Firstly, ecumenism is not yet achieved. It must be known to the dialogue partners of the Catholic Church that ecumenism is not something that has already been achieved, in our understanding. Ecumenism is a desired future, a goal, because it is the desire of the Son of God who prayed “that [we] may be one”. But this does not in itself mean that we are already one, even though we all profess faith in Him.

Ecumenism is not yet achieved because, unlike the conception of some factions of Christians, ecumenism is not merely an attitude or state of mind which says “Let us just behave like we are one, and we will be one”. Ecumenism, in the assessment of the Catholic Church, is much, much deeper than that, and she refuses to take a superficial stance on the matter.

Secondly, ecumenism is not easily achievable. It needs to be clarified that the Catholic Church does not think that ecumenism is something easily achievable. In fact, from a human viewpoint, it is not even remotely achievable, especially with our Protestant brothers and sisters. To return to a state of unity with over 40 thousand denominations globally, each with its own distinct doctrinal claims, is not a human possibility. This is true even without taking account of the fact that even within any one particular denomination, its individual members (i.e. both clergy and laity) hold differing theological viewpoints on crucial matters.

Of course, many would then say that we should focus our ecumenical efforts on a spiritual unity rather than a theological unity. This will not do for the Catholic Church; neither will it do for the Orthodox Churches, for that matter (although I will not assume the audacity of right to speak on behalf of that well-respected tradition in this series). This proposed alternative would sorely compromise our understanding of revelation and truth.

Well, ecumenism is indeed a possibility; just not a human one. Therefore, while we seek unity, prayer is the ultimate embodiment of that desire, because only God can unite His own fragmented Body. And as we pray, we also dialogue prayerfully with others by gentle invitation.

(More to come on "What Ecumenism is Not...")

And so it is with the prevalent ignorance of many other Christians on the Catholic Church’s understanding of ecumenism. When questions like “Why does the Catholic Church not permit other Christians to receive the Eucharist when we are all supposed to be part of the same Body of Christ” or “Why does the Catholic Church not apply the term ‘church’ for us?” are asked, they betray a lack of understanding of what the Catholic understanding may be on such issues.

Of course, agreeability is not a requisite in ecumenical efforts; but the pursuit of understanding is. Therefore, it is not the aim of this writing to solicit agreement, but rather to clarify underlying assumptions and theological presuppositions as we all embark on ecumenical efforts in the service of truth (yes, the Catholic Church believes there is indeed objective truth as revealed by God and interpreted by the Church according to her divinely endowed right and responsibility, so it is not merely a matter of differing theological opinions among the pseudo intellectual elite).

Many non-Catholics Christians tend to impose their assumptions on the Catholic Church by telling us how ecumenism should be exercised (for example, insisting that we should practise open communion at the celebration of the Eucharist), and even going so far to try telling us what we believe based on their own misconceptions about Catholicism (for example, that the Catholic Church’s claim of commitment to ecumenical efforts is “dubious and smutty”).

Contrary to such ignorant accusations, Catholicism has over the years developed what has probably become the most substantive system of understanding ecumenism among the various Christian traditions. Therefore, in these next couple of days, I will be posting up a series on the Catholic Church’s position on ecumenism.

This treatise will not be exhaustive (because any discussion on ecumenism would necessitate a thorough investigation into the Catholic dogma of the Church), but it will be adequate to provide an understanding to people who truly wish to begin their journey of deeper understanding. And yet, this treatise would indeed be found sorely lacking for people who desire to antagonise and interrogate by picking on what is absent rather than what is present in this treatise. Hence, I post this series for the former and not the latter.

A little bit of knowledge is so dangerous.

During lessons, I have heard lecturers made remarks like, "Being critical is okay but being over-critical is problematic," and, "the task of theologians is first and foremost to be faithful to what the church has been passing down, and not to be overly creative or novel." Now the question that I have is how does one measure the "overs"? Was Jesus being overly creative when he pronounced the forgiveness of sins, an office which the Israelites believe belongs to God alone? Were the apostles being overly novel to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus as the dawning of the eschaton? Were the church fathers like Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria being over-critical when they engaged Arius and Nestorius? Was the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea being overly creative to introduced terms like 'hypostaseos' and 'ousias' into the creed? Was Augustine of Hippo being over-critical to go against Pelagius on one hand, and being overly creative in formulating his theology of history and political theology in City of God? Was Benedict of Nursia being overly novel to set up a monastic order? Was Anselm being overly novel with his articulation of the atonement theology? Was Thomas Aquinas being overly creative to incorporate Aristotle's philosophy into his theology? Was Martin Luther over-critical with the Roman Catholic Church? Was John Calvin being overly creative to propose a new institution of Christianity? Was Friedrich Schleiermacher being over creative to write about religious nature of humans? Was Karl Barth being overly critical over liberalism? Was Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Desmond Tutu being over-critical against the social condition of their time and overly novel to have done something about it? And finally, is not discouraging 'over-criticality' and 'over-creativity' (assuming they can measure the 'overs') among the students an over-critical and an overly creative suggestion which seems to go against all the listed events above and many more in the rich history of the Christian church?

For Christians who have been steeply traditioned into the faith as has been handed down by the Fathers, the immediate diagnosis derived from this query is all but glaring: there is, herein, an acute failure in recognising the Apostolic Tradition from whence comes the Christian deposit of faith.

Such is the malady suffered by communities of Christians who have lost their sensus fidei because of the erosion or absolute eradication of the doctrine of apostolic succession from their faith. Theology, as a result, is no longer about preserving in faithfulness the body of teachings as has been passed down from Christ Jesus to His Apostles and further transmitted in all faithfulness from one generation of believers to another. The deposit of faith, in which case, has either shrunk or been obliterated all together from the memory of the faith community, leaving them either a frustratingly narrow schema within which to work, or worse yet, with no framework at all.

The nature of theology is such that when it is not guided by the voices of the Fathers who had passed down to us the depositum fidei in its fullness, there is also no understanding of how the heads of the Church today, the Bishops, form the Magisterium together with the Bishop of Rome as the successor of St Peter, Chief of the Apostles. Together, they are jointly responsible - by divine appointment - for the faithful transmission of the faith to the present generation of earthly human inhabitants.

To be a product of the Protestant Reformation's sola Scriptura without any trace of memory whatsoever of the equal vitality of the Sacred Tradition of the Church would inevitable lead one to tamper with the deposit of faith and to exercise self-election as the arbiter of one's own faith. After all, we can make Scripture say anything we want it to say; this much the Church Fathers knew.

The Church preceeded Scripture, and it was the Church that had come to recognise the canon of Scripture. For this One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the contents of the faith had never been exhausted by Scripture itself. Sacred Scripture contained truths in faith and morals that would never contradict the deposit of faith or the Sacred Tradition, but in itself, it was only a part of the entire wealth of the deposit. For the Church, Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture had to both function as one, communicating each other and moving towards a common goal.

Together, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are one, and are to be known as Dei Verbum (Word of God). This Word of God is the deposit of faith, and the credibility of any one theological teaching is measured and judged by its fidelity to this very Word of God. The task of the theologian, accordingly, is not so much to innovate beyond the boundaries of the truths that have been revealed by God to his Holy Church, but rather, to seek ways to explain and further expound that which has become a part of the sensus fidelium.

Hence, the "hierarchy of truth" that had been spoken of by the Fathers at the Second Vatican Council holds true. Here, we see that without apostolic succession, there would be no fidelity to the fullness of the Word of God as reflected by both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Without this fidelity, there would be no theological honour attributed to the divinely instituted Sacred Magisterium which serves to guard the teachings of the Church. In the face of such deficiencies, any truth claim made on account of the sacred teachings of the Holy Church is inevitably confronted by the epistemological question, "Whose truth?" At worst, such disdain for the kerymatic claims of the Church is expressed through profanity and ad hominem attacks (read here for an example of such utter ignorant forms of reactions arising from self-arbitration of truth and an incomplete understanding of the present state of ecumenism). For the child of the Reformation, it is ultimately his own truth that holds true, for it is he who has judged it to be, in fact, true.

I know the lecturer of this seminary who had most probably been the one stating the claim against theological novelty. He is one who has recovered an infinite treasure lost with the currents of the Protestant Reformation: the treasure of authority. He has come to understand that the all too often exalted exercise of "theological innovation" is a mere betrayal of Protestantism's intrinsic tendency to sway leftward. He surely has come to understand, there is nothing new under the sun!

Therefore, his statement that "the task of theologians is first and foremost to be faithful to what the Church has been passing down, and not to be overly creative or novel" is, in the assessment of the Holy Catholic Church, TRUE.

“I am happy that the editor and journalists of Al-Islam have made the apology on their website and promised to print the apology on their forthcoming issue,” the head of the archdiocese here said in a statement faxed to The Malaysian Insider.

He also thanked them for their “quick response”.

“I accept the apology and no legal action will be taken against Al-Islam on this ‘matter’,” added Pakiam, who is also the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Pakiam had held a media conference four days ago to express his outrage at the delay by the Attorney General (AG) in responding to a police report against the Islamic magazine and its two reporters who wrote about their undercover exploits inside a Catholic church published in May last year.

The duo claimed they were investigating a rumour about a Muslim teen who had converted to Christianity and had gone to the church to check.

While there, they took part in the Holy Communion, a ceremony central to the Catholic faith.

Catholics believe that the bread - represented by a thin white circular wafer – and wine undergoes a spiritual transformation and becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

They were highly offended by the journalists’ recounting of how they had eaten the wafer, spat it out and photographed it.

The archbishop recently found out the AG had dropped charges against the duo and the magazine, owned by a subsidiary of Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia, and urged him to rethink the decision for the sake of maintaining the fragile state of Malaysia’s religious harmony.

Pakiam said he would stop lobbying the government to prosecute Al-Islam as long as the magazine apologised.

The magazine carried the editor’s apology on its website the very next day, explaining it had wanted to do so earlier but feared there may be legal consequences.

Pakiam today assured them that “the Catholic community is appeased.”

“I extend my peace and goodwill to the editor and journalists,” he said.

He added that a “peaceful demonstration” planned at Dataran Merdeka here for March 15 has also been called off.

[Reported in The Malaysia Insider]

"We accept the public apology. It is laudable," Father Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the Catholic "Herald" newspaper, told AFP. "We trust they will not repeat it. We are not holding any grudges."

Two journalists from the Al-Islam magazine took the wafer and spat it out after entering a Catholic church to investigate claims that Muslims were illegally converting to Christianity.

"Al-Islam magazine apologises... because the article had unintentionally hurt the feelings of Christians, especially Catholics," it said on its website Utusan Karya on Friday.

"It is also not the intention of Al-Islam to insult the Christian religion nor to desecrate their house of worship," said the monthly magazine which reports on issues concerning Malaysian Muslims.

'Utmost disrespect'

The apology came after the archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Murphy Pakiam criticised the government's "failure to act" over the incident.

"The journalists have displayed utmost disrespect for the Catholic community when they admit receiving and spitting out the Holy Communion," he said.

However, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail defended the handling of the incident, saying the pair did not understand the significance of the wafer, which Catholics believe represents the body of Jesus Christ.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has been beset by religious disputes in recent months.

The multi-ethnic country was hit with a spate of firebombings against churches and mosques in January, triggered by a dispute over the use of the word "Allah" as a translation for "God" by non-Muslims.

The rows have strained relations between majority Muslim Malays and minorities including ethnic Chinese and Indian communities who fear the country is being "Islamised."

About nine percent of Malaysia's 28 million population are Christians, including 850,000 Catholics.

[Reported in Malaysiakini]

Speaking at a press conference on behalf of the church and the Catholic community at large, Pakiam said it would be enough for the magazine editor and the two reporters to apologise publicly for their acts.

“Forgiveness is a main part of our ‘club’,” the head of the KL archdiocese quipped, referring to the Catholic church’s central belief.

“We strive daily in our prayers for forgiveness,” he added.

He pointed out that it would not be the first time the church had dropped the pressure to take a publication to court, referring to a Tamil newspaper that had published an advertisement a few years back mocking a popular image of Jesus Christ holding a can of beer in one hand.

“As soon as the editor apologised, I told them, ‘Yes. I accept the apology. The matter is closed,” Pakiam said.

Pakiam had earlier at today’s press conference slammed the Attorney-General for deciding against prosecuting the Islamic magazine and its two reporters who had published a report of their exploits while undercover at a Catholic church in Ipoh last year.

Two Catholics had filed a police report against the magazine last July, claiming its reporters had desecrated church grounds when they pretended to be Christians and took part in the Holy Communion, a ceremony sacred to Catholics.

The police had investigated the reporters under section 298A (1) of the Penal Code for causing disharmony, disunity or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will, or prejudicing harmony or unity on religious grounds.

The punishment carries a jail sentence of between two and five years.

But the A-G last week disclosed that it would not press charges against the magazine which had published the incident in its May 2009 issue.

The district police headquarters at Dang Wangi here had subsequently informed the complainant, KS Sudhagaran Stanley, in a letter that the deputy public prosecutor had decided to take “No Further Action”.

“It appears that the DPP’s instruction of no further action implies and conveys the message that no crime has been committed, despite an admission by the journalists of desecrating the Holy Communion,” Pakiam said.

The man of the cloth noted that the authorities had failed to understand the magnitude of the wrong done to the Catholic community.

Pakiam described the acts by the magazine’s writers as not only disrespectful but “shows contempt for our belief and a hatred for the church when our belief is violated”.

However, he told reporters he was not in support of Sudhagaran Stanley’s idea for a public demonstration and discouraged other supporters from the Catholic Church from joining in because “it is not an effective way to bring about the resolution to the issue”.

“If those in authority fail in their duty to take action against the perpetrators, then others will feel less compelled to act within the constraints of law and basic civilised norms of decency, if this or like incidents are repeated.

“The lack of positive action would appear to legitimise the actions of the journalists,” he added, lamenting that Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had failed to respond to a memorandum sent by the Catholic Lawyers’ Society protesting the outrage and received at his office by Deputy Home Minister Datuk Abu Seman.

Pakiam denied the inaction was related to the church’s suit on the “Allah” issue, which it finally won in the High Court on New Year’s Eve 2009.

In very strong language, Pakiam challenged the home minister to do his duty, but stopped short of saying the church would file another suit to review the A-G’s decision.

Pakiam appeared less than eager to push the legal path for justice. Instead, he said, he was “advocating greater understanding and foremost respect from all concerned”.

“We live in a multicultural, multi-religious community. There is a need to be respectful of each other’s beliefs, failing which we will lose sight of our own humanity and dignity, the very best of the 1Malaysia concept,” Pakiam said.

[Reported by the Herald]

I have seen much passive-aggressiveness and aimless anger in my work with social activists that I know non-violence does not come easy or naturally to people. Even peace work can be a cover for a dark warrior. Often the violence has only gone underground.

Richard Rohr, Adam's Return, page 125

Fashion is a result of every person trying to be different to the extent that everyone becomes the same, each thinking he is different and stands out from the herd of those trying to be different.

Except that this fourth day of the Chinese New Year is also Ash Wednesday, the first day of our Lenten season. From celebration, there is an abrupt transition into fasting and abstinence. From a fixation on the beautiful, there is a sudden call from Holy Mother Church to a contemplation of one's transgressions.

The dissonance we feel on this occasion is probably a divine conspiracy.

We are inherently lovers of good news. But life is not all good news. There are the realities that we, if given a choice, choose to avoid; those like pain, suffering, sin and fallenness. If we had our choice, we would wish for a Chinese New Year celebration all year round with neither toil nor strife. But now, our attention is turned to ashes.

"Remember, O man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19).

But divine conspiracies always come with a twist. In religious language, we call it a "paradox", something that makes perfect sense only with much spiritual discernment and reflection.

Mother Church desires that we spend the next 40 days (excluding the Sundays, that is) contemplating upon the paradox of how authentic festivity and beauty can be found only through mourning and repentance. The climax of this discovery will then lead us, 40 days from now, to a profound realisation of how it took the devastating fall of man to bring about the glorious redemption of God.

But for now, perhaps it is time to put aside the festive joys of the Chinese New Year, and to begin mourning over the brokenness of our lives. As we dress ourselves with sackcloth and paint ourselves with ashes, we can then expect to soon be clothed with robes of righteousness and adorned with the glory of the resurrected Christ. The point is, without the former, there cannot be the latter.

Let us mourn, for we need a Saviour. Mourn not in helplessness but in hopefulness, for the Saviour will come. He will. For He has promised He would.

He conveyed his greetings from his study window in the Vatican at midday on Sunday, Feb. 14, when he spoke to thousands of pilgrims from many lands gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“Today the Lunar New Year is celebrated in various countries of Asia — I am thinking in particular of China and Vietnam, and in many communities scattered throughout the world,” the pope told them.

“These are festive days, which these people live as privileged occasions to strengthen family and generational bonds,” he added.

He concluded by expressing the wish that “all of them may maintain and increase the rich inheritance of spiritual and moral values, that are firmly rooted in the culture of these peoples.”

His words brought warn applause from the thousands in the square, and especially from several small groups of Chinese and Vietnamese present among them who waved to him.

In sending this greeting, Pope Benedict was following in a tradition started by John Paul II as he reached out to improve relations, particularly with China and Vietnam.

This year, it is the Tiger; to be exact, the Metal Tiger (the characteristics of every animal on the horoscope are tempered by the elements of Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth).

Tigers do not find worth in power or money. They will be completely honest about how they feel and expect the same of you. On the other hand, they seek approval from peers and family. Generally, because of their charming personalities Tigers are well liked. Often, failing at a given task or being unproductive in his personal or professional life can cause a Tiger to experience a depression. Criticism from loved ones can also generate this type of Tiger reaction. Still, like all felines, Tigers always land on their feet, ready for their next act in life, pursuing it with unyielding energy and hunting it infallibly.

The Metal element gives the Tiger its sharpness in action and speed of thought. Tigers born in the Metal year like to stand out in a crowd. With an inspiring assertiveness and competitive demeanor, they determine their goals and then do anything necessary to achieve them.

Every personality, if one notices, has its strengths and devastating pitfalls. Every human characteristic is both a potential virtue for success and a weakness for failure. The two are often just both sides of the same coin.

One must choose carefully how one employs the powers imbued into his potentials. But even so, failure is only to be expected as part of life's many occasions, whether one is a Tiger, a Dragon, a Monkey, a Snake, a Pig, or some other "animal". The greatest virtue is not success, but rather, the ability to stand up again in the face of failure, shame, humiliation, and pain.

An inspiring song to remind my heart...

I am the hours
And moments of your yesterday
I am your time gone by
O'er days and ages fleeting,
Long since passed away
As endless years roll by.

I'll rise in the spark of life
The dawn of all time.
I'll call to the world still yet to be.
The music is everywhere,
In life, in the sea and air
To join in the perfect song of all eternity.

I am the hours,
The days and moments yet to come
Until the end of time
All the centuries and
Seasons that are still to run
As endless years roll by.

I'll rise in the spark of life
The dawn of all time
I'll call to the world still yet to be
The music is everywhere
In life, in the sea and air
To join in the perfect song of all eternity.

The noon of creation rings
And all in the heavens sing
The glorious song through all eternity.

I am the dawn of all time.

1. What's the Difference?
Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants

With the Catholic Church’s recent response to the Traditional Anglicans, people have become increasingly curious about the differences in the practices and beliefs of the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians. This 8-session course helps you gain a deeper understanding of the differences while also strengthening your understanding of the Catholic faith.

This talk aims to help its participants better understand the beliefs of people coming from various Christian traditions. This is so that we can avoid making premature conclusions about other Christians before seeking first to understand what they truly believe.

Session 1 - A Brief Historical Survey
Session 2 - Conversations about Faith
Session 3 - Conversations about God
Session 4 - Conversations about Worship
Session 5 - Conversations about Salvation
Session 6 - Conversations about Leadership
Session 7 - Conversations about Contemporary Issues
Session 8 - The Call to Christian Unity

2. The Splendour of Truth:
Difficult Questions about the Catholic Faith

Why has the Catholic Church committed so many atrocities throughout history? Why must Catholics have Tradition and not just Scripture alone? Do Catholics worship Mary? Why do Catholics communicate with dead people? Is purgatory not just some Catholic superstition? Isn’t indulgence just a money-making mechanism created by the Catholic Church just before the Protestant Reformation? Why does the Catholic Church have seven sacraments? If the Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Christ, doesn’t that make Catholics cannibals? Was the Apostle Peter really the first Pope? Is it reasonable to hold that the Pope is infallible? Why must Catholic priests be celibate? Why must Catholic priests always be men?

These are some very crucial questions about the Catholic faith, among many others, asked by a good many people from other Christian communities. Unfortunately, not many Catholics are actually able to answer these questions, especially when other Christians demand evidence for these teachings from the Scriptures. This 8-session course aims to help Catholics to better understand the Scriptural and theological bases for such Catholic beliefs which are usually difficult to explain.

Session 1 - Relationship of the Catholic Church with Other Christians
Session 2 - Difficult Questions about Church History
Session 3 - Difficult Questions about Scripture and Tradition
Session 4 - Difficult Questions about Salvation and the Afterlife
Session 5 - Difficult Questions about the Sacraments
Session 6 - Difficult Questions about the Papacy
Session 7 - Difficult Questions about the Priesthood
Session 8 - Difficult Questions about Mary and the Saints

3. The Hour of the Laity:
Understanding Our Lay Participation in the Mission of Christ

After the Second Vatican Council, there often seems to have been confusion among clergy, religious and laity in the Church on what the differences are in their vocations. As a result, we witness today unprecedented movements in the Church towards the gradual laicisation of the clergy and the clericalisation of the laity. A proper understanding of the roles of clergy, religious and laity needs to be restored.

This need has become particularly pronounced among the laity as the lay faithful have been given more prominent emphasis in the Church since Vatican II. The Church continues to call for the formation of all the lay faithful who share in the priestly, prophetic and kingly mission of Christ in the world. This 6-session course aims to help the lay faithful of the Church - families, married couples, parents, single people, young people, lay leaders - to understand the characteristics of their lay vocation and the roles and responsibilities proper to their vocation. It helps its participants to understand what this all means for their daily lives as the lay faithful of the Church.

Session 1 - Defining the Laity: What They Are Not
Session 2 - Defining the Laity: What They Are
Session 3 - The Priestly Mission of the Laity
Session 4 - The Prophetic Mission of the Laity
Session 5 - The Kingly Mission of the Laity
Session 6 - Mary, the Supreme Model of Lay Vocation

4. Call to Worship:
A Journey towards Being the People of God

The Pentateuch recalls how the people of Israel were called by God to walk in relationship with Him based on a covenant they shared with Him. From once being no people, they were now a people called "Israel".

But being God's people entailed more than just religious rites. It meant a whole new way of life, an entirely new identity which separated them from the identities of their neighbours. In having called them, God had to disciple them and teach them how to be His people.

Similarly, the people called the Church of Jesus Christ are now a people called by His name. We are to walk in relationship with God, to bear His name, and to reflect His nature and character. But what does all this imply for our daily lives as Christians?

This brief series (preferably conducted as a retreat) will explore what it means to be God's people, what God's will is, and how we as His people can live according to His will.

Session 1 - Living as God's People
Session 2 - Living According to God's Will
Session 3 - Living in Trust
Session 4 - Living as Aliens in this World

Note: My schedule for this year is already packed, and will no longer be able to fit in any new engagements. To ensure that requests for sessions in 2011 can be met, it would be good to communicate them to me at least 8 months prior to the intended dates.