Muslim mother supports her Catholic priest son

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 20, 2015–A Muslim mother gave her blessing and support to her son who recently became one of the 11 newly ordained priests from the Societas Verbi Divini (SVD) order in the presence of Archbishop Vincensius Sensi Potokota.

Siti Asiyah, a Muslim mother, accepts his son, Robertus Asiyanto, to be inaugurated as a priest in Ledalero Maumere, October 10, 2015. Photo Credit: katolikkita.com

Robertus Belarminus Asiyanto, 31, was ordained last Oct. 10 at the St. Paul Ledalero Seminary, Maumere, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. During the ordination rites, he was accompanied by his mother, Siti Asiyah, who was wearing Islamic dress, including the hijab.

Despite her religious beliefs, Asiyanto’s mother laid her hands on her son’s head and said that she was really happy to see her son ordained as a Catholic priest. Everyone in the celebration applauded her gesture and statement, and admired her love for her son as she was in tears while witnessing the ordination rites.

Fr. Leo Kleden, Superior Provincial of SVD Ende Province, said that Asiyanto was born in Flores and spent his early childhood in a Catholic neighborhood. “He has been a Catholic since he was a kid, perhaps since he was in primary school,” he said.

With a strong desire to pursue his priestly calling, Asiyanto proceeded to the seminary, and prior to his priestly ordination, asked for the blessing of his mother as it was really a big thing for him. Asiyanto’s mother said, “follow your heart.”

“She is a remarkable mother. She raised her son well and gave him the freedom to become a priest,” he also added.

The island of Flores is a part of Eastern Nusa Taggara province that has the most prevalent concentration of Catholics in Indonesia – forming the majority of its population. Reports say that it is rare for a Muslim family to willingly and happily accept the conversion of a son to Catholicism and also support his vocation as a priest. (Myraine Joly Carluen – Policarpio)

German pastor wages valiant fight to defend Christianity now under fire in his country

(Facebook/Solidarität mit Olaf Latzel)

Pastor Olaf Latzel says 'if you preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and everyone is clapping his hand, then you have a problem.'

Just like most Western nations, Germany is now being covered by a "profound spiritual darkness," according to Charisma News.

The Christian news source noted that Germany is remembered as the birthplace of the Reformation and was once a base for world Christian missions.

But now, true followers of Jesus Christ in the country are under fire in the media, by their own government and even denounced by fellow Christians whose faith has been subverted, according to Pastor Olaf Latzel of Bremen, Germany.

Latzel knows full well what he is saying since he is one of the prime targets of what he regards as anti-Christian conspiracy in his country.

In today's Germany, Latzel said traditional Christian teaching is now viewed by many as bigoted, hateful, and even "un-Christian."

"I'm only preaching the Gospel in a clear way," Latzel told Charisma News. "I think it is my duty to do this preaching in this way for our Lord."

In his sermons, Latzel speaks his mind out, standing against what he sees as a spirit of compromise that "seems to have swallowed Germany and the German state church," Charisma News said.

As a result, he has infuriated the German government and, sadly, even some German pastors who wanted to reconcile with non-Christians.

Latzel said the fundamental question in the German church today is who God really is.

Latzel said some of his fellow Christian pastors believe that "Allah and Jesus Christ, the Christian God, is the same god."

"But if you ask a Muslim, 'Does your god have a son?' he would say no!" he said. "Our (Christian) God has a son; His name is Jesus Christ. So, they are not the same."

"If you speak out loud and clearly about the truth of the Bible, that there's only one way to heaven and this way is Jesus Christ, there is only one God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and there is no other god beside Him, then you have a problem," he said.

Because of outspokenness and courage to defend his faith, 70 German pastors gathered in Bremen this year under the banner of "diversity" to denounce Latzel.

Accused of making hate speeches, the public prosecutor investigated him but later cleared him.

But this did not stop the Bremen parliament from passing a resolution to condemn him. Charisma News said it was the first time a German pastor was condemned by a German parliament since World War II.

But instead of losing heart, Latzel said the challenges he has to face only makes him stronger.

Latzel, who comes from a family of soldiers, said he is in a "war" between Christ and the devil, and the attacks reassure him.

"This is one sign that you are on the right way in your preaching, when you get problems," Latzel said. "If you preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and everyone is clapping his hand, then you have a problem."

"Because, if you're telling the truth from the Bible, then the devil will come and he will fight against you in several ways; he will fight against the Word of God," he said.

Latzel is the pastor at the historic St. Martini (St. Martin's) Church in Bremen, where the great hymn "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" was written in 1679 by the church's pastor, Joachim Neander.

Salt Lake City woman is first in Utah to claim ordination to Catholic priesthood

Women who claim their ordinations are recognized by God — if not the Catholic Church — ordained a Salt Lake City woman Sunday, the first woman in Utah to call herself a Catholic priest.

Clare Julian Carbone, a former nun and a hospice chaplain, was ordained Sunday at First United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City. Bridget Mary Meehan of Sarasota, Fla., a bishop of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, presided.

Fifty men and women, many of them in Salt Lake City for the Parliament of the World's Religions, joined in the ordination, taking turns touching Carbone's head and arms as they prayed silently over her.

"We are disobeying an unjust law that discriminates against women in our church," Meehan said in an interview. "Our Roman Catholic women priest movement makes the connection that poverty, violence and abuse of women in the world is related to sexism in the church."

Susan Dennin, communications director for the Salt Lake City diocese, said the Catholic Church does not consider the ordination valid and does not condone it.

"The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City had no prior knowledge of this event and is sad that it is taking place, putting a blemish on the gathering of the Parliament of the World's Religions," Dennin said in an emailed statement Sunday.

The church considers what it calls "attempted ordinations" a sin against the church's sacrament of holy orders, and regards participants as automatically excommunicated.

Pope John Paul II issued an apostolic letter in 1994, saying the church can't change the choice Jesus made when he picked 12 men as his apostles, men who in turn ordained other men to the priesthood.

That hasn't stopped many Catholics from embracing the notion, however, particularly in the United States. A survey last spring by the Pew Research Center found 59 percent of practicing American Catholics favor female ordination.

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests and a sister group, Roman Catholic Women Priests, have ordained more than 220 women as deacons and priests, mostly in the United States, since 2002. Meehan said they claim apostolic succession because an ordained — and anonymous — male bishop ordained the first female bishops.

But in her homily Sunday, Meehan said Christ also sent out women as apostles, such as Mary Magdalene, the first to witness the resurrected Christ. He sent her to proclaim his resurrection to the others, Meehan said.

"There are more than 12 apostles, news flash to the Vatican," she said, prompting laughter.

Carbone, 65, who has worked as a licensed clinical social worker and was a contemplative Poor Clare nun for many years, said she does not yet know whether a new faith community will sprout in Salt Lake City as a result of her ordination. She has been invited to celebrate liturgies with other women here, she said.

"Many of the women who have been ordained into this movement … their ministries kind of unfold. It's miraculous, it's beautiful."

She recently became a hospice chaplain, she said. "Part of my priestly ministry will be extended, now, to some of those hospice patients."

Kate Kelly, who was excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last year after pushing for female ordination, was among those laying hands on Carbone during the ceremony Sunday. The two embraced afterward.

"This was extremely powerful, just to participate as equals with women and feel that solidarity across denominations," Kelly said.

Christina Gringeri of Salt Lake City, a lifelong Catholic, found the ordination beautiful.

Sacrilege! United Methodist and Episcopalian Churches Join in Prayer to “Bless” an Ohio Abortion Clinic

By Onan Coca / 13 October 2015 / 103 Comments

I’m not sure that anything makes me angrier than watching as self-proclaimed Christians professing to speak for God act in direct contradiction to what the Bible teaches. In recent years, this problem has seemingly grown ever more distressing, as liberal congregations embrace all manner of anti-Biblical lifestyles and philosophies. The latest example of this disturbing trend in the American church comes to us from Ohio, where leaders from United Methodist and Episcopalian Churches have come together to “bless” their local Planned Parenthood abortion mill.

The Reverend Laura Young recently led a prayer rally in front of her local abortion facility as a direct reaction to what she says is the “misguided faith” of pro-life Christians.

From Life News:

Young explained her acceptance of abortion like this: “Christianity, like most faiths, is founded on love. Watching protesters shouting judgment and hate based on what they call religion is horrible. Is that loving God? Is that loving your neighbor as yourself?”

…

image: http://cdn1.eaglerising.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Laura-Young-Abortion-Preacher-300x184.jpg

Young also says religious groups are fueling the so-called war on women. She explained, “Women are being attacked at a moral level by the radical Religious Right. They’ve hijacked the political discussion. This event is an opportunity for progressive religious leaders to stop the silence. We need to be in the conversation.”

…

She said, “It breaks my heart to know women are sitting in pews across the country feeling shamed, believing that they’re cursed for making this decision. That’s a question I get a lot on the phone, ‘Am I going to hell?’ When God instead is there to support women through it all.”

…

In a statement the clergy said, “As faith leaders committed to justice, honesty, and liberty, we are troubled by the decades-long campaign of harassment against Planned Parenthood and those they serve. Our faiths demand care for those marginalized by poverty and other oppressions. Faith leaders have supported Planned Parenthood for nearly 100 years because of our shared goals: every person — regardless of income, race, or religion — deserves access to safe, affordable, high-quality health care.”

They concluded, “Our religious traditions call us to offer compassion, not judgment. People who work for Planned Parenthood give care and respect to those in need, doing God’s work. For this we are grateful.”

analysis (and others like her) of what Scripture teaches and how it should influence our thoughts on abortion, but the primary problem here is this: she has chosen to ignore the explicit teaching in the Scripture for a philosophy that she has developed based on her interpretation of the Bible. This is an old story, and as a dear friend once told me, this is exactly how cults are started.

Young has chosen to ignore the explicit commands on sin, murder, sexuality and the preeminence of God and instead has decided that her feelings about the Bible’s general tone are more important. In a nutshell, this is exactly the problem of modern liberal Christianity today, not just on the subject of abortion, but on a wide range of issues.

The apostate church that Young and others like her belong to is destroying the very fabric of our nation and the safety and health of the American church. I shudder to think what judgment awaits these false teachers who will one day stand before our Holy and Righteous God. My hope and prayer is that they repent because the penalty they will face otherwise… is terrifying.

Read more at http://eaglerising.com/24995/sacrilege-united-methodist-and-episcopalian-churches-join-in-prayer-to-bless-an-ohio-abortion-clinic/#CcM7dmDf0mHUbToM.99

An Evangelical discovers the Rosary

This article was written in 2012 for a book, The Healing Rosary by Paulette Kelly.

 I was skeptical.

Sitting there on the couch between my two friends, we began the Rosary.

I had been a Catholic for just over four months, a whirlwind journey that brought me to a November confirmation. It was a shortened RCIA program. I told the priest that I preferred not to wait until Easter to receive Our Lord. He granted my request because of my evangelical Theology degree and my six years as a full-time evangelical prayer missionary. As a missionary I had a dream about the Eucharist. I knew it was true.

The Rosary was a different story!

I knew it wasn’t something I ‘had’ to practice to be a good Catholic. As a former charismatic evangelical, I viewed the Rosary as an object of suspicion, a practice that Catholics felt they ‘had’ to do to be heard by God, or to gain His approval. I was wary of becoming wrapped up in “works”. After all, Jesus and I had a tight relationship and I didn’t think I needed “rote” prayers in order to get His attention.

However, as a member of a faithful parish in a vibrant Catholic community, it was almost impossible to avoid the Rosary. I knew I needed to test it. In the past when I had concerns about something, the Lord had always been faithful to show me His will. I got a sense that I was to try it and involve my two friends.

I summoned all my courage and asked Linda and Margarita if they would pray the Rosary with me on Easter Sunday. We would do it together because I didn’t know how. They would guide me through the prayers and I would follow along.

Sitting on the comfy leather couch, with Linda on my right and Margarita on my left, we began the centuries-old prayer. I really wanted to give it an honest try, so I timidly prayed the prayers with a focused heart, while a part of me was still asking God to keep me from any deception or idolatrous worship.

As we prayed through the decades, it was just as I suspected it would be, I didn’t feel any particular “anointing”.

As we entered into the concluding prayer, “Hail Holy Queen”, something stirred deep within me and I began to cry. It quickly escalated into something that I can only describe as loud, wailing, desperate pleas for help, as my spirit cried out loudly, “Help me Jesus! Help me Father!” This was similar to an inner healing experience I had before becoming a missionary, except this was more powerful. It was like a wrecking ball was knocking down walls I didn’t even know were there, places that hadn’t yet healed.

I found out later my friend Linda was panicking about what the neighbours would think. She handed me a pillow and I gladly used it to muffle the sound of my cries. After several minutes, it was done. I was more whole, somehow, on the inside. Many of the barriers that kept me from the Father and Jesus were no more.

Without even realizing it, I had tapped into a mystery that countless faithful souls before me had experienced: the hidden strength of Our Lady who declares in the Bible, “my soul magnifies the Lord”; and magnify, she did! That experience was all I needed; I decided to pray the Rosary daily. It was the beginning of a beautiful relatiionship with Mary.

I believe that the barriers that were removed that day (whether from childhood self protection or deep wounds, I don't know) enabled me to walk more fully in the Father's will for my life. Now I’m married, and praying the Rosary daily with my husband not only strengthens our relationship with Jesus, but also with one another. We’re convinced that this prayer will help us to live a future marked by unity, faith, hope and love.

PS - Diane was married to Hugh (of this website) January 1st, 2011.

Lord Jesus, let Your prayer of unity for Christians
become a reality, in Your way.
We have absolute confidence
that you can bring your people together,
we give you absolute permission to move.
Amen