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IN
THIS ISSUE:
Cover
Page
by Bro.
Pete Lapid
The
Father Speaks
By Fr.
Siegfried Binzler, SJ
Our
Faith
By Fr. KJ Veeger, MSC
Place
of Refuge
By
Philip Yuson
Surabaya
Corner
By
Ramon Martillano
Sharing
By Thor
Barleta
Here's
the Latest
By
Tintin Magbitang
Sharing
By Joji
Escuban
God
Answers Prayers
By
Beth Manibog
Saint
for the Month
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Links
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 - PROFILE
OF THE
- GENESIS
CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
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THIS WEBSITE
IS A PROUD RECIPIENT OF THE
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- THE
FATHER SPEAKS
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   - On
the 20th Sunday in ordinary time, we celebrated the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven.
As this feast is not a holiday in Indonesia, the bishops
decided that the parishes may celebrate the Solemnity on the Sunday
before or the following Sunday.
For our profession of faith, the Assumption of the Virgin
Mary has a deep meaning. Whenever
we follow the latest News about wars in Sudan, in Afghanistan, in
Israel, in Macedonia; also in our host country the bomb explosion in
St. Anna’s Church: everywhere
people are persecuted, expelled, tortured, killed, it leaves us full
of fear. Is human life
not respected? Are the
security forces in these countries not able to stop the killing?
And when we read in our daily newspaper, what happens in
Jakarta every day, it hits us even more because of its closeness to
our homes. It seems as if human life has no more dignity than animals.
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- By
declaring the Dogma, that the Virgin Mary was raised to the glory of
heaven, the Church gave an answer to the cynicism and nihilism, an
answer to the terror in this world. With the Dogma: the Virgin Mary
was raised to the glory in heaven with her body and soul, the Church
proclaims that man possesses dignity that will never end.
Man does not die as animals die.
The body is raised, too.
It will not be left in the earth.
It will not disappear in the realm of shadows.
His friends will never forget it.
The body, the flesh has somehow something divine.
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- Our
faith does not teach us to look at our body as something inferior.
Our faith teaches us that our body will be raised, will be
consecrated. The word
body includes many other connotations:
vitality, creativity, and emotion.
In other words: the
body is the same as earth, matter, creature, longings, also
sexuality, and last but not least: woman.
Because all these words are associated with the nature of
women. Whereas males
are more connected to be intelligent and rational, though they, too,
have the qualities of women.
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- So
it has a deep meaning that the assumption occurred to a woman.
Because what is typical for the body, its futility, has been
overcome by the assumption of a woman. For us the solemnity of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a feast of rejoicing and
thanksgiving for having a body.
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- Therefore
the celebration of Mother Mary’s Assumption opens a new and
necessary insight for us. For
she who is the focus of it, is a woman, the Virgin Mary.
As all the teachings and dogmas about her, are proclaimed not
only for her alone; but are the hope that the promises are given by
Christ for all of us. We
also profess: I believe in the resurrection of the body, I believe in the
raising up of our flesh. The
Virgin Mary is the witness and guarantee, that heaven and earth are
united. This is the
meaning of this celebration. This
is the cause of our rejoicing.
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