The number one enemy of reconciliation is pride. Pride is a habit by which we think about ourselves first and foremost, or even exclusively in the most serious cases. Pride makes self-evaluation impossible.
Month: September 2023
Check Your Intention Before Correcting Your Neighbor
Jesus advises us on how we must impart brotherly correction to save someone from losing their soul. Only when all means are exhausted, must the most stringent punishment be meted out. Even in that, Christians must check their own motivations in correcting someone else.
Diocese of Macau to launch medical ethics course
The correlation between medical ethics and Catholic social doctrine will come under scrutiny in the twelve-session course that the Diocesan Commission for Catechetical Formation will launch later this month. The classes will start on September 11 and run until January 15, 2024.
BITE-SIZE THEOLOGY (237): What are the second and third petitions of the Lord’s Prayer?
For God’s kingdom to come on earth, we need to listen to His voice, open our hearts to Him and do His holy will. In essence, God’s kingdom here on earth involves intimate human cooperation with the Divine.
A Journey of Faith
The visit of the seminarians and formators of the Holy Seminary of Hong Kong to the
St. Joseph Seminary of Macau can be seen as a vital part of priestly formation where
learning about other cultures and communities will broaden perspectives, enabling
them to live out their ministry in the best manner possible.
Mission in the Indian subcontinent
The significance of lay catechists is enormous and essential to the work of evangelization. The Salesians saw the value of having catechists as they preached and converted people in the northeastern part of India. Therein lies the need to train lay people to be effective Catholic catechists in the Indian subcontinent.
SPIRITUALITY FOR THE THIRD MILLENNIUM – SOME CURRENT TRENDS IN SPIRITUALITY TODAY (#1)
In this month of September, O Clarim brings to you a three-part series on Spirituality by Fr Fausto Gomez OP. In the first part, Fr Gomez writes that ‘Spirituality’ is a trendy term these days. To many, it immediately brings to mind Eastern spirituality. Authentic Catholic spirituality exists, and it focuses on God and one’s neighbor, rather than the self. Catholic spirituality is about changing oneself to change the world.
Today’s Prophets: The Enduring Societal Relevance of Vocations to Priestly and Religious Life
O Clarim will run a special series of articles on USJ FRSP (University of St Joseph -Faculty of Religious Studies and Philosophy) which is expressly focused on emphasizing the significance of the priesthood, especially in these times when the world seems to be in need of re-evangelization and a renewal of faith, by participating in the celebration of the Year of Vocations of the Catholic Diocese of Macao.
In the first article of this series, Ian Shelley Alabanza writes that priests or religious, in the societal context, are immensely important as they follow in the footsteps of Jesus, always striving to steer the people in their care toward a life under the guidance and counsel of the Holy Spirit.
Fear of the Cross
Fear can paralyze us. But fear, in this case, is a response that is based on an error. We embrace that error when we act out of selfishness. Each of us will die. That’s a fact. The question is how we die. We can either die selfishly, seeing our earthly life as the center of all. Or we can die in a self-giving way with our Lord by uniting ourselves to His act of sacrificial love.
Offer Life if You Don’t Want to Lose It
Becoming a follower of Christ is difficult. He demands our everything and even our suffering. But it is the only way we can make our way to the heavenly kingdom – by making sacrifices, bearing our burdens with patience and walking with Christ to Calvary.