Priests must be "convincing and representative, at the human and believing level," and they must show that they have "emotional balance, a critical sense, inner unity, the capacity for relations and dialogue, a constructive spirit, and willingness to work in a team,"
****************
ON THE ART OF BEING A PRIEST TODAY
Archbishop Addresses Meeting on Clergy and Catechesis
ROME, MAY 7, 2003.- A priest won't be able to provide good service if he remains outside the social and cultural life of his own society, says a Church leader.
Archbishop Josip Bozanic of Zagreb, Croatia, made that point when addressing the 80 participants in the meeting on "Priests and Catechesis in Europe."
"A priest does not render good service -- even if he is very generous, very devout, and genuinely dedicated to the Church -- if he remains outside of the social and cultural life of the society in which he lives," he said.
Organized by the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE in collaboration with the National Catechetical Office of the Italian episcopal conference, the event has gathered bishops and national directors of catechesis of 30 European countries, SIR agency reported. The event ends Thursday.
In his address, Archbishop Bozanic, who is also vice president of CCEE, stressed that today a priest "must also be a man of his time, fully knowledgeable in history and in his community, open to the real problems of the times, and with a genuine cultural, social and political sensibility."
Priests must be "convincing and representative, at the human and believing level," and they must show that they have "emotional balance, a critical sense, inner unity, the capacity for relations and dialogue, a constructive spirit, and willingness to work in a team," the archbishop emphasized.
In fact, it is an "art" to be a priest at the service of the Church and of the community, where the priest must know how to "promote profound relations, develop a leading role for the parish, and allow each person to feel appreciated," he said.
From this derives the need to "overcome two opposite risks," which threaten the figure of the priest: "that of authoritarian conduct -- and even more often -- excessive permissiveness -- perhaps more current today," the Croatian prelate said.
CCEE includes the presidents of the 34 European episcopal conferences. Its president is Bishop Amédée Grab of Chur, Switzerland.
ZE03050707
Source : www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid =35164
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
the world becomes crazy
U.S. pet owners spent $32.4 billion last year on their pets, and companies are eager to share in this market, the Monitor noted. The pet population in the country has reached 353 million, with around 62% of households owning at least one pet.
Another booming market for pets is presents. In time for Christmas last year, the film studio Warner Brothers came out with a luxury range of clothes, the British newspaper Telegraph reported Nov. 11. The collection, launched in London, includes a 900-pound ($1,650) satin dog coat studded with Swarovski crystals and lined in pink silk, and a diamond-encrusted platinum dog-collar pendant costing 12,000 pounds ($22,100). There are also crystal-studded collars and leads (629 pounds, or $1,150, a set), dog bowls (379 pounds), travel cases, and "unisex" pillows and beds.
******
PAMPERING THE PETS, AND THEN SOME
Owners Lavishing Luxury Items, From Unisex Pillows to Hip Replacements
LONDON, JUNE 5, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Spending on pets seems to have no limits these days. Last year, British pet owners spent a staggering 11.23 billion pounds ($20 billion) on cats and dogs alone, the newspaper Independent reported Wednesday. While food accounted for majority of this, 1.75 billion pounds ($3.2 billion) went on treats and presents. These figures are on the rise, despite a decline in the number of pet owners.
Not only are people spending more money on their pets, but services previously reserved for people are now springing up for pets. The Independent reported that British canines will soon be able to enjoy the United Kingdom's first yoga workshops for dogs.
"As both men and women spend more on their own clothes, hair care and cosmetics, so they want to spend more on their pets," said Dan Thomas, head of grooming at Pet Pavilion, the company that is introducing "doga." "It's like sending your child to a better school -- it's simply another way of upgrading your lifestyle."
Catriona Marshall, the marketing director of Pets at Home, said: "For many people, owning a pet has become like having a new baby, and that's how pet companies are now treating it, too."
In the United States, an increasing number of options are available for people who want to treat their pets to a special holiday, the Christian Science Monitor reported Tuesday. In California, the Loews Beverly Hills Hotel will arrange for a chef to prepare pet meals. And in Wisconsin and Colorado, camping sites organize special days for activities dedicated to pets. Other activities available include an aquarium in Florida where pets are given guided tours.
"The travel industry has begun to tap into that deeper sense of companionship between pet lovers and their pets," commented Tierra Griffiths, spokeswoman for the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.
U.S. pet owners spent $32.4 billion last year on their pets, and companies are eager to share in this market, the Monitor noted. The pet population in the country has reached 353 million, with around 62% of households owning at least one pet.
Another booming market for pets is presents. In time for Christmas last year, the film studio Warner Brothers came out with a luxury range of clothes, the British newspaper Telegraph reported Nov. 11. The collection, launched in London, includes a 900-pound ($1,650) satin dog coat studded with Swarovski crystals and lined in pink silk, and a diamond-encrusted platinum dog-collar pendant costing 12,000 pounds ($22,100). There are also crystal-studded collars and leads (629 pounds, or $1,150, a set), dog bowls (379 pounds), travel cases, and "unisex" pillows and beds.
"Sales of pet accessories are phenomenal," said a spokesman for Warner Brothers. "A lot of people are delaying having children, and spending money on their dogs and cats instead." The studio, noted the Telegraph, is not alone. Gucci sells a gold-plate diamante-studded cat collar for 605 pounds ($1,111), and Louis Vuitton a pet carrier for 790 pounds. Collection designer Eric Way employs a full-time nanny to look after his two Shih Tzus and one bichon frisé.
Health costs spiral
And increasingly hefty sums are being spent on health care costs for pets. In Australia, the Animal Referral Hospital in Sydney is flourishing, the Age newspaper of Melbourne reported March 26. It started five years ago with 10 staff members and now has 90, said a founding partner, Dr. Sarah Goldsmid.
"We do a vast number of high-end cases, really critical cases," Goldsmid said. "We do total hip replacements, we do spinal surgery, we do difficult fractures, cancer surgery, chest surgery, that sort of thing. Now we're at a level where we can do MRIs and CAT scans on animals. We also provide radiation therapy."
And when all else fails, San Francisco-based Genetic Savings & Clone is offering to duplicate animals, for the modest price of about $50,000 a copy, Agence France-Presse reported March 28. The company that announced the world's first cat clone in February 2002, plans to clone nine cats this year.
The firm has already received four firm orders for the copy cats and is also working hard to duplicate the genetic makeup of dogs. And the company already has a few hundred clients who are storing their pets' genes in the hope of reviving their beloved furry companions' genes at a later date.
Health care can even extend to psychological treatment, the British paper Independent noted Jan. 4. After attacking a maid and killing one of the Queen's corgis, Princess Anne's "troublesome" English bull terrier, Florence, was sent to see an animal psychologist. The psychologist had already treated another of Princess Anne's dogs after an attack on two children in 2002. Psychologist Roger Mugford normally charges 293 pounds ($540) for two visits.
Bark mitzvahs
Spiritual needs are also being taken care of. At St. Francis Episcopal Church in Stamford, Connecticut, pets can now even receive Holy Communion as well as a special benediction, the Wall Street Journal reported March 10.
The Journal noted that with pews being increasingly hard to fill, some clergy are creating "pet-friendly worship services." In some cases this even extends to making house calls for sick animals or accompanying pet owners to the vet when they euthanize a pet, not to mention officiating at pet funerals and group "bark mitzvahs."
According to the Journal, after pet gravestones became one Petco's most-requested products the company started selling memorial stones in 2002. The greeting card company Hallmark has introduced cards with spiritual imagery to its lines of pet sympathy cards. The sympathy cards are sent to pet owners when their animals die; annual sales are now half a million. Meanwhile, Skylight Paths has just published a book called "What Animals Can Teach Us About Spirituality."
Sometimes animals can even be given precedence over human worshippers, BBC reported April 24. St. Hilda's in Ellerburn, North Yorkshire, may be forced to close after an invasion by Natterer's bats.
The church dates back more than a thousand years, but under European law it is an offense to damage, destroy or obstruct an access used by bats. The church vicar, Reverend Dave Clark, says the bats are driving his parishioners away and without a congregation the church would close. The church stands on a site thought to have been occupied by a monastery founded by St. Aidan in A.D. 647.
Double standard?
Nobody wants to deny people the enjoyment of having pets. But some observers think things have gone a bit far, as a Jan. 15 report in the London-based Times indicated. Members of a family in Spain were found guilty of abandoning their grandmother. They were fined 240 euros -- only about a tenth the punishment for illegally disposing of a pet.
In June 2002 the 86-year-old grandmother had been dumped by one of her daughters at the side of a road. Subsequently a court in Barcelona found that the four family members were capable of looking the woman, who suffers from senility. Shortly before the judgment, the regional Catalan government introduced a law making the abandonment of animals punishable by a fine of up to 20,000 euros ($24,500).
And while animals can look forward to organ transplants in Britain, attempts to bring legal action after a 28-week-old fetus was aborted because it suffered from a cleft lip have so far been unsuccessful. According to the Telegraph on May 9, Joanna Jepson, the Church of England curate who initiated a legal challenge to the abortion, has agreed to a police request to postpone her High Court action. Shades of Animal Farm indeed.
ZE04060503
Original article:
http://www.zenit.org/english/ visualizza.phtml?sid=54828
U.S. pet owners spent $32.4 billion last year on their pets, and companies are eager to share in this market, the Monitor noted. The pet population in the country has reached 353 million, with around 62% of households owning at least one pet.
Another booming market for pets is presents. In time for Christmas last year, the film studio Warner Brothers came out with a luxury range of clothes, the British newspaper Telegraph reported Nov. 11. The collection, launched in London, includes a 900-pound ($1,650) satin dog coat studded with Swarovski crystals and lined in pink silk, and a diamond-encrusted platinum dog-collar pendant costing 12,000 pounds ($22,100). There are also crystal-studded collars and leads (629 pounds, or $1,150, a set), dog bowls (379 pounds), travel cases, and "unisex" pillows and beds.
******
PAMPERING THE PETS, AND THEN SOME
Owners Lavishing Luxury Items, From Unisex Pillows to Hip Replacements
LONDON, JUNE 5, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Spending on pets seems to have no limits these days. Last year, British pet owners spent a staggering 11.23 billion pounds ($20 billion) on cats and dogs alone, the newspaper Independent reported Wednesday. While food accounted for majority of this, 1.75 billion pounds ($3.2 billion) went on treats and presents. These figures are on the rise, despite a decline in the number of pet owners.
Not only are people spending more money on their pets, but services previously reserved for people are now springing up for pets. The Independent reported that British canines will soon be able to enjoy the United Kingdom's first yoga workshops for dogs.
"As both men and women spend more on their own clothes, hair care and cosmetics, so they want to spend more on their pets," said Dan Thomas, head of grooming at Pet Pavilion, the company that is introducing "doga." "It's like sending your child to a better school -- it's simply another way of upgrading your lifestyle."
Catriona Marshall, the marketing director of Pets at Home, said: "For many people, owning a pet has become like having a new baby, and that's how pet companies are now treating it, too."
In the United States, an increasing number of options are available for people who want to treat their pets to a special holiday, the Christian Science Monitor reported Tuesday. In California, the Loews Beverly Hills Hotel will arrange for a chef to prepare pet meals. And in Wisconsin and Colorado, camping sites organize special days for activities dedicated to pets. Other activities available include an aquarium in Florida where pets are given guided tours.
"The travel industry has begun to tap into that deeper sense of companionship between pet lovers and their pets," commented Tierra Griffiths, spokeswoman for the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.
U.S. pet owners spent $32.4 billion last year on their pets, and companies are eager to share in this market, the Monitor noted. The pet population in the country has reached 353 million, with around 62% of households owning at least one pet.
Another booming market for pets is presents. In time for Christmas last year, the film studio Warner Brothers came out with a luxury range of clothes, the British newspaper Telegraph reported Nov. 11. The collection, launched in London, includes a 900-pound ($1,650) satin dog coat studded with Swarovski crystals and lined in pink silk, and a diamond-encrusted platinum dog-collar pendant costing 12,000 pounds ($22,100). There are also crystal-studded collars and leads (629 pounds, or $1,150, a set), dog bowls (379 pounds), travel cases, and "unisex" pillows and beds.
"Sales of pet accessories are phenomenal," said a spokesman for Warner Brothers. "A lot of people are delaying having children, and spending money on their dogs and cats instead." The studio, noted the Telegraph, is not alone. Gucci sells a gold-plate diamante-studded cat collar for 605 pounds ($1,111), and Louis Vuitton a pet carrier for 790 pounds. Collection designer Eric Way employs a full-time nanny to look after his two Shih Tzus and one bichon frisé.
Health costs spiral
And increasingly hefty sums are being spent on health care costs for pets. In Australia, the Animal Referral Hospital in Sydney is flourishing, the Age newspaper of Melbourne reported March 26. It started five years ago with 10 staff members and now has 90, said a founding partner, Dr. Sarah Goldsmid.
"We do a vast number of high-end cases, really critical cases," Goldsmid said. "We do total hip replacements, we do spinal surgery, we do difficult fractures, cancer surgery, chest surgery, that sort of thing. Now we're at a level where we can do MRIs and CAT scans on animals. We also provide radiation therapy."
And when all else fails, San Francisco-based Genetic Savings & Clone is offering to duplicate animals, for the modest price of about $50,000 a copy, Agence France-Presse reported March 28. The company that announced the world's first cat clone in February 2002, plans to clone nine cats this year.
The firm has already received four firm orders for the copy cats and is also working hard to duplicate the genetic makeup of dogs. And the company already has a few hundred clients who are storing their pets' genes in the hope of reviving their beloved furry companions' genes at a later date.
Health care can even extend to psychological treatment, the British paper Independent noted Jan. 4. After attacking a maid and killing one of the Queen's corgis, Princess Anne's "troublesome" English bull terrier, Florence, was sent to see an animal psychologist. The psychologist had already treated another of Princess Anne's dogs after an attack on two children in 2002. Psychologist Roger Mugford normally charges 293 pounds ($540) for two visits.
Bark mitzvahs
Spiritual needs are also being taken care of. At St. Francis Episcopal Church in Stamford, Connecticut, pets can now even receive Holy Communion as well as a special benediction, the Wall Street Journal reported March 10.
The Journal noted that with pews being increasingly hard to fill, some clergy are creating "pet-friendly worship services." In some cases this even extends to making house calls for sick animals or accompanying pet owners to the vet when they euthanize a pet, not to mention officiating at pet funerals and group "bark mitzvahs."
According to the Journal, after pet gravestones became one Petco's most-requested products the company started selling memorial stones in 2002. The greeting card company Hallmark has introduced cards with spiritual imagery to its lines of pet sympathy cards. The sympathy cards are sent to pet owners when their animals die; annual sales are now half a million. Meanwhile, Skylight Paths has just published a book called "What Animals Can Teach Us About Spirituality."
Sometimes animals can even be given precedence over human worshippers, BBC reported April 24. St. Hilda's in Ellerburn, North Yorkshire, may be forced to close after an invasion by Natterer's bats.
The church dates back more than a thousand years, but under European law it is an offense to damage, destroy or obstruct an access used by bats. The church vicar, Reverend Dave Clark, says the bats are driving his parishioners away and without a congregation the church would close. The church stands on a site thought to have been occupied by a monastery founded by St. Aidan in A.D. 647.
Double standard?
Nobody wants to deny people the enjoyment of having pets. But some observers think things have gone a bit far, as a Jan. 15 report in the London-based Times indicated. Members of a family in Spain were found guilty of abandoning their grandmother. They were fined 240 euros -- only about a tenth the punishment for illegally disposing of a pet.
In June 2002 the 86-year-old grandmother had been dumped by one of her daughters at the side of a road. Subsequently a court in Barcelona found that the four family members were capable of looking the woman, who suffers from senility. Shortly before the judgment, the regional Catalan government introduced a law making the abandonment of animals punishable by a fine of up to 20,000 euros ($24,500).
And while animals can look forward to organ transplants in Britain, attempts to bring legal action after a 28-week-old fetus was aborted because it suffered from a cleft lip have so far been unsuccessful. According to the Telegraph on May 9, Joanna Jepson, the Church of England curate who initiated a legal challenge to the abortion, has agreed to a police request to postpone her High Court action. Shades of Animal Farm indeed.
ZE04060503
Original article:
http://www.zenit.org/english/ visualizza.phtml?sid=54828
Monday, June 07, 2004
YOUNG NUN'S TESTIMONY BEFORE POPE AND SPANISH YOUTH
Sister Ruth de Jesús Tells of Her Vocation
At John Paul II's meeting Saturday night with almost 1 million youths at the Cuatro Vientos air base, a young nun's testimony wrung applause and tears from the audience.
Here is the testimony of Sister Ruth de Jesús, of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross. The congregation's founder, Ángela de la Cruz, was canonized Sunday.
* * *
Dear Holy Father:
I am Sister Ruth de Jesús. I am 28 years old. I belong to the Sisters of the Company of the Cross, founded by Blessed Ángela de la Cruz, whom Your Holiness will canonize tomorrow. I entered when I was 20.
Although I am a junior with temporary vows, I am committed to Jesus forever with an undivided love, in a life of prayer and service to the poorest, the sick and the abandoned in their own homes. I wash their clothes, clean their homes, cook their food, dress their sores, and watch over them at night. Most important of all, I give them all the love they need, because Jesus gives it to me in prayer. God is love, and I return his love by loving the poor, giving them my youth and my whole life.
Before entering the institute, I led a normal life. I liked music, beautiful things, art, friendship, adventure. I often dreamed about my future, but one day I saw two Sisters on the street who caught my attention because of their recollection, quick step and peaceful look. They were young like me. I felt empty and in my inner self I heard a voice that said to me: "What are you doing with your life?" I wanted to justify myself: "I study, get good grades, I have many friends." I stared at the Sisters until they disappeared from view and wondered: Who are they? Where are they going?
Like Nicodemus, I invited Jesus into the night of my anxious heart and in prayer, I began to talk with him. With him, I felt the call of so many brothers who were asking me for my time, my youth, the love I had received from the Lord. And I searched, and found the woman who, together with Mary, was closest to the cross of Jesus -- Sister Ángela de la Cruz. She had so configured herself to Jesus' cross that she became love for the suffering poor. She captivated me and I wanted to be one of hers. And here I am, Holiness, conscious of what I have left behind.
I have left everything that the young people have who are with us this evening: freedom, money, perhaps a brilliant future, human love, perhaps some children. I have left it all for Jesus Christ, who captured by heart to make the love of God present to the weakest, in my poor nature of clay.
I must confess, Holiness, that I am very happy and that I wouldn't change my life for anything or anyone. I live in the confidence of the one who called me to be a witness and who supports me with his grace.
Thank you, Holy Father, for your dedicated life, without reservations, as a faithful witness of the Gospel, for strengthening our faith, for quickening our hope, and for opening our heart to the ardent love of the one who knows how to lose his life so that others may gain it.
Thank you, Holy Father, for your life, which has marked many of us.
Thank you for coming to tell us, the young people of Spain, that the world needs living witnesses of the Gospel; that each one of us can be one of those courageous persons who dare to construct the new civilization of love, because what we do not do for the poor, contemplating in them the face of Christ, will remain undone.
Thank you again, Holy Father.
MADRID, Spain, MAY 6, 2003
Original source see: www.zenit.org
Sister Ruth de Jesús Tells of Her Vocation
At John Paul II's meeting Saturday night with almost 1 million youths at the Cuatro Vientos air base, a young nun's testimony wrung applause and tears from the audience.
Here is the testimony of Sister Ruth de Jesús, of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross. The congregation's founder, Ángela de la Cruz, was canonized Sunday.
* * *
Dear Holy Father:
I am Sister Ruth de Jesús. I am 28 years old. I belong to the Sisters of the Company of the Cross, founded by Blessed Ángela de la Cruz, whom Your Holiness will canonize tomorrow. I entered when I was 20.
Although I am a junior with temporary vows, I am committed to Jesus forever with an undivided love, in a life of prayer and service to the poorest, the sick and the abandoned in their own homes. I wash their clothes, clean their homes, cook their food, dress their sores, and watch over them at night. Most important of all, I give them all the love they need, because Jesus gives it to me in prayer. God is love, and I return his love by loving the poor, giving them my youth and my whole life.
Before entering the institute, I led a normal life. I liked music, beautiful things, art, friendship, adventure. I often dreamed about my future, but one day I saw two Sisters on the street who caught my attention because of their recollection, quick step and peaceful look. They were young like me. I felt empty and in my inner self I heard a voice that said to me: "What are you doing with your life?" I wanted to justify myself: "I study, get good grades, I have many friends." I stared at the Sisters until they disappeared from view and wondered: Who are they? Where are they going?
Like Nicodemus, I invited Jesus into the night of my anxious heart and in prayer, I began to talk with him. With him, I felt the call of so many brothers who were asking me for my time, my youth, the love I had received from the Lord. And I searched, and found the woman who, together with Mary, was closest to the cross of Jesus -- Sister Ángela de la Cruz. She had so configured herself to Jesus' cross that she became love for the suffering poor. She captivated me and I wanted to be one of hers. And here I am, Holiness, conscious of what I have left behind.
I have left everything that the young people have who are with us this evening: freedom, money, perhaps a brilliant future, human love, perhaps some children. I have left it all for Jesus Christ, who captured by heart to make the love of God present to the weakest, in my poor nature of clay.
I must confess, Holiness, that I am very happy and that I wouldn't change my life for anything or anyone. I live in the confidence of the one who called me to be a witness and who supports me with his grace.
Thank you, Holy Father, for your dedicated life, without reservations, as a faithful witness of the Gospel, for strengthening our faith, for quickening our hope, and for opening our heart to the ardent love of the one who knows how to lose his life so that others may gain it.
Thank you, Holy Father, for your life, which has marked many of us.
Thank you for coming to tell us, the young people of Spain, that the world needs living witnesses of the Gospel; that each one of us can be one of those courageous persons who dare to construct the new civilization of love, because what we do not do for the poor, contemplating in them the face of Christ, will remain undone.
Thank you again, Holy Father.
MADRID, Spain, MAY 6, 2003
Original source see: www.zenit.org
Evangelingelisation sur Inetrnet
Card. Darío Castrillón : Evangéliser sur Internet Congr?s sur l'Eglise et l'informatique ? Monterrey, Mexique
ROME, lundi 7 avril 2003 (ZENIT.org) - Dans une intervention au Congr?s sur l'Eglise et l'informatique, qui a eu lieu du 2 au 5 avril ? Monterrey au Mexique, le cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, préfet de la Congrégation pour le clergé, a analysé le phénom?ne religieux sur Internet et proposé des pistes de réflexion pour évangéliser ? travers la web.
Le cardinal colombien a tout d'abord fait remarquer que les pages religieuses sur Internet sont extr?mement nombreuses. ? Mais s'agit-il de vrais sites religieux ou de créations de la société de consommation, ? la mesure de l'homme d'aujourd'hui ? ? s'est-il interrogé.
Le cardinal Castrillón Hoyos a décrit le phénom?ne religieux sur Internet, relevant quatre caractéristiques.
? Il existe un sécularisme virtuel, a-t-il précisé. Dans de nombreux sites d'aspect apparemment religieux nous ne trouvons en fait que de la 'pseudosacralité'. Le sécularisme ne se présente plus comme une absence d'éléments sacrés mais comme l'offre, presque commerciale, de religions sans élément sacré ou qui ont un concept irréel du sacré, ? la mesure de l'?tre humain?.
Le cardinal a ensuite parlé du ? relativisme on line ?. Sur Internet, a-t-il expliqué ? rien n'est absolu, ni m?me vrai. Lorsqu'il entre dans le réseau, le navigateur découvre de multiples propositions de bonheur qui lui sont offertes avec des arguments tr?s attrayants, avec de nombreuses promesses de vie meilleure, de dépassement personnel, mais sans référence ? la vérité de leurs contenus. En fait, pour un homme d'aujourd'hui, parler de vérité est presque de mauvais go?t ?.
La troisi?me caractéristique de la religiosité sur Internet est ? le syncrétisme digital ?, a affirmé le cardinal Castrillón Hoyos. ? Du point de vue religieux, Internet est comme un institut de beauté intérieure, comme un gymnase psycho-physique dans lequel on reçoit d'extraordinaires leçons de sagesse comprimée ?.
Pour terminer, le cardinal a analysé la relation entre ? web et liberté ? comme un autre aspect particulier du phénom?ne religieux sur Internet.
? Internet est comme un autel sur lequel on rend un culte au concept de la liberté ?, a-t-il déclaré.
Le préfet de la congrégation pour le clergé a ensuite proposé quelques clés pour évangéliser l'?re digitale.
Il a tout d'abord insisté sur la nécessité ? d'évangéliser ? partir d'Internet ? en rappelant que ? la rencontre personnelle avec le Christ est la clé de toute évangélisation authentique ?. Il faut ? ouvrir la porte de la foi pour que le Christ, le Rédempteur, entre dans nos vies ?, a-t-il déclaré.
Le cardinal a précisé que beaucoup voient aujourd'hui l'Eglise comme ? une institution légaliste, faite d'impositions ?. Les gens ne comprennent pas que ces ? lois ? sont ? chemin de liberté, d'une liberté qui doit ?tre guidée par l'amour ?.
? Et l'Eglise, c'est-?-dire nous, que fait-elle ? s'est-il interrogé. L'Eglise doit leur ouvrir ses portes et leur montrer l'amour du P?re qui vit en elle. Et ceci, elle peut le faire, elle doit le faire, également ? travers Internet ?.
Pour terminer, le cardinal Castrillón Hoyos a encouragé ? une nouvelle forme d'inculturation ?. ? L'Eglise a le devoir d'apprendre les nouveaux protocoles de la communication et les nouveaux langages télématiques pour pouvoir continuer son dialogue avec l'humanité, a-t-il déclaré. C'est le seul moyen d'établir un vrai dialogue avec l'homme d'aujourd'hui dans un moyen de communication comme Internet, qui est essentiellement interactif ?.
ZF03040706
Mexique/Informatique: Une "mission catholique sur Internet" "Vers un réseau humain de réponses et d'aides"
CITE DU VATICAN, Mardi 8 avril 2003 (ZENIT.org) - Une "mission catholique sur Internet": cette question a fait l'objet d'un congr?s continental américain, indique l'agence Fides.
Ce congr?s sur "Eglise et Informatique" intitulé " Vers un réseau humain de réponses et d'aides " s'est tenu au Mexique, ? Monterrey, du 2 au 5 avril, ? l'initiative du conseil pontifical pour les Communications sociales, et du Conseil épiscopal latino-américain (CELAM) avec la collaboration de la conférence épiscopale du Mexique et du dioc?se de Monterrey. Le congr?s s'est achevé le 5 avril par la messe présidée par Mgr Foley, président du conseil pontifical pour les Communications sociales.
Le document final analyse la naissance de la nouvelle culture informatique dans notre société, et comment l'Eglise doit répondre ? ce nouveau défi, indique Fides qui propose cette traduction de différents extraits du document.
"Nous vivons un processus accéléré d'échange culturel. La naissance de cette nouvelle culture, que certains auteurs ont appelée culture digitale ou culture Internet requiert une réponse. Notre vocation et notre mission sont d'intégrer l'homme, et tout l'homme, dans cette culture digitale. Notre préoccupation principale est la dignité de la personne humaine dans une culture digitale qui, pour ?tre authentiquement culture, doit ?tre au service de l'?tre humain. Notre préoccupation pour la société de la connaissance est notre préoccupation pour la vérité de l'homme ".
Le Document présente ensuite une analyse de cette nouvelle culture ? partir de deux perspectives : la perspective personnelle et la perspective collective. Il se évoque en particulier le probl?me de "l'analphabétisme technologique", suggérant que la réponse peut passer ? travers "l'éducation solidaire et l'utilisation des nouvelles technologies, avec la création opportune de centre de formes de formation et d'entraînement ".
Le Document déclare pour terminer : "Evangéliser l'homme signifie évangéliser la culture. L'Evangile est et doit continuer ? ?tre au cour de la communication et de ses moyens. L'Eglise a le devoir de se présenter face ? cette nouvelle culture digitale comme la grande alternative pour l'avenir de l'homme et comme le point de référence d'un renouvellement de la société ? partir de la fidélité ? l'Evangile et ? partir de la foi transmise et gardée par l'Eglise ".
" La présence de l'Eglise et de l'Evangile sur Internet ne doit jamais ?tre considérée comme une substitution de l'Eglise m?me, mais comme un moyen intelligent et attirant pour parvenir ? de nombreux baptisés ainsi qu'aux non croyants ".
Cette " mission catholique sur Internet ne peut oublier la dimension prophétique qui veut annoncer avec z?le, talent et conviction les valeurs de l'Evangile, et dénoncer tout ce qui signifie mépris et exploitation de la personne et de la société.
Voir: www.zenit.org
Card. Darío Castrillón : Evangéliser sur Internet Congr?s sur l'Eglise et l'informatique ? Monterrey, Mexique
ROME, lundi 7 avril 2003 (ZENIT.org) - Dans une intervention au Congr?s sur l'Eglise et l'informatique, qui a eu lieu du 2 au 5 avril ? Monterrey au Mexique, le cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, préfet de la Congrégation pour le clergé, a analysé le phénom?ne religieux sur Internet et proposé des pistes de réflexion pour évangéliser ? travers la web.
Le cardinal colombien a tout d'abord fait remarquer que les pages religieuses sur Internet sont extr?mement nombreuses. ? Mais s'agit-il de vrais sites religieux ou de créations de la société de consommation, ? la mesure de l'homme d'aujourd'hui ? ? s'est-il interrogé.
Le cardinal Castrillón Hoyos a décrit le phénom?ne religieux sur Internet, relevant quatre caractéristiques.
? Il existe un sécularisme virtuel, a-t-il précisé. Dans de nombreux sites d'aspect apparemment religieux nous ne trouvons en fait que de la 'pseudosacralité'. Le sécularisme ne se présente plus comme une absence d'éléments sacrés mais comme l'offre, presque commerciale, de religions sans élément sacré ou qui ont un concept irréel du sacré, ? la mesure de l'?tre humain?.
Le cardinal a ensuite parlé du ? relativisme on line ?. Sur Internet, a-t-il expliqué ? rien n'est absolu, ni m?me vrai. Lorsqu'il entre dans le réseau, le navigateur découvre de multiples propositions de bonheur qui lui sont offertes avec des arguments tr?s attrayants, avec de nombreuses promesses de vie meilleure, de dépassement personnel, mais sans référence ? la vérité de leurs contenus. En fait, pour un homme d'aujourd'hui, parler de vérité est presque de mauvais go?t ?.
La troisi?me caractéristique de la religiosité sur Internet est ? le syncrétisme digital ?, a affirmé le cardinal Castrillón Hoyos. ? Du point de vue religieux, Internet est comme un institut de beauté intérieure, comme un gymnase psycho-physique dans lequel on reçoit d'extraordinaires leçons de sagesse comprimée ?.
Pour terminer, le cardinal a analysé la relation entre ? web et liberté ? comme un autre aspect particulier du phénom?ne religieux sur Internet.
? Internet est comme un autel sur lequel on rend un culte au concept de la liberté ?, a-t-il déclaré.
Le préfet de la congrégation pour le clergé a ensuite proposé quelques clés pour évangéliser l'?re digitale.
Il a tout d'abord insisté sur la nécessité ? d'évangéliser ? partir d'Internet ? en rappelant que ? la rencontre personnelle avec le Christ est la clé de toute évangélisation authentique ?. Il faut ? ouvrir la porte de la foi pour que le Christ, le Rédempteur, entre dans nos vies ?, a-t-il déclaré.
Le cardinal a précisé que beaucoup voient aujourd'hui l'Eglise comme ? une institution légaliste, faite d'impositions ?. Les gens ne comprennent pas que ces ? lois ? sont ? chemin de liberté, d'une liberté qui doit ?tre guidée par l'amour ?.
? Et l'Eglise, c'est-?-dire nous, que fait-elle ? s'est-il interrogé. L'Eglise doit leur ouvrir ses portes et leur montrer l'amour du P?re qui vit en elle. Et ceci, elle peut le faire, elle doit le faire, également ? travers Internet ?.
Pour terminer, le cardinal Castrillón Hoyos a encouragé ? une nouvelle forme d'inculturation ?. ? L'Eglise a le devoir d'apprendre les nouveaux protocoles de la communication et les nouveaux langages télématiques pour pouvoir continuer son dialogue avec l'humanité, a-t-il déclaré. C'est le seul moyen d'établir un vrai dialogue avec l'homme d'aujourd'hui dans un moyen de communication comme Internet, qui est essentiellement interactif ?.
ZF03040706
Mexique/Informatique: Une "mission catholique sur Internet" "Vers un réseau humain de réponses et d'aides"
CITE DU VATICAN, Mardi 8 avril 2003 (ZENIT.org) - Une "mission catholique sur Internet": cette question a fait l'objet d'un congr?s continental américain, indique l'agence Fides.
Ce congr?s sur "Eglise et Informatique" intitulé " Vers un réseau humain de réponses et d'aides " s'est tenu au Mexique, ? Monterrey, du 2 au 5 avril, ? l'initiative du conseil pontifical pour les Communications sociales, et du Conseil épiscopal latino-américain (CELAM) avec la collaboration de la conférence épiscopale du Mexique et du dioc?se de Monterrey. Le congr?s s'est achevé le 5 avril par la messe présidée par Mgr Foley, président du conseil pontifical pour les Communications sociales.
Le document final analyse la naissance de la nouvelle culture informatique dans notre société, et comment l'Eglise doit répondre ? ce nouveau défi, indique Fides qui propose cette traduction de différents extraits du document.
"Nous vivons un processus accéléré d'échange culturel. La naissance de cette nouvelle culture, que certains auteurs ont appelée culture digitale ou culture Internet requiert une réponse. Notre vocation et notre mission sont d'intégrer l'homme, et tout l'homme, dans cette culture digitale. Notre préoccupation principale est la dignité de la personne humaine dans une culture digitale qui, pour ?tre authentiquement culture, doit ?tre au service de l'?tre humain. Notre préoccupation pour la société de la connaissance est notre préoccupation pour la vérité de l'homme ".
Le Document présente ensuite une analyse de cette nouvelle culture ? partir de deux perspectives : la perspective personnelle et la perspective collective. Il se évoque en particulier le probl?me de "l'analphabétisme technologique", suggérant que la réponse peut passer ? travers "l'éducation solidaire et l'utilisation des nouvelles technologies, avec la création opportune de centre de formes de formation et d'entraînement ".
Le Document déclare pour terminer : "Evangéliser l'homme signifie évangéliser la culture. L'Evangile est et doit continuer ? ?tre au cour de la communication et de ses moyens. L'Eglise a le devoir de se présenter face ? cette nouvelle culture digitale comme la grande alternative pour l'avenir de l'homme et comme le point de référence d'un renouvellement de la société ? partir de la fidélité ? l'Evangile et ? partir de la foi transmise et gardée par l'Eglise ".
" La présence de l'Eglise et de l'Evangile sur Internet ne doit jamais ?tre considérée comme une substitution de l'Eglise m?me, mais comme un moyen intelligent et attirant pour parvenir ? de nombreux baptisés ainsi qu'aux non croyants ".
Cette " mission catholique sur Internet ne peut oublier la dimension prophétique qui veut annoncer avec z?le, talent et conviction les valeurs de l'Evangile, et dénoncer tout ce qui signifie mépris et exploitation de la personne et de la société.
Voir: www.zenit.org
Sunday, June 06, 2004
It would be easy if life was one major battle .... fight to the end ... good or evil. That's not the way it is .... it's a million little daily situations .... where you can help someone ... or you can ignore them. What are we charged to do? Love your neighbour as yourself.
Maggie it's very wise ... THANKS
Byłoby łatwo i wygodnie gdyby życie było klarownie jedną wielką walką aż do końca pomiędzy dobrem i złem. Wtedy każdy mógłby się opowiedzieć raz na zawsze i jednoznacznie. Ale tak nie jest, bo życie to miliony codziennych, drobnych sytuacji wyboru, gdzie :
Albo mogę komuś pomóc, albo go zignorować.
Coś nam zostało zadane i to zadanie trzeba odrabiać codziennie i wiele razy dziennie: ?Miłuj bliźniego swego, jak siebie samego?.
A kto to zrozumiał i tą drogą idzie ... jest szczęśliwy czyli błogosławiony ?
Maggie it's very wise ... THANKS
Byłoby łatwo i wygodnie gdyby życie było klarownie jedną wielką walką aż do końca pomiędzy dobrem i złem. Wtedy każdy mógłby się opowiedzieć raz na zawsze i jednoznacznie. Ale tak nie jest, bo życie to miliony codziennych, drobnych sytuacji wyboru, gdzie :
Albo mogę komuś pomóc, albo go zignorować.
Coś nam zostało zadane i to zadanie trzeba odrabiać codziennie i wiele razy dziennie: ?Miłuj bliźniego swego, jak siebie samego?.
A kto to zrozumiał i tą drogą idzie ... jest szczęśliwy czyli błogosławiony ?
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Friday, February 13, 2004
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Holy-
What does it mean to be holy? You are kind, you are good, you are prayerful...what else? Humble...one has to be humble if one is to be holy. You can't march around the street saying "Look how good I am....I am holy". For if you did this, you would not be holy at all, you would be vain.
I think there are two types of holiness. There's the holiness one sees in another. We look at a monk...in a monastery, and we say he is holy. For to all appearances....he is holy. The other type of holiness, is very personal. I would say it is a state of mind. It defines a personal relationship with God.
Now I say to you...it is possible for the monk not to be holy at all. Yes, he appears to be holy. However only he, himself and God know whether he is holy in his mind, and in heart and in his soul.
Now lets take any other person in the world....in any occupation...of any age (other than a small child)....how do we tell if he is holy? We can make certain observations....if he goes to church on Sunday, receives the Eucharist, and kneels during prayers, has good manners, we would assume that this person might be holy. Now let's take a man who works every Sunday...in a Coal Mine, he doesn't go to church. He looks filthy. He barely supports his family. We would assume he is not holy. We would assume wrong. For this man, the entire time he works offers his every thought, his every word to God. He lives the life God has given him to the best of his abilities. He loves God as his Father and his Creator. His sole purpose in life is to honor God by loving his family, and using the talents God gave him. This man is holy.
Who is holy? Only God knows for sure. We come back to judging. Never judge another...for none of us knows what is in the mind of another person. We can only make assumptions, and they can be very wrong.
So for tonight my prayer is:
Dear Lord,
In your wisdom and goodness grant that I may see the light.
Let me accept every moment of everyday as a gift from you.
An opportunity to be my best self ..humble, caring and loving.
Guide me through the days of darkness and the nights of fear.
Bless me Lord, with your gift of holiness.
Amen
What does it mean to be holy? You are kind, you are good, you are prayerful...what else? Humble...one has to be humble if one is to be holy. You can't march around the street saying "Look how good I am....I am holy". For if you did this, you would not be holy at all, you would be vain.
I think there are two types of holiness. There's the holiness one sees in another. We look at a monk...in a monastery, and we say he is holy. For to all appearances....he is holy. The other type of holiness, is very personal. I would say it is a state of mind. It defines a personal relationship with God.
Now I say to you...it is possible for the monk not to be holy at all. Yes, he appears to be holy. However only he, himself and God know whether he is holy in his mind, and in heart and in his soul.
Now lets take any other person in the world....in any occupation...of any age (other than a small child)....how do we tell if he is holy? We can make certain observations....if he goes to church on Sunday, receives the Eucharist, and kneels during prayers, has good manners, we would assume that this person might be holy. Now let's take a man who works every Sunday...in a Coal Mine, he doesn't go to church. He looks filthy. He barely supports his family. We would assume he is not holy. We would assume wrong. For this man, the entire time he works offers his every thought, his every word to God. He lives the life God has given him to the best of his abilities. He loves God as his Father and his Creator. His sole purpose in life is to honor God by loving his family, and using the talents God gave him. This man is holy.
Who is holy? Only God knows for sure. We come back to judging. Never judge another...for none of us knows what is in the mind of another person. We can only make assumptions, and they can be very wrong.
So for tonight my prayer is:
Dear Lord,
In your wisdom and goodness grant that I may see the light.
Let me accept every moment of everyday as a gift from you.
An opportunity to be my best self ..humble, caring and loving.
Guide me through the days of darkness and the nights of fear.
Bless me Lord, with your gift of holiness.
Amen
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Judging....
Judge, and you will be judged. I would tell you, I am not a person who judges. However....why do I have certain thoughts....kept to myself....but nevertheless...are they judgements?
Mr. Z.....doesn't go to church...I am not judging him...BUT....I know he will never get to heaven. Have I not judged him? Who have I fooled? Myself? To have these thoughts...is to judge.
How do I stop judging? If I look to see if he does good deeds, or if he is kind, am I not trying to substantiate my judgements?
So what should my prayer be today?
Dear Lord,
Please help me to see only the good...in everyone and everything
Let me learn acceptance, of all people.
Let kindness prevail in my heart and in my soul.
Let me be worthy lord....of Your love.
Amen
Judge, and you will be judged. I would tell you, I am not a person who judges. However....why do I have certain thoughts....kept to myself....but nevertheless...are they judgements?
Mr. Z.....doesn't go to church...I am not judging him...BUT....I know he will never get to heaven. Have I not judged him? Who have I fooled? Myself? To have these thoughts...is to judge.
How do I stop judging? If I look to see if he does good deeds, or if he is kind, am I not trying to substantiate my judgements?
So what should my prayer be today?
Dear Lord,
Please help me to see only the good...in everyone and everything
Let me learn acceptance, of all people.
Let kindness prevail in my heart and in my soul.
Let me be worthy lord....of Your love.
Amen
Monday, February 09, 2004
The notes say "Account closed"...hmmmm.....will this open it again?
Am I opening "Pandora's Box"?
I am here...waiting for you. How long will it take you to find me?
I will keep notes on your site on the religious side...it is only right.
So tomorrow...or the day after, or the day after...I will start logging my thoughts.
Night..night....
Am I opening "Pandora's Box"?
I am here...waiting for you. How long will it take you to find me?
I will keep notes on your site on the religious side...it is only right.
So tomorrow...or the day after, or the day after...I will start logging my thoughts.
Night..night....
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