HOPE MESSENGER

You´re Beautiful

2014-10-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/415316396859339913/

There´s a saying that goes "What we believe, we are." In other words, we become what we believe ourselves to be who we are. I believe I am beautiful, so I am. As it is, that´s just fine. The problem is when we let external voices say the contrary and take them to be our own. Voices that tell me I am ugly can be devastating to my self-image once they get into my consciousness. They trigger self-doubts, comparisons and eventually self-rejection.

And what about those who endlessly post pictures of themselves? Are they self-doubting? Well, we don´t know for sure what lies behind those pics and why they always want to appear. Knowing their reasons is not even our business. But one thing can also be true. Although self-doubt about one´s beauty is true, the contrary can be equally true. There are those who are sooooooo convinced they are soooooo beautiful and feel the unceasing urge to show their faces off. That´s already narcissism. And that´s another story.

The truth is: I am beautiful as I am. No matter what people say, I am beautiful just the way I am. Or better, I am beautiful -- believe it or not. No proofs or masks needed. So, there´s no need to over-expose on selfies, get as many "Likes" and "Comments" as possible and compete in self-advertisements on social networks to prove I am beautiful. My beauty is not determined by Facebook, Youtube etc.

I agree with the video below. You might like it too.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/387309636678920608/

Hope Amidst Fundamentalism

2014-08-25T07:00:00.004-07:00

Amid fast-growing violence that have been orchestrated by Islamic fundamentalists during these times, especially over the last couple of weeks, I often wonder how the Muslim communities feel and react.

Listen to Karina Bennoune Video Source

Understanding Biblical Hope

2014-08-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

by John H Harbison

How would you define biblical hope? Consider this definition:

Biblical hope is to believe so strongly in God's promises regarding the future that it affects the way you live in the present.

Thus biblical hope has an eschatological aspect (it is directed toward the Bible's view of the consummation), an anticipatory aspect (believing with expectation), a convictional aspect (confidence of the eventual possession of what is hoped for), and an ethical/moral aspect (an impact on present thoughts and behaviors).

Let's look a little more closely at each of these four aspects.

1. The eschatological aspect points to the definitive and decisive fulfillment of all of the promises of God as they relate to the eternal future of people and of the universe.

While it is true that biblical hope is primarily directed toward the future (the end of history and the entrance into the eternal state), it is not exclusively future. This eschatological aspect does not discount the fact that our hope grows out of a past event (the saving life and death of Jesus Christ) nor does it discount that our hope has a present aspect (it is a "living" hope - I Peter 1:3).

2. The anticipatory aspect of hope is that most closely tied to the idea of expectation, the willingness to wait for something of value.

Not only does the full realization of this hope lie in the future but the direction of focus for the one who hopes is also toward the future. It is the anticipation, the longing, that what has been promised become reality-Amen, Come Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).

3. The convictional aspect of hope has two characteristics and both are related to the concept of faith.

The first is the conviction that what is hoped for is true and real. The second characteristic of the convictional aspect is the confidence of the eventual possession of the object of hope. Even for those who rely upon false or vain hopes, there must be some sense that the object of hope will deliver what it promises and that it may be attained. The convictional aspect of hope must be present.

4. The ethical/moral aspect of hope is a belief in the hope that is so strong that people live their lives now in light of the hope that is coming.

It is in this sense that a hopeless existence robs a person of a life that has meaning and significance in the present. This meaning related to hope can be seen in both the way a person thinks and the way a person acts. Seen in this light, hope is a transformational force in the life of a person.

Are you experiencing the transformational power of a living hope?

Dr. John H. Harbison is the Vice-President for Academic Affairs/College Pastor at a Christian community college in California. His upcoming book, Keeping Christ in Ministry, will be out at the end of July, 2012.

You can read more articles by Dr. Harbison at his blog at http://thegloryofthegrind.wordpress.com

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Hope (Henri Nouwen)

2014-06-18T05:55:00.003-07:00

Daily Thought

2014-04-02T06:24:00.003-07:00

3 Ways to Create Hope for a Full Life

2014-02-11T05:40:00.001-08:00

by Monica Wilson

When hope is missing from life, you do not live to your full potential. As hope disappears, procrastination, despair, and depression replace it. You become unable and unwilling to do daily tasks, contribute to society in a meaningful way, and prosper in the fulfillment of purposeful living.

Thankfully, hope is a state that you can achieve. First of all, if you need medical help, take care of that. This is the responsible first step.

From there, begin work creating fullness by changing your philosophy from hopelessness to hope.

The three-step plan outlined below is a blueprint for making that change.

1. Develop Spirituality

Spirituality is a belief in a force greater than our human capacity. This belief supports a higher power in control, guiding and giving meaning to our lives. When you shift your focus from your perceived inabilities and limitations to a limitless power in charge, you are able to accept that you can do what you believe impossible through this greater force. As you shift into this way of thinking, you gain confidence and fortitude to overcome obstacles.

Developing your spirituality is a highly personal path. Most people find certain activities to be helpful in reaching their spiritual growth goals:

Attend services and join groups with like-minded individuals;
Pray;
Meditate;
Interact with nature; and
Read inspirational literature.

Begin your change with this step. When you feel overwhelmed, return to it for renewed motivation.

2. Banish Negativity

As your spiritual beliefs deepen, you begin to realize that change is possible. Now is the time to strike at the heart of despair - negativity.

For the human race, negativity is a natural option. Most people, given the choice of outcomes tend to focus on the most negative one. If you are one of those people, you must make the decision to stop expecting the worst, and stick with that decision.

To help you beat negativity, remember these tips:

Practice positive expectation. If you focus on the worst, you will draw it toward you eventually making it a reality.
Religious and spiritual sources tell us that all things work together for the good of everyone involved. Accepting this belief and realizing its truth allows you to move forward. And often you will find that what you really wanted but didn't get was not in your best interest after all.
Find at least five things to be grateful for in your life each day. Keep a small journal of your daily findings. As you gain in awareness of the good things in your life, negativity has less room to thrive.

3. Embrace Failure

Stop looking at failure as something to be avoided. Failure is the best teacher of all. Why? Because we learn from our failures. And as we learn, we gain in strength, capability, and knowledge. Perseverance ultimately brings us closer toward our goals. Here's why:

Intelligence is dynamic - you gain knowledge through learning.
Learning requires a series of trials before you reach a level of proficiency.
Trials end in failure that teach you what not to do.
Each step teaching what not to do helps eliminate and reduce error.
Through perseverance, we slowly reach the point where we know what to do.

Procrastination, avoidance, and fear of risk keep failure thriving. Boot these traits out of your life.

To create hope for a full life, develop spirituality, banish negativity, and embrace failure. The rewards that follow are worth the effort.

Monica Nelson is an author/writer whose interest in self improvement, character development and spiritual growth has spanned three decades. She shares her experience and teaches what she has learned along the way. Visit her blog/website at http://www.authormonicanelson.com or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Author_MNelson for more advice on learning to live, love, and forgive.

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Sowing in Hope, Reaping in Joy

2013-09-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

Faith is like a journey,
With twists and turns oh boy,
Yet when we sow in hope,
We inevitably redeem joy!

Out of the difficult life comes the ever present possibility of joy, but not without first venturing through the tumultuous journey of hope.

Hope, such like, is really a series of faith-decisions where we prefer confidence over hopelessness - even despite a lack of vision to the contrary. Yes, things may appear hopeless, and we may feel helpless, but anticipation can find its way into our demeanour by a decision to see the possibilities for hope.

When we hope for long enough, there is joy at the end.

Our primary challenge is one of resilience. If we can be resilient enough to not give up, to prefer confidence over hopelessness, we will be granted joy in the end. But our hope needs to be based in truth; for a hopeless hope may end in misery.

If our hope is a solid hope we have much reason to be content; joy awaits.

GOOD EXPECTATIONS AND BAD EXPECTATIONS

What could we surmise as a bad expectation? Perhaps it is someone we may be infatuated with who we know doesn't feel the same way. Realistically, they won't change their minds. Or, we may hold out hope of equally unrealistic dreams. It pays to have courage enough to seek feedback from trusted others on whether our dreams are realistic or not.

What could we surmise as a good expectation? The hope of being raised upon salvation is a good hope; the Bible promises God will raise us and we will enjoy eternal life, both here and to come. That's a good expectation. Finishing a course of study is a good hope; we can achieve it. Giving our children mechanisms for development sows into a hope for their lives. It's another good expectation with a fair likelihood of a good outcome.

Our hopes have to be realistic, and when they are we have every reason to hope for the joy that will one day be ours.

***

Hope is our advocate fuelling our faith, and when we sow in hope we will reap joy.
Hope is such an ally, sometimes she is all we have. Even when we don't have hope we can will ourselves into hopefulness by borrowing visions of joy from within creation, and from within our capacities and competencies. There is much we don't ordinarily see that can involve us in hope.

***

When we sow in hope, we reap in joy. When we believe, many things are made possible.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.

Steve Wickham is a Registered Safety Practitioner (BSc, FSIA, RSP[Australia]) and a qualified, unordained Christian minister (GradDipBib&Min). Steve writes at: http://epitemnein-epitomic.blogspot.com.au/ and http://tribework.blogspot.com.au/

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Hope for rebuilding Broken Dreams

2013-09-25T06:06:00.000-07:00

"Hearts rebuilt from hope resurrect dreams killed by hate."
~Aberjhani

The capacity for dreaming, for establishing hope that swims immersed in a true sense of purpose, is a universal human trait. We live with hope and we die without it. And perhaps all of us have known of times and circumstances where dreams that were encapsulated in the imagination were shattered.

Yes, this has been our experience if we have lived life. If our lives have had any abundance at all, we will have suffered the destruction of a dream, or maybe more than one; perhaps many.

Though dreams were never meant to be crushed, the uncertainty surrounding life means that nothing is guaranteed. The generalisation is dreams generally come to pass, and, like wisdom, we can rely on their broad reliability.

But then, occasionally, without warning, comes a tidal wave; a torrent of unmerited suffering.
We are required to respond. But this is an indignity. We are made to respond when we feel it is an imposition. Whether we like it or not, we still need to respond.

THE RIGHT REBOUND

There isn't much good in not rebounding, though we may resist perilously, throwing caution to the wind. We want to make a statement that we are not happy.

But nobody wins upon such an instinct for reprisal. Not only us, but others suffer some level of indignity when we take it upon ourselves to resist beyond the will of God.

The call of God on our lives when our dreams are broken is to fall into line, by a surrender that is uncommon to us human beings.

The right rebound is crucial, and we borrow hope from anywhere. A borrowed hope is better than no hope at all. And the beauty of a borrowed hope is we can to make a habit of it, as well as getting better more and more at the practice of hope-filled thinking.

Rebuilding broken dreams seems arduous. It's all work. But we have everything to work for; everything to gain.

Perhaps everyone has broken dreams that need to be revealed. The best of people accept their loss and quickly rebuild to regain what they can, but they still suffer.

Within the character of our rebound is the light of our hope. When we plan a deliberate rebound, forged in humility and patience, we ironically inspire.

***
The end has not yet come. We have a Living Hope as we live in the body and entertain thought of flying off into the ether. Hope is what propels us to rebuild shattered dreams. What God has spoken into our situations he is redeeming through us. What was broken will be fixed; if we let it be so.

© 2013 S. J. Wickham.

Steve Wickham is a Baptist Pastor and a Registered Safety Practitioner and holds Degrees in Science, Divinity, and Counselling. Steve writes at: http://epitemnein-epitomic.blogspot.com.au/ and http://tribework.blogspot.com.au/

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5 Steps to Create Hope When Things Feel Hopeless

2013-09-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

You did not expect this. You are not happy about it. In fact, you are feeling pretty low about how things are happening. It may feel like you have no control. You may feel like you want to do something but you just don't know what to do. The hopelessness can be overwhelming and make you feel stuck. Well, you do not have to exist in this space of hopelessness and despair. I want to share with you 5 steps to create hope when things feel hopeless.

1. Acknowledge That It Is What It Is

Mama said there'd be days like this,
There'd be days like this Mama said
(Mama said, mama said) - Mama Said by The Shirelles
Instead of wasting time trying to act as if things don't feel hopeless, go on and acknowledge that it is what it is. Life is full of good and the not so good. Allowing yourself to admit that things really feel hopeless in that moment can sometimes be exactly what you need in order to regroup. Give yourself the space to feel what you are feeling. Those emotions contain important information about this moment. Until you are no longer a human, you will feel hope and hopelessness sometimes. Accept how you feel in this moment as simply your truth.

2. Remind Yourself of Who You Are As Your Most Powerful Purposeful Self
Now that you've accepted that you feel hopeless, take a moment to remember that you did not always feel that way. Describe what happens when you have shown up as your most powerful purposeful self. How did you feel? What did you do? Remind yourself of a time, or multiple times when you stood in your purpose and made yourself proud of who you are and how you handled things. No, the situations you bring up do not have to be related to this situation in any way shape or form. Just remember you at your best.

3. Shift Your Focus
Kick start your attitude of gratitude to shift your focus from all that is not to all that is. Often times when things seem hopeless, they only seem that way because you get caught up in all that has gone wrong. Instead of being focused on what is wrong, choose to look at what is going right. As I said, life is full of good and the not so good. They are happening simultaneously and your focus determines what you notice. Decide to notice the good. Challenge yourself to recognize things in this situation that are hopeful that are helpful that are good. Do not give any more energy to the negative hopeless aspects of the moment. Shift your focus to highlight signs of hope right where you are.

4. Imagine What It Is When It Is Not Hopeless
Now that you are beginning to see the current hope in what felt like a hopeless moment, kick up the hope even further. Use your imagination. Allow yourself to dream. Describe what it is when it is not hopeless. This might be a memory or it might be a wish. Explore the details of how fabulous it is when it is not hopeless. What is it instead? How do you know? Do not be afraid to dream big! Your visualizations set an intention to create what you describe. Imagine the best that you can and pay attention to how it feels.

5. Move As If The Hope Is Real
What do you notice about how you are feeling now? Do you notice less hopelessness? Fantastic! But you are not finished. It is time to work on those things that had you feeling hopeless to begin with. You've put them into perspective but are there things that need to change? What can you do to make sure you do not end up back here feeling a sense of hopelessness again? If you started moving as if the hope is real, what would you do in this moment? What would be a great next step if you moved with an expectation of hope? Get up. Get moving. Get busy. Get results. How you act speaks directly to how real you believe the hope is. You will notice that when you move as if the hope is real, you show yourself that the hope was always real.

So how do these steps work for you? Where did you surprise yourself with your own sense of power? Where did you find yourself reluctant to embrace these steps? How can this process be useful to you right now or sometime down the road?

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From Suffering to an Abiding Hope

2013-09-19T05:59:00.000-07:00

"... suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us."
~ROMANS 5:3b-5 (NRSV)

Oh how unfortunate as it is that we trivialise the process of suffering and talk about it as if it were easy with God. Suffering is never easy. The golden key in reconciling the fact of suffering is, as we reflect later on, back over our suffering, we see God's faithfulness as an outworking of the faith we plied.

Our faith meets with God's faithfulness.

Suffering is a horrible requiem of the sort of circumstance we never want to live out, and indeed, would never truly wish upon anyone. This is because suffering transforms us beyond our volitional will. It forces us into a corner, and from that corner we either flounder or fly.

When we respect such a living torment because we have experienced it, again, beyond our volitional will, we become different. God can make something of these situations, because we have no alternative but to trust - to hope for a vision we seek for a positive future - and to do whatever needs to be done to advance that vision, because, quite frankly, we don't have a choice but to choose for it.

THE PROCESS OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SUFFERING

No one voluntarily enters into the process of suffering, but such a thing is a vital compensation for what we have been through. Indeed, some may say that such a compensation is more than adequate, and perhaps even preferred.

We don't develop endurance of any sort without doing the hard yards. Just like how we grow patience, we need opportunities. We grow our endurance in the midst of suffering and never in the midst of fun. Those who have fun do not need endurance, for fun doesn't need to be endured, just enjoyed. But endurance is an admirable quality, so there is a benefit for having suffered well (no cliché intended).

Likewise, endurance produces character, which is a strength all its own. Another word for character is virtue. Endurance builds our character, and character development is the greatest gift. We can quickly see how crucial suffering is in accessing the greatest gift of God.

The production of a God-sustaining hope is the final frontier of the lived experience. When we live full of hope - a hope that isn't contingent on a wealth of happiness, and we can do without it - nothing can beat us. We are unconquerable.

***

From suffering is an opportunity to grow in endurance, which funds character development, which sponsors hope. And hope cannot disappoint, for the person who is intrinsically hopeful can sustain themselves via their faith in God under any circumstance. In these things we experience God's unfailing love with power.

Steve Wickham is a Baptist Pastor who holds Degrees in Science, Divinity, and Counselling. Steve writes at: http://epitemnein-epitomic.blogspot.com.au/ and http://tribework.blogspot.com.au/

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Combative Hope

2013-09-17T05:54:00.004-07:00

Combative hope: The phrase seems like an oxymoron.

Pope Francis suggests that those beginning the Ignatian spiritual exercises described in his book, In Him Alone Is Our Hope, pray for the grace of a combative hope.

The Pope's book is a mere 135 pages long but after several weeks, I have not read past the third chapter. Combative hope, the phrase echoes in the periphery of the mind, long after the first reading. Then after hours or days or even weeks, we begin to understand.

It has taken me several weeks to see why Pope Francis uses a phrase that strikes me as incongruous. He does it to get my attention because he lives in an age of euphemism just like you and me; one where the meaning of words are changed on the whims of a people wanting, most of all, to be seen as nice, tolerant, accepting.

In this "post Christian" era, the word hope has devolved to a passive verb describing a weak and timid emotion. But when Pope Francis calls us to the theological virtue of hope, he understands the need for a phrase which will knock us off our pews to get our attention, to tell us that this is not the wishy-washy, tentative concept that we call hope but the theological virtue of Hope: Combative Hope.

The hope of Mary was combative, as was her memory, Pope Francis writes. I have never considered Mary to be a combatant. Only when I re-visit the events of her life and the awful loneliness pervading her earthly existence do I see why Pope Francis uses this term to describe Our Lady. Even her Magnificat is suggestive of battle:

... He has toppled the mighty from their throne and exalted the lowly...

What we begin to intuit is that the Pope is not discussing a mere word, one which can be replaced with a synonym without alteration of the meaning or even a euphemism; rather that this Combative Hope is the Word. Moreover, that these theological virtues of faith, hope and charity are not words but are each infused with the Spirit of Christ.

I think of Paul's explanation of faith: "The realization of what is hoped for; the evidence of things not seen." There again, I sense the immense power, mystery and splendor in this, the first of the theological virtues and dimly grasp the Presence suggested by these words.

Perhaps, like me, you had misunderstood the virtues to be mere words, nouns to be sure but not realizing the Person who imbues these virtues with Strength and Wisdom far beyond our meager capacities.

Perhaps, like me, you now see hope as a Person; in whom we can wage combat on our frailties; through whom we can come to Love.

Lin Wilder, DrPH is a former Hospital Director. She is a writer, on-line marketer and Partner in

LLeads and Fast MLM Leads; business to business leads companies.

Lin suggests that you check out one of her latest books at Amazon, A Search for the Sacred. http://www.amazon.com/A-Search-Sacred-ebook/dp/B007K9813M

Contact Dr. Lin at lin@linwilder.com

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Hope Along Brazilian Streets

2013-06-25T08:23:00.001-07:00

It all started with a small group of university students demanding that the bus fare be revoked from R$ 3.20 back to its previous cost at R$ 3.00. A 20-centavo generous adjustment according to the local government considering the inflation rate in Brazil sparked a nationwide protest.

Small things are not to be underestimated. Didn´t the price of bread help start the French revolution?

From the right to 20 centavos less expensive fare, Brazilians seem to have finally found the streets the appropriate venue for their cry for change. It is in the streets that people from all walks of life vent out their long suppressed battle against widespread corruption in the government and the demand for better education, health services, transportation as well as an end to discrimination against gays and lesbians. Suddenly, streets are full of courageous people demanding accountability from government officials.

A big number of government leaders, including the president, have been alarmed and are holding emergency meetings to address the widespread outcry. Promises and minor adjustments are made to pacify the country. But more protests are yet to come...

Whatever the results of the street protests are, one thing is sure: Brazilians have learned to trust in themselves and their capacity to collectively fight for their rights. Hope is not in government leaders, political systems and parties but in their sense of justice and well being.

May this newfound hope find its fulfillment in real reforms...

Hope in the Dumpsite

2013-06-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

The following is a documentary on Fr. Heinz Kulüke, a German Catholic priest who worked and shared his life among the dumpsite dwellers and garbage collectors in Cebu City, Philippines. His compassion for the destitute and urban prostitutes has given hope to those considered hopeless in the Philippines society.

Dump Site Missionary

When Heinz Kulüke began teaching Philosophy at a university in the Philippines twenty years ago, he heard from a student about people living at garbage dumps. His curiosity aroused, he decided to take a look for himself. He was shattered by what he discovered on the outskirts of Cebu City: hundreds of families had constructed makeshift homes in the foul smelling trash; the children’s lives were threatened constantly by the dangers of the dump. ‘I discovered shocking poverty,’ he says, ‘and I had to act.’

Each day after class, Father Kulüke drove to the dump. Like the dump dwellers he began collecting recyclables. Slowly, he won the people’s confidence. The German priest, who is now fifty-six, managed to persuade parents to send their children to school. He himself picked them up each day – to help them escape their abject circumstances.

These initial, modest efforts have grown into a flourishing organization that runs kindergartens, resettlement projects and rehabilitation centers for street children and prostitutes. Yet Father Kulüke has never stopped using every spare minute to be among the people himself. He continues to celebrate Mass at the garbage dump, visit the street children and comb the town’s red light district at night. Sometimes he succeeds in rescuing underage girls from the pimps’ clutches. ‘I think of every encounter with these abused children,’ he says, ‘as an encounter with God.’

Father Heinz Kulücke is a Divine Word Missionary. A year ago, his brother priests elected him head of the Order. As the Superior General of six thousand Divine Word Missionaries, he is trying to apply his experience in the garbage dump in his new leadership role. ‘I don’t think obedience is the most important quality in a missionary,’ he says, ‘but rather the extent to which he is prepared to accept responsibility for people.’

Source

Unleash The Power Of Hope In Business Coaching

2013-06-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

By Mike Krutza

Co-Author: Jodi Wiff

Hope Works In Business, Too

"Hope" isn't just a "feel good" mumbo jumbo. "Hope" - when you believe that things could get better and that you can do something to make them better- works for companies, too. Shanee J. Lopez, a Gallup senior scientist, Ph.D. professor at the University of Kansas School of Business and a leading researcher on hope says that faith and optimism can help companies prosper.

What does hope really mean? A leader has to first understand what hope is to be able to unleash its power in the workplace. "Hope" in business boosts a leader's confidence to launch a new venture that is apt to thrive. New products that are bound to sell can be dreamt up and people inspired to be more ambitious and successful. In fact, leaders and managers owe 14% of productivity in their workplace to "hope".

Make Your Goals Meaningful

In the business world, you can take advantage of hope by creating meaningful goals and plan for "what ifs". Employees themselves have to understand how they can use hope to make the workplace better, too.

What outcome do you want to achieve? Make your goals meaningful. Communicate to employees. What makes your people excited in what they do and in the workplace? Foster employee engagement- engaged people are most often inspired if they work for goals that are meaningful to them.

As people hope, their desire to become part of something bigger is stirred. They become more inspired, motivated and their excitement brews. It produces more drive for work, commitment and engagement.

One way leaders can make their business hopeful is to explain to employees and customers how their products and services make life better for themselves and for others.

Paint A Picture Of Hope

What are the attractive and promising possibilities for your business? Paint a picture of a brighter and sweeter tomorrow for your people to see... Create hope. Fill their minds with a rainbow of strategies that will bring forth a picture of a lively spring of renewal for your business. Turn your people's excitement into practice. What are their thoughts? Convert them into plans.

Hope can only find its rightful and comfortable place in your business if you first empty the trash. Primarily get rid of the distracting and destructive clutter and remove stuff that simply don't make sense.

Prepare for "what ifs"... visualize what could be different and better than what is happening today. This is how you, as a leader, can awaken hope in your people, and turn it into reality.

By the way, do you want to learn more about leadership in your company? If so, download your FREE ebook here: Guide to Elegant Courage Leadership

Jodi and Mike specialize in executive coaching with individuals and teams. http://lighthouse-leadership.com

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Hope Was With Me But I Didn´t Recognize It

2013-06-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

By Laura Schroeder

Even if where you are today seems hopeless, it is working in you. You won't recognize it right now but one day, when you look back, you will see it was within you all along. Learn to recognize it and carry it with you. Then, learn how to give it away.

"... suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame... " Romans 5:3-5

In my early twenties, life felt hopeless. I thank God that I've been spared physical harm but danger made me fearful. Members of my family were victims of a brutal crime involving assault with weapons. I went through a divorce. I lived in public housing. I didn't have resources or support. What I didn't recognize was that all this was perseverance. The definition of perseverance is "A steady course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties (dictionary.reference.com).

During difficult circumstances, we must carry on in order to survive. There may be frustration but we work through it. What I did believe during that period was that there had to be something better out there somewhere and I was determined to find it.

The day I got fired as a kindergarten aide, vowed to myself to go to school and take charge of my life. Perseverance had developed character. Going to school was still a process and I'm sure I provided entertainment for my professors. I was on a mission of self discovery and loved to talk.

The day came when I graduated from college. I had a sense of hope. I got a good job that I was passionate about. From my experiences, I discovered that I didn't have to be ashamed of feel unworthy of my place in this world. I had something to offer. There were others still struggling. I began encouraging men at a rescue mission by holding services for four years. I mentored a young man from Sudan. I held sessions with women in a detention center.

I began sharing hope by recording a CD, singing, speaking and writing. My kids are now adults and beginning their own journey of life. They won't be alone. I will lift them up and encourage them.

Whatever you are going through today, know that you have within you the greatest resource available. Hope is free. Grow from it and share it with others.

Author, Laura Schroeder enjoys sharing her life experiences and encouraging others. If her articles have been helpful, you may contact her at laura@lauramschroeder.com. Please make any comments family friendly.

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Hoping is Trusting

2013-06-03T07:53:00.001-07:00

Hope is practically trust in the One who has loved us no matter what. It doesn´t matter who we´ve become, what we´ve been through and where we thought we´re going to. There´s always a reason to trust in God who holds the future. The truth is: we don´t know what comes ahead however well we´ve planned out future to be. The future is always unknown regardless of how predictable it may seem. As one faces a mysterious future, the only sane and stress-free way of living through it is by trust. Or we shall end up tensed, worried and fearful. We trust when we know that we are being taken care of along the way. How to trust? Let´s learn again to act like a child and enjoy life.

An Essay on Francis by Hans Küng

2013-05-21T06:37:00.002-07:00

Hans Küng has suffered a lot but never given up hoping for reforms in the Catholic Church. With the election of Pope Francis, his hope seems to have found glitters of realization. The downward spiral in the Church was interrupted with the resignation of Benedict XVI. There is a new air of joy and compassion renewed. Indeed, hope is hope when there seems to be no hope. One with Francis of Assisi, one with Pope Francis and the Church under reform! It´s the Gospel power being brought back to the center taking the place of the curial one! To understand why, here is his essay:

Essay

Who could have imagined what has happened in the last weeks?

When I decided, months ago, to resign all of my official duties on the occasion of my 85th birthday, I assumed I would never see fulfilled my dream that -- after all the setbacks following the Second Vatican Council -- the Catholic church would once again experience the kind of rejuvenation that it did under Pope John XXIII.

Then my theological companion over so many decades, Joseph Ratzinger -- both of us are now 85 -- suddenly announced his resignation from the papal office effective at the end of February. And on March 19, St. Joseph’s feast day and my birthday, a new pope with the surprising and programmatic name Francis assumed this office.

Has Jorge Mario Bergoglio considered why no pope has dared to choose the name of Francis until now? At any rate, the Argentine was aware that with the name of Francis he was connecting himself with Francis of Assisi, the world-famous 13th-century downshifter who had been the fun-loving, worldly son of a rich textile merchant in Assisi, until at the age of 24, he gave up his family, wealth and career, even giving his splendid clothes back to his father.

It is astonishing how, from the first minute of his election, Pope Francis chose a new style: unlike his predecessor, no miter with gold and jewels, no ermine-trimmed cape, no made-to-measure red shoes and headwear, no magnificent throne.

Astonishing, too, that the new pope deliberately abstains from solemn gestures and high-flown rhetoric and speaks in the language of the people.

And finally it is astonishing how the new pope emphasizes his humanity: He asked for the prayers of the people before he gave them his blessing; settled his own hotel bill like anybody else; showed his friendliness to the cardinals in the coach, in their shared residence, at the official goodbye; washed the feet of young prisoners, including those of a young Muslim woman. A pope who demonstrates that he is a man with his feet on the ground.

All this would have pleased Francis of Assisi and is the opposite of what Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) represented in his time. In 1209, Francis and 11 “lesser brothers” (fratres minores or friars minor) traveled to Rome to lay before Innocent their short rule, consisting entirely of quotations from the Bible, and to ask for papal approval for their way of life, living in poverty and preaching as lay preachers “according to the form of the Holy Gospel.”

Innocent III, the duke of Segni, who was only 37 when he was elected pope, was a born ruler; he was a theologian educated in Paris, a shrewd lawyer, a clever speaker, a capable administrator and a sophisticated diplomat. No pope before or after him had ever had as much power as he had. Innocent completed the revolution from above initiated by Gregory VII in the 11th century (“the Gregorian Reform”). Instead of the title of “Successor of St. Peter,” Innocent preferred the title of “Vicar of Christ,” as used by every bishop or priest until the 12th century. Unlike in the first millennium and never acknowledged in the apostolic churches of the East, the pope since then has acted as the absolute ruler, lawgiver and judge of Christianity -- until today.

The triumphal pontificate of Innocent proved itself to be not only the high point but also the turning point. Already in his time, there were signs of decay that, up until in our own time, have remained features of the Roman Curia system: nepotism, favoritism, acquisitiveness, corruption and dubious financial dealings. Already in the 1170s and 1180s, however, powerful nonconformist penitent and mendicant orders (Cathars, Waldensians) were developing. But popes and bishops acted against these dangerous currents by banning lay preaching, condemning “heretics” by the Inquisition, and even carrying out the Albigensian Crusade.

Yet it was Innocent himself who tried to integrate into the church evangelical-apostolic mendicant orders, even during all the eradication policies against obstinate “heretics” like the Cathars. Even Innocent knew that an urgent reform of the church was needed, and it was for this reform that he called the glorious Fourth Lateran Council. And so, after long admonition, he gave Francis of Assisi permission to preach. Concerning the ideal of absolute poverty as required by the Franciscan rule, the pope would first seek to know the will of God in prayer. On the basis of a dream in which a small, insignificant member of an order saved the papal Basilica of St. John Lateran from collapsing -- so it was told -- the pope finally allowed the Rule of Francis of Assisi. He let this be known in the Consistory of Cardinals but never had it committed to paper.

A different path

In fact, Francis of Assisi represented the alternative to the Roman system. What would have happened if Innocent and his like had taken the Gospel seriously? Even if they had understood it spiritually rather than literally, his evangelical demands meant and still mean an immense challenge to the centralized, legalized, politicized and clericalized system of power that had taken over the cause of Christ in Rome since the 11th century.

Innocent III was probably the only pope who, because of his unusual characteristics, could have directed the church along a completely different path, and this would have saved the papacies of the 14th and 15th centuries schism and exile, and the church in the 16th century the Protestant Reformation. Obviously, this would already have meant a paradigm shift for the Catholic church in the 13th century, a shift that instead of splitting the church would have renewed it, and at the same time reconciled the churches of East and West.

Thus, the early Christian basic concerns of Francis of Assisi remain even today questions for the Catholic church and now for a pope who, indicating his intentions, has called himself Francis. It is above all about the three basic concerns of the Franciscan ideal that have to be taken seriously today: It is about poverty, humility and simplicity. This probably explains why no previous pope has dared to take the name of Francis: The expectations seem to be too high.

That begs a second question: What does it mean for a pope today if he bravely takes the name of Francis? Of course the character of Francis of Assisi must not be idealized; he could be one-sided, eccentric, and he had his weaknesses, too. He is not the absolute standard. But his early Christian concerns must be taken seriously even if they need not be literally implemented but rather translated into modern times by pope and church.

Poverty: The church in the spirit of Innocent III meant a church of wealth, pomp and circumstance, acquisitiveness and financial scandal. In contrast, a church in the spirit of Francis means a church of transparent financial policies and modest frugality. A church that concerns itself above all with the poor, the weak and the marginalized. A church that does not pile up wealth and capital but instead actively fights poverty and offers its staff exemplary conditions of employment.
Humility: The church in the spirit of Innocent means a church of power and domination, bureaucracy and discrimination, repression and Inquisition. In contrast, a church in the spirit of Francis means a church of humanity, dialogue, brotherhood and sisterhood, hospitality for nonconformists; it means the unpretentious service of its leaders and social solidarity, a community that does not exclude new religious forces and ideas from the church but rather allows them to flourish.
Simplicity: The church in the spirit of Innocent means a church of dogmatic immovability, moralistic censure and legal hedging, a church of canon law regulating everything, a church of all-knowing scholastics and of fear. In contrast, a church in the spirit of Francis of Assisi means a church of good news and of joy, a theology based purely on the Gospel, a church that listens to people instead of indoctrinating from above, a church that does not only teach but one that constantly learns.

So, in the light of the concerns and approaches of Francis of Assisi, basic options and policies can be formulated today for a Catholic church whose façade still glitters on great Roman occasions but whose inner structure is rotten and fragile in the daily life of parishes in many lands, which is why many people have left it in spirit and often in fact.

While no reasonable person will expect that one man can effect all reforms overnight, a paradigm shift would be possible in five years: This was shown by the Lorraine Pope Leo IX (1049-54) who prepared Gregory VII’s reforms, and in the 20th century by the Italian John XXIII (1958-63) who called the Second Vatican Council. But, today above all, the direction should be made clear again: not a restoration to pre-council times as there was under the Polish and German popes, but instead considered, planned and well-communicated steps to reform along the lines of the Second Vatican Council.

A third question presents itself today as much as then: Will a reform of the church not meet with serious opposition? Doubtless, he will thus awaken powerful opposition, above all in the powerhouse of the Roman Curia, opposition that is difficult to withstand. Those in power in the Vatican are not likely to abandon the power that has been accumulated since the Middle Ages.

Curial pressures

Francis of Assisi also had to experience the force of such curial pressures. He who wanted to free himself of everything by living in poverty clung more and more closely to “Holy Mother Church.” Not in confrontation with the hierarchy but rather in obedience to pope and Curia, he wanted to live in imitation of Jesus: in a life of poverty, in lay preaching. He and his followers even had themselves tonsured in order to enter the clerical state. In fact, this made preaching easier but on the other it encouraged the clericalization of the young community, which included more and more priests. So it is not surprising that the Franciscan community became increasingly integrated into the Roman system. Francis’ last years were overshadowed by the tensions between the original ideals of Jesus’ followers and the adaptation of his community to the existing type of monastic life.

To do Francis justice: On Oct. 3, 1226, aged only 44, he died as poor as he had lived. Just 10 years previously, one year after the Fourth Lateran Council, Innocent III died unexpectedly at the age of 56. On July 16, 1216, his body was found in the Cathedral of Perugia: This pope who had known how to increase the power, property and wealth of the Holy See like no other before him was found deserted by all, naked, robbed by his own servants. A trumpet call signaling the transition from papal world domination to papal powerlessness: At the beginning of the 13th century there is Innocent III reigning in glory; at the end of the century, there is the megalomaniac Boniface VIII (1294-1303) arrested by the French; and then the 70-year exile in Avignon, France, and the Western schism with two and, finally, three popes.

Barely two decades after Francis’ death, the Roman church seemed to almost completely domesticate the rapidly spreading Franciscan movement in Italy so that it quickly became a normal order at the service of papal politics, and even became a tool of the Inquisition. If it was possible for the Roman system to finally domesticate Francis of Assisi and his followers, then obviously it cannot be excluded that a Pope Francis could also be trapped in the Roman system that he is supposed to be reforming. Pope Francis: a paradox? Is it possible that a pope and a Francis, obviously opposites, can ever be reconciled? Only by an evangelically minded, reforming pope.

To conclude, a fourth question: What is to be done if our expectations of reform are quashed from above? In any case, the time is past when pope and bishops could reckon with the obedience of the faithful. The 11th-century Gregorian Reform also introduced a certain mysticism of obedience: Obeying God means obeying the church and that means obeying the pope. Since that time, it has been drummed into Catholics that the obedience of all Christians to the pope is a cardinal virtue; commanding and enforcing obedience -- by whatever means -- has become the Roman style. But the medieval equation, “Obedience to God equals obedience to the church equals obedience to the pope,” patently contradicts the word of the apostle before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem: “Man must obey God rather than other men.”

We should then in no way fall into resignation; instead, faced with a lack of impulse toward reform from the top down, from the hierarchy, we must take the offensive, pushing for reform from the bottom up. If Pope Francis tackles reforms, he will find he has the wide approval of people far beyond the Catholic church. However, if he just lets things continue as they are, without clearing the logjam of reforms as now in the case of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, then the call of “Time for outrage! Indignez-vous!” will ring out more and more in the Catholic church, provoking reforms from the bottom up that will be implemented without the approval of the hierarchy and frequently even in spite of the hierarchy’s attempts at circumvention. In the worst case -- as I already wrote before this papal election -- the Catholic church will experience a new ice age instead of a spring and run the risk of dwindling into a barely relevant large sect.

[Theologian Fr. Hans Küng writes from Tübingen, Germany.]

Original Source: http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/paradox-pope-francis

Pope Francis gives reason to hope this Easter season

2013-04-02T07:34:00.002-07:00

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Every Easter, we have reason to sing alleluia because of new life in Christ.

But this Easter, we have another reason to sing alleluia. It seems we have new life in the church. The election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis, the new bishop of Rome, has given us new vigor and a reason to hope. Everyone in my parish seems delighted with him. We are excited by the news from Rome and happy with the tone he is setting.

A month ago, I wrote about what I hoped for in the new pope. I said I hoped for a "regular guy." Miracle of miracles, we got one. Pope Francis is a regular guy. He seems to understand ordinary people and their lives.

I wanted someone who had been a parish priest. While the new pope has never been a parish priest, he has been a very pastoral bishop. He has a wonderful pastoral sense. He seems to know that being a pastor is not so much about enforcing rules as it is about sharing grace. He admonished the priests of Buenos Aires, Argentina, to baptize the babies of single mothers. He wants the church to welcome people, not stand in the way of their coming to Christ.

He also values our prayer. When Pope Francis appeared on the balcony and asked for our blessing, I was moved to tears. He has the heart of a pastor who knows he needs prayer.

I hoped we would get someone from a large family and someone who had old friends who could speak to him frankly and honestly. Pope Francis is one of five children. His siblings can probably speak to him directly. He is also a Jesuit. In community life, his confreres called him by his first name, and he was not afraid of honest conversation among equals.

We really seem to have a man who understands the struggles of ordinary people. The pope's father was a railroad worker and an immigrant. As bishop, Cardinal Bergoglio lived simply, in an ordinary apartment, with no servants. He took the bus to work, like the millions of ordinary workers.

I love the fact that he took the time to call the man who delivered his newspaper back home in Buenos Aires to cancel his subscription. He thanked the man for his years of service.

I also love that he celebrated Mass for the street sweepers of Rome who had been working so hard around the Vatican in recent days. He remembers ordinary folks. He values their contributions.

Pope Francis also seems to know how things look. Too much show and wealth are an impediment in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When the pope went down to Santa Maria Maggiore in an ordinary unmarked police car instead of the papal limo, he sent a message.

Jesus said he was among us as "one who serves." By going to a youth prison on Holy Thursday to wash the feet of the young prisoners, the pope set precisely the right tone for Holy Week. He gets the concept of "servant leadership."

Before the election, I said I wanted someone who would dialogue with other faiths. This pope has the respect of the Jewish community back home in Buenos Aires and the Eastern Orthodox churches. The presence of the patriarch of Constantinople at his installation was a great start.

The day after his installation, when Pope Francis met with the press, he showed great respect for their religious sensitivities, recognizing that they were not all of his faith, or any faith. He prayed for them in silence and then said simply, "God bless you."

So far, so good. The pope is sending all the right signals. Soon, however, we will want more than atmosphere. We will look for substance.

While I don't expect any major changes, I do hope for real structural reform.

First, our new pope needs to take seriously the protection of children. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago has said this should be the No. 1 priority.

In the U.S., we now have strict accountability for priests, religious and lay workers. We do not have accountability for bishops. It is Rome's unique responsibility to enforce accountability for bishops. Thus far, no bishop has been forced to resign because of his failure to protect children, even though there have been many such failures. At a minimum, any bishop who has been convicted of a crime related to child protection should resign. If Pope Francis asks for some resignations, we will know that Rome is finally serious about child protection.

Second, we need real reform of the Roman Curia (the pope's "cabinet" of advisers). Rome needs a house-cleaning. Many people were saying that in the days before the conclave. The Vatican should not be the top of a career ladder for clerics. John Allen reported that there are 38 cardinals in the Roman Curia. Do we really need so many?

Why does every Vatican department have to be headed by a bishop who has no diocese or a priest who has no parish? Couldn't some of the Vatican dicasteries (departments) be headed by laypeople? Why couldn't some of them be headed by women?

For instance, shouldn't the Pontifical Council for the Family be headed by a married person? Why not appoint a layperson to head the Council for the Laity? Why can't the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life be headed by a nun? Maybe the Council for Health Care Ministry could be headed by doctor or nurse? Why not?

Third, I hope "collegiality" among the bishops will be more meaningful and not just lip service. Bishops are not mere functionaries. They are not employees of Rome.

Synods of bishops should have real debate. The bishops should be able to set the agendas. Maybe they could actually discuss controversial issues like celibacy that are before the church without fear of censure.

Fourth, I hope for more simplicity, especially in liturgy and the personal style of the clergy. If we are a church for the poor, we should not look so rich.

We already have seen a new spirit of humility and simplicity. We need less lace and more grace. The people at the top could set an example. In recent years, there has been way too much emphasis on vesture and gesture. Priesthood is about service, not playing "dress up."

Finally, and most important, I hope Pope Francis will reorient the church to the real problems of poverty, peace and care for God's creation. He has already said as much in his installation. He wants to be the pope of peace, the poor and of respect for creation. Good.

The whole church has been wearing a smile lately. This Easter, that's another reason to sing alleluia!

[Fr. Peter Daly is a priest at the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and has been pastor of St. John Vianney parish in Prince Frederick, Md., since 1994.]

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How to Nurture a Seed of Hope

2013-01-22T10:43:00.000-08:00

by Ramlit Navarro

A seed of hope is sown in our hearts by faith in God. Faith in God's word normally leads to belief in God's accompanying action in our lives. One believes and hopes in God's promises. And hope precisely consists in believing that God is faithful in fulfilling promises. God never fails and abandons. God does what God says.
God sowed the seed of hope in us. Like any seed that needs to be nourished in order to grow and bear fruit, so it is with hope. Once nurtured, hope bears trust, positive thinking, patience, confidence, perseverance, high aspiration, heightened sense of survival and compassion. Moreover, hope is the inner force that helps to pick ourselves up from the ashes of loss and tragedy. It gives us reason to go on and get through frustrations and setbacks of daily life. Hope is that voice from within telling us to believe in a better future and encouraging us to positively go beyond and keep moving on.

However, hope is not always natural or automatic. On the one hand, some people were born naturally inclined to be hopeful or hopeless, optimistic or pessimistic. On the other hand, individual nurturance can affect our capacity to hope and how we face moments of disappointments and despair. Thus, there is a need to nurture the seed of hope in us and live maturely in hope. Otherwise, hope becomes nothing more than a wishful thinking. For this, some concrete steps are necessary to make what we hope for happen.

As would any other habit, we can nurture hope through the following:

• Set goals and make plans. Draw up strategies and concrete steps to achieve them.
• Have dreams. We must dream big about the future we want but with realistic plans to make them come true.
• Face obstacles positively and creatively. We may win or lose but we never give up. That is hope in action.
• Develop positive self-talk. Thoughts and feelings are inward conversation ought to be channelled in a positive direction. Negative self-talk must be filtered or blocked out to create a space for hope to grow.
• Count blessings, be grateful and celebrate. There are surely reasons to be thankful for and rejoice no matter how bad days may sometimes have been. Rewards for achievements in life help improve one´s sense of hope.
• Acquire positive and avoid negative - people, news, stories, situations etc. Positive things cultivate hope and negative things lead to feelings of despair.

Hope is essentially anchored in the accompanying presence of God who gives us strength to reach our goals. And this strength enables us to make practical steps to keep the fire of hope burning and get us aiming high, craving, transforming, living and even hoping against hope. What was once a seed of hope becomes a grown fortress upon which we are moved to hanker after, confide, claw skyward and fly aloft under God´s tender protection.

Hope is that which inspires Ramlit Navarro, a Brazil-based author who writes about a variety of topics ranging from spirituality, psychology, philanthropy to social issues, religion, internet marketing, non-profit organizations, fund raising and tourism. The author has recommended articles at http://hopemessenger-wordworld.blogspot.com/

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Hope for Women Called to Priesthood?

2012-12-03T08:14:00.002-08:00

The call to the priesthood is a gift from God. It is rooted in baptism and is called forth and affirmed by the community because it is authentic and evident in the person as a charism. Catholic women who have discerned a call to the priesthood and have had that call affirmed by the community should be ordained in the Roman Catholic church. Barring women from ordination to the priesthood is an injustice that cannot be allowed to stand.

The most egregious statement in the Nov. 19 press release announcing Roy Bourgeois' "excommunication, dismissal and laicization" is the assertion that Bourgeois' "disobedience" and "campaign against the teachings of the Catholic church" was "ignoring the sensitivities of the faithful." Nothing could be further from the truth. Bourgeois, attuned by a lifetime of listening to the marginalized, has heard the voice of the faithful and he has responded to that voice.

Bourgeois brings this issue to the real heart of the matter. He has said that no one can say who God can and cannot call to the priesthood, and to say that anatomy is somehow a barrier to God's ability to call one of God's own children forward places absurd limits on God's power. The majority of the faithful believe this.

Let's review the history of Rome's response to the call of the faithful to ordain women:

In April 1976 the Pontifical Biblical Commission concluded unanimously: "It does not seem that the New Testament by itself alone will permit us to settle in a clear way and once and for all the problem of the possible accession of women to the presbyterate." In further deliberation, the commission voted 12-5 in favor of the view that Scripture alone does not exclude the ordination of women, and 12-5 in favor of the view that the church could ordain women to the priesthood without going against Christ's original intentions.

In Inter Insigniores (dated Oct. 15, 1976, but released the following January), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said: "The Church, in fidelity to the example of the Lord, does not consider herself authorized to admit women to priestly ordination." That declaration, published with the approval of Pope Paul VI, was a relatively modest "does not consider herself authorized."

Pope John Paul II upped the ante considerably in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (May 22, 1994): "We declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful." John Paul had wanted to describe the ban as "irreformable," a much stronger stance than "definitively held." This met substantial resistance from high-ranking bishops who gathered at a special Vatican meeting in March 1995 to discuss the document, NCR reported at the time. Even then, bishops attuned to the pastoral needs of the church had won a concession to the possibility of changing the teaching.

But that tiny victory was fleeting.

In October 1995, the doctrinal congregation acted further, releasing a responsum ad propositum dubium concerning the nature of the teaching in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis: "This teaching requires definitive assent, since, founded on the written Word of God, and from the beginning constantly preserved and applied in the Tradition of the Church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal Magisterium." The ban on women's ordination belongs "to the deposit of the faith," the responsum said.

The aim of the responsum was to stop all discussion.

In a cover letter to the responsum, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then head of the congregation, asked presidents of bishops' conferences to "do everything possible to ensure its distribution and favorable reception, taking particular care that, above all on the part of theologians, pastors of souls and religious, ambiguous and contrary positions will not again be proposed."

Despite the certainty with which Ordinatio Sacerdotalis and the responsum were issued they did not answer all the questions on the issue.

Many have pointed out that to say that the teaching is "founded on the written Word of God" completely ignored the 1976 findings of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.

Others have noted that the doctrinal congregation did not make a claim of papal infallibility -- it said what the pope taught in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was that which "has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal magisterium." This too, however, has been called into question because at the time there were many bishops around the world who had serious reservations about the teaching, though few voiced them in public.

Writing in The Tablet in December 1995, Jesuit Fr. Francis A. Sullivan, a theological authority on the magisterium, cited Canon 749, that no doctrine is understood to have been defined infallibly unless this fact is clearly established. "The question that remains in my mind is whether it is a clearly established fact that the bishops of the Catholic Church are as convinced by [the teaching] as Pope John Paul evidently is," Sullivan wrote.

The responsum caught nearly all bishops off-guard. Though dated October, it was not made public until Nov. 18. Archbishop William Keeler of Baltimore, then the outgoing president of the U.S. bishops' conference, received the document with no warning three hours after the bishops had adjourned their annual fall meeting. One bishop told NCR that he learned about the document from reading The New York Times. He said many bishops were deeply troubled by the statement. He, like other bishops, spoke anonymously.

The Vatican had already begun to stack the deck against questioning. As Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese reported in his 1989 book, Archbishop: Inside the Power Structure of the American Catholic Church, under John Paul a potential episcopal candidate's view on the teaching against women's ordination had become a litmus test for whether a priest could be promoted to bishop.

Less than a year after Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was issued, Mercy Sr. Carmel McEnroy was removed from her tenured position teaching theology at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana for her public dissent from church teaching; she had signed an open letter to the pope calling for women's ordination. McEnroy very likely was the first victim of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, but there have been many more, most recently Roy Bourgeois.

Blessed John Henry Newman said that there are three magisteria in the church: the bishops, the theologians and the people. On the issue of women's ordination, two of the three voices have been silenced, which is why the third voice must now make itself heard. We must speak up in every forum available to us: in parish council meetings, faith-sharing groups, diocesan convocations and academic seminars. We should write letters to our bishops, to the editors of our local papers and television news channels.

Our message is that we believe the sensus fidelium is that the exclusion of women from the priesthood has no strong basis in Scripture or any other compelling rationale; therefore, women should be ordained. We have heard the faithful assent to this in countless conversations in parish halls, lecture halls and family gatherings. It has been studied and prayed over individually and in groups. The brave witness of the Women's Ordination Conference, as one example, gives us assurance that the faithful have come to this conclusion after prayerful consideration and study -- yes, even study of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis.

NCR joins its voice with Roy Bourgeois and calls for the Catholic church to correct this unjust teaching.

This story appeared in the Dec 7-20, 2012 print issue under the headline: Correct an injustice: Ordain women

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Hans Küng: A courageous, prophetic voice of hope

2012-10-09T17:38:00.003-07:00

Catholic theologian preaches revolution to end church's 'authoritarian' rule

Hans Küng urges confrontation from the grassroots to unseat pope and force radical reform at Vatican

Kate Connolly in Tübingen

The Guardian, Friday 5 October 2012 15.25 BST

Hans Küng: appeal to priests and churchgoers to confront the Catholic hierarchy.

One of the world's most prominent Catholic theologians has called for a revolution from below to unseat the pope and force radical reform at the Vatican.

Hans Küng is appealing to priests and churchgoers to confront the Catholic hierarchy, which he says is corrupt, lacking credibility and apathetic to the real concerns of the church's members.

In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Küng, who had close contact with the pope when the two worked together as young theologians, described the church as an "authoritarian system" with parallels to Germany's Nazi dictatorship.

"The unconditional obedience demanded of bishops who swear their allegiance to the pope when they make their holy oath is almost as extreme as that of the German generals who were forced to swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler," he said.

The Vatican made a point of crushing any form of clerical dissent, he added. "The rules for choosing bishops are so rigid that as soon as candidates emerge who, say, stand up for the pill, or for the ordination of women, they are struck off the list." The result was a church of "yes men", almost all of whom unquestioningly toed the line.

"The only way for reform is from the bottom up," said Küng, 84, who is a priest. "The priests and others in positions of responsibility need to stop being so subservient, to organise themselves and say that there are certain things that they simply will not put up with anymore."

Küng, the author of around 30 books on Catholic theology, Christianity and ethics, which have sold millions worldwide, said that inspiration for global change was to be found in his native Switzerland and in Austria, where hundreds of Catholic priests have formed movements advocating policies that openly defy current Vatican practices. The revolts have been described as unprecedented by Vatican observers, who say they are likely to cause deep schisms in the church.

"I've always said that if one priest in a diocese is roused, that counts for nothing. Five will create a stir. Fifty are pretty much invincible. In Austria the figure is well over 300, possibly up to 400 priests; in Switzerland it's about 150 who have stood up and it will increase."

He said recent attempts by the archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schönborn, to try to stamp out the uprising by threatening to punish those involved in the Austrian "priests' initiative" had backfired owing to the strength of feeling. "He soon stopped when he realised that so many ordinary people are supportive of them and he was in danger of turning them all against him," Küng said.

The initiatives support such seemingly modest demands as letting divorced and remarried people receive communion, allowing non-ordained people to lead services and allowing women to take on important positions in the hierarchy. However, as they go against conventional Catholic teaching, the demands have been flatly rejected by the Vatican.

Küng, who was stripped of the authority to teach Catholic theology by Pope John Paul II in 1979 for questioning the concept of papal infallibility, is credited with giving the present pope, Joseph Ratzinger as he then was, the first significant step up the hierarchy of Catholic academia when he called him to Tübingen University, in south-west Germany, as professor of dogmatic theology in 1966.

The pair had worked closely for four years in the 1960s as the youngest theological advisers on the second Vatican council – the most radical overhaul of the Catholic church since the middle ages. But the relationship between the two was never straightforward, with their political differences eventually driving a wedge between them. The dashing and flamboyant Hans Küng, by various accounts, often stole the limelight from the more earnest and staid Joseph Ratzinger.

Küng refers to the "heap of legends" that abound about himself and Ratzinger from their "Tübingen days", not least the apocryphal accounts of how he gave lifts in his "red sports car" to the bicycle-riding Ratzinger.

"I often gave him a lift, particularly up the steep hills of Tübingen, yes, but too much has been made of this," he said. "I didn't drive a sports car, rather an Alfa Romeo Giulia. Ratzinger admitted himself that he had no interest in technology and had no driving licence. But it's often been turned into some kind of pseudo-profound metaphor idealising the 'cyclist' and demonising the 'Alfa Romeo driver'."

Indeed the "modest'' and prudent "bicycle-rider'' image that pope-to-be, now 85, fostered for years has all but evaporated since his 2005 inauguration, according to Küng.

"He has developed a peculiar pomposity that doesn't fit the man I and others knew, who once walked around in a Basque-style cap and was relatively modest. Now he's frequently to be seen wrapped in golden splendour and swank. By his own volition he wears the crown of a 19th-century pope, and has even had the garments of the Medici pope Leo X remade for him."

That "pomposity", he said, manifested itself most fully in the regular audiences who gather on St Peter's Square in Rome. "What happens has Potemkin village dimensions," he said. "Fanatical people go there to celebrate the pope, and tell him how wonderful he is, while meanwhile at home their own parishes are in a lamentable state, with a lack of priests, a far higher number than ever before of people who are leaving than are being baptised and now Vatileaks, which indicates just what a poor state the Vatican administration is in," he said, referring to the scandal over leaked documents uncovering power struggles within the Vatican which has seen the pope's former butler appear in court. The trial ends on Saturday.

It was in Tübingen that the paths of the two theologians crossed for several years before diverging sharply following the student riots of 1968. Ratzinger was shocked by the events and escaped to the relative safety of his native Bavaria, where he deepened his involvement in the Catholic hierarchy. Küng stayed in Tübingen and increasingly assumed the role of the Catholic church's enfant terrible.

"The student revolts were a primal shock for Ratzinger and after that he became ever more conservative and part of the hierarchy of the church," said Küng.

Calling Pope Benedict XVI's reign a "pontificate of missed opportunities", in which he had forgone chances to reconcile with the Protestant, Jewish, orthodox and Muslim faiths, as well as failing to help the African fight against Aids by not allowing the use of birth control, Küng said his "gravest scandal" was the way he had "covered up" worldwide cases of sexual crimes committed by clerics during his time as the head of the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as Cardinal Ratzinger.

"The Vatican is no different from the Kremlin," Küng said. "Just as Putin as a secret service agent became the head of Russia, so Ratzinger, as head of the Catholic church's secret services, became head of the Vatican. He has never apologised for the fact that many cases of abuse were sealed under the secretum pontificium (papal secrecy), or acknowledged that this is a disaster for the Catholic church." Küng described a process of "Putinisation" that has taken place at the Vatican.

Yet despite their differences, the two have remained in contact. Küng visited the pope at his summer retreat, Castel Gandolfo, in 2005, during which the two held an intensive four-hour discussion.

"It felt like we were on an equal footing – after all, we'd been colleagues for years. We walked through the park and there were times I thought he might turn the corner on certain issues, but it never happened. Since then we've still kept exchanging letters, but we've not met."

Kung has travelled widely in his life, befriending everyone from Iranian leaders to John F. Kennedy, and Tony Blair with whom he forged close links a decade ago, becoming something of a spiritual guru for the then British prime minister ahead of his decision to convert to Catholicism.

"I was impressed how he tackled the Northern Ireland conflict. But then came the Iraq war and I was extremely troubled by the way in which he collaborated with Bush. I wrote to him calling it a historical failure of the first order. He wrote me a hand-written note in reply, saying he respected my views and thankyou, but that I should know he was acting according to his conscience and was not trying to please the Americans. I was astounded that a British prime minister could make such a catastrophic mistake, and he remains for me a tragic figure." He described Blair's conversion to Catholicism as a mistake, insisting he should instead have used his role as a public figure to reconcile differences between the Anglican and Catholic churches in the UK.

From his book-filled study, where a portrait of Sir Thomas More, the 16th-century English Catholic martyr, hangs on the wall, Küng looks out on to his front garden and a two-metre-tall statue of himself. Critics have called it symptomatic of Kung's inflated sense of his own importance. He is embarrassed as he attempts to explain how it was a gift from his 20-year-old Stiftung Weltethos, (Foundation for a Global Ethic), which operates from his house and will continue to do so after his death.

Far from putting the brakes on his prolific theological output, Küng has recently distilled the ideas of Weltethos – which seeks to create a global code of behaviour, or a globalisation of ethics – into a capricious musical libretto. Mixing narrative with excerpts from the teachings of Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity, Küng's writings have been incorporated into a major symphonic work by the British composer Jonathan Harvey that will have its London premiere on Sunday at the Southbank Centre.

Küng says the musical work, like the foundation, is an attempt to emphasise what the religions of the world have in common rather than what divides them.

Weltethos was founded in the early 1990s as an attempt to bring the religions of the world together by emphasising what they have in common rather than what divides them. It has drawn up a code of behavioural rules that it hopes one day will be as universally acceptable as the UN.

The work's aim is arguably high-minded – Harvey described the demanding task of writing a score for the text as an "awe-inspring responsibility". But Küng, who has won the support of leading figures including Henry Kissinger, Kofi Annan, Jacques Rogge, Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson and Shirin Ebadi, insisted its aims were grounded in basic necessity."At a time of paradigm change in the world, we need a common set of principles, most obvious among them the Golden Rule, in which Confucius taught to not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself," he said.

Source

Another messenger of hope is gone

2012-09-10T05:11:00.000-07:00

It is rare to find religious figures who convey messages of hope and challenge dominant structures for much needed reform. The reform-minded Catholics may have mourned the death of a prophet in Carlo Maria Martini but somewhere, sometime, someone will come out to keep the flame of hope burning. In the midst of conservatism and a further going back to the past, this declaration seems unrealistic. But this is hope. Hope is hope when there seems to be no hope. Who knows, the Church might leap 200 years forward as Cardinal Martini had dreamed of.

By Alessandro Speciale, Religion News Service

With the recent death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, Catholics who call for church reform on issues such as homosexuality and priestly celibacy have lost one of their last leading lights in the top echelons of the church's hierarchy.

Martini, who died Aug. 31, was a Jesuit and an archbishop of Milan from 1980-2002. More importantly, he was considered for decades the informal leader of "liberals" inside the church. But he has no clear successor in the current crop of cardinals.

He had a "rare combination of skills as a scholar, pastor, communicator and holy man," said Fr. Thomas Reese, a church expert and fellow at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological Center. This allowed him to be an independent voice in the church that prizes conformity to tradition.

"If there was a young Martini in the church today," Reese said, "he would not be made a bishop or cardinal."

Since the late Pope John Paul II assumed the papacy, there has been an effort to remake the hierarchy by appointing bishops who would unquestioningly follow Vatican thinking started under John Paul. Ironically, it was John Paul who elevated Martini to the episcopacy in his first year as pope. After that, John Paul mainly appointed conservative bishops.

With Martini's death, the church risks losing liberal Catholics who push for changes in church structure and discipline. "The progressive wing of the church will simply give up on the hierarchy and the hierarchy will try to push the progressives out of the church," Reese said.

But Fr. Antonio Spadaro, editor of a Jesuit-run official Vatican magazine, "Civilta Cattolica," said the division between liberals and conservatives in the church is "forced and simplistic."

Labeling Martini as a "liberal," he said, has the effect of "silencing his prophetic legacy for the church," effectively "killing" his message: "It is doubtless that there are different opinions in the church," but they can coexist in the church's unity, which is not "monolithic," Spadaro said.

Martini often distanced himself from those who portrayed him as an "anti-pope," and always praised the more conservative Pope Benedict XVI. But his willingness to discuss ideas at odds with church doctrine made him a respected figure among nonbelievers and lapsed Catholics.

Observers were stunned when around 200,000 people queued outside Milan's cathedral to pay their tribute to the remains of the deceased cardinal last weekend.

"Thanks to his example, many who feel estranged from church structures and policies would listen to the Gospel," noted Vittorio Bellavite of We Are Church, a group that advocates for church reform.

The warm send-off was in stark contrast to what was perceived as a Vatican cold shoulder. Neither Benedict nor his No. 2, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, attended Martini's funeral Monday, and Benedict didn't mention the late cardinal during his Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square. For the funeral, Benedict sent a message praising Martini's "great openness of spirit."

Faced with a church hierarchy filled with conservatives, Catholic liberals have few leaders left to turn to. "Frankly, there is almost no one," said Luigi Sandri, a longtime advocate of grass-roots church reform.

He points to the figure of Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, a prominent Dominican friar who was sometimes considered an intellectual and spiritual successor to Martini. For Sandri, the fact that he was never appointed a bishop is a telling example of the shift in the church in recent decades.

When questioned on who might eventually take Martini's role in the College of Cardinals, church observers sometimes name Vienna's Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn.

Despite being a student of Benedict's when he was a theology professor, Schoenborn has become an unlikely champion for progressives for his tough stance on sexual abuse and for his apparent willingness to discuss delicate issues such as priestly celibacy.

Others point to Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, a soft-spoken Brazilian who was appointed last year as the head of the Vatican department overseeing religious orders. He has publicly acknowledged his links to liberation theology.

None of them, though, could be described as a "liberal" and they have shown no desire to challenge church doctrine.

Source

Psalm 85 - When Hope Wins Over Despair

2012-02-25T05:12:00.000-08:00

By Steve Wickham

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
~Psalm 85:10 (NRSV)

All the Psalms tell a story within the frame of the emotions; the cognisance of this performing life, the agonies and ecstasies, and all between. We can't help but sow our full selves into this life and we take the things that occur to us personally, accounting them within varying levels of God's blessing or otherwise.

Not always are we happy with what God is taking, or has taken, us through.

This Psalm is enclosed within the communal setting; the community, perhaps in the exilic sense, sits in the in-between place, recalling the grace of God in having saved their ancestors (verses 1-3), but not having yet realised such deliverance themselves (verses 7-9).

THE COMMUNAL LAMENT

Such a genre characterised here, the communal lament, a community sharing collective despair, may seem disjointed from a contemporary viewpoint; unless we have experienced national or international or overwhelming conflict, especially from the receiving end.

But hardship is closer to home for all of us, particularly the tumult of family pain - tragic loss of life, irreconcilable drug addiction, the victims or family of perpetrators of crime, etc. We give way to the temptation to blame externals, including God, because the pain is too much to deal with. Even more do we polarise within the family - as we share the pain we are tempted to deflect it; and that often means the forming of resentment and dysfunctional anger.

The test of the psalmist, as he represents his community, is to keep faith with the saving nature of the LORD - both in terms of history, reflecting on the experience of his ancestors as carried through their oral tradition, and their hopes for the future.

Neither the psalmist, nor their community, nor even us, can afford to give up on such a hope. Such a situation is a knife edge - faith is the only sane choice, however difficult it is to procure.

PREFERRING HOPE OVER DESPAIR

At verse 7, the psalmist commits to hope rather than falling into despair. And a new season is launched.

At the transition, before vision of salvation comes, when the temptation to give up is in full flight, it is difficult to decide for hope. But, once the decision is made a miraculous spiritual relief is experienced immediately - a blessing for showing faith.

What comes as a result is revelation that would not ordinarily be seen in the absence of faith. God gives the psalmist the encouragement of his Presence. The psalmist is shown the nature of God in the blessing - the character of God in steadfast love and faithfulness, righteousness and peace.

Further revelation discloses how God brings faithfulness and righteousness (verse 11) together in the order of deliverance, for the LORD has empowered the psalmist's faithfulness which rises to meet Divine righteousness coming down from heaven. Salvation is a two-way street.

The decision to trust God reveals faith, and that faint confidence translates into burgeoning confidence for the psalmist. From recognition of his own problems, and those also of his community - and capitulation - he is dissuaded, as he refocuses on the transcendent grace of the LORD, his God. Joy fills him, not despondency.

***

Trials are a knife's edge: what beckons is hope or despair. Hope fuels our confidence, but despair kills our vision for fear. Choosing faith opens our minds to what God can do. Nothing is impossible for God.

Steve Wickham is a Registered Safety Practitioner (BSc, FSIA, RSP[Australia]) and a qualified, unordained Christian minister (GradDipBib&Min). His blogs are at: http://epitemnein-epitomic.blogspot.com/ and http://inspiringbetterlife.blogspot.com/

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The Power of Hope

2012-02-17T05:03:00.003-08:00

By Dr. Ephraim John Udofia

Hope is not based on physical evidences, because if we have seen, touched or read about it then there are no grounds for hope. It's based on the unseen yet strong enough to provoke action with patience of actualization. The scripture says, "But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Romans 8:25, KJV). Hope gives the power to endure situations that are far removed from reality.

What is hope? You may ask. I believe it's that deep desire, an anticipation and expectation that something will come to pass. Some of us have stronger hope than others, which makes the difference between those who wait patiently and those who give up easily.

Hope works effectively in concert with love and faith, giving you a stronger platform to face life's uncertainties with an uplifting spirit. Despair is a state of emptiness whereby a person has lost hope in the situation. Hope's power keeps dreams alive and achievable. We read this powerful statement about hope in the scriptures, "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled, for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil" (Hebrew 6:18-19, KJV).

I will say it this way that, when you're out of hope, you're out of gas. This means things will come to a standstill in your life. The hope that doesn't run out of gas is that which is built upon something that is sure. Let me tell you with all certainty from experience, that Jesus Christ is that hope which is solid and sure; on him you can stand secured.

The energy, the desire and determination to forge ahead in life is built upon the hope that you have for the future. In real sense, it's the spark for your future pursuits.

What kept Abraham hopeful was the greatness of the future outcome which outweighed the physical evidence of Sarah's barrenness. Sarah was truly old, there was no denial about this, all signs and marks of old age was clearly seen on her. The evidence brought hopelessness but against this Abraham summoned up courage through the power of hope. See Romans 4:18.

You must let your future expectation outweigh the present condition, it's here and then that your hope will not burn out. The hope that we have in Christ death, burial and resurrection is what assures us of our eternal life in heaven. You cannot go on without any hope, that's a terrible place to be.

That power of hope is the saving element in our lives. It inspires righteous living, "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (I John 3:3, KJV). Through the windows of faith, hope brings us assurance of immortality.

Through great trials of afflictions, hope has been that electrifying energy in many who would have given up and call in a quit in life. The Bible says that our calling is predicated upon a lively hope on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the death. Hold to the level of hope and be ready to turn it on when life becomes burdensome and over bearing. Keep that hope alive by prayer, meditation on God's work, thanksgiving and worship.

Dr. Ephraim John Udofia is the founder and Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Apostolic Ministries. International Mission-intensive ministry, both in foreign and home missions with currently over six churches in three countries. Dr. Udofia is the author of over seven life-changing books. He's passionately involved in church planting, crusades, conferences and ministers' training since the seventies. Dr. Udofia holds a Bsc. in Management, minor in accounting, an MBA, and Doctorate in Ministry (Dmin) with major in Missions. He is a former Ceo of Precious Jewels Inc. for 19 years. Also a former banker and security representative holding both State and Federal licences. A financial counselor, motivational speaker, mentor, marriage counsellor and an outstanding dedicated family man. He is happily married with five grown children.
To buy one of Dr Ephraim's inspiring Christian Books, or Money Management Books visit the link --->;
Life Christian Books

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A Christmas Message for You

2011-12-20T02:02:00.000-08:00

God's Love Revealed Through Hope

By Mark Arens

God's love. The mightiest force in existence, fully capable of accomplishing impossibilities, and freely and generously given - we don't have to try to beckon this amazing love from some far off, distant realm.

His love brushes up against us as He walks along side, His arm thrown over our shoulder through difficulties, embraces us as we lay our weary heads on His lap and cry and He lifts our arms in victory as He high-fives us and rejoices as He delivers us from defeat.

His love comes in many forms - but His love does NOT come from a distance. It is here! That's the basis of Christmas. Christmas is about a radical love that could not be contained within the heavenly sphere. God's love birthed through Mary and Joseph broke the darkness of this world:

Mary and Joseph were poor. His love broke through poverty and lack.
Mary and Joseph were afraid. His love disintegrated fear.
Mary and Joseph were alone. His love busted through isolation and loneliness.
Mary and Joseph were disgraced. His love broke through shame.
Mary and Joseph were in danger. His love broke through oppression.
Mary and Joseph gave birth in a filthy stable... His love erased the grime of our lives.

God's love still does all of these things. That is the message of Christmas. Always believe. Choose to have a radical belief. An unstoppable belief. A hope filled belief. God's love for you personally has arrived and is here. Receive it, embrace it, bask in it. Believe this Christmas. Always believe!

Mark Arens, owner of ThumbPeople, Inc. & author of Thumbuddy Books & products, wants to help you to start believing and build up your faith with positive, hope-filled words from new Christmas music, "Always Believe," just released by ThumbPeople visit: http://www.newchristmasmusic.org.

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