Your magazine gives a lot of importance to the dimension of Beauty. It is a line that I approve of, but often – when I talk about it – I get objections regarding the futility of art. They tell me that Christianity must pursue a certain essentialism, otherwise it would be distracted from serving God and man. How can I answer these objections?
The questionnaire, marked as “confidential” is very detailed and full of questions of all kinds. For example, speaking of the Diocese in general, it asks if sanctuaries exist, how they are administered and how many people flock to them and what advantage they bring to piety and divine worship. Speaking of the people, it asks “whether there is a practice of Christian life in general, with a sentiment of faith and frequency of sacraments; or indifference or external worship and a religious practice of formality reign, without spirit, and without the exercise of the virtues essential to Christianity”.
“My father always taught me that when you help other people, then God will give you double. And that’s what has really happened to me. When I have helped other people who are in need, God has helped me more,” he told ESPN in a 2020 interview.
In our times, the custom of reciting the St Michael Prayer after Mass has fallen into disuse. But the custom was recalled by St John Paul II at the Regina Coeli on 24 April 1994: “Although today this prayer is no longer recited at the end of Mass,” he said, “I ask everyone not to forget it, and to recite it to obtain help in the battle against the forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world.”
Many remembered Padre Pio de Pietrelcina for receiving the stigmata and this is what he is often known for. However, this privilege of sharing the suffering of the Lord was certainly not the greatest legacy he left behind. It was obedience, grounded in patience and trust in Jesus Christ which led to his extraordinary legacy. As he was known for his obedience to God, he did not waver in being obedient to Church authorities as well.
“The confessor is not the master of God’s forgiveness, but its servant. The minister of this sacrament should unite himself to the intention and charity of Christ (Presbyterorum Ordinis 13). He should have a proven knowledge of Christian behavior, experience of human affairs, respect and sensitivity toward the one who has fallen; he must love the truth, be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church, and lead the penitent with patience toward healing and full maturity. He must pray and do penance for his penitent, entrusting him to the Lord’s mercy.”
New opportunities, but also new responsibilities. The Saint Pius X Music Academy has started the new academic year in its new premises, at Rua da Praia do Bom Parto. The change, says the institution’s director, allowed the recruitment of new teachers and opened the doors to new development perspectives, but also to greater challenges and obligations. The institution currently teaches nearly two hundred students. Mr. Basilla Sam spoke with O Clarim about the road ahead.
The Society of Jesus was instrumental in bringing about the first direct links between the Portuguese colonial authorities in Macau and the imperial court, in Beijing, in the early 17th century. The assumption sets the tone for the lecture that Tereza Sena, an historian and researcher, will deliver next Tuesday at the University of Saint Joseph.
Recently deceased, José Maria Bártolo will be posthumously honored on October 8th by the International Institute of Macau and by the Saint Joseph’s Seminary Alumni Association. The two institutions joined forces to publish Pétalas ao Vento (Petals in the Wind, in a free translation), the last book written by the late former contributor to O Clarim.
For most devout Catholics, the date of 20th September, especially at the beginning of the last century, was not a day to celebrate. It was a day that commemorated the end of the temporal power of the Popes, a historical event that took place, which was too overwhelming and heartbreaking at least for most Catholics. In fact, recent historiography has also highlighted the purely anti-Catholic aspect of the Risorgimento, the role of Freemasonry which was certainly not secondary.