Tag Archives: Christian
Beyond a ‘Tea and Cookies’ Dialogue With Islam by National Catholic Reporter
Beyond a ‘tea and cookies’ dialogue with Islam | National Catholic Reporter.
ROME — Given the setting of the Middle East, Christians are compelled to pursue dialogue with the vast Muslim majority; in fact, it would be virtually impossible to avoid.
Several participants at the Oct. 10-24 Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, however, seem eager to push that dialogue beyond a “tea and cookies” stage, where the point is merely being polite to one another, into blunt talk about religious freedom, democracy, and what one speaker described as “satanic plans by fundamental extremist groups” to extinguish Christianity in the region.
While it’s not clear what real impact either the local churches of the Middle East or Catholicism generally can have on those fronts, there appears to be a strong feeling in the synod that it’s time to lay things on the line.
One such call came from Archbishop Cyrille Salim Bustros, a Greek-Melkite prelate in the United States.
“On one hand and in principle, the assertion of tolerance is clear in the Koran,” Bustros said. “On the other hand, and in fact, the laws of all the Arab countries, except for Lebanon where one is allowed to change religion, threaten death to all Muslims who convert to another religion.”
Mincing no words, Bustros added, “We ask here: where can tolerance be found?”
“The first principle of all societies is the equality of all citizens before the law,” Bustros said. “The respect for the conscience of each individual is the sign of the recognition of the dignity of the human being.”
Chaldean Archbishop Thomas Meram of Iran was equally candid.
“The Christian hears every day from loudspeakers, television, newspapers and magazines that he is an infidel, and he is treated as a second-class citizen,” Meram said. Continue reading
Courts of Praise
Thank you, dear Lord, for my life long,
for beloved family and friends,
and all dear hearts touching mine.
My treasure trove of souls
spills far beyond my time
to number as my own
those who have gone before,
your saints of ages past,
the cloud of witnesses on high
and pure angelic beings
in realms veiled from the eye.
There never was a day in which I was alone,
nor forgotten before Your throne.
There, at Your feet,
all heaven sweet anthems raise
to set celestial hearts ablaze.
My heart with choruses
swell my love,
grown great in gratitude.
I make a small return of love beside Your All Love.
You count my debt as paid
and bid me enter courts of praise.
By Joann Nelander
I Dream of Heaven
Night and day, I dream of heaven.
O, not the dream that slumber brings,
that mirage that is tortuous,
with struggles and comings and goings,
jumbles and journeys
taking me far, far from home.
No, I speak now of the dream of my heart.
I dream of heaven, the cry of my heart.
With longing and yearning and surety of soul,
I labor in love for a home that I know.
Through all life’s long journey,
my days are replete
with a pilgrim’s desire,
that sheds light ‘to my feet.
Though weary, and broken, I no longer doubt,
That all heaven is waiting to welcome with shout,
one miserable sinner, it can’t do without.
By Joann Nelander
St. Gertrude’s Prayer of Petition
St. Gertrude’s Prayer of Petition
O most sweet Lord Jesus Christ, I praise, extol, and bless Thee, in union with that heavenly praise which the Divine persons of the Holy Trinity mutually render to each other, and which thence flows down upon Thy sacred humanity, upon the Blessed Virgin Mary, and upon all the angels and saints. And I give Thee thanks for all the graces Thou didst lavish upon Thy beloved spouse St. Gertrude. I thank Thee especially for that ineffable love where with Thou didst pre-elect from all eternity, didst enrich her so highly, didst draw her so sweetly to thyself by the strongest bonds of love, didst unite her so blissfully to thyself, dwell with such delight in her heart, and crown her life with so blessed an end. I recall to Thee now, O most compassionate Jesus, the promise Thou didst make to thy beloved spouse, that Thou would most assuredly grant the prayers of all who come to Thee through her merits and intercession, in all matters concerning their salvation. I beseech Thee by the most tender love, grant me the grace ________________ which I confidently expect. Amen.
In Adoration Waiting
You are before me, Bright Light.
The Darkness without shouts,
But I gaze heavenward.
My eyes rest upon You, Lamb of God
In Your rest upon the Altar of Your repose.
Having conquered all by Your Cross and sacrificial Death,
You spread Your mantle over the centuries
Till Your glorious Coming.
I see You enthroned on the altar
and offer You the throne and altar of my heart
Here You are enshined in my life, now hidden in Your’s.
The Darkness without lies and denies You,
But the Spirit within gives witness,
That dispels all blindness,
Preparing me to do battle in this stillness.
“Stand still and know the I Am God.”
By Joann Nelander
Be Holy! 