Saturday, 31 January 2009

My Precious

Posted: 31 Jan 2009 01:00 AM CST
Dt 18:15-20 / Cor 7:32-35 / Mk 1:21-28

In Moses’ time, the Israelites were afraid to draw near to God, what with all the fire and earthquakes reported in our first reading. His manifestations scared them. God did not correct them in this, either, but told them to keep a distance. Moses was able to draw near, showing that a soul could draw near Him and not be destroyed.

Over time, the Israelites got more used to the presence of God among them, even to the point of ignoring Him and His prophets — of not seeing the special election they had in God’s plan. By the time we get to the Gospel for today, many of them were so “familiar” with God that the “special-ness” of their election as the People of God was diminished — not lost, but diminished. When Jesus spoke with the authority of God, they knew something was different, they just could not figure out what that difference was.

How “familiar” has Jesus become to us? When we walk into His Eucharistic Presence, how overwhelmed are we? Are we aware of His true Presence as the demons were? Or have we been hanging around too long so that looking at Him is no longer that precious. Golem, in The Lord of the Rings called the ring “my precious.” Next time receive Him in the Eucharist — as you take Him to yourself — call Him “my precious.” His desire is that we long to see Him as Moses longed to see His face on the mountain. The encounter with God scared the Israelites, but attracted Moses. Let the attraction of Jesus in the Eucharist captivate you.

My Precious Lord Jesus, open the hearts and souls of all who love You to a new attraction to Your humble Presence in the Eucharist.
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3 comments:

Avanus said...

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7) When I go to church, I see rampant immodesty not just during weekend masses but also wedding masses, the faithful talking inside the church as if they’re in a wet market, extra-ordinary ministers who are adulterers distributing Holy Communion, RC priests promoting other religions in their homilies…..what’s next? Why is this happening father?

February 01, 2009 1:46 pm
dakunfrancis said...

RC priests promoting other religions in their homilies…..what’s next?

A minister of Words should not forget the focal point to promote the good news....

February 01, 2009 6:19 pm
dakunfrancis said...

On the other hand we need to be aware of something,
Read more:

From The Malaysian Insider

Two members of the Cabinet appear on a collision course over the right of freedom of worship in the country and the use of the word “Allah’’ by a Catholic publication.

Their disagreement is a microcosm of the percolating tension in the country among the Muslim authorities and non-Muslims over issues related to race and religion, and could pose one of the most formidable challenges which Datuk Seri Najib Razak will face when he takes over as president of Umno and prime minister next month.

But more immediately, the “Allah’’ issue could have an impact on a by-election in Pensiangan, Sabah, which is likely to be called when a court rules on election irregularities soon.

At the centre of the controversy is the use of the world “Allah’’ by the Catholic Herald, a weekly publication with a circulation of 14,000.

The Catholic Church said that it has used the word “Allah’’ in the Bahasa Malaysia section of the publication for years but the Home Ministry disagreed, saying that the word was the preserve of followers of Islam in Malaysia.

The issue is now before the High Court with the Catholic Church seeking a ruling on the right to continue to use the word “Allah’’.

In the interim, the ministry has ruled that the Herald cannot use the word and also directed the weekly to only publish an English section. Due to the intervention of the Cabinet, the Home Ministry withdrew the order preventing the church from publishing a Bahasa Malaysia section.

Since then, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, leader of the Upko political party in Sabah and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, has urged the authorities to wait until the court decision before laying down the law.

He also noted that the usage of the word "Allah" should be viewed from the historical perspective since the terminology had come about when Bahasa Malaysia was used by the people even before Malaysia was formed.

He said it was the language used by the people of the Borneo territories even though English was used in most schools.

Dompok said the usage of "Allah" became more pronounced, especially after the importation of Bibles written in the Indonesian language, which refers to God as "Allah". He said the terminology is widely used in Indonesia and also in Arab countries by Christians.

"So it is a universal terminology used in the Christian world when they are praying in their vernacular language. There is no reason for the Home Ministry to continue harassing the Catholic Herald," he said.

His Cabinet colleague Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi hit back at Dompok yesterday. He told Mingguan Malaysia: “There are some non-Muslim leaders who are asking that permission be granted so that the word Allah can be used, using Indonesia as an example.

“This is Malaysia. Do not equate us with another country. We are an Islamic country as stated in the constitution,” he said, adding that there was a hidden agenda to use the word “Allah’’ in the Herald.

In raising this issue, he said that a small group of non-Muslim leaders were trying to question the position of Islam in Malaysia. Islam is the official religion under the Federal Constitution while the right of non-Muslims to worship is also protected.

“Don’t play with fire and challenge the Muslims. We are willing to do anything to protect our religion,” he warned.

Muslims have long feared that Christian groups are bent on preaching and converting followers of Islam. They see the use of the word “Allah’’ as a subtle way of spreading Christianity to Muslims — a charge church leaders have dismissed.

February 01, 2009 6:40 pm

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