Text: Jesus said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." (Luke 5: 4-5)
Meditation: Though our work, at times, may seem fruitless…, are we ready, like Peter, ‘to put out into deep water and lower our nets’?
Kargador at Dawn
Work in the Vineyard
Friday, February 02, 2007
Interreligious Dialogue a Must, Pope Says....
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 1, 2007 - Benedict XVI says that interreligious research and dialogue are not mere options, but rather vital imperatives for today's world.
The Holy Father said this today when receiving in audience members of the Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue, established in 1999. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was among its founding members.
The foundation's first promoters attended the meeting: Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan; René-Samuel Sirat, the former chief rabbi of France; and the foundation's president, Orthodox Metropolitan Damaskinos of Andrianopolis.
"I repeat with insistence," said the Pope, "research and interreligious and intercultural dialogue are not an option but a vital necessity for our time."
The foundation seeks to find the most essential and authentic message that Judaism, Christianity and Islam can give the world.
During the audience, Metropolitan Damaskinos handed the Pope the foundation's first achievement: the joint edition, in their original languages and according to chronological order, of the sacred books of the three monotheist religions: the Torah, the Bible and the Koran.
"The rereading and, for some, the discovery of the texts that are sacred for so many people in the world oblige us to mutual respect, in confident dialogue," explained the Holy Father in his address delivered in French.
Modern expectations
The Pontiff added: "The people of today expect from us a message of concord and serenity, and the concrete manifestation of our common will to help them realize their legitimate aspiration to live in justice and peace.
"They have the right to expect from us a strong sign of a renewed understanding and reinforced cooperation."
"In the light of our religious traditions and our respective wisdom," Benedict XVI invited the members of the foundation to "discern the values capable of enlightening the men and women of all nations on earth, regardless of their culture and religion."
The Pope continued: "In this way, we will be able to advance in interreligious and intercultural dialogue, a dialogue that today is more necessary than ever: an authentic dialogue, respectful of differences, courageous, patient and persevering, which draws its strength from prayer and is nourished on the hope that dwells in all those who believe in God and who put their trust in him.
"All our respective religious traditions insist on the sacred character of life and the dignity of the human person.
"We believe that God will bless our initiatives if they contribute to the good of all his children and if it helps them to respect one another mutually, in a fraternity of worldwide dimension."
The Holy Father said this today when receiving in audience members of the Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue, established in 1999. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was among its founding members.
The foundation's first promoters attended the meeting: Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan; René-Samuel Sirat, the former chief rabbi of France; and the foundation's president, Orthodox Metropolitan Damaskinos of Andrianopolis.
"I repeat with insistence," said the Pope, "research and interreligious and intercultural dialogue are not an option but a vital necessity for our time."
The foundation seeks to find the most essential and authentic message that Judaism, Christianity and Islam can give the world.
During the audience, Metropolitan Damaskinos handed the Pope the foundation's first achievement: the joint edition, in their original languages and according to chronological order, of the sacred books of the three monotheist religions: the Torah, the Bible and the Koran.
"The rereading and, for some, the discovery of the texts that are sacred for so many people in the world oblige us to mutual respect, in confident dialogue," explained the Holy Father in his address delivered in French.
Modern expectations
The Pontiff added: "The people of today expect from us a message of concord and serenity, and the concrete manifestation of our common will to help them realize their legitimate aspiration to live in justice and peace.
"They have the right to expect from us a strong sign of a renewed understanding and reinforced cooperation."
"In the light of our religious traditions and our respective wisdom," Benedict XVI invited the members of the foundation to "discern the values capable of enlightening the men and women of all nations on earth, regardless of their culture and religion."
The Pope continued: "In this way, we will be able to advance in interreligious and intercultural dialogue, a dialogue that today is more necessary than ever: an authentic dialogue, respectful of differences, courageous, patient and persevering, which draws its strength from prayer and is nourished on the hope that dwells in all those who believe in God and who put their trust in him.
"All our respective religious traditions insist on the sacred character of life and the dignity of the human person.
"We believe that God will bless our initiatives if they contribute to the good of all his children and if it helps them to respect one another mutually, in a fraternity of worldwide dimension."
Monday, January 29, 2007
Africa-Asia Dialogue & Solidarity...
One of the "hottest" issues at the 7th World Social Forum is South-South Dialogue and Solidarity. The African and Asian delegates looked back in the 50's when the African and Asian Leaders forged partnership in Bandung, Indonesia to advance their struggle for freedom against colonialism.
At the WSF, the African and Asian activists search for new politics where Africa and Asia can create institutions and movements that will provide platforms for meetings and interactions to advance their struggles against neo-liberal policies that keep these two continents poor and dominated.
Will a new Afro-Asian Solidarity emerge from this forum...? A dialogue and solidarity no longer of leaders as of old, but movements/groups and peoples/communities that will banner anew the causes of these two continents...?
At the WSF, the African and Asian activists search for new politics where Africa and Asia can create institutions and movements that will provide platforms for meetings and interactions to advance their struggles against neo-liberal policies that keep these two continents poor and dominated.
Will a new Afro-Asian Solidarity emerge from this forum...? A dialogue and solidarity no longer of leaders as of old, but movements/groups and peoples/communities that will banner anew the causes of these two continents...?
Saturday, January 27, 2007
A Man Passionately in Love with the Poor...
The witness of Fr. Pierre is a strong call to all to live simply and to be in solidarity with the poor.The world mourns his passing away... and his witness of faith and love remains etched in the hearts of men and women who, likewise, have cast their lots with the poor of this world...
World Mourned the Passing of a Man Passionately Committed to the Poor...
One of
President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin were among the mourners on Friday.
The Roman Catholic priest was
Abbe
The last Frenchman to be honoured in such a way was the environmentalist and inventor, Jacques Cousteau, in 1997.
Example for nation
Former President Valery Giscard d'Estaing and
Earlier mourners paid their respects before his open coffin in the 17th-Century Val-de-Grace church in
"Abbe
"His message must stay alive in each of us and it is up to all of us to follow it through."
Abbe
Born Henri Groues, he founded the Emmaus association in 1953, and fought for a law to stop parliament expelling tenants during the winter months after a freezing spell hit the country.
He demanded the nation act when he went on the radio in the winter of 1954, highlighting the case of a three-month-old baby who had frozen to death in inadequate housing and a woman who had died on the streets clutching an eviction order.
In the subsequent decades, he continued his tireless campaign for the destitute - and his hostels started to appear around the world in the 1970s.
Dhikr for the 4th week of the year (C)
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Belfast Wall... becoming irrelevant?
The Belfast Wall is a strong testimony of the great divide in North Ireland between the Protestant and Catholic Communities. The Good Friday Peace Agreement, though not perfect, is a step forward to make the Wall irrelevant.We need to pray that more walls that divide and separate crumble... And we, also pray that people NEED NOT build wall anymore...
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Peace Process in Southern Philippines...
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
International Peace Monitors in S. Philippines...
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Peace Making is to navigate skillfully the often perilous water...
The MILF Vice Chair on Political Affairs, Hon. Ja'afar Ghazzali, shares some insights and reflections on the MIndanao Peace Process with Fr. Jun Mercado, OMI, former Chair of the Independent Ceasefire Monitor in Mindanao.
Peace Making often means wider consultation and discussion on issues that are at the roots of rebellion...
Friday, January 12, 2007
Fiesta at the Parish Square...
Frs. Ponpon and Jun at the Parish Square for the blessing of the I-Watch. Cultural presentation and the release of ballons followed the official launching of the video documentary program.
Public officials and parishioners lent their support to the historic birth of a video documentary sutdio in Upi.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Dhikr for the Feast of the Lord's Baptism (C)
Text: John answered them all, saying, "I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." (Luke 3: 16-17)
www.omigen.org/ipid
Meditation: The challenge of our Baptism is to stand as witnesses that we have, indeed, received the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire”… passing through his “winnowing fan and clearing his “threshing floor”…
www.omigen.org/ipid
I - Watch Video Documentary in Defense of the Poor...
The Upi Municipal Mayor, Hon. Ramon Piang, assisted by Sr. Rose Susan Montejo, OND Superior General cut the ribbon marking the official inauguration of I-Watch, a Video Documentary Program in Defense of the Poor and the Environment.Fr. Ponpon Vasquez, OMI is the Director and Trainer of I-Watch. Fr. Jun Mercado, OMI, the former JPIC Director in Rome blessed the office.
Local and national partners, including representatives of mainstream media were present at the historic inauguration...
Sunday, December 31, 2006
The Barriers that Divide...
The BARRIERS, that people continue to build, divide, discriminate and separate persons and communities on the basis of beliefs, cultures and ethnicities...We pray that the New Year 2007 will be a year of building bridges of understanding that will UNITE persons and nations into a compassionate COMMUNITY,,,
Pax et Bonum!
Jun Mercado, OMI
Dhikr for the Feast of the Holy Family...
Text: When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." (Luke 2: 48)
Meditation: Mary & Joseph gave us an example of loving care and concern for their son, Jesus… They looked for him “with great anxiety”. Do we do it, likewise, in our genuine search for the Lord…?
Friday, December 29, 2006
Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the ME...
National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East
December 12, 2006
The Honorable Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of StateU.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Rice:
We are writing on behalf of religious leaders of twenty-nine national Jewish, Christian and Muslim organizations to ask for a meeting with you to discuss the urgent situation in the Middle East. We have also written members of Congress to encourage and support active, fair and firm leadership by the United States to promote a comprehensive and lasting Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace. Enclosed you will find a copy of the remarkable consensus we achieved on “Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Peace: From Crisis to Hope.”
We acknowledge and appreciate your personal commitment to the creation of a viable, independent, and democratic Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel, with security and peace for both peoples, and the crucial role you played in negotiations to reach an agreement on access to and from Gaza after the Israeli unilateral withdrawal (cf. our letter, 11/20/05).
Our statement comes at time when the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians raises hope for restarting negotiations and in the wake of the Baker-Hamilton Report that supports renewed efforts for a comprehensive Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace as essential for achieving U.S. goals in the Middle East.
His Eminence Cardinal Theodore McCarrick expressed our present hopes very well when he acknowledged at the meeting that led to our new interreligious consensus, “We gather at a time of crisis in the Middle East. But times of crisis can also become opportunities for change.” The events and suffering in Gaza, Lebanon and Israel demonstrate once again that there is no such thing as a safe, stable status quo in the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that there is no military solution to the conflicts. The only solution is a negotiated one based on U.N. Security Council Resolutions, realistic compromises, and monitored security arrangements with international guarantees.
In the aftermath of the war in Lebanon and in light of the ongoing crisis in Gaza, there is a new urgency for achieving an effective ceasefire and returning to the path of negotiations among Palestinians, Israelis and neighboring Arab states. This urgency is shared by European and other world leaders. While Palestinian and Israeli leaders have essential roles, U.S. leadership is crucial to halting the violence, and restarting and successfully completing Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab negotiations for peace.
The principles and practical ideas found in the Road Map, model peace agreements and earlier Israeli-Palestinian, Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-Lebanese negotiations provide important evidence that peace is possible. They help to define the reciprocal steps that will be necessary to achieve a just peace and they offer outlines of what could be accepted by majorities on all sides.
What is most needed now is a renewed commitment by the United States to provide active, creative and determined leadership, in coordination with the Quartet, as a top priority of U.S. foreign policy. Whatever develops in terms of a possible change of course for U.S. policy in Iraq, we believe a commitment by the Administration, with the support of Congress, to actively reengage in pursuing Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace is essential and will have positive reverberations in the region and around the world.
As members of the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative we are committed to working with the Administration and with Congress to support active, fair and firm U.S. leadership to help Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab states achieve a just peace. We commit ourselves to building public support for peace with justice for all in the region.
We look forward to receiving your response to our united appeal for a meeting to discuss this urgent matter.
Respectfully,
Christian Leaders:
His Eminence, Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Archdiocese of Washington*His Eminence, William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore*Most Reverend William Skylstad, President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops*His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios, Primate, Greek Orthodox Church in America*His Eminence, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate, Armenian Apostolic Church in America*Bishop Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America*Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop Episcopal Church*John H. Thomas, General Minister & President, United Church of Christ*The Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, General Minister, President, Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ)*The Reverend Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church (USA)*Ann B. Sherer, Bishop, The United Methodist Church*The Reverend Michael E. Livingston, President, National Council of Churches USA*The Reverend John M. Buchanan, Editor and Publisher, Christian Century*Richard J. Mouw, President, Fuller Theological Seminary*The Reverend Leighton Ford, President, Leighton Ford Ministries*David Neff, Editor and Vice-President, Christianity Today*
Jewish Leaders:
Rabbi Harry K. Danziger, President, Central Conference of American Rabbis*Rabbi Paul Menitoff, Executive Vice President Emeritus, Central Conference of American Rabbis*Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President, Union for Reform Judaism*Rabbi David Saperstein, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism*Rabbi Jerome M. Epstein, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism*Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Rector, University of Judaism*Dr. Carl Sheingold, Executive Vice President, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation*Rabbi Brant Rosen, President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association*Rabbi Amy Small, Past President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association*Rabbi Peter Knobel, Member, Council Parliament of World Religions*Rabbi Alvin M. Sugarman, Vice President, A Different Future*Rabbi Merle S. Singer, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Beth El, Boca Raton, Florida*
Muslim Leaders:
Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed, National Director, Islamic Society of North America*Imam Mohammed ibn Hagmagid, Vice President, Islamic Society of North America*Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Founder, American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA)*Imam Yahya Hendi, Chaplain, Georgetown University*Dawud Assad, President Emeritus, Council of Mosques, USA*Iftekhar A. Hai, Founding Director, United Muslims of America*
December 12, 2006
The Honorable Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of StateU.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Rice:
We are writing on behalf of religious leaders of twenty-nine national Jewish, Christian and Muslim organizations to ask for a meeting with you to discuss the urgent situation in the Middle East. We have also written members of Congress to encourage and support active, fair and firm leadership by the United States to promote a comprehensive and lasting Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace. Enclosed you will find a copy of the remarkable consensus we achieved on “Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Peace: From Crisis to Hope.”
We acknowledge and appreciate your personal commitment to the creation of a viable, independent, and democratic Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel, with security and peace for both peoples, and the crucial role you played in negotiations to reach an agreement on access to and from Gaza after the Israeli unilateral withdrawal (cf. our letter, 11/20/05).
Our statement comes at time when the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians raises hope for restarting negotiations and in the wake of the Baker-Hamilton Report that supports renewed efforts for a comprehensive Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace as essential for achieving U.S. goals in the Middle East.
His Eminence Cardinal Theodore McCarrick expressed our present hopes very well when he acknowledged at the meeting that led to our new interreligious consensus, “We gather at a time of crisis in the Middle East. But times of crisis can also become opportunities for change.” The events and suffering in Gaza, Lebanon and Israel demonstrate once again that there is no such thing as a safe, stable status quo in the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that there is no military solution to the conflicts. The only solution is a negotiated one based on U.N. Security Council Resolutions, realistic compromises, and monitored security arrangements with international guarantees.
In the aftermath of the war in Lebanon and in light of the ongoing crisis in Gaza, there is a new urgency for achieving an effective ceasefire and returning to the path of negotiations among Palestinians, Israelis and neighboring Arab states. This urgency is shared by European and other world leaders. While Palestinian and Israeli leaders have essential roles, U.S. leadership is crucial to halting the violence, and restarting and successfully completing Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab negotiations for peace.
The principles and practical ideas found in the Road Map, model peace agreements and earlier Israeli-Palestinian, Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-Lebanese negotiations provide important evidence that peace is possible. They help to define the reciprocal steps that will be necessary to achieve a just peace and they offer outlines of what could be accepted by majorities on all sides.
What is most needed now is a renewed commitment by the United States to provide active, creative and determined leadership, in coordination with the Quartet, as a top priority of U.S. foreign policy. Whatever develops in terms of a possible change of course for U.S. policy in Iraq, we believe a commitment by the Administration, with the support of Congress, to actively reengage in pursuing Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace is essential and will have positive reverberations in the region and around the world.
As members of the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative we are committed to working with the Administration and with Congress to support active, fair and firm U.S. leadership to help Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab states achieve a just peace. We commit ourselves to building public support for peace with justice for all in the region.
We look forward to receiving your response to our united appeal for a meeting to discuss this urgent matter.
Respectfully,
Christian Leaders:
His Eminence, Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Archdiocese of Washington*His Eminence, William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore*Most Reverend William Skylstad, President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops*His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios, Primate, Greek Orthodox Church in America*His Eminence, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate, Armenian Apostolic Church in America*Bishop Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America*Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop Episcopal Church*John H. Thomas, General Minister & President, United Church of Christ*The Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, General Minister, President, Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ)*The Reverend Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church (USA)*Ann B. Sherer, Bishop, The United Methodist Church*The Reverend Michael E. Livingston, President, National Council of Churches USA*The Reverend John M. Buchanan, Editor and Publisher, Christian Century*Richard J. Mouw, President, Fuller Theological Seminary*The Reverend Leighton Ford, President, Leighton Ford Ministries*David Neff, Editor and Vice-President, Christianity Today*
Jewish Leaders:
Rabbi Harry K. Danziger, President, Central Conference of American Rabbis*Rabbi Paul Menitoff, Executive Vice President Emeritus, Central Conference of American Rabbis*Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President, Union for Reform Judaism*Rabbi David Saperstein, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism*Rabbi Jerome M. Epstein, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism*Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Rector, University of Judaism*Dr. Carl Sheingold, Executive Vice President, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation*Rabbi Brant Rosen, President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association*Rabbi Amy Small, Past President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association*Rabbi Peter Knobel, Member, Council Parliament of World Religions*Rabbi Alvin M. Sugarman, Vice President, A Different Future*Rabbi Merle S. Singer, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Beth El, Boca Raton, Florida*
Muslim Leaders:
Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed, National Director, Islamic Society of North America*Imam Mohammed ibn Hagmagid, Vice President, Islamic Society of North America*Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Founder, American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA)*Imam Yahya Hendi, Chaplain, Georgetown University*Dawud Assad, President Emeritus, Council of Mosques, USA*Iftekhar A. Hai, Founding Director, United Muslims of America*
Monday, December 25, 2006
A Blessed Christmas to all...
Wishing you all a Christmas full of love, prosperity and peace...!
In your midst, a saviour is born and his name is Jesus. He is Emmanuel - God is with us!
A prosperous New Year 2007!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
The Bethlehem Wall that divides...
Christmas is the season to breakdown walls and barriers that divide individuals, communities and nations!
The Lord is BORN... Allelulia. With his birth we are all empowered to tear down walls that divide...
A Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year 2007!
The Lord is BORN... Allelulia. With his birth we are all empowered to tear down walls that divide...
A Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year 2007!
The Birth of Jesus - the Lord...
“And the angel said to them, ‘Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ (Luke 2: 10-12)”
The challenge of Christmas, then and now, remains the same… to see and believe God’s life-giving presence in that child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger…
Wishing you a Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year 2007!
Pax et Bonum!
Eliseo “Jun” Mercado, OMI
25 December 2006
The challenge of Christmas, then and now, remains the same… to see and believe God’s life-giving presence in that child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger…
Wishing you a Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year 2007!
Pax et Bonum!
Eliseo “Jun” Mercado, OMI
25 December 2006
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