'JUST TRUST IN MY SON,' SAYS MARY TO US AS WE SEEK THE BLESSINGS GOD HAS IN STORE FOR US

Thus says the LORD: “If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; Then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails” (Isaiah 58:9-14).

Go with the flow. Let life open up to you. To repeat a theme we have conveyed: don't force things. 

We should always wait on the Lord, and we should always follow His timetable.

Frustrated? In want of something that just isn't happening? Can't figure out why prayers aren't answered? There's only one solution: Let go of whatever it is you are yearning for and send it into God's Hands. Trust beyond surrender. Put your mind on other matters. Anxiety inhibits grace and can be caused by the spirit of fear. This fear can come in many ways. It can be the product of repeated action on our part, or it can be a familial trait. We inherit spiritual baggage just as we inherit anything else, and it’s a mixture of good and bad. There are spirits of gluttony, lust, sloth, infirmity, despair, greed, rebellion, impurity, and addiction. We see how divorce runs in certain families. Usually, it’s a combination of factors. Spirits magnify our weaknesses. If we are prone to nervousness, a spirit of anxiety or even paranoia may develop within us, inhibiting happiness. A disposition toward procrastination may turn into a spirit of sloth; a dabbling with the occult, or a yearning for control, can turn into the spirit of dominance (or even witchcraft). This all bears repeating.

As it says in Ephesians (6:16), faith should be held up as a shield against the fiery darts of the evil one, which are then extinguished. 

 

"Just trust in my Son Jesus," Mary once told a soldier in Viet Nam. Divine Mercy. "Jesus, I trust in You."

When John Paul II approached death, he said simply, with no fear, nor hesitation, "It is time to go to the House of the Father."

Keep your eyes on the God of miracles.

He loves you more than you love yourself and sees the potential you have to be with Him in eternity. He knows that beneath the exterior, under the skin of the earthly body -- and often deep under the burdens of life -- is a being of tremendous beauty waiting to burst out of the cocoon and move skyward with the eyes of love. 

With those eyes we elevate our vision above turmoil and beyond any problem -- to see the best of outcomes. 

When we elevate our eyes, when we look above those who harass us, when we see beyond trials on earth, we are seeing into the miraculous.

No matter how “severe,” we’re on the road of glory. It's what Christ saw on the Cross. It's the Heaven He had in mind, even as He was crucified. 

[adapted from The God of Miracles]

KINDNESS

 
Kindness is one of the most powerful tools available to you. Kindness can
Positively transform your world in a way that nothing else can. When your
Heart is filled with kindness, your thoughts and actions are driven by a
Positive, creative force. Instead of being needlessly distracted by anger,
Envy or despair, your eyes are more fully open to the many valuable
Possibilities.

Act with kindness toward others. You'll create an atmosphere of
Understanding and cooperation in which amazing things can be accomplished.

Be kind to yourself. You'll make it possible to clearly focus your
Considerable creative energy on achieving the highest and best of your
Dreams.

Choose to act with kindness, and you free yourself from the heavy burden of
Negativity. Persist in your kindness, and you rise to higher and higher
Levels of true, meaningful accomplishment.

Kindness transforms profoundly and spreads quickly. Let kindness freely flow
From you, and it will surely change your world...

The Joy of the Resurrection - 1

The Joy of the Resurrection - 1

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!

Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains that he endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky he's King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

HAPPY EASTER!

He has risen from the dead

On Easter Sunday, the Church is recollected in contemplation of the risen Christ. Thus she relives the primordial experience that lies at the basis of her existence. She feels imbued with the same wonder as Mary Magdalen and the other women who went to Christ's tomb on Easter morning and found it empty. That tomb became the womb of life. Whoever had condemned Jesus, deceived himself that he had buried his cause under an ice-cold tombstone. The disciples themselves gave into the feeling of irreparable failure. We understand their surprise, then, and even their distrust in the news of the empty tomb. But the Risen One did not delay in making himself seen and they yielded to reality. They saw and believed! Two thousand years later, we still sense the unspeakable emotion that overcame them when they heard the Master's greeting: "Peace be with you.'"....

...Christ's Resurrection is the strength, the secret of Christianity. It is not a question of mythology or of mere symbolism, but of a concrete event. It is confirmed by sure and convincing proofs. The acceptance of this truth, although the fruit of the Holy Spirit's grace, rests at the same time on a solid historical base. On the threshold of the third millennium, the new effort of evangelization can begin only from a renewed experience of this Mystery, accepted in faith and witnessed to in life....     Pope John Paul II 

Fact

  Mass is to be celebrated on Easter Day with great solemnity. It is appropriate that the penitential rite on this day take the form of a sprinkling with water blessed at the Vigil, during which the antiphon Vidi aquam, or some other song of baptismal character should be sung. The fonts at the entrance to the church should also be filled with the same water.  The tradition of celebrating baptismal Vespers on Easter Day with the singing of psalms during the procession to the font should be maintained where it is still in force, and appropriately, restored. The paschal candle has its proper place either by the ambo or by the altar and should be lit at least in all the more solemn liturgical celebrations of the season until Pentecost Sunday, whether at Mass, or at Morning and Evening Prayer. After the Easter season the candle should be kept with honor in the baptistry, so that in the celebration of Baptism the candles of the baptized may be lit from them. In the celebration of funerals, the paschal candle should be place near the coffin to indicate that the death of a Christian is his own passover. The paschal candle should not otherwise be lit nor placed in the sanctuary outside the Easter season.

Prayer

God our Father, creator of all, today is the day of Easter joy. This is the morning on which the Lord appeared at men who had begun to lose their hope and opened their eyes to what the scriptures foretold: that first he must die, and then he would rise and ascend into his Father's glorious presence. May the risen Lord breathe on our minds and open our eyes that we may know him in the breaking of bread, and follow him in his risen life. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

GOD HAS A GREAT PLAN FOR EVERYONE AND IT'S STYMIED WHEN OTHERS TELL US WHO WE ARE

We have asked this previously: Do you let other people define you? Do you let them tell you who you are -- or are supposed to be? Does your self-perception change according to who is around? If so, they may be impinging on your mission. Likely, they are also impinging on your happiness.

Your mission is your destiny. It is the "you" at your holiest. It is the you at your happiest. It is the you at your closest to God and your best -- reaching full potential away from the confines of others. God has a great plan for you. Do you realize that? And are you letting others affect it?

People label us. They put a tag on us. And too often, it sticks. We start to believe the way we're perceived. We let the judgment take hold. They perceive us based on assumptions, false first impressions, or old information. Folks keep us in a box. They limit us. They seek their own comfort in trying to form us as they want us to be, in the way that makes them most comfortable (and superior) -- instead of the way God made us.

This especially happens with those who have known you the longest. A trial! We do this to each other all the time. Those who are closest to us often can't accept who we have become -- our development, especially our spiritual development. 

They feel threatened. They may be afraid of losing your friendship. They may feel it will change the relationship. Or, they're afraid they won't be able to keep up. They may be jealous.

Yet, you can't let others project their emotions on you. We want to grow. We want to change for the better. Everyone is here on earth precisely for that purpose -- to evolve into a great and pure vessel for God. Do we allow that transformation? Or do we give into the labels? Throughout life, we are to shed old skin and progress as increasingly glorious "butterflies." Others will resist that because they aren't used to the butterfly, or are envious.

People label us as dumb or ambitious. Or lazy. As partiers. As selfish. As too strong, or too weak. As prideful (when we are just being confident). Who do you think you are, we can hear them thinking.

They often want us to remain in the slot we were in when they first met us and just as often they define you on past transgressions -- taking no note of the way you have shed bad habits through the mercy of Jesus.

That's because they don't see -- nor do they try to see -- through His eyes. They categorize you. They cast you into a role, a mold. You're in a file in their "filing" cabinet. They have stereotyped you. Don't play the part. Look at the way the Pharisees defined Jesus. Look at the way no one believed He was Who He really was until the resurrection (and still many denied Him).

Usually, when this happens, people are seeing something in you that reminds them of someone else and suddenly you are that someone else -- often a negative someone else.

Bible-thumper. Religious fanatic.

"Holier than thou."

Don't let negatives be spoken over you. When that occurs, it's like a curse. Shrug it off as soon as it tries to alight on your shoulder (or take its place on your forehead like a barcode). Sometimes, people just keep holding onto something that is not you and sometimes, we have to prune acquaintanceships because their time has passed. Perhaps unknowingly, they try to hinder your spiritual development. Don't worry about popularity contests. 

If you let others define you, you won't reach true happiness because you won't reach the destiny the Lord has assigned to you. Every single person on earth is equally important in God's mysterious, incomparable Plan. And no one on earth sees even a fraction of it. Our "geniuses" have no clue when it comes to His perspective (unless they take the Christian perspective). Renounce their labels. Remain in faith. Move upward always. Don't look back at past worldliness; you'll only stumble. Forget about what once enticed you (and kept you in that box). Forget about the way others perceive you and remain steadfast in how the Lord sees you.

We're all equal, and God has a plan of greatness for every one of us. He made us to be great. Joy comes with greatness as ordained by the Lord -- the greatness of motherhood, the greatness of being a great janitor, the greatness of a life lived for others. It is labels -- and our accepting those labels -- that prevent us from achieving bigger spiritual things. Go for the greatest "you." Go for the best you can be -- no matter what others around you think. Rest in the Lord. Remain in Him. Worry about pleasing Him only. Gravitate to the interior "you" that is most familiar to you, and maintain the real you no matter how others try to perceive you and cause you to misperceive yourself.

World-wide revolution or new world order enslavement?

by Szandor Blestman
April 13, 2011

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1378/world-wide-revolution-or-new-world-order

I remember listening to a conversation when I was a child, maybe a little more than ten years old. It occurred between two young men that I held great respect for. These young men were highly intelligent, geniuses even, and I knew it. So did they. The discussion they were having revolved around the nature of a one world government. I don't even know if they realized I was listening and likely they wouldn't remember that conversation today. What they were saying was that a one world government would be great and benevolent to mankind if it was run by the smartest of the smart who would guide humanity on a better path. Even back at that tender age I understood that there was something inherently wrong with such a position, but I didn't speak up back then as I was too young and shy.

I can speak up now. I'm an adult now. I no longer feel the need to hide my thoughts and feelings. I no longer feel the need to hold in such reverence and esteem those who consider themselves highly intelligent. I will listen to what they have to say, I will hear and measure their input and consider their expertise in relevance to the matter at hand, but in the end I will make my own judgment. In some matters, even the most highly reasoned person can be wrong. In some matters, even an argument that sounds quite scientifically sound, reasoned, truthful and for the greater good can hide extreme evil.

A high IQ is not the end all, be all. It does not make a person better than the rest of us. It does not even make a person smarter. It just makes them good at taking certain types of tests. We are all quite intelligent in our own ways. The ability to reason is not the only form or intelligence. There is a certain intelligence in emotion also. There is a certain intelligence in empathy. There is a certain intelligence in feelings that go beyond emotions and physical sensation. There is a certain intelligence in the ability to seek, understand or know spirituality. To be human is to be a mix of all these things and other qualities that are even more difficult to pin down or explain. Those who have an overabundance in some areas may be quite lacking in others.

There is change happening in the world of today, but then there is always change happening. At this particular time, however, there seems to be major upheavals occurring. This seems to be happening both in the natural world, and in mankind's psychological realm. Some have asked if all these events are happening in a natural way or by someone's design. There is a lot of speculation occurring in certain circles that a hidden hand is guiding these events.

I don't know if this is true or not. I think that perhaps the events we see occurring in the world today are a mixture of influences. To try to reason otherwise always seems to be lacking in some way or another. It does seem that people across the globe are seeking positive change. They are tired of the status quo. They are tired of struggling through their lives and having nothing to show for their hard work. People are looking for something different, something they've never been able to have, something they've never been able to achieve.

I don't know if the common folk realize exactly what they're looking for. They simply know they don't like the direction their lives have taken and they seem to think that changing those who rule over them will help. Maybe they are looking for something different. To put it simply, I think that people are looking for freedom. I think they are looking for the ability to determine their own fate in life. I think they are looking for the ability to earn a better life. I think they wish to be able to own private property and not have to worry about it being taken by heartless overlords and bureaucrats who believe that laws and dictates are a higher authority than humanity, common decency, and right versus wrong.

Those at the top of the heap don't wish the rest of mankind to achieve the freedom they long for. This would cut into their power. This would mean an end to the control they wish to have. These elites, as I like to call them, have always led privileged lives. It seems to me that they don't think like common folk. They seem to believe themselves to be superior. They seem to believe that they know best. What they may or may not realize is that often the actions they plan are not in the best interests of mankind or even the natural world, regardless of the stories they might tell themselves, they are almost always in the best interests of the elite privileged class. They fear that if they lose the control they have, if they stop regulating and give the common folk the opportunity to compete with them on an even playing field, that they will lose the wealth they horde.

It may well be that some underlying force has planned many of the revolutions and protests that are occurring in the world. It may be that these popular uprisings happened organically and the elite are scrambling to take control of them as best they can. I doubt very much that the power elite would be able to simply leave things to fate, such is their arrogance. Whatever the case there is one thing I am certain of. People are tired of their enslavement. They are tired of war and poverty and hunger. They want a better life for themselves and their progeny. They want more say in their own destinies. They are tired of the tyranny and don't want to be forced into some centralized new world order that removes accountability from the elite and dictates from the top down to the masses.

My hope is that peace prevails. My hope is that people can recognize the wolf in sheep's clothing when it appears. Should you be involved in peaceful protests, should you get involved in a group looking to voice its dissent and disagreement with establishment policies, reject any and all who would advocate violence as a means of affecting change. Let it be known that it is not the common folk in the streets that resort to violence. Expose the fact that it is government agents who are the violent ones. Let it be known that it is those in positions of power and privilege who resort to violence to maintain their positions. It is the common folk and the man on the street who restrain themselves. It is they who wish to live in peace. It is mostly those who have already obtained power that are advocating violence and willing to use it.

When one looks into the mindset of many of the power elite, when one studies their writings and philosophies, one finds some rather disturbing thought processes. Quite a few still believe they have some kind of divine right to rule. A number of them still defend the validity of eugenics, despite Adolph Hitler's failure to impose that philosophy upon mankind. Some of them even feel that this world would be better off with far fewer humans inhabiting the world. They believe they know best for all mankind. They believe it is their place to determine who lives, who dies, who can and cannot have children, how humanity will survive and what the class divisions should entail.

A look into these dark hearts reveals an outlook of doom and gloom in a world of finite wealth, resources and possibilities. A world of infinite despair. They look upon mankind as a resource for their use, property meant to serve them. They see us as greedy and stupid, livestock meant to be domesticated and whipped into submission. One can only imagine the corruption they see in their own putrid souls. They forget that wealth is a human creation. They forget that humans have innovated throughout history to get to this point. They forget that human beings are marvelous creatures with the capacity for infinite imagination and innovation. We just need the liberty to forge our own lives free from government intrusion and restriction and I have faith that the marvels mankind will create will surpass the most awe inspiring we have accomplished thus far in our history.

We are at a crossroads. We can choose to proceed down the path of centralization, or we can choose to decentralize and create competition for the elite establishment that has so far failed miserably at everything they have ever promised, I believe purposefully. We can choose to maintain the violent status quo which holds mankind in disdain, or we can choose to remain peaceful and obtain freedom and liberty through non cooperation. We can obey the dictates of the power elite and coerce, threaten and commit acts of violence against our friends and neighbors, or we can simply disobey them, live as free people and allow others to do so also. Real revolution, like true enslavement, doesn't happen on the streets and battlefields of the physical world, real revolution, like true enslavement, happens in the hearts and minds of individuals. The choice is yours to make.

Inspiring story – The blind man

By

Relax Kids

This is a beautiful story about the power of visualisation

The Blind Man

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it. In his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.

It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

 

You can interpret the story in any way you like. But one moral stands out:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own

Situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is

Doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have

That money can't buy.

NEW VERSION OF FOOTPRINTS

 

 

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For much

Of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely

Varying the pace. But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags,

Starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures and returns.

 

 

For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints

Come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently. You

And Jesus are walking as true friends! This seems perfect, but then an

Interesting thing happens: Your footprints, that once etched the sand next

To Jesus', are now walking precisely in His steps.

 

Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are

Becoming one. This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another

Change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger.

 

Eventually they disappear altogether.

  

There is only one set of footprints: they have become one. This goes on for

A long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints are back. This time

It seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Deep gashes

In the sand. A veritable mess of prints.

 

You are amazed and shocked. Your dream ends. Now you pray: "Lord, I

Understand the first scene with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I

Was just learning. But you walked on through the storm and helped me learn

To walk with you."

 

"That is correct."

 

" ... And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually

Learning to walk in Your steps; followed you very closely."

 

"Very good. You have understood everything so far."

 

"... When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I

Was becoming like you in every way."

 

"Precisely."

 

"So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated,

And this time it was worse than at first."

 

There is a pause as the Lord answers with a smile in his voice. "You don't

Know? That was when we danced."

 

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven. A

Time to weep, a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance."

Ecclesiastes 3:1,4

 

UNLEASH THE POWER OF GOD BY MAGNIFYING HIM INSTEAD OF DWELLING ON PROBLEMS AND ILLNESS

Too often, we let evil get the best of us. We allow negativity to prevail. We give it force.  We feed it. That's because -- as a preacher recently pointed out -- we magnify darkness -- illness, bad luck, accidents, family difficulties -- instead of magnifying God.

Thus, a question: what do we place more faith in, the disease or the Person Who created the body -- and, hence, can cure any illness?

It is important to recognize, isolate, and quash evil, but really, do we always have to obsess on the "bad"? Should we ever concede defeat? Might it even be wise at times to ignore an issue once we have done what we can (leaving it now to faith)?

"Obsession" has the hiss of the snake, and when we become too immersed in a dilemma, it's like using a magnifying glass; the details grow out of proportion;  we're consumed. 

Magnify, magnify, magnify God instead. Praise Him. Praise is your great defense. See God as larger than the Empire State Building (while the devil is smaller than a grain of sand, which is the way, in comparison, it really is).

Don't "entertain" the negative or it will perform like a broken record and eat away at you. There will be no end. Instead of a magnifying glass, instead of a microscope, instead of dwelling on every dark detail, use a telescope -- and looking at your problem through the wide end of it, so your problem appears small and distant. Soon, that will be the reality.

God created everything. All is under His domain. And it is a great test of life to see if we can abandon our troubles and sufferings and ourselves to Him as  did Jesus at Calvary. When we do, we open the way for potential miracles. We can move the "mountain." The Lord breathes our way. We ascend. Perhaps better put: His power intensifies around us.

Now, to repeat, when we become fixated on an problem is when we give it power. This is hard not to do -- correct?

A financial adviser shows you a red ledger. A child fails at school. There is a crisis in a relationship. A doctor comes in and announces: "terminal" cancer!

(Who on earth is not "terminal"?)

As the same evangelist pointed out, this actually happened to his mom, who was diagnosed with that disease and given five weeks to live. She pushed aside an obsession with the dark "finality" of the disease; filled her home with healthy, smiling photographs of herself; and stepped into the role of victor instead of victim.

That was thirty years ago. Recently, she attended the funeral of the doctor.

We know another woman who had breast cancer that spread to the lymph nodes. She simply refused to accept the disease. She allowed a prudent measure of medical intervention and then blocked thoughts of the disease out -- in effect convincing herself it did not exist. She has lived years beyond the expectations.

Recently, there was a report in the news of a woman who knew how to abandon herself. "Helen Dunsford, 66, was a customer at a Bank of America in Oakland Park, Florida, when a woman reached in her purse, said she had a gun and yelled for everyone to get on the ground," we are informed. "As other customers listened to the orders, Dunsford tackled the would-be robber, and held the suspect down until authorities arrived. 'She got on my last nerve,' Dunsford said. 'I have cancer, stage 4, and I figured if I'm gonna die it's God Will when I die. She's not gonna shoot me.'"

Same with the evil one: Don't let him rob you of hope, don't let him reach into the purse of your blessings, because when he does, he's robbing you of the chance to tap into the Power that created not just this planet, but the universe. Unleash God's Power, not the enemy's.

If you saw a tsunami coming, would you seek higher ground or dive into the murky waters to study it? What we need to do is lift our eyes to the Lord and above the floodwaters. Hit the high ground of Scripture. Pull out the Bible every day. Become consumed by His Word, instead of the whisperings of the devil. And he does whisper -- constantly! You'll never be able to do that. You are going to fail. You'll be embarrassed. Why try? It's not for you. You can't be cured. You will die in agony.

Baloney!

He is around every corner with a bat; he sticks out his foot every time he can. Yet we fall only when he diverts our attention. He can only defeat us if we play by his rules.

Play by God's. Look up, not down; look up at the Crucifixion. Look at the way Jesus locked His Eyes on the Heavens before He died. And the glory afterward!

The Blessed Mother has said that with enough prayer, we will not even feel the passage into Heaven. Magnify the Lord, not illness, not hardship, not fear, not brokenness. Lord, I love You. My God, You are my Everything. To You and You only are my eyes fixed -- oh Great One, Lord of Lords, praise You, Creator not just of earth but of the cosmos, and eternities beyond.

Living in Secret in Saudi Arabia

 

Interview With Scholar on Churches in the Middle East

ROME, APRIL 4, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Saudi Arabia is considered holy ground by the Muslim majority who live there. Hence, Christians and even Muslims of other sects, face severe restrictions.

Christians make up only about 3% of the population, but they have no churches and never display their faith in public.

Professor Camille Eid, a journalist, author, professor at the University of Milan and expert on the Churches of the Middle East, spoke about the Saudi Arabia situation with the television program "Where God Weeps" of the Catholic Radio and Television Network (CRTN) in cooperation with Aid to the Church in Need.

Q: Saudi Arabia is a hereditary monarchy based on the foundation of Wahhabi Islam. What is this branch of Islam?

Eid: Wahhabism is a new doctrine of Islam. Its founder is Abd-al Wahhab, who was a religious scholar of Hanafi Islam, which is the strictest doctrine of Islam. He decided that all innovations -- "Bida" is the term in Arabic -- in Islam should be eliminated. A visit to a cemetery for instance is considered a bida-innovation and is prohibited. You cannot do anything that the Prophet Mohammed and his companions did not do. So the alliance between the followers of Wahhabi and the prince of Najd in central Arabia created the birth of this Saudi Arabian kingdom. Saudi Arabia takes its name from the Saud family. This house of Saud alliance with the Wahhabi sect is still true today and the successors of the kingdom follow this strict instruction and doctrine of Wahhabism; the laws of the kingdom follow the strict guidelines of Wahhabism. 

Q: What about the Shia? 

Eid: The Shia make up almost 10% of the population and they face much discrimination. They are concentrated mainly in the eastern part of the kingdom. There is another sect of the Shia, the Ismaili, and they are very near the Yemeni border. The kingdom and its leadership subscribe to Wahhabism. 

Q: The Quran is Saudi Arabia’s constitution. What position does the Quran or this constitution take toward non-Muslims? 

Eid: The Quran distinguishes between Christians and Jews, and other unbelievers. Christians and Jews are called the “People of the Book,” or the books if you want -- the Gospel and the Torah. Sometimes in the Quran, Christians are described in a very positive way. The Christian monarch and priests pray. But, during the second period in the Prophet’s revelation, Christians are described as unbelievers and [it's said they] should pay the "Jizya," the tax necessary to be protected in an Islamic society. There seems to be a contradiction in the book itself. That is why we have a liberal and a violent Islam. The violent Islam is a result of the second revelation that occurred during the last reign of Mohammed and as a result the current Islamic societies state that the events of the second revelation should be followed and not the previous revelations, which are more tolerant. 

Q: The government is built on the principles of Sharia. What is Sharia? 

Eid: Sharia is the summa of the Quran, the Hadith, which are the statements of Mohammed, and other sources such as the Ishma, which is the consensus of all Islamic scholars (Ulema). Sharia Law is taken from all these.

Q: All residents who live in Saudi Arabia are subjected to the law of Sharia? 

Eid: All residents are subjected to this law and you cannot object because it is tantamount to objecting to Islam. Upon arrival at the airport you are informed immediately that you are to abide by the strict Islamic laws. I as a Christian, for instance, had a Pepsi in my hand during Ramadan. I noticed that everybody was looking at me in a certain way and they could have beaten me. You cannot eat outside or in public during the fast. You can only eat in secret. So you have to observe the fast even if you are not Muslim because that is the law. 

Q: Christians constitute the biggest non-Muslim group in Saudi Arabia. How do Christians live their faith in Saudi Arabia? 

Eid: In secret. It is forbidden to have Bibles, religious images and rosaries; if they are detected at the airport they are immediately confiscated. There was an instance when I was at the Jeddah Airport with a videocassette and they asked to view this cassette. The video was about Spartacus. I was suddenly fearful that they would see the image of the crucifixion. The guard eventually allowed it because it was a soldier being crucified and not Jesus Christ. ... It is hard. They say that Christians can pray privately but what does private mean? Does it mean alone or with your family? When more than two, or a group of families, are praying together in the privacy of their home the religious police can come in and intervene and arrest them. 

Q: What happens to the Christian that is caught with a rosary in their pocket or wearing a cross? 

Eid: If it is in a pocket nobody can see it. If, however you are seen wearing a cross, any Muslim -- and not just the police -- can take it away. You will be arrested and risk expulsion from the kingdom. They will haul you to prison and after a few days you will be issued an exit visa. It will be over for you.

Q: What other kind of Christian activities are punishable by law? 

Eid: All public manifestation of any faith other than Islam is punishable. They do know that the Americans, French and Italians celebrate the Mass for Christmas and Easter inside the embassies but because the embassy is extra-territorial, the law does not apply. The police, however, are around to monitor. There are no churches, synagogues or temples in the kingdom. All manifestations of other faiths are prohibited. 

Q: Who enforces the law? 

Eid: You have 5,000 religious police divided among 100 districts, but any Muslim can enforce the law by denouncing the individual. I spent two and half years in Jeddah; I was afraid to extend the Easter and Christmas greetings even via phone because I was afraid that someone might be listening. The religious police control everything including the bookshops because it is prohibited to sell any card with non-Muslim themes. Some years ago in the American school, a Santa Claus was almost arrested but he managed to escape through a window. It is prohibited. 

Q: Are Christians a particular target of persecution or discrimination? 

Eid: Not just Christians but the non-Wahhabi versions of Islam such as the Shia or Ismaili. Not all Christian communities suffer equally. American, Italian, French and British -- in fact most Europeans and other First World countries -- suffer less because they know that these countries are powerful and will intervene immediately to protect their citizens. So they target the Christians of the Third World like Eritrea, India and the Philippines. These countries fear the loss of revenue from their citizens living in the kingdom. So they target the Christians of these weaker Third World countries. 

Q: It has been said that Filipino maids have been accused of communicating the faith to the children of the wealthy Saudis that employ them. Do you know anything about this? 

Eid: The Islamic catechism talks about the risk of communicating faith. The Saudi version states: “When you go abroad you should not develop a relationship or friendship with your professors because you should remember that they are infidels." This criterion also applies to the Filipino women in Saudi Arabia. Any communication can only occur by testimony not by words. 

Q: Only through witness?

Eid: Only through witness and that is why they have suggested substituting Filipinos, or Christian women in general, with Egyptian, Moroccan or Algerian women so that they cannot communicate the faith to the children.

Q: We have talked about discrimination. We have talked about persecution. How far can this persecution go? 

Eid: To death. We have a case of the martyrdom of a Saudi girl who converted to Christianity. Her brother discovered her. She wrote a poem to Christ and she had her tongue cut, she disappeared and was later found dead. Her name was Fatima Al-Mutairi and this happened in August of 2008. In 2008 two cases of raids by the religious police saw men, women and children less than 3 years old arrested. We have many reports of torture; before they are deported to their country these Filipinos, Indians and Eritreans are tortured by the police in the prisons. 

Q: You mentioned the case of Fatima who converted to Christianity. What is the number of Muslims converting? Do you have any information or is it impossible to know? 

Eid: It is not possible. Saudi society is difficult to penetrate because the regime monitors every activity. Sometimes you notice this from the women’s perspective. When these Saudi women go abroad, even upon entry in the airplane, they remove the hijab. In Lebanon and other countries they drink alcohol. When they return to their country they know that that have to abide by the laws. 

Q: … and converts?

Eid: Christian converts do exist. I follow the Arabic media channels, which broadcast to Saudi Arabia and the whole Arab world, and during the transmission many calls originate from Saudi Arabia. Those converts who travel to Morocco and Egypt talk about their experience but do not mention their names and request only that the Christian community pray for them because they desire to see the day when they will be allowed to go to a church, to be able to have access to the Gospels and to be able to share their new faith with their own family. If a convert informs his/her brother or father of his/her new faith, he or she faces the danger of being charged with treason by the family; a treason not only of one’s family but also to the nation and society in general. Apostasy is a question of honor and as such it is considered treason. 

Q: Professor Samir Khalil Samir, an Egyptian Quran scholar, stated that within the Quran, there is no obligation to kill an apostate. Where does this expression of violence come from? 

Eid: Exactly. In the 14th [book] of the Quran there is talk about apostasy but there is no talk of a penalty in this life but rather in the second life. This change comes from the Hadith of Mohammed in which he said that whomever changes religion should be killed. But a problem again arises from this, because with the thousands of Hadith, there is no proof that Mohammed actually said this. Many Islamic countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan under the Taliban, Iran and Yemen, and so on, apply the death penalty based on a Hadith that can't be a hundred percent proven that it is from Mohammed. 

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the lay Catholics living in Saudi Arabia? 

Eid: It is hard to be a lay Catholic in Saudi Arabia because you have to have a very deep background in your faith. You cannot have copies of the Gospel in your home. You cannot have a rosary. You cannot have contact with your Christian friends as a community; you can have Christian friends, you can frequent the foreign communities but you are prohibited from talking about your faith. So the only possibility is to have a strong awareness and knowledge of your faith that you can bank on in this environment. 

In other Islamic countries Friday is a holiday so Mass as a community [is allowed], but not on Sunday because Sunday is considered a working day; but even this is not the case in Saudi Arabia. So you are a community by yourself. Usually you do not even have your own family because Saudi Arabia has restrictions on family reunification. If you have a daughter who is more than 18 years of age, she cannot stay in Saudi Arabia if she is not married. So most have their families somewhere else. So you are alone and with no contact to other Catholics, which is very hard, and so you have to have the strength of faith in your heart; to be able to pray with out the prayer books, to just know and pray the prayers you have learned by heart from your childhood. 

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This interview was conducted by Mark Riedemann for “Where God Weeps," a weekly TV & radio show produced by Catholic Radio & Television Network in conjunction with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

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