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FRI-SAT-SUN February 25-27, 2000 vol. 11, no. 40 SECTION ONESee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
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In this weekend's editorial, we face up to the fact that not since the Holy Father's trip to India has the Pope faced possible problems from fundamentalists as he does in Egypt where history has not been kind to those who followed the One, True God. We give a brief history of this land of sand and rock that was so pivotal in Old Testament times and where the Almighty chose to deliver the Decalogue - the Ten Commandments - as the everlasting law all men should follow. The problem is, not all men do follow these universal laws and though the Pope is hoping to increase dialogue between Christian and Muslim, there are those fundamentalists in the latter who would like to silence him. We repeat the need to pray for his safety. For this weekend's editorial Danger always lurks in this land of enigma called Egypt, see CATHOLIC PewPOINT
Speaking of location...it was the only way we could seque out of the gutter and all the triyst on the aforementioned stiphling trifles. Did you realize that we might today be known as the Church of Alexandria instead of the Church of Rome? That is because the Evangelist Saint Mark founded the Church in Alexandria, Egypt in 40 A.D. roughly twenty years before the Apostle Saint Peter established the Church in Rome. But, because Our Lord proclaimed Simon Bar Jona as the chosen one to lead His Church, what Peter bound on earth was bound in Heaven (cf. Matthew 16: 18). We bring this up for it coincides with Peter's successor - John Paul II in Egypt this weekend, the second leg of his historic "Jubilee Journey" in retracing Salvation History chronologically.
While there are less than five percent of Christians in Egypt today compared with 95% Sunni Muslims, it wasn't always that way. Dating back to the fourth century Christianity was the religion of Egypt, a full century before King Clovis and the Franks converted to Christianity and were proclaimed the "first-born daughter of the Church." In fact, as ZENIT discloses, despite all the martyrdoms during the terrible reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian nearly all of the Egyptians converted to Christianity. In fact, it is no secret that the Coptic Christians are direct descendants of the ancient pharaohs and these descendants embraced a new faith with 20% of the total population being Christian by the end of the first century, and 45% by the end of the second thanks to great men like Saint Clement and the intellectual spiritual giant Origen. True to Tertullian's words, "The blood of the martyrs has become the seeds of Christianity" for persecutions were rampant in Egypt and this gave birth to a new movement in Egypt in the third century - the hermetical life founded by Saint Paul of Thebes in which thousands made their exodus from areas of possible persecution to the safe refuge of the deserts and mountains to practice their faith in a strict, penitent manner, most notably among these Saint Antony of Egypt. A century later this evolved into the advent of Christian monks, still another century ahead of Saint Benedict, considered the "Father of Western Monasticism." It was also the time of Saint Athanasius and the greatest of Egyptian saints - the esteemed Saint Augustine.
It was shortly after Augustine's death that the Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the state religion just as Constantine did some seventy-five years earlier in Rome. With this edict given in 392, the pagan temples and monuments were closed. This included many pyramids, still used in those times as meeting places. In the mid fifth century the first split sealed Egypt's fate when, after the the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon which declared against the heretic Eutyches and condemned Monophysitism, there arose a fued which caused the Coptic Monophysite Church to split from Rome and which today remains still split from the Church and numbers the majority of Christians in Egypt. The Chalcedon Coptic or Coptic Catholic Church, in the minority then and today, has remained loyal to the Vicar of Christ.
The collapse of the Christian stronghold in Egypt came in the seventh century when the prophet Mohammed introduced a new religions - Islam, ushering in the Arab-Muslim conquest of Egypt which is stronger than ever today. Christianity was practically wiped out in this land of ancient sphynxes and pyramids over the ensuing centuries and the Crusades resurrected some Christian strongholds but not enough to stick. ZENIT has an excellent article we carry in this weekend's NEWS & VIEWS with a Catholic slant which we encourage you to read to discover more about this fascinating land, statistics, and why this second leg of the Holy Father's Papal Pilgrimage is so important in bridging the gap between Christian and Muslim. No Sovereign Pontiff in the history of the Church has been received more warmly by the Islam world than John Paul II and this is a definite plus in dialogue with Muslim leaders. In fact, there is more of a rapport, strange though it may seem, between the Roman Catholic Church and Muslim leaders than between the Holy See and the Eastern Orthodox sects including the Coptic Orthodox Church which has possession of the St. Catherine's Monastery the Holy Father will travel to on Saturday before and after ascending to the site believed to be where the burning bush was located on Mount Sinai.
Egypt has run the gamut from being totally pagan during the Pharonic age to practically completely Christian during the early years of the Church to today being almost entirely Muslim. The Pope's visit can only increase the odds of returning both respect and interest in Jesus Christ to this land that has encountered much turmoil between Christian and Arab in the last fifty years where fundamentalist Moslims have sought to totally wipe out any semblance of Christianity not only in Egypt but in many, many countries throughout the rest of Africa. Because of the fate of a great Egyptian Anwar Sadat by those extreme fundamentalists and the threats on his predecessor Gammar Abdul Nasser's life, we must pray all the harder that the angels will protect His Holiness this weekend because of all the unrest and bring him safely back to Rome to continue his "Jubilee Journey" next month after having completed the Pentateuch part of his spiritual journey. We say this because the sands of time have not been kind to Christians and from the Sahara to the Arabian Desert the echoes ring out to take care and pray for the Holy Father, for he has ventured into a land of the unknown, and like Moses - whose footsteps the Pope seeks to follow - discovered: danger always lurks in this land of enigma called Egypt.
Today we bring you a special edition of the VICAR OF CHRIST SPEAKS with the Holy Father's first address on Thursday after his arrival in Egypt, the first Roman Pontiff to ever step on Egyptian soil even though it is Cardinal Karol Wojtyla's second visit to this land. Thursday he arrived in Egypt to walk in the footsteps of Moses and bridge relations between Christian and Muslim as the true Apostle of Peace in addressing multiple leaders of Egypt which has known civilization for over 5,000 years. See THE VICAR OF CHRIST SPEAKS
Your Holiness Pope Shenouda,
Your Beatitude Patriarch Stephanos,
Grand Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi,
Dear People of Egypt,
As-salám 'aláikum -- Peace be with you!
1. For many years I have been looking forward to celebrating the 2000th anniversary of the Birth of Jesus Christ by visiting and praying at the places specially linked to God's interventions in history. My Jubilee pilgrimage brings me today to Egypt. Thank you, Mr President, for making it possible for me to come here and to go to where God revealed his name to Moses and gave his Law as a sign of his great mercy and kindness towards his creatures. I greatly appreciate your kind words of welcome.
This is the land of a five thousand-year-old civilization known throughout the world for its monuments and for its knowledge of mathematics and astronomy. This is the land where different cultures met and mingled, making Egypt famous for its wisdom and learning.
2. In Christian times, the City of Alexandria where the Church was established by the disciple of Peter and Paul, the Evangelist Mark nurtured renowned ecclesiastical writers like Clement and Origen, and great Fathers of the Church such as Athanasius and Cyril. The fame of Saint Catherine of Alexandria lives on in Christian devotion and in the name of many churches in all parts of the world. Egypt, with Saints Anthony and Pachomius, was the birthplace of monasticism, which has played an essential part in preserving the spiritual and cultural traditions of the Church.
The advent of Islam brought splendours of art and learning which have had a determining influence on the Arab world and on Africa. The people of Egypt have for centuries pursued the ideal of national unity. Differences of religion were never barriers, but a form of mutual enrichment in the service of the one national community. I well remember the words of Pope Shenouda III: "Egypt is not the native land in which we live, but the native land which lives in us".
3. The unity and harmony of the nation are a precious value which all citizens should cherish, and which political and religious leaders must continually promote in justice and respect for the rights of all. Mr President, your own commitment to peace at home and throughout the Middle East is well known. You have been instrumental in advancing the peace process in the region. All reasonable men and women appreciate the efforts made so far, and hope that goodwill and justice will prevail, so that all the peoples of this unique area of the world will see their rights respected and their legitimate aspirations fulfilled.
My visit to Saint Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai will be a moment of intense prayer for peace and for interreligious harmony. To do harm, to promote violence and conflict in the name of religion is a terrible contradiction and a great offence against God. But past and present history give us many examples of such a misuse of religion. We must all work to strengthen the growing commitment to interreligious dialogue, a great sign of hope for the peoples of the world.
As-salám 'aláikum -- Peace be with you!
This is my greeting to you all. This is the prayer I offer up for Egypt and all her people.
May the Most High God bless your land with harmony, peace and prosperity.
In her column this week, Sister Mary Lucy Astuto questions how we can be suckered into such a mockery of the Sacrament of Matrimony by the ratings shill of a program such as that travesty "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire" that garnered boffo ratings for the champion network of sleaze - Fox. Though Sister expresses admiration for the chosen bride, we have to also ask if Darva Conger truly had the values she expresses or integrity would she have allowed herself to be drawn into the foray? Consider what the groom-who-wished-to-be and who she rejected - Rick Rockwell said, "I learned through all this to be careful what you wish for, you may get it." Sister wraps it up by emphasizing the need to keep the sacrament holy and sacred. Television programs like that never will! For her column, Who wants to marry who? see GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
In first grade I learned that love is based on knowledge. How, then, could someone marry a person he or she had never met? How could anyone marry someone he or she hardly knew? How could anyone marry someone he or she did not really love?
A wise old Jesuit once said to me: "A man marries for lust; a woman for security!" If the statement is true, I could understand why people could be foolish enough to marry on a TV program such as the one mentioned. As the groom selected the bride of his choice (the bride had no chance for choosing), I noticed (on the replays) that she looked shocked and nervous. On "Good Morning, America", the bride was interviewed. She mentioned that she never dreamed she would be chosen and that she entered the contest for the vacation promised to the contestants in Las Vegas and for time away from her stressful job as an emergency room nurse. Actually, listening to her explanation, I came to respect and admire her.
She confessed that she had made a mistake in entering such a contest. She said that legally she was married, but she did not believe in her heart that she was married before God. She said she was embarrassed to be kissed by the groom on stage, as she did not KNOW him. She wished he would have given her a gentle kiss on the cheek, instead, as they had just met.
Perhaps, the groom had made one of the best choices that he could have made. I really think the bride reflected integrity and honesty. Why did she go through with the onstage wedding? She claimed that being on TV; being onstage; knowing that the producers had spent umpteen bucks (my words) had produced a pressure, that was incredible. She really didn't know what else to do. All of the women had signed agreements to divorce, if they were not happy with the "marriage." The bride will seek a legal divorce.
I, personally, hope the whole program will be divorced from television. It's a disaster for producers to think they can "arrange" marriages based on money or sex without knowledge and love.
Would some people marry just for money or sex? I'm sure there would be those who would, but I am very glad this bride saw through the sham and stupidity, albeit awhile late.
Let us pray every day that true wisdom would reign among us. Human beings have dignity given by God. It is evil to degrade that nature. It is Godly to raise it to its noblest heights.
God bless you!
Today we continue with our new series in the search to uncover the wonderful treasures of the Church contained in the great Deposit of Faith, concentrating today on the power of the fallen angels and how powerful they are and not to underestimate them but call on God and His angels and saints for protection in this special catechesis on Temptation as outlined in My Catholic Faith. For the 118th installment, see APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH
The evil inclinations of our weak and corrupted nature tempt us to sin. The world, with its sinful wants and vanities, tempts us to sin. The devil goes about continually tempting us, making use of both our nature and the world for his evil purposes.
In itself, temptation is not a sin. It becomes sinful only when:
God permits us to be tempted in order to try us, to let us win an eternal reward. God subjected the angels to a test. Those who passed it are now enjoying Him in Heaven, their reward. "Because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee" (Tobias 12:13). God permitted the devil to tempt our first parents. Temptations serve to keep us humble. God permits all mankind to have temptations, but never temptation beyond their strength to resist. "God is faithful and will not permit you to be tempted beyond your strength."
The stronger the temptation, the greater the graces God gives for its conquest. The conquest by the saints of wicked temptations have made them greater saints. Christ Himself was tempted by the devil, to gluttony, to avarice, and to pride. He wanted to show us that by resisting we may rise to greater love of God. Good men who are worried because so many temptations assail them should remember that ants quickly gather over a jar of honey; the devil strives to catch the good, because he is already sure of the wicked.
We can always resist temptations, because no temptation can force us into sin, and God will always help us if we ask Him. The length of time during which a temptation persists does not make it sinful, if we continue resisting it. A temptation may attack us all our lives, but as long as we fight it, or pay no attention to it, as long as we do not yield, we commit no sin. We have not been conquered, and God will reward us for the good fight.
No temptation can do us harm if we obey God's laws and keep away from sin. If we resist, temptation will flee from us. Our lot for all eternity depends entirely on ourselves. God votes for Heaven; the devil votes for hell. The deciding vote is ours. Shall we vote for Heaven or for hell? "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
When assailed by temptation, one must at once resist. It is easier to conquer temptation at the beginning than later on, just as a fire is easier to put out at the outset. Since nothing can be done without divine grace, one must pray. One must imitate the Apostles who had recourse to Jesus when a storm arose. Let him say at once, "Lord, make haste to help me!"
Some remedies against temptation are:
With these to safeguard us we should be able to fend off temptations and if they persist, take them to the foot of the Cross and ask Jesus to wash them in the Font of Divine Mercy from His Sacred and Merciful Heart.
Monday: An Image of God
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind, one of the ways this late luminary did so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN".
"One of life's greatest joys comes from loving those whom no one else loves. Thus do we imitate Our Heavenly Father Who certainly cannot see much in any of us creatures that is very attractive. It is curious that most people are more kind to the blind than they are to the deaf. Aristotle commented upon this fact, saying that sight is the most spiritual of all the senses and hearing the most material. For that reason we are moved by sympathy towards those who are afflicted in the most spiritual way."
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"Dear children! Wake up from the sleep of unbelief and sin, because this is a
time of grace which God gives you. Use this time and seek the grace of healing of your heart from God, so that
you may see God and man with the heart. Pray in a special way for those who have not come to know God's
love, and witness with your life so that they also can come to know God and His immeasurable love. Thank you
for having responded to my call."
