Church in northern Arabia longs for ‘place to worship’

By Adelaide Mena

Washington D.C., May 30, 2013 / 04:05 am (CNA).-

As he oversees the missionary territory of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, apostolic vicar Camillo Ballin outlined Catholics’ need for religious toleration as well as a physical home for ministry.

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Bishop Camillo Ballin, Vicar Apostolic of Northern Arabia. Credit: Addie Mena/CNA.

A native of Italy, Bishop Ballin set out to study Arabic and Islam in order “to discover another world” after his ordination as a priest of the Comboni Missionaries.

In a May 29 interview with CNA, he noted that his travels have taken him to Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, and eventually to his 2005 appointment as apostolic vicar of Kuwait.  His vicariate – otherwise known as an ecclesiastical jurisdiction within the Church where a hierarchy is not yet fully organized – was expanded in 2011 to include the whole of the Northern Arabian Peninsula, which oversees Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The area has supported a Christian population since before the advent of Islam, a fact that many Christians in the area look to for inspiration, Bishop Ballin said. As an example, he pointed to church within the vicariate that is dedicated to St. Arethas and the 400 martyrs that were persecuted and killed over a century before Islam came to the area.

Today, ministry within the vicariate focuses upon the spiritual sustenance of 2.5 million Christians in the area, Bishop Ballin said.

Continue reading “Church in northern Arabia longs for ‘place to worship’” →

Holy Communion Sunday: 1 Corinthians 11.23-26 NLT – my body / my blood

Reading: 1 Corinthians 11.23-26 NLT

holy_eucharistFor I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said,“This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”

In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people — an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.”

For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

Prayer: Lord Jesus – I am not worthy to receive you under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. Examine my heart… scrutinize my thoughts and actions… and cleanse me from my wicked ways. So that, as I eat the bread and drink from the cup of the new covenant, I may declare your death for me… until you come again… to take me home. Amen.

Communion Hymn: “Bread of the World in Mercy Broken” – Reginald Heber (1827)

Bread of the world in mercy broken, wine of the soul, in mercy shed, by whom the words of life were spoken, and in whose death our sins are dead… and in whose death our sins are dead.

Look on the heart by sorrow broken, look on the tears by sinners shed; and be your feast to us the token that by your grace our souls are fed… that by your grace our souls are fed.

New State Department travel alert is bad news for Egypt – WaPo Re-Blog

New State Department travel alert is bad news for Egypt
By Max Fisher, Published: February 6, 2013 at 4:05 pm

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Last month, thugs twice attacked the Semiramis Intercontinental Hotel in Cairo. (REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

Wednesday brought another troubling development for the Egyptian economy, which relies heavily on tourism and has suffered mightily since protests broke out in January 2011:

The U.S. State Department has issued a scary-sounding travel alert that it says applies through May. The alert cites ongoing violence, political unrest that could trigger yet more clashes and the proximity of demonstrations to the U.S. embassy compound in Cairo, which protesters attacked head-on in September.

Though such travel alerts are common, it’s a reminder that the State Department is not exactly encouraging Americans to visit Egypt in droves, not that they have been since 2011 anyway.

The relevant information from the travel alert is below. I visited Egypt in August 2011 and found the hotels and museums all but empty. August is always slow in Egypt – it’s hot, and that year it was the holy month of Ramadan – but everyone I spoke to emphasized that it had been a painful year for the all-important tourism industry.

Since then, things have only worsened, with hotel occupancy rates hitting all-time lows. In late January, a band of thugs attacked the popular Semiramis Intercontinental hotel two nights in a row.

Continue reading “New State Department travel alert is bad news for Egypt – WaPo Re-Blog” →

The Bullying Pulpit – Thomas Sowell – Re-Blog

The Bullying Pulpit – Thomas Sowell

May 28, 2013

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We have truly entered the world of “Alice in Wonderland” when the CEO of a company that pays $16 million a day in taxes is hauled up before a Congressional subcommittee to be denounced on nationwide television for not paying more.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was denounced for contributing to “a worrisome federal deficit,” according to Senator Carl Levin — one of the big-spending liberals in Congress who has had a lot more to do with creating that deficit than any private citizen has.

Because of “gimmicks” used by businesses to reduce their taxes, Senator Levin said, “children across the country won’t get early education from Head Start. Needy seniors will go without meals. Fighter jets sit idle on tarmacs because our military lacks the funding to keep pilots trained.”

The federal government already has ample powers to punish people who have broken the tax laws. It does not need additional powers to bully people who haven’t.

What is a tax “loophole”?

Continue reading “The Bullying Pulpit – Thomas Sowell – Re-Blog” →

Morning Reading: Acts 2.42-47 NLT – model community

Reading: Acts 2.42-47 NLT

Members of the Rutba House in Durham, N.C., gather for meals and morning and evening prayer.
Members of the Rutba House in Durham, N.C., gather for meals and morning and evening prayer.

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper, and to prayer.

A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Prayer: Heavenly Father – Make me a believer who is devoted to learning… to breaking bread with others… and to prayer. Holy Spirit – Give me a spirit of joy and generosity… freely sharing with those in need. Lord Jesus – May my life and witness bring honor to you… and may you add to your number those who are being saved. Amen.

Devotional Song: “A Morning Prayer” – Godinsight4me