The findings add to evidence of the earthquake previously discovered elsewhere in Israel and in the seabed of the Dead Sea. Read more

Kaikoura is part of Father Pat's Te Whetu o Te Moana - Star of the Sea Marlborough Parish which covers all of the Marlborough region and part of North Canterbury.

He lives in Blenheim. Even before the earthquake, it was a 2 hour drive form Blenheim to Kaikoura. Now the earthquakes have cut off all road and rail access.

McIndoe is planning to stay in Kaikoura until next Monday.

To the south, Fr John O'Connor, who is the parish priest pf Good Shepherd Hurunui says "An overwhelmingly positive response to the clean-up of the church at Waiau before the 7.00pm Mass (on Saturday).

"I arrived at 6.30 after the Hanmer Springs Mass to find the church and grounds abuzz with activity and by 6.45 the church was spotless with lawns mowed and the whole place looking even better than it did before the earthquakes."

He said the only sombre moment was when the statues of Our Lady and St Anthony, each in 1000 pieces, were carried from the church.

"Then we celebrated Mass with a great crowd of workers from all over the parish. Immediately after Mass one of the team appeared with cold beer and good wine and we stood around outside enjoying the great company."

He then went on Cheviot where "we will do the same at Cheviot with clean-up at 9 and Mass at 10," he said

The diocese of Christchurch is instigating an initiative to support those in the Hurunui area who have be affeted by the eathquakes.

People have been are invited to provide food parcels/care packages with home baking, chocolate, treats for families.

These packages will be distributed by the various churches.to those affaected by the earthquakes in the Hurunui area.

The food parcels/care packages can be dropped off at St Joseph's Parish, corner Main North Road and Vagues Road, Papanui or Cathedral House, Unit 2, 9 Washington Way from Tuesday 22nd to Thursday 24th November.

People have been asked to put items in supermarket bags for ease of distribution.

Any queries phone Cathedral House 366 9869.

Source

• Supplied
• catholicphilly.com
• facebook.com
• catholic.org.nz
• Image:indaily.com.au

The first is this: As Christians we do not accept every word of the bible as being the literal "word of God" addressed to us at this time, directing our lives.

We do know that the Bible contains writings of various kinds: history, poetry, myth, legend, story, law, parable, song to name a few.

So let us be quite certain what we are dealing with in the book of Leviticus, the bible book that Tamaki gets his "teachings" from.

This third book of the Old Testament is basically a set of things that, Israelites and Judeans were forbidden from doing.

It accounts for the bulk of the 636 Biblical laws and regulations designed to make the Jewish nation distinct from those among whom they lived.

Leviticus contains two types of laws: rules that are concerned with moral sin and rules related to ritual cleanliness.

Uncleanliness for Hebrews was caused by touching something forbidden or doing something forbidden (such as eating pork); though generally less important, some "unclean acts" were also major enough to involve the death penalty.

As such Leviticus contains the "rule book" for the Jewish people of that time.

• Leviticus begins with instructions to the Israelites on how to use the Tabernacle, which they had just built (Lev 1 - 10).
• Leviticus 11 - 15 contains the rules for clean and unclean, which includes the laws of slaughter and animals permissible to eat.
• The Day of Atonement is covered in Leviticus 16 and various moral and ritual laws sometimes called the Holiness Code in Leviticus 17 - 25.
• Leviticus 26 provides a detailed list of rewards for following God's commandments and a detailed list of punishments for not following them.

So returning to our list of what the bible contains Leviticus is a historical record of the laws that the Jewish people at that time followed.

That time was around the year 600BC give or take a few centuries, and it took quite a time to write.

I will not analyze the text other than to say that in the 16th chapter of Leviticus dealing with atonement for sin, the priest is to sacrifice a bull for the sins of the priests, and a goat for the sins of the laypeople.

A second goat is to be sent into the desert bearing the sins of the whole people. (Hence our word scapegoat).

I am not holding this up for ridicule but I am trying to give a feel for the era, the law and their ways of dealing with sin and atoning for it.

Leviticus and seismic events

How much did the people of that time know of the physics of seismic events? I'd suggest almost nothing.

Can we say that there are bad things that happen in the world because of sin? Definitely yes!

Selfishness, greed, inequality, injustice, war, racism, sexism, and many other personal, societal and global sins cause great harm in our world.

Can we say that if we treat the earth badly that the earth will treat us badly? Well yes, we can even say that.

Certainly if we continue to pollute, deforest and overuse the world's resources as if there are no consequences then we and our children will soon discover that such recklessness and selfishness has seriously negative outcomes.

But what is important to note is that we use the word "earth" in two different ways.

The first is literal... the ground on which we live, the planet, the ecosphere even. But when we say that the earth will treat us badly we are using a metaphor, meaning there are consequences to damaging our ecosphere.

An earthquake is not an act of God in the sense that God actually causes it to happen by command or button push.

God does not punish sin through earthquakes.

• Tim Duckworth is a Marist priest, science graduate from Victoria University, theology graduate from the Angelicum University in Rome. He currently serves as and full-time Society of Mary provincial councillor.

"The earthquake that struck midnight Sunday (sic), the 13th of November 2016 was warned of that Sunday morning at 10:45am, during the Sunday morning church service of Destiny Church Auckland, NZ - that person was me!"

Tamaki said "No other sin in the whole of the bible has any connection to earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions, but Sexual Perversions alone."

He admitted "most men this would seem ridiculous and judgmental by God and US! But God is not judging us, nature is! The environment is suffering under mankind's iniquities."

He said many natural disasters have obvious connection to man's blatant disregard to the environment. Some can be explained through human causes.

"But there are some disasters that are directly related to the (above) scriptures and previous explanation. It's not going to get better, but worse!"

"The Diminishing of our Christian faith in modern society and the increasing aggressive reaction to Christ and His Church in social, political and family life has hastened the frequency of natural disasters around the globe!"

Tamaki said his Sunday morning talk was "not a church service not a political speech." ... it was God speaking.

Among many other things he advised those listening no to "sit here and ever think that it couldn't happen for you and me."

"The comes a day when the Father says listen, I've tried every love option. I've tried every-long suffering way of waiting for you and you're still stamping your foot, and you're still huffing and puffing."

"Well the next time you stamp your foot there's going to be an earthquake. The next time you put push out your chest and huff out there your house is going to come under some serious trouble."

"The next time you throw your chest back and huff out of your mouth, os you think you are invincible you are going to face a horrible illness in your life."

Source

• bishoptamaki.com
• destinychurch.org.nz

Same sex unions became legal in Italy last month.

Friar Giovanni Cavalcali said the disasters are a result of original sin.

In his view they are a "divine punishment" for "the offence to the family and the dignity of marriage, in particular through civil unions".

His comments on Italy's Radio Maria were swiftly condemned by the Vatican.

Hundreds of people died as a result of the quakes and thousands were badly injured in the 30 October event.

It is the third severe earthquake to strike Italy this year and was the worst shake for 36 years.

The Vatican says Cavalcali's comments saying the notion of a vengeful God is a pagan, pre-Christian idea.

"These remarks are offensive for believers and scandalous for non-believers," Deputy Secretary of State Archbishop Angelo Becciu was quoted as saying by Italian media.

"Christ has revealed to us the face of a God of love, not a capricious vindictive face. That is a pagan vision, not a Christian vision," he added.

Radio Maria is known to be ultra conservative. Becciu says it has come under criticism in the past for comments seen as anti-Semitic.

He says it must "moderate the tone of its language" and conform to the Church's message of mercy.

Source

• Pink News
• SBS
• Stuff
• Image: The Telegraph