This morning, I bought a copy of the monthly Catholic Asian News because I heard that there is an article by Father Paulino Miranda. If you can recall, he was one of the 22 people who were brutally, violently, rudely, roughly (add your own descriptions) detained during one of the candlelight vigil in PJ.
I have long wondered what caused Father Paulino to be detained? I read in an article in The Herald a few weeks ago and found Father Paulino really humourous. In the article, it was quoted something like this.
The police were questioning Father Paulino and asked him ‘Berapa anak?’ (how many children he has)
In case you do not know, Catholic priests are not allowed to marry.
So, Father Paulino answered, “Lebih kurang satu ribu.”
It is true. He is the priest to a church in Klang and therefore, all the church members (parishioners) are his children. That’s why we call the priests Father.
Anyway, back to the article. I was in the car driven by hubby and there was a big jam on the road to Air Itam. Blame it on the tourists swarming my little island. So, I had time to read through the article. I do not know why but I couldn’t help shed some tears.
It wasn’t tears of sympathy nor tears of anger. It was rather, how Father Paulino lived up to that image we expect from priests, i.e. being the leader of the flock, in good times and in bad times. It reminds me of how Jesus was wrongly accused and being shoved around.
But one little paragraph caught my eyes :
Just one short sentence of how Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng asked Father Paulino to offer strength to the others. Though many may not see the significance of it, I see it as a great respect CM Lim has for Catholic priests. How they are beacon of hope and pillar of strength for the people, regardless of who they are.
I hope more Catholics will learn some lessons from Father Paulino’s experience and stop demanding the church in general to stay away from politics. Sometimes, I wish to blast those Letters to the Editor writers to wake up and see that though we may stay away from politics but politics will still gnaw on us the butt. Right now, our weekly newsletter printing licence is still on hold over the Allah issue.
Ok, back to today. Later in the evening, my hubby and I were driving my #2 son to church. Just before we turned into the church, I shouted, “Stop the car! I want to get down. Take picture!”
My son and hubby were wondering what I was so excited about. But they dropped me outside the gate and I cross the road to get a better angle.
Nay…the banner on the fence of my church, Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. Only the #1 fan of the CM will do crazy stuffs like this. It was darn hot and the sun was so bright until I cannot open my eyes. But take picture I must. Why? Because I find it so funny. Really, I am amused how they seem to print poster after poster of every celebrations with the CM, ADun and MP photos.
Wei, DAP people, we are getting tired of seeing our ADun, MP and CM faces already lah! After Chinese New Year, please don’t do any more hor? I know you all have to do until Chinese New Year or else the Chinese will claim you are all not fair, never wish them Keong Hee Huat Chye. Please, enough of banners lah.
Haha! how can u get tired of seeing your idol in a banner jek? shud be excited mah.
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i came to wish you and your family a blessed christmas and a happy new year 2009, lilian! wish you peace and happiness always. 🙂
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Yep, Father Paulino is humourous. 🙂
I have yet to see such banners around in KL/Selangor…
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LGE doesn’t have ‘seasoned’ men to run the state. Perhaps, they need to be sent to Kamunting for some ‘seasoning’.
Agree with you on comments on Penang CM and Father Paulino. BTW, he is the parish priest for Church of Divine Mercy, Shah Alam.
Question: “Why are there so many tragedies among celebrities?”
Answer: Suicides, drug overdoses (whether illicit or prescription), divorces, alcoholism, financial disasters – why are tragedies like these seemingly common among celebrities? Why do many celebrities, some of whom are relatively intelligent and good people, make such complete disasters of their lives? There is no single answer that definitively applies to each and every celebrity tragedy, but if there is an explicit biblical answer, it is one word – pride.
The most powerful biblical example of a “fall from grace” is Satan. Listen to Ezekiel’s description of Satan before his fall: “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you…your settings and mountings were made of gold” (Ezekiel 28:12-13). What happened to Satan? “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor” (Ezekiel 28:17). Isaiah expands on the cause of Satan’s fall: “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High’” (Isaiah 14:13-14). Rather than honoring and worshipping the God who created him and gave him beauty, Satan became proud, essentially worshipping himself.
What is the end result? “All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more” (Ezekiel 28:19). “But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate” (Isaiah 14:15-16). The messages of Isaiah and Ezekiel regarding the fate of Satan sound remarkably similar to some of the tragedies that have occurred among celebrities in recent years.
Why is pride such a problem? Proverbs 16:18 declares, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Pride causes people to forget God (Hosea 13:6). Pride causes some celebrities to forget that God was the one who gave them the talents and skills they possess. Pride causes celebrities to have too high a view of themselves, to think they are worthy of all the adulation they receive. Arrogant pride results in celebrities thinking they cannot be deceived and therefore putting trust in very untrustworthy people. Too high a view of self leads to some celebrities believing they are beyond the possibility of failure and thereby making extremely foolish decisions with their lives, careers, relationships, marriages, finances, etc.
Ultimately, the issue is this – human beings are not spiritually, emotionally, or psychologically designed to receive worship. Only God is worthy of worship, and only God can receive worship without it perverting His “psyche.” When celebrities worship themselves or allow others to worship them, it results in arrogant pride and self-centeredness, which leads to disaster and tragedy.
What is the cure? The cure is to give God the glory He alone deserves. The fix is to have a biblical self-image, recognizing that we are valuable because we are created in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27), not because of anything we have accomplished “on our own.” The solution is to refuse to be worshipped, as the holy angels do (Revelation 19:10; 22:9), and instead to deflect any and all worship and adulation to God, who alone is worthy. The key is recognizing that we are who Romans 3:10-23 says we are and praising God for being the merciful, gracious, and loving God that He is.