But through the support of herCharismatic Catholic group and throughthe healing hand of God, she has forgivenand now reconciled with the man whokilled her family.

As I end this sharing, I ask you to spare amoment of your time each day for ourfellow Christians who are facinghumiliation, persecution and evenextermination. Remember them in yourprayers. And so we ask God and pray

Dear God, as our father and creator, wehumbly offer this prayer for our fellowChristians who are facing persecution andeven death. Strengthen their resolve toremain faithful to you even whenhumiliation and despair is weakeningthem. Send your angels to rescue andprotect especially the defenceless

children, elderly, infirmed and those withaffliction.

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

11/14

11 KARISMA

That through our Lord Jesus Christsmerciful sacred heart will shine ever sobrightly to give them light in their darkesthours, to give them hope and courage tostand against cruelty and pain.

That through the Holy Spirit they will feel

your presence and your mercy.That through our Mother Mary that she willlift up their prayers and plight to you.

And for those who have died for their faith,welcome them to your kingdom and givecomfort and grace to those who are nowgrieving. For the survivors of persecution,have mercy on them. With your love, helpthem, heal, forgive and reconcile.

In your glory Lord, in your time, your will bedone.

Amen.

A LIFE-CHANGING ADVENTUREBy Jean Ephraums

In April this year (2014), Ihad the good fortune ofgoing on a spiritual

journey, along with mytwo daughters. We firstmade our journey to Sri Lanka, and beganour pilgrimage with a group of people fromthere. It was a soul-stirring pilgrimage thatdeepened my faith in the Lord, with theintercession of Mary, our Dearest Mother.

On day 2, we arrived at Milan, Italy, at theshrine of Rosa Mystica. The story of RosaMystica began in 1947, where MotherMary appeared to Pierina Gilli, a nurse ina room of the hospital, where she worked.Our Lady, dressed in a beautiful violetdress and a white veil around her head,was very sad and her eyes were filled withtears. Her breast was pierced by threeswords. During the apparition she utteredthe words prayer and penitence. Our

Lady had made 7 apparitions withmiraculous healings.

Our next visit was to Padua, to themagnificent church of St. Anthony, wherehis precious relics were transferred. Whenafter thirty years, the vault in which hissacred body had reposed was opened, theflesh had turned to dust, but the tonguewas found to be fresh and uninjured. St.

Anthony performed many miracles andhas been known to be a wonder worker. Itwas a joy to visit the church of my favouritesaint.

On day 3, after breakfast, we made our journey to the papal Basilica of St. Francisof Assisi. The lower Basilica is inconformity to Christ - poor and crucified;the upper Basilica an Icon of theChurch. The lower Basilica leads to the

famous fou r sails above the main altarwhere the Italian artist and architect artistGiotto di Bondone represents St. Francisin glory and the allegories of the Vows orEvangelical Counsels of poverty, chastityand obedience. The frescoes of the lowerBasilica tell the spiritual journey of SaintFrancis as he followed Christ. There arelive scenes of the life of the Saint with fiveepisodes from the passion and death ofChrist. To the right of the main altar areepisodes from the infancy of Christ. Theupper Basi lica has been called the mostbeautiful house of prayer in the world. Theabsolute originality of style andextraordinary content have stunned theworld. Both the lower and upper Basilicaare entirely painted by some of thegreatest artists. Their works of art are soamazing.

Now to tell you about St. Francis he wasborn Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone[nicknamed Francesco by his father] in

Assisi, Italy, in 1181 or 1182 A.D., towealthy parents Pietro di Bernadone andLady Pica. His father was a businessman.Wanting to become a knight, Francis left

Assisi to fight a battle in Puglia, SouthernItaly, in 1204, but when he was a shortdistance away, he had a vision whichdirected him back to Assisi and totally

changed his life. Two moments of hisconversion experience are well-known

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

12/14

12 KARISMA

meeting and embracing the leper, andhearing the Crucifix of San Damianospeak to him. St. Francis was the founderof the Franciscan Friars Order. Thesecond Order was the Order of the PoorClares (or the Order of St. Clare). It wasthrough an inspiration of St. Francis that

St. Clare founded this Order. St. Francisalso set up the first known Nativity Sceneat Christmas.

On 14 th September 1224, while praying onthe mountain of La Verna, Italy, during aforty-day fast, the sky opened and theCrucified Christ appearing as a seraphangel appeared to him. That day, SaintFrancis received the stigmata. He was thefirst Christian in the history of the church toreceive the gift of the stigmata. He died onthe evening of 3 rd October 1226 atPortiuncula in Assisi, Italy. There is muchmore to be learnt of St. Francis. I wasdeeply touched by the life of this greatSaint and it taught me to always accept thewill of God for His Greater Glory.

We had an overnight stop at a hotel inRome and after breakfast, on day 4,commenced a full day tour of the Vaticanand Rome, including St. Peters Basilica,which is located within the Vatican City. Ithas the largest interior of any Christianchurch in the world, holding 60,000 peopleand is regarded as one of the holiest sites.It is the symbolic Mother Church of theHoly Catholic Church, and can bedescribed as the greatest of all churchesof Christendom. It is the burial site of SaintPeter, who was the first Holy See and thefirst in line of the papal succession.

We proceeded to the Sistine Chapel inVatican City, which is one of the mostfamous art galleries in the western world.Michelangelos famous Sistine Chapelceiling depicts scenes of the Creationfrom Genesis, and on the wall below, theLast Judgement.

Whilst in Rome, we visited the Basilica of

St. John the Lateran, which ranks as theoldest and first among the four papal

Basilicas or major Basilicas of Rome.Next, we visited the Holy Steps (The ScaleSancta), which, according to Christiantradition, are the steps that lead up to thepraetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem,which Jesus stood on during His Passion,on his way to trial. The stairs were

reputedly brought to Rome by St. Helenaof Constantinople (mother of the RomanEmperor Constantine the Great) in the 4 th century A.D. The Scala Sancta, as it iscalled, has attracted Christian pilgrimswho wished to honour the Passion ofJesus.

We thereafter proceeded to the Basilica ofthe Santa Croce, or Holy Cross, inJerusalem. The Basilica was consecratedto house the Passion Relics brought toRome from the Holy Land by St. Helena.

The following morning (day 5) after anearly flight from Rome and a trip by coach,we arrived at Lourdes, France, in theevening. This was my long-cherisheddream and the Blessed Mother answeredmy prayer in bringing me here. I had heardand read such wonderful stories aboutLourdes that I always yearned to visit the

The Church at Lourdes, France

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

13/14

13 KARISMA

grotto where Mother Mary had appearedto a little girl by the name of BernadetteSoubirous, 150 years ago. Pilgrims whocome to this place have a living story torelate. Many hearts broken by sufferinghave found in this hallowed spot alone, theremedy for their ills. It is a haven for the

afflicted and abandoned. The lame walk,the deaf begin to hear, and the dumbspeak. Our Lady is also a dispenser ofheavenly gifts. It is a place of spiritualitythat helps people to learn to live in ourworld today.

Thanks to Our Lady for the gracesreceived. The group with whom wetravelled on the pilgrimage were blessedto spend Easter in Lourdes, attend allchurch activities including baths, MaundyThursday Mass and Holy Hour in the night,also Mass at the grotto. We spent fourdays in Lourdes.

On day 9, at 2.00 a.m. in the morning, weheaded by coach to Nevers, France,where the incorrupt body of St. BernadetteSoubirous lies at the Convent of St.Gildard. From Nevers we proceeded bycoach to Paris, where we did ourshopping. Paris has a population of 12million. We saw the famous and beautifulEiffel Tower; the River Seine, whosebanks are a World Heritage; world-classgalleries; classy shops; and lively cafes.

Our pilgrimage ended at Paris where wetravelled back to Colombo, Sri Lanka,transiting through Muscat, Oman.

I thank God for the opportunity he gave meand my daughters to travel on this spirit-filled pilgrimage. I am also grateful to allthe group members we met, who havebeen a strength to us on this journey.

THE BEAUTY OF GODS CREATION By Beverly de Silva

Whenever I wake up eachday and look out of mykitchen window, I neverfail to notice and marvel atthe beauty outside theserenity, the morning light,the grass, the trees, the flowers, birds, andtheir early morning twitter. Sometimes theday is gloomy, misty or rainy yet, I seethe beauty in that creation as I admire thesilver dew-drops scattered like sparklingconfetti on the grass, or see the treesdancing and swaying to the breeze.

The almond-tree is one of the first trees tobloom in spring, and as usual this year, atthe start of August, the almond-tree beganto blossom. It was during this time that Ilooked out of the window one gloomymorning and saw the snow-whiteblossoms stand out against the gloom likestars in the midnight sky. The scene wasbreathtaking and I just stood there for afew moments, as I always do, staring inawe, marvelling at the wonder of Gods

creation and thanking Him for what He hasgiven us.

Often, when I see a beautiful scene, aflower, a bird, or some wonder of nature,my heart is filled with such joy as I runinside to grab my camera to try andcapture that moment. I have lots of thesebeautiful pictures on camera, but theexperience and atmosphere of thatmoment can never truly be captured. I alsoattempt to express my admiration ofnature through poetry, so here is a poemthat I wrote a while ago entitled spring ,which I feel people can relate to at this timeas spring has just begun. It reminds us ofthe beauty of nature created by a lovingGod who is waiting for us to shower hislove and blessings on us. Yet so often inthe rush and busyness of our lives we missrecognising and enjoying Gods creationand his blessings.

8/11/2019 Karisma Sep 2014

14/14

14 KARISMA

SPRINGBursts of lime-green shoots now andthen,On a withered, browny, barren stem,Green grassy carpets laid anew,Velvety slopes backing the view,Silvery sheets cascading down

Glinting jewels on a crown,Dabs of red, yellow, white and pink -Flowers a-blossoming on the brink,Flashing colours going past Flitting butterflies roving fast,Tasting nectar so many flowers,Relishing each sip as two sweet lovers,Gauzy-winged dragonflies, buzzing bees,Birds a-chirping in the trees,Sparkling waters, morning sun,Clear blue sky,Spring has come!

How to find Jesus, by Pope Francis

Pope Francis at Santa Marta

Pope Francis has resumed his daily Masses atSanta Marta after a summer break. In his firstHomily on September 1, 2014 he called on usto proclaim the Gospel with humility, becauseonly those with an open heart can receiveJesus - Vatican Radio

We need to proclaim the Gospel with humilitynot with wise words because Jesus Himselfis the power of the Word of God, and onlythose who have an open heart can receiveHim, said Pope Francis Monday morning, ashe resumed his daily Mass at Santa Martaafter the summer break.

Commenting on the readings of the day, thePope explained what the Word of God is andhow we should receive it. St. Paul reminds theCorinthians that he does not proclaim theGospel based on persuasive words of wisdom.

"Paul says, 'I did not come here to convinceyou with arguments, with words, or making agood impression... No. I chose another way, adifferent style. I came to show you the Spiritand His power. So that your faith might not reston human wisdom but on the power of God.'So, the Word of God is something different, itis not the same as a human word, a word ofwisdom, a scientific word, a philosophical word... no: it is something else. It comes in adifferent way.

This is what happens with Jesus, when hecomments on the Scriptures in the synagoguein Nazareth, where he grew up. His fellowcitizens, initially, admire him for his words butthen become angry and try to kill him: "Theywent from one side to the other" - said thePope - "because the Word of God is differentto the human word.

In fact, God speaks to us in the Son, "that is,the Word of God is Jesus, Jesus Himself" andJesus "is a source of scandal. The Cross ofChrist, scandalises. And that's the power ofthe Word of God: Jesus Christ, the Lord. Andhow do we receive the Word of God? How doI receive Jesus Christ. The Church tells us thatJesus is present in the Scriptures, in HisWord". This is why - the Pope said - it is soimportant to "read a passage from the Gospel

during the day ".

"Why, to learn? No! To find Jesus, becauseJesus is right there in His Word, in His Gospel.Every time I read the Gospel, I find Jesus. Yethow do I receive this Word? Well, you shouldreceive it like you receive Jesus, that is to saywith an open heart, with a humble heart, withthe spirit of the Beatitudes. Because that ishow Jesus came, in humility. He came [to us]in poverty. He came with the anointing of theHoly Spirit".

ARISMA

Official Newsletter of Prayer Community

Karisma is published on a quarterly basis. I t contains reading materialsdirected generally but not necessarily limited to its members. Comments,suggestions and articles for publication are welcome. The editor has thediscretion to edit or not publish any article submitted based on Karisma

guidelinesContact the Editor at:

Email: anitadsouza@bigpond.com

Ph: 0411 772 320

http://cathnews.com/images/images/2014/reflections/Papa.at.Santa.Marta.jpg