The world’s third-largest economy is struggling to respond to a disaster of epic proportions, with more than one million people without water or power and whole towns wiped off the map.
Human beings have the cognitive power to destroy the planet. The Church, whilst confirming that the Creator has entrusted humanity with the world’s wealth, nevertheless embraces ecology, often recommending that nature be safeguarded. The Church constantly warns humanity of the very negative consequences that could occur from wild exploitation of terrestrial goods. Are we to deduce the end of the world with the spate of natural disasters and structures of evil (man induced calamities, such as terrorism and war)? The answer is clearly negative, and it is very clearly found in the Gospel: “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end” (Luke 21: 9; see also Mark 13:7; Matthew 24:6).
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Human beings have the cognitive power to destroy the planet. The Church, whilst confirming that the Creator has entrusted humanity with the world’s wealth, nevertheless embraces ecology, often recommending that nature be safeguarded. The Church constantly warns humanity of the very negative consequences that could occur from wild exploitation of terrestrial goods. Are we to deduce the end of the world with the spate of natural disasters and structures of evil (man induced calamities, such as terrorism and war)? The answer is clearly negative, and it is very clearly found in the Gospel: “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end” (Luke 21: 9; see also Mark 13:7; Matthew 24:6).
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The Catholic church's stand on disasters and calamities:
There is no relationship between disasters, natural calamities and eschatology or apocalyptic eschatology. In fact, they happen “naturally,” that is, according to the laws, terrestrial and cosmic causes, because our planet and cosmos are relatively “young,” still dynamic and “alive.” The human being, however, present in the cosmos for only a few tens of millennia, interprets these events as filled with negative meaning. This provokes fear and a sense of religious pessimism or fatalism about the devastating end of the world.
*----------------------------------------------------------------------* An elderly Japanese lady, when interviewed said :
“What have we done to deserve this”
“What have we done to deserve this”
Whilst Japan grapples with a growing humanitarian disaster and the potential for a nuclear meltdown threat at its nuclear plant after the earthquake & the ensuing tsunami, let us unite in prayer with the people of Japan, who with dignity and courage are dealing with the consequences of the calamity:
Out of the depths i cry to You O Lord;
Lord hear my prayer for a nation and its people who have been smashed into silence by Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Radiation leaks.
Merciful Father, I humbly turn to You for your loving mercy and kindness toward all who suffer as a result of the natural disasters which have devastated the people of Japan - a people who are now injured, cold, hungry, thirsty & powerless. Lord, we beg you to heal, guide, inspire this nation in its rebuilding efforts.
Lord hear my prayer for a nation and its people who have been smashed into silence by Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Radiation leaks.
Merciful Father, I humbly turn to You for your loving mercy and kindness toward all who suffer as a result of the natural disasters which have devastated the people of Japan - a people who are now injured, cold, hungry, thirsty & powerless. Lord, we beg you to heal, guide, inspire this nation in its rebuilding efforts.
Lord, for those who lost their lives, and those who mourn them, we ask for your loving mercy.
Lord, for those who were wounded, we ask for healing and help.
Lord, for those reaching out to the wounded, give them the graces, and the practical and economic resources they need in their efforts.
Lord, for those who are searching for the dead, assist them in their effort so that all who lost their lives in this tragedy can be buried with dignity.
Lord, for those who were wounded, we ask for healing and help.
Lord, for those reaching out to the wounded, give them the graces, and the practical and economic resources they need in their efforts.
Lord, for those who are searching for the dead, assist them in their effort so that all who lost their lives in this tragedy can be buried with dignity.
I ask these through Christ our Lord ... Amen.
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Matthew 2:18 :
A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more.
.
Status Report as at March 31, 2011:
JAPAN - TEPCO – RADIATION LEAK:
Japanese officials are testing the soil contaminated by radiation from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant . The amount of iodine found in seawater near the plant has reached a new high of 4,385 times the legal limit as of March 31, 2011. Officials said earlier this week that dangerous plutonium was found in soil near the reactors. The company that operates the plant, the Tokyo Electric Power Co., has been trying to contain the radiation but they are unable to isolate the cause of the leak and has been saying like a broken record, that it is not critical & has been releasing conflicting reports.
Radiation has also been detected in tap water, milk and vegetables, prompting the government to release a long list of banned food products from the region closest to the reactors. "Apparently, there is a crack, a crack in the vessel by which radiation is escaping," U.S. physicist Michio Kaku said. "This could mean that if the core begins to melt, we could have a steam explosion, a hydrogen gas explosion like Chernobyl."
Radiation has also been detected in tap water, milk and vegetables, prompting the government to release a long list of banned food products from the region closest to the reactors. "Apparently, there is a crack, a crack in the vessel by which radiation is escaping," U.S. physicist Michio Kaku said. "This could mean that if the core begins to melt, we could have a steam explosion, a hydrogen gas explosion like Chernobyl."
Japan has been reluctant in seeking foreign help & after 3 weeks TEPCO has sought the help of France & US has sent its robots to assist. The BIG question is whether TEPCO has cut corners in its safety measures and BETRAYED the Japanese people & its neighbors. Australia and Canada are the two largest uranium suppliers for Japan & the manufacture of the reactors was GE.
If fears of radioactive iodine-131, which loses half its potency every eight days, are bad, imagine how people may feel about plutonium-239, which has a “half-life” of 24,000 years. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the private monopoly that owns Fukushima, cannot say where the plutonium comes from: it may be from reactors No. 1 or 2, as a by-product of spent uranium, or from reactor No. 3, which has plutonium in its mixed-oxide fuel. That is the first indication of just how little the authorities know for certain about the situation. TEPCO is already now under intense scrutiny to see whether it cut corners on safety prior to the disaster.
In the midst of all these man-made problems the Japanese people have shown to the world that they can remain civilised, courteous & disciplined in adversity and thereby raising the human dignity. The royalty of Japan (Emperor Akihito & Empress Michiko) has also left a deep impression on me when they were seen in a kneeling position on the floor talking to n elderly woman seated on the floor with her husband kneeling beside her.
Environmentalism in JAPAN:
Japan officially stopped commercial whaling in 1987, complying with an international moratorium that took effect the previous year. But the nation has used a loophole in the agreement to continue whaling under the name of "scientific research" and is being harassed by the anti-whaling environmental group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
The Japanese are continuing the senseless and barbaric killing of over 20,000 dolphins every year.
Japan is slaughtering porpoises by the tens of thousands in a lucrative and underregulated trade that threatens at least one species. The IWC banned the hunting of large whales in 1986, but environmentalists charge that Japan, under the guise of research, continues to violate the ban by killing the large animals.
