reflection from two priests

it’s the weekend and normally on weekends i’ll just do a CnP post – either news/issues or sometimes jokes/stories. so ok, today i’ll share with you reflection on the current issue from 2 priests.

the first one, is by a jesuit priest, fr aloysius mowe, who is in washington dc. he has an interest in islamic law and history. he’s a contributor to the nut graph and it is contribution there that i would like to share with you. it’s an excellent piece where he compares the issue of obama running for president in the US with the current happenings in our country. since the nut graph is free (unlike malaysiakini) you can go straight there to read. yes. please click on ‘the prison of history’ to read.

the second one, is by none other than our own catholic priest in penang, fr fabian dicom. this is the reflection found in the parish (cathedral) bulletin this week. every week, he will come out with some interesting inspiring reflection. fr fabian was a faithful participant of the weekly anti-isa candlelight vigil every friday at dewan sri pinang. those who are regulars there might be familiar with him since for the past weeks, he had been leading the sing-a-long.

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STAYING AWAKE

Most of us have the desire and the potential to bring about change, but we lack confidence in our  capacity to do so and the stamina to sustain our efforts. Thus we tend to put things off and leave them as  they are. This is especially so when such matters do not impact on us directly. We accept the status quo  because it usually is inconvenient or perhaps seemingly futile to do otherwise. It is this disposition of  ‘omission’ that has allowed the perpetuation of injustices. Laws like the Internal Security Act (ISA) which  blatantly violate human rights have been allowed to remain in force for so long due to our complacency,  so much so that they have become part of the institution. What is even more confounding is that there are  some amongst us who even believe that such a law is necessary for the maintenance of peace.

Proponents of the ISA believe that the rights of an individual must be subordinated to the general good  of the majority – but the merits of this ideology must not blind us to the innate right of the individual to  defend himself. That is why the ISA is morally wrong as it does not give those arrested the avenue for  self defence.

So how is it that we have reached this stage? – It must be that we did not act when we should have, made  a difference when we could have.

We then look at various other evils in our society – an instance would be the abductions, torture and  violation of innocent children and the most tragic deaths that come as an end to their precious lives. Do  we sustain the outrage we feel every time such tragedies hit the headlines, or do we allow time to abate  our feelings and our resolve that such horrific crimes must never happen again?

Why are we like this – what is it that will make us come out of this slumber?

“Stay awake, be ready, have your lamps lit”. . . . these were some of the instructions Jesus gave his  disciples directly or through parables. This does not narrowly mean that we need to be prepared only  when death knocks at our door. To stay awake, to be ready includes a vigilant faithfulness of living the  gospel message and constantly responding to the signs of the times.

We have to keep our focus on what Jesus would want us to do in all occasions.

‘Christ asks us to guard the truth because, as he promised us: “You will know the truth and the truth will  make you free. ” We must guard the truth that is the authentic condition of freedom, the truth that allows  freedom to be fulfilled in goodness. We must guard the deposit of divine truth handed down to us in the  Church, especially in view of the challenges posed by a materialistic culture and by a permissive  society that reduces freedom to license. ’ (John Paul II, Homily in Baltimore, nn. 7-8)