Humankind, despite tech advances, needs God as savior, Benedict says

12/26/2006

Catholic Online

VATICAN CITY (Catholic Online) – Mankind, an apparent “sure and self-sufficient master of its own destiny” which has reached other planets, broken the human genome code and made the Earth a global village with communications technologies, still needs a savior in its fight against war, poverty, enslavement and unbridled consumerism, said Pope Benedict XVI on Christmas Day.

In his Dec. 25 annual address “Urbi et Orbi” – to the City and the World – Pope Benedict marked the second Christmas season of his pontificate by appealing for a just peace and resumed negotiations in the Middle East, a healing of fratricidal wounds in Darfur and the rest of Africa, hope for a democratic Lebanon and an end to the violence in Iraq.

In a separate, written message issued by the Vatican to Christian communities in the Middle East, the pope said he hoped “that providence will offer circumstances permitting a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (to) pray in Jerusalem, the emotional heartland of all the descendents of Abraham.”

The 79-year-old pontiff, dressed in gold vestments, told the thousands gathered in a sunny St. Peter’s Square here that humanity’s technological advance has yet to conquer its most troubling problems.

“Despite humanity’s many advances, man has always been the same: a freedom poised between good and evil, between life and death,” the pope said, in the message broadcast live to millions in 40 countries throughout the world. “In this post-modern age, perhaps he needs a savior all the more, since the society in which he lives has become more complex and the threats to his personal and moral integrity have become more insidious.”

While 21st century humanity “appears as a sure and self-sufficient master of its own destiny, the avid proponent of uncontested triumphs,” the pope stressed that “this is not the case.”
“People continue to die of hunger and thirst, disease and poverty, in this age of plenty and of unbridled consumerism,” Pope Benedict said.

He pointed to those that “enslaved, exploited and stripped of their dignity” and others who are “victims of racial and religious hatred” or “maimed by weaponry, by terrorism and by all sorts of violence” or refugees “forced to leave their homes and countries in order to find humane living conditions elsewhere,” as well as those in unhealthy relationships and those “enslaved to alcohol or drugs.”

“How can we not hear, from the very depths of this humanity, at once joyful and anguished, a heart-rending cry for help?” the pope asked.
Christmas offers mankind “a message of hope” that “tells us to fear not,” the pope said.

Yet on “this festive day” celebrating the coming of the prince of peace, the pontiff pointed areas of the world wracked by conflict.

“With deep apprehension,” Benedict pointed to the Middle East “marked by so many grave crises and conflicts,” offering the hope for “a just and lasting peace” that will respect “the inalienable rights of the peoples living there.”

He saw as positive initial steps taken in recent days toward a “resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians” and expressed confidence that, “after so many victims, destruction and uncertainty, a democratic Lebanon … will survive and progress.”

Pope Benedict appealed to those “who hold in their hands the fate of Iraq” to bring to an end “the brutal violence that has brought so much bloodshed to the country,” and asked that conflicting sides in Sri Lanka “heed the desire of the people for a future of brotherhood and solidarity.”

He urged that steps be taken to close “the open wounds” on the African continent and move toward consolidating “reconciliation, democracy and development” efforts.
The pope also made reference to the controversial case of Piergiorgio Welby, an Italian paralyzed by advanced muscular dystrophy who was denied a Catholic funeral because he had asked to die. On Dec. 20, he was taken off a respirator that had kept him alive for years.

"What are we to think of those who choose death in the belief that they are celebrating life?" Benedict said.
“‘Salvator noster’ (‘our savior’): This is our hope,” the pope said, “This is the message the church proclaims once again on Christmas day.”

The Christian community must provide an example to the world as “saved by Christ,” the pontiff urged, giving “witness of united, open communities where fraternity and forgiveness reign” and “full respect for all cultural and religious traditions.”
“In truth, Christ comes to destroy only evil, only sin; everything else, all the rest, he elevates and perfects. Christ does not save us from our humanity, but through it; he does not save us from the world, but came into the world, so that through him the world might be saved,” the pope said.

“Do not be afraid,” he concluded, “open your hearts to him and receive him, so that his kingdom of love and peace may become the common legacy of each man and woman. Happy Christmas!”
Last year, in his first Christmas message as pontiff, Pope Benedict issued calls for an awakening from spiritual barrenness by humankind and for peace and reconciliation in some of the world’s hotspots.

To some 40,000 gathered in a chilly downpour in St. Peter’s Square here on Christmas day 2005, the pope called for “a new world order based on just ethical and economic relationships” and a strengthened “common consciousness” of the global family.

The pope on Africa singled out peace efforts, economic development, prevention of fratricidal conflicts, consolidations of political transitions and “protection of the most elementary rights of those experiencing tragic humanitarian crisis,” such as in Darfur, Sudan.

“A united humanity will be able to confront the many troubling problems of the present time: from the menace of terrorism to the humiliating poverty in which millions of human beings live, from the proliferation of weapons to the pandemics and the environmental destruction which threatens the future of our planet.”

“On Bethlehem night, the redeemer becomes one of us, our companion along the precarious paths of history,” the pope said in last year’s address. “Let us take the hand which he stretches out to us. It is a hand which seeks to take nothing from us, but only to give.”

When love makes sacrifice a pleasure

Honor thy father and mother

12/26/2006 - 4:00 PM PST
By Dr. Chris AnthonyButterworth,
MalaysiaOp/EdCatholic Online

When we were children we were taught the Ten Commandments. The fourth commandment “Honour your father and mother” was of special significance to us as our parents were everything to us at that time.

I still remember week after week we went for confession and the most common sin was disobeying our parents and being rude to them. Very often we were angry with them for not allowing us to do as we wished, forcing us to study and reprimanding us when we do something wrong. Despite all the punishment that they meted out on us for our various offences, there was no doubt in our minds of their love and concern for us under all circumstances.

We can recollect the sleepless nights they spent taking care of us when we were sick, the moments of anxiety they went through when we were involved in some accidents and the tears they shed during intense prayer for our recovery.

We remember the strenuous labour and the mental stress they endured to earn a meager income to provide us with some basic comforts in life and a decent education, which they themselves were denied. All they lived for was the well being of our future not theirs. They did all that without any ulterior motive that one day we will repay that gratitude.

Today many of us are parents ourselves and only now fully appreciate the extent of love parents have for their own children. We understand the pain and anxiety we have to endure when our children suffer from all forms of ailments and failures in their lives. We realize the severity of the heartache when our children refuse to heed our advice and meet disaster as a result.

Some of us may be unfortunate to have our children inflicted with terminal illness and we are aware of the tremendous pain it causes everyday. Some of our parents too would have undergone such great torment in their lives.

Today many of us may are successful and are better off in life than our parents. Many, even our friends and relatives, would be jealous of our achievements especially when we are better than them. The only people who feel proud when we overtake them will be our parents. The joy and happiness that accompanies the successes of our children are immense and insurmountable.

We may have grown older and become more successful but sin against the fourth commandment, honour your father and mother, is still our common weakness although we may not realize it. In our later life, disobedience to parents is expressed in the form of negligence and apathy towards them when they become incapacitated and of no use to us.

We become calculative among the siblings of who should take care and provide for them when they are no more in a position to earn. When they become ill or handicapped we conveniently pass the responsibility of caring for them to others. We give the excuse we are too busy and have no time and no money. I admit it is not easy to take care of elderly parents who are invalid, especially in a fast moving materialistic world, but we fail to realise it is our responsibility and ours alone. We cannot run away from it.

The greatest fear among elderly people is loneliness. This is particularly true for those who have lost their spouses and are all alone in this cruel world. For many of them, it is not money, gifts or food that they need. All they ask for is the love of fellow humans in particular their children, to spare some time for them.

It is shocking that even we as Christians sometimes shun away from this responsibility to our aged parents. We are too busy with our jobs and church activities and pray hard that God will send somebody to take of them. We have the misguided notion that prayer alone without a heart and without lifting a finger would work miracles to provide the love longed for by our elderly parents.

As children do we recognize their needs and try our utmost to fulfill them or are we too preoccupied with our church rituals and pray that God will take care of them? One thing I am convinced; God does not come in person to do that. He works through His creations like you and me. If we just pray and wait for God’s miracle, we will be sadly disappointed.

Very often we, the children and priests are quick to anoint the sick and dying when in coma and subsequently give them a grand funeral service. We even offer masses and hold elaborate memorial services for the dead but lack the same enthusiasm in being supportive and being with them when they were alive.

English in tertiary education

Acquiring English will not make us less Malaysian

I refer to your report “More subjects in English at universities” (Star,December 18).

The Higher Education Ministry must be lauded for giving the green light for English to be used to teach more subjects in public universities to prepare students for the global job market.
Malaysians of all races should not be ruled by emotions and make an issue of switching to English as the medium of instruction at tertiary level.

The place of Malay as the national language should not be disputed. It should be taught at all levels, in schools and universities and used widely in the administration of the country. The place of other vernacular languages should also be promoted and if possible be mastered by all communities.

The global world today is borderless where only the best, equipped with knowledge and skills will succeed. In this context, science and technology play an important role in the advancement of society. English is an essential tool in the acquisition of the knowledge in these fields. This is a fact that we must accept whether we like it or not.

In order to remain competitive we must master the language to obtain the full advantage of acquiring the knowledge in science, technology, law and even accounting.

We should not confine ourselves to just mastering a single language. The more languages we are fluent in the better our chances of succeeding in the global competition in business and trade.
We will not become less Malaysian by accepting English as a second language and as a medium of instruction in institutions of higher learning.

All parties must look at the picture as a whole and not succumb to unfounded fears based on myopic racial sentiments in this important national agenda. We must put national interests above all for the well being of the country.

Dr.Chris Anthony

Increase in toll rates must be justified

Dr Chris Anthony
Malaysiakini
Dec 22, 06 5:47pm

The authorities may have many reasons to justify the planned increase in the toll rates come Jan 1. Some of their reasons may have merit and need to be considered positively. On the contrary, as consumers, most Malaysians would vehemently oppose moves which would pinch their pockets.

The peoples’ displeasure to the toll rate increase is based on two factors. These are the prevailing traffic congestion and the deplorable condition of highways. There is also the unfair double taxation where one has to pay both road taxes and increasing toll charges. Paying toll, most would agree, is inevitable for the convenience enjoyed and for comfort of travel.

The question here is whether the prevailing traffic and road conditions really justify the frequent increase in toll rates. Our highways have become heavily congested and today’s traffic jams are common even on dual carriage highways and expressways. Despite all the highways, one has to cope with the traffic crawl everyday, which is causing so much stress and inconvenience to city dwellers. In fact, we have to pay for inconvenience and hardship - not convenience and comfort.

Furthermore, many of our highways are in a deplorable state with potholes, poor drainage and lighting. They appear to be in state of constant repair, which adds to the traffic jams which in turn, causes more inconvenience and dangers to the road users.

The facilities along the Plus highway are grossly inadequate and not well-maintained. The rest areas are overcrowded especially during festive seasons and long weekends. Most of these areas are inconvenient and not conducive for resting when breaking a long journey.

There is also increasing frustration with the non-transparent manner in which money collected from road tax is spent on maintaining our roads and highways. There is a need for more openness on the expenditure of public funds for such purposes. If this is done, Malaysians will be more amenable to further toll increases.

While paying toll may be inevitable, it is not fair to keep increasing the toll rates without a parallel increase in the quality of the highways and associated facilities. Attitudes like, ‘If you want it, you pay for it’ will only aggravate the anger and frustration. None of us want traffic jams but we not only have them but are also forced to pay for them.

Come Divine Messiah

The world in turmoil awaits the day

12/16/2006 - 6:30 AM PST
By Dr. Chris Anthony

Butterworth, Malaysia

Op/EdCatholic Online

We are again in the season of Advent and are preoccupied with preparations to welcome Jesus on Christmas day.

Most of us prepare to celebrate His arrival with elaborate festivities – luxurious food and wine, new clothes, Christmas trees, decorations and fireworks. House to house caroling and merry-making have become the hallmark of Christmas.To the children, it may a time for Santa Clause and gifts.

It is also a time for sending Christmas cards to those we remember just once a year and to exchange greetings with friend and relatives. These days SMS and E-mail greetings are slowly replacing traditional Christmas cards among the young.

Many others take a more spiritual attitude towards Christmas. They believe attending elaborate church services, lighting the Advent candles, offering special prayers, singing hymns and going for confession as ways to prepare themselves for the coming of Christ.

Some of us resort to charitable acts, to share the joy with the less fortunate. Visit to old folks, orphanages and handicapped children are common practices during this season.
Then there are also those who make pilgrimage to the Holy Land and birthplace of Jesus to commemorate his birth.

All these may be some of the ways to welcome the coming of the Saviour but is welcoming Jesus all about these external preparations and traditions? If we picture Christmas as the infant Jesus being born in a stable in Bethlehem and await a similar re-birth year after year, we are sadly mistaken.

God could have chosen his birth in a grandeur palace fitting for an earthly king, but he deliberately chose a humble stable among shepherds in the wilderness. This illustrates his humility which we too must emulate.

Jesus is not going to come to us literally as a new-born infant; he is already here in our midst. He is waiting for in our neighbours, those we meet everyday – the sick and dying, the hungry, the destitute, the oppressed, our elderly parents, our spouse, our rebellious children and even our enemies.

Jesus is waiting for us in disguise which we fail to recognize. He is waiting for us to prepare a humble stable in our hearts for these people in whom He dwells. This may be more difficult than organising all the elaborate rituals and celebrations but if we can do that Jesus would be born in our hearts day in and day out for the rest of our lives.

Thursday,14 December

Moral wardens should get focus right

The Kota Baru Municipal Council (MPKB) has announced that it would no longer tolerate indecent dressing by women, both Muslim and non-Muslim. It is planning to impose a fine of RM500 on women found to sport such dressing which it describes as sexy.

This has brought opposing responses from several women's organisations like the Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) Wanita MCA, Women's Development Collective and the All-Women's Action Society (Awam).

Any move to educate people to dress decently should be welcomed. In fact, not only Islam but all religions preach morality and decent dressing is an important aspect of such a code.
It has to be emphasised that morality is just not about dressing alone. Morality involves a wholesome behaviour that embraces all the virtuous human values.

Civic-mindedness, respect for elders, upholding the laws of the country, being courteous and caring for the underprivileged are all important aspects of good morality. So are honesty and integrity in all our actions. A decently attired individual need not necessarily be a morally righteous person.

The authorities should work to arrest the deteriorating standard of morality in society instead of being obsessed with what women wear.

Will enforcing a rigid dress code curb the sex-related social ills in our society such as illicit sex, adultery, abortion, incest and rape?

It is very sad that even those who are supposed to be role models for our children appear to be leading immoral lives themselves.

What we need is not a strict dress code for our women but a proper education to inculcate good values in our people, especially the young.

In fact, the majority of our women are mature enough and have the appropriate sense of dressing and do not need legislation to enforce what they wear, as that is a basic individual right.
I am sure like all other town councils, MPKB has other pressing issues to handle. Instead of being a "moral police", it should give priority to these other pressing issues and find ways to improve the livelihood of the residents of Kota Baru, concentrate on cleaning the drains and parks, collecting rubbish and providing other amenities it is entrusted with.

Dr Chris Anthony
Butterworth

Hate disease that eats you inside

Holocaust survivor tells students

By George P. Matysek Jr.
The Catholic Review 12/8/2006

BALTIMORE, Md. (The Catholic Review) - Georges Selzer stood naked in the snow when guards at the Auschwitz death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland tattooed a camp number on his left forearm: 101100.

Standing at a podium more than six decades later, the 95-year-old Jewish Holocaust survivor calmly unbuttoned and rolled up his left sleeve to show some 30 students at The John Carroll School in Bel Air the deep purple digits that remain emblazoned on his body and in his soul.
“I think it’s my lucky num­ber,” the white-haired man said wryly during the Nov. 29 assembly sponsored by John Carroll’s Russian club.

The numbers on his arm have an unusual combination of threes: three “1s” and three “0s” that add up to three.
“I guess I’m superstitious,” he said. “I think it’s lucky.”

But Selzer believes it’s more than luck that helped him make it through the horrors of the Second World War. His faith in God and his willingness to put hate aside was a big factor in surviving, he said.

More than once, Selzer was on the verge of being killed by the Nazis. He remembered being outraged when a Nazi guard punched a fellow prisoner in the face. A former boxer, Selzer came to his friend’s defense - knocking out the guard, who hit his head when he fell and later died from the injury. Although sentenced to hang for his actions, Selzer escaped death when he was transferred to another camp.

“The good Lord was with me,” he said.

In an earlier incident, Selzer said he was in line to be shot but was rescued by a German captain who admired the young man for being proud of his Jewish heritage.
Selzer didn’t always have a strong faith in God. He was agnostic until he decided to ask God for help when he was starving in Nazi hands.

“I prayed to double the (food) portion we received,” he said. “The next day, my bread had two pieces stuck together.”

Although Selzer lost his parents and his family to the Nazis and although he suffered numerous indignities, including a broken bone from a kick to the shin, the former member of the French Foreign Legion said he holds no hate in his heart.
“Hate is a disease,” said Selzer, who survived a variety of concentration camps.

“To hate is a sin and if you hate somebody, you hurt no one but yourself because it eats you inside,” he insisted.

Nick Temple, a 14-year-old sophomore, said he was touched by Selzer’s message of love and forgiveness.

“It’s incredible to hear these stories,” said Nick, a member of Temple Adas Shalom Synagogue in Harford County. “I’m not sure I could go through the things he did and have the same outlook on life.”

Selzer, who has lived in Baltimore since 1952, has given presentations on his life experiences for more than 20 years at John Carroll. Because of his age, this year’s presentation was his last.

Replace tolerance with understanding

I write in response to two articles in theSun of Nov 28. The first is "That racist tone of voice" by Zainon Ahmad in his column What They Say. The second is "This race needs a flat podium" by Amir Mahmood Razak in Freespace.

I write because I marched in the Merdeka parade in Malacca as a child, with a lantern in my hand. My classmates and I carried a string of lanterns with cutouts that spelt Merdeka. I heard Tunku Abdul Rahman shout "Merdeka!" umpteen times.

I write because when I was a teenager in Form Four my friends and I danced in the Merdeka celebrations on the Malacca Padang. The organisers were so impressed that they invited us to dance before Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman when he visited the town soon after. It was the closest I ever got to him.

I write because when I was 17 and in form six, I wrote an essay for my general paper entitled "Malaysia". I wrote of Tunku Abdul Rahman's vision and I ended the essay quoting his words "... this melting pot of many nations ..."

A year later reality struck. The education department sent a circular that the school prefects could not be appointed through democratic elections as was the age-old practice.
It seemed pupils were touching on sensitive issues in their campaigns and upsetting some students. The reality has stuck with me ever since. The many nations would not be allowed to melt.
So when I was an adult and more articulate I wrote a short story entitled "Merdeka" in commemoration of our 25th year of independence. It was published twice and a few people might remember it.

Now I write because I owe it to myself and the country of my birth to say my piece to those who hardly know what they are talking about when they scream about their perceptions of Bangsa Malaysia. We, the common people of all races have been manipulated for a very long time by politicians who, for their very own political ends and financial gains, have kept us servile, fearful and even promoted ignorance. Thanks to stifling policies by tunnel-visioned politicians, I have had university students who have refused to participate in an academic discussion or a debate because they were afraid to speak their minds on issues of religion, politics, or sex education!

They complained in terrible fear when roommates used holy beads, statues or holy pictures. I have had students who crept into my room, shut the door and whispered questions to me about my religion because they were confused. Then they told me not to tell anyone about our two-minute conversation. When my department had a talk on Islamic values, I was the only non-Muslim who attended. The speaker and the rest of the audience did not know what to make of my presence.

Everybody talks about racial and religious tolerance, and then some sad souls who have never even known a war, triedÊto prove their loyalty by screaming about matyrdom and bloodbaths. Text messages are sent and announcements made of a church event, by people who did not realise that they could actually call the church and talk to someone there to verify information. The order of the day seems to be "confrontation". I have not heard anyone talk about racial and religious understanding or of dialogue.

When I visited the US a few years ago I was invited to do an informal presentation to a group of young men and women who had to care for delinquent children. The children were of mixed races and there was a need for cultural sensitivity. I talked of "Multi-ethnicity: Tolerance vs understanding." Yes, there is a difference.

The word "tolerance" carries in it an element of resentment. We tolerate something or someone because we are forced to put up with it or with the person. And we don't have to bother with understanding. We don't have to know more about the thing or persons we tolerate. The more we tolerate, the more we resent, till eventually our patience wears out.

The word "understand" on the other hand implies that we take the trouble to find out things. Understanding is born out of healthy curiosity. It asks questions openly, it is not afraid of new knowledge, it brings broad vision, multiple perspectives and most importantly it brings peace because we understand. In understanding we do not lose ourselves but are able to see ourselves in the greater scheme of things.

We were once a world model of a plural society and we merited international attention for it. In the last couple of weeks we have disgraced ourselves internationally. How many of us can say that we have, out of healthy curiosity, read the Holy Books of the other faiths in our multi-religious country? How many of us have courageously and respectfully walked into all the other faiths' places of worship to see what they were like? How many of us have, out of respect for our friends and converted relatives, attended the ceremonial rites of birth, marriage and death for them? If we have not, then we have no right to call ourselves Malaysians, let alone Bangsa Malaysia. I have sat at temples of Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists; I have entered mosques and churches, participated in weddings and funerals of all of these, eaten their food and read their books. Yet I have not lost the faith that I was born into. So what are so many people afraid of? Each other? The bullying holy men and politicians? Themselves?

If we really educated ourselves and our children about each other's faiths and cultures, if the education system ensured that the curriculum enabled this multicultural education of our children, then we would not be embarrassing ourselves as we are doing today. We would also not be losing our more intelligent children to foreign lands where they have a better chance of being their intelligent selves.

The catch phrase "tolerance" has to be replaced with "understanding" if we are to redeem our dignity as a multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia. May I end by saying that no politician or religious leader in this country should have a right to office if he or she has not acquired a deep understanding of all the faiths, cultures and histories of the people in this country.

Angela Jessie
Petaling Jaya
Sun
December 12 2006

Former Massachusetts Catholic church sold, slated to become a mosque

By Terence Hegarty
12/7/2006
Catholic News Service

INDIAN ORCHARD, Mass. (CNS) -- It will still be a house of worship. That's something that was important to Lokman Yanbul and Catholic parishioners regarding the former St. Matthew Church in Indian Orchard.

The 142-year-old colonial church and the rectory next door were sold for $150,000 in October to the Turkish-American Islamic Society Inc., which plans to convert the church into a mosque. Needed renovations are expected to be completed within a year.

"We did this for the children," said Yanbul, referring to why the local Turkish-American community felt the need to have its own mosque. "We want them to (be able to) continue their cultural and religious heritage."

Yanbul is married and has three children. He has lived in the United States for 29 years, immigrating to Brooklyn, N.Y., with his family as a teenager. He has been a resident of Ludlow, near Indian Orchard, for the last seven years.

Aside from worshipping in the Turkish language, Yanbul said their community's liturgy is culturally different from those offered in other area mosques. He said the Turkish-American society is currently made up of about 80 families.

"Basically, what the community is doing is (forming) what I like to compare to an ethnic parish in Catholicism, a Turkish-speaking mosque, and we're very pleased to welcome them here," said St. Jude's pastor, Father William Pomerleau.

St. Jude Parish was formed in 1998, when St. Matthew and St. Aloysius parishes were merged. Father Pomerleau is also a staff reporter for the Catholic Communications Corp., which publishes The Catholic Observer, newspaper of the Springfield Diocese.

"The parish leadership is very thrilled that it will continue to be a house of worship," said Father Pomerleau. Parishioners -- many of whom are former St. Matthew parishioners -- are also happy with the arrangement.

The property had been offered for sale for more than a year. The proceeds from the sale went to St. Jude Parish. According to Father Pomerleau, the funds were used to continue parish operations and to satisfy obligations to the diocese.

When asked if he was concerned about a negative community reaction to a mosque in the neighborhood, especially in a post-Sept. 11, 2001, world, Yanbul said both St. Jude parishioners and the community at large have welcomed them. He said he has not personally seen any animosity toward Muslims and there has been a great response from both the Muslim and the Catholic communities.

Father Pomerleau said Catholic parishes and dioceses, when selling former worship spaces, need to be very careful about the future use of the facilities. "I think we would have had ... opposition had it been (sold to) a certain kind of business."

St. Matthew Church, built in 1864, has been dormant for more than five years and the rectory for more than eight. Irish immigrants, most of whom worked in the mills in Indian Orchard and Ludlow, established St. Matthew Parish in 1878.

The fact that Turkish immigrants will worship in a building where Irish immigrants did before them is not lost on Yanbul or Father Pomerleau. "What's happening here is not a new story; it's a story that's been going on for 100-150 years," said the priest.

At a time when the eyes of the world are upon Catholic-Muslim relations, with Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Turkey, developments in Indian Orchard could be seen as a microcosm of the global situation.

Yanbul said he feels "we definitely need better Christian-Muslim relations." He said the Turkish community is made up of moderate Muslims. "The Turkish don't know what hard-line is," Yanbul said.

Father Pomerleau said the mosque would likely not only serve a small but growing number of Turkish-Americans but also Meshkitian Turks, who number about 300. They are refugees from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia and began settling in the area a year ago.

Father Pomerleau said he thinks having the Muslim community so close to St. Jude Parish will help parishioners.

"We at St. Jude's are going to take this opportunity to talk about the Islamic faith, to talk about Turkish culture and to use it as an example of our multicultural world," he said. "I think it's going to be very exciting."

When love makes sacrifice a pleasure

We make a lot of sacrifices in life but often we do it with reluctance and grudgingly as they cause us a great deal of hardship and inconvenience to us. There is only one person in the world who enjoys sacrificing her time and energy because it is done for the real love for the other person. Undeniably it is none other than our own mother.

It has taken me 50 long years to really appreciate all the sacrifices that my mother has done and is continuing to do for me. When I was young I took her for granted. Only now that I am a wife and mother of three for twenty three years I am beginning to truly appreciate the fine qualities of the love and affection my mother had for me and my siblings.

There were seven children in the family and it was a real wonder how she could take care of all of us equally well although being the weakest I did get some special privileges as far as food was concerned.

She hardly had any formal education but she was a wizard in all fields as a mother, wife and a true friend to those in need. It was her charitable deeds to the less fortunate that taught me to be compassionate to fellow humans.

She was a fantastic cook and in those days cooking was a real chore without all the modern gadgets. Everything from grinding to cutting was done manually and you can imagine cooking for an extended family of 13 people daily without fail. She had a way to make this chore exciting by making it into an exciting family event where we all participated in cooking and preparation of the meals during weekends.

She was also an efficient “transport minister”, transporting each and every one of us to and from school and other activities. There was hardly a day when she neither sends us late to school nor was late to pick us up after school. I understand now how difficult this job of transporting children is today as I have to do that for my 3 children several times a day without fail.

Everything she did was with passion and near perfection, washing and ironing of clothes, cleaning the house and even dressing. I wish I could be half of that. Mom was a fantastic teacher too, devising ingenious ways to teach me mathematics especially fractions, which even my school teachers found it difficult.

She was instrumental in instilling the love for music in me and she herself was a fantastic singer. Apart from being a great mother to us she was an exemplary wife especially in those days when men were very demanding. If not for her my father would have been a total wreck.

Till this day, at the age of 83 he is totally dependent on her. I cannot imagine what would happen to him if the good Lord takes her away from him.

The only defect in her, if you consider it as one, is her nagging. This again is because she finds us not up to her standard, which is so high that I don’t think we can ever keep up.

The sad thing is today not many of her sacrifices are not appreciated by us, the children, which really hurts her to the core. Many of us simply forget the good old days when she toiled endlessly without sleep and rest for our well being, to make us what we are today.

We are too busy with our own lives that we forget to spend time just talking and listening to her. At the age of 75 and riddled with so many ailments, the least we can give her is reassurance that we care and love her.

To a mother there is nothing more comforting than to see her children in good health and happiness. As a daughter if I can convince her that she was the source and inspiration for my success and happiness in life, she would be the happiest mother today.

JMC
Penang

The Star Online > Nation
Thursday December 7, 2006

Cabinet wants religious status of dead man verified
BY SYED AZHAR

KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has directed the Attorney-General to look into the case of Rayappan Anthony to confirm his religious status, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

He added that the Cabinet had discussed the issue and had agreed to hand over the case to the A-G as it was important that it be resolved.

“We want the A-G to find out his religious status, and if he is not a Muslim the authorities should hand over the remains to Rayappan’s family,” he told reporters after launching Malaysian Bio Industry 2006 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here yesterday.
Rayappan Anthony

Abdullah was asked to comment on the issue of Rayappan, 71, who died last Wednesday, and whose body is caught in a tussle between the Selangor Islamic Religious Council and his family members.

Rayappan converted to Islam in 1990 following a second marriage, and was said to have converted back to Christianity in 1999, and subsequently confirmed his profession of the Christian faith by way of a statutory declaration before a Commissioner of Oaths.

The relevant documents prepared by a lawyer and executed by the Commissioner for Oaths were submitted to the National Registration Department, which accepted the declaration and reinstated Rayappan’s religious status to Christianity.

It was also said that the MyKad of the deceased (issued in 2003) had “Christianity” printed below his name.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday that the family of the late Rayappan Anthony should go to the Syariah Court and give evidence.

“They are being asked to give evidence. There is a precedent in the case of Nyonya Tahir; the family went to submit evidence. My personal view is that they should do this if they want a solution,” he said.

Nazri expressed optimism that the Syariah Court would be fair to the family of Rayappan and did not foresee any problem.

“It is clear he had gone back to his earlier faith, and the identity card does not state that he is a Muslim,” he added.

AG Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said all parties must respect each other's religion and should sit down and discuss the matter to reach an amicable solution.

“Let us sit down and discuss the problem. Solutions can only be found if all parties sit down and look at the problem in a fair and equitable manner.

“Everyone must respect each other's religion and try to solve it amicably without immediately taking any stand. I will be meeting with several Islamic religious bodies including the Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (MAIS),'' he said, stressing that he could only advise the religious bodies as he has no jurisdiction over the Syariah Court.

Abdul Gani said his role was to see that justice was done based on the law and facts and was sure the parties concerned would listen to good sense as was in the case of Nonya Tahir.

Let’s submit to the rule of law not emotions

I refer to your report “Cabinet wants religious status of dead man verified” (Star Dec 7).

All peace loving Malaysians with goodwill and who want justice to reign would heartily welcome the cabinet’s decision to direct the Attorney-General (AG) to look into the case of Rayappan Anthony to confirm his religious status. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must be praised for his wisdom and fairness in arriving at such a unprecedented decision.

By handing the responsibility to the AG, the cabinet has rightly endorsed that the case should be under the jurisdiction of the civil courts. The question of fairness of the syariah courts is not the issue here but who should justly handle such cases.

We hope and pray that the AG and the civil courts can come with a reasonable and just decision on this important case that could become precedence for similar cases in the future. We hope justice will be done based on the law and facts and all the parties concerned would listen to good sense for the well being of the nation.

We are encouraged by the AG Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail’s statement that all parties must respect each other's religion and should sit down and discuss the matter to reach an amicable solution. In a Multi-racial and multi-religious society like Malaysia, dialogue in a civil manner is the only way to overcome problems like these that inevitably surface from time to time.

There can never be one sure winner all the time. Every community should compromise and they should consider the whole picture, not just be myopic in just looking at the interest of their own community.

At the highest level, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the cabinet, has set the tone of moderation, goodwill and fair play, it is now up to us to adopt these virtues in our dealings with all. We must submit to the rule of law at all times and at all costs, not blinded by emotions and prejudice.

Dr.Chris Anthony