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Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam
Bulletin for March 2010
Sunday Mass Times
0730 Mass in Thai
0930 Mass in English
Weekday Mass Times
18.00 Mass in Thai in Chapel of Building 3
18.00 Mass in English in Chapel of Building 2 [when there are English-speaking retreatants]
Intentions of Pope Benedict XVI
MARCH
General: That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equity, taking account of the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest
Mission: That the Churches in Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice in every part of that continent
Some Feasts in March
Monday, 1st St. David, Patron of Wales
Weds 10th St. John Ogilvie, S.J. Martyr of Scotland
Weds 17th St. Patrick, Patron of Ireland
Friday 19th St. Joseph, Husband of Mary
Thursday 25th Annunciation of the Lord
Sunday 28th Passion/Palm Sunday
Also In March
Monday 8th International Women’s Day
Sunday 14th Global Day of Prayer for Burma
In April
Thursday 1st Holy Thursday
Friday 2nd Good Friday
Saturday 3rd Holy Saturday & Easter Vigil
Sunday 4th EASTER SUNDAY
Collection
The Sunday Offertory Collection for the month of January was 42,699 Baht. We thank you for your very generous support of the mission & outreach of The Seven Fountains Spirituality Centre.
Vatican challenges Muslims, Christians to end poverty
Collaboration between Christians and Muslims in Asia to combat poverty “is still sporadic and limited,” and much more needs to be done, says the Vatican’s desk officer for relations with Muslims in Asia, Fr Markus Solo.
“So far most interreligious dialogue initiatives have not gone beyond the limit of discourses and conferences,” Fr Solo, whose desk comes under the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, told UCA News in Rome.
His comments came as the Vatican released its annual message to the world’s billion Muslims for the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of prayer and fasting.
Fr Solo suggested three possible reasons for what he sees as the lack of progress in practical cooperation:
• People tend to think in categorical and exclusive terms. “Religion has become a border where people look rather into their own area and seek to help their own people first,” he said.
• Prejudices lead people of one religion to think that when followers of another religion engage in acts of charity, they are actually trying to gain converts.
• Where there is good will on the part of Christians and Muslims to join in charitable initiatives, they come up against a lack of funds.
Even though Christians are a tiny minority in Asia, home to most of the world’s Muslims, Fr Solo sees the possibility of greater collaboration “to combat poverty” and “to promote and establish peace and harmony.”
He noted that this same conviction underpins this year’s Vatican message to Muslims as they prepare to celebrate the feast of Id al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan.
“Poverty needs to be combated by Christians and Muslims together, and Ramadan is the appropriate moment to express this desire”, he said.
The priest explained that Ramadan is a time when Muslims reflect more deeply on the real meaning of life by being close to God and their neighbors. As part of this, they heighten their awareness of the needs of others, especially the poor, and practice charity.
The Vatican message noted a link between poverty and extremism or violence, a theme Fr Solo echoed.
In Fr Solo’s view, this disturbing global reality underscores the Vatican’s call in this year’s message for Muslims to join hands with Christians to overcome poverty, and promote human dignity, harmony and peace.
As an example, he suggested that Muslims and Christians could establish institutions and agencies to provide humanitarian aid to people in need and education for children of poor families.
SOURCE
Ramadan message urges interfaith action on poverty (UCA News)
Meditative/Contemplative Prayer Experiences you can download
Bible could be centuries older than previously thought
An ancient Hebrew inscription on a shard of pottery, deciphered by an Israeli academic, shows that the Hebrew Bible could have been written hundreds of years earlier than previously believed.
The inscription from the 10th century BC, during King David’s reign, is the earliest known Hebrew writing, said a report in LiveScience. The report quoted a press release from the University of Haifa, where Professor Gershon Galil carried out his research n the Department of Biblical Studies.
Many scholars have so far thought that the Hebrew Bible originated in the 6th century BC, because Hebrew writing was thought to stretch back no further.
“It indicates that the Kingdom of Israel already existed in the 10th century BCE and that at least some of the biblical texts were written hundreds of years before the dates presented in current research,” said Professor Galil.
BCE stands for “before common era,” and is equivalent to BC, or before Christ.
The writing was discovered more than a year ago on a pottery shard dug up during excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa, near Israel’s Elah valley and it was initially unclear whether the writing was Hebrew or some other local language.
Galil was able to decipher the text by identifying words particular to the Hebrew language and content specific to Hebrew culture.
“It uses verbs that were characteristic of Hebrew, such as asah (’did’) and avad (’worked’), which were rarely used in other regional languages,” Galil said. “Particular words that appear in the text, such as almanah (’widow’) are specific to Hebrew and are written differently in other local languages.”
The text appears to be a social statement about how people should treat slaves, widows and orphans. In English, it reads:
1′ you shall not do [it], but worship the [Lord].2′ Judge the sla[ve] and the wid[ow] / Judge the orph[an]3′ [and] the stranger. [Pl]ead for the infant / plead for the po[or and]4′ the widow. Rehabilitate [the poor] at the hands of the king.5′ Protect the po[or and] the slave / [supp]ort the stranger.
FULL STORY
Bible Possibly Written Centuries Earlier, Text Suggests (LiveScience)
Most ancient Hebrew biblical inscription deciphered (University of Haifa)
An Online Retreat
A 34 week retreat for Everyday Life - A Ministry of the Collaborative Ministry Office at Creighton University.
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/cmo-retreat.html
To help deepen your grasp of your Christian faith
THE HEYTHROP INSTITUTE FOR RELIGION ETHICS AND PUBLIC LIFE
www.heythrop.ac.uk/HIREPL
Thinking Faith
Thinking Faith is a free on-line publication of the British Jesuits.
Myanmar mine risk worry for Karen refugees: JRS
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is monitoring the situation at the Myanmar border in Thailand’s Tak province where the repatriation of Karen refugees has been on hold over concerns including the risk of land mines and forced labor.
“The Irrawaddy” news website reported on Feb. 15 that the International Campaign to Ban Landmines has expressed concern about Karen refugees returning to areas where landmines may be planted, UCA News says.
The report said plans to repatriate some 3,000 refugees from Tha Song Yang camp by Feb. 15 have been suspended due to criticisms by human rights groups and other international bodies.
Aden Raj, who heads JRS Thailand, confirmed that plans to repatriate the Karen refugees have been put on hold indefinitely after two meetings between the Thai military and the Tak provincial government — on Jan. 14 and Jan. 26.
Speaking to UCA News on Feb. 16, Raj said the Thai military started talking about repatriating the Karen from Tak after it send back ethnic-Hmong Laotian asylum-seekers last Dec. 28 from a camp in Phetchabun province, despite protests from various international bodies and governments.
Raj added that the possibility of landmines along the border inside Myanmar was one reason for the decision not to repatriate Karen refugees from Tak.
According to unofficial minutes of the Jan. 26 meeting in Tak, some refugees want to return to Myanmar but are afraid to do so due to the possibility of landmines and forced labor, as well as lack of access to food, water, sanitation, health services, education and livelihood activities.
Apart from the Thai military and Tak provincial government officials, parties that attended both meetings were Karen National Union, Democratic Kayin Buddhist Army, Thailand Burma Border Consortium, Solidarities, International Rescue Committee and refugee camp leaders.
Raj explained that JRS is not directly involved with the refugees but is coordinating with other NGOs in its ministry to them. He said JRS is active mainly with migrants rather than refugees, but is nevertheless monitoring the situation of the refugees.
SOURCE
JRS keeps track of Karen refugees (UCA News)
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Laus Deo Semper
The Lord can clear the darkest skies
Can give us day for night.
Make drops of sacred sorrow rise
To rivers of delight.
Isaac Watts
"So far today, God, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper. Haven't been grumpy, nasty or selfish. I'm really glad of that.
But in a few minutes, God, I'm going to get out of bed; and from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot of help."
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