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| Is this the Church we want to be? | ||
The quality of discipleship, which all Catholics are called upon to practice, cannot be measured solely by the successes the Church enjoys. It must also be measured by the way disciples deal with adversity. The events of the last week give us much to reflect upon. The mistake of Leela Ramdeen , chair of the Social Justice Commission, in issuing a statement prematurely is only part of the learning process that the Church must undertake. The learning from this event has led the Archbishop to institute new procedures to ensure prudence by all commissions of the Catholic Church. For me the learning that has yet to be addressed is the response of many Catholics to the situation. I am saddened by the eruption of anger against Ms Ramdeen, which in my view is not merited by the circumstances. Are we creating a scapegoat? Many people sensing weakness have become vicious in their attack; not only in the media but even by physical assault. It seems to me the issue has been clouded by personality. Rather than dealing honestly with the mistake, many have moved to personality attack and slander. The institutional Church has learnt from this event . So too individual Catholics need to learn. Compassion is not an optional extra. It is at the heart of discipleship. If we set out to destroy people when they make a mistake we will become an unforgiving and unrelenting Church. We will not only dispose of leaders who make mistakes, we will crucify them. Remember it was a mob that crucified Christ. We all need to own our anger, whatever its root, and pray to the Lord for hearts that are courageous in speaking and acting for what is right and that are compassionate in dealing with those who have made mistakes. Fr Jason Gordon, Port of Spain |
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| Let us be the Eucharist in the world | ||
DEAR EDITOR: In this Year of the Eucharist it would be wonderful if we as Church could promote the Eucharist as Christ Himself promoted it, as a living and evangelising force in the world. Whereas many of us see the Eucharist only in churches and spend time adoring Christ in the tabernacle or monstrance, we often forget that he spent most of his time among the people proclaiming the word and teaching by word and example The Way of Life. Eucharistic adoration must be encouraged but it should only be the tonic that gives us strength to be the true representations of Christ in the world. We do this by our interaction with our neighbour. When Christ talks about he Last Judgement (Mt 25:31-46) we recognise that we will be judged on the way we treat "the least of the brethren." What this means to us today is that we will have to give account of how well we lived out a life of Eucharist in the world. If then we find that our churches are closed this should not deter us from our duty to proclaim the Good News or in other words being the Body of Christ to all those we meet on our journey. Felix Edinborough, Petit Valley |
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| Students and Eucharist | ||
DEAR EDITOR: In celebration of the Year of the Eucharist, may I suggest that Catholic school children be exposed to the practice of sitting in silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Living as these students do in a world that is constantly bombarding them with sensory stimulation, much of which is false, harsh and negative, being in the real presence of serene truth is an experience that will leave a deep and lasting impression on them. They will learn that " in returning and rest shall (they be scared), in quietness and in confidence shall be (their) strength ." Isaiah 30:15 Joseph Meyer, Bourg Mulatresse |
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| Veronica Joseph, a dear friend and trustee |
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DEAR EDITOR: Please permit me space in your column to announce the death of our dearly departed friend and trustee and also to send condolences to her family. The Executive of the PTA of Nelson Street Boys' RC regrets to announce the passing of our dear friend and trusted trustee Veronica Joseph who was taken from us suddenly and tragically on Thursday, February 17. Our principal, staff, students and the entire executive body express our heartfelt sympathy and deepest condolences to our beloved president Anthony Bugros and his family. Our prayers are with you. Executive PTA Body, Nelson Street , Boys' RC School |
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FROM THE EDITORS | |
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NOTICE | |
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