Is Your Christianity Better Than Mine?

I lived the first 28 years of my life in Iraq, then another six years in Australia. I never needed to pause and think about my religious affiliation. I was definitely a Christian. Period.

When I moved to the United States, I never knew I shouldn't call myself a Christian. I was told that I'm not a Christian. Instead, I'm a Catholic. Then, I realized that each American Christian domination calls itself a different name. There are Catholics, Baptists, Southern Baptists, Episcopalians, Mormons, etc... The list is very long. It gets even worse when some people try to preach Catholicism to me because I was born in the Middle East. In their opinion, it means I'm not Catholic enough.

This is so wrong. It's even more wrong when it's used in politics. Here's the latest:

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Leaders for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Rev. Al Sharpton are planning an in-person meeting, a church spokesman said.

Sharpton asked for the meeting during a telephone apology he gave to two church elders last week after he said during a debate that Mormons don't believe in God.
[...]

The Pentecostal minister and former Democratic presidential candidate's remarks were about Mitt Romney, a Mormon who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. Sharpton said that "as for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyway, so don't worry about that, that's a temporary situation."

Sharpton says the remark was distorted for political purposes and has apologized to "regular Mormons" for the slight. He later told a web site editors that he "wasn't saying that Mormons didn't believe in God, I was saying that we weren't going to have to rely on atheists" to defeat Romney.

My late father-in-law was a Mormon. So, I find Sharpton's remarks very wrong. I met Mormons during the last six years and none of them strikes me as "Godless person."

What's Sharpton's definition of a good Mormon? And what makes him think that Romney isn't a good Mormon? Sharpton isn't a Mormon. How can he decide who is or isn't a good Mormon?

Then, what does Sharpton mean by "we weren't going to have to rely on atheists."? Does that mean all Democrats are atheists? If no, then does that mean Barak Obama - my favorite candidate for the 2008 presidency - is a better candidate than the other Democrat candidates just because he's not afraid to talk about his faith during his campaign? I don't think so.

It's time to clear the clouded religious air in America. At times, it goes overboard for no good reason.

Chaldean Bishops Appeal To The Iraqi Politicians

Fay's NOTE: News from Iraq wasn't pleasant during the last two weeks. So, I took a week-long break from the news. I'm back with better energy.

In these last four years our Iraqi people have suffered and continue to suffer from threats, kidnappings, forced exile, attacks and killings which have provoked thousands of innocent victims and the total destruction of the Iraqi institutions and national infrastructure. All of this is a folly of human reason.

This is why we are urgently asking the entire international community, the participants at the Sharm el-Sheikh Conference, the coalition forces and the Iraqi political representatives to intervene without delay to protect innocent Iraqis, their property, their rights and their personal freedom. We also appeal to all of the religious authorities to let their voices be heard in the defence of the salvation of our country and its sons and daughters, so that the wonderful social fabric of our Iraqi society may be kept whole, because its loss would mean the disastrous destruction of an ancient cultural and religious civilisation.

We particularly ask that the threats, kidnappings and forced emigration of our Christians people is stopped and we affirm most strenuously that the Christians are authentic Iraqi people, one of the most ancient parts of the population. Christians have always sought to integrate themselves with their Arab, Kurd, Turk, Shiite, Sunni, Yezidi brothers, within the nations’ social life and have always had a most important role in the building of national historic values, decisively contributing to the destiny of Iraq through their peaceful way of life.

Moreover, we confirm the essential relationship between Christianity and Islam, as monotheistic religions through their teachings they both aim to spread Charity, the Common Good and Peace. God knows of our differences, which exists by his Divine will: “If Your Lord had wanted, he would have created all men as one nation” (Koran, Yonis, 99). We must accept his divine design and respect diversity, which makes of us one garden with different flowers, of which each one glorifies God the creator with his own perfume.

We believe that religion is a catalyst for peace and we are convinced that God reveals himself with great clarity in the practise of Peace, Justice, Mercy, Tolerance, Reconciliation and Forgiveness.

My brothers, enough with violence, threats, attacks and killings! Let us work together hand in hand to bring about Unity, Security and Prosperity in our land, Iraq.

Signed by a group of Chaldean Bishops.

New Troubles In Basra

By Queen Amidala
Basra, Iraq
Apr. 20, 2007

Things are getting worse than before -- apart from what's going on with governor.

First, one of the militias attacked Al Fayhaa Club, our club Fay [Fay note: A very well known Iraqi Christian social club]. They ordered the contractor not to open the club for weddings or any other celebrations.

On the second day of Easter, we had lunch there. I was thrilled to see our club again after almost two years. During lunch, I told my family it's a nice, spacious club with nice air-conditioning. I told them it would be nice to come here during hot summer days to feel the cool air and enjoy a nice lunch once in a while.
As simple as this is, the bloody militias didn't like to see it open.

Second, Unknown militias bombed four hairdresser shops in Basra. We used to go to one of them once a week. Thank God nobody got hurt as the militias bombed them early in the morning. A few days ago, the bombing reached the playstation shops too.

In Baghdad, it's literally hell. The news that they are forcing the Christians to pay jyzia are correct. They're also forcing the Christian women to dress like conservative Muslim women and wear the scarf on their heads. If they don't follow these instruction, they are forced out of their homes and leave their belongings behind [Fay Note: I believe this is specially happening in Al-Dora]. In general, Sunnis are leaving the Shia areas and vise versa.

Our relatives in Baghdad are very frightened of the whole situation. They are trying to leave Iraq but the new passport delimma make it difficult to get passports.

My younger uncle called us two days ago to ask my dad's opinion as to what to do. My uncle is VERY scared of the escalated situation. His daughter goes to college which, makes the situation worse for him in relation to security and finances.

All in all, it's hell. No one imagined this was going to happen to us. We went through a lot during Saddam's ruling and wars. But nothing can be compared to this one.

I'm scared and I can't even think what's going to happen next. I don't want to think about it anyway.

We're all in God's hands.. He is our savior.

Appeal To Save Iraq's Christians

The situation of Iraqi Christians has become so dire that Louis Sako, Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk, has issued an appeal on behalf of the Iraqi Christians:

Baghdad (AsiaNews) – “In Iraq Christians are dying, the Church is disappearing under continued persecution, threats and violence carried out by extremists who are leaving us no choice: conversion or exile”. This is the urgent appeal sent to AsiaNews by msgr. Louis Sako, Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk, while reports arrive of car bombs and the death of Christians in the Kurdish area, until now untouched by the confessional violence.

The bishop who is president of Iraq’s Council of Catholic Churches’ Committee for inter religious dialogue , signed a declaration regarding the “tragic situation of Baghdadis Christians”, denouncing militant groups which under the threat of armed violence ask Christians to convert immediately to Islam or to consign their property and leave the country. The same thing happens in Mosul, but with a different “choice”: pay a monetary tribute to the Jihad if they want to avoid their death.

Bishop Sako have these urgent words to the deaf world:

“We can no longer be silent – explains Msgr. Sako by phone to AsiaNews – we have to remind the world of the importance of the Christian presence in Iraq, for the good of Iraq”. “Christians are one of the oldest constituents of the Iraqi people –he explains in his statement– Since the beginning they have incorporated with its other constituents like the Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Sabea, and Yazedis; playing a pioneering role in the building of the civilization of Iraq. In addition they defended their adherence to the soil and integrity of Iraq courageously and together with their Moslems brothers. Everybody witnesses their loyalty, honesty, wisdom and their desire to live in peace and brotherhood with others. Christians have long lived with Moslems whether Sunnis or Shias in mutual respect and shared the good and the bad days together with them. They have been part of the Islamic culture for the last 14 centuries, by large without problems. Today they want to continue this existence in the spirit of love and under the charter of human rights”.

However in the current situation Christians are targeted as chief conspirators to be exploited or eliminated. They cannot openly profess their faith, the veil is imposed on the women and the crosses are taken down from their churches, threats of kidnappings and extortion weigh heavily over all of them. Msgr Sako lists the violence to which they are submitted on a daily basis: “now a days Christians are suffering in certain areas and cities in Iraq from forced evacuation, rape, kidnap, blackmail, scarring and killing. This unfamiliar behaviour contradicts the Iraqi humanitarian and Islamic morals. Let everybody realize that emptying Iraq of Christians will be disastrous not only for the Christians but for all Iraqis!... Forcing Christians to leave their homes indicates deterioration in the concept of conviviality and furthermore it destroys the cultural, civil and religious mosaic of which Iraq is considered to be the very cradle”.

People ask me how I handle the daily sad news coming from Iraq. I pray and write. Continuous blogging about the plight of the Iraqi Christians has become my mission lately. It's the least I can do living thousands of miles away from Iraq.

If you can spare a minute of your time, please say a little prayer to the Iraqi people.

The Limbo Status Is Incorrect

*** Scroll down for updates ***

---

ORIGINAL POST - Dec. 01, 2005
It's always bothered me when people would say children who die unbaptized aren't allowed into Heaven. Jesus himself told us that if we don't become like children, we won't see God's Kingdom. So, how could anyone deny them Heaven?

But here's some good news:

THE Catholic Church is preparing to abandon the idea of limbo, the theological belief that children who die before being baptised are suspended in a space between heaven and hell.
[...]
The idea of limbo was developed as a response to the harshness of early Church teachings which insisted that any child who died before he or she was baptised would still be stained by Original Sin and so would be condemned to hell.
[...]
However, an international commission of Catholic theologians, meeting in the Vatican this week, has been pondering the issue and is expected to advise Pope Benedict XVI to announce officially that the theological concept of limbo is incorrect.

Instead, the new belief is expected to be that unbaptised babies will go directly to heaven.

Pope Benedict had already expressed his doubts about limbo when, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he was head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Church's doctrinal watchdog.

In an interview in 1984, he said: "Limbo has never been a defined truth of faith. Personally, speaking as a theologian and not as head of the Congregation, I would drop something that has always been only a theological hypothesis."

Read more...

John Haldane, a professor of philosophy at St Andrews University in Scotland was quoted in the report:

"The idea of limbo conjures up the image of God as some kind of government bureaucrat who says to people, not just babies, 'Sorry, you don't have your passport stamped with baptism, you'll have to wait over there'.

"Instead, God's powers are such that He can overcome the issue of Original Sin as He chooses, according to special circumstances."

If children and babies have no place in Heaven, then none of us do.

---

UPDATE Dec. 2, 2005
In Year of The Family, late Pope John Paul II wrote in his letter to the children:

In Children there is something that must never be missing in people who want to enter the kingdom of heaven. People who are destined to go to heaven are simple like children, and like children are full of trust, rich in goodness and pure. Only people of this sort can find in God a Father and thanks to Jesus, can become in their own turn children of God.

Source: Pope John Paul II: In My Own Words

I guess this sum it all.

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UPDATE Apr. 22, 2007
It's official, the Catholic church has abolished the limbo status:

A Vatican committee that spent years examining the medieval concept published a much-anticipated report Friday, concluding that unbaptized babies who die may go to heaven.
[...]
The Vatican's International Theological Commission issued its findings — with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI — in a document published by the Catholic News Service, the news agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The commission is advisory, but the pope's endorsement of the document appears to indicate his acceptance of its findings.

Limbo, the commission said, "reflects an unduly restrictive view of salvation."

"Our conclusion," the panel said in its 41-page report, is that there are "serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptized infants who die will be saved and brought into eternal happiness." The committee added that although this is not "sure knowledge," it comes in the context of a loving and just God who "wants all human beings to be saved."

Read more...

This conclusion should have been reached hundreds of years ago. Oh well, better late than never.

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In My Own Words

Could It Get Worse For The Iraqi Christians?

A few weeks ago, my friend's cousin was kidnapped in Iraq. Fortunately, he returned safely to his family. But, his safe return came at a price. His kidnappers gave him the choice of either being killed or released on the condition of him converting to Islam. You can guess which option he chose to guarantee his safe return.

My friend told me that since her cousin came back home, he hasn't been himself. He doesn't want to talk about the whole ordeal. He's silent most of the time.

Similar stories were reported lately where Iraqi Christians are being forced to either leave their homes or convert to Islam, especially at Al-Dora district in Baghdad:

Six Christian families from the Mualimien neighborhood of Baghdad’s Dora district have relocated to a church elsewhere in the city, said a Baghdad source who requested that the families’ location and identity remain anonymous.

Armed Sunnis told the families on Saturday (April 14) that an amir (independent Muslim prince or ruler) had issued a fatwa or judgment based on Islamic law against Dora’s Christians, the source said.

“They called the Christians infidels and told them, ‘If you don’t convert to Islam or leave your homes in 24 hours, we will kill you,’” the source told Compass after speaking with a member of the church helping the displaced Christians.

Read more...

many Iraqi families live(d) in Al-Dora including many of my friends and relatives. Most of them have moved to other areas after they received death threats from the armed militias.

If that wasn't enough, the armed militias have come up with a new tactic to drive Iraqi Christians from their homes:

Baghdad (AsiaNews) – “Get rid of the cross or we will burn your Churches”. This is the threat aimed at the Chaldean Church of Sts Peter and Paul, located in the ancient Christian quarter of Baghdad, Dora. Local sources say an unknown armed Islamic group is behind the threats which are inseminating terror in the capital. The Arab website Ankawa.com and Aina news agency speak of a campaign of persecution in act in the area. Even Mosul, a Sunni stronghold, the Christian presence is being gravely threatened.

Msgr. Shlemon Warduni, Chaldean auxiliary bishop of Baghdad, tells AsiaNews “in the last 2 months many Churches have been forced to remove their crosses from their domes”. In the case of the Church of St. George, assira, Muslim extremists took the situation into their own hands: they climbed onto the roof and ripped out the cross. In the Chaldean Church of St John, in Dora, which has been without a pastor for months now, the parishioners themselves decided to move the cross to a safer place following repeated threats.

Read more...

This is the real beginning of the end for the Iraqi Christian community that existed for thousands of years. We survived many storms. I'm not sure we can survive this one that seems to be getting worse by the day.

Please, keep the Iraqi Christian community in your prayers.

You Know You Are An Assyrian or Chaldean If...

Written by Unknown Author

Your mother yells at the top of her lungs to call you to dinner even if you're in the next room.

You arrive one or two hours late to a party and think it's normal.

You are standing next to the largest suitcases at the Airport.

You talk for an hour at the front door when leaving someone's house.

You say bye 17 times on the phone.

Your parents still scream at the top of their lungs when making long distance calls.

Your relatives alone could populate a small city.

You always say "open the light" instead of "turn the light on."

You've had a shoe thrown at you by your mother.

When your parents meet strangers and talk for a few minutes, you discover they know one of your uncles back home.

Your mother does everything for you if you are male.

You do all the housework and cooking if you are female.

You refer to your dad's friends as Amoo [uncle].

You still came back home to live with your parents after you graduate.

You have an endless supply of pistachios, dates, and pumpkin seeds.

You have at least thirty cousins.

Your parents want you to become a doctor or engineer.

You use your forehead and eyebrows to point something out.

Your parents drink 6 cups of tea a day.

You can spot an Arab a mile away and they have spotted you because they keep staring.

After a family meal, the women fight to the death over who should wash the dishes while the men sit on their behinds and discuss politics, waiting for their tea.

At weddings, it takes the bride and groom 4 hours to kiss all the guests.

You brag about your kids even if they are bad.

You gossip about your own family with other members of your family.

One satellite dish on your roof isn't enough. You need at least two of them.

You wear more cologne than deodorant.

You say the letter "H" like "etch"

You put olive oil on EVERYTHING and brag about how healthy it is.

Your favorite food is stuffed grape leaves but you are embarrassed to tell your friends that you eat leaves for dinner.

You cook a meal that lasts three days.

Your aunt always asks you when she can dance at your wedding.

Your Father swears at you with words that effect himself.

You say "Get down from the car" instead of "get out of the car."

You always act like you WANT to pay; but in reality you hate it.

You own a gold cross necklace.

You play cards till the break of dawn.

You NEVER run out of "rizza" [Rice].

You can't have a meal without pita bread.

You feel proud when someone famous or a celebrity has ANY Assyrian blood in them.

You a have a difficult Assyrian name; so you come up with an American version like "Sam" "Mike" "Joe" "Willy."

You have someone tell you your fortune through your coffee cup.

You say Bolice for Police.

You get really excited and call your whole family to the room when there is a special or a documentary on Assyrians on CNN or Discovery channel.

Waxing salon is your second home.

You wont eat meat on Wednesday or Friday, but your "love life" has nothing to do with your religion.

You are awaken at night by a member of your family yelling over the phone to overseas.

Your convinced that your mom would win a "slipper throwing contest" because of her accuracy.

It doesn't even cross your mind NOT to Bar-B-Q at two in the morning on your front porch.

The word Yalla is a part of your Assyrian vocabulary.

When you get visitors from overseas they live with you for 5 months.

The Story of a Kidnapped Iraqi Christian Girl

By Queen Amidala
Basra, Iraq

A few weeks ago, a 15-year-old Christian girl was kidnapped from the door of her home. The kidnappers were members of Al Sadr Army which is called Al Mahdi. Here's what happened:

At 7:30 a.m. a group of people knocked on the door and the girl answered the door. They were prepared for her to answer the door and immediately kidnapped her. After a minute or two, her mother called on her to see who was on the door. But she got no answer. So she went out to see what was going on. She saw the door wide open and her daughter was no were to be found. The mother called the father. After few minutes they knew their daughter was kidnapped. They immediately started their search for her. They realized they need help from some powerful people; otherwise they would loss their daughter.

The help came from Al Daawa Islamic Party as it indicated its responsibilty for the security in their area. Al-Daawa Party knew the person who kidnapped the girl. They went immediately to his parents house. The kidnapper's parents explained they have the girl. But since the father didn’t approve of his son’s action, he sent the girl to his sister's house. The head of Al Daawa Party asked the parents to bring the girl back to their home in case their son would kidnap her again if she went back to home. The kidnapper's parents obeyed Al Daawa Party and the girl reunited with her mother at the home of Head of Al Daawa Party, where they stayed until the next day.

The kidnapper was from Al Mahdi Army. That's why everyone was very careful not to send the girl back to her house after she was found. You see they were able to take the girl right form under the nose of her parents because they are Christians and the kidnapper has a very powerful background -- if you can call Al Mahdi Army poweful.

Don’t think the girl is safe again. The kidnapper and his parents keep coming back – this time formally – to ask for the girl's hand. The girl lost this year's school and she is currently staying home. Her parents are afraid for hers and the family's safety.

The ironic thing is that the Christian community are divided over this incident. Some Christians think the girl had an affair with the Muslim guy and they were planning to run away just because she was kidnapped, financially poor and lives in poor part of Basrah.

I got angry with them and told them that this is a good opportunity for Basrawi Christians to stick together and not to drift apart like this. I told them if they are going to act like this, then we deserve whatever happen to us in the future. I mean from now on, any girl could be kidnapped on any basis; and we will say “well, she might have had an affair with the guy and wanted to run away with him.” to stop thinking of the consequences of such actions.

This is our Christian community in Basrah. This is how we act when one of us has a problem. We blame the victim to rest our minds.

The Murder of Sisters Fadhila and Margaret Naoum

Last week, many media outlets and bloggers claimed the murder of two Iraqi nuns in the city of Kirkuk. The media got it wrong in regard to this story. The two murdered Iraqi Christians were laywomen and NOT nuns. Zenit News Agency reports:

BAGHDAD, Iraq, MARCH 30, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The murder of two elderly women of the Catholic Chaldean community in Kirkuk has heightened fears of the spread of anti-Christian violence in Iraq, says Archbishop Louis Sako.

The archbishop of the northern Iraqi diocese told the group Aid to the Church in Need that a Dominican nun telephoned him late Monday to report the death of Fadhila Naoum, 85, and her sister Margaret, 79.

The archbishop said the attackers broke into the home of the two women located near Kirkuk's city hall and a Dominican convent. The nuns had close links with the Naoum sisters.

Read more...

This doesn't make the crime less heinous. But, the media has a responsibility to check its sources before it publishes a report for the whole world to read and cause some to panic. I'm not asking too much from the media.

R.I.P Fadhila and Margaret.

Giving Up Something For Lent

I switched to decaf drinks last year. Once a week, I need caffeine in my system to keep me going. Knowing this need, I decided to give up Starbucks coffee for Lent. Well, that went well for a week or two. I'd say I did miserably this year. I hope you did better than me.

In the age of technology, there could be more than food to give up:

(CNN) -- For some, it's chocolate. For others, it's coffee or cigarettes. But as this Easter approaches, some young and devout Christians are anxious to return to what they gave up for Lent: Internet sites Facebook and MySpace.
[...]
"It's been hard, especially in the beginning," said Kerry Graham, who says she gave up Facebook for Lent. Her boyfriend challenged her to do so, describing her as a "Facebook fiend."

During the first days of Lent, the 23-year-old graduate student admits she had to stop herself from typing the site's Web address nearly every time she checked her e-mail.

Read more...

As a blogger, I understand how hard that could be. I won't try it because I'll definitely fail. Not that I did better with coffee.

Prayer For New Growth

Holy and loving God,

Just as the gardener cares for what he has planted, so we nourish our growth with your tender care.

When our sins and offenses keep us from flourishing and bearing good fruit, you offer us your gift of forgiveness and the chance to begin again.

May our Lenten fast prune us of those habits of word and deed that prevent your grace from flowing in our lives.

May our Lenten prayer fertilize the roots of new growth in holiness.

May our Lenten almsgiving bring forth blossoms of generosity and good will toward all your creation.

Amen.

Source: My church's bulletin.

Taxing The Iraqi Christians

I have heard from different media sources that some Iraqi Christians have started paying protection tax (jizya) to Muslim groups in Iraq. Australian CathNews reports:

As the number of Christians in Iraq continues to dwindle, reports are emerging that those who remain are being forced to pay Ottoman Empire-style poll taxes in order to be guaranteed protection and religious freedom.

AsiaNews reports that Islamic militias in Baghdad and Mosul are now ordering Christians to pay the jizya, a poll tax which dates back to the period of the Ottoman Empire, with money collected being given in alms to mosques.

Read more...

If the news are true, then there won't be many Iraqi Christians left in Iraq very soon.

UPDATE 03/22/2007
I e-mailed Queen Amidala in Basra for more details regarding this rumor. She sent me back this e-mail:

The Christians aren't the only people who are paying jizya to militias or gangs. The rich people and others who hold high positions in government offices pay it too.

I know a person who holds a very high and delicate position in a government office. He was threatened few times by the militias. So, he had to pay jizya to a tribe for his own protection. Otherwise, he or his family members would be either kidnapped or killed. Now, most of his security guards are from the tribe he pays the jizya for.

The rich people are doing the same for their own safety.

Devil In The Church

One Sunday morning, everyone in one bright, beautiful, tiny town got up early and went to the local church.

Before the services started, the townspeople were sitting in their pews and talking about their lives, their families, etc. Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church. Everyone started screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away from evil incarnate.

Soon everyone was evacuated from the church, except for one elderly gentleman who sat calmly in his pew, not moving... seemingly oblivious to the fact that God's ultimate enemy was in his presence. Now this confused Satan a bit, so he walked up to the man and said, "Don't you know who I am?"

The man replied, "Yep, sure do."

Satan asked, "Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Nope, sure ain't," said the man.

Satan was a little perturbed at this and queried, "Why aren't you afraid of me?"

The man calmly replied, "Been married to your sister for over 48 years."

Source: Comedy Central

Honoring Al-Fikr Al-Masihi Magazine

With delight, I received the following happy news from Fr. Yousif Thomas:

The Iraqi monthly Al-Fikr Al-Masihi was awarded the 2007 gold medal by the International Catholic Union of the Press.

"Al-Fikr Al-Masihi, published in Arabic, survived the worst of crises in the history of Iraq and it did so by becoming a reference point for all peoples: Muslims, Christians and other religions; and all types of ethnic and language groups," explained the press union.

The title of the monthly translates as Christian Thought.

Read more...

This is a well-deserved honor for a dedicated team of writers and editors who have produced the magazine over the years. I was very young when I started reading the magazine, and I still subscribe to it.

Thank you to the magazine's team in Iraq. God bless you all.

The George Washington Dollar Coin

Last week, I received a chain e-mail claiming the skies are falling and so and so conspiracy theories just because....:

PHILADELPHIA - An unknown number of new George Washington dollar coins were mistakenly struck without their edge inscriptions, including “In God We Trust,” and are fetching around $50 apiece online.

The properly struck dollar coins, bearing the likeness of the nation’s first president, are inscribed along the edge with “In God We Trust,” “E Pluribus Unum” and the year and mint mark. The flawed coins made it past inspectors and went into circulation Feb. 15.
[...]
Bailey said it was unknown how many coins lacked the inscriptions. Ron Guth, president of Professional Coin Grading Service, one of the world’s largest coin authentication companies, said he believes that at least 50,000 error coins were put in circulation.

Read more...



Source: Urban Legends

As with most conspiracy theorists, the original e-mail writer didn't wait for a logical explanation before (s)he wrote the letter, then sent it to everyone on his/her address book, who sent it everyone on their address book -- I simply deleted the letter.

In my opinion, God doesn't need his name printed on any money unless I understood Jesus' words incorrectly. Case closed.

The Repentant Thieves

Here's a story that may become an urban myth:

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. --Burglars have struck twice at the Guyandotte United Methodist Church but the second time they may have remembered that commandment, the one that goes, "Thou shalt not steal."

Thieves first jimmied the church's door locks Monday night and stole about $5,000 worth of sound and office equipment, church treasurer Rocky Frazier said. Then, they broke back the next night and returned everything. "They taketh and the Lord giveth back," Frazier said Friday. "It's like there's a higher power at work."

Whatever the reason, they had a change of heart, said the Rev. Julia Bolling.

"It was either that, or our prayer for grace for them," she said.

Read more...

I have a feeling the thieves were young. They probably returned the stolen items after their parents found out about the church's burglary.

The Pope and The New KFC Fish Sandwich

Lent started this year with a joke/surprise from the KFC:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For years, anything produced by KFC had to meet the standards of Colonel Harlan Sanders.

For its new product, the fried chicken chain is seeking a higher endorsement. KFC has asked Pope Benedict XVI to bless the Fish Snacker Sandwich, a Lenten addition to the chain’s Snacker sandwich line.

KFC sent the Pope a letter earlier this month, asking him to bestow a blessing on the sandwich. While the sandwich is being marketed generally, John O’Reilly, chief marketing officer for KFC, said the sandwich should prove especially popular on Friday’s, when Catholics traditionally don’t eat meat in the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday.

Read more...

I rarely eat at KFC and this new commercial appeal to American Catholics won't make me eat at their restaurants.

The Death of a Romanian Nun

UPDATE Feb. 20, 2007
Justice has been served to the priest and nuns responsible for the death of the Romanian nun Maricica Irina Cornici. The Australian reports:

A ROMANIAN priest was sentenced to 14 years in prison yesterday for causing the death of a nun during an exorcism ritual.

Four nuns were also sentenced in connection with her death...
[...]
One of the nuns - Nicoleta Arcalianu - was sentenced to eight years in prison, and the other three - Adina Cepraga, Elena Otel and Simona Bardanas - each received five-year sentences.

R.I.P Sr. Cornici.

---

UPDATE Dec. 27, 2005
South African Independent Online has new details of Romanian nun Maricica Irina Cornici's cause of death:

Bucharest - A Romanian nun crucified by a priest and other nuns in an exorcism rite was still alive when she was rescued, but died of an overdose of adrenalin mistakenly administered by a medic, press reports said Saturday.
[...]
The latest development dominated Saturday's press, with the mass circulation Libertatea headlining the story "killed by the doctors."

Cornici was chained to a cross, gagged and deprived of food and water for several days at the remote monastery in June. Authorities had maintained the treatment proved fatal and she was already dead when other nuns called for an ambulance.

But the new autopsy, carried out after the nun's body was exhumed in September, showed that she died after a medic in the ambulance injected her with six doses of adrenalin which over-stimulated her heart, causing it to fail.

Read more...

This new revelation doesn't make the priest and four nuns less responsible for her death. What happened to her was inhumane.

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ORIGINAL POST Jun. 18, 2005
I read the following report with disbelief:

A Romanian nun has died after being bound to a cross, gagged and left alone for three days in a cold room in a convent, Romanian police have said.

Members of the convent in north-west Romania claim Maricica Irina Cornici was possessed and that the crucifixion had been part of an exorcism ritual.

Cornici was found dead on the cross on Wednesday after fellow nuns called an ambulance, according to police.

On Saturday a priest and four nuns were charged in connection with her death.
[...]
Mediafax news agency said Cornici suffered from schizophrenia and the symptoms of her condition caused the priest at the convent and other nuns to believe she was possessed by the devil.

Read more...

Hmmmmm, I didn't know we were living in the Middle Ages.

Love Your Enemies

Luke 6:27-38

Jesus said to his disciples:
“To you who hear I say,
love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak,
do not withhold even your tunic.

Give to everyone who asks of you,
and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

For if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.

And if you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.

If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,
and get back the same amount.

But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back;
then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High,
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged.

Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven.

Give, and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.

For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”

The Morrocan Muslim-Jewish Ties

It's rare to read pleasant news about the Arab-Jewish relations. But, there's always an exception. Serge Berdugo wrote in the Christian Science Monitor:

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO – As the flames of anti-Semitism continue to be fanned across much of the Islamic world, there is a risk that today's youth will grow up believing that Arabs and Jews were simply not meant to coexist, let alone thrive together.

That idea conflicts with history - and is a falsehood today. My country, Morocco, illustrates the viability and vitality of a Jewish community - my community - in an Arab country. It's a model of harmony other Muslim nations should follow.

And here's the good part of his article:

Morocco's leaders have always made the well-being of the Jewish people a top priority. During World War II, when the Vichy government of occupied France announced that it had prepared 200,000 yellow stars for the Jews of Morocco, King Mohammed V replied that he would need 50 more for him and his family. He refused to make any distinction between his citizens.

If rest of the world follow the tolerant spirit of the Moroccan society, the world would become a better places for all of us.

11 Iraqi Christians Caught In Mexico

In the late 1990s, my best friend and her husband tried to enter the United States via Mexico. Their attempt failed when they were caught in Mexico carrying fake Mexican passports. They were shipped back to their country of departure after experiencing detention in Mexico. I lived in Australia at the time. Back then, I didn't know how popular these illegal immigration attempts among Iraqis were.

Two weeks ago, 11 Iraqi Christians were caught in Mexico with fake Mexican passports. I expected the Mexican authorities to deport them. Luckily, the Mexican authorities were more understanding this time:

MEXICO CITY — The head of Mexico's Immigration Institute said Wednesday the government won't deport or repatriate 11 Iraqi Christians detained Jan. 20 in the northern city of Monterrey.

Cecilia Romero said the detainees may be granted asylum or simply be freed and allowed to go where they want. The group of nine men, one woman and a two-year-old girl had said they were trying to reach California, where there is a sizable community of Iraqi Chaldean Christians.

"The situation in Iraq, as we all know, is a conflict situation," Romero told reporters. "The most recent group that arrived in Nuevo Leon were fleeing the war in their country, so we couldn't simply say to them 'go,' without raising the question, where?"

I don't approve of illegal immigration attempts. But, the current situation in Iraq is very dangerous and hopeless. There's no doubt those people went through too much. It explains their illegal attempt to enter Mexico and then the United States.

Catholic Schools: The Good News in Education

This week is the Catholic Schools Week in America. This year, the American Catholic schools got an appreciation from our politicians:

WASHINGTON (CNS) – The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution Jan. 23 praising Catholic schools "for their ongoing contributions to education and for the key role they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for this nation."
[...]
Noting that more than a quarter of the students in Catholic schools are from minority backgrounds and 14 percent are non-Catholics, the resolution said the schools "produce students strongly dedicated to their faith, values, families and communities by providing an intellectually stimulating environment rich in spiritual, character and moral development."

The theme of Catholic Schools Week in 2007 is "Catholic Schools: The Good News in Education."

Read more...

That was nice of the House of Representatives. My older siblings went to Catholic schools. I went to a public school. We were a big Catholic family and my parents couldn't afford to put me in a Catholic school. I'm happy with my public education though. It made me the person I am today.

Faith, Hope and Love According to St. Paul

From the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians:

Brothers and sisters:
Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, it is not pompous,
it is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.
If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;
if tongues, they will cease;
if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;

then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.

The Liar Sermon

A priest wound up the services one morning by saying, ''Next Sunday I am going to preach on the subject of liars. And in this connection, as a preparation for my discourse, I would like you all to read the seventeenth chapter of Mark''.

On the following Sunday, the priest rose to begin and said, ''Now, then, all of you who have done as I requested and read the seventeenth chapter of Mark, please raise your hands.''

Nearly every hand in the congregation went up.

Then said the priest, ''You are the people I want to talk to. There is no seventeenth chapter of Mark.''

Late Pope John Paul II Audio Cards

I never hide my deep love to the late Pope John Paul II. And now, I'm jealous that people in Italy can get this cool audio card and I can't:


Source: ANSA News

Here's the story of the audio card as reported by ANSA:

ROME (ANSA) - The enduring popularity of the late Pope John Paul II has been underlined yet again by the runaway success of a new gadget offering a blessing from the Polish pontiff at the press of a button.

Offered as a free gift with a new Catholic monthly, the palm-size device is comprised of a small picture of John Paul mounted on an electronic card which has his voice recorded on it digitally.

When pressure is applied, the user hears the pope's voice saying a blessing in Latin.

Read more...

So far, more than 35,000 people got a free copy of the audio card. But NOT ME. Still, I'm happy to know that people's love to the late Pope is still alive. That's all it counts.

The Nun and The Consturction Workers

An old nun who was living in a convent next to a Brooklyn construction site noticed the coarse language of the workers and decided to spend some time with them to correct their ways.

She decided she would take her lunch, sit with the workers and talk with them. She put her sandwich in a brown bag and walked over to the spot where the men were eating.

She walked up to the group and with a big smile said: "Do you men know Jesus Christ?"

They shook their heads and looked at each other. One of the workers looked up into the steelwork and yelled "Anybody up there know Jesus Christ?"

One of the steelworkers yelled down a "Yea. Why"?

The worker yelled back "His wife's here with his lunch."

The Priestly Chic, Gorgeous Georg

Any time the media mentions The Vatican, I expect some bad news. This time it's different. The buzz is about The Pope's handsome secretary Father Georg Gänswein:

Priestly chic has hit the catwalk in Milan, with Pope Benedict's pin-up personal secretary inspiring the latest collection by Donatella Versace.

Father Georg Gänswein, or Gorgeous Georg to his admirers, represents a triumph of "more brain and less muscle", according to Miss Versace, who sent blond male models down the catwalk with clerical black jackets and priestly white shirts.

"I was certainly inspired by him," she said. "I find his austerity very elegant. It is the right moment to show an ethical and spiritual man, free from all those pointless details. I also like Gregorian garb." She said her ideal man has biceps but "looks for his inside quality and trains it up, the muscles of the soul."

Read more...

He's definitely handsome. I'm sure many girls have crush on him. Even better, he knows it:

The austere and conservative priest, whose hair is now raffishly flecked with grey, fanned the flames of his female fans, who call themselves the Georgiste, by admitting that he had crushes on girls when he was younger. "My senses are healthy, and those that have healthy senses use them," he said.

Welcome to the German manhood :-)

Back To Church Campaign On YouTube

The YouTube site is popular for its weird and wild video clips. The Rt Rev. Jonathan Gledhill, the Bishop of Lichfield in the U.K. has decided to use the site to broadcast his annual Evangelism Sunday message. The Scotsman reports:

A CHURCH leader has turned to a video-sharing website to encourage more people to attend Sunday services.

The Rt Rev Jonathan Gledhill, the Bishop of Lichfield, posted his first Sunday message of 2007 on YouTube, along with recordings of similar sermons from 2005 and 2006.
[...]
His spokesman, Gavin Drake, said: "The diocese designates the Sunday after Epiphany as Evangelism Sunday and the Bishop distributes a tape to encourage congregation members to consider the part they have to play in taking the good news of Jesus Christ to their communities, friends and neighbours.

"This year, for the first time, the bishop's message will be placed on the community video-sharing website YouTube."

Read more...

According to the article, the bishop is trying to reach out to the young people who don't attend church. I doubt it will work with young people. Still, I believe it's a good idea to broadcast his messages on YouTube as it has become THE MEDIUM these days.

Breast Cancer and Prayer

It wasn't that long ago when a study claimed praying with sick people have no benefits. A new research team has a different opinion:

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Praying online in a support group may help women with breast cancer cope with the disease more effectively, a new study shows.

Dr. Bret Shaw of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and colleagues found that breast cancer patients who used a higher percentage of religion-related words in their communications with an Internet support group had lower levels of negative emotions, better functional well-being, and more confidence in their ability to deal with their illness.

"Breast cancer patients who want to pray can use online support groups as a place to cope with their illness with other people going through similar situations," Shaw told Reuters Health. "Our data suggest that this might make you feel better."

Read more...

From a personal experience, group prayer helps. It can make a cold room feel so warm. But, that's just my opinion.

Sisters of Providence Recycle Christmas Trees

Nuns never fail to amaze me when it comes to thinking outside the box. Here's the latest:

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - A religious order wants to give old Christmas trees a new use.

The Sisters of Providence, which operates St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, is looking for donations of Christmas trees that it can recycle into wood chips for mulch and fuel for the school's new biomass boiler.

The college's new biomass boiler runs on alternative energy sources instead of fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. The recycled trees will fuel the boiler, producing the steam that heats the college campus a few miles west of Terre Haute.

Read more...

Isn't that cool? They not only recycle the trees. They actually generate energy. You may guess it. This process will save the college money with gas prices going up these days.

First Short Break of The Year

I'm sorry for not blogging since Christmas. I'm on a spritual blogging break until next week.

I had a great 2006. I hope 2007 would continue to be as good as 2006.

Happy 2007 everyone.

A Very Merry Main Street Market

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you enjoy the company of family and friends.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is the gingerbread house. So, I went earlier this month to the Very Merry Main Street Market at Beaumont Civic Center. It was fun to watch the kids working hard to build the gingerbread houses. It was more fun to watch the parents take the task very seriously.



Merry Christmas everyone

Alchemist, The Book

I don't read much fiction. But, when I started reading Alchemist,I couldn't put it down. I can't remember the last time I read a novel that made me re-think the meaning of my life.

Anyone can easily find yourself in this book. You may be one character or the other. By the time you finish reading the book, you'll have a better understanding of yourself.

I appreciate the writer's view of the Middle East. He could have easily used the stereotypical view of the Middle East. Instead, he showed the wisdom of his Middle Eastern characters.

The best thing about the book is its shortness. The back of my copy included an interview with the writer, Paulo Coelho. The interview was originally published on beliefnet. According to Paulo, the book will be made into a movie. I doubt the movie can capture the spirituality and philosophy of the book.

---

Alchemist

The Murder of Sister Karen Klimczak

UPDATE - Mar. 10, 2007
On Wednesday, Craig M. Lynch, the murderer of Sr. Karen Klimczak was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Since her murder, I asked myself, "What does Sr. Karen think of her murderer?." Knowing her work of peace, I had a feeling she has already forgiven him. I wasn't mistaken. The Buffalo News reports:

Fifteen years before Sister Karen Klimczak was strangled by an ex-convict on Good Friday, the Buffalo nun wrote a letter of forgiveness to her killer.

She apparently had a premonition, perhaps during her prayers or a dream just before Holy Week in 1991, that her life would one day be taken violently.

Back in 1991, she wrote:

“ ‘Dear Brother, I don’t know what the circumstances are that will lead you to hurt me or destroy my physical body,’ ” Sister Jean read.
[...]
“ ‘No, I don’t want it to happen,’ ” she read softly. “ ‘I would much rather enjoy the beauties of this earth, experience the laughter, the fears and the tears of those I love so deeply!’ ”

Sister Jean continued: “ ‘. . . Now my life has changed and you, my brother, were the instrument of that change. I forgive you for what you have done and I will always watch over you, help you in whatever way I can. . . . Continue living always mindful of His Presence, His Love and His Joy as sources of life itself — then my life will have been worth being changed through you.’ ”

R.I.P Sr Karen. You were a walking angel on earth.

---

UPDATE - Dec. 19, 2006
The jury has reached a verdict. The Newsday reports:

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) _ A jury has convicted a parolee of killing a pacifist nun at the halfway house she operated in Buffalo.

Craig Lynch was found guilty late Friday in Erie County Court of manslaughter, burglary and second-degree murder for beating and strangling Sister Karen Klimczak on April 14 in her room at Bissonette House.
[...]
Lynch could face 25 years to life in prison at sentencing March 7. He is in jail without bail.

Read more...

R.I.P Sr. Karen. I hope your murderer will never hurt any other person.

---

ORIGINAL POST - Apr. 19, 2006

On Friday, Sister Karen Klimczak from Buffalo, N.Y. went missing. On Monday, the search for her came to an unhappy ending:

Just as 600 people prayed for a miracle that a missing nun who devoted her life to nonviolence would be found alive, authorities made the devastating announcement Monday evening that her body had been recovered and that an ex-convict she tried to help was arrested in her murder.
[...]
Police said Sister Karen Klimczak, 62, who had lived and worked at Bissonette House - a halfway house on 335 Grider St. named for the Rev. A Joseph Bissonette, a priest brutally murdered in the same building in 1987 - was killed by one of the parolees staying there.

Read more...

Then comes the reason behind her murder:

Sister Karen Klimczak was killed for a fake bag of crack, then buried in a deep grave in a crumbling back shed where no one could have found her, police revealed Tuesday.

Detectives who investigated the Good Friday slaying of the pacifist nun said that her alleged killer, Craig M. Lynch, 36, confessed that he was high on crack cocaine and bent on getting more when he went into Sister Karen's room at the Bissonette House halfway house.

His plan was to steal her cell phone and sell it for money to buy crack. But when she walked in, he panicked, then strangled and beat her, authorities said.

Read more...

He could have asked her for money. She would have definitely helped him in one way or another. Instead, he turned to violence toward a person who advocated peace until her death.

Praying With The Iraqi People

A Christian Science Monitor journalist/Writer/Contributer wrote last week:

Does it matter that Iraq is almost completely a Muslim society and I'm a Christian? As I pondered this question, I found where Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of this newspaper, wrote: "God is universal; confined to no spot, defined by no dogma, appropriated by no sect. Not more to one than to all, is God demonstrable as divine Life, Truth, and Love; and His people are they that reflect Him - that reflect Love" ("Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896," p 150).

There isn't a Muslim God and a Christian God. There is, I believe, only the one infinite All-power. This makes us all children of the one God, and therefore we have a brotherhood that is wider than the narrow confines of religious dogma

Read more...

Prayers have no boundaries. When in need of a prayer, don't hesitate to ask a Muslim, a Christian or to pray with you. I believe in the power of interfaith even when some people disappoint me. I always think back to myself and say, "There are good and bad apples in the basket. Pick the good ones."

Iraq certainly needs your prayers these days.

The Kidnapping of Fr. Sami Abd-Ahad

UPDATE Dec. 11, 2006
The kidnappers released Fr. Sami on Sunday. Thanks God he returned safely to his family, friend and parish.

---

ORIGINAL POST Dec. 6, 2006
There's been another kidnapping of a Chaldean priest in Baghdad. He's the sixth priest to be kidnapped in the latest wave of terrorizing the Iraqi Christian community.

Fr. Sami was kidnapped after leaving his home to go to church two days ago. Patriarch of the Chaldean Church Emmanuel III Delly has pleaded for his safe return in an open letter to his kidnappers.

I'll keep you unpdated on Fr. Sami's status. Please, keep him and all the innocent Iraqis in your prayers.

KFC: Our Daily Chicken

It's time for another Catholic joke. I hope you enjoy it:

A salesman from KFC walked up to the Pope and offers him a million dollars if he would change "The Lord's Prayer" from "give us this day our daily bread" to "give us this day our daily chicken." The Pope refused his offer.

Two weeks later, the man offered the pope 10 million dollars to change it from "give us this day our daily bread" to "give us this day our daily chicken" and again the Pope refused the man's generous offer.

Another week later, the man offered the Pope 20 million dollars and finally the Pope
accepted.

The following day, the Pope said to all his officials, "I have some good news and some bad news. 'The good news is, that we have just received a check for 20 million dollars. The bad news is, we lost the Wonder Bread account!'"

Source: Comedy Central

Lisa's Testament of Faith

Sometimes, readers send me stories that got be shared with the other readers. We can all learn from each other. Today, I share with you Lisa's story:

I was born into a Church of England family. My parents had me christened in the church that they married in. I assumed that I was a Christian. My Mum had been a Sunday school teacher, and used to sing “Jesus” songs with me in the bath, but I only remember them making me feel pretty uncomfortable.

As a teenager, I started to explore my identity. I studied RE in school. RE taught all major religions, and it started me thinking very seriously about whether or not there was a god. I was especially impressed by the Sikh religion. I also remember a group of us exploring the occult until a friend warned us that it would cause us to go to hell. We found an encyclopedia picture of hell, it did not look fun and so we stopped.

I took my A levels in science. It was at this point that I decided that there had to be a God on intellectual grounds. Chemistry taught the theory of chaos, in which all things became more disorganized unless an outside force organized them. Also I recognized the logic of the periodic table of elements. No one but a higher being could have done these things. I remember asking my Christian friends how they had found God. I also prayed to him myself, asking him to find me, or at least let me know which religion had the right answers.

After A levels I went straight to University. I wanted to be a missionary doctor; perhaps by being very good I would find God. I started to question evolution, which had been a large part of my biology studies. A close friend became a Christian in college, and he completely changed over night. It was like watching a different person take over. In my eyes he became a better person, and yet I was not convinced that he had all the right answers. He kept telling me that I needed to be born again. He invited me to his baptism and the pastor asked everyone to stand up if they wanted to receive Jesus as savior. I remember shrinking in my seat and wondering what my new university friends would think of me. At the same time I found myself standing up. At this point in time I was aware of a deep hunger to belong to God, and an awareness that I had sinned. I felt a relief after standing up, and a realization that Jesus was God. This was a completely new experience.

Several weeks later I was praising God, and became aware of a strong force upon me. I felt afraid and very ecstatic at the same time. I started to praise God in a strange language that I had never learnt.

However, I soon became unwell. I suffered from very severe anxiety. My Mother blamed my new faith and insisted that I never again go to church. My bible was burned. I felt worse and further away from God than ever before. I continued in my pre-Christian life, having no power to control my sin. I had a complete fear of death and hell.

For ten years I actively shunned the church. My Mother died and I got married and had my first child. It was after my son was born that I decided to return to my search for God. I went (very tentatively) back to church. I got baptized. I worked harder and harder to find peace with God, eventually getting involved with multiple church projects. You see, God had dealt with my sin, but it was not the sin but the sinner that needed to be dealt with. It was not what I did but what I was that was the problem.

I remember looking seriously at the 10 commandments. I had broken many of them over the years, but now I had reformed myself and could seriously manage them all, except “thou must not covet”-I remember feeling really perplexed when I thought about this, it felt impossible, there was something badly wrong. Then and there I decided to give up all my church work. If I could not keep the 10 commandments, then church work was a waste of time. Besides I was tired of it all, it felt like too big a job. I began to pray, I begged God to change me. I wanted to become acceptable to him. I realized that I was a sinner. God showed me just how badly wrong I was, in every area of my life. He also gave me the ability to turn away from my sin. I remember one night he woke me, I was really afraid to be in his presence, because He is a holy God and in comparison I am just a worm (I was reminded of Isaiah having an experience of God, in which he cried out “Woe is me, for I am a sinful man and I live within a nation of sinful men and my eyes have seen the king, the Lord almighty”). I thought that I would die as his holiness was totally overpowering, and my only plea was that Jesus is my savior.

The next morning it was like a complete miracle. I was really free. I have never since felt that overwhelming fear of death. I now know the peace that passes all understanding. I can truly sing “my chains fell off, my heart was freed, I rose went forth and followed thee,” I actually join with Newton singing “ amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” I know that in this life I will never be perfect, but the power of the cross can overcome. In him there is a power to change that is quite beyond description. He has taken me beyond a set of rules and adopted me into his family. Suddenly the New Testament makes perfect sense. Over the years that have passed, I have repeatedly asked the Lord at what point in my life he saved me and his answer has remained the same-2000 years ago, on the cross.

-- Lisa

Thank you Lisa for taking the time to write me your story. I really appreciate it.

Fr. Douglas Al-Bazy Disapprears In Baghdad

UPDATE Nov. 28, 2006
This morning, I prayed to St. Anthony as his candle burned for Fr. Douglas. I prayed again for his safe return to his family, friends and church. This afternoon, I got the good news that Fr. Douglas has been released.

Thank you for everyone who prayed for his safe return. Thank you St. Anthony for your help.

---

ORIGINAL POST Nov. 20, 2006
Yet another sad story from Iraq. AsiaNews reports:

Baghdad (AsiaNews) – Christians in Baghdad fear yet another priest has been kidnapped. Fr Doglas Yousef Al Bazy - 34 years, Chaldean – left his parish yesterday morning and has not yet returned home.

The alarm was raised swiftly throughout Iraq and the diaspora via the Internet and SMS: the young priest’s community and leaders of Iraq’s Chaldean Church believe it is “highly likely” that he has been kidnapped. If their misgivings are proved right, this would be the latest in a long list of kidnappings targeting Christian clerics. Not only gangs of common criminals are suspected to be behind the spate of kidnappings.

The Chaldean Auxiliary Bishop of Baghdad, Mgr Shleman Warduni and the Iraqi Christian community have different theories regarding the latest wave of the kidnapping of Christian clergymen. AsiaNews reports:

The Auxiliary Bishop said: “There are many theories about why Christians are kidnapped: crime, religious fanaticism, money, the intent to create division among the people.” He continued: “We hope that those who have taken him have a conscience and understand that we priests desire only to bring the Good News to people and to work for the good of all Iraqis. We are for the unity of Iraq and we ask to be able to work together with our co-nationals to rebuild our country and to attain peace and security.” However, among the Chaldean community, the idea is increasingly taking hold that threats and kidnappings are not carried out indiscriminately, but that they “target those people who are most involved in the Christian community, the younger and more courageous ones, almost as if to give a warning to those who persist in hoping that they will be able to continue living in the country.”

I share the community's opinion. I think it's going to get worse for the community if the security situation doesn't improve.

Please, pray for the safe return of Fr. Doglas to his family, friends and church.

Indian Day With The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe Members

Last year, I accompanied Mark during his assigment to cover the Indian Day celebration at the Indian Village Assembly of God church near the Alabama-Coushatta Indian reservation in Southeast Texas.

On Sunday, we were invited to the annual event. Mark had the day off. So, he didn't take any pictures. That's cool with me because I didn't have to compete with his excellent photojournalism skills.

It was a very nice experience. As usual, the food was great and made with love. We felt honored to be invited to the event.

Humor: Dear Wife

Dear Wife,

I wrote your name on sand, it got washed away. I wrote your name in the air, it got blown away. then I wrote your name on my heart and I got a heart attack.

God saw me hungry, so he created pizza. He saw me thirsty, so he created Pepsi. He saw me in the dark, he created light. He saw me without problems, he created YOU.

Twinkle Twinkle little star. You should know what you are. And once you know what you are, the mental hospital is not so far.

Rain makes all things beautiful. If rain makes all things beautiful, then why doesn't it rain on you?

When your live is in darkness, pray to God to free you from the darkness. If after you pray, you still live in darkness, then please pay your ELECTRICITY BILL.

The Unknown Husband

Prayer To Our Lady of Czestochowa

Dear Lady of Czestochowa, our Black Madonna, teach me the lesson of human family.

Remind me that whether we are black or white or red or yellow makes no difference, that we're all human.

When I might be tempted to judge people in terms of race or ethnicity, send your image to me so that I remember that we are all your children, that we all come from God.

And when I might hear racial or ethnic insults, strengthen your spirit of love within me, that I might speak up for the dignity of all people and not be a silent accomplice to prejudice.

Remove the fear of difference from my heart, that I might look at and treat all people as loving and lovable brothers and sisters.

Amen.

Source: 100 Names of Mary

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100 Names of Mary

Wal-Mart and Christmas

Last year, Wal-Mart went under a lot of criticism for its refusal to recognize Christmas for what it is. Christmas is Christmas. It's not some other generic holiday.

This year though, Wal-Mart is trying to reconcile with Christmas:

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - It is beginning to look a lot more like Christmas at Wal-Mart.

This holiday season, Wal-Mart isn’t trumpeting big bargains only. It’s also bringing “Christmas” back into its marketing, after several years of playing down the term.
[...]
“We learned a lesson from that. Merry Christmas is now part of the vocabulary here at Wal-Mart,” said Linda Blakley, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman.

Read more...

I haven't been to Wal-Mart in long time. I prefer other shops with better shopping atmosphere and products quality.

The Middle East Inerfaith Blogger Network

In May 2006, the Middle East Youth blog was born. The authors of the blog come from Bahrain, Israel, Iran among other countries. This should give you an idea about the spirit of the blog.

Esra'a, the founder of Middle East Youth, had another dream. She wanted to bring together Middle Easterners who don't share the same faith. She has been working hard for a while now to launch the Middle East Interfaith Blogger Network.

I'm glad to announce the birth of the Middle Eastern Interfaith Blogger Network. Thanks to the efforts of Esra'a and her wonderful team. The site is a proof that there are Middle Easterners who are working to make a difference in the region.

Congratulation folks, you're the best of the web.

Letters To God

I find the following story very interesting:

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A U.S. man who found 300 letters to God floating in the Atlantic Ocean said on Friday he will donate them to a church instead of selling them on eBay following protests from religious people.

The letters, sent to a deceased Baptist clergyman, mysteriously wound up in a sealed plastic shopping bag near a beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
[...]
Lacovara said he could have auctioned them off on eBay for up to $15,000 and would have given the money to charity. But he has withdrawn them from the online auction service because he said the move offended some religious people.

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First, I liked the eBay idea since the money would be given to a charity. But, these letters were written by people who never thought their prayer requests or confessions would end up on eBay. So, I can see how the eBay idea may upset some people.

The Carmelite Nuns and Godcasts

If you're into iTunes and iPod, then you definitely heard of podcasts. There's another term I learned today. It's Godcasting or Godcasts. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

"Godcasting" has already gone wide. Now it's going to the edges.

A community of Carmelite nuns in Indianapolis have started what's believed to be the first podcast from a cloistered community.

Or as some call them, Godcasts.
[...]
Sister Therese said her sisters started the podcast at the suggestion of the Indianapolis ad agency that does pro bono work for them. "We thought we could have a better outreach to young people," she said. "That seems to be the way everybody is going — they have their iPods, and they're pretty mobile."

In the first podcast, several nuns talk about how anyone can be contemplative. She said there are plans to do regular podcasts, as others do, probably once a month.

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The nuns also have a beautiful website, Pray The News. It amazes me how nuns can multitask. Something I've never been able to master. In short, nuns rock.

U.S. Bishops And The Plight of Iraqi Christians

It looks like the U.S. Catholic bishops have caught up with the serious situation facing the Iraqi Christians. Here's the latest:

WASHINGTON (October 30, 2006) — The chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Policy has asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to consider measures that would help improve the deteriorating situation for Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq.

In a letter to Secretary Rice, Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando (FL) notes that Christians in Iraq continue to decline from a pre-war population of over 1.2 million to a current estimate of 600,000, and according to the U.N. High Commission for Refugees, over 40 percent of Iraqi refugees are Christian even though they represent only about 4 percent of Iraq’s total population.

The following part is probably the strongest in his letter to Condi:

“The growing and deliberate targeting of Christians is an ominous sign of the breakdown in Iraqi society of civil order and inter-religious respect and represents a grave violation of human rights and religious liberty,” Bishop Wenski wrote, pointing to the recent beheading of a Syriac Orthodox priest in Mosul, the crucifixion of a Christian teenager in Albasra, the kidnapping for ransom of four priests and the rape of Christian women and teenage girls as indicators that the situation has reached a crisis point. “The vulnerability of Christians and other religious minorities is dramatic evidence of the serious and growing security challenges facing the entire nation of Iraq,” Bishop Wenski said.

Read more...

I've been writing about their difficult situation for the last three years. Most of the time, I get a deaf ear from both sides of American politics. At one point, I thought to stop writing on this subject and move on to more fluffy and happy news. I can't be silent anymore. If you're not interested in this subject, then you may need to stop reading this blog. I decided to continue to focus on this subject. Thank you for reading this far though.

Prayer For Drunk Teenagers

A Polish Dominican priest introduced new Catholic prayers aimed at teengers. As we know, teenagers drink. So, the priest wrote the following prayer for drunk teenagers:

Lord, if in an unsober state, and under the influence of those around me, I say something stupid, please give me strength to retract my words. Protect me against senseless bravado and pride.

I doubt the teens will remember to pray it after a night of partying. But, it's worth trying to help them.

Jesus and Science

Written by Unknown Author

In chemistry, he turned water to wine.

In biology, he was born without normal conception.

In Physics, he disapproved the law of gravity when he ascended into heaven and when he walked on water.

In economics, he disapproved the law of diminishing return by feeding 5000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread.

In medicine, he cured the sick and the blind without administering a single dose of drugs.

In history, he is the beginning and the end.

In government, he said he shall be called Prince of Peace.

Chaldean Diocese of Australia/New Zealand

From the time I moved to Sydney in 1995, the Iraqi Chaldean community continued to grow in number. When I moved to the States in 2001, the Sydney Chaldean community finished building its first church.

The Chaldean community in Melbourne and New Zealand has grown at the same pace. Thanks to the immigration laws in Australia and New Zealand. People with proper education are able to immigrate to these two countries. Others arrive as refugees, but that's the hard way to get into those two countries.

It looks like the Pope noticed the growing number of this Eastern Rite Catholic community in Australia/New Zealand:

Australian and New Zealand Catholics who follow the Chaldean Rite will have their own Oceania eparchy or diocese and bishop, the Holy See announced on Saturday.

The President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Philip Wilson, welcomed the creation by Pope Benedict XVI of the Chaldean Eparchy of Oceania with the title of "St Thomas the Apostle of Sydney of the Chaldeans".

The Pope has appointed Archbishop Djibrail Kassab of Bassorah (Basra) in Iraq as the first Bishop of the new Eparchy. Archbishop Kassab will retains his title of Archbishop "ad personam", the Holy See announcement said.

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Archbishop Djibrail Kassab is one of a kind. He's very energetic when it comes to his church duties. I attended mass at the Sacred Heart Chaldean Church in Baghdad while he was still the parish priest. After I left the country, he became the Archbishop of the Diocese of Basra. Basra is my beloved city of birth and residence for the first 22 years of my life. It's strange how he ended up in Sydney and Basra. The two cities I love the most.

Anyway, he needed this move after years of serving the Chaldean community in Basra during the good and bad times. As they say, Basra's loss is Australia's gain. I wish him luck in his new destination.

Prayer of Reconciliation

The daily news from Iraq has depressed lately. So tonight, I decided to post prayer of reconcilaition:

Life teaches us
that although we try to change others,
realistically we can only attempt
to change ourselves;
yet, so often reconciliation is viewed
in terms of changing other people.

And so I say that for each of us,
reconciliation must take place
first in our own hearts
wherein each of us
confesses and acknowledges
that we have made our own contribution
to any disunity and separation
that to some degree exists among us.

It is my fervent hope and prayer
that we shall receive the gift of healing
and reconciliation and true unity
which is only the Lord’s to give,
and comes simply from our willingness
to open ourselves to receive it.

Source: Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia

Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully, it brings better news from around the world and Iraq.

Has The World Forgotten The Iraqi Christians?

I partially answered this question in my previous post. Iraqi Christians are trying to make their voice heard. Patriarch of the Chaldean Church Emmanuel III Delly has raised the alarm again. AsiaNews reports:

Patriarch Delly,..., talked about the situation in Iraq, which is not good because of "the interference of others in the life of a country which used to be, like Lebanon and Syria, a model of peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims, who lived harmoniously for more than 1,400 years."... In an appeal to Iraq to return to peace and concord, he exhorted all men of goodwill to reinforce their support for its small Christian community.

The report continues with more from Delly:

Delly called for reflection on the forced exodus of many Christians because of persecution and the international community's indifference. "There is the danger that the Middle East, the blessed land of God, will be emptied of its Christian presence," he said. Already 80% have gone away, he continued, appealing for immediate aid to protect this "minority suffering because of the fratricidal war that has afflicted the country for many years".

Read more...

I doubt his words of warning will make a difference. But at least many of us are trying.

Iraqi Christians, The Beginning of The End

Again, I try to bring attention to the plight of the Iraqi Christians. It's the beginning of the end to the this community that existed before Muslims made their way into Iraq. Still, nobody seems to care.

The last two weeks witnessed an extensive campaign to kidnap and rape Iraqi Christians girls. Ankawa Online has been the vocal voice to condemn and report these crimes. AsiaNews is a publication I dearly respect for its continuous coverage of the deterioting situation of the Iraqi Christians. It reports from Baghdad:

Baghdad (AsiaNews) – Young Christian women and girls have been abducted and released after ransom money was paid only to commit suicide because of the shock, violence and shame they experienced....
[...]
Often incidents do not end with the prisoner's release. In one case in Baghdad, the victim committed suicide after the ransom was paid and she went home because of the torture and sexual violence she suffered.

In another case, a young woman talked to her family by phone (the kidnappers allowed her to speak to her family to reassure them that she was alive) and told them: “I'm dead” (referring to being gang raped). She eventually committed suicide whilst still in the hands of her tormenters.

Read more...

Today in Mosul, the Iraqi Orthodox Christian community laid to rest Fr Paulos Eskandar. Fr. Paulos was kidnapped on Sunday. His decapitated body was found yesterday in Mosul. His murder dried my hope that Iraqi Christians can continue to live in Iraq

The list of horrors is long. But, I'm sick and tired of the American left and right wings' ignorance when it comes to this sensational subject. I'll continue to report the situation even if it doesn't make a difference in America. At least, I know my Italian readers are deeply concerned of the difficult situation facing the Iraqi Christians. Your prayers and campaigns mean so much to me.

The Patriot Guard Riders Were In Beaumont

On Sep. 26, Staff Sgt. Edward Charles Reynolds from Port Arthur became another casuality of the war in Iraq. He leaves behind three children and a fiancee'. His second tour was about to finish in November. His wedding was planned for December. But, fate had a different plan for him and his family.

As it's become the custom lately, members of the radical Westboro Baptist Church of Kansas decided to picket Reynold's funeral. Word spread quickly and the Patriot Gaurd Riders headed toward Beaumont to counter protest the WBC. Unlike the WBC members, the Riders understand soldiers' funerals are about the family and honor rather than gay phobia or other issues.

On Saturday morning, more than 200 riders assembled at the parking lot of Home Depot in Beaumont. Most of them drove long hours to be on time for the funeral. Less than 10 WBC members -- including children -- showed up for their picket show.

Mark had the day off. So, we decided to document the Riders preparation and the funeral. Here are some of the pictures I took during the event.





We decided to leave after the arrival of the family during Reynold's funeral service. I felt the family needed some privacy from the cameras.

Oh and BTW, the WBC protesters, who were kept 500 feet from the church premises by state law and troopers, left before the funeral service started. I'm coming to the conclusion their main purpose is to get the media's attention.

The Turkish Hijacker And The Pope

Pope Benedict XVI continues to make the news. This time, it's over the hijacking of a Turkish Airliner by a Turkish Christian convert. The hijacker allegedly wanted to communicate with the Pope by his act of terror. The Sydney Morning Herald reports:

Turkish officials had originally reported as many as four hijackers acting in protest against the Pope's planned trip to Turkey next month. The Pope angered Muslims in a speech last month when he cited a quotation calling Islam "evil and inhuman" and linking the religion to violence.

But it emerged the hijacker was a Christian convert who wanted to avoid military service in Turkey and wrote to the Pope several months ago for help to avoid serving in "a Muslim army".

It gets better from there. The report continues:

"While the chief stewardess entered the cockpit to ask if we needed anything, the terrorist entered by force. I tried to push him out but he was a big man and I failed to stop him," Turkish Airlines captain Mursel Gokalp told reporters in Istanbul.

"He said his only aim was to give a message to the Pope and then he would submit himself to the police. He said that if he failed to deliver his message his three friends at the back of the plane would detonate the plastic bombs they had."

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Whoever baptized this person should have taught him the peaceful manners of Jesus. How about sending a letter or an e-mail to the Pope? Nooooooo, he have to make a scene of himself and terrorize the passangers on the plane. I guess the Turks are obsessed with Popes.

The Loving Husband

Here's another joke for you. I received it from a friend in the Denmark:

A man and his wife went on vacation to Jerusalem. While they were there, the wife passed away.

The undertaker told him, "You can have her shipped home for ...

$5,000, or you can bury her here in the Holy Land for $150."

The man thought about it and told him he would just have her shipped home.

The undertaker asked, "Why would you spend $5,000 to ship your wife home, when it would be wonderful to be buried here and you would spend only $150?"

The man replied, "Long ago a man died here, was buried here, and three days later he rose from the dead. I just can't take that chance."