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To use the emotion of fear is contrary to the teaching and spirit of Jesus. Any attempt to induce fear must be roundly rejected. The primacy of love must be the context to motivate members. It is a call not to act on an emotion but
to will to love.
I’m not sure whose lives the big corporations which produce GMO seeds, together with the doubtful herbicides and pesticides this type of crops requires, are interested in improving. Certainly not the Indian farmers who have lost everything and taken their own lives. Unfortunately, there is too little factual information regarding the effects of GMO products that is available and provided by the technology developers. In farming terms, that is letting the fox guard the hen house.
Dwindling agro-biodiversity at all levels is a result of decades of agribusiness, and that’s why we are living in a great age of extinction. GMO crops only further this model. First, because of their engineered resistance to herbicides, the net result is that herbicide use has increased. Due to the emergence of resistant pests, more applications of pesticides and herbicides are necessary to prevent loss of profit in these massive monocultures. The mantra that GMO foods will save the world from famine are just words. And can’t fill bellies, just some pockets.
In a time of predominance of the culture of the image, Pope Francis has given back power to the spoken word. Never has a pope spoken like Francis: human and candid. How refreshing to hear a pope speak like us: informal, direct, simple and provocative. The Pope’s words nail us down and do not allow us to be indifferent.
Pope Francis’ style of communication promotes what he calls “the culture of encounter.” This original and striking approach to people by means of stunning words and gestures constitutes a pastoral turning point for the whole Church. Somebody has written: “Pope Benedict was classic music, Pope Francis is folk. Both are beautiful, but they are very different types of music.” If “style is substance,” then Pope Francis is disclosing to us how he wants the shape of the Church to become.
Christmas Season in the Philippines is in full swing with the joy of Mama Mary
holding the Baby Jesus in her arms at Bethlehem. It is the joy of Francis of Assisi,
the saint of the “Belen.” Pope Francis has made this joy the motif of his proclamation, a joy that he discovered as passion for Jesus in his family and in his youth, even through suffering and trials; as commitment to the poor and appreciation of community in his maturity and as fruit of contemplation in his ministry of unity as a pope.
Our priests and cathechists will have to find ways to change this perception that extravagance and prolonged wakes and funerals are “Catholic.” There’s room certainly for a more festive observance of wakes and funerals and November 1, but we need more solemnity, a time to reflect about our existence on earth, of the goodness of the deceased, and how we might want to carry on their legacy.
The document of Vatican II on the Laity, Apostolicam Actuositatem 7, says: “God’s plan for the world is that men should work together to renew and constantly perfect the temporal order” which includes “the good things of life, prosperity of the family, culture, economic matters, the arts and professions, the laws of the political community,” international relations and development and progress. In this endeavor, the Church’s concern does not limit itself to those of the members alone. On the contrary, Christian believers must join hands together with those of other persuasions and work “for the rightful betterment of this world in which they all alike live” (The Church in the Modern World, (GS 21). They must remain attentive to the diverse views of their times and learn to draw profit even from opposition (GS 44).
Brazil, despite so many changes in social, political, economic and religious sphere, is still a Catholic country largely with young members. The recent census of 2010 reports that, of the 200 million population, 123 million (64.6%) declare themselves Catholic. There is an outstanding growth among the Pentecostal groups (22.2%) over the past decade. The youth (15 to 24 years old) form 20% of the Brazilian population. The World Youth Day that was held in Rio de Janeiro, in July 2013, called the world´s attention to the current situation of the Brazilian youth and to the challenges they face.
The youth issue will surely be one of the major and enduring challenges for the modern Catholic faith. No doubt, modern technology will play a major role in the agenda but, above it all, the humility, sensitivity and creativity of the youth ministers will also prove vital. A carefully planned online strategy will be greatly instrumental but, in some cases, the little things such as a surprise birthday party for a friend or a casual personal invitation to a prayer meeting could spell the difference.
