Mother’s Day 2008

Plight of those in old folks homes

The mother is the most revered person throughout the history of mankind. Mothers are revered and adored, showered with affection, and shown great respect. She is held in high esteem in all cultures and she is considered next to God in importance by all religions. In fact Islam teaches that “Paradise is at the feet of your mother” and Hindus regard her as a goddess of love. A Jewish Proverb says “God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers”.

All wise men of the past seen to concur that a man who does not please his mother it whatever he does will never find true happiness in his own life. From my own experiences over five decades, I can vouch for the truth of that statement.

Many of us may be contemplating how best to celebrate Mother’s day this year. It may be pertinent for us to take this day as an opportunity to reflect on the numerous physical, mental and spiritual problems, that our parents encounter, especially the very old and infirm, as they outlive their usefulness to us and our family.

With materialism becoming a way of life, the care of the elderly is becoming an increasingly common problem for all. Young married couples have to work so hard to make ends meet that they have practically no time for the elderly who demand for more attention. Homes for the aged which were a taboo before are now being accepted as the only practical choice these days. May be on this auspicious day we should reflect on how some of our mothers may be languishing in such old folks’ homes.

I had the opportunity to visit some of these elderly people in such homes where I got to understand two important features of these people who are in the twilight of their lives. Firstly none of them are happy to be in such homes separated from their families and secondly the extraordinary love they have for their children, however negligent they may be.

Most of them in these homes appear to be happy as they are provided with all their physical needs, food shelter and the company of other residents. However when we get to know them more personally, we will be surprised to realize the agony and pain these old folks are enduring in silence during their stay in such homes. This is particularly true for those who are mentally alert but physically infirm.

Despite all their needs are being met yet we can sense they were missing something in their lives. They long for something that money cannot buy, something that no relative or friend can give – love and affection of their own children. Yes, they long for the company of their children and grandchildren.

In the twilight of their lives, it is not food, shelter, comforts or gifts that matters most. What really matters is the love and company of their own children. These elderly people in old folk’s homes generally are lonely despite being surrounded by people and regularly visited by friends and relatives.

As we step into our sixties, we begin to experience a strange fear, a fear for loneliness. We tend to cling onto our children and we want them to be with us always. If we become inflicted with some illness this fear is greatly exaggerated and I can imagine the agony we will undergo when our own children at that stage in our lives neglect us as they would be too preoccupied with their own lives as we are with ours now.

The second observation that touched me was the unshakable love these oldies have for their children. They may be unhappy with their children for having sent them there but they never let them down in front of others. They are eager to go back home but they do not mind bearing all the pain and agony of staying in a old folk’s home just because they do not want to trouble their children by becoming a burden to them. It is a pity that many of us do not appreciate this boundless love of our elderly parents for us despite all our acts of ‘cruelty’ towards them.

There is no doubt that the best place for elderly is their home but sending our aged parents to old folks home does not necessarily mean we are ungrateful and cruel. What is important is to provide them with the best we can and give them the reassurance that we are there for them when they need us.

Frequent visits to them and bringing them back home whenever possible will go a long way in reassuring them of our love and concern. Another important thing is to encourage the grandchildren to be close with them as much as possible. We must remember our aged parents are our responsibility and ours alone. Relatives and friends may help but they cannot replace the own children.

It is easy and exciting to be with our parents during happier times however it is more important for us to be there for them when they really need us. When they are seriously ill, handicapped, and bed-ridden or on their death beds are we there for them to give them the moral, physical and spiritual support that they need? All they may need is just our consoling words, our loving touch or a hug but are we physically there to render that?

On this Mothers’ Day let us remember our mothers who may be languishing and yearning for our love in old folks’ homes. Let us find some place for them in our hearts and some time to bring them back to our homes where they can once again experience the love, affection and the company of her loved ones at least for a while. For some of them this may be the last time they ever return to their homes.

As Christians we dedicate the month of May to our heavenly Mother Mary. We honor her with meditating on her life in the mysteries of the rosary. As we do that let us also make some time to reflect on our relationship with our own mother on earth. Do we love her like Jesus loved his mother?

When you have been blessed with a loving, nurturing mom, you should celebrate her every day. Do not wait for a circle on your calendar. A true mother is a divine gift and should be treated as such year-round.

Dr.Chris Anthony

No one in the world can take the place of your mother. Right or wrong, from her viewpoint you are always right. She may scold you for little things, but never for the big ones."

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." Abraham Lincoln

"The mother is everything?she is our consolation in sorrow, our hope in misery, and our strength in weakness. She is the source of love, mercy, sympathy, and forgiveness. He who loses his mother loses a pure soul who blesses and guards him constantly." Kahlil Gibran

---

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. ~Abraham Lincoln

Decline in vocations worrying

Encourage vocation by example

We just celebrated Vocation Sunday. As usual we offered special prayers for more vocations. We prayed for God to enlighten the minds of young men and women to inspire them to take up priestly vocations. The decline in vocations has resulted in an acute shortage of priests all over and this is causing a great deal of anxiety.

Christian education traditionally instilled the right values at an early age. The decline in this education over the years is a major cause of the loss this passion for vocations. The Church is losing out on this very important obligation in continuing proper Christian education for the young.

Decades back we witnessed the love of Christ alive in our community in the various Christian institutions. We had the mission schools, hospitals, and orphanages, homes for the aged, schools for the disabled and halfway homes for the wayward. We were taught serving men was the way Christianity has to be practiced. In fact this unique feature of service to man was what differentiated the Christian faith from others.

Today we cannot proudly claim to have these institutions of Christ’s love anymore. Many of these institutions like hospitals have become business enterprises where only those who can afford seek treatment. They are functioning against the true spirit with which they were set up – to serve the poor.

Moreover the emphasis has shifted to more self-centered activities of prayer, meditation and rituals aimed at imploring God’s help for our own benefits.We organize prayer sessions and all forms of formations and retreats to entice young men and women into the priesthood and religious life, but these alone are not enough. What we really need is exemplary role model, in parents, teachers and clergy.Regretably this is sadly missing these days.

We have underestimated the role of push factors by parents and the pull factors by the clergy in the stimulation of our children to take up religious vocations.

Life has become materialistic and the quest for wealth a necessity. In the intense competition for material gains we seem to ignore the all important duty of instilling good values in our children by our own example. All we do is instill the attitude to compete to do better than others and in this race moral values have little relevance.

Over the years our priests have alienated themselves from the masses so much so that they have become indifferent and insensitive to the needs and plight of the people. Instead of being the servants they have become the masters of their parishioners.

There is a need for our priests and religious to reach out to the masses. Unless they bring back the love of Christ alive into the community, they will not be able to attract the young men and women into their flock. The passion for vocations must be instilled in our children from a very early age not by preaching but by our own examples.


Dr.Chris Anthony

Pope visits US

The ‘Vicar of Christ’ has arrived.

By Deacon Keith Fournier
4/15/2008

Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

The exuberant crowd broke into cheers. One could feel the palpable sense of excitement. The Vicar of Christ had arrived.

The Pope has arrived in the United States and the excitement builds for what will be an historic apostolic visit.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - At approximately 4:01 p.m., the door of “Shepherd One” opened and the whole world watched in anticipation.

After the entourage traveling with the Holy Father began to exit the Al Italia Plane, the President of the United States of America, George Bush, First Lady Laura Bush and their daughter Jenna approached the plane.

The Vatican Ambassador ascended the stairs, and then Pope Benedict XVI, with his thick mane of white hair blowing in the cool breeze of an early Spring and a broad smile shining in the glow of the afternoon sun stepped out waving.

The exuberant crowd broke into cheers. One could feel the palpable sense of excitement.

The Vicar of Christ had arrived.

As the Pope reached the ground he greeted the first family and then the members of the American Hierarchy who, dressed in their finest clerical cassocks and indicia of office, had gathered for the momentous beginning of what promises to be an historic apostolic visit.

Reports already have already emerged of a candid Pope Benedict who, in English, had already addressed reporters during the flight concerning the horrible tragedy that is the past scandals involving the sexual abuse of minors by a small minority of Clerics.

The Holy Father said: “It is a great suffering for the Church in the United States and for the Church in general and for me personally that this could happen...It is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betray in this way their mission ... to these children."

"I am deeply ashamed and we will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future," he continued "We will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry."

He continued "...It is more important to have good priests than many priests. We will do everything possible to heal this wound...” he continued to state with absolute clarity and conviction that pedophilia is "absolutely incompatible with the priesthood."

He gave those same reporters an indication of what he would address when he met privately with the President , describing his pilgrimage to the United Sates as an opportunity to visit with a "great people and a great Church."

As he walked down the carpet with the President today, the enthusiasm of the crowds continued. Commentators on most major networks began to speculate on the likely significance of the events of the next six days.

However, it was Fr. David O’Connell, President of the Catholic University of America who best expressed the expectation of this observer when he reminded the viewers of CNN of what Pope Benedict himself had said.

He was “coming to bring the Word of Life” and that Word is Jesus Christ, who is our Hope.

Declining vocation - a cause for worry

Encourage vocation by example

We just celebrated Vocation Sunday on 13 April 2004.The acute shortage of priests is a real worry for our Church all over.This is due to a tremendous lack of interest from our youngsters to answer God’s call into priesthood and religious life. There is also a loss of passion in our respective vocations whatever it may be. Our profession has become a means of income and not a vocation. In general we have become more passionate and loyal to the monetary rewards rather than the real substance of our profession.

Christian education traditionally instilled the right values at an early age. The decline in this education over the years is a major cause of the loss this passion in our vocation. The Church is losing out on this very important obligation in continuing proper Christian education for the younger generation.

Decades back we witnessed the love of Christ alive in our community in the various Christian institutions. We had the mission schools, hospitals, and orphanages, homes for the aged, schools for the disabled and halfway homes for the wayward. We were taught serving men was the way Christianity has to be practiced. In fact this unique feature of service to man was what differentiated the Christian faith from others.

Today we cannot proudly claim to have these institutions of Christ’s love anymore. Many of these institutions like hospitals have become business enterprises where only those who can afford seek treatment. They are functioning against the true spirit with which they were set up – to serve the poor.

Today the emphasis has shifted to more self-centered activities of prayer, meditation and rituals aimed at imploring God to help us in our daily lives. We have become more like our brethren from other denominations and faiths. We memorize the bible and recite prayers but paying little attention to their meaning.

We have prayer sessions, petitions and all forms types of formations to entice young men and women into the priesthood and religious life, but will these alone be sufficient? What we really need is role model, in parents, teachers and clergy.Regretably this is sadly missing these days.

Life has become materialistic and the quest for wealth a necessity. In the intense competition for material gains we seem to ignore the all important duty of instilling good values in our children. All we do is instill the attitude to complete to do better that others and in this race moral have little relevance.

Over the years our priests and religious too have alienated themselves from the masses so much so that they have become indifferent and insensitive to the needs and plight of the people. Instead of being the servants they have become the masters of their parishioners.

There is a need for our priests and religious to reach out to the masses. Unless they bring back the love of Christ alive into the community, they will not be able to attract the young men and women into their flock. The passion for vocations must be instilled in our children from a very early age not by preaching but by our own examples.


Dr.Chris Anthony

Peple's interest surpasses party's

Husam: Islamic state not on Pakatan agenda.


The greatest surprise at recent elections was the total change in the attitude of PAS.It has completely changed from a ultra Islamic to a more tolerant non-Muslim -friendly party.

It is willing to accept all races as equal and allows freedom of worship to all religions.Its members have entered mosques and temples to meet people of other religions.There was no qualms whatsoever in those actions which we never would have expected from Umno members.

i think their actions are sincere and genuine and we need to trust them for any lasting relationship with them.Such a trust is utmost if we need to built a strong and united Malaysia.

Dr.Chris Anthony




Husam: Islamic state not on Pakatan agenda

Beh Lih Yi & Fathi Aris Omar Malaysiakini Apr 8, 08 2:27pm


Islamist party PAS will continue to champion the cause of an Islamic state although it will not pursue the agenda through the newly-formed opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat, a senior PAS leader has said.

Vice-president Husam Musa said the Islamic state, a controversial agenda which often caused ideological tiffs between PAS and DAP, shall remain a “guidance” for its members at the party level.

“PAS members need an idealism to serve as their reference. Islamic state is that idealism which differentiate our members from other political parties,” he told Malaysiakini in an hour-long interview in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

“If we want to fight corruption, what is the basis? For PAS members, it is based on Islamic teachings that a leader must be clean, transparent and avoid corrupt practice, that is the Islamic description of a leader. If you don’t have this, you will just be another Umno leader.”

Husam, who represents the more open-minded professional group within PAS, stressed that Islamic governance is similar to that of universal good governance standard such as the emphasis on trustworthy, fairness, justice and no discrimination, among others.

He however quickly added that PAS did not seek to pursue its Islamic agenda at PR level.

“We accept the federal constitution as the main frame (in governing) and it is the basis where we move,” he said, assuring coalition partners, especially DAP, not to be worried over the matter.

‘BN post-election agenda’

PAS’ intention to establish an Islamic state has long been a bone of contention among the opposition parties and led to the Chinese-predominant DAP to leave the Barisan Alternatif coalition - which also comprised of PKR - in 2001.

The non-Muslims are in fear that strict Islamic laws, which provide for amputation and stoning to death, will be imposed should an Islamic state is set up although PAS has repeatedly cited the state of Kelantan where it ruled since 1990 as an example to show its respect for other races.

However, with its dismal showing in the 2004 general elections winning only six parliamentary seats, PAS decided to ‘soften’ its image as a hardline Islamic party and toned down on its Islamic state agenda.

Nevertheless, the problem seem to continue to plague the opposition parties with the formation of the new opposition alliance, called PR this time, after their differences on the matter were played up in the media.

DAP chairperson Karpal Singh was quoted in the media last week as telling PAS not to dream of spearheading PR to realise its struggle of making Malaysia an Islamic state to which PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat retorted that the former has belittled PAS’ efforts to promote Islam.

On this, the Kelantan-based Husam claimed these media reports were part of the “post-election agenda by Barisan Nasional to damage and destroy the stability of PR”.

“From the PAS perspective, it is a big success where DAP can accept PAS (in forming PR),” said Husam, who holds the influential post of economic planning, finance and welfare in the Kelantan state government’s line-up.

He stressed that none of the three opposition parties could afford to pursue its own agenda as the election results, he argued, have shown the people were expecting PKR, DAP and PAS to work together.

“The parties need to understand that the people wanted to reject BN, deny their two-thirds and reduce their arrogance in power. It is not because they love PKR, DAP or PAS but they hate BN, so we can’t claim it’s just PAS’ victory or DAP’s victory.

“For that, we need to put people’s agenda as the first priority,” he pointed out.

Nik Aziz’s health ‘as good as before’

The 48-year-old PAS leader, who was clad in a red nehru-collared shirt, also laughed off questions on the leadership succession plan in Kelantan - a question where he said has been asked “a thousand times”.

An apparent right-hand man to current Kelantan MB Nik Abdul Aziz, who is also his political mentor, Husam has been seen as the leading contender to succeed the much-respected state’s leader.

The economics graduate from Universiti Malaya had served as the press and political secretary to Nik Abdul Aziz for nine years before he stood and won the Kubang Kerian parliamentary seat in the 1999 general election.

“When I joined PAS after graduating from university, PAS was at its lowest ebb, it lost in the election and was kicked out from BN. From day one, I just want to support and assist the party in its struggle.

“I never dreamt of being a state assemblyperson or parliamentarian, so the issue of me being a MB candidate do not arise. There can be all sorts of speculations and perceptions but personally speaking, I don’t think I am qualified for the job,” he said, without elaborate.

He said there are many other capable leaders in the state who are potential successors to Nik Abdul Aziz, but added that he has no clue when the elderly leader will step down.

Husam also brushed off speculations on Nik Aziz’s deteriorating health. According to him, the MB’s health condition is “as good as before”.

“Sometimes, he go to hospital just for a rest,” said Husam, pointing out the MB normally will have to receive a stream of visitors when the latter is at home.

Below are other highlights of the interview:

On the opposition’s victories in the March 8 election

It is unique. Now we have PAS ruling Kedah and Kelantan, DAP in Penang and PKR leads Selangor. Each party will have one state which they can show their leadership model. This is a healthy competition among the PR (component parties). It’s up to the respective state governments to launch their initiatives to show whether they are competent to run the country.

On the ‘new politics’

When (DAP supremo) Lim Kit Siang said he can’t accept a PAS menteri besar (in Perak), he received so many comments on his blog from all races including the Chinese who said they don’t mind supporting a PAS MP as long as the old government is replaced by a new government. This is a new trend (in politics). Therefore, at this stage, if you want to pursue your own agenda, you will neglect the people’s expectation (for a change).

On the new opposition-ruled state governments

There shall be two priorities. Firstly, they must strengthen the state government’s machinery and policies which will realise the people’s wish for changes and a better welfare. They must uphold the spirit of good governance and improve the efficiency of local council which have became the complaint of the people. Secondly, the new state government must audit what was done by the previous government, so there is a line drawn on the new and old state governments.

They can also review the structure of the revenue and tax (collection) which is under their jurisdiction. They can use these revenue efficiently, set up a fund to prepare for more housing scheme, especially for the Indians in the estates.

On Selangor’s proposal to impose an additional RM9 levy on foreign worker

I can understand the objective to have that policy but I hope it can be studied further. Foreign workers, especially the Indonesians and Bangladeshi, are among the poorest foreign workers. RM9 is a big burden for them. Since the federal government already imposed an one percent levy on them, collecting more than RM200 million a year, it’s better the Selangor state government can talk to the federal government to get some of these funds. The RM9 is unavoidable going to be transferred onto the workers due to our present labour contracts which are not so clear. In additional to that, the federal government has offered more than 40 types of training, so it could be redundant (for the Selangor state government to impose the levy and use the fund to organise training for locals).

Lessons from the 12th.General Elections

Listen to the people or be perished

The recently concluded general elections had humbled the ruling BN and brought it to its senses. The main cause of its losses was its arrogance that had led to its refusing to listen to the pleas of the people. The cries for change were obvious but the government refused to heed them. It underestimated the intelligence, maturity and power of the people. It failed to realize the people are getting more and more literate by the day.

It had an iron grip on the main print and electronic media but underestimated the powerful influence of the alternate media – the internet. It failed to realize that the people cannot be hoodwinked by a media that over-glorified its rule and ran down the opposition.

There seems to be a very close parallel between the BN government and our Church in the way they handle the day to day running. The Church was overjoyed at the victory of the opposition as it was critical of the BN government’s policy of discrimination, abuse of power and denial of basic human rights especially to the minorities.Unfortunately the Church seems to have a similar attitude towards its people when it comes to caring for them.

A few questions need to be reflected upon by our Church authorities in the light of the political tsunami that swept though our country because of “Makkal Sakthi”. Are they truly aware of the plight of the masses? Do they have the humility to go down to lend a hand to the poor, oppressed and marginalized? Do they listen, consult and dialogue with the people on important projects? Are they transparent and accountable with their financial dealings? In short do they practice what they preach?

An ordinary man on the street is unable to ever reach up to our clergy and lay leaders? Many of them fear to do so due to the barrier of elitism surrounding the Church hierarchy. Some may argue that the Church is a spiritual institution not a political organization. Being a spiritual body based on the teachings of Christ it should be more so tailored to be with the masses not the elite.

The main ingredient in any human organization is to listen to its members. History has shown that all regimes that are drunk with power and refuse to listen to the people will one day perish.

It is sad that our Church that is so rich in rituals seems to be losing its obligation to instill the basic human values in its members.How can we be good Christians when we are not good humans?

Dr.Chris Anthony