Catholic Teens 10-17-06
Hey All—
Check out the story of this priest in Vietnam. What an amazing story of faith. And it’s awesome how he can look at his imprisonment as being part of the mission God had for him.
Imprisonment a Mission of Faith for PriestSpent 12 Years in Vietnamese Jail ROME, OCT. 10, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Far from considering his imprisonment in Vietnam a tragedy, Father Joseph Nguyen Cong Doan sees it as a mission of evangelization. Speaking on Vatican Radio, the priest commented on his 12 years in a Vietnamese jail, accused of being a counter-revolutionary. Father Doan, 65, is a native of Vietnam, and was ordained a priest of the Society of Jesus in 1970. He was studying in Rome at the Biblical Institute when, in 1975, he was sent to Vietnam shortly before the fall of Saigon. The city name was changed to Ho Chi Minh City in 1975 when the Communist government took over. "The first 15 years" in the country, "that is, until the fall of the Berlin Wall, were very hard due to prejudices caused by history," explained the Vietnamese priest on Vatican Radio.
\nBecause "Western colonialism generated great confusion\nbetween the Church and colonialism itself ... there were many\nprejudices which made life hard. The Communist government suspected the\nChurch of being an accomplice of colonialism, so the Church\nsuffered from very tight control measures," said Father Doan.\n\nSpeaking of\nthe years he spent in prison, the priest said: "I\nnever regarded this sentence as a tragedy. For me it\nwas a mission."\n\nIt was a mission "with the prisoners, because\nit was the only way they could have a chaplain,"\nas "priests could not enter prisons."\n\nIn prison, "we were able\nto help much in clarifying numerous aspects, very many suspicions\nagainst the Church," "and a sort of dialogue was born,"\nhe said.\n\nPriestly presence\n\nThere were "political prisoners and ordinary prisoners" in\nthe jail. However, "the presence of a priest was very\nrespected, including by non-Christians," said the priest.\n\nMoreover, "many means" were\nfound "to celebrate Mass discreetly and to distribute Communion and\nthe sacrament of reconciliation to Catholic prisoners," stated Father Doan.\n\n"The\nChurch has always sought to contribute and cooperate in rebuilding\nthe country after so many years of war. Thus, little\nby little, a good relationship has been created. The seminaries\nare also full of young people. There are now seven\nseminaries in the country. It is still not enough, but\nit is already a lot," he explained on Vatican Radio.\n\nIn\nso far as professing the faith at present, without the\nrisk of persecution, Father Doan said that "problems are still\nperceived for those Churches that declare themselves to the government,\nbut everything is public for the Catholic Church; therefore, they\nare no longer afraid of Catholics.\n\n"The clearest teaching is that\nof St. Peter, who says we must always be prepared\nto give the reason for the hope that is in\nus, with love, patience and respect."\n",1]
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Because "Western colonialism generated great confusion between the Church and colonialism itself ... there were many prejudices which made life hard. The Communist government suspected the Church of being an accomplice of colonialism, so the Church suffered from very tight control measures," said Father Doan. Speaking of the years he spent in prison, the priest said: "I never regarded this sentence as a tragedy. For me it was a mission." It was a mission "with the prisoners, because it was the only way they could have a chaplain," as "priests could not enter prisons." In prison, "we were able to help much in clarifying numerous aspects, very many suspicions against the Church," "and a sort of dialogue was born," he said. Priestly presence There were "political prisoners and ordinary prisoners" in the jail. However, "the presence of a priest was very respected, including by non-Christians," said the priest. Moreover, "many means" were found "to celebrate Mass discreetly and to distribute Communion and the sacrament of reconciliation to Catholic prisoners," stated Father Doan. "The Church has always sought to contribute and cooperate in rebuilding the country after so many years of war. Thus, little by little, a good relationship has been created. The seminaries are also full of young people. There are now seven seminaries in the country. It is still not enough, but it is already a lot," he explained on Vatican Radio. In so far as professing the faith at present, without the risk of persecution, Father Doan said that "problems are still perceived for those Churches that declare themselves to the government, but everything is public for the Catholic Church; therefore, they are no longer afraid of Catholics. "The clearest teaching is that of St. Peter, who says we must always be prepared to give the reason for the hope that is in us, with love, patience and respect."
\n"So, after many years, the\nChurch in Vietnam has been able to create a dialogue,\nand, every year, the Holy See can send a delegation\nto the country to address several questions regarding the life\nof the Church ... though there are no diplomatic relations\nbetween the two states," he added.\n\n"All this is the result\nof the spirit of love, patience and respect, as St.\nPeter affirmed," said Father Doan.\n\nVietnam has over 80 million inhabitants,\nmore than 80% of whom do not practice any creed.\nIt is estimated that Catholics number more than 6 million\nand it is thought that between 80-90% of Catholics are\nactive.\n \nZE06101029\nemail this article\nTOP\n\n1st Knight-of-Columbus-Bishop to Be CanonizedRafael Guízar Valencia Known for His Zeal\n\nROME,\nOCT. 10, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Bishop Rafael Guízar Valencia will\nbecome the seventh Knight of Columbus to be canonized, but\nthe first bishop of the Catholic organization to be declared\na saint.\n \nPope John Paul II declared six other knights\nsaints in 2000, all of whom were martyred in Mexico\nduring the persecutions of the 1920s and 1930s.\n\n"We welcome the\ncanonization of our brother knight, Bishop Guízar Valencia, and know\nthat his life of courage and legacy of evangelization will\nbe an inspiration to each of our 1.7 million members\naround the world," said Carl Anderson, supreme knight.\n\nAnderson said that\nhe will attend the Oct. 15 canonization ceremony in Rome,\npresided over by Benedict XVI.\n\nRafael Guízar Valencia (1878 -1938) was\nborn in Cotija de la Paz, Michoacan, Mexico, and ordained\na priest in 1901.\n",1]
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"So, after many years, the Church in Vietnam has been able to create a dialogue, and, every year, the Holy See can send a delegation to the country to address several questions regarding the life of the Church ... though there are no diplomatic relations between the two states," he added. "All this is the result of the spirit of love, patience and respect, as St. Peter affirmed," said Father Doan. Vietnam has over 80 million inhabitants, more than 80% of whom do not practice any creed. It is estimated that Catholics number more than 6 million and it is thought that between 80-90% of Catholics are active. ZE0610102
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Question O' The Week:
How do you talk to a Protestant about "Being Saved"? (Part II)
-Chances are anyone asking you that question has a familiarity with the Bible. So, in order to debate on their ground, you need to cite the Bible as well.
Recall that the Church teaches that “being saved” is an ongoing process. St. Paul taught this in Philippians 2:12 “work our your salvation with fear and trembling.” Elsewhere he talks about “running the race” as an ongoing process of conversion, conforming ourselves to God.
There is an Apologetics Concordance put out by San Juan Catholic Seminars, copyright 1999. This is an excellent resource that cites the above verse and those that follow:
Salvation as a Past Event: “I have been saved”
Rom 8:24 “for in hope we were saved”
Eph 2:5, 8 “by grace you have been saved through faith”
2 Tim 1:9 “he saved us, called us, according to his grace”
Titus 3:5 “he saved us thru the bath of rebirth, renewal by Holy Spirit”
Salvation as a Present Event: “I am being saved”
Phil 2:12 –See above
1 Peter 1:9 “as you attain the goal of your faith, salvation”
Salvation as a Future Event “I will be saved”
Mt 10:22 “he who endures to the end will be saved”
Mt 24:13 “he who perseveres to the end will be saved”
Mk 8:35 “whoever loses his life for my sake will save it”
Acts 15:11 “we shall be saved through the grace of Jesus.”
Romans 5:9-10 “since we are justified we shall be saved”
Romans 13:11 “salvation is nearer now than first believed”
1 Cor 3:15 “he will be saved, but only as through fire”
Heb 9:28 “Jesus will appear second time to bring salvation”
As you can see, the Bible taken in totality, points toward an ongoing process of “being saved.” Which, not surprisingly is what the Catholic Church teaches. You are now equipped next time someone asks you that question. You started being saved at Baptism and have been going forward ever since, and by the Grace of God, will keep “being saved” all the way to Heaven.
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Intentions:
-For our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.
-For peace in the world and an end to terrorism.
-For the victims of the earthquake in Hawaii
-For the boys Confirmation Retreat this weekend.
-For all the other intentions you hold in your hearts, we pray to the Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements:
The Youth Group, Generation JPII:.
The next meeting is Sunday night, November 5th 6-8PM. We’ll be talking about Prayer! Mark your calendars!
Look for meetings to be held the 1st & 3rd Sunday of each month
****In addition it sounds like there’ll be a pumpkin carving outing coming up in the near future.
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
For more information on St. Peters check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com
Catholic Teens is a weekly email from Phil Lawson to Catholic Teenagers. To receive these weekly reflections, send an email to lawsphil@gmail.com. On the other hand, if you’d like to be removed from this list, please send an email indicating that.
Check out the story of this priest in Vietnam. What an amazing story of faith. And it’s awesome how he can look at his imprisonment as being part of the mission God had for him.
Imprisonment a Mission of Faith for PriestSpent 12 Years in Vietnamese Jail ROME, OCT. 10, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Far from considering his imprisonment in Vietnam a tragedy, Father Joseph Nguyen Cong Doan sees it as a mission of evangelization. Speaking on Vatican Radio, the priest commented on his 12 years in a Vietnamese jail, accused of being a counter-revolutionary. Father Doan, 65, is a native of Vietnam, and was ordained a priest of the Society of Jesus in 1970. He was studying in Rome at the Biblical Institute when, in 1975, he was sent to Vietnam shortly before the fall of Saigon. The city name was changed to Ho Chi Minh City in 1975 when the Communist government took over. "The first 15 years" in the country, "that is, until the fall of the Berlin Wall, were very hard due to prejudices caused by history," explained the Vietnamese priest on Vatican Radio.
\nBecause "Western colonialism generated great confusion\nbetween the Church and colonialism itself ... there were many\nprejudices which made life hard. The Communist government suspected the\nChurch of being an accomplice of colonialism, so the Church\nsuffered from very tight control measures," said Father Doan.\n\nSpeaking of\nthe years he spent in prison, the priest said: "I\nnever regarded this sentence as a tragedy. For me it\nwas a mission."\n\nIt was a mission "with the prisoners, because\nit was the only way they could have a chaplain,"\nas "priests could not enter prisons."\n\nIn prison, "we were able\nto help much in clarifying numerous aspects, very many suspicions\nagainst the Church," "and a sort of dialogue was born,"\nhe said.\n\nPriestly presence\n\nThere were "political prisoners and ordinary prisoners" in\nthe jail. However, "the presence of a priest was very\nrespected, including by non-Christians," said the priest.\n\nMoreover, "many means" were\nfound "to celebrate Mass discreetly and to distribute Communion and\nthe sacrament of reconciliation to Catholic prisoners," stated Father Doan.\n\n"The\nChurch has always sought to contribute and cooperate in rebuilding\nthe country after so many years of war. Thus, little\nby little, a good relationship has been created. The seminaries\nare also full of young people. There are now seven\nseminaries in the country. It is still not enough, but\nit is already a lot," he explained on Vatican Radio.\n\nIn\nso far as professing the faith at present, without the\nrisk of persecution, Father Doan said that "problems are still\nperceived for those Churches that declare themselves to the government,\nbut everything is public for the Catholic Church; therefore, they\nare no longer afraid of Catholics.\n\n"The clearest teaching is that\nof St. Peter, who says we must always be prepared\nto give the reason for the hope that is in\nus, with love, patience and respect."\n",1]
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Because "Western colonialism generated great confusion between the Church and colonialism itself ... there were many prejudices which made life hard. The Communist government suspected the Church of being an accomplice of colonialism, so the Church suffered from very tight control measures," said Father Doan. Speaking of the years he spent in prison, the priest said: "I never regarded this sentence as a tragedy. For me it was a mission." It was a mission "with the prisoners, because it was the only way they could have a chaplain," as "priests could not enter prisons." In prison, "we were able to help much in clarifying numerous aspects, very many suspicions against the Church," "and a sort of dialogue was born," he said. Priestly presence There were "political prisoners and ordinary prisoners" in the jail. However, "the presence of a priest was very respected, including by non-Christians," said the priest. Moreover, "many means" were found "to celebrate Mass discreetly and to distribute Communion and the sacrament of reconciliation to Catholic prisoners," stated Father Doan. "The Church has always sought to contribute and cooperate in rebuilding the country after so many years of war. Thus, little by little, a good relationship has been created. The seminaries are also full of young people. There are now seven seminaries in the country. It is still not enough, but it is already a lot," he explained on Vatican Radio. In so far as professing the faith at present, without the risk of persecution, Father Doan said that "problems are still perceived for those Churches that declare themselves to the government, but everything is public for the Catholic Church; therefore, they are no longer afraid of Catholics. "The clearest teaching is that of St. Peter, who says we must always be prepared to give the reason for the hope that is in us, with love, patience and respect."
\n"So, after many years, the\nChurch in Vietnam has been able to create a dialogue,\nand, every year, the Holy See can send a delegation\nto the country to address several questions regarding the life\nof the Church ... though there are no diplomatic relations\nbetween the two states," he added.\n\n"All this is the result\nof the spirit of love, patience and respect, as St.\nPeter affirmed," said Father Doan.\n\nVietnam has over 80 million inhabitants,\nmore than 80% of whom do not practice any creed.\nIt is estimated that Catholics number more than 6 million\nand it is thought that between 80-90% of Catholics are\nactive.\n \nZE06101029\nemail this article\nTOP\n\n1st Knight-of-Columbus-Bishop to Be CanonizedRafael Guízar Valencia Known for His Zeal\n\nROME,\nOCT. 10, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Bishop Rafael Guízar Valencia will\nbecome the seventh Knight of Columbus to be canonized, but\nthe first bishop of the Catholic organization to be declared\na saint.\n \nPope John Paul II declared six other knights\nsaints in 2000, all of whom were martyred in Mexico\nduring the persecutions of the 1920s and 1930s.\n\n"We welcome the\ncanonization of our brother knight, Bishop Guízar Valencia, and know\nthat his life of courage and legacy of evangelization will\nbe an inspiration to each of our 1.7 million members\naround the world," said Carl Anderson, supreme knight.\n\nAnderson said that\nhe will attend the Oct. 15 canonization ceremony in Rome,\npresided over by Benedict XVI.\n\nRafael Guízar Valencia (1878 -1938) was\nborn in Cotija de la Paz, Michoacan, Mexico, and ordained\na priest in 1901.\n",1]
);
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"So, after many years, the Church in Vietnam has been able to create a dialogue, and, every year, the Holy See can send a delegation to the country to address several questions regarding the life of the Church ... though there are no diplomatic relations between the two states," he added. "All this is the result of the spirit of love, patience and respect, as St. Peter affirmed," said Father Doan. Vietnam has over 80 million inhabitants, more than 80% of whom do not practice any creed. It is estimated that Catholics number more than 6 million and it is thought that between 80-90% of Catholics are active. ZE0610102
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question O' The Week:
How do you talk to a Protestant about "Being Saved"? (Part II)
-Chances are anyone asking you that question has a familiarity with the Bible. So, in order to debate on their ground, you need to cite the Bible as well.
Recall that the Church teaches that “being saved” is an ongoing process. St. Paul taught this in Philippians 2:12 “work our your salvation with fear and trembling.” Elsewhere he talks about “running the race” as an ongoing process of conversion, conforming ourselves to God.
There is an Apologetics Concordance put out by San Juan Catholic Seminars, copyright 1999. This is an excellent resource that cites the above verse and those that follow:
Salvation as a Past Event: “I have been saved”
Rom 8:24 “for in hope we were saved”
Eph 2:5, 8 “by grace you have been saved through faith”
2 Tim 1:9 “he saved us, called us, according to his grace”
Titus 3:5 “he saved us thru the bath of rebirth, renewal by Holy Spirit”
Salvation as a Present Event: “I am being saved”
Phil 2:12 –See above
1 Peter 1:9 “as you attain the goal of your faith, salvation”
Salvation as a Future Event “I will be saved”
Mt 10:22 “he who endures to the end will be saved”
Mt 24:13 “he who perseveres to the end will be saved”
Mk 8:35 “whoever loses his life for my sake will save it”
Acts 15:11 “we shall be saved through the grace of Jesus.”
Romans 5:9-10 “since we are justified we shall be saved”
Romans 13:11 “salvation is nearer now than first believed”
1 Cor 3:15 “he will be saved, but only as through fire”
Heb 9:28 “Jesus will appear second time to bring salvation”
As you can see, the Bible taken in totality, points toward an ongoing process of “being saved.” Which, not surprisingly is what the Catholic Church teaches. You are now equipped next time someone asks you that question. You started being saved at Baptism and have been going forward ever since, and by the Grace of God, will keep “being saved” all the way to Heaven.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intentions:
-For our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.
-For peace in the world and an end to terrorism.
-For the victims of the earthquake in Hawaii
-For the boys Confirmation Retreat this weekend.
-For all the other intentions you hold in your hearts, we pray to the Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements:
The Youth Group, Generation JPII:.
The next meeting is Sunday night, November 5th 6-8PM. We’ll be talking about Prayer! Mark your calendars!
Look for meetings to be held the 1st & 3rd Sunday of each month
****In addition it sounds like there’ll be a pumpkin carving outing coming up in the near future.
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
For more information on St. Peters check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com
Catholic Teens is a weekly email from Phil Lawson to Catholic Teenagers. To receive these weekly reflections, send an email to lawsphil@gmail.com. On the other hand, if you’d like to be removed from this list, please send an email indicating that.
posted by Phil Lawson at 7:52 AM
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