By Fr. Antony Christy, SDB –
Here is a young man to whom one would not have paid much attention – remember that young man who was following Jesus when all the disciples deserted him after the arrest at the garden of Gethsemane? Mk 14:51 speaks of him and notably, none other than the Gospel according to Mark notes his presence. That makes some scholars suspect that it could have been Mark himself who ran naked, leaving his outer garment behind.
The aspect to be noted is, that he was a young man who followed Jesus closely. If it were Mark whom we are speaking of, he is the writer of the first of the four Gospels which form part of the New Testament. He was too young and not an apostle to have known Jesus completely, hence his writing is mostly based on the teachings of Peter. He was close to both Peter and Paul, the former addressed him as his son and latter called him a brother in the ministry.
John Mark’s home seems to have been a place of gathering for the first Christians, to pray (Acts 12:12). He made a few missionary journeys with Paul and was considered a loyal servant of the Word (2 Tim 4:11). There are three things that stand out: his personal love for Jesus and his dare to be close to him even at times of trial; his love for the Word, due to which he becomes an Evangelist and finally his missionary spirit of spending his life with Peter, Paul and others serving the Word and dying for the Word in 74 AD.
Dear young friends,
– how eager are you to be with Jesus come what may?
– how ready are you to go out of your way for the sake of the Word of God and your faith in Christ?
YOU CAT
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH – III. The Sacraments of Communion and Mission (Questions 248-259). Section Two of Part II is a detailed description of the Seven Sacraments of the Church. The third chapter of this section deals with two sacraments – Matrimony and the Holy Orders – which are called the Sacraments of Communion and Mission.
These two sacraments are placed together because they have two aspects in common: one, they are sacraments of communion, that is neither of them is obtained for one’s own sake but for the sake of the common good of the People of God; and two, they are both channels through which God pours out God’s love into the world.
By the fact of baptism every Christian is a priest – this is called the Royal Priesthood which is not to be confused with what deacons, priests and bishops are conferred with – that is called the Ministerial Priesthood. Ministerial priesthood is initiated by the Holy Orders, that is the action of the Spirit to ordain men who can carry out the ministry of Christ in its entirety: teaching, sanctifying and healing.
Holy Orders has three degrees of ordination: that of the deacons, of the priests and the Bishops. It is the Bishop who receives the fullness of this charism and shares it with his priests and deacons who assist him in fulfilling the role of Christ on earth, in communion with the Holy Father who himself is a Bishop! That women cannot be ordained, is not a underestimation of the dignity of women, but respect to the appropriate roles to be played by the two equally dignified genders. The priests remain celibate (not married) for the sake of the kingdom, a sign of undivided love for God, God’s people and God’s Reign.
– The Sacrament of Holy Orders: Do you see in the Ordained Ministers a sign of the person of Jesus Christ? Have you felt called anytime to dedicate yourself through this sacrament?
KNOW YOUR CHURCH:
Are you aware of the Four Major Papal Basilicas of the Catholic Church?
Churches understood as places of worship, we know, are of six different types: Cathedral, Basilica, Shrine, Chapel, Parish Church and a Crypt. Of these the Cathedral is the chief place of worship in every diocese. A Basilica is a Church of great importance and for the Universal Church there are Four Principal Basilicas, the dedication of which, we celebrate during the liturgical year.
The first of its kind is the Basilica of Saint Mary Major: This has three great elements attached to it, to be remembered. First, its Historical Antiquity. This is the first basilica dedicated to Mary and it traces its roots back to the 4th century when it as begun and 5th century when it was finished. It was dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God immediately after the dogma was defined in 432. The second element is the Miracle Attributed to the original church that was raised here by Pope Liberius (352-366).
A man named John, his wife and the Pope had the same dream and they witnessed as foretold a snowfall in the mid August summer. To this date on the 5th of August, that miracle of snowfall is reenacted at the site and celebrated all over the world in honour of Our Lady of Snows. The third element is that of a Tradition, that the Basilica enshrines fragments of the original crib (wood from the original crib of nativity of Jesus) and so there is a special Mass celebrated at Christmas by the Holy Father in this Basilica. The Basilica also has an icon of our Blessed Mother that is more than a thousand year old, under the title ‘salus populi romani’, which means protectress of the people of Rome.
DO CAT
POWER AND MORALITY (Questions 195-228) – A human being is both an individual and a social being, who lives in a threefold circle of relationships: to oneself, to one’s fellow human beings and to God. Though for a Christian, the State comes after the human person and the civil society, we cannot do without the State.
It would be ideal, if the wishes of the individuals and that of the State coincide perfectly but, conflicting goals and interests, rivalry and competition, selfishness and human weaknesses do not permit that to happen, hence the need for Law. Without excessive stress laid on law, which sacrifices fundamental human rights, the State should be the secure sphere in which a person can freely develop.
A State can truly govern only when in can build on committed individuals and loyal associations – these together make the Civil Society. Speaking of Common Good is not anti-theological nor against the teachings of the Church, but the good of each individual person cannot be taken for granted in the name of common good.
It requires that political common good should serve the person and the civil society. Power to govern has to be legitimised by the people. Hence a system that promotes common good should combat relativism, skepticism and radical secularism. Although Good News has eminently political implications for the individual and the society, it is always more than politics. We know in Jesus’ terms to ‘reign’ meant to ‘serve’! The fundamental values of the human person – life, freedom, dignity – are non-negotiable for a Christian Politician.
The State and the Church are mutually independent and self-governing. Laws are binding in a State, but the Church opposes any governmental or non-governmental reaction that disregards the so-called criminal’s human dignity, such as torture, disproportionate punishment and lifelong trials!
.- Do you find instances around you where the interpolation of the State and Religion creates confusion? Do you realise you responsibility towards the Civil Society and the State?
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Fr Antony Christy is a Salesian Priest from 2005, who has a Masters in Philosophy (specialisation in Religion) and a Masters in Theology (Specialisation in Catechetics). He is currently pursuing his doctoral research in Theology at Salesian Pontifical University, Rome. Walking with the Young towards a World of Peace and Dialogue is the passion that fires him on.