As the season of Lent begins Bishop of the Diocese of Roseau, His Lordship Gabriel Malzaire, is calling on all to get a deeper appreciation of their baptism and ongoing conversion.
“The season of Lent is one of the privilege seasons of the church year,” he said. “It is a time to get a deeper appreciation of our baptism and the importance of ongoing conversion, a time of renewed prayer, fasting, and works of charity and reconciliation.”
Bishop Malzaire also mentioned that there will also be the church’s annual Lenten retreat and the launch of the program, “Catholics Come Home.”
“Let us all make a concerted effort to find those of our members who have distanced themselves from the church and invite them to return to the church of their baptism,” he said.
He urged all to use the opportunity to “pray for our own conversion, that of our families, our communities and our nation.”
The Lenten season is a time set aside time for reflection on Jesus Christ – his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial and resurrection.
That period lasts for six and a half weeks and is a reminder of the forty days and forty nights that Jesus spent in the desert.
During that time, the Church spends time in fasting, prayer, deep reflection, giving alms in preparation for Easter, which is the celebration of the resurrection of Christ.
Boys nous enjoying his threads good food and wines. Who knows what else he maybe enjoying Tell us Krazys
The Catholic administration are dishonest.. As a Catholic myself, I am disgusted in what their representatives has done. A home for the age was built for the people of Dominica at Morne Daniel, the land was given to the people of Dominica by Mr. Daniel Green of Morne Daniel. The property was eventually given to the representatives of the Catholic Church in Roseau as the board members were unable to care for the property. The original name of the property was immediately changed from Green Hill to some saints name by the bishop. There is no history or connections relating to a saints name regarding the property. The family members of Mr. Green was never informed of the name change. I therefore CONDEM what has taken place. The people of Dominica need to know the truth. We the people demand its original name”GREEN HILL”and not some saint the people knows nothing about. AMEN!
your selective MOOMOOISM on topics of righteousness and wickedness that is happening in Dominica is to loud and it turns my stomach… I DOH NEED TO HEAR ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAY.
depoting is an option. What you think?
It should be “an’t”
I had to learn my catechism before I made first communion and one of them was.What is baptism? now here is the ans. according to the Roman Church. Baptism is a sacrament which takes away original sin and makes us children of God and members of the church.
Now the final authority THE BIBLE, sprinkling some water on a baby’s head cannot take away sin.It is the blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin 1 John 1:7
To be a child of God we MUST RECEIVE CHRIST as our Savior and become a son and daughter of God John 1:12 also For you (saved ones) are all sons of God through FAITH in Christ Jesus Gal.3:26
If a man pour a little water on a three week old ,can this act place the innocent in the body of Christ the church.? No water can place any one in the church,don’t get me wrong I am not talking ’bout R.C I am talking about the one Christ said He would build and the one He is the head ,friends this is the Spirits’ job.
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body 1…
Bishop you have in the past year done more in your actions to push people apart and away from the church. I am one of those Catholics who has lost trust in your stewardship of the church and its pursuit of morality truth and justice. I am yet to hear the voice of the church on molestation and child abuse dominating criminal proceedings for 3 yes in Dominica. I have not heard anything on the murders drugs and rise of crime in government and public. The church is failing the people and need a transformation.
As Christians too many of us are aware of a “personal” or “intimate” relationship with God, the Lord, through Jesus–the Son in flesh and bones–the Person of God in Love. But that is what Christianity is all about–it is we ourselves who is making a religion as we choose to follow the wisdom and philosophy of man–what they call doctrines.
Fasting and praying is the call to God, to fulfill a great need in us–both spiritually and physically.–whether it be for healing or for growth.
When Jesus’ disciples could not heal a sick boy, but He did, the disciples ask Him why could they not do the healing? Jesus said to them that this kind of healing needed great fasting and prayer. Mark 9: 29
We don.’t need someone to tell us when to fast and pray, we have different needs at different times–we need to be in touch with God’s plan, by His Holy Spirit from conscience.–unless conscience in us is dead, without God’s connection–that too, is quite possible in us.
As Christians too many of us are not aware —
your Lordship, we are feddup of the hypocrasy of the church.
we are feddup of the complicity of the church with corrupt leaders
we know that the church is trying to surviv but at what cost?
i,m a proud catholic but my dear bishop you are number one cause of people staying away from the church hope this lent season you look deep with your self
As God knows too well, better than anyone, you are one who must look deep within yourself. So what type of Catholic are you who would make such a comment? Types as you are the ones who will renounce your faith at the slightest false indoctrination.
You have projected that you are a cradle Catholic, a dormant one. You expect the Bishop to do for you. What have you done for the Church? You should know what is your obligation as a Catholic.
You have depicted that you do not have strong faith and are not a sincere Catholic. God heard you.
WE WANT FATHER LA FLEUR REINSTATED !!!!!
signed: former catholic but not joining no other religion cos toute say hypocrite
Talk is cheap. So are your words. They are not worth a thing. You are not a smart person to make such a comment.
Consider if you were to die immediately, tonight or tomorrow. Where do you think your soul would end up?
mr. Lafleur was tried and found guilty by his peers of the same church you support. He chose not to defend himself. I rest my case.
Bishop you need to take your own advice. God knows you need it. You and the Diocese should use this period of Lent to do some Soul searching. Do some Reflecting and start leading by example then the flock will follow. Be not conformed to this World….Romans12:2
Some of you never learn to be respectful. It is an act of godliness, a virtue which you lack. You are the pot, always calling the kettle black. If God were to strike you down right now, you would not have a mouth, mind nor fingers to make such a comment.
God knows you, more than the Bishop should do a soul-searching and amend your ways. You are by no means better than the Bishop.
Keep in mind what Our Lord said: “… By your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned.” Your words will condemn you.
Thank you bishop for your message and i am proud to be catholic
So am I. This is graciousness on your part who appreciates him and what he stated including appreciating your Church, The One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church Our Lord Jesus Christ established on this earth which you are aware of. You know you are on the right track! A Blessed Lent! God bless you!
Where it pertains to God Jehovah, and Jesus Christ, anything taught by those who claim to be representing, Christianity, if what the preach cannot be found in the Bible, it is not of God, therefore it is the philosophy of man, dictated to such men by the devil himself!
If one read the Bible, even the Roman Catholic Bible, which is indeed the word of God, the word lent cannot be found in the Roman Catholic very own Bible! So, this lent thing has absolutely no value, where serving the Lord is concerned. The false teaching of the Roman Catholic organization is responsible for poverty, crime, and backwardness in most of the undeveloped world including Dominica. Come with crap such as in lent people should not eat meat. Where in the Bible God told people not to eat meat in short, or lent?
To your sinful and warped mind, you will renounce everything that is Catholic and all that is good and holy. That is the type of man you are; not one I would ever like to meet.
This does not make you correct for you immensely erred. Satan is assisting you very well.
Keep yourself out of the business of the Catholic Church. You are not an expert on godly matters and on godly matters of the Catholic Church. See about your soul and try to save it Considering your attitude, hope it is not too late for you.
God knows you, what you do and what type of lifestyle you live.
Francisco, as an intelligent person and frequent contributor to this column I personally think that you have gone over board on this one. Even Lent is in the bible or not, I see nothing there to jump about. Many years ago we have no 20 20 cricket let alone night cricket and it is now entertained.
These are just disciplined rules bestowed upon us to reflect in most cases quietly and in peace.
So the bigger picture you have missed and dont take every little issue and make a big hiccup of it.
The Bishop, priests are not what makes the church, the Catholic church where I love to worship, but I abhor the nonsense and alliance and praise and worship some priests, pastors clergy bestow on this corrupt government led by illegal Skerrit.
The churches, and my Catholic now have an opportunity to stamp out corruption in high office…I say this is LENT……stamp out bobol… injustice…….this is Lent …..tell Skerrit stop abusing poor people of Dominica. We need decency Bishop in LENT…
The New Testament which is binding upon all people during this present age allows the eating of all meats. ( Acts 10:9-15).
The Apostle Paul warned us that in the last days there would be false teachers forbidding marriage and forbidding us to eat meats. He specifically said these teachings would be from demons. (1 Timothy 4:1-5)
No place in the Bible – Old or New Testaments – does it say not to eat meat on Fridays or during any season of the year.
The Roman Catholic Church makes its own rules and regulations as it goes along and has been doing this for centuries. The fact that it changes its mind every so often is all the evidence we need that its rules and regulations are not inspired by God.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. International Evangelist.
Thank you Francisco for writing the truth about the Roman Catholic institution.
Those who believe the Bible – the Word of God – know what you say is true.
Those who would rather believe the self serving teachings of men instead of the Word of God which is forever settled in heaven will unleash and rail against you. This is so sad because they have no terms of reference. They can quote no authority. They can only say that their church is the church Christ founded 2,000 years ago. If only they would read the New Testament they would see that there is no comparison between the church of the first century A.D. and what is called the Roman Catholic Church today.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. International Evangelist.
I will be on this journey. By denying things of the world, one becomes spiritually stronger. Too many people focus on things of the world , they have pretty car, big house, sexy outfit, expensive handbag, hairstyle, maybe even wig or weave, botox, and they too busy doing their nails to have time for God. And on top of all that when everybody pitying them, they think people jealous of them. I pray that many hearts will be converted this lenten season and God will be put first not just in theory, but in practice.
As it is said, “To be poor, is to be deprived of God and his graces. Some people are not aware of that. Those who have God, recognize him, worship him and give him his dues are rich in spirit. They want for nothing.
When some people get sick or some dilemma sets in only then they know God. They are fortunate that He is always a loving God and never changes.
As far as I know Jesus never said that we must starve ourselves for redemption. He also never said that one must be a catholic, or wear a gold ring a miter or a crooked staff in order to reach heaven. He did however teach mankind about humility, forgiveness, equality and above all to love others like yourself. If you live like that you don’t need Lent but try and redeem yourself every day. I rather die a poor man than pawn my soul to associates of the devil. Sorry dear Bishop, all respect but I don’t need Lent to remind me of that.
You must read your bible to know that there are quite a few examples of fasting as a form of penance. In case you don’t know Jesus himself fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in preparation for his mission. Why then can’t you follow his example? Don’t you think it was for a reason? Do you think it was for fun? If you have respect for God and you love him, you will do anything for him including making sacrifices. Very sad that you are looking for more of a problem than trying to encourage people to follow in Jesus footsteps. Don’t hate because others give their life to God. Don’t be jealous either. You can have the same thing for yourself if you want, It’s open and it’s free. Your whole language just says the opposite of the last line you wrote. You definitely need a reminder as you are not at peace. I myself, I am too busy praying and taking care of my soul to have time to bash other people’s methods of showing love to their God.
Just in case you do not know, there is a difference in fasting according to the scriptures, in comparison to the trash you are talking: I also challenge you to tell me where in the Bible the word “penance” is found. I however, can tell you where repentance is found, and that simply means “the changing of ones mind?”
Again penance is a word which comes from Roman Catholicism, the same as lent. Such has no significance in human life. The bales of money on the floor, in that room in that building in Vatican, and in the Banks they own could serve a better purpose to humanity. Rather he took five hundred thousand dollars of the Dominica poor, and then dress-up in his carnival costume talking crap about Lent! Religion was used to dominate Blacks in slavery, with whites as the master, today the black comic has become the oppressor.
Dear Rum, I really do not envy the bishop status and his accoutrements because to me they hinder him rather than free him up. Also, it amazes me to find people like you, who insist they know me better than myself even though they have never met me, like people that insist that my soul must be saved. Let me assure you that I’m perfectly at peace with myself and my Maker. And, of course, I know very well that the new Testament claims that Jesus dwelt in the desert for forty days. Maybe he did and maybe he did not. If you believe it is real for you and I would not ridicule you for that. To me it is not that relevant. I try and follow his example in my daily life, simple and without all the sacred formulas’ and church protocol. In the end it will not be the bishop who will judge me, or will he? And by the way, Jesus was a Jew, not a catholic and his proper name would have been Joshua or Issa in Arabic. But whatever one may call him to me he is just a reassuring example. Peace be with…
Rum February 19, 2015
You are right to say that there are many examples in the Bible pertaining to fasting. One of the greatest example is that of Jesus, Himself. After His baptism by John the Baptist, God Almighty having declared to the people, that He is the Son, Jesus went into the wilderness where fasted for 40 days.
Why did Jesus do that? Because in the form of a human being, He needed the Spiritual regeneration of Power and Authority, fasting for that long was the demand by which this attribute would be completely fulfilled.
The Bible tells us that Jesus needed to spent time alone, to pray to the Father, those time of praying was also for the sake of remaining Spiritually regenerated or revived– this need was because of His human form.
Hence, the practice of fasting is for a need –that need must be in harmony with God’s plan for the person–we do not need any special day of the month or weeks of the year to fast.—see more below
My brother, all these religions are man-made and we don’t need any to be at peace. These religions cause a lot of confusion and division. One thinks that it is better than the other and so on and so forth. Our ancient ancestors did not have religion but rather spiritual systems. Why do you think nations fight each other? In the name of religion and for the control of resources.
We need to be at peace with ourselves and with others. We don’t need religious literature to free us. In fact, they keep our minds locked up and we don’t know how to be free.
ONE LOVE
You are lacking in godly mortal and spiritual enlightenment.
If you had humility, etc., you would not have made these comments, you hypocrite. Cleanse your heart and your soul. You are aiding the devil in his evil works. You are one like him. You are one like him. Keep on making such ungodly statements and see where you will end up. I feel sorry for you.
The Facts, Are you for real? Get out of your religious stupor.
Thank you Bishop for this sound message, it is also time to make a bold statement on the injustice that is happening in Dominica, forget friend and say it as it is. Jesus died for thiis purpose.
A catholic
Maybe if you actually go to the retreat you will hear him
I’ll go and hope you’ll be there too. So what should we do if we don’t hear him comment on the atrocities of the labour gov’t or condemn it?
You see Rum, is not in retreat I want to hear him but on a public platform. I support the church but not this bishop, who is weak and ineffective. He should speak up, like Jesus Christ himself who risked his life for truth and justice!
What injustice? Do you not think your mind is carrying this too far and you are imagining things?
Are you seeing misery? Some of you are too disobedient and stubborn which is why you act in this manner and make statements that are not true.
You call yourself a Catholic? Then be a good Catholic. Be positive. Whatever you feel, leave it all in the hands and at the feet of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
You want to take matters into your hands. This is not what Our Lord taught us. He said, “Vengeance is mine. I will repay.” Do not try to play God. Be a good fervent Catholic. Pray for everyone in general. This is one of your Christian Catholic obligations. If you fulfill that, you will please Our Lord and He will bless and grace you. Failure to do this, you deny yourself his blessing and graces. Be spiritually enlightened.