Kaveree Bamzai wrote on INDIA TODAY website on why Slumdog Millionaire wins...
The curious case of Slumdog Millionaire
Kaveree Bamzai
February 22, 2009
Will Slumdog Millionaire have its moment under the "neela zareewala aasman"? Well, I've seen all the Best Picture nominees and I can tell you it has every right to have the hype it does. Why? Well take The Reader, Stephen Daldry's movie starring Kate Winslet, or shall I say Kate Winslet's body. Almost three-fourths of the movie where she appears, playing a former Nazi prison guard having an affair with a 15-year-old school boy, she's naked. I know Monster's Ball has set a precedent for women being in the buff receiving an Oscar for Best Actress, but even by those standards, The Reader is extreme.
In fact, Winslet loves to go naked in her movies (ask anyone who has seen her sex scene on the washing machine in Little Children and you'll know what I mean) and has consistently shown her "commitment to her craft" by going without her clothes. Call her fearless or shameless, but she suffers for her art and Oscar loves that. Personally though I thought The Reader was an awful movie. I have moral issues with it (illiteracy is a crime worse than murdering innocent Jews?) and with its treatment (a plodding series of encounters between Winslet and the boy, where she bathes him, he reads to her, and then they fall to it on her bed).
Hmm. Then there's Milk. Now Sean Penn can be trusted to deliver a powerhouse performance as the slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Oscar loves movies about gay men. Think Philadelphia and Brokeback Mountain. Hollywood particularly loves movies about gay men who suffer. Gus Van Sant's Milk has Penn being pilloried for preferring boys to girls, and there's nothing that the gay mafia in Hollywood would love more. As played by Penn, all mincing manner and little fluttery flirtation, Milk is a tragic character who is inevitably marching to his doom. Its mix of documentary footage with live action recreation is enough to give the movie a historical perspective. Oscar loves to sound intelligent.
Then, there's David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, where the beautiful Brad Pitt tries to win points by spending most of the movie looking a. ugly, b. old. It's gimmicky, with Pitt aging in reverse, in a fantastical screenplay adapted from a Fitzgerald short story, but I tend to think of it as the Forrest Gump movie of the year. Smart for its use of special effects and quirky, with a short cameo from Varanasi where Pitt's character is on a journey around the world, but not much else.
Which brings us to Frost/Nixon. A tour de force performance from Frank Langella as Richad Nixon, every pore sweating and ever nerve twitching as the former disgraced president trying to absolve himself in the eyes of the world with a four part television interview with David Frost, considered till then a shallow pretty boy more interested in women than in world affairs. But too intimate and limiting to be The Queen of this year (even though it does feature Michael Sheen again, playing Frost rather than Tony Blair here).
Apart from that, as Ashok Amritraj told me, Wall-E, the wonderfully inventive animated movie, has not been nominated for Best Picture; neither has the grad Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood's self proclaimed final acting performance at 78, nor has The Dark Knight. Perhaps it was far too successful to be nominated and even if the blockbuster status could have been avoided (like James Cameron's Titanic) it can't get away from being a franchise film.
Which is where Slumdog Millionaire wins. One for being original (for them, for us, it's a Salim-Javed potboiler made in English). Two for being at the right place at the right time. Instead of going straight to DVD when its co-producer Warner Independent Pictures shut down, Danny Boyle's film instead got picked by Fox Searchlight President Peter Rice, a wise man who not only has a great relationship with Boyle but also has been responsible for picking up and running with gems such as Juno and Little Miss Sunshine in the past.
Monday, 23 February 2009
The world of underdogs: 'Slumdog's' Oscar victory sends a message to the world
Resilience is the key.
The "celluloid Slumdog" risked everything and took it all.
I saw this post by Andy Goldberg on SM on INDIA TODAY website.
It s always good to read differently...
'Slumdog's' Oscar victory sends a message to the world
Andy Goldberg (IANS)
Los Angeles, February 23, 2009
Before "Slumdog Millionaire's" amazing Oscar win pundits were wondering whether art might imitate life. On Sunday night, on the crystal-swathed stage of the Kodak Theatre, and in front of the world's biggest celebrities and a huge global audience, the cliche came true, and then some.
The Mumbai-based movie about the unlikely rise of an inconsequential Indian pauper to win India's most popular game show, won an even more remarkable victory when it swept eight Oscars, including the most coveted one of all for Best Picture of the year.
To put that achievement in perspective, the $14-million movie almost didn't get shown in the US, when its original distributor pulled out of the indie film market after deciding that there was no real chance for a film that was half in Hindi to succeed in the US.
That decision surely ranks alongside that of the producer who passed on the Beatles for failing to recognise how one piece of art can be so profound as to change the entire context which surrounds it.
"Slumdog..." did what all great art aspires to: it communicated across boundaries of culture, geography, economy and language. It shone a light into the heart of characters from Mumbai, but in so doing it taught everyone who saw it - from Mumbai to Milan, from Bangkok to Brazil, and from Lagos to Los Angeles, something about themselves and their immediate world.
Penelope Cruz, who won the supporting actress award for portraying a mentally unstable Spanish woman in "Vicky Christina Barcelona", best explained the magic that lay behind "Slumdog's" success.
"I always felt that this ceremony was a moment of unity for the world," said Cruz, "because art in any form has been will be and will always be our universal language."
The movie has already earned close to $160 million at the global box office, and the Oscar win will surely boost its earning significantly.
That could profoundly change the way films are made and distributed, giving filmmakers and the investors who back them more courage to pursue vibrant, global movies that celebrate cultures and characters that go beyond the usual Hollywood star system.
By choosing "Slumdog" as the year's best movie, the power players of the US film industry also sent a strong message around the world, one that echoed the political approach of the country's new underdog president. No more American hegemony, but new collaboration and respect for the other peoples of the world and their traditions, creativity and culture.
The uniqueness and unmatched energy of "Slumdog's" approach was clear even on the Oscar red carpet. As the regular phalanx of stars strutted the carpet in their glamorous designer togs, the cast and crew of "Slumdog" looked like a big happy family on an annual outing - albeit somewhat incongruously dressed in tuxedos and gowns.
The contrast between the glitz of Hollywood and the grit of Mumbai was striking, but it was also part of the message.
"Together we have been on an extraordinary journey," said producer Christian Colson as he was surrounded on stage by dozens of the cast and crew. "When we started out we had no stars or muscle, we didn't have enough money to do what we wanted to do. We had passion and we had belief and our film shows if you have those two things truly anything is possible."
As though to prove the point, the world's biggest movie stars howled their approval, and gave him a standing ovation.
its
The "celluloid Slumdog" risked everything and took it all.
I saw this post by Andy Goldberg on SM on INDIA TODAY website.
It s always good to read differently...
'Slumdog's' Oscar victory sends a message to the world
Andy Goldberg (IANS)
Los Angeles, February 23, 2009
Before "Slumdog Millionaire's" amazing Oscar win pundits were wondering whether art might imitate life. On Sunday night, on the crystal-swathed stage of the Kodak Theatre, and in front of the world's biggest celebrities and a huge global audience, the cliche came true, and then some.
The Mumbai-based movie about the unlikely rise of an inconsequential Indian pauper to win India's most popular game show, won an even more remarkable victory when it swept eight Oscars, including the most coveted one of all for Best Picture of the year.
To put that achievement in perspective, the $14-million movie almost didn't get shown in the US, when its original distributor pulled out of the indie film market after deciding that there was no real chance for a film that was half in Hindi to succeed in the US.
That decision surely ranks alongside that of the producer who passed on the Beatles for failing to recognise how one piece of art can be so profound as to change the entire context which surrounds it.
"Slumdog..." did what all great art aspires to: it communicated across boundaries of culture, geography, economy and language. It shone a light into the heart of characters from Mumbai, but in so doing it taught everyone who saw it - from Mumbai to Milan, from Bangkok to Brazil, and from Lagos to Los Angeles, something about themselves and their immediate world.
Penelope Cruz, who won the supporting actress award for portraying a mentally unstable Spanish woman in "Vicky Christina Barcelona", best explained the magic that lay behind "Slumdog's" success.
"I always felt that this ceremony was a moment of unity for the world," said Cruz, "because art in any form has been will be and will always be our universal language."
The movie has already earned close to $160 million at the global box office, and the Oscar win will surely boost its earning significantly.
That could profoundly change the way films are made and distributed, giving filmmakers and the investors who back them more courage to pursue vibrant, global movies that celebrate cultures and characters that go beyond the usual Hollywood star system.
By choosing "Slumdog" as the year's best movie, the power players of the US film industry also sent a strong message around the world, one that echoed the political approach of the country's new underdog president. No more American hegemony, but new collaboration and respect for the other peoples of the world and their traditions, creativity and culture.
The uniqueness and unmatched energy of "Slumdog's" approach was clear even on the Oscar red carpet. As the regular phalanx of stars strutted the carpet in their glamorous designer togs, the cast and crew of "Slumdog" looked like a big happy family on an annual outing - albeit somewhat incongruously dressed in tuxedos and gowns.
The contrast between the glitz of Hollywood and the grit of Mumbai was striking, but it was also part of the message.
"Together we have been on an extraordinary journey," said producer Christian Colson as he was surrounded on stage by dozens of the cast and crew. "When we started out we had no stars or muscle, we didn't have enough money to do what we wanted to do. We had passion and we had belief and our film shows if you have those two things truly anything is possible."
As though to prove the point, the world's biggest movie stars howled their approval, and gave him a standing ovation.
its
Sunday, 22 February 2009
lets walk home....
lenten silence is an invitation into integrity.
from all the fragilities and brokenness
it calls us back home....
come lets walk home...
from all the fragilities and brokenness
it calls us back home....
come lets walk home...
The Martyrdom of Polycarp:His story from eyewitness acount.
Who would have thought the old man had so much courage in him? The story you are about to read is the earliest known account of a Christian martyrdom. Written about a.d. 156, within a year of the event it describes, it is an authentic eyewitness report of the heroic death of an elderly man named Polycarp.
Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna, today the city of Izmir, on the west coast of Turkey. He was part of the generation of church leaders who succeeded the apostles. According to one tradition, he was taught by the apostle John and was appointed to his office by the apostles themselves.
We owe the account of Polycarp’s death to the Christians of Smyrna, who wrote it up as a letter and circulated it to all the churches. No wonder they wanted to tell the world: Polycarp’s character and personal relationship with the Lord shine out in its simple words. The apparent defeat of his death becomes a triumphant witness to the resurrection.
Polycarp was martyred before the period of the great persecutions organized from Rome by emperors like Diocletian. His story reveals the tensions that were already building up throughout the empire, as Christians rejected the gods and goddesses that everyone else was worshipping. The pagans called the Christians “atheists” for this apparent lack of religious feeling. But as Polycarp made clear to a Roman government official, the real atheists are those who don’t worship the one true God.
As the story opens in this adaptation of the Martyrdom of Polycarp, a local persecution of Christians has been going on. Some of Smyrna’s Christians have already been put to death, and search parties have been looking for the bishop, who has been persuaded to do the prudent thing and leave town. Someone has just tipped off the pursuers that Polycarp is hiding out at a farmhouse in the country.
The mounted police set out on Friday about suppertime. They carried their usual weapons, as if they were advancing against a bandit. Late in the evening, they arrived to arrest Polycarp and found that he was resting upstairs. He could have escaped to another place but decided to stay. “God’s will be done,” he said.
When Polycarp heard that the police were there, he went downstairs and talked with them. Everyone was amazed at his age and courage and wondered why there should be so much haste about arresting an old man like this. Despite the lateness of the hour, he had a table set for them to eat and drink, as much as they desired. He asked them to give him an hour to pray undisturbed, and they agreed.
So Polycarp stood and prayed out loud. He was so filled with the grace of God that, for two hours, he could not be silent. Those who listened were astounded, and many were sorry that they had come to arrest such a venerable old man.
When Polycarp had finished his prayer, after remembering everyone who had ever crossed his path—both small and great, high and low—and the whole Catholic Church throughout the world, the time came for him to leave. They set him on an ass and led him into the city.
“Save Yourself!” The chief of police, named Herod, and his father, Niketas, met Polycarp there and took him into their carriage. Sitting beside him, they tried to persuade him to change his mind: “What harm is there in saying ‘Lord Caesar,’ and offering sacrifice, and saving yourself from death?”
At first Polycarp did not answer them, but when they kept at it, he said, “I am not going to do what you advise.” Then they gave up trying to persuade him and began to make threats. They forced him out of the carriage so fast that he scraped his shin getting out. Without even turning around, as though he had felt nothing, Polycarp walked on quickly and was taken to the noisy stadium.
As he entered, a voice from heaven came to him: “Be strong, Polycarp, and act like a man.” No one saw the speaker, but our friends who were there heard the voice.
No Fear. Polycarp was brought before the proconsul. He also tried to persuade him to deny the faith. “Respect your age,” he said. “Swear by the divine power of Caesar. Change your mind. Say, ‘Away with the atheists!’ ” But Polycarp, with a solemn look at the unruly mob in the stadium, pointed to them and, looking up to heaven, said, “Away with the atheists!”
The proconsul urged him harder. “Take the oath and I’ll let you go. Curse Christ.”
“Eighty-six years I have served him, and he never did me any wrong,” said Polycarp. “How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”
When the proconsul kept insisting, “Swear by the divine power of Caesar,” Polycarp answered, “If you vainly suppose that I will swear by the divine power of Caesar, as you say, and if you pretend that you do not know who I am, listen plainly: I am a Christian. And if you wish to learn the Christian message, arrange a meeting and give me a hearing.”
“I have wild animals,” the proconsul said. “I’ll throw you to them unless you change your mind.”
“Call them in,” Polycarp replied, “for we are not allowed to change from something better to something worse.”
“Scorn the wild beasts and I’ll have you burned alive, if you don’t change your mind.”
Polycarp said, “You threaten with fire that burns for a short time and is soon quenched. You don’t know about the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment that awaits the wicked. But why are you waiting? Come, do what you will.”
Power to Endure. Polycarp radiated courage and joy as he said these and many other things. Not only did his face show no sign of distress, it was so full of grace that the proconsul was astonished and sent his herald into the middle of the arena three times to announce: “Polycarp has declared that he is a Christian.”
At the herald’s announcement, the whole crowd roared with wild anger and a loud cry: “This is the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our gods, who teaches many to stop offering sacrifice to the gods.” Shouting out with one voice, they demanded that Polycarp be burned alive.
This happened incredibly fast—faster than it takes to tell the story. The mob hurried to gather wood and kindling from the shops and bathhouses. When the pyre was ready, Polycarp took off his outer clothes, unfastened his belt, and tried to take off his shoes.
Immediately they began to pile the wood around him. They were going to nail him to the stake as well, but Polycarp said, “Leave me the way I am. He who gives me power to endure the fire will help me to remain in the flames without moving, even without being secured by nails.”
Aroma of Life. So Polycarp put his hands behind him and was bound, like a noble ram out of a great flock ready for sacrifice, a burnt offering prepared and pleasing to God. Looking up to heaven, he said:
Lord God Almighty, Father of your beloved and blessed Child, Jesus Christ, through whom we have received full knowledge of you, the God of angels and powers and of all creation, and of the whole family of the righteous, who live before you:
I bless you for considering me worthy of this day and hour—of sharing with the martyrs in the cup of your Christ, so as to share in resurrection to everlasting life of soul and body in the Holy Spirit. May I be received among them into your presence today as a rich and acceptable sacrifice.
For this and for everything I praise and glorify you through the eternal and heavenly high priest, Jesus Christ, your beloved Child. Through him and with him, may you be glorified with the Holy Spirit, both now and forever. Amen.
When he had said the amen and finished his prayer, the men in charge of the fire lit it, and a great flame blazed up. We who were given the privilege to witness it saw a great miracle, and we have been kept alive so that we might report to others what happened.
The fire took the shape of a vaulted room, like a ship’s sail filled with wind, and surrounded the body of the martyr like a wall. And he stood inside it—not as burning flesh, but as bread that is being baked, or as gold and silver being refined in a furnace. And we smelled a fragrant aroma, like the scent of incense or other costly spices.
Seeing that his body could not be consumed by the fire, the lawless men finally commanded an executioner to go up and stab Polycarp with a dagger. When he did this, there came out a dove and so much blood that the fire was extinguished.
This indeed was one of God’s chosen ones—the amazing martyr, Polycarp, an apostolic and prophetic teacher in our time, bishop of the Catholic Church in Smyrna.
By his patient endurance he overcame the devil and gained the crown of immortality. Now he rejoices with the apostles and all the saints. He is glorifying God, the Father Almighty, and blessing our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior and Captain of our souls and bodies, and the Shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world.
http://wau.org/resources/article/the_martyrdom_of_polycarp/
Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna, today the city of Izmir, on the west coast of Turkey. He was part of the generation of church leaders who succeeded the apostles. According to one tradition, he was taught by the apostle John and was appointed to his office by the apostles themselves.
We owe the account of Polycarp’s death to the Christians of Smyrna, who wrote it up as a letter and circulated it to all the churches. No wonder they wanted to tell the world: Polycarp’s character and personal relationship with the Lord shine out in its simple words. The apparent defeat of his death becomes a triumphant witness to the resurrection.
Polycarp was martyred before the period of the great persecutions organized from Rome by emperors like Diocletian. His story reveals the tensions that were already building up throughout the empire, as Christians rejected the gods and goddesses that everyone else was worshipping. The pagans called the Christians “atheists” for this apparent lack of religious feeling. But as Polycarp made clear to a Roman government official, the real atheists are those who don’t worship the one true God.
As the story opens in this adaptation of the Martyrdom of Polycarp, a local persecution of Christians has been going on. Some of Smyrna’s Christians have already been put to death, and search parties have been looking for the bishop, who has been persuaded to do the prudent thing and leave town. Someone has just tipped off the pursuers that Polycarp is hiding out at a farmhouse in the country.
The mounted police set out on Friday about suppertime. They carried their usual weapons, as if they were advancing against a bandit. Late in the evening, they arrived to arrest Polycarp and found that he was resting upstairs. He could have escaped to another place but decided to stay. “God’s will be done,” he said.
When Polycarp heard that the police were there, he went downstairs and talked with them. Everyone was amazed at his age and courage and wondered why there should be so much haste about arresting an old man like this. Despite the lateness of the hour, he had a table set for them to eat and drink, as much as they desired. He asked them to give him an hour to pray undisturbed, and they agreed.
So Polycarp stood and prayed out loud. He was so filled with the grace of God that, for two hours, he could not be silent. Those who listened were astounded, and many were sorry that they had come to arrest such a venerable old man.
When Polycarp had finished his prayer, after remembering everyone who had ever crossed his path—both small and great, high and low—and the whole Catholic Church throughout the world, the time came for him to leave. They set him on an ass and led him into the city.
“Save Yourself!” The chief of police, named Herod, and his father, Niketas, met Polycarp there and took him into their carriage. Sitting beside him, they tried to persuade him to change his mind: “What harm is there in saying ‘Lord Caesar,’ and offering sacrifice, and saving yourself from death?”
At first Polycarp did not answer them, but when they kept at it, he said, “I am not going to do what you advise.” Then they gave up trying to persuade him and began to make threats. They forced him out of the carriage so fast that he scraped his shin getting out. Without even turning around, as though he had felt nothing, Polycarp walked on quickly and was taken to the noisy stadium.
As he entered, a voice from heaven came to him: “Be strong, Polycarp, and act like a man.” No one saw the speaker, but our friends who were there heard the voice.
No Fear. Polycarp was brought before the proconsul. He also tried to persuade him to deny the faith. “Respect your age,” he said. “Swear by the divine power of Caesar. Change your mind. Say, ‘Away with the atheists!’ ” But Polycarp, with a solemn look at the unruly mob in the stadium, pointed to them and, looking up to heaven, said, “Away with the atheists!”
The proconsul urged him harder. “Take the oath and I’ll let you go. Curse Christ.”
“Eighty-six years I have served him, and he never did me any wrong,” said Polycarp. “How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”
When the proconsul kept insisting, “Swear by the divine power of Caesar,” Polycarp answered, “If you vainly suppose that I will swear by the divine power of Caesar, as you say, and if you pretend that you do not know who I am, listen plainly: I am a Christian. And if you wish to learn the Christian message, arrange a meeting and give me a hearing.”
“I have wild animals,” the proconsul said. “I’ll throw you to them unless you change your mind.”
“Call them in,” Polycarp replied, “for we are not allowed to change from something better to something worse.”
“Scorn the wild beasts and I’ll have you burned alive, if you don’t change your mind.”
Polycarp said, “You threaten with fire that burns for a short time and is soon quenched. You don’t know about the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment that awaits the wicked. But why are you waiting? Come, do what you will.”
Power to Endure. Polycarp radiated courage and joy as he said these and many other things. Not only did his face show no sign of distress, it was so full of grace that the proconsul was astonished and sent his herald into the middle of the arena three times to announce: “Polycarp has declared that he is a Christian.”
At the herald’s announcement, the whole crowd roared with wild anger and a loud cry: “This is the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our gods, who teaches many to stop offering sacrifice to the gods.” Shouting out with one voice, they demanded that Polycarp be burned alive.
This happened incredibly fast—faster than it takes to tell the story. The mob hurried to gather wood and kindling from the shops and bathhouses. When the pyre was ready, Polycarp took off his outer clothes, unfastened his belt, and tried to take off his shoes.
Immediately they began to pile the wood around him. They were going to nail him to the stake as well, but Polycarp said, “Leave me the way I am. He who gives me power to endure the fire will help me to remain in the flames without moving, even without being secured by nails.”
Aroma of Life. So Polycarp put his hands behind him and was bound, like a noble ram out of a great flock ready for sacrifice, a burnt offering prepared and pleasing to God. Looking up to heaven, he said:
Lord God Almighty, Father of your beloved and blessed Child, Jesus Christ, through whom we have received full knowledge of you, the God of angels and powers and of all creation, and of the whole family of the righteous, who live before you:
I bless you for considering me worthy of this day and hour—of sharing with the martyrs in the cup of your Christ, so as to share in resurrection to everlasting life of soul and body in the Holy Spirit. May I be received among them into your presence today as a rich and acceptable sacrifice.
For this and for everything I praise and glorify you through the eternal and heavenly high priest, Jesus Christ, your beloved Child. Through him and with him, may you be glorified with the Holy Spirit, both now and forever. Amen.
When he had said the amen and finished his prayer, the men in charge of the fire lit it, and a great flame blazed up. We who were given the privilege to witness it saw a great miracle, and we have been kept alive so that we might report to others what happened.
The fire took the shape of a vaulted room, like a ship’s sail filled with wind, and surrounded the body of the martyr like a wall. And he stood inside it—not as burning flesh, but as bread that is being baked, or as gold and silver being refined in a furnace. And we smelled a fragrant aroma, like the scent of incense or other costly spices.
Seeing that his body could not be consumed by the fire, the lawless men finally commanded an executioner to go up and stab Polycarp with a dagger. When he did this, there came out a dove and so much blood that the fire was extinguished.
This indeed was one of God’s chosen ones—the amazing martyr, Polycarp, an apostolic and prophetic teacher in our time, bishop of the Catholic Church in Smyrna.
By his patient endurance he overcame the devil and gained the crown of immortality. Now he rejoices with the apostles and all the saints. He is glorifying God, the Father Almighty, and blessing our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior and Captain of our souls and bodies, and the Shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world.
http://wau.org/resources/article/the_martyrdom_of_polycarp/
Quebec: From Churches to Restaurants
In Quebec today, there are many catholic churchs that are forced to shut down despite the goodwill and immense financial sacrifice of christians who practise.
But yet we find many chruches that turn into appartements, and even restaurents.
the following pictures are from quebec:
catwalk in the church-turned-Restaurant
http://www.lesaint.ca/ccfc/janvier_07/dejeuner_01_07-1.html
http://www.ledevoir.com/2009/02/21/235071.html
But yet we find many chruches that turn into appartements, and even restaurents.
the following pictures are from quebec:
http://www.lesaint.ca/ccfc/janvier_07/dejeuner_01_07-1.html
http://www.ledevoir.com/2009/02/21/235071.html
La fascination des profondeurs: why western minds often ends up with Sacred Cows...
Why the western mind often gets struck at the sight of a Sacred Cow?
Even in this ultra-technological era, India facinates the world.
India is not an answer to all the facination sof the world, but it indeed is an inspiration.
And that exactly the core of reason...
i came upon a well written response online. the text comes in french:
L'Inde ne s'est jamais intéressée à sa propre Histoire, mais il reste assez d'indications dans son immense littérature et dans les témoignages des anciens voyageurs pour en reconstituer les faits principaux.: observes Alain Joly in the small introduction
Amaury de Riencourt obseves in the main text:
La profondeur spécifique de la pensée indienne est, en conséquence, hors d'atteinte pour la plupart des étrangers, qu'ils soient asiatiques ou occidentaux. Les Indiens ont été capables d'outrepasser leurs limitations biologiques et de rôder à volonté dans les royaumes transcendantaux d'où l'intellect est à jamais banni. Mais peu d'entre eux sont revenus, probablement attirés, comme les plongeurs, par quelque irrésistible « fascination des profondeurs ». Les très rares qui en sont revenus sont les grands saints et maîtres qui illuminent la longue histoire de l'Inde jusqu'à nos jours, les seuls produits substantiels d'une civilisation pétrifiée à bien d'autres égards.
any way this makes a great read.
if you find an english version of it please add it up as a comment.
you can find the link to the original webpage below...
L'Âme de l'Inde: "La pensée indienne", Amaury de Riencourt © Editions L'Age d'Homme.
Monday, 16 February 2009
A small story...
I received this story by e-mail.
It may be a common one..but it tells a lot...
hv a happy read...
A Small Story…
A boy and a girl were playing together.
The boy had a collection of marbles.
The girl had some sweets with her.
The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets.
The girl agreed.
The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl.
The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised.
That night, the girl slept peacefully.
But the boy couldn't sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.
Moral of the story: If you don't give your hundred percent in a relationship, you'll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent.. This is applicable for any relationship like love, employer-employee relationship etc., Give your hundred percent to everything you do and sleep peacefully
"There is only one happiness in life, To Love and be Loved"
It may be a common one..but it tells a lot...
hv a happy read...
A Small Story… A boy and a girl were playing together.
The boy had a collection of marbles.
The girl had some sweets with her.
The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets.
The girl agreed.
The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl.
The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised.
That night, the girl slept peacefully.
But the boy couldn't sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.
Moral of the story: If you don't give your hundred percent in a relationship, you'll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent.. This is applicable for any relationship like love, employer-employee relationship etc., Give your hundred percent to everything you do and sleep peacefully
"There is only one happiness in life, To Love and be Loved"
War in Sri Lanka: images and statistics
IMAGES OF WAR
( La guerre du Sri Lanka: Images d'une guerre oubliée)
La discrétion de visionneuse est conseillée
Viewer discretion is advised
These images are from Sri Lanka. They are very hard,but they are real.
I am not taking any sides, but i speak for the humanity.
You have the right to know, it is a great violation of human rights...
we shall not forget...
Sri Lanka situation: peace is not a choice, it is a must.
Friday, 23 January 2009
Learning from a Real Shepherd, Dr. W Phillip Keller
A Sheep Looks at Psalm 23
It's no secret that sheep are not the most intelligent of the animal kingdom. They need a shepherd! In the darkest time of my life it was Psalm 23 that comforted me over and over. But I must admit I was baffled by "They rod and
thy staff, they comfort me." Growing up as I did, rods were not used to comfort me!
In the early '70s I bought a book written by Dr. W. Phillip Keller called A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23 ©1969 The Zondervan Corporation. The late Dr W Phillip Keller was born in East Africa and was always an "outdoors" boy. He was trained in agronomy (management of farm land) and spent many years on ranches in British Columbia. He lived among the sheep and their shepherds and was a keen observer of sheep and their relationship to the shepherd. So he knew what he was talking about when he wrote his books on shepherding!
This was one of the most informative books I have ever read. David, the author of this poem was not only a shepherd, but also a son of a shepherd. He would later be known as the "Shepherd King" of Israel. David stated "The LORD is my Shepherd" and he was referring to Jehovah, the Lord God of Israel. How interesting that David wrote this poem as both a shepherd and as a sheep needing a shepherd! His statement, "The LORD is my Shepherd," was later confirmed by Jesus Christ when He said, "I am the good shepherd: the shepherd lays down his life for his sheep." (John 10:11)
Sheep Need a Shepherd! Dr Keller pointed out that sheep cannot just take care of themselves. They need a shepherd who knows every inch of the land, every pit fall, and every hide out where predatory creatures hide as they wait for the unsuspecting sheep. He compares their intelligence and knowledge to the shepherd's, then draws the parallel between our limited abilities and God's Divine Intelligence. He refers to Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way." And then he says it is no mere whim that God refers to us as sheep. He calls our rush to self-determination "self-destructive" and "terrifying". He attributes it to arrogance and pride on our part.
Now the shepherd does not beat his sheep with the rod or staff. When the shepherd is in the field with his sheep, it is customary to carry the bare minimum of equipment. The African herdsmen shepherd their stock with only a long slender stick and a rough knob-kerrie in their hands. Each shepherd boy takes special pride in the selection of a rod and staff exactly suited to his own size and strength. The sapling from which the rod is carved is shaped to exactly fit the owner's hand. The boy then spends hours practicing with this club, learning how to throw it with amazing speed and accuracy because it will become his main weapon of defense for both himself and his sheep.
The Authority of the Shepherd The rod was an extension of the owner's own right arm. It stood as a symbol of his strength, his power, his authority in any serious situation. It was also the instrument he used to discipline and correct any wayward sheep that insisted on wandering away. The rod speaks of the spoken Word, the expressed intent, the extended activity of God's mind and will in dealing with men. It is the authority of divinity: "Thus said the Lord." How do we know this?
Remember Moses? When God called him, the desert shepherd, and sent him to deliver Israel out of Egypt from under Pharaoh's bondage, it was his rod that was to demonstrate the power vested in him. It was always through Moses' rod that miracles were made manifest! This was so the people of Israel would be reassured of God's sovereignty, as well as to convince Pharaoh of Moses' divine commission. The Word of God is a comfort to this sheep, I can tell you - especially the Psalms.
Protection of the Sheep It has been often said that The Word of God (Bible) will keep us from sin. It is clearly demonstrated in the hurling of the African herders' knob-kerries at predatory beasts, or at a sheep entering poisonous grass, or at a stubborn sheep straying from the protection of the herd. All those sheep had to hear was the whirling of the club and they would scurry back to the herd.
Counting the Sheep Also, the rod was used in the counting of the sheep. In the Hebrew terminology of the Old Testament this was referred to as passing "under the rod" (Ezekiel 20:37). This meant not only being counted, but being carefully inspected by the sheepherder. Because of their long wool (or in humans, their persona) it was not always easy to detect disease, wounds, or defects in sheep. The skilled judge would take his rod and part the sheep's wool to determine the condition of the skin, the cleanliness of the fleece, and the conformation of the body. As Dr Keller said, "In plain language, 'One just does not pull the wool over his eyes.'"
Intimate Inspection of the Sheep The shepherd carefully inspects each and every sheep. He outstretches his rod, the sheep stops, and then the inch-by-inch examination of each sheep is performed in intimate detail. This is what is being referred to in Psalm 139:23-24 when the psalmist wrote, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
This brings such joy to my soul! To think that my shepherd, Jesus Christ, cares so much for me that He's intimately familiar with all the jots and tittles of my mind, emotions, will, body, dreams, thoughts... just every nuance of me, all known to Him! And there's nothing I, or anyone else can do to "pull the wool over His eyes"!
As a Christian, I am so blessed to have the written rod - the written Word of God -- to keep me from danger! It doesn't take a genius to figure out not only can the world be a dangerous place, but just living inside my own mind can be dangerous! The more I measure my thoughts and feelings against "the rod", the less likely I will wander off into self-destructive behaviors.
So now that I have an understanding of what "the rod and staff" are really for, I love reading God's Written Word! It is a "lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/516303/learning_from_a_real_shepherd_dr_w.html?singlepage=true&cat=34
It's no secret that sheep are not the most intelligent of the animal kingdom. They need a shepherd! In the darkest time of my life it was Psalm 23 that comforted me over and over. But I must admit I was baffled by "They rod and
thy staff, they comfort me." Growing up as I did, rods were not used to comfort me!
In the early '70s I bought a book written by Dr. W. Phillip Keller called A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23 ©1969 The Zondervan Corporation. The late Dr W Phillip Keller was born in East Africa and was always an "outdoors" boy. He was trained in agronomy (management of farm land) and spent many years on ranches in British Columbia. He lived among the sheep and their shepherds and was a keen observer of sheep and their relationship to the shepherd. So he knew what he was talking about when he wrote his books on shepherding!
This was one of the most informative books I have ever read. David, the author of this poem was not only a shepherd, but also a son of a shepherd. He would later be known as the "Shepherd King" of Israel. David stated "The LORD is my Shepherd" and he was referring to Jehovah, the Lord God of Israel. How interesting that David wrote this poem as both a shepherd and as a sheep needing a shepherd! His statement, "The LORD is my Shepherd," was later confirmed by Jesus Christ when He said, "I am the good shepherd: the shepherd lays down his life for his sheep." (John 10:11)
Sheep Need a Shepherd! Dr Keller pointed out that sheep cannot just take care of themselves. They need a shepherd who knows every inch of the land, every pit fall, and every hide out where predatory creatures hide as they wait for the unsuspecting sheep. He compares their intelligence and knowledge to the shepherd's, then draws the parallel between our limited abilities and God's Divine Intelligence. He refers to Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way." And then he says it is no mere whim that God refers to us as sheep. He calls our rush to self-determination "self-destructive" and "terrifying". He attributes it to arrogance and pride on our part.
Now the shepherd does not beat his sheep with the rod or staff. When the shepherd is in the field with his sheep, it is customary to carry the bare minimum of equipment. The African herdsmen shepherd their stock with only a long slender stick and a rough knob-kerrie in their hands. Each shepherd boy takes special pride in the selection of a rod and staff exactly suited to his own size and strength. The sapling from which the rod is carved is shaped to exactly fit the owner's hand. The boy then spends hours practicing with this club, learning how to throw it with amazing speed and accuracy because it will become his main weapon of defense for both himself and his sheep.
The Authority of the Shepherd The rod was an extension of the owner's own right arm. It stood as a symbol of his strength, his power, his authority in any serious situation. It was also the instrument he used to discipline and correct any wayward sheep that insisted on wandering away. The rod speaks of the spoken Word, the expressed intent, the extended activity of God's mind and will in dealing with men. It is the authority of divinity: "Thus said the Lord." How do we know this?
Remember Moses? When God called him, the desert shepherd, and sent him to deliver Israel out of Egypt from under Pharaoh's bondage, it was his rod that was to demonstrate the power vested in him. It was always through Moses' rod that miracles were made manifest! This was so the people of Israel would be reassured of God's sovereignty, as well as to convince Pharaoh of Moses' divine commission. The Word of God is a comfort to this sheep, I can tell you - especially the Psalms.
Protection of the Sheep It has been often said that The Word of God (Bible) will keep us from sin. It is clearly demonstrated in the hurling of the African herders' knob-kerries at predatory beasts, or at a sheep entering poisonous grass, or at a stubborn sheep straying from the protection of the herd. All those sheep had to hear was the whirling of the club and they would scurry back to the herd.
Counting the Sheep Also, the rod was used in the counting of the sheep. In the Hebrew terminology of the Old Testament this was referred to as passing "under the rod" (Ezekiel 20:37). This meant not only being counted, but being carefully inspected by the sheepherder. Because of their long wool (or in humans, their persona) it was not always easy to detect disease, wounds, or defects in sheep. The skilled judge would take his rod and part the sheep's wool to determine the condition of the skin, the cleanliness of the fleece, and the conformation of the body. As Dr Keller said, "In plain language, 'One just does not pull the wool over his eyes.'"
Intimate Inspection of the Sheep The shepherd carefully inspects each and every sheep. He outstretches his rod, the sheep stops, and then the inch-by-inch examination of each sheep is performed in intimate detail. This is what is being referred to in Psalm 139:23-24 when the psalmist wrote, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
This brings such joy to my soul! To think that my shepherd, Jesus Christ, cares so much for me that He's intimately familiar with all the jots and tittles of my mind, emotions, will, body, dreams, thoughts... just every nuance of me, all known to Him! And there's nothing I, or anyone else can do to "pull the wool over His eyes"!
As a Christian, I am so blessed to have the written rod - the written Word of God -- to keep me from danger! It doesn't take a genius to figure out not only can the world be a dangerous place, but just living inside my own mind can be dangerous! The more I measure my thoughts and feelings against "the rod", the less likely I will wander off into self-destructive behaviors.
So now that I have an understanding of what "the rod and staff" are really for, I love reading God's Written Word! It is a "lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/516303/learning_from_a_real_shepherd_dr_w.html?singlepage=true&cat=34
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Living with Terrorism
(Here i republish an article from lorantalk.blogspot.com)
Terrorism has no heart, no feelings but humankind has to live with but we need to make corrections in our way of life.
Every citizen should wake up to patriotic feelings shed away differences of religion, caste, region and vote to bring impartial candidates. Support the law keepers to allow stringent security at any point, inform about suspicious characters and activities, allow a feeling of unity rejecting acts of divisive politics. Any body breaking the law starting from basic traffic crimes should be dealt with severely as to bring about the discipline of a law abiding nation. Even with any sort of security if traitors within our country help these perpetrators we will still end up in such similar sieges.
Have any country been able to stop the sea piracy that still goes even with availability of the latest gadgets onboard? But the enemy also tends to have the advantage of these new found technologies with the type of funding received from such supporting bodies. Hence only with sensible citizen assistances can we eliminate such barbaric activities. Yes, money is an element which could buy cowards who would rob our country of a peaceful state and all our NRI's should remember not to criticize our country but help to build a nation which has 110 crores of peoples of all diversity rather than compare it other nations developed over a longer period with a limited controllable population. In our humble way we need to start addressing problems of enmity, shed differences in communities, win friendship with our show of compassion and love rather with threats of war to endanger more lives with terror sown into young minds.
If we could induce discipline into our society it will in a period of time improve sensible thinking into the public to elect better candidate rather be fooled by false election promises. If Indians own and manage many great MNC's in the world with international standards, an indicator that we possess the best people who can manage our country in good sensible manner provided the public be able to impartially sort the good ones.
At this hour of crisis we must adopt practical thinking with the limited resources within our system. Without wasting time the present existing laws must be enforced in total faith, book all those politicians who think above the law inciting communal feeling. All such fundamental groups inciting/terrorising such passion also should be banned to start putting our house in order. End result the job of the security officers would become easier with freedom to concentrate on security management.
This the People of India should stand up together to make our Land free from such hate crimes.
Donald DCruz, Mundakkal West, Kollam -691001.
Terrorism has no heart, no feelings but humankind has to live with but we need to make corrections in our way of life.
Every citizen should wake up to patriotic feelings shed away differences of religion, caste, region and vote to bring impartial candidates. Support the law keepers to allow stringent security at any point, inform about suspicious characters and activities, allow a feeling of unity rejecting acts of divisive politics. Any body breaking the law starting from basic traffic crimes should be dealt with severely as to bring about the discipline of a law abiding nation. Even with any sort of security if traitors within our country help these perpetrators we will still end up in such similar sieges.
Have any country been able to stop the sea piracy that still goes even with availability of the latest gadgets onboard? But the enemy also tends to have the advantage of these new found technologies with the type of funding received from such supporting bodies. Hence only with sensible citizen assistances can we eliminate such barbaric activities. Yes, money is an element which could buy cowards who would rob our country of a peaceful state and all our NRI's should remember not to criticize our country but help to build a nation which has 110 crores of peoples of all diversity rather than compare it other nations developed over a longer period with a limited controllable population. In our humble way we need to start addressing problems of enmity, shed differences in communities, win friendship with our show of compassion and love rather with threats of war to endanger more lives with terror sown into young minds.
If we could induce discipline into our society it will in a period of time improve sensible thinking into the public to elect better candidate rather be fooled by false election promises. If Indians own and manage many great MNC's in the world with international standards, an indicator that we possess the best people who can manage our country in good sensible manner provided the public be able to impartially sort the good ones.
At this hour of crisis we must adopt practical thinking with the limited resources within our system. Without wasting time the present existing laws must be enforced in total faith, book all those politicians who think above the law inciting communal feeling. All such fundamental groups inciting/terrorising such passion also should be banned to start putting our house in order. End result the job of the security officers would become easier with freedom to concentrate on security management.
This the People of India should stand up together to make our Land free from such hate crimes.
Donald DCruz, Mundakkal West, Kollam -691001.
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
India, an Exporter of Priests, May Keep Them
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/30/us/30priest.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1230605531-eKJNDT2jxZ197Bew8PK8Kg&pagewanted=all
Le verbe s'est fait chair
Le temps de Noël set le temps où nous tenons dans nos bras le petit enfant Jésus que Marie nous a confié. Aujourd'hui, saint Jean l'évangéliste vient s'asseoir à côté de nous et nous raconte QUI est vraiment Jésus. Et il le fait délicatement, en plusieurs étapes, comme pour nous aider à entrer dans ce mystère.
Tout d'abord, nous dit-il, Jésus, c'est le Christ, qu'on appelle aussi le Verbe, La parole du Père.
Puis, saint Jean nous raconte le rôle du fils de Dieu dans la création du monde. La Père a tout créé par le fils et dans l'Esprit.
En d'autres termes, on pourrait dire que le Verbe est la parole créatrice, sortie de la bouche du père, dans un même Esprit d'amour.
Et saitn Jean termine son enseignement en nous parlant de la Joie que nous partageons avec Marie et Joseph dans la crèche: la joie de saisir que Le verbe s'est fait chair.
Le verbe s'est fait chair: une révélation si difficile à intégrer dans la tête et si facile à saisir par le cœur, qu'un petit enfant le comprend parfois mieux que nos esprits d'adultes compliqués .
Alors retrouvons notre cœur d'enfants, laissons-nous émerveiller devant une telle preuve vivante de l'amour de Dieu, pour chacun d'entre nous.... AMEN.
Tout d'abord, nous dit-il, Jésus, c'est le Christ, qu'on appelle aussi le Verbe, La parole du Père.
Puis, saint Jean nous raconte le rôle du fils de Dieu dans la création du monde. La Père a tout créé par le fils et dans l'Esprit.
En d'autres termes, on pourrait dire que le Verbe est la parole créatrice, sortie de la bouche du père, dans un même Esprit d'amour.
Et saitn Jean termine son enseignement en nous parlant de la Joie que nous partageons avec Marie et Joseph dans la crèche: la joie de saisir que Le verbe s'est fait chair.
Le verbe s'est fait chair: une révélation si difficile à intégrer dans la tête et si facile à saisir par le cœur, qu'un petit enfant le comprend parfois mieux que nos esprits d'adultes compliqués .
Alors retrouvons notre cœur d'enfants, laissons-nous émerveiller devant une telle preuve vivante de l'amour de Dieu, pour chacun d'entre nous.... AMEN.
Monday, 29 December 2008
La Prophétesse Anne
Est-ce Que L'espérance produit le message de l'évangile s'adresse au monde entier?
Même, si la message est donné à quelque personne en particulier, il s'adresse au monde entier.
Ce fait vérifié ,sur tout ,dans le nouveau Testament est un élément formidable de la parole de Dieu.
La prophétesse Anne, tout comme Syméon, a une relation intime avec Dieu.
Elle a, comme Syméon, le privilège de reconnaître le Messie.
Elle aussi a, louer le Seigneur, même si son cantique n'est pas rapporté dans l'évangile. Peu de personnes ont su, comme Syméon et Anne, que cet enfant présenté au temple, était le Messie attendu.
Syméon et Anne étaient des personnes qui cultivaient une relation intime avec Dieu.
C'étaient des gens ordinaires comme vous et moi.
Dieu s'est fait connaître à tous qui desirent le connaître et le faire connaître intimement.
Syméon et Anne sont de ceux-là.
Ils sont deux privilégies à qui le saint Esprit, à révélé la véritable identité du petit enfant.
Approchez-vous de Dieu, et il se fera connaître à vous.
Approchez-vous de Dieu en lisent et en méditant sa parole, tout en lui demandent de vous éclairer,
car notre Dieu est un Dieu de lumière.
Image: icones.priere.free.fr/ presentation.htm
Monday, 15 December 2008
God’s Extraordinary Plan: The genealogy of Jesus
God’s Extraordinary Plan
The genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17).
By: Steven Roe
While the inclusion of Jesus’ genealogy may seem tedious to us today, it establishes Jesus’ place within the Jewish tradition and his continuity with great Old Testament figures.
It also highlights the Father’s deliberate preparation for the sending of the Son. God carefully unfolded his plan by using his people across the generations—some admirable and some not.
Bible scholars have long commented on the “irregularities” found in Matthew’s genealogy, especially its inclusion of women, an unusual occurrence in Jewish genealogies of that time. St. Jerome said that Matthew chose sinful women for his list, such as Rahab, but this doesn’t accurately explain Ruth’s inclusion. Others have said that Matthew chose foreign women, which is true of Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth. Still others have commented that their “irregularity” is the very thing the women in Matthew have in common. Yet each also played an extraordinary part in the history of Israel. They thus prepared the way for the unique and extraordinary role of Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus.
God worked in all of these unique individuals to prepare for the coming of his Son. We can find encouragement in this fact. Whether we are high and mighty or lowly and limited, God invites us and uses us to bring Jesus to others, just as Mary brought him to us. However “irregular” we may consider ourselves, the Father lets nothing stand in the way of his love, not even ourselves. What joyful hope this instills in us, that God uses us in an extraordinary way to bring his Son to others! In this sense, we participate in the ongoing genealogy of Christ.
1. Which names do you recognize from Matthew’s list? Whose story are you most familiar with, and how does that story add to your understanding of Jesus?
2. If you could create your own Christian genealogy, who would you include in your list? What individuals or groups have most significantly influenced your own walk with Christ?
3. Do you know anyone who feels alienated from the church because of events in his or her past? What could you do to show them that God loves them and welcomes them back?
Article Taken From: Matthew: A Catholic Guide For Personal Study And Faith Sharing. General Editor Stephen Roe.
http://wau.org/resources/article/gods_extraordinary_plan/
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Sunday, 9 November 2008
Homily for November 9, 2008: Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica
i find thoughts on francis of assisi. thank you
_________________________________________________
This is one of the more unusual feasts on the church calendar. It doesn’t commemorate a saint, or a biblical event. It celebrates a building. Specifically, the Lateran Basilica, in Rome. It’s the oldest of the four major basilicas in Rome, and as such serves as the official “home” of the pope – the seat of the bishop of Rome. St. Peter’s gets all the attention, but it’s the Lateran that is really the “pope’s church.”
A few years ago, my wife and I got to visit Rome and see the Lateran. You’ll find some remarkable objects – above the altar there are relics of St. Peter and St. Paul. There is also wood that is said to come from the table of the Last Supper.
But one of the most striking spots is actually outside the church. If you go to the square across the street, you’ll see a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, with his arms outstretched. It commemorates an important moment in church history: the Lateran is where Francis went to ask the pope for permission to start a religious order. And if you remember the story, his inspiration was a voice that he heard in prayer, a voice that told Francis “Rebuild my church.”
Well, if you step back from the statue of Francis and stand behind it, and look at it from a particular angle, between St. Francis’s outstretched arms you see the Lateran Basilica. He appears to be holding it up with his hands.
It’s a great image – and a great lesson.
A church building is brick and mortar, wood and glass. But – ultimately – it is supported by the arms and the labor of those who love it.
Ultimately, it is people.
It is you. It is me.
“You are God’s building,” Paul writes to the Corinthians. “You are the temple of God and the Spirit dwells in you.”
And it is up to us to keep the spirit – and to spread it – and to help it to dwell in others.
This Sunday, we’re marking “Stewardship Sunday” or “Commitment Sunday.” You’ll be seeing a short movie about that at the end of mass. I think it shows in a beautiful way how our arms support this church – how we all, together, lift it up to God. And how we then become God’s building, His dwelling place. Indeed, when we receive the Eucharist, as we will in a few moments, we become living tabernacles.
And it all begins here, in this tabernacle, this temple of God.
Many of you may remember Gene Flood, a longtime parishioner here. Gene was an important part of this parish’s history: he was the first baby baptized in this church. And nearly eight decades later, at his funeral here, his casket was sprinkled with holy water from the same font in which he was baptized. It was a beautiful reminder of how we mark so much of our sacramental lives within these walls. From baptisms to funerals and a thousand moments in between.
We are church. But this church, in ways large and small, is us. It is where we measure and mark our lives. And it becomes a part of us.
But there is one part that cannot be emphasized enough.
In his autobiography, Thomas Merton wrote, “I thought churches were simply places where people got together and sang a few hymns…and yet now I tell you, it is the Sacrament…Christ living in our midst…it is He alone who holds our world together.”
That is what this is really all about. That’s why we are here. That’s why we have the youth programs and the choir and RCIA and pastoral care and all the things that stewardship supports. It is to ensure that this sacrament, Christ living in our midst, continues to hold our world together through all that the parish does, all our ministers do, all that we do, together.
We do it because of this: the One who draws us to this sacred place. The One who nourishes our hopes, and who calms our fears, and who makes of each of us – with all our flaws and imperfections – his tabernacle.
It is all because of Christ in the Eucharist.
Remember that. Cherish that. And celebrate it.
Because when all is said and done, that is really what we are supporting.
Our prayer should be that we do that with joy, and with zeal and -- like that statue of St. Francis shows -- with open arms and open hearts.
A few years ago, my wife and I got to visit Rome and see the Lateran. You’ll find some remarkable objects – above the altar there are relics of St. Peter and St. Paul. There is also wood that is said to come from the table of the Last Supper.
But one of the most striking spots is actually outside the church. If you go to the square across the street, you’ll see a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, with his arms outstretched. It commemorates an important moment in church history: the Lateran is where Francis went to ask the pope for permission to start a religious order. And if you remember the story, his inspiration was a voice that he heard in prayer, a voice that told Francis “Rebuild my church.” Well, if you step back from the statue of Francis and stand behind it, and look at it from a particular angle, between St. Francis’s outstretched arms you see the Lateran Basilica. He appears to be holding it up with his hands.
It’s a great image – and a great lesson.
A church building is brick and mortar, wood and glass. But – ultimately – it is supported by the arms and the labor of those who love it.
Ultimately, it is people.
It is you. It is me.
“You are God’s building,” Paul writes to the Corinthians. “You are the temple of God and the Spirit dwells in you.”
And it is up to us to keep the spirit – and to spread it – and to help it to dwell in others.
This Sunday, we’re marking “Stewardship Sunday” or “Commitment Sunday.” You’ll be seeing a short movie about that at the end of mass. I think it shows in a beautiful way how our arms support this church – how we all, together, lift it up to God. And how we then become God’s building, His dwelling place. Indeed, when we receive the Eucharist, as we will in a few moments, we become living tabernacles.
And it all begins here, in this tabernacle, this temple of God.
Many of you may remember Gene Flood, a longtime parishioner here. Gene was an important part of this parish’s history: he was the first baby baptized in this church. And nearly eight decades later, at his funeral here, his casket was sprinkled with holy water from the same font in which he was baptized. It was a beautiful reminder of how we mark so much of our sacramental lives within these walls. From baptisms to funerals and a thousand moments in between.
We are church. But this church, in ways large and small, is us. It is where we measure and mark our lives. And it becomes a part of us.
But there is one part that cannot be emphasized enough.
In his autobiography, Thomas Merton wrote, “I thought churches were simply places where people got together and sang a few hymns…and yet now I tell you, it is the Sacrament…Christ living in our midst…it is He alone who holds our world together.”
That is what this is really all about. That’s why we are here. That’s why we have the youth programs and the choir and RCIA and pastoral care and all the things that stewardship supports. It is to ensure that this sacrament, Christ living in our midst, continues to hold our world together through all that the parish does, all our ministers do, all that we do, together.
We do it because of this: the One who draws us to this sacred place. The One who nourishes our hopes, and who calms our fears, and who makes of each of us – with all our flaws and imperfections – his tabernacle.
It is all because of Christ in the Eucharist.
Remember that. Cherish that. And celebrate it.
Because when all is said and done, that is really what we are supporting.
Our prayer should be that we do that with joy, and with zeal and -- like that statue of St. Francis shows -- with open arms and open hearts.
Saturday, 1 November 2008
Religion Impacts Size of Wallet
A study of religious affiliations finds some denominations are richer.
By: Carlin Flora
Christian fundamentalists may be at a disadvantage when it comes to cash. A study found a strong link between religious affiliation and wealth in the U.S., with Jews earning the most, and conservative Protestants the least.
Lisa Keister, an associate professor of sociology at Ohio State University, analyzed longitudinal surveys of nearly 5,000 Americans. She found the median net worth of Jewish participants to be $150,890. Conservative Protestants—including Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists and Christian Scientists—were worth an average of $26,200. Catholics and mainstream Protestants—including Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Unitarians and others—fell in between at about $60,000.
Keister explained the connection between faith and pocketbook by pointing to the role that religion plays in the family. "Families have a big impact on future wealth accumulation, and religion is a big part of family life," says Keister. The study took into account age, education, race and other factors that influence wealth, such as inheritance.
Why were Jews worth so much more, on average? For one, Jewish participants were much more likely to invest in financial versus real assets, meaning stocks and bonds instead of houses. They also began investing much earlier than non-Jews. A strong emphasis on education and good financial habits in Jewish homes contributes, as well as more and better opportunities to increase "social capital."
Keister speculates that conservative Protestants, in contrast, are more interested in the afterlife than in achieving success in this world. Higher fertility rates and hostility toward formal education could also work against their bank accounts. A literalist interpretation of the Bible may also discourage the accumulation of wealth.
Keister does not think the study promotes anti-Semitic stereotypes; rather, she believes that the research provides lessons that could lessen differences between groups. And they don't involve religious conversion. "If we can teach people the basics of saving and saving early, we could improve their well-being," she says.
The study was published in Social Forces.
Psychology Today Magazine, Sep/Oct 2003
Last Reviewed 14 Oct 2008
Article ID: 3014
Last Reviewed 14 Oct 2008
Article ID: 3014
ALL SOULS DAY
"Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them."
[Saint John Chrysostom - 4th century]
Aladar Korosfoi-Kriesch
All Souls' Day --1910 Oil on canvas, 51,5 x 72,5 cm
Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest
All Souls' Day --1910 Oil on canvas, 51,5 x 72,5 cm
Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest
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