Selamat Natal

Sebagai seorang Muslim, penulis mengucapkan selamat hari raya Natal kepada saudara-saudari Kristiani di mana pun berada.

Bagi seorang Muslim, mengucapkan selamat hari raya Natal bukan hanya menjadi kesadaran persaudaraan, melainkan tuntunan keimanan yang sangat mendasar. Karena Nabi Isa atau Yesus menegaskan (sebagaimana disampaikan Al Quran), keselamatan atas diriku ketika dilahirkan, ketika meninggal dunia, dan ketika (nanti) dihidupkan kembali, Qs 19: 22.

Dalam konteks negara majemuk seperti Indonesia, ucapan selamat hari raya Natal merupakan salah satu bentuk kesadaran kebangsaan yang harus senantiasa dijaga dan dipelihara; bahwa Indonesia adalah negara bagi semua agama yang ada di haribaan Bumi Pertiwi; bahwa setiap pemeluk agama memiliki kebebasan untuk merayakan dan menjalankan keyakinannya; dan bahwa penganut satu agama di Indonesia harus menghormati penganut agama lain.

Kerukunan

Bagi agamawan, mengucapkan selamat kepada umat agama lain dalam merayakan hari besar keagamaan, seperti Natal, mempunyai makna yang sangat penting. Selain tuntunan agama, ucapan selamat bagi seorang agamawan bisa juga karena menjadi langkah awal untuk menciptakan kerukunan dan kebersamaan dalam kehidupan umat beragama, terutama dalam kehidupan bangsa majemuk seperti Indonesia.

Apa yang dilakukan oleh agamawan di Mesir bisa dijadikan sebagai contoh oleh para agamawan di Tanah Air. Dalam persoalan hari raya Natal, contohnya, sejumlah agamawan terkemuka di Mesir, seperti Grand Syeikh Al-Azhar Kairo, Sayyid Muhammad Thanthawi, tak hanya membolehkan seorang Muslim turut merayakan hari raya Natal. Lebih daripada itu, mereka memberikan keteladanan baik dengan menghadiri undangan perayaan Natal umat Kristen (Koptik) di sana. Momen-momen damai seperti ini digunakan oleh sejumlah agamawan di Mesir untuk mengukuhkan tali persaudaraan kebangsaan, mengukuhkan bangunan perdamaian, dan menghormati segala jenis perbedaan.

Begitu pun sebaliknya, sejumlah pemimpin Kristen (Koptik) di Mesir turut merayakan dan mengucapkan selamat ketika hari raya keagamaan umat Islam tiba. Suasana damai, kondusif, dan penuh persaudaraan menyelimuti kehidupan masyarakat di sana, dimulai dari kalangan agamawan kemudian diikuti oleh segenap umat dan pengikutnya.

Peran agamawan seperti di Mesir memberikan sumbangsih cukup besar bagi terjaganya hubungan damai dalam kehidupan masyarakat Mesir, terlepas apa pun agama ataupun kelompoknya. Setidak-tidaknya masyarakat Muslim di sana tidak diharamkan bila turut merayakan Natal bersama sahabat atau kerabat yang beragama Koptik.

Pengalaman Mesir seperti di atas sangat patut dipertimbangkan. Sejauh ini, konflik berbau agama jarang terjadi di Negeri Piramida itu.

Melahirkan ketegangan

Hal inilah yang jarang terjadi dalam kehidupan umat beragama di Tanar Air. Peran agamawan sangatlah terbatas dalam mendorong bangsa ini terbebas dari konflik agama. Sebaliknya, peran dan keterlibatan agamawan yang cukup masif terjadi dalam kehidupan politik, apalagi pada saat menjelang pemilu.

Hingga hari ini, konflik antaragama masih terus membayang, bahkan juga konflik intraagama. Umat beragama tidak disuguhi pemandangan damai dari kalangan agamawan yang mengucapkan selamat kepada umat agama lain dalam merayakan hari besarnya, termasuk hari raya Natal. Dan hingga hari ini masih terdapat sejumlah pihak yang mengharamkan hadir pada perayaan Natal bagi seorang Muslim atau hari raya agama lainnya.

Pengharaman seperti di atas tidak melahirkan apa pun, kecuali ketegangan dalam kehidupan umat yang berbeda agama. Pihak paling diuntungkan oleh fatwa seperti ini adalah mereka yang ”bersyahwat” politik. Bangsa, masyarakat, dan agama adalah pihak yang paling dirugikan oleh pengharaman seperti di atas yang merupakan akibat tak langsung keterlibatan kaum agamawan dalam dunia politik pragmatis yang cukup masif, baik perpolitikan nasional maupun lokal.

Dikatakan akibat tidak langsung karena tidak semua dan tidak setiap saat agamawan melakukan ”politisasi agama” dalam bentuk fatwa-fatwa politis atau lainnya. Harus jujur diakui, masih terdapat sekian agamawan yang turun ke kancah politik dengan niat tulus-ikhlas dan membawa tujuan perjuangan murni. Namun, agamawan seperti ini tampak sangat terbatas.

Natal adalah momen penting yang bisa digunakan oleh kaum agamawan untuk menyampaikan sabda perdamaian, kasih sayang, dan menghormati perbedaan keagamaan. Silaturahim antaragamawan dapat dilakukan dalam momen-momen keagamaan seperti Natal ini. Hingga umat beragama terbiasa dalam menghormati perbedaan dan perayaan hari besar agama lain.

Penulis: Hasibullah Satrawi Alumnus Al-Azhar Kairo, Mesir; Aktivis Moderate Muslim Society, Jakarta
Sabtu, 19 Desember 2009 | 02:58 WIB

Source:http://cetak.kompas.com/read/xml/2009/12/19/02582247/selamat.natal

Gereja St. Albertus Bekasi Dihujani Lemparan Batu dan Nyaris Dibumihanguskan

Peristiwa pelemparan batu dan pembakaran gereja terjadi di kawasan Perumahan Harapan Indah, Kota Bekasi, Kamis (17/12/2009) malam. Massa yang terdiri dari ratusan orang mulai dari anak-anak hingga orangtua termasuk ibu-ibu mendatangi Gereja Katolik Santo Albertus yang terletak di Jalan Boulevard untuk merusak serta membakar fasilitas gereja.

Ketua Umum Pembangunan Gereja Santo Albertus, Kristina Maria R, dalam keterangan per telepon kepada Kompas.com, menjelaskan, massa yang menumpangi beberapa mobil dan motor sempat melempari gereja yang tengah dalam tahap akhir pembangunan itu sebelum akhirnya dibubarkan oleh polisi dari Polsek Harapan Indah dan Polres Bekasi. Selain melempari gereja, massa membakar pos satpam, 1 motor satpam, dan kontainer yang dijadikan sebagai kantor kontraktor pembangunan gereja.

Kristina Maria R yang juga menjabat sebagai Staf Ahli Menko Polhukam menguraikan, massa juga membuang sejumlah marmer dan keramik yang akan digunakan untuk pembangunan gereja ke jalan sekitarnya. Massa tampak melengkapi diri dengan minyak tanah untuk melancarkan aksinya dan ini terbukti dari 1 jeriken berisi minyak tanah yang ditemukan di lokasi.      

"Satu komputer dari kantor kontraktor diinjak-injak massa dan ditemukan di got depan gereja," jelas Kristina yang tidak mengira apabila massa yang berpapasan dengannya saat ia akan pulang ke rumahnya tadi malam melakukan aksi perusakan gereja.

"Gereja ini sudah mendapatkan izin pembangunan dan tiang pancang pertamanya sudah sejak 11 Mei 2008," tambah Kristina. Menurut Kristina, aparat mulai dari Danrem hingga Kapolres Bekasi telah menjamin keamanan bagi kegiatan ibadah ataupun acara penyambutan Natal di gereja ini.

Polisi yang mendapatkan laporan massa berasal wilayah utara Kabupaten Bekasi sempat memasang police line di sekitar gereja pada malam hari sebelum mencabutnya kembali Jumat pagi. Massa dapat dibubarkan aparat menjelang pukul 24.00 tadi malam dan beberapa orang yang dicurigai sebagai otak aksi perusakan gereja juga telah diringkus.

Jumat, 18 Desember 2009 | 12:20 WIB

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com —http://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/xml/2009/12/18/12204719/gereja.dihujani.lemparan.batu.dan.nyaris.dibumihanguskan

Pesan Yesus Tanggal 13 Desember 2009

Urgent Severe Message of God December 13, 2009!!

December 14, 2009
Vassula writes:

This past Saturday here in Rhodes we have our prayer meeting. Not everyone was present that day but some only. Towards the end we took up the prayer I have given you, that one of the 25th November and we all prayed it. After that we opened the Greek bible (that was brand new) and I opened it. My finger went on Ezekiel  ch. 7,  verses 1-14. While reading it we all felt that it was like we were reading again the prayer!  A continuation. When I opened the English bible so that I read it as my Greek is not that perfect, I had a book mark just there. What we understood from this is that the Lord was trying to emphasize the seriousness and urgency of His previous message which is the prayer.

(This was the prayer, sent out on November 28: )

"Address Me Vassula in this way:

Tender Father, lash not Your wrath on this generation, lest they perish altogether;
Lash not on Your flock distress and anguish,
for the waters will run dry and nature will wither;
all will succumb at Your wrath leaving no trace behind them;

The heat of Your Breath will put aflame the earth turning it into a waste!
From the horizon a star will be seen;
The night will be ravaged and ashes will fall as snow in winter,
covering Your people like ghosts;

Take Mercy on us, God, and do not assess us harshly;
Remember the hearts that rejoice in You and You in them!
Remember Your faithful and let not Your Hand fall on us with force,
But, rather in Your Mercy lift us and place Your precepts in every heart. Amen”


The next day on Sunday, as I sat at Church, after 5 minutes or so, I heard the Lord call me and speak to me. My worry was that I would not remember to write what He said. Our Lady in the end said just a few words. But, our Lord made me understand that I do not have to worry because He will remind me when I will write His words, in fact He will lead my hand again. So this is what Jesus Christ said yesterday and today, Monday 14 December His Words were written.

Testify my child on My behalf and in My Name, and speak and tell this generation:

do not listen anymore to false prophets who keep stroking you with caresses telling you that all is well and that you have improved when you, at the same time who call yourself a Christian do not behave like one, for you hardly act on My Words in the Gospel; for I tell you, if your virtue in being a Christian goes no deeper than the godless ones, My Father, not recognizing Me in you will never allow you to enter in Our Kingdom! My Father’s wrath will unleash on you; have you not learnt that My severity is as great as My Mercy? You who sell yourself to your surrounding as a good Christian, giving them this false image of Christianity, when you are just the opposite, you will be uncovered and your sin as well; and you, you whose tongue never stopped judging unjustly, your sin will recoil on your own head; My anger rages against your sort and I will judge you for your conduct as it deserves;

you who cannot forgive and forget as I forgive and forget, My Father too will hold that sin against you! Yahweh is near, coming with all speed, so tell Me, where will you hide? To lead a sinful life is to belong to the devil; you have learnt in which manner you will be judged when you are unwilling to reconcile with the one you still hold a grudge against him; I tell you, this sin of unwillingness to come to terms with the one you hold responsible, will be bitterly paid by you till the last penny; have I not said: you must love your neighbour as yourself and even more that you must learn to love your enemies? Well, what have My Eyes been witnessing?  I have been witnessing a meager lot who truly follow My ways, but the majority are in sin and doing Satan’s work; do not deceive yourselves, for in these coming days you are bound for destruction because you are not following My Word*1; if anyone refuses to this day to obey My principles My Father too will refuse him an abode in heaven; and you who have taken My Name*2, yet act in violence, anger and pride, that same scourge your sharp tongue used on your brothers, you will receive likewise and your sin will condemn you; and you who still sleep in your apathy and lethargy do not think that I have not noticed you, you will be ranked among the pagans and you will be reaping what you have sown;

as for the apostates, they will taste the fire of hell! My Father’s wrath is lit up with this evil and pervert generation; how can I hold back His Arm furthermore from lashing on you? Turn back from your evil ways was Our constant theme, but good and bad have been refusing to abandon their ways of life; the good for not taking My Words seriously in these messages and acting on them, the bad for refusing to be saved, refusing My Mercy, refusing My Hand; tell Me what will you do when you realize that Day that you are mere clay and that clay without My Presence within you, you are nothing but dust?

disaster is just around the corner and the foliage will turn dry; amend all of you your conduct and actions, let not destruction overtake you; take the right course and stop your abominations and your perversions; set your heart on Me your Lord, if not  you will crumble down in ashes like a burnt city;

now, even if I distressed you, even for a mere moment, it was out of the greatness of the love I have for you; I want to lead you to repentance and save you; I want lips that are clean to invoke My Holy Name, especially in these days where My Holy Name will be profaned and mean nothing to many while they celebrate My birth without honour and praise; repent all of you and focus on Me; and pray that this generation’s guilt will not be the cause of your destruction; otherwise the Father’s wrath will lead Him to cry out: enough! And His fiery rage will cover many nations and the world will disintegrate; happy the man who listens to Me now and purifies himself; I will support him;

I am Jesus Christ and am the Author of these Messages and I am known to govern you with lenience; I am known to flower you if you are willing and if need I water you with My Tears; I am known as the Good Shepherd who never abandons His sheep; I lead you into green pastures, but when treaties are broken, witnesses that I am sending despised and rejected, could I keep silent? When I know you are heading to a fatal destruction, would I not react? On that Day of the Father’s wrath those who had forgotten Me, will remember Me; and they will be treated accordingly;

Many indeed ask, what sins? sins that I have mentioned and sins of your blasphemy against My Holy Spirit, sins of your rebellion and of your division, sins of perversion that are an abomination in My Eyes, sins of prejudice, sins of contempt, of corruption, of haughtiness, of pride, sins of degradation and of lethargy, the world is polluted with sin; understand now how My Sacred Heart is offended and is in pain; master your thoughts and sin no more;   never forget Me, Vassula, and let My people know of My warnings; I am here; ic

*1 Holy Bible
*2 Christians

Then our Lady said:

Follow and write down all that My Son has given you, never fear;

Uskup Agung Anglikan Menyambut Baik Solusi Benediktus XVI

Anglican Archbishop: Our Prayers Have Been Answered
Welcomes Pope's Offer of Personal Ordinariates

BLACKWOOD, South Australia, OCT. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The prayers of Anglicans wishing to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church have been more than answered today, according to the primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion.

Archbishop John Hepworth said this today in a statement that responded to the Vatican announcement that Benedict XVI would allow Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the Anglican spiritual and liturgical tradition.

This policy has been established in a forthcoming apostolic constitution, and it responds to requests from Anglicans who have expressed wishes to become Catholic, particularly as the Anglican Tradition continues to take steps toward opening their priesthood and episcopate to women and active homosexuals, and blessing same-sex unions.

Between 20 and 30 Anglican bishops have made such a request.

The constitution was announced at a press conference at the Vatican today, offered by Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Hepworth, who also heads the Diocese of Australia in the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia, said that the Traditional Anglican Communion is "profoundly moved by the generosity of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI."

Dedicated to unity

"He offers in this Apostolic Constitution the means for 'former Anglicans to enter into the fullness of communion with the Catholic Church,'" Hepworth explains. "He hopes that we can 'find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to us and consistent with the Catholic faith.'

"He then warmly states 'we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith.'"

"May I firstly state that this is an act of great goodness on the part of the Holy Father," continued Hepworth. "He has dedicated his pontificate to the cause of unity."

"It more than matches the dreams we dared to include in our petition of two years ago," he added. "It more than matches our prayers.

"In those two years, we have become very conscious of the prayers of our friends in the Catholic Church. Perhaps their prayers dared to ask even more than ours."

The archbishop said he would take the offer of the Holy See to each of the national synods of the Traditional Anglican Communion.

"Now the Holy See challenges us to seek in the specific structures that are now available the "full, visible unity, especially Eucharistic communion," for which we have long prayed and about which we have long dreamed. That process will begin at once," he affirmed.

Noting that the Anglican Office of Morning Prayer included the Hymn of Thanksgiving, the Te Deum, Hepworth added: "It is with heartfelt thanks to Almighty God, the Lord and Source of all peace and unity, that the hymn is on our lips today.

"This is a moment of grace, perhaps even a moment of history, not because the past is undone, but because the past is transformed."

Benediktus XVI Buka Jalan Bagi Anglikan Masuk ke Gereja Katolik

Pope Paves Way for Anglicans to Enter Church
Apostolic Constitution to Establish "Personal Ordinariates"

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Groups of Anglicans will now be able to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the Anglican spiritual and liturgical tradition.

This policy has been established in a forthcoming apostolic constitution the Vatican announced today.

It responds to requests from Anglicans who have expressed wishes to become Catholic, particularly as the Anglican Tradition continues to take steps toward opening their priesthood and episcopate to women and active homosexuals, and blessing same-sex unions.

Between 20 and 30 Anglican bishops have made such a request.

The constitution was announced at a press conference at the Vatican today, offered by Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

A statement from the congregation explained that with the apostolic constitution, "the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony."

These groups of Anglicans will be overseen and guided through the personal ordinariate, the leader of which will normally be chosen from among former Anglican clergy.

Married priests

The statement from the Vatican explained that the constitution "provides for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy."

It clarified that "historical and ecumenical reasons preclude the ordination of married men as bishops in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches."

Thus, the apostolic constitution stipulates that the leader of the personal ordinariate be "either a priest or an unmarried bishop."

As to future priests, the statement explained: "The seminarians in the ordinariate are to be prepared alongside other Catholic seminarians, though the ordinariate may establish a house of formation to address the particular needs of formation in the Anglican patrimony. In this way, the apostolic constitution seeks to balance on the one hand the concern to preserve the worthy Anglican liturgical and spiritual patrimony and, on the other hand, the concern that these groups and their clergy will be integrated into the Catholic Church."

Worldwide

The Vatican statement said the apostolic constitution provides a "reasonable and even necessary response" to what it called a "worldwide phenomenon."

It offers a "single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application."

The profile of a "personal ordinariate" is similar in some ways to that of a personal prelature (Opus Dei is the only personal prelature right now) or the military ordinates, wherein a bishop has ecclesiastical authority over people of the armed forces and their families, regardless of their geographical location.

Many individual Anglicans have already entered into full communion with the Catholic Church.

Sometimes there have been groups of Anglicans who have entered while preserving some "corporate" structure, the Vatican statement noted, offering the example of an Anglican diocese in India and some parishes in the United States.

"In these cases, the Catholic Church has frequently dispensed from the requirement of celibacy to allow those married Anglican clergy who desire to continue ministerial service as Catholic priests to be ordained in the Catholic Church," the statement explained.

Enriched

According to Cardinal Levada: "It is the hope of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, that the Anglican clergy and faithful who desire union with the Catholic Church will find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith.

"Insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church. The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. [...]

"Our communion is therefore strengthened by such legitimate diversity, and so we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith."

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On ZENIT's Web page:

Full text of Vatican statement: www.zenit.org/article-27268?l=english