Holy Water- not fighting the Flu in Japan?

(Journey in a Broken World; c.f. Reuters (Independent; British; Secular)Friday 21 / 08 | August / 2009)

Article by Marc Aupiais

According to the Reuters news agency, some parishes seemingly belonging to the Roman Catholic Church, in Japan have dried up their Holy Water Basins: so to speak, in order to combat the swine flu / H1N1 2009 strain influenza / Pig Flu.

According to Reuters:

"The Franciscan Chapel Center in Tokyo is one church that has decided to empty the holy water basins, into which parishioners traditionally dip their fingers and bless themselves by making a sign of the cross."

(Reuters (Independent; British; Secular) Friday 21 / 08 | August / 2009)

Holy Water is used as a sacramental when entering a church, though it is technically not designated for use on leaving a parish church. It reminds Catholics of their baptism, and is supposed to symbolize the clearing of the mind of secular ("worldly") matters.

The news agency notes that another parish- St. Ignatius, has also excluded Holy Water from the traditional ritual in order to combat swine flu. Only 0.4 percent of Japan is Catholic, many attending churches are foreign nationals. Parishioners of the first parish mentioned are also encouraged to give a sign of peace, not involving touching- such as bowing to one another.

Circumstances with high densities of people, such as churches during celebrations / liturgy, schools, shopping centres, festivals, and Universities, have been seen as places one is more likely to get swine flu at. The Catholic Church permits persons who are sick or tending to the sick to miss mass, the obligation absolved for these persons. People suffering from flu like symptoms may be well advised to miss Sunday mass for the sake of others.

The Sign of peace, which was once a kiss, is generally now a handshake- health authorities, and some bishops' conferences have advised Catholics to share the sign of peace via a sign which does not involve touching the other individual physically.

DRC: Congo: Great Lakes Region: Africa: Two more Ebola Deaths: cases since november: 13 deaths, 42 infections?

(Social Justice South Africa; c.f ; South African catholic 06/01/2009 IOL (Secular; South African; Independent) 07/01/2009)

Article by Marc Aupiais

Authorities are reporting two more Ebola deaths, in the "Democratic Republic of Congo": formally Zaire. IOL: reports, that the death count is raised by 2 from 11. With 42 cases, and 13 deaths: this situation has not become less serious. Recently, Angola, closed off their border with the affected region of DRC: Congo: having placed their police and military on high alert. Ebola has spread across the border to Sudan before, and countries in the region are edgy: due to the mostly lethal, and incurable nature of the disease. The Ebola disease: is named after a river in the DR Congo.

Of Interest in the News: The following is not an endorsement

The following is automatically posted to South African Catholic by a
contributor, other than the editor

SA's HIV/Aids fight 'mismanaged'
South Africa's handling of the HIV/Aids pandemic has been mismanaged and
graft-ridden, a report says.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7116836.stm

South Africa, SADC Region, Africa: Government's focus on prevention with condoms backfires: "shortage in condoms"- pro-condom TAC: on E News

(Scripturelink Voter's Guide; c.f. E News Channel (Secular) 26/11/2008)

Article by Marc Aupiais


The TAC, has fronted on live television: claims that there are not enough condoms to meet demand in South Africa, and that all strategies should take over 6 months. This follows South Africa's insistence in originally not treating AIDS, leaving this to Roman Catholicism, then suggesting use of fruits and other plants, and miracle "cures" by persons associated with officials, and then fronting a condom campaign: which included a contraception day advertisement on facebook, where many teenagers hang out. Underage, or teenage, and premarital sex is common in South Africa. The Catholic weekly, the Southern Cross, sold in parishes, even apposed the Vatican in support of contraception (mind you, they have since been listed as a danger site by a major Catholic Watchdog : for their support of condoms, which is, and always has been decried by both Vatican and Catholic dogma), and the fact that Contraception campaigns to end AIDS, are very ineffective, compared with abstinence campaigns, well designed by governments, has not been noted in the more liberal media in South Africa.

We at South African Catholic have asked the DOH to consider mimicking the Ugandan abstinence project, seen as successful by the SACBC. Use of condoms is condemned as lust and masturbation by the Catholic Dogma, based on the death of Onan, who God smote for "spilling" his seed, in the bible, and on the definition of lust: pursuit of sexual pleasure apart from its unitive and pro-creative qualities.

The Substance of true beauty

(Journey in a Broken World)

Article by Marc Aupiais

Sometimes when one is in a place- one senses a presence, whether it is other people, who soon show themselves, or animals- or something one truly does not have an explanation for from experience, but which our soul and body says is there.

Now intuition has many forms, sometimes it is memory, sometimes our senses knowing something too complex to explain in individual thoughts, and sometimes it is something deep within the essences of our nature telling us something.

When praying- Catholics have been known to feel the tugging of intuitive truth, and this is often how we explain the answering of prayers. The more we delve into the intuition, and trust it- the more our form is encouraged to perfect this sense.

Now, whether the culmination of past experience, or else seeing pictures or images which should be there, but are not, or perhaps the results of memory, or any other thing, I have had such interesting experiences before- and will tell of the result of them. No, it is not seeing things, but sensing things that we speak of- knowing as though from expirience- even when we do not know from the physical.

To me Saint Philomena is not the image we often associate with her- that of beautiful images of the young beautiful girl. She may well physically have this form- but when I pray- images enter my mind- once I saw her as nothing but blood, with but a bit of flesh or bone floating within it- and it scared me, another time a image entered myself, of an old lady- with gray hair- longer than time itself, looking down on me like an old seer. My thought of this image within- was firstly lowly, fearful and humble, but understanding surprise, and secondly a realization of true beauty- in her aged form was a softer beauty than in her powerful youth- the beauty of one who exists- despite all in opposition- the beauty of a soul who will forever fulfill her purpose- the beauty of one in true happiness.

What is the source of these intuitive thoughts- to me it matters, but to Mother church- all that matters is that they are free from moral and doctrinal error. I don't know if they would say that of this or not- I do know that to me beauty is that which is what it is designed to be- that which is perfect and natural- where the limited, though oft seeming dynamic, simplicity of the borders of what is natural is what is moral!