One of St Bonaventure’s most moving teachings concerns the manifold meanings contained in Scripture. His teaching is a link in a chain of biblical commentators, particularly the Fathers of the Church, who were active readers of the text in that they persistently searched for its deepest meaning. When the study of the Bible became part of the University syllabus, commentaries tended to become collectors of other people’s opinions and thus more academic in tone.

St Francis, who was no academic, belonged to the ranks of active readers of Scripture who read the text and regarded it as God’s personal word for them and tried to see how to apply it to their own lives. He did not do this on his own, or independently of the Church. His biographers tell us that, concerning the key passages that inspired his fundamental choices, he sought the advice of the priest after Mass.

Perhaps the closest example of this in the Gospel itself is the story of the two men on the road to Emmaus. They mull over events trying to extract their meaning. They succeed finally only with the assistance of our Lord. The story is a good indication of how we should look not only to the Bible but also to events in our lives in order to derive spiritual food for the journey.

It is not easy because, as Bonaventure pointed out, there are manifold meanings in any passage or event. One aid in the pursuit of meaning is to read how others interpreted God’s word. More and more Franciscan commentators are appearing in English, for example, Father Campion Murray’s translation of The Angel’s Greeting to Mary by Conrad of Saxony, and Father Tom Murtagh’s translation of Peter Olivi’s Matthew Commentary, but we can also witness the process by looking at characters in Scripture itself.

For example, if we look at St Peter, we see a person who matures spiritually from someone who knew all the answers, passing through a guilt-ridden fall and emerging as a humble but courageous follower of Christ. When we approach what he has to say in Scripture, we start to look for his wisdom. After the Resurrection, Peter appears in print in the Acts of the Apostles when speaking to the people, who are also seeking to interpret events in a very significant week, and in his own Letters.

In Peter’s speeches and Letters, and also incidentally in the conversation at Emmaus, there are some points that are repeated and which form the core to grasp the meaning of Christ’s death and resurrection. Peter (Acts 2: 22-28) describes Christ as “This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God”. Telling the story of Emmaus, St Luke (Lk 24 13-35) reports Christ as saying: “Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?” Peter (1 Peter 1: 17-21) continues, “but God raised him”, and through this made known to me the meaning of life. Peter (1 Peter 1: 17-21) who was brought up a Jew, and whose life had to make sense of the changes that took place in the New Testament, exhorts the new Christians to “remember the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life your ancestors handed down”. He concludes that what we see happening in Christ is the basis of our faith in God, the philosophy of our life and the key to the meaning of our existence.

To draw such conclusions, Peter had to have been an active reader of the text and of the events. What is more, his activity was enlightened by faith, for such insight is only possible for those who approach the word of God in prayer, convinced that there they will find God’s message for them. Academic approaches, which provide translations, establish a critical text, reveal the author and the history surrounding the events, are merely preparations for the feast.

As we read Scripture, we become aware of many different levels of interpretation, all within the bounds of orthodoxy. There will be a strictly historical meaning for the events, a doctrinal meaning showing what we should believe, a moral meaning, showing what we should do, and a prophetic meaning showing what we are to hope for. Active readers explore all of these meanings.

If we delve into Franciscan biblical literature, we are faced with a rich and rewarding variety of approaches and interpretations. Francis uses a predominantly historical and literal approach, perhaps because he confines himself mainly to the Gospels. Friars in the first generation who came out of the Universities of both Paris and Oxford are more inclined to play with allegory. With divisions in the Order regarding the Rule and its observance and interpretation came various interpretations of scripture passages in support of a particular position. Olivi, for example interprets the story of the Unmerciful Servant (Mt. 18: 23-35) in the context of the history of his times. He sees the thousand talents as representing creation, the inability to meet the debt as the fall, the servant begging for mercy as the patriarchs longing for Christ, the forgiving King as Christ, the cruelty of the unmerciful servant as shepherds in the last age of the Church and the distress of his fellow servants as the piety of spiritual men who bear grief over the loss of simple faith.

However, in spite of human divisions, what always remained constant was the conviction that God speaks to me in his word and, if I want to understand life, that is where I must look for the key. It is this attitude that should motivate active followers of St Francis who stated that his Rule was the Gospel. In spite of the risk of some flights of fantasy, let us never give up wrestling with the word of God to extract his message for us. Even if moments of illumination are few and far between, they will be contact with God.

Patrick Colbourne O.F.M.Cap.

Once in a while each one of us experiences magic moments in life. Some of these we can see coming, and so we prepare for them with great excitement to make sure we do not miss out on anything.

There was a ritual in some families that was played out when the eldest daughter was bringing her boyfriend home for the very first time. Dad would be warned to be on his best behaviour and not carry on as he usually did at teatime. Mum would be warned about his likes and dislikes, and was expected to turn out one her special dinners. The younger boys were under all kinds of threats about conduct at the table.

Top sports people speak about pre-match jitters and great actors refer to stage fright.

All such occasions are prefaced by a certain type of fear or anxiety that is not caused by trembling in the face of disaster as much as it is due to concern that we might not perform to full potential, that everything might not go just as it should, that we might miss out on savouring the full beauty and joy of the moment.

This is the type of fear we intend to describe when we refer to the fear of the Lord. Scripture says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit and, as such, could have nothing to do with trembling in the face of approaching disaster. The fear of the Lord is the anxiety we feel at a significant point of a relationship when there is a chance we might not grasp the moment fully. It implies that such encounters do not just happen but require preparation.

The text from the Psalms which heads this piece indicates two steps in the process of savouring a magic moment: being still and knowing or grasping. The old Latin Vulgate edition of the Bible says, ‘empty yourself’. We have to clear our minds and hearts of all other anxieties when we come to experience God’s presence. We owe Him this in justice because He created everything that we are and is our final destiny, and it would be a pity to miss the moment. Great people have missed it. The Apostles missed it during the agony in the garden when they might have been of some use to their friend.

We have to approach the moment convinced that this is a real moment of pure, unmixed love, in which He comes out to us as the father did to the prodigal son. We will miss the feeling unless we can immerse ourselves in the piece of Scripture before us and taste it to the full.

Sometimes it may take an apparent contradiction to make the penny drop. We know how Cain killed Abel and how the blood of Abel cried out for vengeance. Cain got life with a mark on his forehead that no one could miss. The blood of Abel is mentioned in the First Eucharistic Prayer. When the blood of Christ seeped into the earth on Calvary it stained the spot to remind the Father to forgive us. We might be forgiven for thinking that God had mellowed with age and become more tolerant between the Old and the New Testament. This is not so. What has happened is that I have come to see an alternative way of living. I am starting to mature because of being still and watching. I will not appreciate the full message until I mature. Many points made in the Old Testament were written because of the hardness of our hearts. My heart has to change before I recognise what lies before me.

St Bonaventure opens his Breviloquium with a passage from St Paul (Eph: 14-19) in which Paul wrote: I bend my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth receives its name, that He may grant you from His glorious riches to be strengthened with power through His Spirit unto the progress of the inner being; and to have Christ dwelling through faith in your hearts; so that, being rooted and grounded in love, you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breath and length and height and depth, and to know Christ’s love which surpasses all knowledge, in order that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.

St Bonaventure is introducing young students to the study of theology which he identifies with Holy Scripture. They will not grasp what it offers unless the Holy Trinity expands the capacity of their hearts to recognise the content of love and the superabundance of overflowing happiness.

Studying scripture by considering scientifically the language, the manuscripts, the historical circumstances and geographical sites of the events and the manner in which the text was edited is only the entree. If we wish to taste the main course of love, we have to clear the palate of all else. To do this, we have to empty ourselves of human concerns and enter the realms of faith, for we are sitting before divine revelation which originates from the Father of Lights, is proclaimed by the wisdom of His Word, by means of the Holy Spirit who inspired the sacred writers and inspires us to grasp what they intended to teach. The end result is not something restricted but the fullness of eternal happiness. Such happiness is not restricted to saints and scholars, for the Spirit moves wherever He wills. To whom else shall we go since He has the words of eternal life?

Let us then be still and realise God wants to communicate with us at the level of love.

Patrick Colbourne O.F.M.Cap.

Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists, foreigners and Thais have come together in Phuket to pray for the souls of those who died in a calamity that has distressed the whole world. Yesterday, the chants of a thousand monks and the glow of more than 10,000 candles honoured the memory of those who died in the tsunami and to the millions who have donated billions of dollars to help the living pick up their lives.

Asia News reports that during the ceremony, more than 100 illuminated paper lanterns were released into the sky in an emotional symbolic send-off for the spirits of the departed.

Many who suffered losses in the tsunami wept, but one monk suggested that this might be the beginning of a long healing process from the evil and the wounds that mark the earth.

Fr Peter Pakpoom of the Church of Our Lady of Assumption in Phuket led the Catholic prayers for the souls of the dead that they might find peace and for the survivors that they be granted strength to rebuild their lives.

Imam Naren Rodnakrat said Muslims, particularly in Indonesia and Thailand, have been badly hit by the tsunami, but his prayers went out to people from all over the world since “we all have the same roots even if our beliefs may differ”.

Venerable Phra Dhammakittiwong, head of Phuket’s Buddhist monastic community, led the final prayers of the service, seeking strength and willpower for survivors that they may carry on and a blessing for those who died.

Back in Australia, The Age reports Prime Minister John Howard yesterday declared 16 January the national day of commemoration to honour tsunami victims and survivors. With at least 16 Australians dead and another 72 feared dead, Mr Howard invited people to find their own way of observing the day.

“Many Australians will mark that by attending church services, others will choose to do it in different ways,” he said.

“I respect the fact that Sunday is not a day of religious observance for all faiths in this country and understandably people, for example of the Islamic faith, would perhaps mark the occasion on Friday which is the normal day of prayers in the Muslim religion.”

A personal sharing by Cecilia Shin from St. Margaret of Cortona fraternity

Gina, my god-daughter had suffered from cancer for a couple of years. She leaves behind her three beautiful and loving children, Eugene (29), Chanel (12), and Richmond (10) as well as her nine siblings to mourn her loss. Gina was the only member of the family who was a baptized Catholic besides Chanel and Richmond who were baptized together with her five years ago at the Blessed Sacrament Church. She was, however rarely seen at mass after her baptism. This was because the only reason she wanted to be baptized was so that her children could attend Catholic schools which they ultimately did.

Although, I am staying in the same block as Gina we hardly got together, but upon hearing her death, I decided to give my whole heart in rendering her and her family members assistance in whatever way possible.

Just before her death, Gina requested to see me urgently. She expressed all her requests and wishes to me (WHY ME? I was asking myself.) Perhaps God already knows my desire for me to come to the help of those who are in need. He has his plans for us, and I should leave everything to his will. Henceforth, I humbly submitted myself to his will in arranging for the five nights of vigil at Gina’s wake. God’s love for us is boundless, as each night the Catholic Neighborhood Group (CNG) members and others who hardly knew Gina came forth to support and pray for her in all their sincerity. This also included religious, priests, the Divine Mercy prayer group, and the Franciscan Secular Order. All that has happened made me realize that it is the plan of God coming together to witness the goodness of Christ and his Divine Power. One evening, a mass was even celebrated by two foreign Franciscan priests who were just passing by from Rome.

My journey with Gina has given me a deeper understanding of myself and that I should avail myself at all times for the good of others. Indeed it has been a very meaningful and reverential experience for me, as I felt that God did not judge whether Gina had been a “good” Catholic or not according to human standards. The peace and joy had also been felt by Gina’s close family members. I am thankful to God for touching the lives of so many who were present at Gina’s wake.

This month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary, a prayer which is dear to all Catholics and a matter of curiosity to those who are not.

St. Francis encouraged all forms of prayer that would bring people closer to Christ. The Rosary has been a mainstay for believers through the highs and the lows in life. This ancient and yet proven form of prayer has been described as “the Gospel on its knees.” Last year, during the Year of the Rosary, Pope John Paul II added a new dimension to the recitation of this prayer by adding the Luminous Mysteries, or the Mysteries of Light. Many people who pray the Rosary regularly or daily have had a new injection of life through these mysteries.

Religious Communities also have contributed their own forms of devotion to the Rosary, and we Franciscans are no exception. The Franciscan Crown is a beautiful alternative to the regular Rosary and a wonderful heritage given to the Order that should not be forgotten or left on the sidelines of former devotions. It needs to be passed on to the newer members of the Order. The Franciscan Crown reflects the essence of our Franciscan spirituality steeped in our Marian heritage. We should be always joyful to give thanks for this heritage. In this reflection, I would like to examine these joys.

1.Mary’s Joy at the Annunciation: The simplicity of Mary’s “YES” at the message of the Angel made the world a different place. The power of her “Fiat” allowed the Word made flesh to dwell among us. The role that God gave to Mary is so profound that it is dazzling to contemplate. This was true for St. Francis and should be for us.

2. Mary’s Joy at visiting her Cousin Elizabeth: We all know well the experience of visiting with our relatives. For some of us it is a chore and for others a true joy. For Mary it was a joy as she wanted a chance to share with Elizabeth this grace that God had bestowed upon her. Imagine her reaction when she finds Elizabeth able to understand fully her Joy. As human beings, the best persons who can understand our situation are the ones who have gone through the same experience. Elizabeth and Mary compliment each other. Mary gives the example by going to Elizabeth to minister charitable assistance, thus proclaiming the mercy of God.

3. Mary’s Joy at the Birth of Christ: The Spanish poet Aurelius (d 413 AD), the only layperson who is one of the Church Fathers, wrote: “Oh, that ever blessed birthday, when the Virgin full of grace, of the Holy Ghost Incarnate bears the Savior of our race. And that Child the World’s Redeemer first displayed his sacred face.” After visiting the Holy Land, St. Francis was so enamored of the mystery of the Incarnation he wanted all people to experience his joy at so wonderful a gift that God our Loving Father gave us in Jesus, His Son in the flesh.

4. Mary’s Joy at the visit of the Magi: “The wisdom and faith of the Magi enable them to see in a Baby the Star who unites divinity with humanity and time with eternity.” The Rule of St. Francis states: “to observe the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is the grace we are called to embody by our Profession, and we are commissioned to invite all men and women to embrace Christ.

5. Mary’s Joy at presenting the Child Jesus in the Temple: Pope Paul VI, the author of the new SFO Rule, described this mystery as “a joint celebration of the Son and Mother in the accomplishment of salvation.” We Franciscans are commissioned to reproduce Our Lord’s characteristics in the Church and the World. As a candle illuminates the surrounding darkness, we can radiate that light of Christ for the World by our vocation to priesthood, religious life, family life or the single life. The Holy Spirit is not constrained by human imperfections, which therefore need not be a barrier or a deterrent to personal commitment.

6. Mary’s Joy at seeing Jesus after the Resurrection: In his Resurrection, Christ conquered the power of death. His death on the cross and burial in the tomb and his rising to new life have given us a share in the redemptive power of God’s love. Francis always celebrated the power of God’s love in all its forms. The experience of new life leaves everyone fearful and joyful. People feel fear because it is hard to believe that there really is life after suffering through a problem, illness, or some other crisis situation. They sense joy because they know that because of the suffering they are now much more human. Francis knew the reality of joy and fear as he deepened his relationship with the Risen Jesus.

7. Mary’s Joy at being Assumed Body and Soul into Heaven and being Crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth: We renew our joy in the destiny of Mary and of all who belong to the Risen Jesus. Francis saw Mary as the incomparable type of the Church and its most revered Model… Mary assisted the early Church with her prayers and now she is placed high in heaven so that she can make intercession with her Son. After her Assumption, Mary was crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. “She is clearly the mother of the members of Christ for she has, with love, co-operated in the birth of the faithful in the Church, and they are the members of that head … Mary, daughter of Adam … became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole of the human race … the mother’s union with the Son in the work of salvation can be seen from the time of His conception to His death” (Lumen Gentium, 53-59). Mary shares our human condition but in complete openness to the will of God.

Mary was the example that Francis took for his mirroring the Gospel of Christ. Mary is able to have compassion on every kind of weakness; she understands sinful human beings and loves us with a mother’s love. May the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary bring us to a deeper love for Mary, our Mother and Queen, and especially under the title of Mary, Queen of the Franciscan Order.

Anthony Fox OFMConv

I am writing not just to say thank you but to shout with joy and to congratulate everyone that we have entered into the era of the Early Christian Community. “The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul.” Acts 4:32.

It was always tiresome to have “house warming” where half the time you are worried so and so may be out of place, people are not mingling, etc., entertaining, obligation, politeness…

In the absence of my family member, everyone becomes family. No one was guest. It seems like we have known each one for a long, long, time though I just encounter 3 new members. There was not the slightest sign of barrier. Sr. Florence worked excitedly and joyfully, doing up my prayer room and altar, arranging the flowers and hymns for Mass. Nothing was overlooked as she radiates with youth ha! ha! Madelina walked in with “hands full” wah! Looked like she was coming to stay. Pauline and Mary Chee marched in: “We are here!”. Kenneth moved in steadily with his usual full glee. MaryClaire walked in announcing her latest fishing “I have invited…..”. Susie’s entrance was delightful; like a prophetess she mouthed: “Elizabeth will bring flowers”. The next moment you see Elizabeth walking in with flowers in one hand and food in the other. Paul must have sneaked in, as out of the blue; he was smiling right into your face. Therese, another Santa, brought a bagful of jelly bursting my fridge. “O Lord, we are going to have problem finishing these food?”

It was just the beginning. .. Despite of the constraint of space, everyone was seated not too comfortably yet making space ( “the multiplying of space"). Pat was nursing a headache and was given the life-giving massage by Candy.

The house blessing by Fr. Gerard was a brief one. Followed by the Eucharist Meal of Jesus for our spiritual food. Thanks, Magdelene for the prayer, it is not only my beginning here; this flat is but a humble dwelling place for us “no one claim private ownership of any possessions, as everything they own was held in common.”

Pauline, the handmaid, helped to serve when our buffet dinner commenced. When it ended, Pat & Elizabeth embarked on the difficult task of “finishing the food” packing and distributing. Their one and only satisfaction ……to see the bottom of every tray!

Praise the Lord! Together, we have made it and with much confident we shall march on in the same Spirit. “It is by your love for one another that everyone (ourselves too) will recognise you as my disciples.”

We also thank the Lord for His faithfulness in His Prayer for us (John 17) “Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name so that they may be one with us. May they all be one as we are one . that the world will recognise that it was you who sent me.

A big, big thank you to the Lord and to everyone, for the joy you brought upon me. My home is a humble dwelling place, set foot on it, set it ablaze. Don’t worry if it catch fire, it is heavily insured with the precious blood of my Lord.

Glory and Praise to our God, who alone gives Light to our Days
Many are the Blessings he bears to those who trust in His ways

It was about 11:30 pm Saturday night when we came to the base of Mt. Singai. I was very excited and though not knowing what to expect, I had no fear at all. I looked up at the mountain and saw only darkness with all the beautiful different sound that there are to hear. Sound of the birds chipping and singing, sound of the howling wind, sound made by the crickets and many more which were beautifully chorus across the mountain. In all, I enjoyed listening to them as I made my climb together with Vincent a friend from Kuching, Anthony a friend from Singapore, Cecilia-Sfo St.Margaret & Pauline- Sfo St. Clare.

Cecilia led us in reciting the Rosary and soon enough we reached the first Station of the Cross. I was rather surprised, as I did not know that there were all the 14 stations within the whole journey. It was pitched dark and the only thing I could see ahead were the few steps coming from the lights shinning through the little torches that we carried.

I was so thankful to God for having made that day to rain in the late afternoon right through the early evening so that we could all have a wonderful cool night to enjoy the climb. Though we pant and stopped whenever we reached a station, there was serenity all around as we sang the ‘Ave Maria’ to our Blessed Mother. I remembered enjoying the darkness and stillness of the night when at one point we switched off all our torches and watched the illuminated fire-flies flying across the mountain.

We finally reached the place at about 12.30 a.m. and rested for a while before each taking our shower. Never had I ever had a cold shower in the middle of the night together with a big spider in the bathroom, but it was fun talking to it while it teased me throughout my shower by trying to get near onto my clothes hanging on the doorknob.

After our bath we sat together and had a few drinks of their home-made wine called Tuak (fermented rice wine) and sang their cheers song that goes like this ‘ trak… trak…trak… Ouooooooooooooooo’ (haa.. haa.. haa… a couple of times!) into the stillness of the of the night.

Finally we all call it a night at about 2 am and that’s when the generator was switched off and we are back to pitched darkness again. Somehow with the exercise in climbing up, I was too awake to sleep and so I laid still in the night listening to every single conversation between God and all his creatures while waiting for the first light of dawn to break into the mountain.

We got up very early and took a stroll all round this beautiful, magnificent place till the sun rises. Had breakfast, washed up and prepared for the Eucharistic Celebration. We started to descend at about 2.30 pm in the afternoon and had another wonderful journey down. It is from the daylight across the mountain that I came to reflect about the previous night journey.

Looking at the long flight of steps and the various paths down the mountain made me realised what a journey into the darkness it was last night. Now upon reflection, I was reassured that I need only to Trust in the Lord to lead me into and out of the wilderness and darkness of my life. The friends that were with me were His hands guiding me through.

The light from my torch leading me each step of the journey reminds me of Psalm119:105 ‘Your Word is a Lamp unto my Feet and the Light unto My Path’. Each step I take, the Light leads me to Safety.

In May 1995, I joined an Italian Bank and was given the chance to learn the language through the Italian Cultural Institute. Within a year I was able to sit for a test organized by the Institute and won as the prize for doing well a trip to Assisi, Italy for a month to continue learning the language in one of their famous Language Academy.

Prior to the trip, little have I heard of Assisi, St. Francis or St. Clare for me to get excited about except that I was going there by myself and having to find my way from Rome to Assisi. I was lucky to be allowed one month of leave from work since it was ‘italian’ related, and so for the whole month of September 1996 I was in Assisi. I have been a Catholic for a long time and have never been closer to God then when I was in Assisi that one month. The peace and serenity I experienced was something I have never felt before in my life.

The way to Assisi was so smooth that when I finally reached there I was immediately welcomed by a 80 years old lady who was staying next to the apartment where I stayed. She gave me the best hospitality any stranger could get on her first trip to a distant country. I also befriended a Third Order Regular (TOR) friar who guided me through the city and the surroundings of Assisi explaining St. Francis to me.

In retrospect, when I reflected I realized that she was “St. Clare” and he was “St. Francis” who were helping me through that one month. Before I left, the friar made me promised that I should look out for the SFO and join them when I get back to Singapore.

To my surprise, the awesome wonders of the Lord worked immediately on the very same day I arrived home. It was a Sunday afternoon and so I attended the evening Mass at the Church of the Risen Christ. The homily was delivered by Friar Phillip Miscamble, Custos of the OFM in Singapore and at the end of his homily he announced that the Franciscan yearly calendars for 1997 will be on sale next week during the feast of St. Francis Oct 4 and he asked for our support. Obediently the following Sunday I bought the calendar and when I flipped the first page, I could not escape to notice the directory of all the names and contact numbers of the various fraternities and the information I needed to call upon any of them.

By the Grace of God, I am now a professed member with St. Clare Fraternity. Not only did I join the SFO, I have also been active in the RCIA and a catechist serving in my parish Church of the Risen Christ since I returned from Assisi.

Growing up at the time of the Crusaders, Francis shared the prevalent view that Christianity was the only truth. However, his obedience to God as a loyal Christian did not prevent him from treating adherents of other faiths with humanity.

The encounter in 1219 between Francis and the Sultan in Damietta, on the coast north of Cairo, is a salutary example. Their meeting offers a potential model for present-day Christian-Muslim relations. In marked contrast to the usual beliefs and practices of his day, Francis’s approach to the Sultan indicates an unusual openness to difference. Neither person was entirely persuaded by the other’s arguments for his faith yet both of them recognised and valued sincerity in the other.

The Sultan’s hospitality and welcome earned Francis’ respect, as Francis’ refusal to be tempted away from poverty by exotic gifts impressed the Sultan. Francis’ obedience to the promptings of God to share the Gospel with all those around him thus led him to a surprisingly harmonious encounter with someone he might otherwise have been expected to fear or hate.

Chapter 16 of the Rule 1221, the so-called the “mission chapter” must have been influenced by Francis’s encounters in the Muslim camp in Damietta. It gives very precise instructions to those brethren who feel called to visit the Holy Land. Its main argument is that mission is not just a matter of living among the Saracens, but also being subject to them. Such an approach is all the more extraordinary in that Francis was advocating something diametrically opposite to what the Church was doing and saying in respect of Muslims.

Rowan Williams: A Condition of Complete Simplicity: A Franciscan Wisdom for Today’s World.

St. Francis of Assisi continues to be a model to follow in the dialogue with Muslims, says the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor. Father Jose Rodriguez Carballo made that comment while visiting Morocco for the chapter of the Franciscan Federation in this north African country. The first friars, sent by Francis, arrived in Morocco in 1219. Another small group arrived there is 1227. The Friars Minor have been in Morocco ever since, except for two short periods in the 16th and 19th centuries.

The Friars Minor were dedicated to the service of Christian prisoners and works of social and cultural development. Today they are in dialogue with the Islamic culture and religion, and collaborate with local institutions. About 30 Friars Minor in Morocco are distributed in 11 houses. In a homily Father Rodriguez Carballo addressed to his brother religious during a Mass in Rabat, he repeated the advice that Francis gave the Franciscans who were leaving for Morocco. “Live among them [the Muslims] spiritually, without stirring disputes and controversies, but submitting yourselves to every human creature for love of God,” the Minister General said.

“Francis is not only the first founder who included in his rule a chapter on the missions, not only was he the first modern missionary, but he was the first promoter of the pedagogy of the ‘dialogue of life’ with those who seemed to be the great danger for Christendom,” Father Rodriguez Carballo said. “At a time of war between the Cross and the Crescent, Francis opted – in a way which we would not hesitate to describe as prophetic – for ‘dialogue of the heart’, the ‘dialogue of the poor’,” he added. “At a time of great disputes and great controversies, at a time of intense struggles, Francis, without condemning persons, had no other concern than that of living the spirit of the beatitudes,” Father Jose Rodriguez Carballo said.

“I am fully convinced of the timeliness of this kind of mission,” the minister general concluded. “Don’t ever forget that the first means of evangelization is ‘preaching with one’s life,’ The Good News must be proclaimed, in the first place, through witness.”

While expressing Pope John Paul II alarm at the ephemeral nature of youth culture, Pope John Paul II has stressed the opportunity the Internet provides for the evangelisation of young people. Speaking to a group of French bishops on Friday, the Holy Father applauded their efforts to evangelise via the Internet, describing the web as an especially appropriate means to evangelise young people.

He referred to the “complex and difficult context in which young people live” that is characterised by new communication technologies that transform their relation with the world, with time and with others, and which mould their behaviour. “This creates a culture of the ephemeral and immediate, which is not always favorable profundity, interior maturation, or moral discernment,” he said. “However, the use of the new means of communication has an interest that no one can deny.” “Your conference and numerous dioceses have well understood the positive character of this change, proposing Internet sites directed especially to young people, where it is possible to be informed, to be formed, and to discover the different proposals of the Church.” “I cannot but encourage the development of these instruments to serve the Gospel and to promote dialogue and communication,” he added.

ZENIT

‘The peace proclaimed by Christ is not based on recourse to force or the simple balance of powers, John Paul II says. Reflecting on the theme of the current Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, “My Peace I Give to You,” the Pope offered the more than 4,000 pilgrims present at today’s general audience a reflection on the Christian view of peace.

The Pope said that Christ’s words at the Last Supper are, in a certain sense, his “spiritual testament” “The promise made to the disciples will find its full realization in the resurrection of Christ,” the Holy Father told those gathered in Paul VI Hall. “When appearing to the Eleven in the Cenacle, he addressed them three times with the greeting: ‘Peace be with you’.

“The gift given to the apostles, therefore, is not just any kind of ‘peace,’ but Christ’s very own peace: ‘my peace,’ as he said. And, to make himself understood more plainly: I give you my peace, ‘not as the world gives.’” “The world longs for peace, has need of peace – today as yesterday – but it often seeks it with improper means, at times even with recourse to force or with the balance of opposing powers,” the Pope said. “In such situations, man lives with a heart troubled by fear and uncertainty. The peace of Christ, instead, reconciles spirits, purifies hearts, converts minds,” he added.’”

Franciscans International and seven other non-governmental organisations have called on UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to take immediate steps to appoint a new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. They say the post’s five-month vacancy since the killing of Sergio Vieira de Mello in Iraq last summer is undermining human rights efforts around the world.

Mr Vieira de Mello died on 19 August during a bomb attack on UN premises in Baghdad. He was appointed UN special representative in Iraq in May 2003 on the understanding that he would return to his permanent position as High Commissioner for Human Rights after four months. “The continuing vacancy in this key UN post can only contribute, in our view, to the weakening of respect for established principles and obligations in the field of human rights,” the NGOs say in a letter to Mr. Annan. The letter was issued on 7 January by the Lutheran World Federation, on behalf of Franciscans International and six other NGOs. It comes as the United Nations intensifies preparations for the annual six-week Commission on Human Rights, which begins on 15 March in Geneva.

“No recent session of the Commission, in our experience, has been ‘easy’,” the NGO letter says. “We believe that the difficulties will be greatly exacerbated if no new High Commissioner for Human Rights has taken up the office by that time. “The eight NGOs express their “highest esteem” for the Acting High Commissioner, Bertrand Ramcharan, who has overseen the High Commissioner’s Office since May. Mr. Vieira de Mello, in September 2002, became only the third High Commissioner, following Jose Ayala Lasso and Mary Robinson. The UN General Assembly created the office in 1993 in recognition of the importance of promoting and protecting human rights on a global level.

Franciscans International and the other NGOs say the appointment of a new High Commissioner for Human Rights “would be a fitting tribute to Sergio Vieira de Mello’s memory and to the example he gave in his life and his work”.

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At the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, the Holy See has presented a vision of information technology as an instrument of peace. The principles were articulated at last week’s International Telecommunications Union meeting in Geneva by Archbishop John Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and head of the Holy See delegation.

“In these days, we cannot build a lasting peace without the cooperation of media networks,” he said. “They can serve the culture of dialogue, participation, solidarity and reconciliation without which peace cannot flourish.” “Instead of featuring violence, immorality and superficiality,” the media “could foster a more open and respectful use of ICTs to build better reciprocal knowledge and respect and to foster reconciliation and a more fruitful relationship among peoples of different cultures, ideologies and religions.” “Technology is a means,” he continued. “We are responsible for using it so that, in this communication age, the search for truth and true freedom might be advanced among all peoples.”

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