Mission Appeal Yesterday by Deacon Rory desmond of the Diocese of Miao

On occasion I will watch a documentary regarding missionary work. My interest is of course religion and how it affects people all over the world. This is important in my work. Yesterday at mass I listened to Deacon Rory. I didn't quite know what to make of him. He was praising the altar men and their families. I thought that perhaps he was trying to recruit young men for his cause. A Deacon is not a Priest. Normally, he can be moved forward to becoming a Priest. Women are not allowed to be Deacons in the Catholic Church. He began talking about a small place in the Himalays (India). He said that there have been Roman Catholics there for forty years. If you type out the Deacon's name you will get more information. I have read some, but want to talk more about what I did not see. He said that at the time the tribe which is considered lower than the lowest Caste in India had no choice but to be Hindu. Through missionary work, the tribe learned about the Catholic faith and converted. This wasn't allowed and the punishment was death. However, the tribe protested in large amounts and so the women and children were gathered by the military (who are in charge) and tortured. The children and women began to recite the rosary during the torture to a point where the army men believed their God was too powerful. Long story made short, they were left alone. Actually if you want to hear him, you can look up utube and paste St John Bosco Church, 0900 Italian mass and fast forward to where he talks. I didn't take notes and so please note that any errors are my own. Since, of course I was thinking about religion, different perspectives, torture and culture. We don't learn do we? I was also thinking about wars and the anti Israel protests and the requests about no affiliation with the University in Israel. I was thinking about how old men would go out to the wilderness etc.....all alone to think. Of course, I like to think and relax in my backyard. The idea of going anywhere where I couldn't have my coffee shops well.................I remembered a conversation with a Chinese student I liked. He was trying to convince me that China had to protect itself against Religion. There was a protest of the Tibet people going on at the time. He rationalized asking me to imagine if a religion gained popularity in advance numbers, what that could do to the stability of maintaining the function of the Chinese government. Though I didn't agree with him, I did understand his perspective. That is the arena of universities - dialogue, knowledge, research, thought etc....I have listened to research from countries throughout the world regardless of the politics because academics are a culture of knowledge, hope etc.....I could easily understand how people who are considered the lowest of the lowest within their own country would want to believe in a God who offers them equal status. The Catholic Church has taken care of them with medicine and education. This is what the talk was about. The Deacon was asking for funds from us to help them. I have known many people from India, mostly those I attended school with. I was even asked to go to work in India but how can I do that? I have to admit, I like my comforts and coffee and you are beginning to note is one big one. I was also asked when I was going to UofT by a class mate if I was interested in working with the poor in Kentucky. There would be very little pay but I would have room and board. She explained how mothers would give their babies coke to drink and there was an attempt to educate. Well, of course I said no, even though I love the States and love mountains, but little pay? I am no St Therisa. Is that a weakness? I don't think so. There are always requests to go help people all over the place on my own dime. What I see is a failure for countries failing their own people. We are hurting a bit now in our own country which I never saw before but again this seems to be a trend. Look up the Urban Planner, a Canadian who travels throughout the world watching the people losing their homes and this becoming a big market for the rich to build luxury homes/condos. I see that it has started here. A social worker was telling me how sad it was for her to see seniors on the street, homeless and unable to take care of themselves. Did I ever think I would see this in my own country? Never in a million years. However, I do see hope, because the people are beginning to see what is going on and different levels of government need to pay attention because we live in a democratic society. As a therapist I have been in awe of people who come to me because of torture regarding the refusal of changing their religion. Women who are raped and tortured because they believe in Jesus. They refuse to deny their faith and take another. They are braver than me. I would tell the bozos anything they want to hear because I have no respect for them. However, I would be praying for help at the same time. However, we don't always get it right at how we will react in a crises. I have surprised myself at times. I have seen men and women from various religions who suffer. Here in Canada they can practise their faith. This needs to be preserved and respected. This is part of our democracy. I will consider this as thoughts of the week. Have a good one. It will be a good pace for me. Find your own safe place where you can relax. What do you think?