Beloved, let us love one another, Mission Statement for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and The HERALD is a Catholic knows God. Anyone who does not Weekly of the Malaysian love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of Church. It endeavours to God was made manifest among communicate up-to-date news us, that God sent his only Son into and Christian values and strives the world, so that we might live THE CATHOLIC WEEKLY through him. to dialogue with all sectors MAY 9, 2021 TERHAD PP 8460/11/2012(030939) ISSN: 1394-3294 Vol. 28 No. 17 1 John 4:7-9 of society in order to build a (FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY) harmonious community of The Publisher, Editor and Staff believers in God. We support Vocational 55th World stories from of HERALD wish all our Muslim the formation of a participatory Communications priests, religious Selamat Hari Raya. Church and encourage the laity Day and lay people friends Come and See Stories meant There will be no issue on and religious to make moral (John 1:46) to be heard decisions in the marketplace. May 16, 2021. Our next issue P14 P16 will be on May 23, 2021. Pope to create new official Catholic ministry of ‘catechist’ ATICAN: Pope Francis will be creating a new offi- Vcial ministry in the Catholic Church for those who teach children and others the fundamentals of the faith, the Vatican announced May 5. In a brief note to journalists, the city-state advised that it would be hosting a press con- ference May 11 to present a new papal motu proprio (on his own initiative) making the change. The document will be titled Antiquum ministerium and will “institute the ministry of catechist,” the note said. The Vatican did not immediately provide further details. In the Catholic Church, a catechist is some- one who teaches the core principles of the faith. In earlier centuries, catechists were of- ten priests or members of religious orders but they are now frequently lay persons who vol- unteer or are sometimes employed at Catholic schools or parishes. A file photo of Pope Francis with the children at Vatican in 2018. (Vatican News photo) Francis’ decision to recognise catechists more formally as having a ministry in the Church structures. A few hours after the initial announcement Second International Congress of Catechists. Church could be a response to the 2019 The Vatican’s May 11 press conference of the new motu proprio, official outlet Vati- “Being a catechist is a vocation … and is a Synod of Bishops from the wider Amazon will be led by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the can News explained that Francis had first ex- true and genuine ministry in the Church,” region, which called for better recognition president of the Pontifical Council for the Pro- pressed a desire to formally create a ministry the pontiff said at the time. — By Joshua J. for the various roles played by laypeople in motion of the New Evangelisation. of catechist in a 2018 video message to the McElwee, NCR Prayer intention for May: ‘For the world of finance’ VATICAN: Pope Francis released his prayer Pope Francis then repeated his emphasis on intention for the month of May 2021, and the term “speculation”. called for regulators to limit speculation in fi- The Pope expressed his hope that finance nancial markets and protect ordinary people. might be a vehicle to meet people’s needs. “The true economy, the one that creates “May finance be a form of service, and an work, is in crisis.” instrument to serve the people, and to care for Pope Francis launched his prayer intention our common home!” for the month of May 2021 with this warning. He also urged everyone to promote a form In “The Pope Video”, he lamented the ap- of economy which is more just and sustain- parent disconnect between the lives of ordi- able, and which leaves no one behind. nary people and the froth currently evident in Pope calls for regulators to limit speculation in financial markets and protect ordinary people. “We can do this!” affirmed Pope Francis. several financial markets. (http://clicktopray.org/) “And let us pray that those in charge of fi- “How many people are now unemployed!” if unregulated and left to its own devices, be- dangerous,” he said. “So that the poor do not nance will work with governments to regu- he said. “But the financial markets have never comes “pure speculation driven by various suffer painful consequences from this sys- late financial markets and protect citizens been as inflated as they are now.” monetary policies.” tem, financial speculation must be carefully from its dangers.” — By Devin Watkins, The Pope went on to note that high finance, “This situation is unsustainable. And it is regulated.” Vatican News 2 FORUM / REFLECTION HERALD May 9, 2021 There’s something ‘fishy’ about the Gospels ver since COVID reached our shores, I Today, the fish remind us of what is at stake, as have been taking morning strolls at a cas- new challenges and threats emerge: pollution of Euarina-lined seafront promenade a couple Sunday Observer the seas and oceans, overfishing, the takeover of of miles away from our home in Penang. the commons through massive land reclamation, By The stillness of the seawater makes it look like eroding food security, super-hurricanes originat- a vast lake. On the horizon, the pale blue morn- Anil Netto ing in the sea, and rising sea levels. ing skies blend into the grey-blue waters. Fish and bread meant a lot more to the ordi- From the promenade, I see fishermen in boats [email protected] nary people of the Gospels than they do for most casting their nets to catch ikan senangin (thread- middle-class or upper-class people, even today. fins). Further south,garupa (grouper) and siakap Those of Jesus’ disciples who were fishermen was another possible site for the multiplication.) The distributive justice inherent in the multipli- (barramundi) are also found. lived along the northern shore of the Sea of Gali- Wherever it took place, the earliest disciples cation of the fish and loaves stands in stark con- Sometimes, others wade in to look for siput lee. often used the symbol of the fish as a secret code trast to the growing income inequalities in our mentarang (angelwing clams) and siput remis This northern shore is also close to the site tra- or symbol to indicate their allegiance to Jesus. As world, where wealth is hoarded and concentrated (mussels). ditionally believed to be the Mount of the Beati- the fish symbol had already been used by pagans, in the hands of a few. From here, it is not too difficult to imagine tudes and the site of the multiplication of the fish there was less danger in using it. Consider how far we have strayed from the what it must have been like from the shoreline of and loaves for 5,000 people near Bethsaida. The Christian symbolism of the fish emerged vision of the kingdom where there should be the Sea of Galilee. Bethsaida was a small fishing village that from a word puzzle or acrostic in Greek. The enough from the bounty of the earth to feed the Most of the Gospel episodes took place by was the hometown of apostles like Simon Peter, Greek word for fish was ichthys, and this was multitude, where no one should go hungry. It all the sea or close to the sea. And fish was highly Andrew and Philip, though the precise location used as a code for “Iesous Christos Theou Yios began with a small boy sharing the small fish symbolic. has been contested. Still, it not far east of Caper- Soter”, which means Jesus Christ, Son of God, (perhaps sardines) and loaves that he had with Imagine Jesus helping his prospective disci- naum, both along the northern shore. Saviour. Sometimes, the Greek letters for ichthys Jesus, perhaps prompting others to share what ples land a huge catch by the shore. The fishermen may have moved from Beth- are spelt out within twin arcs that outlined the they had brought along as well. The multiplication of the fish and the loaves saida to Capernaum, and perhaps carried out fish. In our pandemic-ridden world today, many was highly symbolic and is closely associated their fishing 1.5 miles to the west along the shore The fish symbolised the multiplication of the have been thrown out of work or are living on with the Eucharist – the community sharing and at a place called Tabgha, known as the “fisher- fish and loaves and the calling of the disciples to reduced incomes, adding to the poverty that had fellowship – highlighting a common table of dis- men’s suburb of Capernaum”. Tabgha is also the become “fishers of men (and women)”. already existed. The distributive justice symbol- tributive justice. site of the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves It also symbolised the waters of baptism. Ter- ised by the fish and loaves reminds us that we The fish caught at the real freshwater lake of and Fish. tullian, a second century historian, described too must reach out to share what we have with Galilee, in the present day at least, are musht The site traditionally believed to be “Mount Christians as “we, little fishes, after the image of those in need. (which includes Galilean tilapia, also known as Beatitude’ lies a short distance inland, midway our Ichthys, Jesus Christ, are born in the water." We should be doing this not only individually St Peter’s fish, the redbelly tilapia and the blue between Capernaum and Tabgha.