Latin mass

Italian Diocese Refuses Latin Mass

Catholic Oline
12/1/2007

Catholic News Agency

Even though the 'Motu Propio' Summorum Pontificum, promulgated by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, reopened the celebration of the Mass of Blessed John xxiii to all the faithful upon request, some Dioceses are resisting the true diversity of Catholic liturgical expression.

ROME, ITALY (CNA) - Only months after a document issued by Pope Benedict XVI provided universal permission to celebrate the Tridentine Mass, An Italian diocese has forbidden its priests to celebrate any Latin Masses in the old rite.

Monsignor Andrea Giusto, the Diocesan Administrator of the Diocese of Savona-Noli in the Liguria region of northwest Italy, issued the order. Currently, the see of Savona-Noli is vacant pending the appointment of a bishop.

In the absence of an appointed bishop, Monsignor Giusto said there is insufficient clarity about the licit celebration of the Tridentine Mass.

"I firmly ask the priests of the diocese not to give permission to groups that ask for the celebration and to ensure that in no church in the diocesan territory Masses according to the pre-Conciliar rite are celebrated,"Monsignor Giusto said.

The monsignor said a stable group of worshippers and their active participation were conditions for the proper celebration of the old rite. He claimed a solid liturgical formation and knowledge of Latin were needed, and condemns Masses organized 'by invitation,' "almost as if they were a show or a private event."

According to the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, the order was prompted by a Tridentine Latin Mass that was celebrated in an oratory neighboring the church of the Genoese Una Voce Association, a group that favors the traditional Mass.

The parish priest, Father Piero Giacosa, initially did not oppose the Mass but later criticized it. "The Latin Mass was a concession by the Pope, it is supposed to unite, it cannot become a way to do proselytisms or to please the nostalgics, mostly [from] outside the Parish," he said.

Gianno Romollotti, a man present for the Mass, described the event: "I saw people of a certain age, moved. There were also young men, new faces. It was not hard to follow the Mass, in the booklet there was an Italian translation. The criticisms? It is jealousy, we will repeat it on December 8."

Visiting the sick a Christian obligation

Lack of time and training no excuse

I am sure the letter “Take time to visit our ailing priests " by J.D. Lovrenciear (Herald November 4) touched the hearts of many of us. It is time as Christians we seriously consider his appeals to visit not only the ailing priests and others as well.

Our hearts were really troubled to read the response “Let not your hearts be troubled! "(Herald November 25) by Fr Marshall Fernandez , a priest whom I had so much admiration and respect since I was young. However I thank and congratulate him for taking some time off his busy schedule to personally comment on a very important issue of visiting the sick in our midst.

I deeply regret the reasons he gave as to why he could not visit his ailing fellow priests and parishioners i.e. lack of time and not trained in chaplaincy. To my mind these reasons are unacceptable.

Telling BECs to visit the sick priests is passing the responsibility to others. For every one ailing priest, there may be scores of others among the laity. How many BEC members have the time and training to visit and counsel these sick priests and members of our parish?

All of us, clergy and laity, have the moral obligation to visit the sick and dying and their families, to provide the support in whatever way we can. I think it would wrong for us to resort to all sorts of excuses to abdicate our responsibilities to those around us.

It is not whether we have time or training that matters here. What is important is the willingness to help others that comes from love in the heart. All the time and all the training in the world will be meaningless if there is no genuine love in the heart for fellow humans.

Dr.Chris Anthony

Why so many formations and retreats?

Do they make us better Christians?

It has become fashionable in our Catholic Church to organize various retreats, formations, recollections, reflections, seminars, rallies, convention and so on for the clergy and laity alike. You may call them by various names but they all more or less refer to the same - gathering of Catholics to discuss and reflect on issues facing us. Most of the time these sessions bring no concrete results whatsoever in the end.

A lot of time, enegy and money are spent to organize these events and as such it may be pertinent here to ponder to see whether they bring any real long-term benefits to us. Do they make us better Christians?

We are told that these formations are vital to be a good Catholic. There are some who even go on to say that we cannot reach God without attending these formations. Are these really true? Formations are good and are intended to make us better Christians but how better do we become after participating in such activities? There are many among us who attend so many formations and retreats but when we return we continue with our old selfish ways, refusing to talk to others, neglect elderly and indifferent to those in need in our midst.

The clergy too are involved in their own retreats. They are away 3 days a month on their monthly recollection. In addition to that, they have their retreats, off days and vacation. In most parishes the priests are away on leave one or two days a week. In fact in some smaller parishes there are those who take off as long as 3 days a week. During their absence there is no priest to cater for Eucharistic celebrations, final rites and anointing, confession and counseling.

When the priests return from their monthly recollections, not a single word is uttered of matters that were discussed. It is as though they had attended some top security meeting of a secret society, which must be kept secret from even their own congregation. Despite the beautiful slogan, “We are the Church”, the laity is left completely in the dark as though they do not exist. Neither are there any positive changes in the attitude of the priests towards their job and the parishioners after every retreat or recollection.

Talk to any priest today, his main grouse will be that very few parishioners are coming for mass and participating in the various organizations. On the other hand, at the BEC meetings more than 90% of parishioners will complaint that their priests do not visit them. In fact these days many complain that their priests have lost touch with the people and are not interested to know their parishioners.

The people today, being more qualified and well versed in many fields, are not happy with the lack of dialogue and openness in the management of the parish. They are not happy with the financial accountability of the parish administration that is rather unprofessionally run. The knowledge and skills of the laity are not appreciated let alone utilized.

It is sad that slowly this indifferent attitude of the clergy towards the people is slowly being accepted as a norm. As the Eucharistic celebration forms the crux of our faith, our priests consider themselves as indispensable. They are happy to say mass, consecrating the bread and wine and nothing more. All other duties are being designated to the laity with the excuse as they do have the time as they are in short supply.

With the rapid scientific and socio-economic changes in the global world today, it is time for our bishops and clergy to review their strategies in building the Kingdom of God in our midst. Are they really serious in their mission to build His Kingdom? How committed are they to this task? There is a need to improve the clergy-laity relationship to a level where there is more mutual respect for one another. The present system of monologue should be replaced by dialogue on a more equal standing. We must bear in mind that we need one another and have equally important roles in building the Kingdom of God. As mere mortals and sinners, we are all equal in the eyes of God.

Recollections, formations and retreats are important but of greater importance is their commitment to mankind in the form of their congregation. Unless they identify themselves with the people there is no way they can build God’s Kingdom. Their retreats and recollections must bring them closer to the people, in whom God dwells, otherwise these retreats and formations would be just waste of time and money.

Dr.Chris Anthony

How Christ-like are we in our lives?

We call ourselves Christians but how Christ-like are we?

At a recent Confirmation mass, I was impressed with the homily given by Bishop Anthony Selvanayagam.He reminded those to be confirmed and the congregation in general, of the very depressing situation in the world today. He lamented that the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians do not know Jesus at all. This ignorance of Jesus among his own followers is the greatest challenge to Christianity in the third millennium.

We resort to all sorts of deeds to please God, deeds which God did not ask, attending church and receiving the sacraments diligently without fail, making pilgrimages to all the holy sites and shrines, burning candles and offering prayers, we fast and abstain, but we fail to do what God has really asked us to do – to love our neighbor.

In fact we need not go round indulging in rituals for God to grant us our petitions as He knows our problems better than we do and He knows what is best for us. According to the bishop,on the final day, God is not going to ask us whether we went to church, received the sacraments, fasted, and burnt candles or how many churches we prayed at. What He will ask us is how we lived by His words during our short stint on earth.

Bishop Anthony drew our attention to the Jesus’Sermon on the Mount regarding reconciling our differences with our neighbor before going to worship God. This is what Jesus taught us:

“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering(Mathew 5:23-24).

The Sermon on the Mount

Yes, many of us harbor so much ill feeling against others and refuse to even talk to them – our children, siblings, parents, relatives and friends. Often we leave them behind in pain and misery but go in search of God. The bishop emphasized that unless we reconcile our differences with them it is meaningless to seek God.

Bishop Anthony’s sharing should prompt us to reflect on our own actions as Christians. How do we treat the poor and oppressed? How do treat our own children and elderly parents? How do we treat the sick and hungry? How do we treat those who yearn for our love and affection? How do we treat those who sin against us? Are we willing to forgive and forget those who hate and even harm us? How generous are we with our wealth and possessions? In short how do we treat our neighbor?

There are three groups of Christians in the world today. Firstly there is a very large group who do not know Jesus truly for what He is. Sad to say, a large number of us belong to this group. We perform all sorts of rituals to please God to gain His blessings but fail to do what He really wants us to.

The second group consists of those who know Jesus reasonably well as they spend many years of their lives studying his words, but refuse to follow those words in their daily living. They are good preachers but not doers. The words of Jesus is meant for others not them. A large number of us, so called practicing Catholics, regrettably fall into this category.

The third group comprises of those who know Jesus and follow Him in a way He wants. They stick by His teachings in everything they do. Unfortunately only a few belong to this group of true followers.

It may timely for us to ponder on our own thoughts and actions to see which of the three groups we belong to. Do we live by the teachings of Jesus? Do we have Christ in our lives? We call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ, but how Christ-like are we in our lives?

Dr.Chris Anthony

Let’s pray for religious tolerance

The Church must strive for religious rights and freedom

October 31, 2007 was a sad day for the residents of Kampung Rimba Jaya in Shah Alam and a black day for religious tolerance in Malaysia. It was the day when the100-year old Sri Maha Mariaman Temple in the village was demolished in a manner that showed total and blatant disrespect for the sensitivities of Hindu Malaysians.

Despite agreeing to move out to a new location, enforcement officers from the Majlis Bandaran Shah Alam(MBSA),and police armed with machine guns and knives brutally drove out the devotees and demolished the temple together with scores of houses. It is very disturbing that they did this a week before the Deepavali festival of Lights, an auspicious day in the Hindu calendar.

Arrival of enforcement team

In the bloody fracas a number of devotees were injured including the temple priest, some of the residents and four lawyers, who went to volunteer legal aid, were arrested. The latter were intimidated and manhandled at gunpoint without any respect for their profession. This attitude and actions of our enforcement units are unbecoming of a nation that preaches racial and religious moderation and tolerance.

Enforcement officers


While all these were happening to our fellow citizens of the Hindu faith, what did we, as Christians do to empathize with them. Most of us continued to go about our daily routine oblivious to the problems faced by those around us. We even attended Sunday service as though nothing had happened. As usual, the plight of our Hindu brethren of Kg.Rimba Jaya, was not even highlighted during our services nor did we offer special prayers for them. We were totally
indifferent to the feelings of those in pain around us. Are we any different from the enforcement officers who unjustly inflicted pain and suffering to fellow humans?

Enforcement team in action

Fortunately at least we had our Bishop Paul Tan, deputy president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), to criticize the high handed actions of the authorities in demolishing the temple and homes. He described this atrocious behavior as “insensitive and intolerant”.

This what Bishop Tan had to say : “The fact that this huge loss is not caused by earthquake, tsunami or any other natural catastrophe but by governmental agencies has compounded the people’s misery and shock many times over. Places of worship are sacred places and the authorities must adhere to strict and proper protocals in taking action on such places”.(Malaysiakini,Nov.3).

Lawyers arrested and handcuffed

The bishop also criticized MBSA for the attack on temple priest Siva Sri Ramalingga Gurukal who was not armed and posed no threat to anyone. We share his views that this arrogant and violent actions by the MBSA in Kg.Rimba Jaya,is unwarranted if not checked, could encourage other local authorities to follow suit in future.

Demolished temple and homes

We must support the MCCBCHST in expressing our deepest regret and dismay over the MBSA’s actions. We call on the government to stop these mob-like actions of the MBSA and other local authorities.Let us also offer our aid in whatever way we can to those organizations that are working to help the affected residents of Kg.Rimba Jaya in rebuilding their temple, their homes and their lives as a whole.

We are denied our legitimate religious rights and freedom in our own land. We may be helpless in fighting for our rights against the powerful forces arrayed against us. The only way out of our predicament is through peaceful political means. We must strive to make people aware of their responsibilities in the coming general elections.

The Church has the moral obligation of not only to encourage its congregation to vote but to vote wisely so that we can bring about the necessary changes for a fair and just Malaysia where citizens of various races and religions can live in peace, harmony and mutual respect.

Dr.Chris Anthony

Jesus and the tax collector

Sunday refection

4 November 2007 Luke 19:1-10

Jesus and the tax collector

Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town and suddenly a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance; he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man.

He kept trying to see which Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd; so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way.

When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.' And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.

They all complained when they saw what was happening. 'He has gone to stay at a sinner's house,' they said.

But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, 'Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.'

And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost.'


Reflection

In this story of Jesus encounter with Zacchaeus,a tax collector,our Lord is trying to stress on the virtues of forgiveness and humility. Zacchaeus was a sinner in the eyes of the people at large but still Jesus went down to him. That act of humility converted Zacchaeus to become a better person. One virtue of humility led to another, forgiveness.

This story of Jesus is very relevant to us even today. Many of may be well off in society but often we avoid those who sin for fear of being branded as bad. We also avoid mixing with the less the fortunate and marginalized.

We are afraid to allow our children to mingle with those from poor families and bad for fear of getting spoilt.We is very selective with whom they mix.

These actions of ours are definitely against the basic teachings of Jesus, who despite being the lord ,master and teacher, showed by example to go down to the sinner and marginalized in society. He was not afraid of what the people thought of him.

Similarly, we too should go down to those despised and marginalized. Only by our humility and forgiveness we can “covert” them to better humans. When Jesus, who is our God and Master can go down to the sinner, why can’t we mere humans, who are also sinners. We expect Jesus to forgive us sinners, but we as sinners ourselves are not willing to forgive those who sin against us. What hypocrites we are!

Dr.Chris Anthony

Jesus “stolen” from church

Jesus cannot be locked up in the tabernacle

I read with interest the report “Sacred vessels stolen from church” which appeared in the Star, August 17 ,2007.

According to the report parishioners attending the early morning mass at the Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church in Ipoh were shocked to find that its sacred relics were missing. Thieves had broken into the building and carted away the church’s tabernacle containing its five sacred vessels worth RM5,000.

The report suggested that the parishioners and the parish priest were more concerned with the loss of the five vessels in the tabernacle worth RM5,000, rather than in their contents which is priceless – consecrated hosts representing Christ himself.

This incident, is not just a theft, but is a real test of our faith by Jesus. His coming to us in Holy Communion should be the source of the strength and zeal to pass Him to those around us and not lock him up in the confines of the church and the tabernacle only to be visited whenever we have problems.

Jesus is always out there alive in the world, in our midst and especially in the people around us including the thieves who “stole” Him from the church.

Dr.Chris Anthony

The brave monks of Myanmar-2

We call ourselves Christians but how Christ-like are we?

September 26, 2007 was a tragic day for the people of Myanmar, a day of national tragedy and mourning. It was the day when the army opened fire on unarmed civilian protestors and Buddhist monks.

The ruling military junta did not hesitate to use force even against unarmed, peace promoting and modestly robed Buddhist monks. They were kicked and beaten as soldiers rounded them up and shoved them onto trucks. Doors of the monasteries were broken; things were ransacked and taken away.

The cowardly and brutal acts of the ruling military junta should be condemned by the whole international community. Definitely these acts of aggression against unarmed civilians and monks are inhumane and treacherous to the human race. On the other hand the actions of the brave people of Myanmar need to be praised and supported by all.

How did the world react to these atrocities being commited against innocent people? Yes, the world reacted but hesitantly and without enthusiasm as the military junta brutally and fatally crushed the peaceful unarmed pro-democracy protesters.The United Nations was divided and stood powerless to stop the massacre. It seemed to have lost it credibility. The rich and powerful nations,who often preach on human rights,appeared to have lost their moral responsibility towards the poor and oppressed in the world.Neghbors in Asia,particularly ASEAN,did not see the need to do anything other than merely offer half-hearted condemnation.

What is more distressing is that even the Christian community especially our own Church seemed to be silent on the issue. There was no strong condemnation from our top Church leaders in Malaysia and the world. Have we too lost the moral obligation to mankind like during the Holocaust?

It was dismaying that not a single word was mentioned on the plight of the Myanmars during our Sunday masses. We seem to be contended to pray and worship God in isolation, ignoring the pleas of our neighbour, the people and monks of Myanmar, as they were being brutally crushed while struggling for peace and freedom.

The least we could do was offer special prayers and empathizes with them but that too we failed. Everyday we pray for the Pope, our bishops, priests, ourselves and our families but conveniently forget the oppressed people in Myanmar who are most in need of our prayers.

We call ourselves Christians, the followers of Christ, it may be pertinent here to reflect how Christ-like are we in our daily lives?

Dr.Chris Anthony

Holding God to ransom

26 Sunday,30 September 2007

Luke 16:19-31

Lazarus and the rich man

There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. And at his gate there used to lie a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with what fell from the rich man's table. Even dogs came and licked his sores.

Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels into Abraham's embrace. The rich man also died and was buried. In his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off with Lazarus in his embrace.

So he cried out, "Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames." Abraham said, "My son, remember that during your life you had your fill of good things, just as Lazarus his fill of bad. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony.

But that is not all: between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to prevent those who want to cross from our side to yours or from your side to ours."

So he said, "Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father's house, since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to this place of torment too." Abraham said, "They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them."

The rich man replied, "Ah no, father Abraham, but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent." Then Abraham said to him, "If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead."



Reflection

This Sunday’s readings clearly tell us what we should do to attain eternal life. In today’s world we are all striving to be like the rich man, who lived in luxury – very comfortable mansion, luxurious cars, dining in porch restaurants with famous personalities, good food, wine, music and women. To achieve all these we go all out to accumulate more and more wealth.

In our obsession with trying to make more and more, we forget the poor Lazarus just at the gates of our mansion. We pass by him several times a day but are do not, or more rightly refuseto, see him. He is in front of us, hungry, naked, sick and wounded but we do not see or hear him. We continue to enjoy and satisfy our senses least perturbed by the poverty and misery of those around us. How will God reward us if we ignore Him in the pleas of those in our midst?

In our materialistic world today, we even tend to bribe God to enter His Kingdom.We fast, abstain and diligently receive all the sacraments without fail. We build majestic churches organize mammoth feasts, banquets and mass worship sessions in His name but refuse to acknowledge Him in those in need around us.

We refuse to talk to one another, refuse to smile at those we meet and we harbour so much hatred and jealousy towards those who are better off than us. We refuse to humble ourselves to go down and share our gifts with those less fortunate than us. Is it fair to expect God to reward us for holding Him to ransom?

Dr.Chris Anthony

Myanmar protests 2007

The brave monks of Myanmar

Monks taking to the streets of Yangon

Wednesday ,September 26 2007 was a sad day for the people of Myanmar, a day of national tragedy and mourning. It was the day when the army opened fire on unarmed civilian protesters and Buddhist monks. Soldiers and police fired tear gas, clubbed protesters and arrested up to 200 monks in an attempt to quash the uprising. A number of deaths were reported.

The ruling military junta did not hesitate to use force even against unarmed, peace promoting modestly robed Buddhist monks. They were kicked and beaten as soldiers rounded them up and shoved them onto trucks. Doors of the monasteries were broken; things were ransacked and taken away.

The cowardly and brutal acts of the ruling military junta should be condemned by the whole international community. Definitely these acts of aggression against unarmed civilians and monks are inhumane and treacherous to the human race. On the other hand the actions of the brave people of Myanmar need to be praised and supported by all.

In this whole incident, two important events impressed me greatly.

Firstly it was the bravery of the people of Myanmar especially the Buddhist monks. The peace-loving and unarmed Buddhist monks, who lead the pro-democracy demonstrations, had shown that they can rise up against all odds to fight against oppression and injustice of fellow men. They were willing to give up the peace and tranquility of their monasteries and risk their lives to confront the mighty junta in defending the rights of fellow citizens.

Secondly the mutual love between the people and the monks was exceptionally captivating. It was touching to see the people forming a human shield around the monks who lead the procession. The people were willing to give their lives to defend their monks.

We witness a situation where two groups of people each willing to even sacrifice their lives for each other. These actions of the monks should be a lesson for not just Buddhists but for all. It puts us to shame when we compare our own clergy-laity relationship.

Injustice and oppression occurs everywhere all the time. It is there in the government, in our offices, in schools, in our families, among friends and even in our Church. Those in positions of power adopt all sorts of tactics and maneuvers to deny the ordinary people their legitimate rights. They become masters of the very people they are supposed to serve.

Dissenting voices are quickly shut up, whistle blowers are punished and freedom of expression denied. The entire government machinery, media, armed forces, police and the judiciary are abused to silence those who speak the truth. Jesus himself was a victim of the rich and the powerful.

As Christians it is our obligation to speak out against injustice and oppression wherever and whenever it occurs. We may not be a position to do great things to change the whole world but we can do little things with great passion and love to change the small world around us.

What do we do when the government bulldozers through unfair policies that are detrimental to the people? What do we do when people in power in the organizations we are in misuse their power and funds? What do we do when our calls for moderation, accountability and reform are not heeded? Very often, under such pressures, we lose hearts and quit but is quitting the right decision?

Let’s offer special prayers for the brave people of Myanmar. Let’s ask God to grant them
the peace and freedom that they yearn for over four decades. As we pray for our fellow men in Myanmar, let us also reflect on what we are doing to oppose the acts of injustice and oppression that we encounter in our own lives.

Dr.Chris Anthony