Difference of thoughts and opinions is too frequently the source of dissensions among friends and neighbours, among religious and devout persons. An old custom is with difficulty relinquished: and no man is led willingly further than he himself sees or likes.
If thou relies more upon thine own reason or industry than upon the virtue that subjects to Jesus Christ, thou will seldom and hardly be an enlightened man: for God will have us perfectly subject to Himself, and to transcend all reason by inflamed love.
-Bk. I, ch. xiv.
_________________
She would smile when she saw the novices standing up for what they considered their rights. One of them boasted of having had her idea adopted, but the Saint answered:
"I see you are one of those who stand up for themselves; that has never been my way, I prefer to say with Our Lord: I seek not my own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth" (John viii, 50).
-Esprit de Sainte Therese.
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Thoughts and Counsels - June 15
Idleness begets a discontented life. It develops self-love, which is the cause of all our misery, and renders us unworthy to receive the favors of divine love.
-St. Ignatius.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Ignatius.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for June 15, The Liturgy
"The liturgy is not a text, it is Someone who comes to meet us." (Le Poeme de la Sainte Liturgie, p. 64. The Splendor of the Liturgy by M. Zundel.)
A distinctive characteristic of our divine religion is that it is not only adherence to some formulae, but loving submission to a Person. In our study of the Pythagorean theorem, the life of Pythagoras means little to us; nor are we interested in the lives of Ampere or Mariotte when studying their laws in physics; nor would we be concerned very much in our reading of Polyeucte or l'Aiglon with the story of their authors' lives. But Christianity is not the words of Christ so much as it is the very Person of Christ. The words of Christ, were we to assemble them, would compose a discourse of scarcely two hours. His few words have for their purpose to reveal Him to whom we owe all our homage and who is the Way to the Father.
The liturgy of Christianity is for us poor individuals who must have everything reduced to sensible form, the perpetual presentation of this Unique Person, our Divine Savior, under diverse aspects bringing back to us according to the Mysteries of the seasons, memories of His Advent, Nativity, Childhood, Public Life, Passion and Glorious Life.
I will utilize the texts of the liturgy, of course, but I will go beyond it to this Blessed Someone who comes to meet me, be it the Divine Infant, Jesus the Man, the Preacher of the Kingdom, or the Crucified of Golgotha. I will pour out to Him the fullness of my love. Mary! Rabonni! Master, O good Master!
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
A distinctive characteristic of our divine religion is that it is not only adherence to some formulae, but loving submission to a Person. In our study of the Pythagorean theorem, the life of Pythagoras means little to us; nor are we interested in the lives of Ampere or Mariotte when studying their laws in physics; nor would we be concerned very much in our reading of Polyeucte or l'Aiglon with the story of their authors' lives. But Christianity is not the words of Christ so much as it is the very Person of Christ. The words of Christ, were we to assemble them, would compose a discourse of scarcely two hours. His few words have for their purpose to reveal Him to whom we owe all our homage and who is the Way to the Father.
The liturgy of Christianity is for us poor individuals who must have everything reduced to sensible form, the perpetual presentation of this Unique Person, our Divine Savior, under diverse aspects bringing back to us according to the Mysteries of the seasons, memories of His Advent, Nativity, Childhood, Public Life, Passion and Glorious Life.
I will utilize the texts of the liturgy, of course, but I will go beyond it to this Blessed Someone who comes to meet me, be it the Divine Infant, Jesus the Man, the Preacher of the Kingdom, or the Crucified of Golgotha. I will pour out to Him the fullness of my love. Mary! Rabonni! Master, O good Master!
I will prepare in advance for Mass and for the Divine Office if I have to say it. I will try at least to so use the words of prayer that I may draw from them, to the best of my ability, their significance and spirit, that I may live what I read or sing and put the maximum of prayer into my prayer._________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
The Sunset of Darwinism
Praised until recently as dogma, Darwin’s theory of evolution is now fading away, discredited by the same science that bore its poisoned fruit. Instead, the Christian vision of a supernatural design is being increasingly affirmed.More from The American TFP here.
“Evolution is now a datum proven beyond any reasonable doubt and no longer a theory, it’s not even worth taking the trouble to discuss it.” This is what a spokesman proclaimed at the Festival of Science held in Genoa in November 2005, thereby neglecting a very important aspect of modern science—the need to be open to new perspectives. Instead, the truth is quite the opposite. Paradoxically, evolutionists are taking an ever greater distance from empirical science and are wrapping themselves up in a dogmatism that borders on ideological fanaticism....
Gospel for Saturday, 10th Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. Basil the Great, confessor, bishop and doctor
From: Matthew 5:33-37
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [33] "Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' [34] But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by Heaven, for it is the throne of God, [35] or by the earth, for it is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. [36] And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. [37] Let what you say be simply, `Yes' or `No'; anything more than this comes from evil."
_______________________
Commentary:
33-37. The Law of Moses absolutely prohibited perjury or violation of oaths (Exodus 20:7; Numbers 30:3; Deuteronomy 23:22). In Christ's time, the making of sworn statements was so frequent and the casuistry surrounding them so intricate that the practice was being grossly abused. Some rabbinical documents of the time show that oaths were taken for quite unimportant reasons. Parallel to this abuse of oath-taking there arose no less ridiculous abuses to justify non-fulfillment of oaths. All this meant great disrespect for the name of God. However, we do know from Sacred Scripture that oath-taking is lawful and good in certain circumstances: "If you swear, `As the Lord lives', in truth, in justice, and in uprightness, then nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory (Jeremiah 4:2).
Jesus here lays down the criterion which His disciples must apply in this connection. It is based on re-establishing, among married people, mutual trust, nobility and sincerity. The devil is "the father of lies" (John 8:44). Therefore, Christ's Church must teach that human relationships cannot be based on deceit and insincerity. God is truth, and the children of the Kingdom must, therefore, base mutual relationships on truth. Jesus concludes by praising sincerity. Throughout His teaching He identifies hypocrisy as one of the main vices to be combatted (cf., e.g., Matthew 23:13-32), and sincerity as one of the finest virtues (cf. John 1:47).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
From: Matthew 5:33-37
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [33] "Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' [34] But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by Heaven, for it is the throne of God, [35] or by the earth, for it is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. [36] And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. [37] Let what you say be simply, `Yes' or `No'; anything more than this comes from evil."
_______________________
Commentary:
33-37. The Law of Moses absolutely prohibited perjury or violation of oaths (Exodus 20:7; Numbers 30:3; Deuteronomy 23:22). In Christ's time, the making of sworn statements was so frequent and the casuistry surrounding them so intricate that the practice was being grossly abused. Some rabbinical documents of the time show that oaths were taken for quite unimportant reasons. Parallel to this abuse of oath-taking there arose no less ridiculous abuses to justify non-fulfillment of oaths. All this meant great disrespect for the name of God. However, we do know from Sacred Scripture that oath-taking is lawful and good in certain circumstances: "If you swear, `As the Lord lives', in truth, in justice, and in uprightness, then nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory (Jeremiah 4:2).
Jesus here lays down the criterion which His disciples must apply in this connection. It is based on re-establishing, among married people, mutual trust, nobility and sincerity. The devil is "the father of lies" (John 8:44). Therefore, Christ's Church must teach that human relationships cannot be based on deceit and insincerity. God is truth, and the children of the Kingdom must, therefore, base mutual relationships on truth. Jesus concludes by praising sincerity. Throughout His teaching He identifies hypocrisy as one of the main vices to be combatted (cf., e.g., Matthew 23:13-32), and sincerity as one of the finest virtues (cf. John 1:47).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Just for Today, June 14
If thou couldst but always continue humble and little in thy own eyes.
-Bk. III, ch. vii.
_____________
Shortly before her death, we told her that we had been discussing at recreation the responsibility that weighs on those who have care of souls. She summoned up sufficient strength to make this beautiful answer:
"To him that is little, mercy is granted (Wisdom vi, 7). Even in the most responsible offices it is possible to remain little. Again it is written: God arose in judgement, to save all the meek of the earth (Ps. lxxv, 9) to save, not to judge."
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme).
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
-Bk. III, ch. vii.
_____________
Shortly before her death, we told her that we had been discussing at recreation the responsibility that weighs on those who have care of souls. She summoned up sufficient strength to make this beautiful answer:
"To him that is little, mercy is granted (Wisdom vi, 7). Even in the most responsible offices it is possible to remain little. Again it is written: God arose in judgement, to save all the meek of the earth (Ps. lxxv, 9) to save, not to judge."
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme).
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - June 14
What we do for ourselves during life is more certain than all the good we expect others to do for us after death.
-St. Gregory the Great.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Gregory the Great.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for June 14, History's Greatest Event
What is the greatest event in human history? If one were to give this question in an examination what unexpected and startling answers he would receive!
The answer, however, is very simple. It is the Mass.
Such was the answer of the great writer Goyau. It ought to be the answer of anyone who seriously reflects upon the true value of things.
Is not the Redemption of the world, our Savior's death on the Cross which restored to us the divine life lost by original sin, the most important of all human events? Is not the sacrifice of Calvary re-presented at each Mass? The setting is different, of course, but the immolation is identical since in all respects it is the same One offering and the same One offered, in other words, the same Priest and the same Victim.
Have I a lively faith? Do I believe this to be true? Or, am I not rather like the rest of the world, like all human beings who imagine that the most important thing in the history of humanity is that which is most obviously human. The most important thing in human history is the Divine which is enclosed therein, and in particular the Sacrifice of the Son of God perpetually renewed in order to secure for us forever, in spite of our sinfulness, our ignorance, our stupidity, that divine life without which we could not live.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
The answer, however, is very simple. It is the Mass.
Such was the answer of the great writer Goyau. It ought to be the answer of anyone who seriously reflects upon the true value of things.
Is not the Redemption of the world, our Savior's death on the Cross which restored to us the divine life lost by original sin, the most important of all human events? Is not the sacrifice of Calvary re-presented at each Mass? The setting is different, of course, but the immolation is identical since in all respects it is the same One offering and the same One offered, in other words, the same Priest and the same Victim.
Have I a lively faith? Do I believe this to be true? Or, am I not rather like the rest of the world, like all human beings who imagine that the most important thing in the history of humanity is that which is most obviously human. The most important thing in human history is the Divine which is enclosed therein, and in particular the Sacrifice of the Son of God perpetually renewed in order to secure for us forever, in spite of our sinfulness, our ignorance, our stupidity, that divine life without which we could not live.
"O Jesus, dead upon the Cross, continuing and renewing Your sacrifice each day to apply its merits to us and to associate us as members with Your sacrifice as the Head, open my soul to a true knowledge of things, to a right sense of values, that through my participation each morning in Your renewed sacrifice, I may understand that there is nothing more wonderful in the world, nothing more important for the world even when denied and ignored by it."I will pray for all those who do not know, who forget, who disdain or who fight against this Great Truth.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
SF parishes won’t join this year’s “gay pride” march
...but Most Holy Redeemer will have beverage boothMost Holy Redeemer recently implemented a policy of prohibiting all cameras and video equipment in the church unless given prior approval. This is a response to the fiasco last year where 2 members of the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" (a group of transvestites who dress as nuns) received Communion from Archbishop George Niederauer and the event was captured on film and spread over the internet.... Fr. Steve Meriwether, pastor of Most Holy Redeemer Church in San Francisco’s predominantly homosexual Castro District, said parishioners chose not to participate of their own volition. “It is really just our response to… well, we’re tired of the hate mail,” he said. “The parishioners see their participation in the parade as an evangelical outreach, but they don’t enjoy being called nasty names either. This wasn’t because of any request from the archdiocese.”
But Maurice Healy, director of archdiocesan communications, said the chancery did request that Most Holy Redeemer stay out of this year’s “Pride Weekend,” including the annual parade.
What will they do if one is caught? The truth always surfaces sooner or later. Apparently they still have things to hide.
Fr. Meriwether says the decision was made on the advice of legal counsel. “They told us that if we could find out who had taken the pictures, then parishioners who were outraged at having their pictures taken and published could sue. So we’re liable as well,” he said.LOL! Some parishioners were outraged? Why? Because their dissent and sacrilege had been exposed? And they want to sue? What buffoons! They are either too ignorant to understand or too rebellious to care that if they would adhere to the teachings of the Church they would have not attracted so much attention to themselves - but that is evidently what they want...human respect, notoriety, a claim to infamy, a desire to be a public scandal...
Archbishop Burke explains the Archdiocesan Penitentiary
In the announcement of the new assignments of priests, which was published in last week’s edition of the St. Louis Review, you may have noticed that Father James Ramacciotti, member of the faculty at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary and Defender of the Bond at the Tribunal of Second Instance of the Saint Louis Province, was also appointed to the office of Archdiocesan Penitentiary. Reading Father Ramacciotti’s new title, you may have wondered whether he was going to be involved with some kind of ecclesiastical law enforcement.
The priestly office of Penitentiary is not well known and requires a bit of explanation. It does not have to do with any kind of law enforcement but involves assistance given to those who have incurred an ecclesiastical sanction, for example, excommunication, which has not been declared publicly, in order that they be absolved in the Sacrament of Penance and, thereby, restored to the full communion of the Church.
In his Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum caritatis, "On the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church’s Life and Mission," in the section on the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Pope Benedict XVI wrote: "Given the need to rediscover sacramental forgiveness, there ought to be a Penitentiary in every Diocese"(no. 21). My appointment of Father Ramacciotti as Archdiocesan Penitentiary is a response to the Holy Father’s directive. How will Father Ramacciotti help us "to rediscover sacramental forgiveness?"
. . .
The office of Archdiocesan Penitentiary is treated in can. 508, §2, of the Code of Canon Law. The Archdiocesan Penitentiary has the faculty, connected to his office, of absolving individuals in the sacramental forum from automatic (latae sententiae) censures which have not been declared and are not reserved to the Holy See.
The faculty can be exercised on behalf of individuals residing in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis and also on behalf of individuals from outside the Archdiocese, when they are visiting in the Archdiocese. It can also be exercised on behalf of individuals from the Archdiocese when they are traveling outside of the territory of the Archdiocese (can. 508, §1; cf. can. 1314).
The faculty of the Archdiocesan Penitentiary cannot be delegated (can. 508, §1). Also, the same priest cannot be, at one and the same time, the Archdiocesan Penitentiary and Vicar General or Episcopal Vicar (can. 478, §2).
. . .
Diogenes on "new blood! fresh ideas!"
Thousands of "leading Roman Catholics," says the UK Telegraph, are petitioning the Church to allow women and married men into the priesthood. How's that for thinking outside the box?"We believe that the Holy Spirit may be telling us that we are not sufficiently open to the emergence of new forms of relevant ministries."Right. Imagine how the life of the Church in the first world would be transformed if the petition were to succeed: instead of the typical monthly guitar Mass congregation consisting of the same two dozen 75-year-old liberals, you'd have a monthly guitar Mass congregation that included three or four 65-year-old liberals as well. Renewal!
Interestingly, when looking at the picture above, I noticed a couple of familar faces - ones which are almost impossible to purge from the mind. Look right behind the two men. There you will see St Louis' own infamous women priestettes, Rose Hudson and Elsie McGrath, decked out in their usual Halloween costumes.
I suspect that this picture is from an event in St Louis but someone else might be able to clarify that...Diogenes is right on the money as usual - Ahh, renewal! We all know, though, that the spirit leading these lost ones is not the Holy Spirit...
A Note of Thanks from Fr. Corapi
A Note of ThanksClick here for the online version of this email.
I want to take a moment to thank all of our friends and supporters for over 3,000 get well cards, birthday cards, and ordination anniversary cards that I received in the past few weeks. I do not take this for granted. I am very grateful to each of you for your prayers and for your kindness.
I am not sure if you know how valuable your little acts of kindness, generosity, and support mean to your priests. For me, they are a reminder that I was ordained for you. My day to day ministry does not involve contact with the People of God personally, but as many of you have told me, “I feel like I know you. You have been in my home so many times through television, radio, the internet, or CDs and DVDs, etc.” Indeed, technology is a gift from God, and it helps us to be united in so many ways. One day I was marveling at the great charisms God had given to some of His saints. St. Pio was able to bilocate, being in two places at once. I asked the Holy Spirit if it would be good for someone a lot less than a saint, like me, to have such a gift. The answer was immediate and hit me like a lightning bolt, “You are speaking to large numbers of people every minute of every hour of every day in so many diverse parts of the world through all of the means of social communication.” It’s not a miracle above nature, but it is a miracle when you think about it. Our Father takes care of us in so many ways.
This weekend we celebrate Fathers’ Day. First of all let’s be thankful to our heavenly Father for all He does for us. Let’s thank our priests, who are spiritual fathers too. “No priests, no Eucharist.” I’m so thankful for priests. Then, let’s make sure we commend our natural fathers, living or deceased, to our heavenly Father.
I’ll pray for each of you on this Fathers’ Day, for in some mysterious way God our Father has related us spiritually. A father transmits life to his children. I’ll try to be faithful to that mission of the transmission of spiritual life. Pray for me, please, that I might always do this.
God bless you,
Fr. John Corapi
No shock here-Bishop Trautman objects to some proposed language changes
"Ineffable."If they are beyond "common comprehensions," who is to blame?
The word worries Erie Catholic Bishop Donald W. Trautman.
He doubts that "John and Mary Catholic," sitting in their church pew, would understand it.
That's why Trautman will try to tell other U.S. bishops that such words shouldn't be in a new English translation of the Roman Missal....
"This should be the prayer of the people," Trautman said. "I'm not for having street language. ... We should certainly have elevated tone, but words like that are just beyond the common comprehension."
Some U.S. Catholics maintain that such attitudes are unworthy of bishops. Some even maintain that those men who hold these positions are unworthy of the episcopacy. For far too long we have had to endure "dumbed-down" and banal translations which stripped the sacred liturgy of its proper and due dignity. Faithful Catholics look forward to the day when fidelity to the liturgical Latin texts is once again restored in the translations.
Let us pray that the this bishop's sentiments are a minority view and that we could someday read and hear translations which can elevate our hearts and minds toward heaven.
News updates, June 13
Gallup Diocese gets back its missing crozier
Former Phoenix Diocese administrator and LifeTeen founder, Dale Fushek, faces trial in October
Beatification soon for 250 Spanish Civil War martyrs?
Fr. Bob Whipkey, the naked jogging priest, found guilty of indecent exposure
Sex abuse, liturgy, stem cells on bishops' agenda at spring meeting
Catholic priest confessed sexual assault to police
'I did touch him. I want to apologize. It is inappropriate. It is wrong'
Pope Benedict sets up anti-terrorist squad to guard Holy See from a possible attack
Catholic bishops aim to improve priest morale
Organization of American States Approves Homosexual "Human Rights" Resolution
Norway OK's Homosexual "Marriages" and Adoptions
Former Phoenix Diocese administrator and LifeTeen founder, Dale Fushek, faces trial in October
Beatification soon for 250 Spanish Civil War martyrs?
Fr. Bob Whipkey, the naked jogging priest, found guilty of indecent exposure
Sex abuse, liturgy, stem cells on bishops' agenda at spring meeting
Catholic priest confessed sexual assault to police
'I did touch him. I want to apologize. It is inappropriate. It is wrong'
Pope Benedict sets up anti-terrorist squad to guard Holy See from a possible attack
Catholic bishops aim to improve priest morale
Organization of American States Approves Homosexual "Human Rights" Resolution
Norway OK's Homosexual "Marriages" and Adoptions
Gospel for June 13, Memorial: St. Anthony of Padua, priest & doctor
Friday, 10th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Matthew 5:27-32
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)
[Jesus said to His disciples:) [27] "You have heard that it was said, `You shall not commit adultery.' [28] But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. [29] If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. [30] And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
[31] "It was also said, `Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' [32] But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
______________________
Commentary:
27-30. This refers to a sinful glance at any woman, be she married or not. Our Lord fills out the precepts of the Old Law, where only adultery and the coveting of one's neighbor's wife were considered sinful.
"Lustfully": feeling is one thing, consenting another. Consent presupposes that one realizes the evil of these actions (looking, imagining, having impure thoughts) and freely engages in them.
Prohibition of vices always implies a positive aspect--the contrary virtue. Holy purity, like every other virtue, is something eminently positive; it derives from the First Commandment and is also directed to it: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). "Purity is a consequence of the love that prompts us to commit to Christ our soul and body, our faculties and senses. It is not something negative; it is a joyful affirmation" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 5). This virtue demands that we use all the resources available to us, to the point of heroism if necessary.
"Right eye", "right hand", refers to whatever we value most. Our Lord lays it on the line and it not exaggerating. He obviously does not mean that we should physically mutilate ourselves, but that we should fight hard without making any concessions, being ready to sacrifice anything which clearly could put us in the way of offending God. Jesus' graphic words particularly warn us about one of the most common occasions of sin, reminding us of how careful we need to be guarding our sight. King David, by indulging his curiosity, went on to commit adultery and crime. He later wept over his sins and led a holy life in the presence of God (cf. 2 Samuel 11 and 12).
"The eyes! Through them many iniquities enter the soul. So many experiences like David's!--If you guard your sight you will have assured the guard of your heart: ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 183).
Among the ascetical methods of protecting the virtue of holy purity are: frequent Confession and Communion; devotion to our Lady; a spirit of prayer and mortification; guarding of the senses; flight from occasions of sin; and striving to avoid idleness by always being engaged in doing useful things. There are two further means which are particularly relevant today: "Decorum and modesty are younger brothers of purity" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 128). Decorum and modesty are a sign of good taste, of respect for others and of human and Christian dignity. To act in accord with this teaching of our Lord, the Christian has to row against the current in a paganized environment and bring his influence for good to bear on it.
"There is need for a crusade of manliness and purity to counteract and undo the savage work of those who think that man is a beast. And that crusade is a matter for you" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 121).
31-32. The Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 24:1), which was laid down in ancient times, had tolerated divorce due to the hardness of heart of the early Hebrews. But it had not specified clearly the grounds on which divorce might be obtained. The rabbis worked out different sorts of interpretations, depending on which school they belonged to--solutions ranging from very lax to quite rigid. In all cases, only husband could repudiate wife, not vice-versa. A woman's inferior position was eased somewhat by the device of a written document whereby the husband freed the repudiated woman to marry again if she wished. Against these rabbinical interpretations, Jesus re-establishes the original indissolubility of marriage as God instituted it (Genesis 1:27; 2:24; cf. Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 1:31; 1 Corinthians 7:10).
[The RSVCE carries a note which reads: "unchastity": The Greek word used here appears to refer to marriages which were not legally marriages, because they were within the forbidden degrees of consanguinity (Leviticus 18:6-16) or contracted with a Gentile. The phrase "except on the ground of unchastity" does not occur in the parallel passage in Luke 16:18. See also Matthew 19:9 (Mark 10:11-12), and especially 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, which shows that the prohibition is unconditional.] The phrase, "except on the ground of unchastity", should not be taken as indicating an exception to the principle of absolute indissolubility of marriage which Jesus has just re-established. It is almost certain that the phrase refers to unions accepted as marriage among some pagan people, but prohibited as incestuous in the Mosaic Law (cf. Leviticus 18) and in rabbinical tradition. The reference, then, is to unions radically invalid because of some impediment. When persons in this position were converted to the True Faith, it was not that their union could be dissolved; it was declared that they had never in fact been joined in true marriage. Therefore, this phrase does not do against the indissolubility of marriage, but rather reaffirms it.
On the basis of Jesus' teaching and guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church has ruled that in the specially grave case of adultery it is permissible for a married couple to separate, but without the marriage bond being dissolved; therefore, neither party may contract a new marriage.
The indissolubility of marriage was unhesitatingly taught by the Church from the very beginning; she demanded practical and legal recognition of this doctrine, expounded with full authority by Jesus (Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:1-12; Luke 16:18) and by the Apostles (1 Corinthians 6:16; 7:10-11; 39; Romans 7:2-3; Ephesians 5:31f). Here, for example, are just a few texts from the Magisterium on this subject:
"Three blessings are ascribed to matrimony [...]. The third is the indissolubility of matrimony--indissoluble because it signifies the indivisible union of Christ with the Church. Although a separation from bed may be permitted by reason of marital infidelity, nevertheless it is not permitted to contract another matrimony since the bond of a marriage lawfully contracted is perpetual" (Council of Florence, "Pro Armeniis").
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
From: Matthew 5:27-32
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)
[Jesus said to His disciples:) [27] "You have heard that it was said, `You shall not commit adultery.' [28] But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. [29] If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. [30] And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
[31] "It was also said, `Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' [32] But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
______________________
Commentary:
27-30. This refers to a sinful glance at any woman, be she married or not. Our Lord fills out the precepts of the Old Law, where only adultery and the coveting of one's neighbor's wife were considered sinful.
"Lustfully": feeling is one thing, consenting another. Consent presupposes that one realizes the evil of these actions (looking, imagining, having impure thoughts) and freely engages in them.
Prohibition of vices always implies a positive aspect--the contrary virtue. Holy purity, like every other virtue, is something eminently positive; it derives from the First Commandment and is also directed to it: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). "Purity is a consequence of the love that prompts us to commit to Christ our soul and body, our faculties and senses. It is not something negative; it is a joyful affirmation" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 5). This virtue demands that we use all the resources available to us, to the point of heroism if necessary.
"Right eye", "right hand", refers to whatever we value most. Our Lord lays it on the line and it not exaggerating. He obviously does not mean that we should physically mutilate ourselves, but that we should fight hard without making any concessions, being ready to sacrifice anything which clearly could put us in the way of offending God. Jesus' graphic words particularly warn us about one of the most common occasions of sin, reminding us of how careful we need to be guarding our sight. King David, by indulging his curiosity, went on to commit adultery and crime. He later wept over his sins and led a holy life in the presence of God (cf. 2 Samuel 11 and 12).
"The eyes! Through them many iniquities enter the soul. So many experiences like David's!--If you guard your sight you will have assured the guard of your heart: ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 183).
Among the ascetical methods of protecting the virtue of holy purity are: frequent Confession and Communion; devotion to our Lady; a spirit of prayer and mortification; guarding of the senses; flight from occasions of sin; and striving to avoid idleness by always being engaged in doing useful things. There are two further means which are particularly relevant today: "Decorum and modesty are younger brothers of purity" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 128). Decorum and modesty are a sign of good taste, of respect for others and of human and Christian dignity. To act in accord with this teaching of our Lord, the Christian has to row against the current in a paganized environment and bring his influence for good to bear on it.
"There is need for a crusade of manliness and purity to counteract and undo the savage work of those who think that man is a beast. And that crusade is a matter for you" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 121).
31-32. The Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 24:1), which was laid down in ancient times, had tolerated divorce due to the hardness of heart of the early Hebrews. But it had not specified clearly the grounds on which divorce might be obtained. The rabbis worked out different sorts of interpretations, depending on which school they belonged to--solutions ranging from very lax to quite rigid. In all cases, only husband could repudiate wife, not vice-versa. A woman's inferior position was eased somewhat by the device of a written document whereby the husband freed the repudiated woman to marry again if she wished. Against these rabbinical interpretations, Jesus re-establishes the original indissolubility of marriage as God instituted it (Genesis 1:27; 2:24; cf. Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 1:31; 1 Corinthians 7:10).
[The RSVCE carries a note which reads: "unchastity": The Greek word used here appears to refer to marriages which were not legally marriages, because they were within the forbidden degrees of consanguinity (Leviticus 18:6-16) or contracted with a Gentile. The phrase "except on the ground of unchastity" does not occur in the parallel passage in Luke 16:18. See also Matthew 19:9 (Mark 10:11-12), and especially 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, which shows that the prohibition is unconditional.] The phrase, "except on the ground of unchastity", should not be taken as indicating an exception to the principle of absolute indissolubility of marriage which Jesus has just re-established. It is almost certain that the phrase refers to unions accepted as marriage among some pagan people, but prohibited as incestuous in the Mosaic Law (cf. Leviticus 18) and in rabbinical tradition. The reference, then, is to unions radically invalid because of some impediment. When persons in this position were converted to the True Faith, it was not that their union could be dissolved; it was declared that they had never in fact been joined in true marriage. Therefore, this phrase does not do against the indissolubility of marriage, but rather reaffirms it.
On the basis of Jesus' teaching and guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church has ruled that in the specially grave case of adultery it is permissible for a married couple to separate, but without the marriage bond being dissolved; therefore, neither party may contract a new marriage.
The indissolubility of marriage was unhesitatingly taught by the Church from the very beginning; she demanded practical and legal recognition of this doctrine, expounded with full authority by Jesus (Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:1-12; Luke 16:18) and by the Apostles (1 Corinthians 6:16; 7:10-11; 39; Romans 7:2-3; Ephesians 5:31f). Here, for example, are just a few texts from the Magisterium on this subject:
"Three blessings are ascribed to matrimony [...]. The third is the indissolubility of matrimony--indissoluble because it signifies the indivisible union of Christ with the Church. Although a separation from bed may be permitted by reason of marital infidelity, nevertheless it is not permitted to contract another matrimony since the bond of a marriage lawfully contracted is perpetual" (Council of Florence, "Pro Armeniis").
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Just for Today, June 13
Light eternal, exceeding all created lights, dart forth Thy light from above, that it may penetrate the inward parts of my heart. Cleanse, cherish, enlighten, and enliven my spirit with its powers, that it may be absorbed in Thee, with ecstasies of joy.
-Bk. III, ch. xxxiv.
_______________
Pauline and I went down to the seashore just as the setting sun was making a broad track of golden light across the water. As we sat on a lonely rock, she explained to me that this was a figure of the light of grace shining across the path of life for faithful souls to follow.
I thought of my soul as a little boat with white sails in the middle of the golden path, and I resolved never to withdraw from Our Lord's look, but to sail straight for the shores of eternity.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme).
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
-Bk. III, ch. xxxiv.
_______________
Pauline and I went down to the seashore just as the setting sun was making a broad track of golden light across the water. As we sat on a lonely rock, she explained to me that this was a figure of the light of grace shining across the path of life for faithful souls to follow.
I thought of my soul as a little boat with white sails in the middle of the golden path, and I resolved never to withdraw from Our Lord's look, but to sail straight for the shores of eternity.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme).
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - June 13
We are not raised the first day to the summit of perfection. It is by climbing, not by flying, that we arrive there.
-St. Bernard.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Bernard.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for June 13, One and the Same Bread
In the unity of one and the same Bread, we all make but one body.
This is what 81. Paul explains in his first letter to the Corinthians, For we being many, are one bread, one body, all that partake of one bread. (I Cor. x, 17.)
It is interesting to note that from the beginning the Eucharist was regarded as the Sacrament which united all the members of Christ, rather than a bond of union between Our Lord and the individual soul only.
To indicate that there was but one and the same bread from the standpoint both of time and location, the Pope used to keep several hosts from each Mass, one host destined to be used with the hosts consecrated the next morning, thus marking continuity in time; the others, destined to be carried to priests of distant communities, thus denoting continuity in space. Thanks to this leaven, as these particles were called, the idea of a single liturgy was forcibly emphasized - the one Mass, the one Christ immolated for all.
After the kiss of peace recalling and demanding universal charity among brethren, communion effects or rather confirms among them through participation in the same bread, the unity already existing among all souls in grace, who are rich in the possession of the same Trinity.
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
This is what 81. Paul explains in his first letter to the Corinthians, For we being many, are one bread, one body, all that partake of one bread. (I Cor. x, 17.)
It is interesting to note that from the beginning the Eucharist was regarded as the Sacrament which united all the members of Christ, rather than a bond of union between Our Lord and the individual soul only.
To indicate that there was but one and the same bread from the standpoint both of time and location, the Pope used to keep several hosts from each Mass, one host destined to be used with the hosts consecrated the next morning, thus marking continuity in time; the others, destined to be carried to priests of distant communities, thus denoting continuity in space. Thanks to this leaven, as these particles were called, the idea of a single liturgy was forcibly emphasized - the one Mass, the one Christ immolated for all.
After the kiss of peace recalling and demanding universal charity among brethren, communion effects or rather confirms among them through participation in the same bread, the unity already existing among all souls in grace, who are rich in the possession of the same Trinity.
"O Jesus, grant that communion may teach me union, that the Sacrament of love may teach me love. Let me not carry to the Holy Table only my personal interests, but a profound concern for the salvation of the world; in receiving You let me think of all, enfolding the entire universe in my prayer and in my charity."_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Cardinal George Pell launches Youth Day 'faithbook'
Democratic Messiah to Lead Catholics, Evangelicals to "Promised Land"
I know it's something we've all been waiting for - and now - the wait is nearly over!
Obama Campaign will Launch 'Joshua Generation Project'Are these evangelicals and Catholics who are unlearned and naive as to what is happening to them? Succumbing to the mesmerizing spell of a glowing emptiness?
The Brody File has learned that in the next two weeks Barack Obama's campaign will unveil a major new program to attract younger Evangelicals and Catholics to their campaign.
It's called the "Joshua Generation Project." The name is based on the biblical story of how Joshua's generation led the Israelites into the Promised Land.
A source close to the Obama campaign tells The Brody File the following:
"The Joshua Generation project will be the Obama campaign's outreach to young people of faith. There's unprecedented energy and excitement for Obama among young evangelicals and Catholics...."
Clergy! Stand up and be Counted!
Please take note and pass this along to your priests, deacons, and seminarians:
Dear Friends,
We now launch phase two of HLI’s Humanae Vitae Initiative!
As you know, in 1968 there were demonstrations by theologians and students against Humanae Vitae. Imagine taking to the streets against the Magisterium. Clergy also signed petitions objecting to the document, as if petitions could alter the Truth!
Now HLI is offering an opportunity to right that disgrace by offering clergy the opportunity to sign their names to a pledge in support of Humanae vitae. A generation later time has vindicated the truth of Humanae Vitae in the destruction we have brought upon our heads by rejecting God’s prophet Pope Paul VI when he uttered the warning of the disaster that would ensue if contraception became widespread. Foolish theologians mocked the Church’s teaching on the dignity of human sexuality as “pelvic issues.”
Today almost every major issue confronting the Church could have been avoided by adherence to Humanae Vitae: Abortion, widespread promiscuity, abuse of woman and children, skyrocketing divorce, a decline in religious vocations, bioethical nightmares, coercive population control, widespread homosexuality (owing to the separation of sex from procreation) and even excessive female hormones in the water supply affecting fish altering males so they can’t reproduce.
All from sniffing at “pelvic issues.”
Here is this week’s announcement of this petition with an introduction by Father Tom Euteneuer. To download the pledge in PDF form click on the “Sign the Pledge” button.
http://www.humanaevitaepriests.org/
Or you can access the pledge here:
http://www.humanaevitaepriests.org/hv_clergy_pledge_assent.pdf
The permanent link is here:
http://www.humanaevitaepriests.org/hv_2008-06-11.html
Tell your bishops, priests, deacons and seminarians! See that they receive a copy of the pledge
God bless you!
John Mallon
Project Director,
Humanae Vitae priests
http://johnmallon.net
News Updates, June 12
Fight for the poor and “Sister Mother Earth,” Religious orders take on bottled water
Baltimore archbishop restricts Legionaries' work
Fr Andrew Greeley Says It's Racist Not to Vote Obama
Oakland bishop calls for defeat of same-sex marriage
Vatican prepares guidelines for religions dialogue
Vatican cardinal says world obsessed by Islam
Catholic teacher’s layoff stirs question of fairness
Catholic Insight magazine hauled before Canadian Commission on human rights complaint - launched by homosexualist activists.
Vatican turns down appeals from closed Boston churches
Baltimore archbishop restricts Legionaries' work
Fr Andrew Greeley Says It's Racist Not to Vote Obama
Oakland bishop calls for defeat of same-sex marriage
Vatican prepares guidelines for religions dialogue
Vatican cardinal says world obsessed by Islam
Catholic teacher’s layoff stirs question of fairness
Catholic Insight magazine hauled before Canadian Commission on human rights complaint - launched by homosexualist activists.
Vatican turns down appeals from closed Boston churches
Gospel for Thursday, 10th Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. John Gualbert, abbot; Sts. Nabor and Felix, martyrs
From: Matthew 5:20-26
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [20] "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
[21] "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' [22] But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, `You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire. [23] So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, [24] leave your gift there before the altar and go; first to be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. [25] Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; [26] truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.
_________________________
Commentary:
20. "Righteousness": see the note on Matthew 5:6 (see below). This verse clarifies the meaning of the preceding verses. The scribes and Pharisees had distorted the spirit of the Law, putting the whole emphasis on its external, ritual observance. For them exact and hyper-detailed but external fulfillment of the precepts of the Law was a guarantee of a person's salvation: "If I fulfill this I am righteous, I am holy and God is duty bound to save me." For someone with this approach to sanctification it is really not God who saves: man saves himself through external works of the Law. That this approach is quite mistaken is obvious from what Christ says here; in effect what He is saying is: to enter the Kingdom of God the notion of righteousness or salvation developed by the scribes and Pharisees must be rejected. In other words, justification or sanctification is a grace from God; man's role is one of cooperating with that grace by being faithful to it. Elsewhere Jesus gives the same teaching in an even clearer way (cf. Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector). It was also the origin of one of St. Paul's great battles with the "Judaizers" (see Galatians 3 and Romans 2-5).
21. Verses 21-26 gives us a concrete example of the way that Jesus Christ brought the Law of Moses to its fulfillment, by explaining the deeper meaning of the commandments of that Law.
22. By speaking in the first person ("but I say to you") Jesus shows that His authority is above that of Moses and the prophets; that is to say, He has divine authority. No mere man could claim such authority.
"Insults": practically all translations of this passage transcribe the original Aramaic word, "raca" (cf. RSV note below). It is not an easy word to translate. It means "foolish, stupid, crazy". The Jews used it to indicate utter contempt; often, instead of verbal abuse they would show their feelings by spitting on the ground.
"Fool" translates an ever stronger term of abuse than "raca"--implying that a person has lost all moral and religious sense, to the point of apostasy.
In this passage our Lord points to three faults which we commit against charity, moving from internal irritation to showing total contempt. St. Augustine comments that three degrees of faults and punishments are to be noted. The first is the fault of feeling angry; to this corresponds the punishment of "judgment". The second is that of passing an insulting remark, which merits the punishment of "the council". The third arises when anger quite blinds us: this is punished by "the hell of fire" (cf. "De Serm. Dom. in Monte", II, 9).
"The hell of fire": literally, "Gehenna of fire", meaning, in the Jewish language of the time, eternal punishment.
This shows the gravity of external sins against charity--gossip, backbiting, calumny, etc. However, we should remember that these sins stem from the heart; our Lord focuses our attention, first, on internal sins--resentment, hatred, etc.--to make us realize that that is where the root lies and that it is important to nip anger in the bud.
23-24. Here our Lord deals with certain Jewish practices of His time, and in doing so gives us perennial moral teaching of the highest order. Christians, of course, do not follow these Jewish ritual practices; to keep our Lord's commandment we have ways and means given us by Christ Himself. Specifically, in the New and definitive Covenant founded by Christ, being reconciled involves going to the Sacrament of Penance. In this Sacrament the faithful "obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against Him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins" ("Lumen Gentium", 11).
In the New Testament, the greatest of all offerings is the Eucharist. Although one has a duty to go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, an essential condition before receiving Holy Communion is that one be in the state of grace.
It is not our Lord's intention here to give love of neighbor priority over love of God. There is an order of charity: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. This is the great and first commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38). Love of one's neighbor, which is the second commandment in order of importance (cf. Matthew 22:39), derives its meaning from the first. Brotherhood without parenthood is inconceivable. An offense against charity is, above all, an offense against God.
[Note on Matthew 5:6 states:
6. The notion of righteousness (or justice) in Holy Scripture is an essentially religious one (cf. notes on Matthew 1:19 and 3:15; Romans 1:17; 1:18-32; 3:21-22 and 24). A righteous person is one who sincerely strives to do the Will of God, which is discovered in the commandments, in one's duties of state in life and through one's life of prayer. Thus, righteousness, in the language of the Bible, is the same as what nowadays is usually called "holiness" (1 John 2:29; 3:7-10; Revelations 22:11; Genesis 15:6; Deuteronomy 9:4).]
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
From: Matthew 5:20-26
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [20] "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
[21] "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' [22] But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, `You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire. [23] So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, [24] leave your gift there before the altar and go; first to be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. [25] Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; [26] truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.
_________________________
Commentary:
20. "Righteousness": see the note on Matthew 5:6 (see below). This verse clarifies the meaning of the preceding verses. The scribes and Pharisees had distorted the spirit of the Law, putting the whole emphasis on its external, ritual observance. For them exact and hyper-detailed but external fulfillment of the precepts of the Law was a guarantee of a person's salvation: "If I fulfill this I am righteous, I am holy and God is duty bound to save me." For someone with this approach to sanctification it is really not God who saves: man saves himself through external works of the Law. That this approach is quite mistaken is obvious from what Christ says here; in effect what He is saying is: to enter the Kingdom of God the notion of righteousness or salvation developed by the scribes and Pharisees must be rejected. In other words, justification or sanctification is a grace from God; man's role is one of cooperating with that grace by being faithful to it. Elsewhere Jesus gives the same teaching in an even clearer way (cf. Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector). It was also the origin of one of St. Paul's great battles with the "Judaizers" (see Galatians 3 and Romans 2-5).
21. Verses 21-26 gives us a concrete example of the way that Jesus Christ brought the Law of Moses to its fulfillment, by explaining the deeper meaning of the commandments of that Law.
22. By speaking in the first person ("but I say to you") Jesus shows that His authority is above that of Moses and the prophets; that is to say, He has divine authority. No mere man could claim such authority.
"Insults": practically all translations of this passage transcribe the original Aramaic word, "raca" (cf. RSV note below). It is not an easy word to translate. It means "foolish, stupid, crazy". The Jews used it to indicate utter contempt; often, instead of verbal abuse they would show their feelings by spitting on the ground.
"Fool" translates an ever stronger term of abuse than "raca"--implying that a person has lost all moral and religious sense, to the point of apostasy.
In this passage our Lord points to three faults which we commit against charity, moving from internal irritation to showing total contempt. St. Augustine comments that three degrees of faults and punishments are to be noted. The first is the fault of feeling angry; to this corresponds the punishment of "judgment". The second is that of passing an insulting remark, which merits the punishment of "the council". The third arises when anger quite blinds us: this is punished by "the hell of fire" (cf. "De Serm. Dom. in Monte", II, 9).
"The hell of fire": literally, "Gehenna of fire", meaning, in the Jewish language of the time, eternal punishment.
This shows the gravity of external sins against charity--gossip, backbiting, calumny, etc. However, we should remember that these sins stem from the heart; our Lord focuses our attention, first, on internal sins--resentment, hatred, etc.--to make us realize that that is where the root lies and that it is important to nip anger in the bud.
23-24. Here our Lord deals with certain Jewish practices of His time, and in doing so gives us perennial moral teaching of the highest order. Christians, of course, do not follow these Jewish ritual practices; to keep our Lord's commandment we have ways and means given us by Christ Himself. Specifically, in the New and definitive Covenant founded by Christ, being reconciled involves going to the Sacrament of Penance. In this Sacrament the faithful "obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against Him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins" ("Lumen Gentium", 11).
In the New Testament, the greatest of all offerings is the Eucharist. Although one has a duty to go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, an essential condition before receiving Holy Communion is that one be in the state of grace.
It is not our Lord's intention here to give love of neighbor priority over love of God. There is an order of charity: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. This is the great and first commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38). Love of one's neighbor, which is the second commandment in order of importance (cf. Matthew 22:39), derives its meaning from the first. Brotherhood without parenthood is inconceivable. An offense against charity is, above all, an offense against God.
[Note on Matthew 5:6 states:
6. The notion of righteousness (or justice) in Holy Scripture is an essentially religious one (cf. notes on Matthew 1:19 and 3:15; Romans 1:17; 1:18-32; 3:21-22 and 24). A righteous person is one who sincerely strives to do the Will of God, which is discovered in the commandments, in one's duties of state in life and through one's life of prayer. Thus, righteousness, in the language of the Bible, is the same as what nowadays is usually called "holiness" (1 John 2:29; 3:7-10; Revelations 22:11; Genesis 15:6; Deuteronomy 9:4).]
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Just for Today, June 12
O holy Father, Thou hast so appointed, and such is Thy will; and that has come to pass which Thou hast ordained. For this is a favour to Thy friend, that he should suffer and be afflicted in this world for the love of Thee, how often soever, and by whomsoever Thou permittest it to fall upon him. Without Thy counsel and providence, and without cause, nothing is done upon earth.
It is good for me, O Lord, that thou hast humbled me, that I may learn thy justifications (Ps. cxviii, 71), and that I may cast away from me all pride of heart and presumption.
-Bk. III, ch. 1.
_______________
Although the trial I am undergoing prevents my taking pleasure in anything, yet I can still say: Thou hast given me, O Lord, a delight in thy doings! (Ps. xci, 5). What could be sweeter than to suffer for love of Thee? The greater the suffering and the less others are aware it, the more is it pleasing to Thee, O my God! Even if it were possible for Thee to be ignorant of it, I should still be glad to suffer, in the hopes that my tears might be the means of preventing, or at least atoning for one single sin against faith.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme).
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
It is good for me, O Lord, that thou hast humbled me, that I may learn thy justifications (Ps. cxviii, 71), and that I may cast away from me all pride of heart and presumption.
-Bk. III, ch. 1.
_______________
Although the trial I am undergoing prevents my taking pleasure in anything, yet I can still say: Thou hast given me, O Lord, a delight in thy doings! (Ps. xci, 5). What could be sweeter than to suffer for love of Thee? The greater the suffering and the less others are aware it, the more is it pleasing to Thee, O my God! Even if it were possible for Thee to be ignorant of it, I should still be glad to suffer, in the hopes that my tears might be the means of preventing, or at least atoning for one single sin against faith.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme).
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - June 12
True penance consists in regretting without ceasing the faults of the past, and in firmly resolving to never again commit that which is so deplorable.
-St. Bernard.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Bernard.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for June 12, The Kiss of Peace
During Mass the priest kisses the altar several times. If it is a solemn Mass, the priest gives to those who officiate with him the kiss of peace which in early times was given to all assisting at Mass.
I must love Jesus Christ, the Head.
I must love the members through fraternal charity.
What does it mean to love Jesus Christ, the Head? What kind of love do I owe Him?
Christ comes upon the altar to renew His sacrifice. The sacred stone which the priest kisses symbolizes Jesus Christ, the cornerstone, in His sufferings, death and burial. While venerating Christ thus symbolized in His renewed immolation, the priest understands well that he is joining himself in a common union to his immolated Savior. It is as if he said, "Here I am to die with You and for You; to live no longer my life but Yours. I know that nothing more of self can remain in me. I do not live any longer. Immolate me with You upon the altar."
During Holy Mass, I will unite myself with the priest in the desire to be immolated with Jesus. I will put into my oblation all the love of Mary Magdalen when she kissed the Savior's feet.
As someone has said, "The lips which bear the imprint of the altar cannot continue to profane the language of love." Think of my Communions! This thought, therefore, ought to prevent every failure against fraternal charity. There can be no true Love of the Head without love of the members. May the kiss of peace during the Mass always remind me that the two commandments of Jove of God and love of the children of God are but one.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
I must love Jesus Christ, the Head.
I must love the members through fraternal charity.
What does it mean to love Jesus Christ, the Head? What kind of love do I owe Him?
Christ comes upon the altar to renew His sacrifice. The sacred stone which the priest kisses symbolizes Jesus Christ, the cornerstone, in His sufferings, death and burial. While venerating Christ thus symbolized in His renewed immolation, the priest understands well that he is joining himself in a common union to his immolated Savior. It is as if he said, "Here I am to die with You and for You; to live no longer my life but Yours. I know that nothing more of self can remain in me. I do not live any longer. Immolate me with You upon the altar."
During Holy Mass, I will unite myself with the priest in the desire to be immolated with Jesus. I will put into my oblation all the love of Mary Magdalen when she kissed the Savior's feet.
As someone has said, "The lips which bear the imprint of the altar cannot continue to profane the language of love." Think of my Communions! This thought, therefore, ought to prevent every failure against fraternal charity. There can be no true Love of the Head without love of the members. May the kiss of peace during the Mass always remind me that the two commandments of Jove of God and love of the children of God are but one.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Bishops want Catholics back
By Tim TownsendAnd God says, among other things, to keep holy the Lord's day which means we have an obligation to worship Him. Merely because one assumes to have his "own personal relationship" with God, doesn't mean that God accepts that relationship - after all, it's based on disobedience. If we are faithful, we do not disregard or disobey what has been divinely revealed to us.
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
From as long ago as he can remember, Josey Baker's mom took him to Mass each Sunday at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Columbia, Ill. From kindergarten through fifth grade, he went to Mass with his classmates every day at Immaculate Conception's school....
But as he grew into adulthood, the church became less important to his faith. "A lot of people say, 'You're not Catholic because you don't abide by the pope's every rule,'" said Baker, who is now 27. "But I don't feel like just because I don't go to church I'm going to hell. I can have my own relationship with God without going to church every week."
....recent statistics suggesting a gradual bleeding of church membership — has leaders of the church concerned for its future. How to herd stray Catholics back to the flock will be at the top of the agenda as U.S. bishops gather for their annual spring meeting starting Thursday in Orlando, Fla.I have some free suggestions for the bishops: Teach the faith in all of its fullness and beauty; teach it truthfully and with conviction. Be an example of the joy of living the faith and following in the footsteps of Christ. Do not water down the teachings of the Church! Exercise episcopal discipline for those who scandalize the faithful and commit public sacrilege!
The bishops will hear from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, whose pollsters released a major survey of the country's religious landscape in February. They also will hear from Catholic researchers at Georgetown's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, who have challenged some of the Pew results, especially those regarding Catholic retention rates.It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this...Let's pray that they get it right.
On Parade in Rome (Diogenes)
Amen! And a reminder why we need to keep the Holy Father in our prayers.Rome was the scene of another gay pride parade on Saturday. It was over-reported, as usual, the sympathies of journalists and editors having overmastered their professional objectivity. As usual, hatred and ridicule of the Church was a chief theme of the festivities, which the media treated with amused indulgence.
...
The upshot is that, while the image of Benedict as a reptilian horned Hitler may be dismaying to Catholics, it's an indication that the pope is doing his job and that the Church over which he presides is doing hers.
Many times such "rallys" are "all about him."
Photo by Schwartz,Michael ,Freelance,NYDN
About 100 people paused after Mass at St. Jerome's Church on Alexander Ave. on a recent Sunday morning to hold a rally. That's nothing new for this church; its pastor has always spoken out, organized protests, held marches and prayer vigils and hosted meetings to try to correct all manner of social ills.
But this gathering was different. For one thing, the Rev. John Grange wasn't there.
And for another, it was about him....
Is he one of those kinds of priests? It's hard for us to know, not knowing the man.
However, such priests are usually easy to spot. They routinely wear a multi-colored stole around their shoulders - outside the chasuble rather than on the inside as required. As soon as one sees a priest wearing one of these, it's probably best to steer clear of him. Too often, he's usually a dissenting priest on doctrinal or disciplinary matters. At least, that's been my experience - with zero exceptions to date. And, of course, I could be wrong, but decades of experience leads me to believe otherwise. I quickly lose respect for priests who ignore liturgical directives, even small matters like the wearing of the stole.
The parishioners were drumming up support to keep Grange at St. Jerome's, where he has served for 30 years, and has become an iconic figure in the Mexican immigrant community.Way, way too long for a parish assignment - no wonder there are problems. Who is responsible for the troubles? Looks like the bishops who let priests stay in one place for decades - Just look at the Rev. Michael Pfleger.
Obama's message to LGBT Americans
Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday released this statement regarding the 2008 Pride season:Does this man not even understand basic biology? Since when do homosexuals and the surgically-mutilated beget "generations"?
"I am proud to join with our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered brothers and sisters in celebrating the accomplishments, the lives and the families of all LGBT people during this Pride season. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core this issue is about who we are as Americans."
[snip]
"Generations of LGBT Americans, at once ordinary and extraordinary, have made possible this moment in our history. With leadership and hard work we can fulfill the promise of equality for all."
Let's review, from the Catechism #2357:
...Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.And #2359:
Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.The source of this article is "gay.com"
News for June 11
Unrestricted Abortion Over Wishes of Individual States a Priority for Obama
"The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act" [more accurately, the Obama Infanticde Mandate]
Priest arrested for alleged lewd conduct placed on probation
No contest, no admission of guilt...
Sabotage on the Latin Mass petition in Britain
Summorum Pontificum Fightback Group smears Traditionalists,
Latin Mass: the subject of spiteful scorn from Sandalistas
Setting Mary's Life to Music?
The Vatican announced that it was co-sponsoring a new musical on the Blessed Mother, set to debut in Paul VI Hall just one week from today.
Pro-homosexual bills and an anti-obscenity bill move into the California state Senate
Homosexuals are "Deeply Unhappy"
Russian Orthodox Priest Warns of Dangers of Homosexual "LifeStyle"
Impotent paraplegic told: no church wedding
'Admitted impotence...is a motive for annulment'
"The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act" [more accurately, the Obama Infanticde Mandate]
Priest arrested for alleged lewd conduct placed on probation
No contest, no admission of guilt...
Sabotage on the Latin Mass petition in Britain
Summorum Pontificum Fightback Group smears Traditionalists,
Latin Mass: the subject of spiteful scorn from Sandalistas
Setting Mary's Life to Music?
The Vatican announced that it was co-sponsoring a new musical on the Blessed Mother, set to debut in Paul VI Hall just one week from today.
Pro-homosexual bills and an anti-obscenity bill move into the California state Senate
Homosexuals are "Deeply Unhappy"
Russian Orthodox Priest Warns of Dangers of Homosexual "LifeStyle"
Impotent paraplegic told: no church wedding
'Admitted impotence...is a motive for annulment'
Dialogue among the Religions. The Vatican Prepares the Guidelines (Chiesa)
Gospel for June 11, Memorial: St Barnabas, Apostle
Gospel for Wednesday, 10th Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. Barnabas
From: Matthew 5:17-19
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [17] "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly I say to you, till Heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. [19] Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven."
____________________
Commentary:
17-19. In this passage Jesus stresses the perennial value of the Old Testament. It is the word of God; because it has a divine authority it deserves total respect. The Old Law enjoined precepts of a moral, legal and liturgical type. Its moral precepts still hold good in the New Testament because they are for the most part specific divine-positive promulgations of the natural law. However, our Lord gives them greater weight and meaning. But the legal and liturgical precepts of the Old Law were laid down by God for a specific stage in salvation history, that is, up to the coming of Christ; Christians are not obliged to observe them (cf. "Summa Theologiae", I-II, q. 108, a. 3 ad 3).
The law promulgated through Moses and explained by the prophets was God's gift to His people, a kind of anticipation of the definitive Law which the Christ or Messiah would lay down. Thus, as the Council of Trent defined, Jesus not only "was given to men as a redeemer in whom they are to trust, but also as a lawgiver whom they are to obey" ("De Iustificatione", can. 21).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Old Calendar: St. Barnabas
From: Matthew 5:17-19
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [17] "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly I say to you, till Heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. [19] Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven."
____________________
Commentary:
17-19. In this passage Jesus stresses the perennial value of the Old Testament. It is the word of God; because it has a divine authority it deserves total respect. The Old Law enjoined precepts of a moral, legal and liturgical type. Its moral precepts still hold good in the New Testament because they are for the most part specific divine-positive promulgations of the natural law. However, our Lord gives them greater weight and meaning. But the legal and liturgical precepts of the Old Law were laid down by God for a specific stage in salvation history, that is, up to the coming of Christ; Christians are not obliged to observe them (cf. "Summa Theologiae", I-II, q. 108, a. 3 ad 3).
The law promulgated through Moses and explained by the prophets was God's gift to His people, a kind of anticipation of the definitive Law which the Christ or Messiah would lay down. Thus, as the Council of Trent defined, Jesus not only "was given to men as a redeemer in whom they are to trust, but also as a lawgiver whom they are to obey" ("De Iustificatione", can. 21).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Just for Today, June 11
Grant me Thy grace, most merciful Jesus, that it may be with me, and continue with me to the end. Grant me always to will and desire that which is most acceptable to Thee, and whih~ pleaseth Thee best.
Let Thy will be mine, and let my will always follow Thine; and agree perfectly with it. Let me always will or not will the same with Thee: and let me not he able to win or not will otherwise than as Thou willest or willest not.
-Bk. III, ch. xv.
___________
I had been telling her of the strange power exercised by a mesmerist over persons who surrender their will to him. She seemed deeply interested, and the next day said to me: "Our conversation yesterday was an inspiration to me. If only I could be mesmerised by Our Lord! That was my first thought on waking, and I lovingly gave up my will into His hands. I want Him to take possession of my faculties so completely that my actions may no longer be human and personal, but a divine work inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit."
-Conseils et Souvenirs.
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Let Thy will be mine, and let my will always follow Thine; and agree perfectly with it. Let me always will or not will the same with Thee: and let me not he able to win or not will otherwise than as Thou willest or willest not.
-Bk. III, ch. xv.
___________
I had been telling her of the strange power exercised by a mesmerist over persons who surrender their will to him. She seemed deeply interested, and the next day said to me: "Our conversation yesterday was an inspiration to me. If only I could be mesmerised by Our Lord! That was my first thought on waking, and I lovingly gave up my will into His hands. I want Him to take possession of my faculties so completely that my actions may no longer be human and personal, but a divine work inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit."
-Conseils et Souvenirs.
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - June 11
The more numerous the gifts we have received from God, the greater the account we must render to Rim.
-St. Gregory the Great.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Gregory the Great.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for June 11, Christ's Final Instruction
According to St. Luke, the last words pronounced by Our Lord are as follows, Stay in the city until you be endued with power from on high. (xxiv, 49.) That is the end. Our Lord is with the Apostles for the last time in the room in which He instituted the Sacrament of Love. He makes them verify the fulfilment of the prophecies in His person. He confirms them in their mission to preach the gospel to the whole world, exhorts them to support their teachings by their good example, then He promises the Holy Spirit and concludes: Stay in the city until you be endued with power from on high.
They leave the Cenacle, and follow again the road they walked together Holy Thursday evening; they go to the Mount of Olives; here are the streets of Jerusalem, the Gate, the Cedron bridge, the slopes on the other side of the valley, the scene of the Agony....They are now on the summit. Jerusalem lies below them with its magnificent temple shining in all its splendor. Beyond the city - Mount Calvary.
Jesus blesses the little group for the last time, then rises above the earth....Angels come: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? (Acts 1, 2.) Then without the Master, they go back to Jerusalem and the Cenacle.
The instructions are explicit; the hour has not yet come for the Apostles to return to the world; it is now the time for prayer; their preparation is not complete. It is not yet time to set out on the mission, but rather the time to pray - wait and pray.
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
They leave the Cenacle, and follow again the road they walked together Holy Thursday evening; they go to the Mount of Olives; here are the streets of Jerusalem, the Gate, the Cedron bridge, the slopes on the other side of the valley, the scene of the Agony....They are now on the summit. Jerusalem lies below them with its magnificent temple shining in all its splendor. Beyond the city - Mount Calvary.
Jesus blesses the little group for the last time, then rises above the earth....Angels come: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? (Acts 1, 2.) Then without the Master, they go back to Jerusalem and the Cenacle.
The instructions are explicit; the hour has not yet come for the Apostles to return to the world; it is now the time for prayer; their preparation is not complete. It is not yet time to set out on the mission, but rather the time to pray - wait and pray.
"O Jesus, teach me always to pray before acting. I wish to arrive too quickly, teach me to prepare before setting out. Make me understand that the secret of apostolic success lies in prayerful preparation."_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Catholic League: Where's Obama's 'Catholic Advisory Council'?
Bill Donohue asks the Obama campaign if its "Catholic Advisory Council" has been dissolved, but he has not received an answer. And it seems that the Obama website has been scrubbed yet again - something which happens on a rather routine basis (See Littlegreenfootballs here.)
Many think it's gone underground - out of sight - for a while. It's probably now an unofficial advisory group with unofficial advisory members. We should not be so naive to think that raising the red flag on this group would lead to its demise, should we? After all, this is a campaign about deceit we can believe in...
Many think it's gone underground - out of sight - for a while. It's probably now an unofficial advisory group with unofficial advisory members. We should not be so naive to think that raising the red flag on this group would lead to its demise, should we? After all, this is a campaign about deceit we can believe in...
Less than 2 days to go...
Is The End Of The World Coming On June 12th?Another goofy religious cult leader - if he was a Mohammedan, would polygamy charges apply? Doubtful.
An elusive group just outside of Abilene, Texas is claiming the end of the world is coming in less than a week....Yahweh leader Yisrayl Hawkins says a nuclear holocaust will come June 12th and only members of his group will be saved....
Hawkins has predicted a doomsday twice before. He's also accused of having two dozen wives, and is facing bigamy charges.
The article does not say how many others follow this man...And what's the deal with Texas and cult compounds, anyway?
Obama supports infanticide, says nurse
And what political leftist and socialist does not? Some, however, are worse than others and B. Hussein Obama is one of those.
Washington DC, Feb 16, 2008 / 05:35 am (CNA).- A pro-life nurse is seconding a statement made by Alan Keyes that Jesus Christ would not vote for Barack Obama, pointing to his support for infanticide.In the article, Stanek explains why Keyes made his statement regarding this comrade of the party of death - another death peddler from the pits of hell...
Jill Stanek is a nurse who discovered babies were being aborted alive and shelved to die in soiled utility rooms while working at a hospital in Illinois and since has been a strong advocate against partial-birth and live-birth abortions....
News for June 10
Bishops To Vote On Embryonic Stem Cell Research Statement At Spring Meeting
Gallup Diocese wants bishop's crozier returned
Maternal Deaths Down In Nicaragua Once Abortion Is Eliminated
Churches in Belgium are to be converted to mosques
Christian congregations decline while Muslims demand more places to worship
El Salvador condemns abortion as 'abominable crime'
All 84 members of the Congress sign 'Yes to Life' petition
Sisters linked to notorious chain of Southern California abortion clinics
Must stand trial on charges of practicing medicine without a license
New Jersey bishop blesses new parish labyrinth
'...circular path of paving stones leading to a center'
Most Holy Redeemer Parish (SF) will participate again this year in the city’s “Gay Pride Weekend”
Gallup Diocese wants bishop's crozier returned
Maternal Deaths Down In Nicaragua Once Abortion Is Eliminated
Churches in Belgium are to be converted to mosques
Christian congregations decline while Muslims demand more places to worship
El Salvador condemns abortion as 'abominable crime'
All 84 members of the Congress sign 'Yes to Life' petition
Sisters linked to notorious chain of Southern California abortion clinics
Must stand trial on charges of practicing medicine without a license
New Jersey bishop blesses new parish labyrinth
'...circular path of paving stones leading to a center'
Most Holy Redeemer Parish (SF) will participate again this year in the city’s “Gay Pride Weekend”
The Humanae Vitae Prophecies
From Humanae Vitae Priests:
Pope Paul VI has been called a prophet for his intuitions expressed in the 1968 encyclical, Humanae vitae, about what would happen to society if contraception ever became widely used. But a “prophecy” is much more than just a prediction: it is really a view of reality and an assessment of what happens when the right order of things is snubbed. All the Old Testament prophets told the people of Israel, in unambiguous terms, that they had turned their backs on the Lord’s covenant (God’s view of reality) and that the consequences would be dire if they persevered in that apostasy. Succeeding generations of scholars, who saw the fulfillment of the prophets’ words, then scrupulously wrote their prophecies down for posterity—lest anyone forget them!.....
Gospel for Tuesday, 10th Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. Margaret, Queen of Scots, widow
From: Matthew 5:13-16
Salt of the Earth and Light of the World
(Jesus said to the multitude:) [13] "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.
[14] "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. [15] Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven."
_____________________
Commentary:
13-16. These verses are a calling to that apostolate which is part and parcel of being a Christian. Every Christian has to strive for personal sanctification, but he also has to seek the sanctification of others. Jesus teaches us this, using the very expressive simile of salt and light. Salt preserves food from corruption; it also brings out its flavor and makes it more pleasant; and it disappears into the food; the Christian should do the same among the people around him.
"You are salt, apostolic soul. `Bonum est sal': salt is a useful thing', we read in the holy Gospel; `si autem sal evanuerit': but if the salt loses its taste', it is good for nothing, neither for the land nor for the manure heap; it is thrown out as useless. You are salt, apostolic soul. But if you lose your taste..." ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 921).
Good works are the fruit of charity, which consists in loving others as God loves us (cf. John 15:12). "I see now", St. Therese of Lisieux writes, "that true charity consists in bearing with the faults of those about us, never being surprised at their weaknesses, but edified at the least sign of virtue. I see above all that charity must not remain hidden in the bottom of our hearts: `nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.' It seems to me that this lamp is the symbol of charity; it must shine out not only to cheer those we love best but all in the house" ("The Autobiography of a Saint", Chapter 9).
Apostolate is one of the clearest expressions of charity. The Second Vatican Council emphasized the Christian's duty to be apostolic. Baptism and Confirmation confer this duty, which is also a right (cf. "Lumen Gentium", 33), so much so that, because the Christian is part of the mystical body, "a member who does not work at the growth of the body to the extent of his possibilities must be considered useless both to the Church and to himself" ("Apostolicam Actuositatem", 2). "Laymen have countless opportunities for exercising the apostolate of evangelization and sanctification. The very witness of a Christian life, and good works done in a supernatural spirit, are effective in drawing men to the faith and to God; and that is what the Lord has said: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven" ("Apostolicam Actuositatem", 6).
"The Church must be present to these groups [those who do not even believe in God] through those of its members who live among them or have been sent to them. All Christians by the example of their lives and witness of their word, wherever they live, have an obligation to manifest the new man which they put on in Baptism, and to reveal the power of the Holy Spirit by whom they were strengthened at Confirmation, so that others, seeing their good works, might glorify the Father and more perfectly perceive the true meaning of human life and the universal solidarity of mankind" ("Ad Gentes", 11; cf. 36).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
From: Matthew 5:13-16
Salt of the Earth and Light of the World
(Jesus said to the multitude:) [13] "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.
[14] "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. [15] Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven."
_____________________
Commentary:
13-16. These verses are a calling to that apostolate which is part and parcel of being a Christian. Every Christian has to strive for personal sanctification, but he also has to seek the sanctification of others. Jesus teaches us this, using the very expressive simile of salt and light. Salt preserves food from corruption; it also brings out its flavor and makes it more pleasant; and it disappears into the food; the Christian should do the same among the people around him.
"You are salt, apostolic soul. `Bonum est sal': salt is a useful thing', we read in the holy Gospel; `si autem sal evanuerit': but if the salt loses its taste', it is good for nothing, neither for the land nor for the manure heap; it is thrown out as useless. You are salt, apostolic soul. But if you lose your taste..." ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 921).
Good works are the fruit of charity, which consists in loving others as God loves us (cf. John 15:12). "I see now", St. Therese of Lisieux writes, "that true charity consists in bearing with the faults of those about us, never being surprised at their weaknesses, but edified at the least sign of virtue. I see above all that charity must not remain hidden in the bottom of our hearts: `nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.' It seems to me that this lamp is the symbol of charity; it must shine out not only to cheer those we love best but all in the house" ("The Autobiography of a Saint", Chapter 9).
Apostolate is one of the clearest expressions of charity. The Second Vatican Council emphasized the Christian's duty to be apostolic. Baptism and Confirmation confer this duty, which is also a right (cf. "Lumen Gentium", 33), so much so that, because the Christian is part of the mystical body, "a member who does not work at the growth of the body to the extent of his possibilities must be considered useless both to the Church and to himself" ("Apostolicam Actuositatem", 2). "Laymen have countless opportunities for exercising the apostolate of evangelization and sanctification. The very witness of a Christian life, and good works done in a supernatural spirit, are effective in drawing men to the faith and to God; and that is what the Lord has said: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven" ("Apostolicam Actuositatem", 6).
"The Church must be present to these groups [those who do not even believe in God] through those of its members who live among them or have been sent to them. All Christians by the example of their lives and witness of their word, wherever they live, have an obligation to manifest the new man which they put on in Baptism, and to reveal the power of the Holy Spirit by whom they were strengthened at Confirmation, so that others, seeing their good works, might glorify the Father and more perfectly perceive the true meaning of human life and the universal solidarity of mankind" ("Ad Gentes", 11; cf. 36).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Monday, June 09, 2008
What Kind of a Theologian Are You - Justification?
You know that
Try the Following Quiz on Justification.
Give yourself 10 points for each of the 10 questions Which you answer correctly. If you score 95-100, give yourself a SCL (summa cum laude); 90-95, a MCL (magna cum laude); 85-90, a CL (cum laude); 80-85, a BP (bene probatus); 70-80, a P (probatus); 1>-70, a NP (non probatus).
[Answer each "a, b, c, d" with Yes or No]
_________________
1. What do we call "a translation from that state wherein man is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace and adoption of sons of God through the second Adam, Jesus Christ, our Saviour"?
2. What ecumenical council gave the best exposition of the Catholic doctrine of justification?
3. What did it assign as "the beginning of human salvation, the foundation and root of all justification"?
4. Is it of divine and Catholic faith that "justification is not merely the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renovation of the interior man by the voluntary reception of grace and gifts"?
5. a) Can an adult dispose himself for justification?
b) must he?
c) by natural or supernatural acts?
6. Is it heretical to hold that "justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake"?
7. Who said: "Without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh
to God must believe that He is and is a rewarder to them that seek Him"?
8. Is it heretical to maintain that "by faith alone the impious man is justified"?
9. Who said: "If I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing"?
10. Is it of divine and Catholic faith that we "receive justice within us...according to each one's proper disposition and co-operation"?
_________________________
Answers next Monday...
Adapted from The Queen's Work Magazine, October 1946
"all those things are to be believed with divine and Catholic faith which are contained in the written or orally transmitted word of God, and which the Church, either by a solemn judgment or by her ordinary and universal magisterium, proposes for belief as having been divinely revealed." (Vatican Council I.)Can you recognize truths which are divine and Catholic faith?
Try the Following Quiz on Justification.
Give yourself 10 points for each of the 10 questions Which you answer correctly. If you score 95-100, give yourself a SCL (summa cum laude); 90-95, a MCL (magna cum laude); 85-90, a CL (cum laude); 80-85, a BP (bene probatus); 70-80, a P (probatus); 1>-70, a NP (non probatus).
[Answer each "a, b, c, d" with Yes or No]
_________________
1. What do we call "a translation from that state wherein man is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace and adoption of sons of God through the second Adam, Jesus Christ, our Saviour"?
2. What ecumenical council gave the best exposition of the Catholic doctrine of justification?
3. What did it assign as "the beginning of human salvation, the foundation and root of all justification"?
4. Is it of divine and Catholic faith that "justification is not merely the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renovation of the interior man by the voluntary reception of grace and gifts"?
5. a) Can an adult dispose himself for justification?
b) must he?
c) by natural or supernatural acts?
6. Is it heretical to hold that "justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake"?
7. Who said: "Without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh
to God must believe that He is and is a rewarder to them that seek Him"?
8. Is it heretical to maintain that "by faith alone the impious man is justified"?
9. Who said: "If I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing"?
10. Is it of divine and Catholic faith that we "receive justice within us...according to each one's proper disposition and co-operation"?
_________________________
Answers next Monday...
Adapted from The Queen's Work Magazine, October 1946
Just for Today, June 10
Therefore thou must not ascribe anything of good to thyself, nor attribute virtue to any man; but give all to God, without whom man is nothing. This is that truth by which all vainglory is put to flight.
-Bk. III, ch. ix.
____________
I think that humility is simply the truth. I do not know if I am humble, but I do know. that I see the truth in all things.
-Conseils et Souvenirs.
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
-Bk. III, ch. ix.
____________
I think that humility is simply the truth. I do not know if I am humble, but I do know. that I see the truth in all things.
-Conseils et Souvenirs.
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - June 10
He can not err who is constantly with the visible Head which Jesus Christ has left to His Church, as its foundation, rule, teacher, and defender of the Faith.
~St. Alphonsus.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
~St. Alphonsus.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for June 10, Nothing is Impossible with God
I will do all through Him, with Him, in Him.
Through Him: Of myself I am capable of only easy things. As someone once said, "I can accomplish only a very little, and this little I do badly." At any rate, if there is question of a difficult task, no matter what its nature--perseverance in prayer through aridity; generosity in Apostolic work despite ill-success; efforts in regard to charity despite the irritation of certain persons--whatever it is, I am always too quickly winded.
Have I acquired sufficiently the habit of leaning on God, of asking Him for strength? After all, does He not permit my weaknesses, my failures, for the sole purpose of inciting me to a more frequent recourse to Him and to a greater humility?
With Him: The grace of God is with me. The grace of God accompanies me. And what does that mean? If I am living in love, grace is not merely something which comes to me from God, a help, an aid from without, but it is the very Presence of the strong God within me. With God all mine, dwelling in me, of what should I not be capable? Have I a sufficient practical conviction in the everyday run of life that God is with me; that all I do, we both do, He and I? I carry my weakness, but He--He is strength!
In Him: If I understand the great doctrine of Incorporation with Jesus Christ, not only am I able to live on God, but I can live in God. As a living branch of Christ, I am but one with my good Master. He is the Vine, I am the branch. In fact, St. Augustine dares to say "I am not only a member of Christ, but I am Christ." Christus sumus, We are Christ, exactly as the grafted branch constitutes a living extension, a living portion of the tree. The strength of the branch comes from the vigor of the trunk. As a member of Christ, I have at my disposal the very strength of Christ.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Through Him: Of myself I am capable of only easy things. As someone once said, "I can accomplish only a very little, and this little I do badly." At any rate, if there is question of a difficult task, no matter what its nature--perseverance in prayer through aridity; generosity in Apostolic work despite ill-success; efforts in regard to charity despite the irritation of certain persons--whatever it is, I am always too quickly winded.
Have I acquired sufficiently the habit of leaning on God, of asking Him for strength? After all, does He not permit my weaknesses, my failures, for the sole purpose of inciting me to a more frequent recourse to Him and to a greater humility?
With Him: The grace of God is with me. The grace of God accompanies me. And what does that mean? If I am living in love, grace is not merely something which comes to me from God, a help, an aid from without, but it is the very Presence of the strong God within me. With God all mine, dwelling in me, of what should I not be capable? Have I a sufficient practical conviction in the everyday run of life that God is with me; that all I do, we both do, He and I? I carry my weakness, but He--He is strength!
In Him: If I understand the great doctrine of Incorporation with Jesus Christ, not only am I able to live on God, but I can live in God. As a living branch of Christ, I am but one with my good Master. He is the Vine, I am the branch. In fact, St. Augustine dares to say "I am not only a member of Christ, but I am Christ." Christus sumus, We are Christ, exactly as the grafted branch constitutes a living extension, a living portion of the tree. The strength of the branch comes from the vigor of the trunk. As a member of Christ, I have at my disposal the very strength of Christ.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Answers, What's Your Moral IQ of Charity towards Ourselves?
Questions can be viewed here.
_____________
1. It is a supernatural act by which we love ourselves for the love of God.
2. Yes. God has created us for heaven. We have a serious obligation to go there, and unless we learn the means of getting there, we will never arrive at our goal.
3. Yes. We must acquire a knowledge of religious and secular subjects that will help us to be virtuous and to save our souls.
4. If he means that he has a right to that idleness that leads men to sin, he is not correct.
5. Yes, if it is necessary for me to obtain sustenance or to help me avoid sins that are the fruit of idleness.
6. Because I am not the owner of myself but the steward who is to give an account to God on the day of judgment.
7. No. I may wish to die in order to go to heaven or to escape extraordinary suffering.
8. Yes. I have a grave obligation.
9. Yes, unless suffering would be an occasion for me fall1ng into sin.
10. Yes, if they willl not be an occasion for me fall1ng into sin.
_________________________
Adapted from The Queen's Work Magazine, April 1946
_____________
1. It is a supernatural act by which we love ourselves for the love of God.
2. Yes. God has created us for heaven. We have a serious obligation to go there, and unless we learn the means of getting there, we will never arrive at our goal.
3. Yes. We must acquire a knowledge of religious and secular subjects that will help us to be virtuous and to save our souls.
4. If he means that he has a right to that idleness that leads men to sin, he is not correct.
5. Yes, if it is necessary for me to obtain sustenance or to help me avoid sins that are the fruit of idleness.
6. Because I am not the owner of myself but the steward who is to give an account to God on the day of judgment.
7. No. I may wish to die in order to go to heaven or to escape extraordinary suffering.
8. Yes. I have a grave obligation.
9. Yes, unless suffering would be an occasion for me fall1ng into sin.
10. Yes, if they willl not be an occasion for me fall1ng into sin.
_________________________
Adapted from The Queen's Work Magazine, April 1946
Answers, What Kind of a Theologian Are You-Biblical Inspiration?
Questions can be viewed here.
1. Yes.
2. a-No. b-No.
3. By the teaching of the Church.
4. a-No. b-No.
5. a-No. b-No. C-Y8S.
6. a-No. b-Yes.
7. a-No. b-No. c-No.
8. c and d- Yes; others, No.
9. a-No. b-No.
10. No.
_________________________
Adapted from The Queen's Work Magazine, April 1946
1. Yes.
2. a-No. b-No.
3. By the teaching of the Church.
4. a-No. b-No.
5. a-No. b-No. C-Y8S.
6. a-No. b-Yes.
7. a-No. b-No. c-No.
8. c and d- Yes; others, No.
9. a-No. b-No.
10. No.
_________________________
Adapted from The Queen's Work Magazine, April 1946
Researchers tweak stem cell creation
Researchers from California say they have improved a groundbreaking technique that reprograms skin cells back to the embryonic state, making the procedure safer by relying less on the use of viruses and genetic modification....Promising developments? Perhaps, but since it avoids the destruction of human life, some will not be happy.
The reprogramming work by Thomson and Yamanaka was hailed in November as a major breakthrough, producing cells that mimic embryonic stem cells without the ethically controversial destruction of human embryos....
Accused "Fetus" Killer Expected in Court
BELLEVILLE, IL, Tiffany Hall, an East St. Louis who is accused of killing her best friend, her friend's fetus and three of her friend's children, is expected St. Clair County court today. Hall is expected to appear at 10 a.m. today before Circuit Judge Milton Wharton. St. Clair County State's Attorney Robert Haida has said that he believed that a plea deal to dispose of the case is anticipated....I cringe every time I hear of or read a report which uses "fetus" rather than unborn baby. The attempt to dehumanize a child in the womb is repugnant and loathsome.
Seven deadly sins alive and well today, says Jesuit journal
We witness more and more every day, which is why we posted weekly meditations on the Capital or Deadly Sins during Lent.
No link to the "La Civilta Cattolica" article as yet...
at Catholic News Service.
ROME (CNS) -- The seven deadly sins are still key to understanding and healing the social and personal ills plaguing humanity today, said an influential Jesuit journal.Some people would just love to abolish the list or modify it to reflect always changing circumstances - it's just too "Middle Ages" for contemporary sensibilities.
The capital vices of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride are not outdated and have not been made irrelevant by psychotherapy or other mental health counseling, La Civilta Cattolica said.
The journal cited a survey commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corp. that found most people surveyed felt the list of deadly sins defined in the Middle Ages no longer applied to modern-day life and should be updated.
No link to the "La Civilta Cattolica" article as yet...
at Catholic News Service.FSSP's Solemn High Mass in the Crypt Church
... the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter ended their annual pilgrimage of reparation with a Solemn High Mass in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Fr. Jonathan Romanoski, FSSP, assisted by his brother priests and seminarians of the Priestly Fraternity, offered the first Solemn High Traditional Latin Mass in the Crypt Church in over 40 years. It truly was a memorable occasion....
at Dignare Me Laudare Te, Virgo Sacrata Most Dim-witted Quip of the Day?...Probably not, but...
“I am an Obama supporter. I am also pro-life....Today when I listen to Obama speak (and to his remarkable wife, Michelle) what I hear is a world view that actually nurtures life...."Pro-life and Pro-Obama? No rational individual can hold both positions - it's impossible because these are contradictory positions.
Obama has voted repeatedly for abortion and partial birth abortion. He supports the murder of babies after they are partially born.
Who is this creature who claims the impossible? Frank Schaeffer, the son of evangelical Francis Schaeffer.
Wolves in sheep's clothing are roaming wild these days.
Don't count your chickens before they've hatched...
...at least, that was one of the pearls of country wisdom my mother used to lay on us occasionally. Which brings me to today's headline regarding Fr. Michael Pfleger:
So the sighs of relief of the nation's Catholics were premature - This guy's back at his 30 year post to keep stirring up controversy and fomenting bigotry. Thank you, Cardinal George!
Speaking about Pfleger's return:
and maybe this will help you understand why:
Heaven help us all!
Pfleger to return June 16, St. Sabina official saysThat's right - he'll be back...like the "Terminator."
South Side church erupts with joy that the archdiocese's 2-week sabbatical won't be permanent
So the sighs of relief of the nation's Catholics were premature - This guy's back at his 30 year post to keep stirring up controversy and fomenting bigotry. Thank you, Cardinal George!
The choir was booming, the dancers were swirling and open seats were scarce in the sweltering pews, but longtime members of St. Sabina Catholic Church thought Sunday's service was a bit flat in the absence of Rev. Michael Pfleger.Sunday's "service"???? Dancers swirling? Do they celebrate Holy Mass at this place or what?
Speaking about Pfleger's return:
"I was just overwhelmed," Brandy Scott, 27, said later. "I had to cry."I'm feeling a bit queasy myself - when I read this, I almost started to cry as well...
and maybe this will help you understand why:
...most simply said they were looking forward to St. Sabina returning to normal under the leadership of the priest who has come to embody the church.A "black Jesus" in a "white man's body".....How lucky can a congregation get? They've got a "black Jesus" who supports a half-black marxist for president, who also happens to be a committed supporter of infanticide!
"He's a black Jesus stuck in a white man's body," said Oralee Williams, 48. "He's the best."
Heaven help us all!
Morning News-June 9
Catholic adoption agency to defy homosexual rights law
Elderly nuns chain themselves at Vatican protest
Catholic Centre in Poland Offers 'Get Well' Therapy for Homosexuals
Gay Anglican U.S. bishop enters into civil union
Mass attendance in decline in Australia - Will World Youth Day in Sydney reverse this trend?
The Holy Father adises adequate formation in the faith before interreligious dialogue - Says knowledge of one's faith takes priority
Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) waits for Vatican ruling
Planned Parenthood Goes After Native Americans
Elderly nuns chain themselves at Vatican protest
Catholic Centre in Poland Offers 'Get Well' Therapy for Homosexuals
Gay Anglican U.S. bishop enters into civil union
Mass attendance in decline in Australia - Will World Youth Day in Sydney reverse this trend?
The Holy Father adises adequate formation in the faith before interreligious dialogue - Says knowledge of one's faith takes priority
Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) waits for Vatican ruling
Planned Parenthood Goes After Native Americans
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