Inauguration of the Extraordinary Jubilee Holy Year of Mercy, with the Opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. Presided by Pope Francis

Inauguration of the Extraordinary Jubilee Holy Year of Mercy, with the Opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. Presided by Pope Francis

Pope Francis receives Catholic Biblical Federation

Pope Francis addresses the Catholic Biblical Federation, June 19, 2015 - OSS_ROM

19/06/2015 14:42

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Biblical Federation on Friday. The CBF is a worldwide association of Episcopal Conferences and more than 200 Catholic Biblical institutions, representatives of which are gathered in the small town of Nemi near Rome from June 18^th-23^rd to explore Sacred Scripture as a source of evangelization, especially in light of the passage from the 1^st Letter of St. John (1:3): “What we have seen and heard we are proclaiming to you.”
Putting aside his prepared remarks for the occasion, which he nevertheless delivered in written form, Pope Francis reflected on two characteristics of Biblical evangelizers and teachers of the faith: parrhesia or ‘frankness’; hypomone or ‘patience’.
For his extemporaneous remarks, Pope Francis drew on the Mass reading of the day, which came from the 2^nd Letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, in which St. Paul lists the hardships and trials he has faced in service of the Gospel, only to conclude that his weakness is his only vaunt (cf. 2 Cor 11:30). Pope Francis also recalled St. Paul's insistence that his only glory is the Cross of Christ (cf. Gal. 6:14). “This is a Church that is outward-bound,” said Pope Francis, “a martyrial Church: it is a Church that goes through the streets, that goes out on its way.” The Holy Father went on to say, “Accidents happen along the way – as they might to anyone who undertakes a journey – but I prefer a Church wounded in [such an] accident, to a Church that is sick from being closed up and turned in on herelf – a Church with both frankness and patience: the patience that knows how to bear herself up under [adverse] circumstances, and also the tenderness to carry on its shoulders those wounded faithful, who have been put in her charge.”
This 9^th Plenary Assembly of the CBF is the first over which the Federation’s new president, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, Philippines, is presiding, after being elected to succeed Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, who led the organization for more than a dozen years, starting in 2002.

Pope Francis’ Prayer for Jubilee Year of Mercy

A prelate reads from the papal bull or decree with which Pope Francis proclaimed the Jubilee Year of Mercy - AP

06/05/2015 13:33

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has composed a special prayer for the Jubilee Year of Mercy which will run from 8 December 2015 to 20 November 2016. In the prayer, the Holy Father entreats the Lord to make the Jubilee of Mercy a year of grace so that the Church, “with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind.”

Below, we publish the text of Pope Francis’ prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,
and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;
the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;
made Peter weep after his betrayal,
and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:
“If you knew the gift of God!”
You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:
let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.
You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness
in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:
let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.
Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,
so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,
and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,
and restore sight to the blind.
We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy,
you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.

Vatican unveils logo, prayer, details of Holy Year of Mercy - National Catholic Reporter

Vatican unveils logo, prayer, details of Holy Year of Mercy - National Catholic Reporter

Build Your Bible: App for Teens

Build Your Bible: A new app where teenagers can learn about the Bible

2015-04-29

The Bible is the most influential book in history and century after century it remains a best seller. 

But teachings teenagers about the Bible isn't always easy. Over the years it has become a growing challenge for parents, teachers and catechists. 

Now there's a digital game to make it all easier for the youth to get involved and learn about the Bible. 

RICARDO GRZONA

Foundation Ramón Pané, President

"Games are actually a form of communication. If you think about it, a lot of the things we learned as a kid, came through games.” 

That's where this app comes in. It's called 'Build your Bible.' Users are asked a series of questions about the Bible. The more correct answers, the more Bible books that can be added to one's account.

RICARDO GRZONA

Foundation Ramón Pané, President

"We made it a point to present a game and not a study program because, we didn't want to risk losing about 90 percent of our youth. So this was our main concern.” 

MARIO J. PAREDES

Director of Catholic Ministries Department, American Bible Society

"Nowadays, our youths don't have a relationship with the Sacred Scriptures. Over 40 percent of youngsters don't read the Bible and have never even read a Biblical text. They're not interested and they find it irrelevant in their lives.” 

So to change that, this app was developed for pre teens and teens. It was developed by the American Bible Society and the Ramon Pané Foundation. The mission is clear: 

MARIO J. PAREDES

Director of Catholic Ministries Department, American Bible Society

"We simply cannot afford the luxury of having our youths disregard the culture and teachings of the Bible. A way to prevent this from happening is by developing these type of apps and games that will lead teenagers to the Word of God.”  

The app, Build Your Bible, is available in English and Spanish and it's completely free.

Bible Sunday 2015 Message - English

Bible Sunday 2015 Message

HOW DO WE INTERPRET THE BIBLE AS CATHOLICS TODAY?

The following article is based on the section entitled The Interpretation of Sacred Scripture in the Church from VERBUM DOMINI, the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Benedict XVI on THE WORD OF GOD IN THE LIFE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH and is offered for your reflection, prayer and action for BIBLE SUNDAY 2015 by the Regional Biblical Commission of the Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia- Singapore-Brunei.

As we seek to read and understand the Bible, we may ask if there is a distinctive Catholic way of doing so. How should we approach God’s Word as we try to understand and live it out in our daily lives?

THE BIBLE - THE BOOK OF THE LIVING COMMUNITY OF THE CHURCH

When attempting to understand the Bible and interpreting it, we need to remember that “The Bible was written by the People of God for the People of God, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” From this, we must remember that only in communion with the People of God can we truly enter into the heart of the truth that God himself wishes to convey to us. Yes, we might read the Bible individually for our own personal growth, but we must always remember that the Bible grew out of the lived experience of the People of God and we must thus see its message through the eyes of the community guided by the Spirit that gave rise to it and which continues to see it as God’s Word to humanity.

The Church interpreted the Jewish Scriptures that we know today as the Old Testament in the light of the Incarnation, Life and Ministry (particularly, the Passion, Death and Resurrection) of the Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise the Church’s experience of Jesus in his earthly lifetime and later after the Ascension as it grew from its beginnings at Pentecost gave rise to the books of the New Testament. If the Bible is understood as having come from the Church, then surely, it is with the Church and in harmony with its teachings and under the guidance of the Magisterium (teaching office) that we must interpret its contents and message which God has chosen to communicate.

INTERPRETATION

METHODS    
 Various methods have been employed in order to obtain a richer understanding of biblical texts. Recent work in interpreting the Bible has relied much on the indispensible ‘historico-critical’ method as well as other recently-developed methods of textual analysis which have brought about much benefit. The historico-critical method considers the different types and styles (genres) of writing and also attempts to look at the context of the event at that time itself before attempting to see its message for our own time. Indeed serious methods of historical research are essential to a proper understanding of any text.

CRITERIA   
The Dogmatic Constitution from the Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum indicates three fundamental criteria for an appreciation of the divine dimension of the Bible:

1)    The text must be interpreted with attention to the unity of the whole of Scripture -Thus we should not attempt to look at a passage in isolation from what the rest of Scripture is saying.

2)    Account is to be taken of the living Tradition of the whole Church - Again we look at the passage not in isolation in terms of time but how it has been seen through the ages from the early church onwards.

3)    Respect must be shown for the analogy of faith – A passage cannot be seen in opposition to the faith and teaching of the Church.

BIBLICAL EXEGESIS AND THEOLOGY

History is the arena in which God works. Therefore it must be interpreted in the light of faith and reason. Biblical Exegesis or Interpretation needs to go hand-in-hand with Theology. In this way, we are able to avoid extreme subjective and arbitrary positions such as fundamentalist positions, wherein reason is ignored or the tendency can be to spiritualize everything. While we always start looking at a text from the literal sense, we must be open to the message beyond it allowing the spiritual sense to also emerge and not allow ourselves to be manipulated or led into error. The spiritual sense is “the meaning expressed by the biblical texts when read, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, in the context of the paschal mystery of Christ and of the new life which flows from it.” Hence, interpretation of Sacred Scripture must involve our personal and living faith. Interpretation seeks saving truth for the life of the individual Christian and for the Church.  It recognizes the historical value of the biblical tradition and seeks to discover the living meaning of the Sacred Scriptures for the lives of believers today.

To this end, our interpretation must pass from letter to spirit. The Word of God can never simply be equated with the letter of the text. An authentic process of interpretation is never purely an intellectual process but also a lived one, requiring full involvement in the life of the Church, which is life “according to the Spirit” (Gal 5:16).

DANGERS

One danger that the Bible is seen only as a historical book, dealing with the past without recognizing that it is just as valid today. It has a message for our own time!

Another danger is looking at it with a secularized mentality without the eyes of faith. For example, when a divine element is present, it is explained away and reduced to the human element. In this way, it denies the historicity of the divine element. This can be harmful to the life of the Church because it casts doubt over fundamental mysteries of Christianity and their historicity.

However it is important that we remember that biblical interpretation or exegesis “is truly faithful to the proper intention of biblical texts when it goes not only to the heart of their formulation to find the reality of faith there expressed, but also seeks to link this reality to the experience of faith in our present world”. (Verbum Domini 37) The Word of God is active and alive. It is addressed to each of us in the here and now of our lives.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE NEW TESTAMENTS

We should also consider the relationship between the Old and the New Testaments. The New Testament itself acknowledges the Old Testament as the Word of God and thus accepts the authority of the Sacred Scriptures of the Jewish people. The New Testament often uses the same language and frequently refers to passages from the Old. It explicitly acknowledges them by citing many parts of them as a basis for argument. The New Testament is seen as fulfilling the Old Testament but this must be seen in the following terms:

§  a basic aspect of continuity , as seen in the New Testament use of typology. Hebrews 11:17-19 which concerns the sacrifice of Isaac leading to God receiving him back. In the light of v. 19: "God was able to raise men from the dead", God raising Isaac to life is a typology of Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection from the dead.

§  an aspect of discontinuity,  with regard to the institutions of the Old Testament. For instance, the High Priesthood of Christ in the Letter to the Hebrews is seen as being radically different from the Old Testament priesthood.

§  an aspect of fulfilment and transcendence. We see this in Jesus quoting Isaiah as he sets out his mission in Luke 4:18-19.

DIFFICULT PASSAGES

There are “dark” or difficult passages of the Bible that we have to contend with – some of these contain violence and immorality. What we have to remember here is that biblical revelation is progressive; God’s plan is manifested progressively and it is accomplished slowly, in successive stages. Despite their weaknesses, God chose the people of Israel and patiently worked to guide and educate them. We must understand the cultural and moral level of a very different period from our own where instances of violence and massacre were not denounced. Here we need to allow qualified experts to help us understand the different contexts and look beyond to see the underlying message of God.

ECUMENISM

Interpreting the Bible also involves our relations with other Christians. The unity of God's people, which the ecumenical movement seeks to restore, is profoundly based in Scripture. By listening, sharing and meditating together on the Scriptures, we experience a real, albeit incomplete communion. This spurs us on towards the dialogue of charity and enables growth in the dialogue of truth.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the saints stand out as the best examples to us today as persons who have truly lived the word of God. They let themselves be shaped by the Word of God through listening, reading and meditation, allowing themselves to be “good soil” in which the divine sower planted the Word.

May the Word bear within us fruits of holiness, “thirtyfold, sixtyfold, a hundredfold”(Mk 4:20).

The full text of Verbum Domini may be seen at

http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20100930_verbum-domini.html

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

1 How does being a Catholic affect the way I interpret the Bible?

2 Look at the readings this Sunday. What is the connection between the First Reading and the Gospel? Can you see a) continuity, b) discontinuity, c) fulfillment ?

3 How do I approach difficult passages in the Bible?

Summary of the Papal Bull Misericordiae Vultus

 

Summary of the Papal Bull

For the full document, click here.


Title of the Papal Bull:
Misericordiae Vultus
Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

Here's how the Pope opens the bull:
Jesus Christ is the face of the Father's mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith. Mercy has become living and visible in Jesus of Nazareth, reaching its culmination in him.

Reason for proclaiming Jubilee Year of Mercy
We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. ... At times we are called to gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father's action in our lives. For this reason I have proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy as a special time for the Church; a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective.

Reason for starting the Jubilee Year of Mercy on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
The Holy Year will open on 8 December 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. This liturgical feast day recalls God's action from the very beginning of the history of mankind. After the sin of Adam and Eve, God did not wish to leave humanity alone in the throes of evil. So he turned his gaze to Mary, holy and immaculate in love (cf. Eph 1:4), choosing her to be the Mother of man's Redeemer. When faced with the gravity of sin, God responds with the fullness of mercy. ... I have chosen the date of 8 December because of its rich meaning in the recent history of the Church. In fact, I will open the Holy Door on the fiftieth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. The Church feels a great need to keep this event alive. ... We recall the poignant words of Saint John XXIII when, opening the Council, he indicated the path to follow: "Now the Bride of Christ wishes to use the medicine of mercy rather than taking up arms of severity."

Mercy as a key word that indicates God's action toward us.
As we can see in Sacred Scripture, mercy is a key word that indicates God's action towards us. He does not limit himself merely to affirming his love, but makes it visible and tangible. Love, after all, can never be just an abstraction. By its very nature, it indicates something concrete: intentions, attitudes, and behaviours that are shown in daily living. The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible; that is, he desires our wellbeing and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel. As the Father loves, so do his children. Just as he is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other.

Mercy is the very foundation of the Church's life.
Mercy is the very foundation of the Church's life. All of her pastoral activity should be caught up in the tenderness she makes present to believers; nothing in her preaching and in her witness to the world can be lacking in mercy. The Church's very credibility is seen in how she shows merciful and compassionate love.

The Pope draws from John Paul II's encyclical Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy):
Let us not forget the great teaching offered by Saint John Paul II in his second Encyclical, Dives in Misericordia, which at the time came unexpectedly, its theme catching many by surprise. There are two passages in particular to which I would like to draw attention. First, Saint John Paul II highlighted the fact that we had forgotten the theme of mercy in today's cultural milieu: "The present-day mentality, more perhaps than that of people in the past, seems opposed to a God of mercy, and in fact tends to exclude from life and to remove from the human heart the very idea of mercy." ... Furthermore, Saint John Paul II pushed for a more urgent proclamation and witness to mercy in the contemporary world: "It is dictated by love for man, for all that is human and which, according to the intuitions of many of our contemporaries, is threatened by an immense danger. The mystery of Christ ... obliges me to proclaim mercy as God's merciful love, revealed in that same mystery of Christ. It likewise obliges me to have recourse to that mercy and to beg for it at this difficult, critical phase of the history of the Church and of the world." This teaching is more pertinent than ever and deserves to be taken up once again in this Holy Year.

The Church's call during the Jubilee Year of Mercy:
The Church makes herself a servant of this love and mediates it to all people: a love that forgives and expresses itself in the gift of one's self. Consequently, wherever the Church is present, the mercy of the Father must be evident. In our parishes, communities, associations and movements, in a word, wherever there are Christians, everyone should find an oasis of mercy.

Key scripture for the Jubilee Year: "Be merciful just as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:36).
We want to live this Jubilee Year in light of the Lord's words: Merciful like the Father. The Evangelist reminds us of the teaching of Jesus who says, "Be merciful just as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:36). It is a programme of life as demanding as it is rich with joy and peace. ... Merciful like the Father, therefore, is the "motto" of this Holy Year. In mercy, we find proof of how God loves us. He gives his entire self, always, freely, asking nothing in return. He comes to our aid whenever we call upon him

Pope's burning desire that during this Jubilee, the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
It is my burning desire that, during this Jubilee, the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. It will be a way to reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty. And let us enter more deeply into the heart of the Gospel where the poor have a special experience of God's mercy. Jesus introduces us to these works of mercy in his preaching so that we can know whether or not we are living as his disciples. Let us rediscover these corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And let us not forget the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead.

This is to be a "Year of the Lord's favour" or "mercy":
Luke writes that Jesus, on the Sabbath, went back to Nazareth and, as was his custom, entered the synagogue. They called upon him to read the Scripture and to comment on it. The passage was from the Book of Isaiah where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and freedom to those in captivity; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour" (Is 61:1-2). A "year of the Lord's favour" or "mercy": this is what the Lord proclaimed and this is what we wish to live now. This Holy Year will bring to the fore the richness of Jesus' mission echoed in the words of the prophet: to bring a word and gesture of consolation to the poor, to proclaim liberty to those bound by new forms of slavery in modern society, to restore sight to those who can see no more because they are caught up in themselves, to restore dignity to all those from whom it has been robbed. The preaching of Jesus is made visible once more in the response of faith Christians are called to offer by their witness. May the words of the Apostle accompany us: He who does acts of mercy, let him do them with cheerfulness (cf. Rom 12:8).

The season of Lent during this Jubilee Year is to be lived more intensely, with emphasis on the Sacrament of Reconciliation:
The season of Lent during this Jubilee Year should also be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God's mercy. How many pages of Sacred Scripture are appropriate for meditation during the weeks of Lent to help us rediscover the merciful face of the Father! ... The initiative of "24 Hours for the Lord," to be celebrated on the Friday and Saturday preceding the Fourth Week of Lent, should be implemented in every diocese. So many people, including the youth, are returning to the Sacrament of Reconciliation; through this experience they are rediscovering a path back to the Lord, living a moment of intense prayer and finding meaning in their lives. Let us place the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the centre once more in such a way that it will enable people to touch the grandeur of God's mercy with their own hands. For every penitent, it will be a source of true interior peace.

During Lent, Pope Francis will send out Missionaries of Mercy:
During Lent of this Holy Year, I intend to send out Missionaries of Mercy. They will be a sign of the Church's maternal solicitude for the People of God, enabling them to enter the profound richness of this mystery so fundamental to the faith. There will be priests to whom I will grant the authority to pardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See, so that the breadth of their mandate as confessors will be even clearer. They will be, above all, living signs of the Father's readiness to welcome those in search of his pardon. ... I ask my brother Bishops to invite and welcome these Missionaries so that they can be, above all, persuasive preachers of mercy. May individual dioceses organize "missions to the people" in such a way that these Missionaries may be heralds of joy and forgiveness.

Goal of conversion in mind for those involved in criminal organizations and in corruption:
May the message of mercy reach everyone, and may no one be indifferent to the call to experience mercy. I direct this invitation to conversion even more fervently to those whose behaviour distances them from the grace of God. I particularly have in mind men and women belonging to criminal organizations of any kind. For their own good, I beg them to change their lives. ... The same invitation is extended to those who either perpetrate or participate in corruption. This festering wound is a grave sin that cries out to heaven for vengeance, because it threatens the very foundations of personal and social life. Corruption prevents us from looking to the future with hope, because its tyrannical greed shatters the plans of the weak and tramples upon the poorest of the poor.

Granting of indulgences for the Jubilee:
A Jubilee also entails the granting of indulgences. This practice will acquire an even more important meaning in the Holy Year of Mercy. God's forgiveness knows no bounds. In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God makes even more evident his love and its power to destroy all human sin. Reconciliation with God is made possible through the paschal mystery and the mediation of the Church. Thus God is always ready to forgive, and he never tires of forgiving in ways that are continually new and surprising. ... To gain an indulgence is to experience the holiness of the Church, who bestows upon all the fruits of Christ's redemption, so that God's love and forgiveness may extend everywhere. Let us live this Jubilee intensely, begging the Father to forgive our sins and to bathe us in His merciful "indulgence."

Mercy in Judaism and Islam:
There is an aspect of mercy that goes beyond the confines of the Church. It relates us to Judaism and Islam, both of which consider mercy to be one of God's most important attributes. ... I trust that this Jubilee year celebrating the mercy of God will foster an encounter with these religions and with other noble religious traditions; may it open us to even more fervent dialogue so that we might know and understand one another better; may it eliminate every form of closed-mindedness and disrespect, and drive out every form of violence and discrimination.

Towards the end of the bull, Pope Francis turns to Mary, Mother of Mercy:
My thoughts now turn to the Mother of Mercy. May the sweetness of her countenance watch over us in this Holy Year, so that all of us may rediscover the joy of God's tenderness. No one has penetrated the profound mystery of the incarnation like Mary. Her entire life was patterned after the presence of mercy made flesh. The Mother of the Crucified and Risen One has entered the sanctuary of divine mercy because she participated intimately in the mystery of his love.

After Mary as the Mother of Mercy, Pope extends his thoughts to the saints and blessed ones who have made divine mercy their mission in life. In this regard, he singles out St. Faustina:
Our prayer also extends to the saints and blessed ones who made divine mercy their mission in life. I am especially thinking of the great apostle of mercy, Saint Faustina Kowalska. May she, who was called to enter the depths of divine mercy, intercede for us and obtain for us the grace of living and walking always according to the mercy of God and with an unwavering trust in his love.

How the Pope ends his bull:
In this Jubilee Year, may the Church echo the word of God that resounds strong and clear as a message and a sign of pardon, strength, aid, and love. May she never tire of extending mercy, and be ever patient in offering compassion and comfort. May the Church become the voice of every man and woman, and repeat confidently without end: "Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old" (Ps 25:6).

Filipino Cardinal Tagle named head of Catholic Biblical Federation | National Catholic Reporter

Filipino Cardinal Tagle named head of Catholic Biblical Federation | National Catholic Reporter

Filipino Cardinal Tagle named head of Catholic Biblical Federation

• 
  Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, Philippines, delivers the annual Cardinal Dearden Lecture on March 2 at The Catholic University of America in Washington. (CNS/The Catholic University of America/Ed Pfueller)

Catholic News Service  |  Mar. 13, 2015

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, Philippines, has been named the new president of the Catholic Biblical Federation.

While Tagle was elected unanimously as head of the federation at an Oct. 24-25 meeting in Rome of its executive committee, Pope Francis confirmed his election March 5.

He will assume his office at the federation's plenary assembly, to take place June 18-23 in Nemi, Italy. Tagle will succeed Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who has been president of the Catholic Biblical Federation since 2002.

Paglia is president of the Pontifical Council for the Family and has been the chief promoter of the sainthood cause of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was assassinated in 1980.
Tagle was born in Manila on June 21, 1957, to a Chinese mother and Filipino father in a family devoted to the Catholic faith. He studied philosophy at St. Joseph's Seminary in Manila and graduated from the Athenaeum of the University of Manila. He was ordained a priest for the Manila archdiocese in 1982.

For some time, he ministered in parishes and seminaries -- in one of which he was rector. He was sent to The Catholic University of America in Washington (1987-91) to complete his studies, receiving a doctorate in theology, defending his thesis on the notion of episcopal collegiality according to the Second Vatican Council and the influence of Blessed Paul VI on Vatican II. In 1997, he was appointed as a member of the International Theological Commission.

In 2001, St. John Paul II appointed him bishop of the diocese of Imus, Philippines, which has 2.6 million Catholics. In 2011, he was appointed archbishop of Manila. He was elevated to cardinal the following year.

Tagle is a theologian and a much-sought-after conference-giver. He has collaborated with Giuseppe Alberigo on "The History of Vatican II," a Catholic Press Association award-winning book series. The cardinal is a member of the presiding committee of the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers.

He has participated in the 1998, 2005, 2008 and 2012 synods at the Vatican. In the 2008 synod on "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church," he was an active participant, uttering the statement: "A church which does not listen to the poor cannot celebrate the word of God".

Tagle has a television program "The Word Exposed," which has been running in the Philippines since 2008. There, each week, he comments on the readings of the Mass for the following Sunday. He is a singer and composer, with some videos of him performing his songs on YouTube. He is also reputed to be the most popular cardinal on Facebook.

Pope Francis convenes a Jubilee of Mercy

Published on Mar 13, 2015

On the two-year anniversary of his election, Pope Francis announced a surprise Holy Year of Mercy. The “extraordinary” Jubilee will begin with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica on December 8, and it will end on November 20, 2016.

Bible Survey for Committed Catholic Youth Results

Introduction

In 2010 the Regional Bible Commission of the CBCMSB came up with the idea of conducting a survey to ascertain the Bible reading habits of committed Catholic youth. The target group would be youth and young adults who were involved in church activities to a greater degree than just casual participation.

Questionnaires in Bahasa Malaysia and English were made available for download from the RBC blog (http://rbc-cbcmsb.blogspot.com/2011/02/rbc-cbcmsb-blog.html). Sibu Diocese made use of their own Mandarin translation. 

Not all dioceses provided returns while one batch of results was misplaced. The results from 4 dioceses (Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, Brunei and Sandakan) were collated and some general points can be noted. One set of observations concerns the manner in which the results were acquired. The other refers to the preliminary conclusions from the data at hand.

Mode of conduct of survey

A prerequisite for a reliable survey is that the raw data entries (i.e. actual completed survey forms) are returned to the person doing the analysis. This was not done. Instead data summaries were provided so in three cases, the number of participants could not be clearly established. It is also unclear whether participants were “committed Catholic youth” as had been originally intended.

In future, clear instructions should be given to diocesan RBC members responsible for conducting the survey as to the modus operandi covering these points. Furthermore, it is recommended that participants be instructed on how the forms should be filled to avoid incomplete data entries which compromise the survey validity.

General observations from the data at hand

Notwithstanding the issues mentioned above, some attempt was made to group the findings such as they are to see what the general trends might be. With this caveat, we can make the following observations.

1.       An overwhelming majority of Catholic youth don’t read the Bible regularly. This figure seems above 90 %.

2.       Their reasons for not doing so are, in the order of importance:

a.       Lack of awareness of importance of Bible reading (38/120)

b.      Insufficient time to do so due to other pressing life issues, no role models  (29/120)

c.       Poor time management, distractions and clash with lifestyle choices (23/120)

d.      Boring and uninteresting (17/120)

e.      Difficult to understand, don’t know how to read Bible (14/120)

3.       When they do read the Bible, why do they do so?

a.       Learn about Jesus, about God and his plan for us (23/124)

b.      Help to grow spiritually in faith (22/124)

c.       Source of guidance and teaching life examples (15/124)

d.      It brings with it peace, comfort and calmness of heart (15/124)

4.       What suggestions do they have for RBC which might assist young people to read the Bible more?

a.       Present Bible in attractive format (48/97) broken down as follows:

                                                               i.      Concerts, quizzes, dramas, music, comics (35/97).

                                                             ii.      Youth Bible versions: pictorial, more graphics (7/97)

                                                            iii.      Internet, Facebook, web based interactive study sessions (6/97)

b.      Regular Bible sharing led by younger, experienced facilitators on flexible schedule (18/97)

c.       Awareness campaign promoting importance of Bible and Bible Study in existing meetings (17/97)

Provisional Conclusions 

The data indicates our youth don’t read the Bible nor attend Bible Study regularly. On the one hand they seem to find the Bible abstract and difficult while many are not clearly aware of its importance. Paradoxically when they do read it, they find the Bible a source of spiritual inspiration and aid for growth in faith. They suggest the Bible be packaged more attractively to suit younger people and that Bible Study should be led by peers using flexible schedules. There seems room for conducting an outreach aimed at promoting Bible reading and sharing among younger Catholics in our region.