18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Short Reflection for the 18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Readings: Isaiah 55: 1-3; Romans 8: 35. 37-39; Matthew 14: 13-21

Gospel Passage:  “There is no need for them to disperse. Give them something to eat yourselves.” (Mt. 14: 16)

Meditation:  The challenge of the Gospel to act and do CHARITY AND SHARING of our goods by ourselves.  THESE ARE NOT CARRIED OUT BY PROXY. WE LIVE & DO THEM OURSELVES…

Bapa Jun

www.badaliyya.blogspot.com

DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD...

1^st step: Write the Dhikr (the Arabic word for REMEMBRANCE) in your heart.

2^nd step: Let the Dhikr remain always in on your lips and mind - RECITING the Dhikr silently as often as possible...

3^rd step:  Be attentive to the disclosure of the meaning/s of the Dhikr in your life. 

Lesson 1: Badal (an Arabic word for Ransom)

In our introduction, we have said that the Dhikr practices are intimately linked to the people belonging to a “Tariqa” (a path or confraternity). In the traditions of Christian witnesses living in the world of Islam, a movement emerged by the name of  Badaliyya (Ransom/Substitution). Frs. Louis Massignon and Charles de Foucauld were the more known Badals…  We shall journey through the Badaliyya Movement through meditation…

 First Meditation on Badal: “Let God be God…”

 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… “Let there be… and there was…” He is the beginning… to him belongs the initiative … and the “wantedness” begins in him.

 Experience the Divine Hospitality.  God is a constant RSVP…  He/She is the Host … the Rahman and the Rahim … Mercy and Compassion.

• The hospitality of Abraham is the sign among the nations – the gathering of all peoples … announcing in the end that God is constant and insistent RSVP.

• God is an invitation to mastery of oneself, discipline, delight, celebration and entrustment.

• Hospitality is a known and a much respected tradition in the East… In fact the obligation of Hospitality is prior to the obligation of doing a jihad…

Refrain during the week: “Wa ma qadaru-l-llahi hatta drihi” (They did not have the true estimation of God) S6:91.

Bapa Elisha “Jun” Mercado, OMI

Short Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Short Reflection for the 17^th Week of the Year (A)

Readings: 1 King 3: 5. 7-12; Romans 8: 28-30; Matthew 13: 44-52

Gospel Passage:  “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he/she hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he/she owns and buys the field.” (Mt. 13: 44)

Reflection:  Where does our treasure truly lay…? The real treasurer is in us. Sometimes it is hidden from us.  We need a discerning spirit to discover this treasure; faith to believe in it; and prayer to nurture it. Remember, that in the real reckoning of our treasurer… it is our deeds and life that give testimony to our real treasure.

Note: On Badaliyya

The Badaliyya movement – a legacy identified with two witnesses of Christian presence in the world of Islam - Fr. Louis Massignon and Fr. Charles de Foucauld.  Badaliyya is from the Arabic word Badal that means RANSOM. The Badaliyya movement is one of the many legacies of my stay in Egypt. Bapa Jun

Dom Thomas Merton on Contemplation

Dom Thomas Merton on Contemplation…

In his book, ‘The Climate of Monastic Prayer’. Merton defined contemplation as ‘essentially a listening in silence’ and an ‘expectancy’.

‘The true contemplate is not one who prepares his mind for a particular message that he wants or expects to hear, but is one who remains empty because he knows that he can never expect to anticipate the words that will transform his darkness into light. He does not even anticipate a special kind of transformation. He does not demand light instead of darkness. He waits on the Word of God in silence, and, when he is ‘answered’, it is not so much by a word that bursts into his silence.  It is by his silence itself, suddenly, inexplicably revealing itself to him as a word of great power, full of the voice of God.”  (pp.122-123)

Merton had learned early to keep vigil in silence with his heart’s eye on the horizon of the next moment.  The next moment could reveal in light or in shadow the presence of the Beloved he awaited.  He kept his mind’s eye open for the unexpected epiphany.  Waiting without projecting his own needs into the next moment became a dark form of hope.  Merton’s gift to his readers was his honesty in communicating the darkness that was his ‘rite of passage’ into God’s presence.

(Note: I have been assigned since a year ago as Spiritual Director of the OMI Postulants.  I simply listen and journey with our postulants and also college seminarians as their SD… Part of the self-imposed regimen is to read and read spiritual authors like Thomas Merton and combined them with my own experiences of struggle, darkness, and even the absence of God yet believing and hoping that God reveals himself even in his absence…)

Fr. Eliseo ‘Jun’ Mercado, OMI

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Dhikr for the 16^th Sunday of the Ordinary Time (A): Parables of the Kingdom

Readings: Wisdom 12: 13, 16-19; Romans 8: 26-27; Matthew 13: 24-43

Gospel Passage: “Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn’.” (Matthew 13: 30)

Meditation: Meditating on the weed and the wheat, we pray that we become the wheat and not the destructive weed that is destined for burning…

It is a mystery why God does NOT immediately prune society or community of weeds but waits until each person’s nature is revealed.  This would allow us to recognize the process that transforms us and in others from what look bad at the beginning into something good. Thus we need to be OPEN…!

Bapa Jun

Visit:  www.badaliyya.blogspot.com

DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD

Dhikr is an Arabic word which means REMEMBRANCE.

1st step: Write the text in your heart.

2nd step: Let the text remain always in on your lips and mind - RECITING the text silently as often as possible...

3rd step:  Be attentive to the disclosure of the meaning/s of the text in your life.

The Reality of God

THE REALITY OF GOD

Ruth Burrows, in a recent book, points this out by presenting us with the following image:  “A baby in its mother's womb is in a relationship with her but is unaware of it and does not respond to the mother's intense love and desire to give herself to the child. The relationship with God on the human side can remain as minimal as that of the baby.”

The first thing this image tells us is that an atheistic consciousness does not negate the existence of God, even if our age seems to think so. The reality of God does not depend upon our conscious awareness of it. God does not cease to exist simply because we cease to think about him. God's reality is not threatened by our lack of awareness.

This image can also help us better understand something else, namely, the Christian doctrine of creation. Most of the time, almost all of us misunderstand this doctrine. We believe that God created us (past tense) and that we now somehow have life and existence independent of God, tantamount to a toy that has been created by some craftsman. But that notion is false.

The dogma of creation asks us to believe that God is actively creating us right now and is sustaining us in being right now. There is no past tense as regards creation. If God, even for a second, ceased creating and sustaining us, we would cease to be. We have no reality independent of God, no more than a baby in the womb is independent of its mother. The baby may not be aware of the mother but the mother's reality is what is massive, life giving, and life sustaining. That is also true in our relationship to God.

(Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI)

UPDATES ON SUDAN CONFLICT

Conflict Alert: Halting South Sudan's Spreading Civil War

Juba, Brussels  |   7 Jul 2014

The war between the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/SPLA) government and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) that began in Juba in December and spread to the three Greater Upper Nile states (Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity) is in danger of escalation, including more atrocities and famine. As Crisis Group warned in April, conflict has broken out in Greater Bahr el Ghazal, and rising tensions threaten to drag in the relatively peaceful Equatorian states. The Security Council, in emergency session, should instruct the UN mission (UNMISS) to use its good offices to prevent further cessation of hostilities violations and violence against civilians; establish an international contact group and arms embargo; and better delineate roles between UNMISS and humanitarians on the ground. Concurrently, the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) must better link its stuttering peace process with communal dialogues inside South Sudan and reach out to excluded constituencies. The dynamics that need urgent attention include:

1. Growing tensions between the national government and the leaderships of the three Equatorian states. Fuelled by deliberate rumour-mongering, these have Juba on high alert. The Equatorians and the SPLM/A-IO insist on federalism to break the perceived “Dinka-dominated” central government’s wealth and power monopoly. Though local mediation is underway to stem escalation, worrying aspects include reported clashes (denied by both parties) between the Central Equatoria governor’s (ethnic) Mundari bodyguards and the Presidential Guard; the governor’s statements that Equtorians in the security forces have been disarmed; news of mobilisation of armed civilians within and around Juba; reported weapons shipments into the Equatorian states; a minor clash related to mobilisation of Equatorians in Maridi; and a government curfew in Juba.
2. Outbreak of conflict in Greater Bahr el Ghazal.  SPLA defectors from Wau in Western Bahr el Ghazal, now operating as separate armed units, have prompted abuses by loyal SPLA on local non-Dinka believed to support these units. The latest high-profile defector, 6th Division commander General Dau Aturjong (Dinka), is recruiting in and around Northern Bahr el Ghazal to broaden the armed opposition and open new war fronts.
3. Challenges to governing coalition unity. Frustration with Juba's failure to win the war has led Uganda to reassess its relationship with the Kiir government. In light of this and other challenges, there are private conversations about the transfer of power within the leadership, particularly among the president’s home Bahr el Ghazal communities.
4. Instability in Lakes state. Many communities want to sit out the war; some have a deal with neighbouring southern Unity state Nuer. Many youth in Lakes have taken to the bush to avoid forced recruitment; some threaten to fight the unpopular governor.
5. Senior SPLA-IO defiance of the 9 May cessation of hostilities. Powerful field commanders, particularly General Peter Gadet Yak in Unity, refuse to respect the Addis agreement. IGAD mediators have little engagement with them or the allied Nuer youth "White Army". Disaffected commanders point to the government/Ugandan offensive in Ayod and President Kiir’s statement that he will not step down in a transitional government as justification for the rainy season offensive.

Three cessation of hostilities agreements have failed to halt the war, and time is of the essence to expand the current process to address existing and future challenges.The government is borrowing heavily against oil futures to fund the war, its troops are often unpaid, and thousands have deserted. Any transitional government will inherit a bankrupt state. It remains unclear who is funding and arming the opposition and how this outside support may be undermining mediation efforts. 

Pursuant to UNMISS' mandate approved in May, a regional force is deploying under its command, focused on protecting civilians, cessation of hostilities monitors in key towns and oil-installation workers, but it will be overwhelmed if war continues to expand. UNMISS, which is still not acting under its protection of civilians mandate to address this, should work with the IGAD monitors to prevent further escalation of violence but step back from efforts to be a substitute for humanitarians and to negotiate their access. Both government and SPLA-IO have asked to discuss these issues with unarmed, non-political humanitarians rather than UNMISS, whose attempt to represent humanitarians has already backfired and has limited access for humanitarians in some famine-prone areas. UNMISS should assist humanitarians only on request and refocus its efforts toward its core mandated tasks, such as protection of civilians.

Peace talks have stalled; the 10 August deadline for a transitional government to be in place is increasingly unrealistic. IGAD must expand its efforts for an inclusive process in Addis by including community leaders and armed groups and launch multiple dialogues in South Sudan. The cessation of hostilities Monitoring and Verification (MVM) Teams, protected by UNMISS, should investigate the reports of violations in Greater Bahr el Ghazal and Equatorias.

Many recommendations Crisis Group made in its December 2013 Open Letter to the UN Secretary-General and its April report, A Civil War by Any Other Name, remain relevant to averting further escalation. In the face of faltering peace talks, more aggressive South Sudanese demands for political reform and fractures within the ruling coalition, the UN Security Council should hold an emergency session to do the following:

• instruct UNMISS to take decisive action, coordinated with IGAD, under its protection of civilians mandate to prevent further cessation of hostilities violations and violence against civilians, including by using of its good offices;
• institute an arms embargo for South Sudan to prevent further escalation and identify the government's and opposition’s sources of weapons;
• task regional troops to provide force protection so the MVM teams can launch investigations in the Equatorias and Greater Bahr el Ghazal; 
• clarify that to prevent counter-productive conflation of UNMISS and humanitarians, UNMISS is not to represent humanitarians and is only to assist them on request and;
• establish a Contact Group that includes IGAD, the AU, UN, Troika (U.S., UK, Norway), EU, China and South Africa to facilitate coordination and discussion on the way forward.

To stop further intensification of the war, IGAD should take the following steps:

• task the MVM teams with investigating reports of cessation of hostilities violations in the Equatorias and Greater Bahr el Ghazal;
• increase its political presence on the ground in South Sudan;
• open four separate negotiation tracks, both in Addis and South Sudan, sequenced and pursued so as to contribute to the broader national political dialogue and focused on: 1) the SPLM (supported by South Africa's ANC party and Ethiopia's EPRDF party); 2) a re-activated Political Parties Forum; 3) armed groups; and 4) communal conflict;
• address the questions surrounding inclusivity in the peace process by ensuring selection of representatives is transparent, their numbers are increased, and there are clear mechanisms for civil society or community leaders not part of the official process to contribute to the dialogue in Addis and South Sudan; and
• start dialogue with all armed groups and militarised communities; failure to do so is inadvertently making spoilers of those who could be constructively engaged. Much of the dialogue and work with community representatives, armed groups and militarised communities should take place in South Sudan, not in Addis.  (Source: International Crisis Group)

The Descent into Hell

THE DESCENT INTO HELL There are various traditions as to the meaning of this: In one version, the idea is that the sin of Adam and Eve closed the gates of heaven and they remained sealed until the death of Jesus. Jesus' death opened them and Jesus, himself, in the time between his death and resurrection, descended into hell (Sheol, the Underworld) where all the souls who had died since the time of Adam somehow rested. He took them all to heaven. His "descending into hell", in this version of things, refers to his going into the underworld after his death to rescue those souls. Another understanding suggests that Jesus' descent into hell refers especially to the manner of his death, to the depth of chaos and darkness he had to endure there, and to how the depth of love, trust, and forgiveness he revealed inside that darkness manifests a love that can penetrate into any hell that can be created. John’s gospel gives us this picture: On the day Jesus rose from the dead, he finds his disciples huddled in fear inside a locked room. Jesus does not stand outside the door and knock, waiting for the disciples to come and open the door. He goes right through the locked doors, stands inside their huddled circle of fear, and breathes out peace to them. He isn't helpless to enter when they are too frightened, depressed, and wounded to open the door for him. He can descend into their hell by going through the doors they have locked out of fear. That is also true for the various private hells into which we sometimes descend. We can reach a point in our lives where others can no longer reach into our pain and where we are too wounded, frightened, and paralysed to open the door to let anyone in. Human care can no longer reach us. But Jesus can enter those locked doors, can descend into our hell. That understanding gives us hope when, humanly, there isn't any. Sometimes, because of illness and someone we love can descend into a place where we, no matter our love and effort, can no longer reach. But not all is lost: Jesus can descend into that hell and, even there, breathe out a peace that again orders the chaos. (Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI)

Sudanese Bishop Warns Case of Meriam Ibrahim Could Be Repeated

Says Christians at Risk of Further Severe Rights Violations

JUBA, July 11, 2014 (Zenit.org) - By Reinhard Backes and John Newton of Aid to the Church in Need
A bishop has warned that more Sudanese Christians could suffer severe violations of human rights – like Meriam Ibrahim – stating that their legal protection in the country has been taken away.

Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio, in neighbouring South Sudan, described the “worrying” legal situation of Christians since his country seceded from Sudan in July 2011.

Stressing concerns for fellow clergy in particular, Bishop Hiiboro said: “In Sudan bishops and priests have been living de facto as illegals since South Sudan’s independence.” While Sudan’s constitution guarantees equal rights regardless of a person’s religion, Christians face discrimination under the law.

The bishop said: “When we confront those in charge with this, they emphasise that Christians have the same rights as their compatriots, but this changes nothing in legal terms. Bishops and priests are not granted passports and they do not have legal status. They are able to leave the country but re-entry may be refused.
“Priests have already been expelled – and the bishops are condemned to remain silent.”

The Bishop of Tombura-Yambio told ACN that, while there is freedom of worship for Sudan’s more than 3 million Christians, they do not have the full protection under the law. He said: “Christians in Sudan can attend divine service unmolested, but there is no genuine freedom of religion and conscience in the country.

“This is illustrated by the disgraceful case of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishaq, which, unlike any others, has been widely publicised.” This 27-year-old Sudanese Christian woman was arrested in May and condemned to death and 100 lashes for apostasy and adultery, before courts quashed her sentence.

Bishop Hiiboro said: “Among those around her she had long been known as a Christian. For whatever motives, she was blackmailed and then charged. The government expressed no view on the matter and simply left it all to the Islamic clerics.”

The accusation of apostasy came because Meriam Ibrahim’s father was Muslim, but her mother was Orthodox and raised her as a Christian. Meriam Ibrahim was only released in June following international pressure, having given birth to her younger child while shackled in prison. The family is sheltering in the US embassy – her husband Daniel Wani is a US citizen – after allegations of forged travel papers prevented them leaving Sudan for the US.

According to Bishop Hiiboro, discrimination against Christians is a reaction to the division of the country three years ago. He said: “Because the Church has always called on those with political responsibility to respect the dignity of the people, their freedom and also their vote in favour of the independence of the South, it is now being made responsible for the South’s break-away. “But the Church does not pursue any political aims. We only call upon politicians to respect freedom of religious faith and conscience.”

There is still a joint Catholic Bishops’ Conference for Sudan and South Sudan, which has the inter-religious dialogue with Muslims as one of its key concerns.
(Source: Zenit)