Halloween party ideas 2015
Tweet Share Share Share Share Share

Friday, January 13, 2017
ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square-Friday, 6 January 2017
 
PHOTO: Zenit.org / PHOTO.VA - OSSERVATORE ROMANO
SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
Today we are celebrating the Epiphany of the Lord, which is the manifestation of Jesus who shines as a light for all peoples. A symbol of this light, that shines in the world and seeks to enlighten the life of each one of us, is the star that guided the Magi to Bethlehem. The Gospel says that they had “seen his star in the East” (Mt 2:2) and they chose to follow it: they chose to be guided by the star of Jesus.

In our life too, there are several stars, lights that twinkle and guide. It is up to us to choose which ones to follow. For example, there are flashing lights that come and go, like the small pleasures of life: though they may be good, they are not enough, because they do not last long and they do not leave the peace we seek. Then there is the dazzling limelight of money and success which promises everything, and at once. It is seductive, but with its intensity, blinds and causes dreams of glory to fade into the thickest darkness. The Magi, instead, invite us to follow a steady light, a gentle light that does not wane, because it is not of this world: it comes from heaven and shines ... where? In the heart.

This true light is the light of the Lord, or rather, it is the Lord himself. He is our light: a light that does not dazzle, but accompanies and bestows a unique joy. This light is for everyone and it calls each one of us. In this way, we can hear addressed to us today’s invitation from the prophet Isaiah: “Arise, shine” (60:1). So said Isaiah, prophesying this joy of today in Jerusalem, “Arise, shine”. At the beginning of each day we can welcome this invitation: arise, shine, and follow today — among the many shooting stars in the world — the bright star of Jesus! Following it, we will experience the joy, as happened to the Magi, who “when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Mt 2:10); because where there is God, there is joy. Those who have encountered Jesus have experienced the miracle of light that pierces the darkness and know this light that illuminates and brightens. I would like, with great respect, to invite everyone not to fear this light and to open up to the Lord. Above all, I would like to say to those who have lost the strength to seek, who are tired, to those who, overwhelmed by the darkness of life, have extinguished this yearning: arise, take heart, the light of Jesus can overcome the deepest darkness. Arise, take heart!

And how do we find this divine light? We follow the example of the Magi, whom the Gospel describes as always on the move. He who wants the light, in fact, goes out of himself and seeks: he is not withdrawn, immobile, watching what is happening around him, but rather, he puts his own life at stake; he goes out of himself. Christian life is a continuous journey, made of hope, a quest; a journey which, like that of the Magi, continues even when the star momentarily disappears from view. On this journey there are also pitfalls that should be avoided: superficial and mundane gossip, which slows the pace; the paralyzing selfish whims; the pit of pessimism that ensnares hope. These obstacles hindered the scribes, of whom today’s Gospel speaks. They knew where the light was, but did not move. When Herod asked them, ‘Where will the Messiah be born?’ [They answered], ‘In Bethlehem!’. They knew where, but did not budge. Their knowledge was vain: they knew many things, but it was useless, all in vain. It is not enough to know that God is born, if you do not celebrate with him Christmas in the heart. God is born, yes, but is he born in your heart? Is he born in my heart? Is he born in our hearts? And in this way we will find him, as did the Magi, with Mary and Joseph in the stable.

The Magi went forth: having found the Child, “they fell down and worshiped him” (v. 11). They did not just look at him, they did not just say a circumstantial prayer and leave, no indeed, they worshiped: they entered into a personal communion of love with Jesus. Then they offered him gold, frankincense and myrrh, namely, their most precious belongings. Let us learn from the Magi not to devote to Jesus only spare time and an occasional thought; otherwise we will not receive his light. Like the Magi, let us set out, let us shine as we follow the star of Jesus, and let us adore the Lord with all our hearts.

After the Angelus:
Tomorrow the ecclesial communities of the East, which follow the Julian Calendar, will celebrate Holy Christmas. In a spirit of joyful fraternity, I pray that the new birth of the Lord Jesus may fill them with light and peace.

The Epiphany is the Day of Missionary Childhood. I encourage all children and young people who in many parts of the world are committed to spreading the Gospel and to helping their peers in need.
The Magi offer their gifts to Jesus, but in reality, Jesus himself is the true gift of God: he is indeed the God who gives himself to us; in him we see the merciful face of the Father who awaits us, welcomes us, always forgives us; the face of God that never treats us according to our works or according to our sins, but only in accordance with the immensity of his inexhaustible mercy. And speaking of gifts, I too thought I would give you a little gift ... there aren’t any camels, but I will give you the gift of the Icons of Mercy booklet. God’s gift is Jesus, mercy of the Father; and this is why in order to remember this gift of God, I am giving you this gift that will be distributed by the poor, by the homeless and by refugees along with many volunteers and religious whom I cordially greet and thank wholeheartedly.

I wish you a year of justice, forgiveness, serenity, but above all, a year of mercy. It will help you to read this book: it is pocket-sized, so you can take it with you. Please, do not forget to give me, too, the gift of your prayers. May the Lord bless you. Happy feast day, enjoy your lunch and Arrivederci!

© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana


Read more »
Tweet Share Share Share Share Share

Thursday, January 12, 2017
Hari ini di Bolivia, Besok di Indonesia

Penduduk asli Pacahuara, Bolivia, FOTO: angriwhitekid.blogs.com

Kematian sebuah bahasa mirip dengan kematian manusia. Kadang-kadang, tidak ada yang bisa diprediksi. Seperti kematian manusia, kematian sebuah bahasa kadang-kadang menjadi misteri.

Meski menjadi misteri, kematian bahasa sebenarnya masih bisa diantisipasi. Bahasa—tidak seperti manusia—yang punya dokter khusus. Tidak juga seperti hewan yang punya tenaga medis untuk mengecek keadaannya. Bahasa ada karena manusia ada. Maka, bahasa mesti ada dan hidup sebagaimana penuturnya (manusia) hidup. Dengan cara pandang ini, kematian sebuah bahasa—meski tidak punya dokter untuk mengontrolnya—tetap bisa diantisipasi. Bahasa tidak mesti mati begitu saja.

Di Bolivia, ada sebuah bahasa yang hampir mati. Penuturnya sisa 4 orang. Yang terakhir meninggal akhir tahun lalu. Saat ini, hanya mereka berempat yang menjadi penutur bahasa langka ini. Bahasa ini disebut Bahasa Pacahuara karena lahir dan hidup di sebuah suku asli di Pacahuara, di wilayah Amazzonia, Bolivia. Keempat penutur ini sekarang tinggal di daerah Tujure, sebuah daerah adat di wilayah Pacahuara.

Dua dari penutur ini sekarang sudah tua. Keduanya (Maro e Buca)—bersama cucu mereka Bose dan shacu—hadir dalam perayaan misa requiem dari saudara mereka Baji setelah tahun baru yang lalu. Kematian Baji sekaligus menjadi alarm bagi kehidupan Bahasa Pacahuara. Saat itu, keempat penutur ini memang hadir. Mereka menjadi sebuah komunitas pengguna bahasa Pacahuara.
 
Beberapa warga Pacahuara dalam liputan BBC tahun 2013 yang lalu, FOTO: bbc.com
Daerah Tujure sendiri makin hari makin sepi. Banyak penghuni meninggalkan daerah ini. Keluarga Maro dan Buca adalah keluarga terakhir yang masih setia tinggal dan menggunakan Bahasa Pacahuara. Boleh dibilang, harta warisan kultural ini tetap ada dan hidup saat ini karena jasa mereka. Entah sampai kapan bahasa ini dipertahankan. Kehidupan bahasa ini berada dalam tangan mereka. Jika mereka semuanya tidak ada, bahasa ini juga akan lenyap. Tetapi, semoga ada anak-cucu mereka yang melanjutkan bahasa ini.

Sekitar 11 tahun lalu, dosen Bahasa Indonesia kami di kota Yogyakarta pernah menyinggung soal ini. Kata dia waktu itu, di Indonesia juga ada gejala seperti ini. Beberapa bahasa di daerah Papua—lanjutnya—akan punah seiring dengan pengurangan penuturnya. Papua sampai saat ini kaya akan bahasa daerah. Sayang, beberap dari yang banyak ini memiliki penghuni kurang dari 500 orang. Saat itu—menurut dosen kami—ada kriteria dari Unesco-PBB bahwa bahasa yang penuturnya hanya 500 orang ke bawah akan dikategorikan sebagai bahasa mati. Dengan kriteria ini—kata pak dosen—beberapa dari bahasa di Papua akan punah.

Jika kriteria ini diterapkan pada Bahasa Pacahuara, otomatis bahasa ini sudah mati. Bolehlah dibilang demikian. Dan, nyatanya kematian bahasa ini sudah diambang pintu. Memang masih menjadi misteri. Seperti misteri dari sebuah kematian dari seorang manusia.

Kematian bahasa ini ada di tangan keluarga Ibu Baji. Ibu Baji sudah meninggal, keempat keluarganya sebagai penutur utama menjadi penentu utama kehidupan bahasa ini. Keluarga almarhumah Baji termasuk kuat. Mereka adalah keluarga terakhir—boleh dibilang demikian—yang hidup di daerah Tujure.

Daerah Tujure abad ke-8 yang lalu masih dihuni oleh sekitar 50.000 orang. Saat itu, pekerjaan mereka adalah berburu di hutan, pelaut, dan petani buah. Ini adalah beberapa pekerjaan utama dari kelompok suku tua di daerah ini.
 
Salah satu model gerbang masuk di kawasan Pacahuara, FOTO: connectas.org
Pekerjaan ini mereka tinggalkan dan pengaruhnya mulai luntur saat tiba kebiasaan baru yakni menjadi petani karet. Daerah ini menjadi penghasil karet yang besar. Malangnya, para penduduk Tujure pun menjadi tamu di atas tanah mereka. Perusahaan multinasional dari Inggris dan Jerman datang menyerbu tanah mereka. Dalam waktu yang singkat, penduduk Tujure pun meninggalkan daerah mereka.

Perusahaan ini bukan saja ‘mengusir’ penduduk Tujure. Mereka juga menggali tanah dan membiarkannya menganga tanpa pohon, tampak tandus tak bertumbuhan, membuat petak-petak kecil untuk menghalang penduduk asli bekerja di atas lahan itu. Pemandangan ini sungguh tanpa kehidupan. Tanah yang subur dibiarkan mati. Tidak ada kehidupan di sana. Situasi ini membuat penduduk Tujure pergi meninggalkan tanah leluhur mereka. Dalam sekejap, dari abad ke-8 ke abad ke-9, penghuninya berkurang menjadi satu keluarga saja dengan 9 anggota keluarga.

Keluarga ini adalah keluarga Ibu Baji. Saat ini, dari 9 menjadi 4 orang saja. Keluarga ini sebenarnya menjadi penerus atau ahli waris bukan saja dari Bahasa Pacahuara, tetapi juga budaya dan adat istiadat Pacahuara. Sayang, seperti nasib bahasa mereka, budaya dan adat istiadat pun akan hilang. Kematian bahasa kini sekaligus juga menjadi ancaman bahkan menjadi kematian dari budaya dan adat istiadat itu sendiri.

Bersama bahasa Pacahuara, keberadaan dialek dan bahasa kecil lainnya di daerah Amazzonia pun akan terancam. Dalam 10 tahun terakhir ini, sekitar 100 dialek asli Ammazzonia punah. Dialek ini punah bersamaan dengan terancamnya kehidupan dari suku asli. Mereka ‘terusir’ dari tanah leluhurnya oleh perusahaan multinasional yang mengeruk kekayaan alam mereka. Hutan Amazzonia dengan kekayaan emas, batu alam, kayu, dan sumber alam lainnya menjadi rebutan para perusahaan multinasional. Sayang perebutan ini pun berujung pada ‘pengusiran warga lokal’.

Makin malang bagi penduduk lokal karena kebijaksaan lokal juga ikut punah. Selain Bahasa Pacahuara, bahasa Resignaro juga mengalami nasib sama. Bahasa ini pamit lebih dulu dengan kematian penutur terakhirnya yakni Rosa Andrade dari Peru. Nasib 51 bahasa lokal lainnya juga akan terancam. Boleh jadi akan menjadi seperti bahasa Resignaro. Sungguh sayang, bahasa—budaya—adat istiadat—dan kebijaksaan warisan mereka akan punah. Padahal, ini adalah warisan sejarah yang berharga.
 
Salah satu model budaya Pacahuara dalam gambar, FOTO:soldepando.com
UNESCO sebagai promotor perlindungan warisan budaya dunia tidak tinggal diam melihat kenyataan ini. Lembaga ini membuka mata dan membuat penelitian serius. Hasilnya sungguh mengangetkan. Dalam 10 tahun terakhir, 100 bahasa di dunia punah, 400 lainnya sudah terancam akan punah, 51 lainnya hanya digunakan atau diketahui oleh 1 orang saja.

UNESCO juga membuat prospek ke depan. Katanya, pada abad ini (abad ke-21) boleh jadi akan hilang sekitar 7000 dialek di bumi ini atau sekitar 1 dialek dalam setiap 15 hari. Kenyataan ini menjadi sungguh memilukan bagi kelangsungan hidup bahasa dan budaya di dunia. Bahasa dan budaya dari sebuah masyarakat hilang begitu saja. Ini bisa meresahkan bagi pecinta bahasa di seluruh dunia.

Keresahan ini membuat banyak pecinta bahasa bangun dari tidur nyenyaknya. Mereka berusaha agar kematian bahasa dan budaya ini tidak berlangsung cepat. Satu dari pecinta bahasa ini adalah University of Pennsylvania di Amerika Serikat. Universitas ini melalui lembaga penelitiannya Enduring Voices berusaha untuk menyelamatkan beberapa kata dari bahasa-bahasa yang akan punah. Lebih banyak kata akan lebih bagus. Sampai saat ini, mereka sudah menyelamatkan 32.000 kata beserta maknanya. Jika diteruskan, pekerjaan ini juga akan menjadi sebuah kesuksesan besar.

Jika University of Pennsylvania di AS sudah bangun, bagaimana dengan Indonesia? Andai para pendemo, ramai-ramai ke daerah terpencil dan mengumpulkan kata-kata dari bahasa-bahasa yang akan punah di Indonesia, sampai kini, bahasa-bahasa itu pun terselamatkan. Lumayan untuk memperlambat kematian sebuah bahasa. Tetapi, ini hanya angan-angan sebab para pendemo lebih suka menghabiskan waktunya bukan untuk bekerja demi bangsa tetapi demi keegoisan mereka. Indonesia memang beda.

Sekadar berbagi yang dilihat, ditonton, didengar, dirasakan, dialami, dibaca, dan direfleksikan.

SELAMAT TAHUN BARU.

PRM, 10/1/2017
Gordi

*Dari publikasi pertama di blog kompasiana


Read more »
Tweet Share Share Share Share Share

Wednesday, January 11, 2017
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
Paul VI Audience Hall-Wednesday, 4 January 2017
PHOTO: L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO

Christian hope - 5. Rachel “is weeping for her children”, but... “there is hope for your descendants” (Jer 31)

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
In today’s catechesis, I would like to reflect with you on the figure of a woman who speaks to us about hope lived in tears. Hope lived in tears. This is Rachel, wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin: she who, as the Book of Genesis tells us, dies while giving birth to her second-born son, which is Benjamin.

The Prophet Jeremiah refers to Rachel as he addresses the Israelites in exile, trying to console them with words full of emotion and poetry; that is, he takes up Rachel’s lament, but gives hope:
“Thus says the Lord: ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, / lamentation and bitter weeping. / Rachel is weeping for her children; / she refuses to be comforted for her children, / because they are not’” (Jer 31:15).

In these verses, Jeremiah presents this woman of his people, the great matriarch of the tribe, in a situation of suffering and tears, but along with an unexpected outlook on life. Rachel, who in the Genesis account had died in childbirth and had accepted that death so that her son might live, is now instead represented by the Prophet as alive in Ramah, where the deportees gathered, weeping for the children who in a certain sense died going into exile; children who, as she herself says, ‘are no more’, they are lost forever.

For this reason Rachel does not want to be consoled. This refusal of hers expresses the depth of her pain and the bitterness of her tears. Before the tragedy of the loss of her children, a mother cannot accept words or gestures of consolation, which are always inadequate, never capable of alleviating the pain of a wound that cannot and does not want to be healed, a pain proportionate to love.

Every mother knows all of this; and today too, there are many mothers who weep, who do not accept the loss of a child, inconsolable before a death that is impossible to accept. Rachel holds within her the pain of all the mothers of the world, of all time, and the tears of every human being who suffers irreparable loss.

This refusal of Rachel, who does not want to be consoled, also teaches us how much sensitivity is asked of us before other people’s suffering. In order to speak of hope to those who are desperate, it is essential to share their desperation. In order to dry the tears from the faces of those who are suffering, it is necessary to join our tears with theirs. Only in this way can our words be really capable of giving a little hope. If I cannot speak words in this way, with tears, with suffering, then silence is better: a caress, a gesture and no words.

God, with his sensitivity and his love, responds to Rachel’s tears with true words, not contrived; in fact Jeremiah’s text continues in this way:
“Thus says the Lord:” — he responds to those tears — “‘Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; / for your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord, / and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. / There is hope for your future, says the Lord, / and your children shall come back to their own country’” (Jer 31:16-17).

Precisely through the mother’s tears, there is still hope for the children, who will return to life. This woman, who had accepted death at the moment of childbirth, so that the child might live, is, with her tears, the beginning of new life for the children who are exiled, prisoners, far from their homeland. To the suffering and bitter tears of Rachel the Lord responds with a promise that can now be the source of true consolation for her: the people will be able to return from exile and freely experience in faith their own relationship with God. The tears generated hope. This is not easy to understand, but it is true. So often, in our life, tears sow hope; they are seeds of hope.

As we know, this text of Jeremiah is later taken up by the Evangelist Matthew and applied to the massacre of the innocents (cf. 2:16-18). A text which places before us the tragedy of the killing of defenceless human beings, the horror of power which scorns and terminates life. The children of Bethlehem die because of Jesus. And he, the innocent Lamb, would then die, in turn, for all of us. The Son of God entered the suffering of mankind. This must not be forgotten. When someone addresses me and asks me difficult questions, for example: ‘Tell me, Father: why do children suffer?’, truly, I do not know how to respond. I say only: ‘Look at the Crucifix: God gave us his Son, he suffered, and perhaps you will find an answer there’. But there are no answers here [pointing to his head]. Just looking at the love of God who gives his Son who offers his life for us can indicate some path of consolation. For this reason we say that the Son of God entered the pain of mankind; he shared it and embraced death; his Word is definitively the word of consolation, because it is born of suffering.

And on the Cross it will be He, the dying Son, to give new fertility to his mother, entrusting to her the disciple John and making her mother of the people of faith. Death is conquered, and thus Jeremiah’s Prophecy is fulfilled. Mary’s tears, too, like those of Rachel, generated hope and new life. Thank you.

Special greetings:
I address a warm welcome to the Italian-speaking pilgrims, and I wish everyone serenity and peace for the new year.

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from Australia, Canada and the United States of America. May each of you, and your families, cherish the joy of this Christmas season, and draw near in prayer to the Saviour who has come to dwell among us. God bless you!

Lastly, I am pleased to greet young people, the sick, and newlyweds. Dear young people, I wish that you may be able to consider each day of the new year as a gift of God, to be lived with thanksgiving and rectitude, and always going forward! Always. May the new year bring you, dear sick people, consolation in body and in spirit. May the Lord be close to you and may Our Lady comfort you. And may you, dear newlyweds, commit yourselves to achieve a sincere communion of life according to God’s plan.


© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana


Read more »
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL © 2010. All Rights Reserved. "FROM INDONESIA TO THE WORLD, ADESSO SONO IN THAILANDIA"
Powered by Blogger
Powered by Blogger.