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On the evening of that first day of the week,” according to the Gospel of John, “when the doors were locked, where the disciples were … Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them: ‘Peace be with you.’ ”
The world is a wonderful place. Our God is so good in giving it to us. But to a large extent, we have not taken good care of it, nor of each other. We have polluted the water, fouled the air and are dangerously changing the climate.
As the first pope in history to address a joint session of Congress, Pope Francis, defending the human right of masses of oppressed and poor people to immigrate, said: “We must not be taken aback by their number, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation.”
Despite the many scandals and problems hounding the Catholic Church, outsiders and even disgruntled former members, are baffled why many Catholics choose to remain in the fold. Only those who know what is at the core of the Church, no matter how rotten the outside has become, can truly understand why.
After decades of debate on whether his assassination was prompted by politics or the defense of the faith, Pope Francis has declared the slain Archbishop of San Salvador a martyr, paving the way for his beatification on May 23.
It struck at 3:35 a.m. last week, in the darkness of the night; a loud rattling grew in intensity as the roof tiles went off like castanets clacking and clicking, rising to a crescendo as the building shook violently.
Murder is never the answer, and terrorism is the most cowardly of acts. But physical violence will continue as a reaction to real or imagined emotional violence. Is it an expression of power to ridicule another’s religious belief? It is always the powerless who suffer the consequences. Only the deranged bring bullets to the discussion. We need to stop hating each other.
Tragedies which have resulted in the loss of thousands of lives because of negligence, have pushed many, both in the Philippines and Korea, to seek justice for its hapless victims. Many, however, are still crying out for and seeking true justice because of the partial and corrupt concept of justice being espoused by some of those in power.
In a truly mature family where children are given affirmation, understanding, trust, encouragement and inspiration, children grow up fulfilled and satisfied children. They will attain a sense of freedom and will be constantly challenged to stand on their own feet, find freedom through education and community involvement, and mature friendships. They will be self-reliant and independent. They will not be the rebellious, prodigal children and will not see their parents as mere sources of money for personal gratification and selfish ambition.
After news about the violence perpetrated by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria spread all over the world, many religious and non-government organizations pressured nations to act aggressively to neutralize the jihadist group. Despite being the subject of persecution, however, Christians, particularly the Catholic Church, have continually emphasized the need for a peaceful intervention to the crisis, no matter how brutal it has become.
