There’s a Malay saying that goes: berani kerana benar, takut kerana salah. Rather hard for me to find an English equivalent. But the meaning is this: why would one be afraid if one has no fault? This have been tested true over and over again. Unless you’re extremely good, you would not be able to cover up your naughty acts. After all, how do you defend guilt before truth?
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen
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For his part in combating the development of Calvinism in Europe, St. Francis de Sales was beatified in 1661 and canonised in 1665 by Alexander VII. His contribution to the Roman Catholic’s theological literature prompted Pius XI to declare St. Francis as the Patron Saint of Writers and Journalists. This entry missed his feast which felon January 24th.
Many sources talks of how he refused to marry the woman his father chose. Instead, the Senator’s son exchange vows and married the Church. At the age of 35, he was ordained Bishop of Geneva – the heart of Calvinism.
Sadly, the newly ordained bishop did not receive the joyous reception one would expect a 17th century bishop would have gotten. Staying true to the saying a spoonful of honey attracts more flies than a barrelful of vinegar, he eventually was accepted by the people of Geneva.
This bishop did not sit down and basked in the glow of his reputation. He began writing books to strengthen understanding and combat the spread of Calvinism. Two of which are famous to today! They are Introduction to the Devout Life and A Treatise on the Love of God. While today’s writers shiver at the thought of loosing income from their work, St. Francis wouldn’t accept a single cent from the revenue of his literature.
He also helped St. Jane Frances de Chantal to establish the Sisters of the Visitation.
This Gentleman Saint returned to the Lord on December 28th, 1622 at the age of 55. By Pius IX, St. Francis was also made a Doctor of the Church in 1877.
Leading a secular life is common these days; and even more so for us writers. While our works need not revolve around theology, our underlying principles in conducting our work should be based on faith. Reporting the truth, providing unbiased facts and ethical writing should be part of our craft. In persuading people to buy, it should not be at the cost of others. As St. Francis de Sales showed us, the pen is mightier than the sword. A modern equivalent would be the keyboard is mightier than any modern arsenal.
Picture from: CatholicGreetings.org
References: Wikipedia, AmericanCatholic.org, Catholic Forum, Catholic Encyclopedia.
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen
By some reason, I remembered to search for the Novena to St. Jude. I remember sometime back, I had a conversation with my friend, Fiona Kabb (a.k.a. Sharon), about prayers. She told me of a certain prayer which she recommended to a former friend who was faced with an certain critical situation: the Novena to St. Jude.
Few days ago, just before the (Chinese) New Year, I was at Kinokuniya browsing for books.One book caught my attention that day and I requested that the covers be opened. More or less the tome I read was a compilation of patron saints. St. Jude was listed as the Patron Saint in Desperate Situations and Hopeless Cases.
Needless to say I found the prayer, printed it and hung it in front of me. Some other prayers to St. Jude were also printed out and filed. While I have never attempt to invoke St. Jude before, I was told by those who have that this novena works. Religion and prayer is not about checking how effective a prayer is.
Personally, I deduce that this prayer is meant to guide us and make us realise that there is no such thing as a hopeless situation. It remains a difficult period because we have opted to abandon God. The Almighty Creator, on the other hand, never abandoned us. Being the Almighty, there’s no such thing as impossible for Him. If there was, He would not have been known as the Almighty, would He?
Don’t get me wrong. Praying to a saint is not like praying to God. Rather, it’s more of a request for help from someone who’s closer to God and more revered compared to us mere mortals. Men and women elevated to a more higher and holier standing. They intercede on behalf of us. I dare not question God’s logic. I agree with the notion that God works in mysterious ways; ways and logic beyond the comprehension of us, human beings. At the end of the day, two factors directly effect the results: our efforts and God’s Will.
I would love to hear your feedback on the novena. Your experience and understanding may well enlighten us up. Remember, why light a lamp and cover it up?
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen
The focus of this entry is knowledge, wisdom and the acquisition of both. In 1990, a revolution took place silently across the globe which shattered many conventional rules and shook the earth at its very foundation. This revolution altered the course of human history from what our parents and grandparents knew to what we can all merely guess. The Information Revolution continues to shape the world. How does this relate to the Bible?
Listen! Wisdom is calling out. Reason is making herself heard. On the hilltops near the road and at the crossroads she stands. (Proverbs 8: 1-2, GNB)
With rise of the literacy rate, accessibility to education and information and the rapid development of the Internet, the global economy is now driven by knowledge. In my view, what haves and the haves not now possess or lack is not just wealth but wisdom. During the time of Solomon, God have given advice and instructions to the Children of Israel on this.
During the agrarian era, he who has land will become rich. Landowners grace the halls of Parliament and the Palaces of Kings and Emperors. With the Industrial Age, he who owns factories – not necessarily land – join the ranks of land owners. When the Industrial Age began, factory owners joined the ranks of the landowners. Today, palaces and Parliament are built around those who possess the know-how and expertise. If you think about it, knowledge and wisdom began driving the economy since time immemorial. Unfortunately the word “k-economy” was only coined in the last decade – greatly misleading the masses.
The monopoly of knowledge was held in the hands of the Church before the printing machine was invented. After that, it was controlled by the elite. Now, anyone can seek it – online or on print.
I believe that in today’s scenario, Wisdom and knowledge are calling out and making themselves heard on hilltops near the road and at the crossroads she stand. Also on the computer which is staring at you in the face.
Why do Humankind ignore her when she was the first thing that God created (Proverb 8:22, GNB)? The irony is that even those who look and claim to be more devout than I give her their backs. God elevated her position so high and so close to Him! He armed the prophets, apostles and ultimately our Saviour with her.
I guess Proverbs 18:2 stand true. A fool does not care whether he understands a thing or not; all he wants to do is show how smart he is. But do not take me wrong, I’m in no position to say who the fools and the wise are. If you see these fools, heed the Holy Scripture: When a fool speaks, he is ruining himself; he gets caught in the trap of his own words (Proverbs 18:7, 
GNB). There is hope, however: After all, even fools may be thought wise and intelligent if they stay quiet and keep their mouths shut (Proverb 17:28, GNB).
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen
The Lords’ Prayer shouldn’t be alien to you – if you’re a Christian that is. For the benefit of all, I include it here:-
Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
Some versions of the Lord’s Prayer uses the word “sins” and “sinned” which replaces “trespasses” and “trespass” respectively. In any case, it denotes the same meaning. With that said, this is the line which I would like to humbly discuss. My favourite line. And once again, I quote the verse amended:
And forgive us our [sins], As we forgive them that [sinned] against us.
What is so attractive about this line?
I am a law student and a commercial writer. I am intrigued by words. When we recite this verse, we ask for conditional and proportionate forgiveness. When we pray to God, we ask for Him to forgive us all our sins. This is the first limb. This verse is followed by the phrase “as we forgive…”. In modern day sense, it means “just like how I forgive…”. In other words, when we recite Our Father, we ask him to forgive us just like how we forgive those who did us wrong.
In my personal view, when we want God to forgive us, we must first forgive others – irrespective of their race, religion, creed, culture, ethnicity, origin, etc. etc. The verse never said: “forgive us as we forgive our Christian brothers (and sisters)”. Show me which Bible that states so and I show you an altered Bible.
Jesus taught us: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I tell you this: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this way you show that you are children of your Father in heaven. He makes his sun rise on people whether they are good or evil. He lets rain fall on them whether they are just or unjust. If you love those who love you, do you deserve a reward? Even the tax collectors do that! Are you doing anything remarkable if you welcome only your friends? Everyone does that! That is why you must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt 5:43-48, GNB).
If you consider the logic, how can you love someone you hate just as much, if not more, than your own family? Wouldn’t that hate dissolve? Would the love neutralise the hate? If that is the case, wouldn’t it be impossible to have enemies?
Whenever the Lord’s Prayer I recite, I take my time at that verse. I want to make sure that I personally forgive all those who did me wrong. Forgive them, before I ask forgiveness for myself. And that, I admit, is no easy task. What does the Lord’s Prayer mean to you? Please, share your opinion and experience. I’m sure we can learn from each other.
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen
The words “money”, “wealthy”, and “rich” conjures up a plethora of images, opinions and emotions. Some loathe those words. Some hate them. Others enjoy and seek them. This entry is rather personal to me. Until I read it in Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad series, I never gave a thought of either words or getting rich.
Let’s begin with the common misconception: people say that the Bible blames money as the root of all evil. Below is the extract from St. Paul’s First Letter to St. Timothy that is commonly being misquoted:-
Certainly, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people who have set their hearts on getting rich have wandered away from the Christian faith and have caused themselves a lot of grief. (1 Timothy 6:10, GNB)
Throughout the four Holy Gospels, there are accounts where Jesus lashes out at the rich and wealthy. But you should not assume that He is anti-rich and anti-wealthy. In fact, Jesus had used money and gold in a number of Parables. My favourite: the Parable of the Traveller and his Three Servants (Mat 25:14-30, GNB).
In summary, this parable illustrates a rich man who gave three of his servants some gold according to their ability. He then went away for quite some time. When he returned and met the servants, two of them return the gold coins twice the number they had received. They were both praised and celebrated by the man. The third servant, however, returned the same 1,000 gold coins he received. When the man left, this servant dug up a hole and hid it. Unfortunately, the third servant was scolded by the man and banished from the estate.
Good job! You’re a good and faithful servant! You proved that you could be trusted with a small amount. I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master’s happiness.
The words uttered by the man.
Applying the lesson to reality:-
God created the world and its inhabitants, including Humankind. In this world, He gave us resources which we ought to use. Resources which include gold, diamonds, land and money. When we use it, the idea is for the betterment of the whole of Humankind. In fact, God does not expect us to sit down and wait for Him to send food and water. There are many warnings against sloth!
The sin here is not having or collecting money. Is it wrong for us to collect money to build a church? Is it sinful to collect money to pay and maintain our missionaries? Why would God make it sinful for us to collect money to buy Bibles? Evidently accumulation of wealth could not be a sin per se.
What the Bible teaches us is to be wary of the love of money. This “love” is the cause of all evil. Because of this love, people are willing to kill, to rape, to sell their body, to cheat and to be come an animal so terrible that nothing in the animal kingdom can describe it. The love of money creates a monster out of us.
I’m not saying that everyone must be rich. What I’m trying to convey is: money is just a tool. A tool which you can use to build or destroy. A tool indifferent from knives, fire, water, stone and iron.
While being rich is not mandatory, it is definitely sinful to not use the skills God gave us. In fact, not using it is no different from being lazy – just like the third servant. An elaboration on this is another entry. (“,)
What do you think? Is money the root of all evil? Or is it the love of money which is the root of all evil?
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Valued Reader,
I will not claim to be a bible scholar; I do read the bible from time to time. In fact, I lead a relatively secular life. Based on life’s experience, sermons and discussions over the years, I will attempt to write out what I learn from the Holy Book.
From time to time, I will make some entries in this blog of how the Holy Scriptures shed light onto my path.
I appreciate your feedback, especially your own opinion related to the entry. As I will be moderating the comments, be mindful of what you post. If doubts should arise, I recommend that you seek a qualified religious adviser.
God bless you.
P/S: I am using the Interactive Bible Software provided by e-Sword. You can download their software for free at http://www.esword.net. Bible reference will be made using the Good News Bible.
