Category Archives: Faith & Life
CHURCH FATHERS (17) – Saint Irenaeus
Anastasios
When we talk about the Church Fathers or the first Church documents, as we are doing now for some time, we need to be aware that of course there are some sort of “hierarchies” among them, in the sense that their importance is not the same, some because their works are almost completely lost. Justin, for instance, was certainly one of the major figures among the Church Fathers. Now we talk about another one that may be considered with Justin among the greatest in the second century: Irenaeus.
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BITE-SIZE PHILOSOPHY (60) – Do we need to talk about good and evil?
FEATURED IMAGE: Randy Colas in Unsplash
Rev José Mario O Mandía
Some time back, we were talking about freedom (“Bite-Size Philosophy,” nos 47 & 48), “the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility. By free will one shapes one’s own life” (CCC 1731). Freedom makes us owners of our actions, it makes us responsible for them. The concept of responsibility leads us to a discussion about ethics (from Greek ethos — “custom”) and the morality (from Latin mos — “customs or manners”) of our actions.
STONE AND CORNERSTONE, SHEPHERDS AND GOOD SHEPHERD – 22ND April 2018, 4th Sunday In Easter
Edmond Lo
www.FLL.cc
“The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22).
The antiphon in today’s responsorial psalm appears also in the first reading where Peter quoted this prophetic psalm to chastise the priestly leaders of the Sanhedrin, who supervised the building of the Herodian Temple in Jerusalem. His message? You, the priestly leaders, are the “builders” that Psalm 118 referred to; Jesus, the “stone” you rejected, ironically has become the cornerstone of another temple – the New Jerusalem Temple. (See Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, commentary on Acts 4:11)
ASK THE LITURGIST (4) – The Classic Candelabras
Enrico Finotti
I am a sacristan and I would like some ideas on the use of candelabras that once adorned all our altars. For many years now they have been in storage and some of them have unfortunately already been sold. On the altars of my church in place of the candelabras there are bowls with large candles, which is used at certain feasts. Could they not still be used, given that they are there, and to prevent the remaining ones from being sold?
MARIAN APPARITIONS (62) – Prague, Czech Republic
The baroque Church of Our Lady Victorious and St Anthony of Padua in Prague is known throughout the Catholic world for the miraculous statue of the Infant of Prague. That famous statue of the Infant Jesus was brought to the Church in the Czech capital in 1628.
ROME, UNIV AND I
Sam U Ho
In 2015 I went back to Macau, my hometown, for summer break from the UK. In late August after a daily Mass at my local parish church in early morning, I bumped into a numerary member of Opus Dei who enthusiastically introduced Opus Dei to me. That year (third of my career), I had to go to Tokyo, Japan for an exchange year. As a result, he referred me to another member in Tokyo.
BITE-SIZE PHILOSOPHY (59) – What else did Descartes say?
[Featured image] René Descartes by Frans Hals
Rev José Mario O Mandía
René Descartes (1596-1650) wanted to do away with all skepticism, and to build up a body of knowledge that cannot be doubted. He proposed a method which, ironically, begins with doubt. This does not mean that in real life he never made any judgments or decisions, but as a method in the new philosophy he was proposing, he decided that he will first eliminate all possible sources of doubt. This is why, Descartes’ attitude is called “methodical doubt.”
WHAT PROMPTED THE CROWD TO BELIEVE PETER SO READILY? – 15 April 2018 – 3rd Sunday Of Easter (B)
Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; 1 John 2:1-5; Luke 24:35-48
May Tam
www.FLL.cc
One thing that always bewilders me is the total contrasting attitude of the people who, some fifty days earlier participated in the death of Jesus, were now so readily to believe Peter (Acts 2:14-42; 3:13-26). Consider for a moment what Peter said. Not only did he boldly reprimand them, he professed something that was extremely incredible if not insane—the resurrection of a criminal and that he is the “Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36). What prompted the crowd so readily to believe? I would say that they believed because they encountered the presence of God. They encountered the presence of God in the spirit through Peter who was himself “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4).
THIRD YEAR OF MARCH FOR LIFE IN HONG KONG – Joe Woodard calls for praying and fasting to end abortion
Jasmin Yiu
The third year of March for Life was held on 25 March, Palm Sunday. The march was jointly organized by Hong Kong’s Diocesan Pastoral Commission for Marriage and the Family (DPCMF), Joy of Life and Asia for Life. The procession started off at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Wan Chai, passing by The Family Planning Association of Hong Kong (FPAHK) and ended at Church of Christ in China Wanchai Church (CCC Wanchai Church). Over 100 people joined in the march, including local Hong Kong actor Dicky Cheung Wai-kin.
