The Brotherhood has ample reason for its delight.  Accordingly, Americans who love freedom - whether or not they recognize the threat Shariah represents to it - have abundant cause for concern about "The Speech," and what it portends for U.S. policy and interests.

Right out of the box, Mr. Obama mischaracterized what is causing a "time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world."  He attributed the problem first and foremost to "violent extremists [who] have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims."  The President never mentioned - not even once - a central reality:  The minority in question, including the Muslim Brotherhood, subscribes to the authoritative writings, teachings, traditions and institutions of their faith, namely Shariah.  It is the fact that their practice is thus grounded that makes them, whatever their numbers (the exact percentage is a matter of considerable debate), to use Mr. Obama euphemistic term, "potent."

Instead, the President’s address characterized the problem as a "cycle of suspicion and discord," a turn of phrase redolent of the moral equivalence so evident in the Mideast peace process with it "cycle of violence." There was not one reference to terrorism, let alone Islamic terrorism.  Indeed, any connection between the two is treated as evidence of some popular delusion. "The attacks of September 11^th , 2001 and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights. This has bred more fear and mistrust."

Then there was this uplifting, but ultimately meaningless, blather:  "So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity."

More often than not, the President portrayed Muslims as the Brotherhood always does: as victims of crimes perpetrated by the West against them - from colonialism to manipulation by Cold War superpowers to the menace of "modernity and globalization that led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam." Again, no mention of the hostility towards the infidel West ingrained in "the traditions of Islam."  This fits with the meme of the Shariah-adherent, but not the facts.

Here’s the irony:  Even as President Obama professed his determination to "speak the truth," he perpetrated a fraud.  He falsely portrayed what amounts to authoritative Islam, namely Shariah Islam, as something that is "not exclusive," that "overlaps" and "need not be in competition" with "America.  Actually, Shariah is, by its very nature, a program that obliges its adherents to demand submission of all others, Muslims (especially secular and apostate ones) and non-Muslims, alike.

This exclusiveness (read, Islamic supremacism) applies most especially with respect to democratic nations like America, nations founded in the alternative and highly competitive belief that men , not God, should make laws.  Ditto nations that stand in the way of the establishment of the Caliphate, the global theocracy that Shariah dictates must impose its medieval agenda worldwide.  In practice, Shariah is the very antithesis of Mr. Obama’s stated goal of "progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings."  Its "justice" can only be considered by civilized societies to be a kind of codified barbarism.

At least as troubling are what amount to instances of presidential dawa , the Arabic term for Islamic proselytization. For example, Mr. Obama referred four times in his speech to "the Holy Koran." It seems unimaginable that he ever would ever use the adjective to describe the Bible or the Book of Mormon.

Then, the man now happy to call himself Barack Hussein Obama (in contrast to his attitude during the campaign) boasts of having "known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed."  An interesting choice of words that, "first revealed." Not "established," "founded" or "invented."  The President is, after all, a careful writer, so he must have deliberately eschewed verbs that reflect man’s role, in favor of the theological version of events promoted by Islam. Thus, Mr. Obama has gone beyond the kind of "respectful language" he has pledged to use towards Islam.  He is employing what amounts to code - bespeaking the kind of submissive attitude Islam demands of all, believers and non-believers alike.

Elsewhere in the speech, Mr. Obama actually declared that "I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."  Note that, although he referred in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian-Arab conflict to "vile stereotypes" of Jews, he did not describe it as "part of his responsibility as President" to counter anti-Semitic representations.

Unremarked was the fact that such incitement is daily fare served up by the state media controlled by his host in Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak, by the Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas and by every other despot in the region with whom Mr. Obama seeks to "engage."  Worse yet, no mention was made of the fact that some of those "vile stereotypes" - notably, that Jews are "descendants of apes and pigs" - are to be found in "the Holy Koran," itself.

Perhaps the most stunning bit of dawa of all was a phrase the President employed that, on its face, denies the divinity of Jesus - something surprising from a self-described committed Christian.  In connection with his discussion of the "situation between Israelis, Palestinians and Arabs," Mr. Obama said, "…When Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (peace be upon them) joined in prayer."

Muslims use the term "peace be upon them" to ask for blessings on deceased holy men.  In other words, its use construes all three in the way Islam does - as dead prophets - a treatment wholly at odds with the teachings of Christianity which, of course, holds Jesus as the immortal Son of God.

If Mr. Obama were genuinely ignorant about Islam, such a statement might be ascribed to nothing more than a sop to "interfaith dialogue." For a man who now pridefully boasts of his intimate familiarity with Muslims and their faith, it raises troubling questions about his own religious beliefs.  At the very least, it conveys a strongly discordant message to "the Muslim world" about a fundamental tenet of the faith he professes.

Finally, what are we to make of Mr. Obama statements about America and Islam?  Since he took office, the President has engaged repeatedly in the sort of hyping of Muslims and their role in the United States that is standard Muslim Brotherhood fare.  In his inaugural address, he described our nation as one of "Christians, Muslims and Jews." Shortly thereafter, he further reversed the demographic ordering of these populations by size in his first broadcast interview (with the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya network), calling America a country of "Muslims, Christians and Jews."

Yesterday in Cairo, the President declared that "Islam has always been a part of America’s story."  Now, to be sure, Muslims, like peoples of other faiths, have made contributions to U.S. history.  But they have generally done so in the same way others have, namely as Americans - not as some separate community, but as part of the "E pluribus unum" (out of many, one) that Mr. Obama properly extolled in The Speech.

Unfortunately, a pattern is being established whereby President Obama routinely exaggerates the Muslim character of America.  For example, at Cairo University, he claimed there are nearly seven million Muslims in this country - a falsehood promoted by the Muslim Brotherhood and its friends - when the actual number is well-less than half that.  Shortly before The Speech, in an interview with a French network, Mr. Obama said, "If you actually took the number of Muslims Americans, we’d be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world."

Incredible as these statements may seem, even more astounding is their implication for those who adhere to Shariah.  The President’s remarks about America as a Muslim nation would give rise to its treatment by them as part of dar al-Islam , the world of Islam, as opposed to dar al-harb (i.e., the non-Muslim world).

Were the former to be the case, Shariah requires faithful Muslims to rid the United States of infidel control or occupation.  And we know from last year’s successful prosecution of the Holy Land Foundation - a so-called "charity" engaged in money-laundering for one of the Muslim Brotherhood’s terrorist operations, Hamas - that such an agenda tracks precisely with the Brothers’ mission here: "To destroy Western civilization from within America, by its own miserable hand."

This reality makes one of Mr. Obama’s promises in Cairo especially chilling.  Near the end of his address, the President expressed concern that religious freedom in the United States was being impinged by "rules on charitable giving [that] have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation."  He went on to pledge: "That is why I am committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat ."

Let us be clear:  Muslim charities have run into difficulty with "the rules" because they have been convicted in federal court of using the Muslim obligation to perform zakat (tithing to charity) to funnel money to terrorists.  At this writing, it is unclear precisely what Mr. Obama has in mind with respect to this commitment to "ensure [Muslims] can fulfill zakat ." But you can bet that the Brotherhood will try to translate it into the release of their imprisoned operatives and new latitude to raise money for their Shariah-promoting, and therefore seditious, activities in America.

I could go on, but you get the point.  The Speech contained a number of statements about the laudable qualities of America, the need for freedom in the Muslim world, about women’s rights and the desirability of peace.  But its preponderant and much more important message was one that could have been crafted by the Muslim Brotherhood:  America has a president who is, wittingly or not, advancing the Brotherhood’s agenda of masking the true nature of Shariah and encouraging the West’s submission to it.

"An awful lot of the parishioners worked for NASA," he says. "They are a pretty brainy group of people." Those parishioners who did not work for NASA often were employed in companies related to the space industry.

So it seemed natural that a creative priest like Butler would get involved in NASA and "going into space" without ever leaving Earth. Sometimes it was pastoral involvement. Sometimes it was more of a hobby.

In 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger blew up shortly after takeoff and all aboard were killed, the Carmelite parish responded. "We had to do some something because our whole town is involved in the space program. I called all the ministers in town and invited them to have a joint service. The radio station spread the word and we had a packed to overflowing church. Twelve television stations showed up. Several astronauts and their families came."

But most of Fr. Tom's association with the space program has been far more leisure oriented and has resulted in some res carmelitana going into space. Much of it now lines the walls of Fr. Tom's well organized, spotless room in the Carmelite monastery in Tucson, Arizona.

Appropriately, a brown scapular was the first Carmelite object to go into space. Mission Specialist G. David Low carried it aboard STS 32, the Columbia, in January 1990. That scapular made 172 orbits of the earth, traveling a distance of 4,509,972 miles.

Astronaut Bob Cabana, a parishioner at St. Bernadette's, was made a Eucharistic minister before his flight. "He thought that was great and so every time after that, if a parishioner was going up, I would make them a Eucharistic minister," Butler said. If you ask, he will proudly show you the pyx and the black case adorned with a patch from one of the space missions that always went with the astronaut-Eucharistic ministers. "It is the pyx that I received on my ordination day."

Other items Butler has sent up into space are a small America flag, a medallion made especially for St. Bernadette's parish, and the driver's license of deceased Carmelite Fr. Marius Zadenski. A Carmelite driver's license into space? "Oh, he was well loved in the parish, so after he died, the astronauts wanted to take something of his up with them."

Tom's space hobby and enthusiastic support got him invited to the annual Space Agency dinner. One year he was invited to give the opening prayer. During the prayer he mentioned "the first man on the moon." After the dinner, a man approached the Carmelite to thank him for his prayer. "I am that first man on the moon," he said. Tom was shaking hands with Neil Armstrong.

It was reported that on Apollo 8 in 1968, the first craft to orbit moon, that astronaut Frank Borman carried a medallion with the image of Pope John XXIII and a piece of the pope's cassock. If NASA ever returns to the moon, you can bet there will be something Carmelite with them if Fr. Tom Butler has anything to say about it.

Originally published in Internation Carmelite Newsmagazine CITOC www.Carmelites.info/CITOC. Carmelite vocation site Carmelites.net.

The Holy Father recalled how the chapter of the papal basilica of St. Peter's dates back to 1053, "when Pope Leo IX confirmed on the archpriest and canons of St. Peter's, who had taken up residence in the monastery of Santo Stefano Maggiore, the possessions and privileges granted by his predecessors."

"Under the guidance of the archpriest," said the Pope, "the activity of the Vatican chapter has, since its very origins, been directed towards various fields of activity," liturgical, administrative, pastoral, charitable. "From the 11th century until today 11 Popes have been part of the Vatican chapter, and among them I particularly wish to recall those of the 20th century, Pius XI and Pius XII."

Benedict XVI then went on to tell his listeners of the "particular nature of the Vatican chapter, and the contribution the Pope expects from you: to recall with your prayerful presence at the tomb of Peter that nothing must be put before God; that the Church is entirely oriented towards Him, towards His glory; that the primacy of Peter is at the service of the unity of the Church, and that this unity is in its turn, at the service of the salvific plans of the Most Holy Trinity."

"I put great trust in you and in your ministry, that St. Peter's Basilica may be a true place of prayer, adoration and praise for the Lord. In this sacred place, where every day thousands of pilgrims and tourists arrive from all over the world, more than elsewhere it is necessary that there should be a stable community of prayer guaranteeing a continuity with tradition and, at the same time, interceding for the intentions of the Pope in the Church and the world today."

Br. Teodoro Brovello entered Carmel in March 1997 and made his Solemn Profession on October 7, 2006 at the Carmine in Florence, Italy.

From the time he was 14 years old, he studied furniture restoration "as working with wood has always been my passion," he said. "I worked eight years as a framer."

Now Br. Teodoro is in the formation program at San Martino ai Monti in Rome, in the first year of theology. "In my free time, I try to work as carpenter and factotum in the house."

"In the year of preparation for Solemn Vows, I lived in the Carmelite community of Nocera Umbra where I was able to build the community chapel. Everything is wood: floor, windows, benches and small racks for the various prayer books. I also built a bookcase three meters tall and four meters wide, everything in wood."

"I could do this thanks to the equipment that the community bought believing it useful in that it is important to work in the apostolate and also do some manual labor. In fact the Rule says "You must give yourselves to work of some kind, so that the devil may always find you busy… this is the way of holiness and goodness: see that you follow it" (Rule 20).

"During a retreat last year in a monastic community, I restored a very antique bread storage case that is now being used as an altar, in a chapel in their garden."

"In the Rule, it says ‘the brothers are to stay in their own cell or nearby, pondering the Lord's law day and night and keeping watch at prayers unless attending to some other duty' (Rule 10). I assure you that provision of the Rule is not easy in a city like Rome because you leave your cell and you find confusion, traffic and smog. So that is why I sought to create a space, a laboratory, where, when I manage to carve out a minute between studies and community commitments, I can work on icons with various images of Our Lady, Christ Pantocrater, and angels. It is a simple work that takes me to a very intimate place with my God. Only when I finish do I realize that a lot of time has gone by since I started working. I think that the talents we can have (painter, restorer, musician, and many others) can be held in esteem in religious life. For me, for example, working with wood "relaxes my body and my spirit" and is a means to continuous prayer."

In his talk to them, the Holy Father insisted that "it is not enough" for the millions of faithful who come to Assisi to admire St. Francis, rather they must "be attracted by Francis' charism, they must be helped to accept the essential nucleus of Christian life and to tend towards its 'highest measure,' which is sanctity."

"Ever more often, Christians in our time find themselves facing the tendency to accept a diminished Christ, admired in His extraordinary humanity but rejected in the profound mystery of His divinity. Francis himself suffers a kind of mutilation when he is called upon as a witness to certain values — certainly important and appreciated by modern culture — but forgetting that his profound choice, what we could call the heart of his life, was his commitment to Christ."

"The name of Francis, together with that of Clare, call out for this city to distinguish itself for its particular missionary energy," said the Holy Father. And as a consequence, "it is necessary for this Church to live an intense experience of communion."

In this context, the Pope recalled his Motu Proprio "Totius orbis," promulgated two years ago, in which he established that "the two great papal basilicas of St. Francis and of St. Mary of the Angels, while continuing to enjoy the special attention of the Holy See through the pontifical legate [Cardinal Attilio Nicora], from a pastoral point of view passed under the jurisdiction of the bishop of the city," Bishop Domenico Sorrentino. "I am truly happy," he went on, "to know that the new arrangement has begun with a show of great willingness and collaboration, and I am certain it will bring abundant fruits."

"The appropriateness of a unitary structure such as that ensured by the Motu Proprio," the Pope continued, "was also suggested by the need for coordinated and effective pastoral action." If communities of consecrated life "have the right to expect acceptance and respect for their charism, they must nonetheless avoid living as 'islands,' and integrate themselves with conviction and generosity in service and in the pastoral plan adopted by the bishop for the whole diocesan community."

Addressing himself directly to priests and deacons, the Holy Father said: "Your enthusiasm and your communion, your life of prayer and your generous ministry are indispensable. It can happen that we feel tired or afraid in the face of new challenges and new difficulties, but we must have faith that the Lord will give us the strength necessary to put into effect what He asks of us. He will ensure that vocations do not fail if we implore them with faith, and if together we undertake to seek and defend them with … a pastoral care rich in ardor and inventiveness, capable of showing the beauty of priestly ministry."

Benedict XVI concluded his talk by addressing consecrated men and women. "You are a great resource for the Church," he told them, "both in the field of pastoral care in parishes and in the support you provide for so many pilgrims, who often come to ask your hospitality" but "also expect to find a spiritual witness." To cloistered nuns he said: "Know how to hold high the flame of contemplation. Be signs of Christ's love, to whom all your brothers and sisters can look as they struggle with the fatigue of apostolic life and of lay commitment in the world."

In the Message, dated May 27, Solemnity of Pentecost, the Pope recalls the fact that this year marks the 50th anniversary of Servant of God Pius XII's Encyclical Fidei donum, which "promoted and encouraged cooperation between Churches for the mission ad gentes."

The theme of this year's Day, the Pope writes, "invites local Churches on all continents to a joint awareness of the urgent need to relaunch missionary activity to meet the many grave challenges of our time."

Benedict XVI highlights how the Lord continues to call "the Churches of ancient tradition which, in the past, have supplied the missions not only with material resources but also with consistent numbers of priests, religious and lay people, thus engendering effective cooperation between Christian communities."

Faced with "the secularized culture, the crisis of the family, the drop in vocations and the progressive aging of the clergy, these Churches run the task of closing in on themselves, of looking to the future with reduced hope and of lessening their missionary efforts. Yet this is precisely the moment to open trustingly to the Providence of God, Who never abandons His people and Who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, guides them towards the accomplishment of His eternal plan of salvation.

"The Good Shepherd also invites Churches of recent evangelization to dedicate themselves generously to the missio ad gentes," the Holy Father adds, noting how some of these Churches, though beset by many local needs, still manage to send priests and religious elsewhere, "even to the lands of ancient evangelization." Thus, the Pope continues, "we witness a providential 'exchange of gifts' which benefits the entire mystical Body of Christ."

Pope Benedict expresses the hope that "missionary cooperation may intensify, making full use of everyone's potentials and charism," and that "World Mission Day may contribute to making Christian communities and all the baptized ever more aware of the universal nature of Christ's call to propagate His kingdom unto the ends of the earth."

"Missionary commitment, then, remains the Church's primary service to humanity today, in order to guide and evangelize cultural, social and ethical transformations, and to offer Christ's salvation to modern mankind, humiliated and oppressed in so many parts of the world because of endemic poverty, violence, and the systematic negation of human rights."

The Pope goes on to render thanks to God "for the abundant fruits" of "missionary cooperation in Africa and in other regions of the earth." He also mentions the many priests "who have dedicated their apostolic energies to serving newly-created communities in poor and developing areas," among them "no small number of martyrs who, to witness of the word and apostolic dedication, have united the sacrifice of their lives.

"Nor can we forget," he adds, "the many male and female religious, and lay volunteers who have made prodigious efforts to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth."

The Holy Father highlights how "all Christian communities are born missionary." Hence, "for the individual faithful it is not just a matter of collaborating in evangelizing activity, but of being protagonists in and jointly responsible for the mission of the Church." This "brings about the growth of communion between communities and an increase of reciprocal aid, both in terms of personnel (priest, religious and lay volunteers) and of the means necessary to evangelize today."

Nonetheless, the Pope continues, it must not be forgotten that "the first and principal contribution we are called to make to the Church's missionary activity is prayer. May all communities join in the choral invocation to 'Our Father Who art in heaven,' that His kingdom may come on earth!

"I appeal particularly to children and young people, always ready for generous missionary commitment, to the sick and suffering, recognizing the value of their collaboration, so mysterious and indispensable for the work of salvation, and to consecrated people."

Benedict XVI concludes by calling on the Virgin "to guide our footsteps" to "a Pentecost of love. In particular, may she make us aware that we are all missionaries, called by the Lord to be His witnesses in every moment of our lives."

And then their promising young lives came to an abrupt end.

Across the globe, we wondered about the gunman's motive. We wanted to know the reason for the massacre in the once-serene mountain town.

I can tell you this much: The young man suffered a spiritual crisis. Somewhere along the way he could no longer recognize the precious meaning of his unique life and how connected he is to the Mystery we call God.

Spirituality drives all our actions, for better or worse. When a billionaire makes a charitable donation, he is connecting with his spirit. When a radio deejay makes a cruel remark, he has stifled his spirit.

Yet spirituality remains the unwritten underscore of today's news. We delicately skirt around it, using neutral buzzwords like "integration" and "self actualization."

For nearly half a century, Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor has tried to usher spirituality into public discourse. It's not just acceptable to address spirituality, he says, it's imperative. It is the only way we can solve the world's most persistent problems of violence, injustice and war.

"We don't understand what's going on unless we understand that as human beings we are spiritual beings," Taylor told Jim Lehrer in a recent interview after he was awarded the 2007 Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities.

Gunmen and terrorists and criminals are not just trying to make a headline or make a buck, Taylor asserts. They are seeking fulfillment and belonging and purpose. They are terribly misguided spiritual seekers.

As a vocations director for the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, I encounter spiritual seekers daily. We receive frequent inquires about LifeChoices, our spiritual discernment program. People want to ensure that the big decisions they make are the right ones. And they realize the only way to do that is to take into account their spiritual beings. What better way than to meet with a gentle and wise spiritual director who can help you make decisions for yourself, not by yourself.

Every tragedy young adults witness — from Columbine to 9/11 to Virginia Tech — puts their lives in clearer perspective. It brings spirituality, a sense of meaning and purpose to life into the forefront of consciousness.

In response young adults act differently. They call home. They visit their grandparents. They hug their friends. They volunteer. They consider a life in service to others.

They remember that life is about more than a gilded resume or a corner office, a six-figure salary or a seven-figure house.

For me, the great blessing of being an Adorer is that I am surrounded by women who are guided by this truth. And I get to engage in stirring conversations with them every day as we make sense of the news and our lives.

Life is fragile and fleeting. So live it right.

But, if a big part of our economic and cultural future includes Asia, so does a big part of the future of Christianity.

That's not the most comforting news. Christian presence in this vast continent is almost negligible: only slightly over 2% of the total Asian population is Christian. Conversely, this also means that more than 85% of the world's non-Christians are Asian.

From a historical point of view, this is a sobering reality. Asia is, after all, the birthplace of Christianity, the continent where, as John Paul II pointed out in Ecclesia in Asia, "in the fullness of time, God sent his only-begotten Son to be our Savior, and where the great events of salvation history took place." In fact, up until the spread of Islam in the 7th century, the Asian Church accounted for at least half of the total number of Christians in the world. Neither was the Church limited only to the Near East. According to tradition, the Apostle Thomas brought Christianity to Malabar, on the southwest coast of India, as early as A.D. 52, and a Syro-Chaldaic bishop "of India and Persia" was present at the great council of Nicea in 325.

Asia has also provided the Church with the greatest number of martyrs in history. It can truly be said that "from the heart of Asia there arises the great song of praise: Te martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus (the host of white-robed martyrs praises you!)" The heroic martyrs of recent times like St. Paul Miki, St. Lorenzo Ruiz, St. Andrew Dung-Lac and St. Andrew Kim Taegon are joined by thousands of others who gave their life for the faith in Asia. The relatively small peninsula of Korea, for example, has witnessed the martyrdom of more than 10,000 Christians, while 30,000 were sacrificed during China's Boxer Revolution of 1900. Add to these the martyrs who died during Tartar and Muslim persecutions and those killed under Communist regimes in China, Vietnam and especially the former Soviet Union, and the number could easily pass into the millions.

Despite this inspiring history, Christianity has apparently failed to take root in Asia. The explanation is complex, but two reasons stand out. First, ancient religious traditions such as Buddhism, Confucianism and Hinduism are so intimately linked with history and civilization in Asia that conversion to Christianity is seen not only as a rejection of one's culture but also as a rejection of one's nation. Buddhism is still, for instance, the official state religion in Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia; Hinduism in several Indian states; and Islam in almost all Muslim-dominated countries like Brunei, Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia.

This difficulty is compounded by the fact that Christianity is frequently perceived as a left-over or even a continuation of centuries of often brutal European colonial conquest. Asians are painfully aware that beginning with the Portuguese penetration of Asia in the late 15th century and reaching a climax with the defeat of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, Europeans controlled virtually the entire Islamic world, all of the Indian subcontinent and South East Asia, and exercised considerable influence in China. The memory of these years of subjugation are still fresh in Asian minds, and it does not help that evangelization efforts continue to be overtly Western in tone, only bolstering this "us-versus-them" image.

Archbishop Leo Jun Ikenaga of Osaka, Japan, voiced his concern over just how foreign Christianity still appears in Asia when, in the 1998 Synod of Asia, he pointed out that "Western Christianity makes a clear division between God and the universe, Heaven and Hell. It stresses the paternal aspect of God. The peoples of East Asia have a pantheistic mindset, believe in the transmigration of souls, and are drawn to the thought of the embracing mercy of God. The language of our theology, the rhythm and structure of our liturgies, the programs of our catechesis fail to touch the hearts of those who come searching."

Inculturation of the Gospel in Asia has clearly become essential. But as it tries to distance itself from Western-style evangelization, the Church faces the grave danger of going too far in the other direction. Adapting the Gospel to the Asian context could easily degenerate into a syncretist religious conglomeration of Catholicism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Confucianism, Hinduism and Islam where Christianity effectively ceases to be Christianity.

The real difficulty with inculturation is that many Asians have no problem accepting Jesus as a manifestation of the divine, or as an "enlightened one" alongside other great teachers like Buddha, Confucius or Gandhi. What they object to is the claim that Christ is not just one among many gods, but that He alone is God and Savior. This is something alien to their view of an absolutely transcendent and unknowable God, and which they therefore label as Western arrogance and imperialism once again attempting to dominate Asia through an exclusivist religion. It's the novelty and the "scandal" of Christianity that shocks them: How could an all-holy, all-powerful and all-knowing God assume human nature and endure suffering and death to win salvation for all people?

It's clear, however, that if in the attempt to reach out to Asia the Church were to water down this central belief, it would abandon Christianity. The challenge of Asian evangelization is, therefore, to present the "Asian face of Jesus" in a way that is in perfect harmony with the Church's whole mystical, philosophical and theological tradition.

With this daunting task obviously in mind, Pope Benedict XVI met with university students from across Europe and Asia on March 10, 2007 connected by satellite to groups in Calcutta, Islamabad, Manila, Hong Kong, Bologna, Turin, Krakow, Prague, Manchester and Coimbra. The Pope offered no magic formula for the "how" of evangelization in Asia, but he told the students that genuine dialogue with any culture begins with the silent witness of authentic faith lived in one's ordinary life. This, he said, is what will change the world, both in increasingly secular Europe and in faraway Asia. He called particular attention to the example of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, at whose hometown in Albania and at whose tomb in Calcutta students were gathered. Her unconditional service to the poor was truly missionary activity, the Pope said, because it revealed with actions and not mere words the face of the universal Christ.

Kneeling before an image of Mary to pray the rosary with the university students, Pope Benedict ended the encounter by entrusting the future of Europe and Asia to her hands. Watching the Pope on his knees for over an hour, one couldn't help feeling confident about the future. The path of Asian evangelization that lies ahead is not going to be easy. But history gives us plenty of reason to hope. When the first apostles received Christ's command, "Go make disciples of all nations," they stood before the vast and seemingly impregnable paganism of the Roman Empire. Some 1500 years later, countless missionaries left Christian Europe and set sail for the newly discovered Americas with those same words inscribed in their hearts. In 1995, they were also the words that prompted John Paul II to proclaim in Manila, "Asia: This is the mission we all share for the 3rd millennium!" Given the importance Asia is destined to assume in the 21st century, we may be standing on the threshold of another great era in Christian evangelization.

Br. Sameer Advani, of the Legionaries of Christ, studies for the priesthood in Rome.

A gust that caught a history;
An autumn breeze that came in spring,
That blows away the leaves and memory
Who, once the beauty of their trees,
Forget the branch to which they fastly cling.

A breath to sing the ending note
And turn the final pages of the book,
In which the golden, flowing letters wrote
A life now set beneath its stone;
That spoke and in our core we shook.

The Western Wind in billowed sails
That urged the oaken ship to azure crest
And ripped the withered leaf within its gales
Has closed the book and ceased its tale
Upon the wooden tomb — still let it rest.

Beyond our view, in toss and swell
The high, proud stern to which we've set our eyes,
It glints from far away: bestows farewell.
And we, o'ercome with tears, remain,
But not to disregard here where he lies.

Br. Paul Stein, of the Legionaries of Christ, studies for the priesthood in Rome.

The aim of the celebration, said the Pope in his homily, is to give thanks to God for John Paul II, "for 27 years father and sure guide in the faith, zealous pastor and courageous prophet of hope, tireless witness and passionate servant of God's love."

Having addressed a special greeting to Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who for more than 40 years was the late pontiff's private secretary, the Holy Father turned to comment on the day's Gospel reading recounting the supper at Bethany during which Mary, sister of Lazarus, taking "a pound of costly perfume, made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair."

The Pope said: "Mary of Bethany's gesture has rich spiritual echoes and significance. It evokes the shining testimony that John Paul II gave of an unreserved and selfless love for Christ. The 'fragrance' of his love filled the house, in other words the Church. Are not the esteem, respect and affection that believers and non-believers expressed when he died an eloquent testimony?"

"The intense and fruitful pastoral ministry, and even more so the Calvary of agony and the serene death of our beloved Pope, brought the men and women of our time to understand that Jesus Christ truly was his 'all'."

"We know," the Holy Father added, "that the fruitfulness of his testimony depended upon the Cross. In the life of Karol Wojtyla the word 'cross' was not just a word. Ever since his infancy and youth, he had experienced pain and death." And, "particularly with the slow but implacable progress of his illness which little by little deprived him of everything, his existence became a complete offering to Christ."

"His pontificate was marked by his 'prodigality,' by his generous and unreserved giving of self. What moved him if not his mystical love for Christ? Magister adest et vocat te — the Master is here and He calls you. On April 2, 2005, the Master returned to call him and take him home, to the house of the Father. And he, again, responded readily with his intrepid heart and whispered: 'Let me go to the Lord'."

"For a long time he had been preparing for this final meeting with Jesus, as evinced by the various drafts of his will. He died praying. He truly fell asleep in the Lord. The fragrance of the faith, the hope and the charity of the Pope filled his house, it filled St. Peter's Square, it filled the Church and spread over the whole world."

"Servant of God," Benedict XVI exclaimed, "this is what he was and this is what we call him now in the Church, while the process of his beatification continues apace. Servant of God, a particularly appropriate title for him. The Lord called him to His service on the path of the priesthood and little by little opened ever vaster horizons before him: from his diocese to the Universal Church. This universal dimension reached its greatest extent at the moment of his death, an event that the entire world experienced with a level of participation never before seen in history."

"May the Totus tuus of the beloved Pontiff encourage us along the path of giving ourselves to Christ by the intercession of Mary," the Holy Father concluded. "To her maternal hands we entrust this our father, brother and friend that in God he may find peaceful repose and happiness."