Retractable Letter

What so great about a letter? One may ask but to receive a Letter from the Head of the Catholic Church, it is a big deal! Nowadays we have a "Recall" function for email sent mistakenly...

Paul's letters were either written to a church group of people or to individuals. In these letters we can learn about the many problems that Christians and church bodies and what Paul gave for a Godly solution. Although much history can be learned from these letters, they are written simply as letters.

His letters are about giving others hope and encouragement, instructions and guidance, prayer and blessings.

Marxist conspiracy II?

http://wherebearsroamfree.blogspot.sg/2012/09/forum-8-and-alex-au-saboed-archbishop.html

Archbishop slams Alex Au, anti-ISA rally organisers
by Teo Xuanwei, Today
Sep 20, 2012

The head of the Catholic Church here has criticised a blogger and the organisers of a rally against the Internal Security Act (ISA) over a blog post which suggested that he was pressured by the Government into retracting a letter he had sent expressing support for the event.

The flap arose from Mr Alex Au's lengthy critique on his blog - posted on Tuesday - of what he described as the Government's "arm-twisting" of Archbishop Nicholas Chia.

Mr Au wrote that based on "second-hand" accounts, Archbishop Chia had sent a "warmly-worded" letter to the event organisers - civil society groups Function 8 and Maruah - only to later send a second letter to withdraw his statements, purportedly after pressure from the Government.

Archbishop Chia said yesterday that he had decided to withdraw his letter because "on reflection, its contents did not accurately reflect my views on the subject, and if used in a manner that I did not intend, may inadvertently harm the social harmony in Singapore".

According to the statement that TODAY obtained, Archbishop Chia did not say what the contents of his original letter were, nor whether it was "unsolicited", as Mr Au had claimed.

Archbishop Chia said the organisers had acknowledged his decision at a private meeting and had returned his original letter.

The event was held on June 2 and was attended by about 400 people.

Noting that Mr Au could only have obtained the account from the organisers, Archbishop Chia said: "Au's article confirmed my fear that the group would use my letter in a manner that I did not agree with, and make use of the Office of the Archbishop and the Catholic Church for their own ends.

"These irresponsible actions can easily cause serious misunderstanding between the Catholic Church and the Government, and damage the long-standing trust and cooperation between the two. It is most regrettable that Au and the group have acted in this manner."

He added that the Catholic Church has always maintained the position that it will not involve itself in political activities.

Responding to TODAY's queries about his blog post, Mr Au said it is "the responsible thing to do to bring these hidden events to public attention".

"It shows Singaporeans the real workings behind the scenes," he added. Mr Au reiterated that he had not seen the contents of Archbishop Chia's letters. "I am receiving the reports from people whom I trust and who said they have already told many others the same story, except that no one has written about it before," he said.

When contacted, Function 8 - a social enterprise started by ex-ISA detainee Teo Soh Lung - and human rights group Maruah did not elaborate on the contents of Archbishop Chia's letters, except to say: "We had decided that for the time being, the best course of action was to seek an internal dialogue with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and other relevant bodies to seek clarifications on these matters, including our intention to hold forums on the ISA in future."

The MHA was unable to respond by press time to TODAY's queries on Mr Au's blog post.

Apart from Ms Teo, Function 8's shareholders include three other former political detainees - Ms Low Yit Leng, her husband Mr Tan Tee Seng, and Mr William Yap.

They were among the 22 people arrested in 1987 under the ISA for their involvement in what the Government called a Marxist conspiracy to seize power, and were held for between one month and three years.

A "Letter" from the Archbishop can be seen as a "Blessing" from the church, just like one of Paul's letter giving others Hope. Such "Blessing" if not used under the right context will cause hurt and confusion to many believers.

Gay Agenda Vs Catholic Church

Why is Alex Au involved in this?





Alex Au's Big Gay Agenda
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/06/humanist-of-the-year-award-2012-alex-au-profile/

Same-sex attraction: Detailed Report
http://www.catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=452
Gay lobbyist says: The issue is not about homosexuality, but homophobia

Archbishop Chia address Catholics on the relationship between Church and State.
http://www.catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6004
Archbishop Chia's Pastoral Letter for 2011 General Election
TheCatholicNews - MAY 08, 2011, Vol 61, No 9

Paul's letter Galatians 5:13-19 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself." If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Seeking wisdom from above.





Archbishop Chia is only human and human make mistakes, furthermore, Catholics like to complicate stuff, they pray to God through Lord Jesus Christ while requesting an audience from virgin mother Mary...

National "Chit-Chat" Session

Several weeks ago, our Prime Minister Lee mentioned in his National Day Sermon, about conducting a National Conversation seeking to achieve: reaffirm what is good and still relevant, see what has changed and recalibrate accordingly and, refresh and innovate by charting new directions.

"It will be an opportunity for Singaporeans to come together, and ask: What matters most? Where do we want to go as a country, as a people?"

The time has come

http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120914-0000017/Prime-Minister-Lee-to-hold-television-forum-today

Let us love one another, trash out our differences and seek common goals. Although we are placed on this tiny island together, our unity is often being put to test. It is not always easy to maintain that sense of unity. After all, each person is unique. We have different needs, abilities and viewpoints - much like the family of God.

Ephesians 4:11-12, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

Despite inevitable differences with others, Paul calls us to "keep peace". Harmony with others is important because it reflects the unity between Jesus and His heavenly Father. Jesus prayed this for his followers: "That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in You" When problems arise within the family, bible tells us to respond "with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love. Keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

This is the way to experience togetherness with people who wishes Singapore to move forward as an inclusive society.

Happy Teachers Day indeed$

From complain...
Give them the Teachers' Day off they deserve
28 Aug 2012

TEACHERS' Day was traditionally celebrated on Sept 1 annually which was a scheduled school holiday.

If the day fell on a weekend, school was closed the following Monday. Celebrations in school were usually held on Aug 31.

But since last year, the Education Ministry made Teachers' Day the first Friday of September instead. The ministry website states that the change was part of the nationwide aim to promote family life by allowing a longer weekend for teachers.

With the new rule, Teachers' Day this year falls on Sept 7, which coincides with the short mid-term school break from Sept 1 to Sept 9.

The change has deprived teachers of their scheduled day off for Teachers' Day as there is no replacement day off.

While the ministry's intention for making the switch is well-intended, would having Teachers' Day fall on the last Friday of the third school term be a more viable option?

The ministry's objective will be met, while avoiding the situation of having Teachers' Day coincide with the third-term holidays.

If the ministry prefers to stick to the current arrangement, it is only fair to declare the following Monday after the one-week break a scheduled rest day for teachers.

I am a parent of two school-going children and I appreciate the efforts and sacrifices of our teachers in educating and nurturing our children.

Let us not rob our teachers of their day of rest.

Gracia Tham (Ms)

To Cheers...
Teachers to get pay increase of up to 8% from 1 September
31 Aug 2012
It would be a Teacher’s Day gift from the Ministry of Education.

To keep pace with market trends and commensurate with their roles and responsibilities, more than 26,000 teachers and some 500 Allied Educators will receive a pay rise starting this month, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced yesterday, a week ahead of Teachers' Day.

Teachers, excluding those newly or recently appointed, will receive an 8 per cent gross monthly salary increase of between S$550 and S$830 depending on job grade. Allied Educators will see a 5 to 15 per cent rise in their salary, which works out to an increase of up to S$700 in their monthly pay.

Teachers' salaries were last reviewed in April 2008, and this is the first salary revision for Allied Educators since the introduction of the Allied Educator Scheme in 2009.

In response to TODAY's queries, an MOE spokesperson said educators who have reached the maximum salary tier will still receive the salary adjustment.

Newly-appointed teachers, however, were already appointed on higher starting salaries, which took effect last month, while recently-appointed teachers have also received starting salary adjustments.

Senior Education Officers in the superscale grade will not receive an 8 per cent adjustment as the MOE will review their salaries separately, added the spokesperson. Excluded as well are specific groups of officers, such as officers on special contract terms or moribund schemes.

In a post on the MOE's Facebook page, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat wrote that he is "pleased" the ministry is making salary adjustments "in recognition" of the contributions made by teachers and Allied Educators.

Heartened by testimonies of how teachers have made a difference in students' lives, he said: "It is challenging to be in the frontline, day-in, day-out, especially if our teachers also have young children or other family members to take care of.

"But to our teachers, take heart that your hard work and devotion is well appreciated by all of us, especially at MOE."

Educators TODAY spoke to welcomed the salary increase but felt more could be done to help teachers with their workload.

Ngee Ann Secondary School principal Adrian Lim pointed out that work processes can be better streamlined so that teachers will have more time to communicate with parents and their students.

"We need to streamline our work, to work smart, to use ICT to help us, such as leveraging on technology to replace attendance taking, or to communicate with parents," he said.

A secondary school teacher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, suggested having more assistance with administrative work so they can focus on teaching.

"For example, if a teacher has no prior experience or talent for a co-curricular activity (CCA), and his role is administrative, perhaps this workload can be passed on to somebody who is purely in charge of the administrative aspects of a CCA," she said.

What a practical affirming move by MOE!

James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights." 

However I believe that as long as we have passion of teaching, there is still something inside our heart that can make us revive and survive.