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.

Recognising Christ in the Community - Lent 2015

This Lenten video programme, entitled Faithful Recognition, provides a bridge between the Last Judgement of St. Matthew’s Gospel (25:31-46), and the 2015 Lenten theme of Recognising Christ in the Community. This short video enables us to reect on the Gospel passage in the context of some of our Malaysian realities.
It is intended to promote reection and discussion in order to better understand the signicance of Lent and our Lenten practices. The desired outcome of this 10-minute video is that we realise that our Lenten practices should have a community perspective, and be related to concretely addressing our social and cultural realities. In this way, we actively contribute to building the Kingdom of God in our local communities. This video is specially prepared for viewing by individuals, families, BECs,groups, ministries and organisations. Running time: 7mins

Gospel of Luke: Chapter by chapter

The Gospel According to Luke

By the JESUS Film Project

In conjunction with the JESUS Film Project, the Blue Letter Bible presents the filmed adaptation of the Gospel of Luke that would be edited to become the film, JESUS (a two-hour docudrama about the life of Christ). That film has been seen in every country of the world and translated into over 1,140 languages since its initial release in 1979.

The goal of the JESUS Film Project (producers of the film,JESUS) is to reach every nation, tribe, people, and tongue, helping them see and hear the story of Jesus in a language they can understand—so that whether a person speaks Swahili, French, or any other language, he or she will encounter the life and message of Jesus in a language "of the heart."

Click the link below:
http://www.blbclassic.org/audio_video/Jesus_Film_Project/

RBC Meeting in Penang : Opening Mass

The 44th Meeting Regional of the  Biblical Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia Singapore and Brunei  currently is being held in Penang from 2 to 4 February 2015.

Musical on St Peter

A musical on St. Peter: Showing the life and mystery of the Church's first Pope

2015-01-30

Christians know that St. Peter believed that Jesus was the Savior and the Messiah. But what did  Jesus think of St. Peter?

The Italian musical titled 'The First Pope' wants to answer that question...

MARCO SIMEOLI

Director, "Il Primo Papa”

"The musical follows the story of Peter as told by Jesus...It's a fascinating story. Our main challenge was making it sound new.”

The musical features the highlights of St. Peter's life, starting with the moment he decided to follow Jesus in the Sea of Galilee...

"I will make of you a fisher of men.”

...All the way down to his martyrdom in Rome.

SIMONE SIBILLANO

St. Peter, "Il Primo Papa”

"It was complicated to show the different characteristics of this character, from his  passion to his humanity and his holiness.”

The team includes 18 actors and 12 dancers. The music is described as symphonic rock and its meant to give an inspiring glimpse into the life of the first Pope. 

Producers hope the show will inspire younger generations by teaching them about Church history through the arts. Charity is also a major element. 

TONY LABRIOLA

Author, "Il Primo Papa”

"We are doing this for charity. All the money from the play will be sent to the Vatican's Office of Papal Charities.”

"The First Pope” will be launched on April 25, in the Italian city of Verona, precisely in the city's Arena.  Afterwards, organizers hope the play will then be showed in Israel, Cuba, and U.S.

Museum of the Bible: It's a combination of scholarly research and a Disney theme park

2014-11-10

It will be the first museum of its kind. A state of the art facility in Washington D.C, dedicated specifically to the Bible. Everything from its history, to its impact and current relevance. 

CARY SUMMERS

Museum of the Bible 

"We really have only one goal: It’s for people to engage with the Bible.” "It has had impacts on governments, on education, on family, crime and justice, science. It has had impact on the time that we tell.”

Carry Summers is the Chief Operating Officer of the Museum of the Bible. The building spans over 400,000 square feet and it will include a vast and private collection of more than 40,000 biblical antiquities, rare texts and relics. People can expect a lot more than just a regular museum visit. 

CARY SUMMERS

Museum of the Bible 

"It’s a combination of a Disney theme park, museum, scholarly library  from around the world, theater productions, biblical restaurants, really cool coffee shops, kids area to play in and all of that is in this big box.”

DAVID GREENBAUM

Museum of the Bible, Architect 

"We’ll have a 500 seat theater as part of that and a 500 seat ballroom, a coffee shop, restaurant space and a whole floor dedicated to research, teachings and scholarship of the Bible.” 

The project is being independently funded by the Green Family. Even  though the museum will be in the U.S, just a few blocks from the U.S capitol, it will showcase the impact the Bible has had in different time periods and in different parts of the world. 

CARY SUMMERS

Museum of the Bible 

"It’s been burnt more than any book in history. It’s been outlawed. It’s been crucified it has tried to be destroyed. It’s still the best selling book of all time. It’s still the most influential book of all time. It’s still the most banned book of all time, it’s still book that’s burnt the most of any book and it’s still there and it’s still having an impact.” 

The team includes over 100 academics and five creative teams. Together, they're making sure the museum is historically accurate and interactive. Above, everything else, they want it to be an experience and not just a visit.  

CARY SUMMERS

Museum of the Bible 

"When God says my Word is alive and well, it’s alive—It literally is alive. As the world tries to destroy more of the Bible, it becomes even more powerful.”

The Museum of the Bible is currently under construction. It's scheduled to open in the year 2017.