Some faithful relate to the horoscope as a useful tool amid the uncertainties of human life on earth, whereas based on their faith and reason others dismiss it out rightly.

The horoscope, a description of what is going to happen to somebody in the future based on the position of the stars and the planets when the person is born, is a challenge to many Catholic Christians nowadays.

Shying away from the faith-filled confidence and Christ-like surrender to divine providence for their protection and the fulfillment of their needs as the Sacred Scriptures recommend, many sons and daughters of the Church simply act carefree upon their swollen curiosity and hardness of heart.

They do so, some argue, to avert any predictable misfortune. Modern tools, such as those provided by the media of mass communication, pave their path. “My astrological sign is fish. I started consulting the horoscope two years ago. A former classmate and fellow parishioner introduced me to it, saying it is thanks to it that she bonded with her husband and is able to manage her daily life.

Since then, I have grown almost addicted to the horoscope. I do read it in newspapers and on the Internet, just as I tune in to follow it on radio stations and television channels everyday”, a 32 year-old single and jobless accountant, Elizabeth M., says.

In spite of the horoscope’s appeal to contemporary men and women in the secular setting and in the Church, however, numerous Christians oppose it adamantly. Some do with a reason, while others reject it because of their faith in the Crucified and Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. A 21-year old university student and catechumen, Godwin C., considers the horoscope’s occasional coincidence with the truth as a mere stroke of luck and nothing more. “Sorry!

I am no soulless animal at all. I am a human being, created in God’s image and likeness. I would rather die trying to be the Salt of the earth and the Light of the world as Jesus calls his followers to be, than buy the lies of any godless storyteller or institution.

By the way, when reading my Bible four days ago, I was struck by an exhortation from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans. It reads, ‘I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.’ If need be, I would say, that is my horoscope”, the young man explained.

Godwin’s testimony, some pastors of souls say, highlights the need for a sound continuous Christian formation for the baptised and catechetical training of people seeking to join the Catholic Church.