†Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam†
This site is dedicated to promoting and defending the Catholic Faith, in union with Christ and His Church and in union with the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter.
Items of note in the St. Louis Archdiocese are featured whenever possible. Please feel free to forward news topics of importance to us in the St. Louis Archdiocese.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
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On the Vacancy of the Holy See and the Election of the Roman Pontiff
Promulgated by His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, at Saint Peter's, on 22 February, the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle, in the year 1996, the eighteenth of his Pontificate.
Universi Dominici Gregis
Some Updates-Msgr Albacete Talk Cancelled
I'm sorry to have to write this, but due to the Holy Father's death, Monsignor Albacete will not be in St Louis this weekend. He will not be available talk at SLU for the Campion Society.I received this earlier today before our beloved Holy Father's passing into eternity...
The tallk will most likely be resceduled for the next academic year.
I have not heard but I strongly suspect that Cardinal Arinze will be unable this weekend for the Gateway Liturgical Conference considering our great loss. The funeral of Pope John Paul II should be in 4-6 days.
As more information comes available, I will pass it on. May God bless Pope John Paul as he enters eternal beautitude...We tearfully mourn his departure, yet we must rejoice in his completing his journey and give thanks to God for His generous gift of blessing us for over 26 years with Pope John Paul II and his moral guidance.
The Holy Father Has Died
** Updated **
I just heard that the last word of the Holy Father was "Amen"...It was reported that he held the hand of his secretary, looked out the window, uttered "Amen"...and then died...
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VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II, the Polish pontiff who led the Roman Catholic Church for more than a quarter century and became history's most-traveled pope, died Saturday night in his Vatican apartment. He was 84.More...
The announcement came from papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls and was distributed to journalists via e-mail.
"The Holy Father died this evening at 9:37 p.m. (2:37 p.m. EST) in his private apartment. All the procedures outlined in the apostolic Constitution `Universi Dominici Gregis' that was written by John Paul II on Feb. 22, 1996, have been put in motion."
A Mass was scheduled for St. Peter's Square for Sunday morning.
Always quick to bring a smile to the people.
Always sharing Jesus and the Gospel to all.
A Shepherd, a Pastor of God's people.
A man of deep prayer and concern for humanity...
Good bye dear Papa...We miss you!
Our Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ, Successor of Peter.
Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen.
Peace, our dear Holy Father. May the love of the people you served so unselfishly surround and lift you as you rise, effortlessly, through the clouds. We rejoice. You are no longer suffering pain or discomfort, your journey is over and you will be rewarded with God's waiting embrace, and the open arms of Our Lady of Fatima for whom you had such special devotion. *
"Jesus said, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
- John 11:25, 26
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LITANY FOR THE DYING
Come to his assistance, ye Saints of God, come forth to meet him, ye Angels of the Lord; Receiving his soul: Offering it in the sight of the Most High.
V. May Christ receive you, who hath called you, and may the Angels bear you into Abraham's bosom.
R. Receiving his soul: Offering it in the sight of the Most High.
V. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
R. Offering it in the sight of the Most High.
V. Lord have mercy.
R. Christ have mercy.
V. Lord have mercy.
(Silently) Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses, as we forgive those who tresspass against us.
V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.
V. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon him.
V. From the gate of hell
R. Deliver his soul, O Lord.
V. May he rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer
R. And let my cry come unto You.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with you spirit.
Let us pray
To You, O Lord, do we commend the soul of Your servant, John Paul II, that being dead to the world he may live unto You; and whatsoever sins he has committed through the frailty of his mortal nature, wash away by the pardon of Your most merciful love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
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NUNC dimittis servum tuum, Domine * Secundum verbum tuum in pace:
Quia viderunt oculi mei * salutare tuum
Quod parasti * ante faciem omnium populorum:
Lumen ad revelationem gentium, * Et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.
NOW dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, * in peace, according to Thy word:
For mine own eyes hath seen * Thy salvation,
Which Thou hast prepared * in the sight of all the peoples,
A light to reveal Thee to the nations * and the glory of Thy people Israel.
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* Hat tip to MadIvan
The Holy Father's Latest Words
At 11:30 am of April 2nd Holy See Press Office Director Joaquín Navarro-Valls, held a briefing for accredited journalists in the press office to give them an update on the condition of the Holy Father John Paul II.
Following is the text read by Dr. Navarro-Valls:
“The following information is an update as of 9 this morning: The general, cardio-respiratory and metabolic conditions of the Holy Father are substantially unchanged and therefore are very serious. As of dawn this morning, the start of a compromised state of consciousness was observed. Mass was celebrated at 7:30 this morning in the presence of the Pope.
Last evening the Pope probably had in mind the young people whom he has met throughout the world during his pontificate. In fact, he seemed to be referring to them when, in his words, and repeated several times, he seemed to have said the following sentence: “I have looked for you. Now you have come to me. And I thank you”...
Listen here
More updates...
Source.
TRADUZIONE IN LINGUA INGLESE
At 7 p.m. this evening Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls released the following declaration to journalists:
The clinical conditions of the Holy Father remain very serious.
In late morning a high fever developed.
When addressed by members of his household he responds correctly.
[00397-02.01] [Original text: Italian]
Gospel for Saturday Within the Octave of Easter
From: Mark 16:9-15
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene and to Two Disciples
[9] Now when He (Jesus) rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast our seven demons. [10] She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. [11] But when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
[12] After this He appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. [13]And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
Jesus Appears to the Eleven. The Apostles' Mission
[14] Afterwards He appeared to the Eleven themselves as they sat at table; and He upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw Him after He had risen. [15] And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation."
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Commentary:
11-14. When reporting these first appearances of the risen Jesus, St. Mark stresses the disciples' disbelief and their reluctance to accept the fact of the Resurrection, even though Jesus foretold it (cf. Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34). This resistance shown by the Apostles is a further guarantee of the truth of Jesus' resurrection; they were to be direct, specially-appointed witnesses to the risen Christ, yet they were reluctant to accept this role. They had personal, direct proof of the truth of the Resurrection.
However, our Lord will say: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (John 20:29). In the Apostles' case, they needed, in addition to faith in the risen Christ, clear evidence of His resurrection, for they were to be the eye-witnesses, key witnesses who would proclaim it as an irrefutable fact. In this connection [Pope] St. Gregory the Great comments: "The reason why the disciples were slow to believe in the Resurrection was not so much due to their weakness as to our future firmness in the faith; what other purposes does this have (the very Resurrection being demonstrated by many arguments to those who were in doubt) than that our faith should be strengthened by their doubt?" ("In Evangelia Homilae", 16).
12. Our Lord's appearance to these two disciples is reported more fully by St. Luke (cf. 24:13-35).
15. This verse contains what is called the "universal apostolic mandate" (paralleled by Matthew 28:19-20 and Luke 24:46-48). This is an imperative command from Christ to His Apostles to preach the Gospel to the whole world. This same apostolic mission applies, especially to the Apostles' successors, the bishops in communion with Peter's successor, the Pope.
But this mission extends further: the whole "Church was founded to spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth for the glory of God the Father, to make all men partakers in redemption and salvation....Every activity of the Mystical Body with this in view goes by the name of `apostolate'; the Church exercises it through all its members, though in various ways. In fact, the Christian vocation is, of its nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well. In the organism of a living body no member plays a purely passive part, sharing in the life of the body it shares at the same time in its activity. The same is true for the body of Christ, the Church: `the whole body achieves full growth in dependence on the full functioning of each part' (Ephesians 4:16). Between the members of this body there exists, further, such a unity and solidarity (cf. Ephesians 4:16) that 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.
"In the Church there is diversity of ministry but unity of mission. To the apostles and their successors Christ has entrusted the office of teaching, sanctifying and governing in His name and by His power. But the laity are made to share in the priestly, prophetical and kingly office of Christ; they have therefore, in the Church and in the world, their own assignment in the mission of the whole people of God" (Vatican II, "Apostolicam Actuositatem", 2).
It is true that God acts directly on each person's soul through grace, but it must also be said that it is Christ's will (expressed here and elsewhere) that men should be an instrument or vehicle of salvation for others.
Vatican II also teaches this: "On all Christians, accordingly, rests the noble obligation of working to bring all men throughout the whole world to hear and accept the divine message of salvation" ("ibid.", 3).
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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, April 01, 2005
John Paul the Lawgiver
Dr. Ed Peters has an update to his "In Light of the Law", A Canon Lawyer's Blog
What Happens When a Pope Dies?
When a pope dies, a formal process begins that certifies his death, carries out his funeral, and ensures that the selection of his successor takes place according to the prescribed procedures. The busiest person during this period is the camerlengo, or papal chamberlain, who functions something like a chief of staff.More.
The camerlengo's first task is to certify that the pope is dead. Traditionally, this has included tapping the pope's forehead, perhaps with a little silver hammer, and calling him three times by his first name. No response means that the pope is dead, but more precise medical equipment may be used today.
Holy See Grieved by Terri Schiavo's Death
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 1, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See officially expressed its sadness over the death of the brain-damaged woman in Florida who died of starvation after her husband had her feeding tube removed.More.
On Thursday afternoon, Joaquín Navarro Valls, director of the Vatican press office, said that the circumstances surrounding Terri Schiavo’s death have "rightly upset consciences."
...
Cardinal Martino added that it was "an unjust sentence to death of an innocent, by one of the most inhuman and cruel forms, hunger and thirst."
Vatican Statement On Pope
Papal Updates
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VATICAN CITY, APR 1 - At 6:30 this afternoon, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls released the following statement to journalists:
"The general conditions and cardio-respiratory conditions of the Holy Father have further worsened.
"A gradual worsening of arterial hypotension has been noted, and breathing has become shallow.
"The clinical picture indicates cardio-circulatory and renal insufficiency. The biological parameters are notably compromised.
"The Holy Father - with visible participation - entrusts himself to the continual prayers of those assisting him."
Source.
Pope's Condition Worsens, Organs `Compromised'
April 1 (Bloomberg) -- Pope John Paul II's health has worsened, with his breathing ``shallow'' and his biological functions ``notably compromised,'' the Vatican told reporters about 7 p.m. in Rome.Link.
The Pope's blood pressure is dropping, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a written statement. ``The clinical picture indicates cardio-circulatory and renal insufficiency,'' he said.
An unidentified top Vatican official denied that John Paul had died, after the Italian news agency ADNKronos said a brain monitor attached to the pope had gone flat, the Associated Press reported. The Vatican official said there is no such device in the pope's apartment.
John Paul, spiritual leader of the world's 1 billion Roman Catholics, received the blessing for the dying after suffering heart failure and a high fever. The problems developed as the pope tried to recover from surgery Feb. 24 to relieve breathing problems.
Archbishop Angelo Comastri, the pope's vicar for Vatican City, led a crowd of more than 10,000 people gathered in Saint Peter's Square to recite the rosary. ``Jesus will open the door to the pope tonight,'' he said from the steps of Saint Peter's.
Cardinals to Gather
The world's cardinals, who will select John Paul II's successor, have been summoned to Rome, a sign that preparations are under way for a conclave, the secretive election procedure that must begin within three weeks of the pope's death.
Pope Clings to Life As His Health Worsens
14 minutes ago Europe - APSource.
By VICTOR L. SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer
VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II was clinging to life Friday as his condition deteriorated further. The Vatican said his breathing was shallow and his kidneys were failing after he suffered massive heart problems.
"The general conditions and cardio-respiratory conditions of the Holy Father have further worsened," the Vatican said in a statement. "The clinical picture indicates cardio-circulatory and renal insufficiency."
Vatican announces new bishops as pope hovers near death
VATICAN CITY (AFP) - The Vatican announced the appointment of a swathe of new bishops and archbishops as well as four papal envoys as Pope John Paul II hovered near death.More.
The announcement, though made on Friday, bears the pope's signature, made at various times during March before the pontiff's health suddenly deteriorated.
The 12 appointments will have no bearing on the election of his successor as they do not involve any cardinals, who alone sit in the conclave that elects the next head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The fact that Pope John Paul II has chosen not to return to the hospital does not seem to be encouraging. I joined with all who pray for his recovery.
Cardinal Arinze Here Next Week for Liturgical Conference
The keynote speaker at next week’s sixth annual Gateway Liturgical Conference Downtown is not reticent about explaining to Catholics the reverence they should feel for the Eucharist.More.
"The Eucharist is the apex of a Catholic celebration," Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze said last year in clarifying the Vatican document, "Redemptionis Sacramentum (The Sacrament of Redemption)."
"The Eucharist is not our possession to be given to our friends, but, rather, it belongs to the Church and is a sign of faith held in common," Cardinal Arinze was quoted at that time.
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Cardinal Arinze is participating in the St. Louis conference at the invitation of Archbishop Raymond L. Burke.
Abp. Burke:The Holy Eucharist and the Growth of the Church
...The importance of the Holy Eucharist for the life of the Church, from her very beginnings, cannot be emphasized enough.More here.
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There is in us, at one and the same time, the deepest desire of communion with one another and the tendency to division which is born from what our Holy Father calls the "seeds of disunity." The "seeds of disunity" come from the stain of original sin and our actual sins (no. 24b).
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The Holy Eucharist fulfills our desire for unity with one another in a way beyond all our imagining; Holy Communion makes us one with each other in the divine Son of God. Our unity with one another has its origin in God. It cannot be destroyed by any human force and has its eternal fulfillment in the life which is to come. At the same time, the Holy Eucharist strengthens us, so that we may purify ourselves of the seeds of disunity.
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Through the Holy Eucharist, first of all by participation in the Sacrifice of the Mass and then by eucharistic worship outside of Mass, we contemplate the Face of Christ as directly and as fully as is possible for us on this earth. From our contemplation of the Face of Christ, we draw the grace to live in Christ each day.
Incoming: Those Annoying Church Dissenters on T.V.
From an incoming email:
Below are some postings taken from a Catholic discussion forum regarding the dissenting priests, theologians and nuns who have appeared on national television (Terri Schiavo case) as though they were official spokespersons for the Catholic Church. Not only are these dissenters deceiving viewers with their comments and remarks that are contrary to Catholic teachings, but some are also so arrogant as to criticize not only the Catholic Church but the Holy Father himself notably, Fr. Mcbrien). Note the suggestion one poster made about what we can do about these dissenters. I took note and wrote my own letter to the USCCB as suggested. If you are as upset as I am when these dissenters appear on the airwaves with their criticisms and deceptions, may I also suggest that you write to the USCCB United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) with your complaints. E-mail addresses are posted below. Thanks much.I don't think the Holy Father will be answering emails for a while, nonetheless, it's time faithful Catholics tell the bishops of the grave harm people like McBrien are doing to the faithful and the Church!
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Some comments from posters:
"The prominence of the Terri Schiavo case has brought unprecedented media attention to the Catholic Church's teaching on end-of-life issues. But media portrayals of Church teaching are often inaccurate and misleading, according to two prominent Catholic ethicists."
" I am convinced that choosing priests who dissent from established Church teaching is no accident. They are culled from the same sources: Jesuits, Notre Dame or the National Catholic Reporter. It is very rare to see an accurate portrayal of authentic Church teaching."
" O'Reilly had a priest, Fr. McBrien from Notre Dame who was just fracturing Church teaching right and left. He actually said that he disagreed with the Pope and then went on to say how stupid American Catholics are because the majority didn't follow the Holy Father's pronouncement on the war in Iraq. As if a priest didn't know the difference between the Pope's influence on matters of faith and morals versus those of American foreign policy. It is priest like that who really bring me to my knees and wonder what we have to do so that the gates of hell will not prevail."
"Does anyone know anything about Fr. John Paris of Boston College or Fr. Halstead of DePaul in Chicago?I saw Paris on CNN last night and Halstead on the local news. Both seemed to dissent from the Pope's teaching on feeding tubes. Halstead did not even have his collar on - he was wearing a suit and tie."
"Jesuit blasts Terri Schiavo supporters! What a disgrace to the Jesuits."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7276850/site/newsweek/
" I sent a complaint to FOX yesterday to this very point. I told them I thought it was a discrimination against Catholicism to always put on dissenting priests."
"Let's nip this in the bud. I suggest we get an email campaign going to the American Conference of Catholic Bishops saying something like this:
Dear Most Reverend Bishops:
I ask your urgent assistance in a matter of priest discipline.
It has come to my attention that the media have been speaking to priests and nuns who dissent from Catholic teaching and who are disobedient to His Holiness Pope John Paul II on the matter of Sanctity of Life, particularly as it applies to Ms Terri Schiavo who is being 'legally' starved to death.
This priest and nun dissent has an appalling effect directly on Ms Schiavo and her parents, siblings, and friends; on the disabled whose lives will be directly endangered should the Church fail in its responsibilities to teach boldly and unequivocally on faith and morals; and on the morale of the millions of faithful Catholics in America and around the world who are watching and praying with much apprehension.
I ask you to move decisively and with no delay to discipline publicly any priest or nun who dissents from Catholic teaching and who dissents from the wishes of His Holiness in the matter of Terri Schiavo.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email. My prayers are with you. God bless and keep you, _____________."
Here is there email address for the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops :
websiteadministrator@uscc b.org "
" Don't let them off the hook! Priests and nuns are capitalizing on our Terri for their own personal projects, gains, and ego. This behaviour is counterproductive and irresponsible. It offends the Church. And it detracts from our efforts to save Terri. Let's get those dissenting priests and nuns off the airwaves."
" Here is there email addie for Comments on Terri Schivo Email us at commdept@usccb.org "
"It seems to me that some faxes/phone calls should also be made to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as well. I bet Cardinal Ratzinger would be interested in what these dissenting priests and religious are disseminating through the air-waves.
Here is Cardinal Ratzinger's contact information. Call or fax now!
CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER
Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Phone: 011-39-06-698-83296
Fax: 011-39-06-698-84532 "
" It seems there is an "official" email address for contact with His Holiness: av@pccs.va This address apparently generates a response. We should get this out and make sure people are using this address for the Pope! "
Thanks to Fred Z for the email.
Catholics worldwide unite, pray for pope
WADOWICE, Poland (AP) -- From Polish workers to monks in Norway and parishioners in the Philippines, Roman Catholics around the world prayed Friday for Pope John Paul II.More.
Pope in critical condition after heart failure
Vatican, Apr. 01 (CWNews.com) - Pope John Paul II (bio - news) suffered heart failure on Thursday while under treatment for a urinary infection which caused a high fever. On April 1 his condition had been stabilized, and papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said that the Holy Father was "lucid, fully conscious, and extraordinarily serene," but conceded that his condition is "very grave."CWNews article.
Navarro-Valls was highly emotional, his eyes brimming with tears, as he briefed reporters on the Pope's condition at midday on Friday. He said that the Pope's overall condition had improved after a Thursday-night crisis, but his blood pressure remained "unstable" and his prognosis was poor. However, he flatly denied reports that the Pontiff had lapsed into a coma.
Speculation Starts on Successor
Next pope is set to be another conservative
Traditionalists close ranks to ensure their grip on church will endureArticle here.
As the world watches the pain-racked pontiff's superhuman attempts to remain as spiritual head of more than a billion Christians, his most loyal lieutenants are closing ranks to ensure that his conservative philosophy continues to hold sway. A cabal of aides, some of whom have been with him since his earliest days, guard access to the Pope's apartment and disseminate the line that the pointiff is still very much in charge. A handful of spiritual allies fulfil his duties during Easter week and help stage-manage his brief appearances.
Schindlers won't be allowed at burial site
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - The bitter family feud over Terri Schiavo continued after her death Thursday, with a member of the Schiavo family saying that her ashes will be buried in an undisclosed location near Philadelphia so that her immediate family doesn’t show up and turn the event into a media spectacle.Such bitterness and enmity for a man who claims to "love" the daughter of the Schindlers.
Source.
Missouri Catholics Lobby for Stem Cell Ban
Roman Catholic priests across Missouri will distribute to worshippers this weekend close to 700,000 cards that call for the state Legislature to approve a bill that would ban some forms of stem-cell research.It it imperative that all of us ensure that our legislators know that we cannot permit this evil within our state.
Once signed, the cards will be collected and delivered en masse to legislators in the next few weeks.
"There was an expectation that when the Republicans were elected, that a lot of these issues would be taken care of," said Sam Lee, head of Campaign Life Missouri. "They're not being taken care of."Danforth is another one whose views should be ignored...but, of course, there is no conflict of interest for him...is there?
That also is true of Missouri Right to Life, a major advocate of the ban. Pam Fichter, the group's president, noted that Blunt and much of the Legislature's Republican leadership campaigned last fall as "pro-life candidates" in their bid to woo like-minded voters.
...
[Sam] Fox is chairman of the Harbour Group in Clayton, a major benefactor of Washington University and the state's most generous Republican donor. He said Thursday that his opposition to the proposed ban has led him for the first time to get involved in lobbying against a measure under consideration in Jefferson City.
Fox's complaints were similar to those aired by another prominent Missouri Republican, former U.S. Sen. John C. Danforth, in an opinion piece published this week in The New York Times and the Post-Dispatch.
Source.
Man who shot Pope claims he had help from Vatican
ROME (AP) - The Turkish man who shot Pope John Paul II was quoted Thursday as zaying Vatican prelates helped him carry out the 1981 attack in St. Peter's Square, but the claim was quickly dismissed by a Vatican cardinal.Source.
"Without the help of priests and cardinals I would have not been able to carry out that action," Agca was quoted Thursday as saying in an interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica. "The devil is within the Vatican."
But in an apparently contradictory remark, Ali Agca also said in the interview that "nobody in the world knew of my attempt."
Calgary Bishop Henry Stands Firm in Upholding Catholic Teaching
CALGARY, March 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Even in the face of two human rights complaints, Calgary Bishop Fred Henry is refusing to back down over his pastoral and public statements on same-sex marriage, in which he faithfully presented the Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality.This man has courage of a martyr...He is under attack by the forces of evil. We need to keep in our prayers.
In addition to the two separate human rights complaints by Calgarians Carol Johnson and Norman Greenfield were launched, Bishop Henry noted that his teachings have spurned a slew of angry letters and even death threats. He said that the death threats were reported to police, "I told them 'in case something happens to me, you might want to look at these sources.'"
He added, "It's not going to change me - my job is to be bishop, a pastor, a teacher ... church teachings are very clear on orientation with respect to sexuality - none of that can change."
Article here.
Local Reactions to Terri Schiavo's Death
"My sadness at the death of Terri Schiavo is also sadness for our nation, in which the most basic care, that is nutrition and hydration, was denied to a citizen with special needs, not because she was dying, but because the 'quality' of her life was judged by us not to be sufficient to merit our care. She who had the first title to our care was left to die by our premeditated and deliberate failure to provide her food and water. To cause the death of an innocent human being by denying nutrition and hydration is contrary to the natural moral law and a barbaric act."Succinct and to the point!
- St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke
More here.
Pope in "very grave" condition -Vatican
01 Apr 2005 05:30:14 GMTThis is the second source confirming heart problems...Almighty Father, protect and watch over your servant, our Holy Father, in this time of sickness.
Source: Reuters
VATICAN CITY, April 1 (Reuters) - Pope John Paul's condition was "very grave" on Friday, the Vatican said in a statement, adding that the Pontiff had suffered shock and cardio-circulatory collapse.
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the Pope had been given the Holy Viaticum -- communion reserved for those close to death -- and had decided himself not to go to hospital for treatment.
The statement said the Pope had received cardio-respiratory assistance on Thursday and on Friday morning was still "conscious, lucid and tranquil".
Source.
Another article here.
Vatican: Pope Has Suffered Heart Failure
API pray this is incorrect...
Pope John Paul II suffered heart failure at one point Friday and his condition remains very serious, the Vatican said Friday. The 84-year-old pontiff's health declined sharply, a day after he developed a high fever brought on by a urinary tract infection.
Source.
Pope gets antibiotics for new infection
VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II developed a high fever Thursday because of a urinary tract infection and was being treated with antibiotics at the Vatican, his spokesman said. The latest health setback for the 84-year-old pontiff came one day after he began receiving nutrition through a feeding tube.Source.
There were reports of improvement. The Italian news agency Apcom, without citing any sources, reported that John Paul's condition was stable early today, several hours after he started receiving antibiotics. Another Italian news agency, ANSA, said the pope "seems to showing a first positive reaction" to antibiotic therapy.
Gospel for Friday Within the Octave of Easter
From: John 21:1-14
The Miraculous Draught of Fish
[1] After this Jesus revealed Himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and He revealed Himself in this way. [2] Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. [3] Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing.
[4] Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. [5] Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any fish?" They answered Him, "No." [6] He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish. [7] That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. [8] But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
[9] When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. [10] Jesus said to them, "Bring some fish that you have just caught." [11] So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. [12] Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. [13] Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. [14] This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after He was raised from the dead.
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Commentary:
1-3. There are some very significant things in this account: we find the disciples "by the Sea of Tiberias", which means they have done what the risen Christ had told them to do (cf. Matthew 28:7); they are together, which shows that there is a close fraternity among them; Peter takes the initiative, which in a way shows his authority; and they have gone back to their old jobs as fishermen, probably waiting for our Lord to give them new instructions.
This episode is reminiscent of the first miraculous draught of fish (cf. Luke 5:1-11), where our Lord promised Peter He would make him a fisher of men; now He is going to confirm his mission as visible head of the Church.
4-8. The risen Jesus goes in search of His disciples, to encourage them and tell them more about the great mission He has entrusted to them. This account describes a very moving scene, our Lord together with His own: "He passes by, close to His Apostles, close to those souls who have given themselves to Him, and they do not realize He is there. How often Christ is not only near us, but in us; yet we still live in such a human way!... They, the disciples, recall what they have heard so often from their Master's lips: fisher of men, apostles. And they realize that all things are possible, because it is He who is directing their fishing.
"Whereupon `the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord!' Love, love is farsighted. Love is the first to appreciate kindness. The adolescent Apostle, who felt a deep and firm affection for Jesus, because he loved Christ with all the purity and tenderness of a heart that had never been corrupted, exclaimed: `It is the Lord!'"
"`When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes and sprang into the sea.' Peter personifies faith. Full of marvelous daring, he leaps into the sea. With a love like John's and a faith like Peter's, what is there that can stop us?" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 265-266).
9-14. We can sense here the deep impression this appearance of the risen Jesus must have made on the Apostles, and how sweet a memory St. John kept of it. After His resurrection Jesus showed the same tenderness as characterized His public ministry. He makes use of natural things--the fire, the fish, etc.--to show that He really is there, and He maintains the familiar tone typical of when He lived with the disciples.
The Fathers and Doctors of the Church have often dwelt on the mystical meaning of this episode: the boat is the Church, whose unity is symbolized by the net which is not torn; the sea is the world, Peter in the boat stands for supreme authority of the Church, and the number of fish signifies the number of the elect (cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on St. John, in loc.").
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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, March 31, 2005
Planned Parenthood's Love of Death
Abortion Advocates Cheer Terri Schiavo Loss in Florida Senate
WASHINGTON, March 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Thursday, March 24, the director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida sent an e- mail to advocates for the abortion operation telling them how to "express your appreciation" to Florida Republican senators who split with the GOP leadership by voting against a bill intended to save Terri Schiavo. The message listed the names and contact information for the six senators.More from LifeSiteNews...
"Apparently Planned Parenthood isn't content with killing 244,628 innocent children in the last year through abortion. Now the harmful organization is telling its advocates how to thank elected officials for voting against a measure aimed at saving the life of Terri Schiavo," said David Bereit, national director of American Life League's STOPP International.
American Life League Release here.
Homily of Fr. Euteneuer on 3/29/05
Realplayer Homily from EWTN
by Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer
Date Produced: 3/29/2005
To Listen
To Download
Fr. Euteneuer tells us that Bishop Lynch forbade the priests in the diocese from going to and assisting the family. The question of 'where are the diocesan priests?' has been answered - I was not aware that there was a prohibition - Shameful!
Plus a Statement By Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, HLI President, About Terri Schiavo
Pope's Condition Stabilizing: Vatican Priest
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul's condition is stabilizing following medication for a high fever and urinaryinfection, a Polish priest who works at the Vatican said onFriday.Source.
"The Pope's health is stabilizing," said Father Konrad Hejmo, who is in charge of Polish pilgrims to the Vatican and has close ties to the Pontiff's inner circle.
Fr. Pavone:Terri Schiavo Responsive Til Death, Prayed With Family
Pinellas Park, FL (LifeNews.com) -- A leading Catholic priest who visited Terri Schiavo on two separate occasions in the hours before her death says Terri was in a weakened medical condition from 13 days of starvation but was responsive until her death. The disabled woman even prayed with her family.Source.
"Terri didn't die today from anything except the fact that her food and water were withheld for the last two weeks," he said. "She had no other underlying illness whatsoever. This is a case of throwing away a disabled person
"And we have to ask ourselves, has our nation now begun to go down the road of killing those who are disabled, simply because somebody says that they want to be killed," Pavone concluded.
Pope Has High Fever From Urinary Infection
VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II developed a high fever Thursday because of a urinary tract infection, his spokesman said. The development came one day after the 84-year-old pontiff began receiving nutrition through a feeding tube.Prayers for the Holy Father today!
"The Holy Father today was struck by a high-fever caused by a confirmed infection of the urinary tract," spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls told The Associated Press by telephone.
Earlier, the Italian news agencies Apcom and ANSA said the pope had suffered an alarming drop in blood pressure Thursday evening.
Source.
A Family in Agony as We Pray for Them
Bob Schindler, father of Terri Schiavo, embraces his wife Mary as they leave the Woodside Hospice after Schiavo died in Pinellas Park, Florida, March 31, 2005.
Mary Schindler is ushered from Woodside hospice moments after her severely brain-damaged daughter Terri Schiavo died
Bobby Schindler (R), brother of Terri Schiavo, and his sister Suzanne leave the Woodside Hospice after Schiavo died in Pinellas Park, Florida, March 31, 2005.
Terri Schiavo's brother Bobby Schindler, right, and sister Suzanne Vitadamo leave the Woodside Hospice after visiting their sister with Father Frank Pavano Thursday morning...Minutes before she was to die.
Terri Schiavo's parents Mary, left, and Bob Schindler, back right, are escorted by Mary's brother Mike Tammarro, center, after arriving at the Woodside Hospice after Terri died Thursday morning
Terri Schiavo's father Bob Schindler, left, is escorted into the Woodside Hospice by Brother Paul O'Donnell after Terri had passed away Thursday morning
I pray that Terri and her family's courageous love this during dark, evil period in our history will open the minds and hearts of people around the world. Their sorrow and pain must be extraordinarily burdensome to have witnessed their beloved brutally tortured at the hands of the state in the what must be the longest public execution in our history. May God give them strength in their grief.
Source.
Vatican Cardinal Condemns Schiavo Death
ROME - A Vatican cardinal denounced the death Thursday of Terri Schiavo, saying removing the feeding tube that was keeping her alive was "an attack against God."Source.
Portuguese Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, head of the Vatican's office for sainthood, told reporters that "an attack against life is an attack against God, who is the author of life."
The prolonged interruption in her feeding ... is shaping up as an unjust death sentence to an innocent, in one of the most inhumane and cruel forms — that of death from hunger and thirst," Renato Martino, who heads the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, told Vatican Radio earlier in the day, before her death was announced.
"The dutiful and unavoidable respect for a human being should impose that ... what would practically and without euphemism be murder — to which it is impossible to stand by inert without becoming an accomplice — be avoided," he said. (emphasis added)
Press Release-Culture of Life Foundation
PRESS RELEASE
STATEMENT OF THE CULTURE OF LIFE FOUNDATION
ON THE PASSING OF TERRI SCHIAVO
Contact: Mark Adams, 202-289-2500
"Almost all of America mourns the passing of Terri Schiavo who this day has gone to God. We say "almost all of America" because we know there are some who seemed to eagerly await and even hasten her painful death. Terri Schiavo never made her wishes clear, that she would want her feeding tube removed in this type of situation, yet an out-of-control state judge and an unfeeling husband decided that she should starve to death. This is a dark day for all of America."
---Austin Ruse, President, Culture of Life Foundation.
"Among those of religious conviction Christians and Jews will correctly see the death of Terry Schiavo as yet another instance of social failure. The minimum requirements of a good society, a society characterized by good governance and fellow feeling, include primarily care for the weak and vulnerable. Our society failed to protect Terri Schiavo. By allowing her, indeed causing her to starve to death, we showed again that our society privileges abstractions like the "right to die" over human beings. At some point, a society that increasingly opts for death over life may find itself, in the coarse language applied to Terri Schiavo, in a "permanent vegetative state."
---Dr. Joseph Capizzi, Fellow in Religion and Ethics, Culture of Life Foundation, Associate Professor of Theology, Catholic University of America.
The Culture of Life Foundation is a Washington DC-based research institute dedicated to the gathering and dissemination of the facts and science related to the culture of life broadly understood.
Culture of Life Foundation
1413 K Street, NW
Suite 1000
Washington DC 20005
202-289-2500
Terri Schindler Schiavo Execution is Completed
May God rest her soul!
Terri Schiavo died Thursday morning around 10 a.m. EST after her parents had plead with her husband Michael Schiavo to allow them to be at their brain-damaged daughter's bedside in her final hours, a spokesman for the family said.Of course, in one final act of cruelty toward the Schindlers, they were not allowed to be with her when she died. What evil is in this man's heart?
Brother Paul O'Donnell, a spokesman for Bob and Mary Schindler, Schiavo's parents, said the couple was with their daughter's body and praying.
May God have mercy on those who murdered her and on those who could have stopped it but chose not to.
Bishop Peter Jugis Issues Liturgical Norms for Diocese of Charlotte
Some examples:
All parish churches and chapels are to have kneelers so that the faithful might kneel for both the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy and private devotion.What? No "Danced Prayer" (Liturgical dance)?
The words of prayers, responses and readings are to be utilized as they appear in the approved Mass texts. For example, The Nicene Creed, the response at the Orate fratres, and the preface dialogue, and other Mass texts are not to be altered. No foreign elements are to be introduced into the liturgy other than those that are called for by the liturgical norms, e.g. liturgical dance.
See his Decree of Promulgation here.
Mel Gibson on the Torture of Terri Schiavo
"It's just completely wrong to deprive this poor woman of food and water," Gibson said on Sean Hannity's national radio show yesterday. "It's a prolonged and cruel execution."I taped the interviewed and watched part of it. Are those of us who see this for what it is simply deluded or blind? Are we out of step with the apparent majority of people who do not seem to care?
"I'm appalled and stunned that we've gotten to this," Gibson said. "I just sit here watching this whole scenario play out in front of me with my mouth hanging wide open, that our country has come to this. I think it's really a dark, black day. And I think that this final appeal – it's too little too late. It's an attempt [by] the powers that be to sort of really just cover their a-- later on so they can say we tried, but in fact, they're not trying real hard. ...
"What happened to just being a human being, you know? It's nothing more than state-sanctioned murder. All the big guys, they all have their hands tied up by some tinhorn judge down there. Come on, when they want to whip a judge, they got no problem doing that. Look what they did to [Ten Commandments proponent Roy Moore] in a heartbeat. So they can do it if they want. They just don't want to."
"It hasn't had a fair going-over yet, so to just go right to this crucifixion of this woman ... even a dog has more rights. You do this to an animal, they'll lock you up, but this is a human being we're doing this to."
"It's a precedent that they set," he said. "We may be able to save a few Social Security dollars later on down the track simply by pulling the plug on the infirmed or the disabled or the aged. It's the inevitability of gradualism. ... There is an agenda, and people say 'Well, they can't all be in it together,' but there's no other way to explain this behavior."
Source.
Another source here.
A Catechetical Moment...#2276
Catechism # 2276: Those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible.
Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded.
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ADDRESS OF POPE JOHN PAUL II TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON "LIFE-SUSTAINING TREATMENTS AND VEGETATIVE STATE: SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES AND ETHICAL DILEMMAS"
The sick person in a vegetative state, awaiting recovery or a natural end, still has the right to basic health care (nutrition, hydration, cleanliness, warmth, etc.), and to the prevention of complications related to his confinement to bed. He also has the right to appropriate rehabilitative care and to be monitored for clinical signs of eventual recovery.
I should like particularly to underline how the administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act. Its use, furthermore, should be considered, in principle, ordinary and proportionate, and as such morally obligatory, insofar as and until it is seen to have attained its proper finality, which in the present case consists in providing nourishment to the patient and alleviation of his suffering.
The obligation to provide the "normal care due to the sick in such cases" (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Iura et Bona, p. IV) includes, in fact, the use of nutrition and hydration (cf. Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", Dans le Cadre, 2, 4, 4; Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, Charter of Health Care Workers, n. 120). The evaluation of probabilities, founded on waning hopes for recovery when the vegetative state is prolonged beyond a year, cannot ethically justify the cessation or interruption of minimal care for the patient, including nutrition and hydration. Death by starvation or dehydration is, in fact, the only possible outcome as a result of their withdrawal. In this sense it ends up becoming, if done knowingly and willingly, true and proper euthanasia by omission.
In this regard, I recall what I wrote in the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae, making it clear that "by euthanasia in the true and proper sense must be understood an action or omission which by its very nature and intention brings about death, with the purpose of eliminating all pain"; such an act is always "a serious violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person" (n. 65).
How the Right Has It All Wrong About Terri
We can all rest easy. Clearly the judges have everything under control, including who finally is worthy of a right to life. Now that they have successfully protected and preserved our right to die, we can rest assured that they will tend to all our other rights with equal vigor.Continued here...
It was close there for a while, with some judges taking almost 24 hours to decide to defend our right to be starved and dehydrated to death once we have lost our usefulness to society. But in the end, they all stood tall, even in the face of enormous pressure from the governor of Florida, the state legislatureand, US congress, the President and even the American people.
At last count, they had arrested and jailed 47 hardened criminals who shamefully attempted on numerous occasions to derail a woman’s right to die, by sneaking her a glass of life sustaining water. It turns out the secularists were right: we can trust in men and man’s laws to preserve and protect our way of life--at least when it comes to death.
Have We Become Slaves of Sin and Falsehoods?
For nearly two weeks, America has witnessed terrorism within its own borders, inflicted and sustained by those charged with protecting us from such acts - the deliberate and willful dehydration and starvation of one of its own citizens. But Terri is more than just a citizen. Let us not forget, that the Sacrament of Baptism unites us with each other with a greater bond than that which we have with our own biological families. In this regard, we can truly call one another "brother" and "sister".
Our country, in the deliberate act of murdering our sister in Christ, has abandoned its responsibilities.
Pope John Paul II, during his visit to St. Louis in 1999, reminded us:
At the end of this century at once marked by unprecedented progress and by a tragic toll of human suffering radical changes in world politics leave America with a heightened responsibility to be for the world an example of a genuinely free, democratic, just and humane society.We have failed miserably in this responsibility.
How is it possible for our once great country to be an example of a free, just and humane society when we, and the whole world, have watched the protracted and horrific government sanctioned execution of a disabled woman for days on end. We are setting an example which is diametrically opposed to that called for by the Holy Father. It is opposed the the natural law, and most importantly, it is opposed to God's law. Tyrants have usurped that which belongs to God alone!
Our example to the entire world is that we are not a free society, nor a just society, and certainly, not an humane society. No pious platitudes to the contrary can ever justify the taking of this woman's life or the denial of her right to life.
When the "law" mandates that an innocent person must be murdered by dehydration and starvation, and the "law" furthers declares that it is a crime for one to interfere with that "death sentence" by trying to provide water or nourishment, it is a clear indication that the "law" is an act of tyranny and no "law" at all. This tyranny is made worse when government leaders give credence to this "law" by failing to act, by failing to take the necessary actions to protect that unjustly condemned person from the illegal mandates of the courts. They have become complicit by their inactions.
Those leaders who fail - and have failed - to take action to protect this woman appear to have washed their hands of the affair for the sake of political expediency, in a manner similar to others in history.
Pontius Pilate washes his hands.
The Holy Father furthered stated:
There is another lesson here: God has given us a moral law to guide us and protect us from falling back into the slavery of sin and falsehood.When we reject the moral law, we reject God and His mercy. Coincident with this rejection, we lose our moral compass and the protection provided by adherence to the moral law.
Having no protection, then, from immorality and the evils of the world, we begin to embrace falsehoods which lead us into slavery and darkness. Where are we headed now that, under cover of "law", the government can withhold life-giving water and food from one of its own citizens (our sister in Christ), who is free from any criminal wrongdoing, and who happens to be mentally impaired. Indeed, it looks as if we are now enslaved - we have abandoned our morals and our freedom.
Pope John Paul II continues:
America first proclaimed its independence on the basis of self-evident moral truths. America will remain a beacon of freedom for the world as long as it stands by those moral truths which are the very heart of its historical experience.The converse of his words are likewise true - if America abandons the moral truth, it will no longer be a beacon of freedom. We have been making a habit of "forgetting" our historical experience and, in so doing, we do not recall the proper meanings of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". Our beacon of the light of freedom has been extingushed - yet we may be able to recover it, if we can change our course.
Finally, the Pope says:
And so America: If you want peace, work for justice. If you want justice, defend life. If you want life, embrace the truth the truth revealed by God.We do not defend life, therefore justice is denied to us on this earth. And because we do not seem to want justice, there can be no peace. We are rejecting the truth and rejecting life.
This reprehensible act of the government, this gross miscarriage of justice, leaves everyone vulnerable to the whims and desires of a few who have appropriated for themselves the power to decide who lives and dies. As we watch Terri, our precious sister in the Lord, being ruthlessly and brutally murdered in 'slow motion', so to speak, we cry out to God for mercy for her, her family, and for all who seek to be freed from the slavery now imposed by weak or corrupt leaders.
We have witnessed, in this atrocity, that which may be only the beginning of far worse things to come.
I pray that our Lord would have mercy on Terri, her family, on us and, especially, on those responsible for this criminal behavior. May He provide comfort to her and her family as they must suffer at the hands of our once great country - a country of which I am so ashamed. May You, Almighty Father, provide all of us with the strength to endure the coming trials and tribulations which are certain to befall us for such crimes. Help us to live martyrs' lives with courage and conviction. Shower your children with grace so that hardened hearts might be open to Your love.
Some of us have wept and continue to weep for Terri and her family. A watershed moment has come and many have not heeded the call for action to save her. We will be weeping for our country and for our "leaders".
Have we become slaves of sin and lies? As a nation, it appears we have. Absent any substantial change, our future has already been written in history. It's shameful that we did not heed the admonition of the Pope John Paul.
Source of the Holy Father's Address.
Gospel for Thursday Within the Octave of Easter
From: Luke 24:35-48
[35] Then they (the disciples) told what had happened on the road, and how He (Jesus) was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Jesus Appears To The Eleven And Their Companions
[36] As they were saying this, Jesus Himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!" [37] But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. [38] And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? [39] See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have." [40] And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. [41] Andwhile they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" [42] They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, [43] and He took it and ate before them.
Jesus' Last Instructions And Leave-Taking
[44] Then He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled." [45] Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, [46] and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, [47] and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. [48] You are witnesses of these things."
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Commentary:
36-43. This appearance of the risen Jesus is reported by St. Luke and St. John (cf. John 20:19-23). St. John reports the institution of the sacrament of Penance, whereas St. Luke puts the stress on the disciples' difficulty in accepting the miracle of the Resurrection, despite the angels' testimony to the women (cf. Matthew 28:5-7; Mark 16:5-7; Luke 24:4-11) and despite the witness of those who had already seen the risen Lord (cf. Matthew 28:9-10; Mark 16:9-13; Luke 24:13ff; John 20:11-18).
Jesus appears all of a sudden, when the doors are closed (cf. John 20:19), which explains their surprised reaction. St. Ambrose comments that "He penetrated their closed retreat not because His nature was incorporeal, but because He had the quality of a resurrected body" ("Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc".). "Subtility", which is one of the qualities of a glorified body, means that "the body is totally subject to the soul and ever ready to obey its wishes" "St. Pius V Catechism", I, 12, 13), with the result that it can pass through material obstacles without any difficulty.
This scene showing Christ's condescension to confirm for them the truth of His resurrection has a charm all of its own.
41-43. Although His risen body is incapable of suffering, and therefore has no need of food to nourish it, our Lord confirms His disciples' faith in His resurrection by giving them these two proofs--inviting them to touch Him and eating in their presence. "For myself, I know and believe that our Lord was in the flesh even after the Resurrection. And when He came to Peter and his companions, He said to them, `Here, feel Me and see that I am not a bodiless ghost.' They touched Him and believed, and were convinced that He was flesh and spirit [...]. Moreover, after the Resurrection, He ate and drank with them like a man of flesh and blood, though spiritually one with the Father" (St. Ignatius of Antioch, "Letter to the Christians at Smyrna", III, 1-3).
44-49. St. Matthew stresses that the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in Christ, because His immediate audience were Jews, who would accept this as proof that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. St. Luke does not usually argue along these lines because He is writing for Gentiles; however, in this epilogue he does report, in a summarized way, Christ's statement to the effect that everything foretold about Him had come true. By doing so He shows the unity of Old and New Testaments and that Jesus is truly the Messiah.
46. From St. Luke's account we have seen how slow the Apostles were to grasp Jesus' prophecy of His death and resurrection (cf. 9:45; 18:34). Now that the prophecy is fulfilled Jesus reminds them that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead (cf. Acts 2:1-4).
The Cross is a mystery, in our own life as well as in Christ's: "Jesus suffers to carry out the will of the Father. And you, who also want to carry out the most holy Will of God, following the steps of the Master, can you complain if you meet suffering on your way?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 213).
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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, March 30, 2005
Unworthy Reception of Communion: Christ's Greatest Suffering
Severity of Scandal of Pro-Abortion Politicians and Communion Highlighted by Top Vatican Cardinal
"How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him! …His betrayal by his disciples, their unworthy reception of his Body and Blood, is certainly the greatest suffering endured by the Redeemer; it pierces his heart." In the prayer that follows, [Cardinal] Ratzinger talks about the 'fall of the Church' and includes what can only be described as a desperate plea, "Have mercy on your Church… Save and sanctify your Church. Save and sanctify us all."Have mercy on your Church… Save and sanctify your Church. Save and sanctify us all.
That bears repeating...daily if not more often!
LifeSiteNews Article.
In Canada, Religious Freedom Under Attack
Human Rights Complaint Filed Against Catholic Bishop for Defense of Traditional Marriage
CALGARY, March 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A supporter of same-sex marriage is using the human rights process to take away Bishop Frederick Henry's right to freedom of religion and free speech. Despite the Catholic Church's established role in preparing men and women for marriage and conducting religious marriage ceremonies between men and women, it appears that supporters of same-sex marriage do not want religious leaders to be part of the debate on this issue.More on this here.
We must pray always. Luke 18:1-8
1 And he spoke also a parable to them, that we ought always to pray, and not to faint, 2 Saying: There was a judge in a certain city, who feared not God, nor regarded man.
3 And there was a certain widow in that city, and she came to him, saying: Avenge me of my adversary.
4 And he would not for a long time. But afterwards he said within himself: Although I fear not God, nor regard man,
5 Yet because this widow is troublesome to me, I will avenge her, lest continually coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said: Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7 And will not God revenge his elect who cry to him day and night: and will he have patience in their regard?
8 I say to you, that he will quickly revenge them. But yet the Son of man, when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth?
*****
[3 "Avenge"... That is, do me justice. It is a Hebraism.]
Federal Appeals Court Again Refuses to Intervene
Breakiing news here.
One must wonder why the court even went through this exercise last night - are all of these people possessed?
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - With time running out for Terri Schiavo, a federal appeals court Wednesday rejected her parents' latest attempt to get the brain-damaged woman's feeding tube reconnected.The law, indeed, is an ass!
The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to consider an emergency bid by Bob and Mary Schindler for a new hearing in their case, raising a flicker of hope for the parents after a series of setbacks in the case. But the court rejected the request 15 hours later.
Three times last week, the court also ruled against the Schindlers.
"Any further action by our court or the district court would be improper," Judge Stanley F. Birch Jr. wrote. "While the members of her family and the members of Congress have acted in a way that is both fervent and sincere, the time has come for dispassionate discharge of duty."
To be granted, the parents' request would have needed the support of seven of the court's 12 judges. The court did not disclose the vote breakdown.
Source.
Not too late to save Terri, says her father
PINELLAS PARK, United States (AFP) - Terri Schiavo's father said it was not too late to save his severely brain-damaged daughter's life 13 days after her feeding tube was removed.My heart cries out for Terri and her family - May Almighty God, our Father in heaven, in His infinite Mercy and Wisdom, protect Terri from all harm and rescue her from the hands of those who are torturing her and trying to murder her.
"Terri is still with us," Bob Schindler told reporters. "Under the circumstances she looks darned good, surprisingly good."
"She's still fighting and we're still going to fight for her. We'll do whatever we can to save her and it's not too late," he said.
"I am asking that nobody throws the towel while she still is with us," Bob Schindler said.
Source.
1981 attack on Pope planned by Soviets: Report
New documents found in the files of the former East German intelligence services confirm the 1981 assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II was ordered by the Soviet KGB and assigned to Bulgarian agents, an Italian daily said on Wednesday.More here.
The Corriere della Sera said that the documents found by the German government indicated that the KGB ordered Bulgarian colleagues to carry out the killing, leaving the East German service known as the Stasi to coordinate the operation and cover up the traces afterwards.
Post Chastized for Allowing Falsehoods Against Abp Burke
Frankly, I'm surprised the Post even printed such a letter:
Letters to the editor: Spreading falsehoodsKudos to Mr. Dunn and to all of those who have sent letters to the Post regarding its apparent support of hostility toward Archbishop Burke and the Church.
Oakville-Mehlville Journal
To the editor:
Are you not a responsible newspaper at all?
I refer to your Town Talk section of the March 16 Journal. Under the heading "Religious discord" you print what is clearly a slander against a good man. Even if an (anonymous) individual says "Archbishop Burke has managed to alienate most of the few remaining Catholics in town…..," you are at fault here for printing an obvious falsehood.
Archbishop Burke is doing exactly what he is supposed to do as the archbishop of St. Louis, and he does not kiss up (I suspect as you would have him do) to politicians or others in town who want to run things and want him to act as if he were not the Archbishop.
You should be ashamed for supporting such obvious calumny by printing the dirty little piece without comment. You know very well that "most" of the Catholics in St. Louis do support Archbishop Burke. Therefore, you are not right in any respect to lend moral support to this slanderer.
William Dunn
South St. Louis
Source for Letter.
Skipping Town Talk This Week....
It appears to be a repeat of a previous comment about riding a horse our of town...Originality on the wane.
If anyone wants to see it, it's here.
PD SoundOff for March 30...
God is watchingUmmmmm....OK.
The controversy over the St. Stanislaus Catholic Church is ridiculous. These church members have practiced their faith devoutly and taken good care of their church for over 100 years. Archbishop Burke, stop being a bully. God is watching.
Source.
Governor Faces Tricky Decision On Emergency Contraception Bill
DENVER -- Gov. Bill Owens, a Roman Catholic who has campaigned on conservative values, could face a tough choice when he decides whether to sign a bill that would force hospitals to tell rape victims about emergency contraception.More.
Denver Roman Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput has objected to the bill because it doesn't require health-care workers to tell rape victims that some medications stop a fertilized egg from being implanted, which he says amounts to abortion.
Chaput said the church does allow rape victims to takes steps to prevent ovulation when there is no risk that a fertilized egg would be affected.
Bishop to Meet with Mother of Girl with Celiac Disease
ATLANTIC CITY: The head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton has
agreed to meet with the mother of a 9-year-old girl whose first Holy
Communion was declared invalid because the wafer didn't contain
wheat, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Bishop John M. Smith has consented to a private audience with Liz
Pelly-Waldman, 31, of Brielle, who is challenging a policy requiring
communion hosts to have wheat in them.
More.
Vatican: Pope Getting Nutrition From Tube
VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II is getting nutrition from a tube in
his nose, the Vatican said Wednesday, shortly after the frail pontiff
appeared at his window in St. Peter's Square and managed only a rasp
when he tried to speak
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the step was taken to
"improve the pope's calorie intake" and so he can recover his
strength. It was unclear when the tube was inserted but it was not
visible when John Paul made his appearance.
Source.
Gospel for Wednesday Within the Octave of Easter
From: Luke 24:13-35
The Road To Emmaus
[13] That very day two of them (disciples) were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, [14] and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. [15] While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. [16] But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. [17] And He said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. [18] Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, "Are You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" [19] And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, [20] and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. [21] But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. [22] Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning [23] and did not find His body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. [24] Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see." [25] And He said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?" [27] And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
[28] So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, [29] but they constrained Him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So He went in to stay with them. [30] When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. [31] And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished out of their sight. [32] They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?" [33] And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the Eleven gathered together and those who were with them, [34] who said, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" [35] Then they told what had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
**************************
Commentary:
13-35. In the course of their conversation with Jesus, the disciples' mood changes from sadness to joy; they begin to hope again, and feel the need to share their joy with others, thus becoming heralds and witnesses of the risen Christ.
This is an episode exclusive to St. Luke, who describes it in a masterly way. It shows our Lord's zeal for souls. "As He is walking along, Christ meets two men who have nearly lost all hope. They are beginning to feel that life has no meaning for them. Christ understands their sorrow; He sees into their heart and communicates to them some of the life He carries within Himself."
"When they draw near the village, He makes as if to go on, but the two disciples stop Him and practically force Him to stay with them. They recognize Him later when He breaks the bread. The Lord, they exclaimed, has been with us! `And they said to each other: "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?"' (Luke 24:32). Every Christian should make Christ present among men. He ought to act in such a way that those who know Him sense `the aroma of Christ' (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:15). Men should be able to recognize the Master in His disciples" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 105).
13-27. Jesus' conversation with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus gives us a very good idea of the disillusionment felt by His disciples after His apparent total failure. Cleopas' words summarize Christ's life and mission (verse 19), His passion and death (verse 20), the despair felt by His disciples (verse 21), and the events of that Sunday morning (verse 22).
Earlier, Jesus had said to the Jews: "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to Me" (John 5:39). In saying this He indicated the best way for us to get to know Him. Pope Paul VI points out that today also frequent reading of and devotion to Holy Scripture is a clear inspiration of the Holy Spirit: "The progress made in biblical studies, the increasing dissemination of the Sacred Scriptures, and above all the example of tradition and the interior action of the Holy Spirit are tending to cause the modern Christian to use the Bible ever increasingly as the basic prayerbook and to draw from it genuine inspiration and unsurpassable examples" ([Pope] Paul VI, "Marialis Cultus", 30).
Because the disciples are so downhearted, Jesus patiently opens for them the meaning of all the Scriptural passages concerning the Messiah. "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?": with these words He disabuses them of the notion of an earthly and political Messiah and shows them that Christ's mission is a supernatural one--to save all mankind.
Sacred Scripture contained the prophecy that God would bring about salvation through the redemptive passion and death of the Messiah. The Cross does not mean failure: it is the route chosen by God for Christ to achieve definitive victory over sin and death (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Many of our Lord's contemporaries failed to understand His supernatural mission because they misinterpreted the Old Testament texts. No one knew the meaning of Sacred Scripture like Jesus. And, after Him, only the Church has the mission and responsibility of conserving Scripture and interpreting it correctly: "All that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 12).
28-35. The Master's presence and words restore the disciples' spirits and give them new and lasting hope. "There were two disciples on their way to Emmaus. They were walking along at a normal pace, like so many other travelers on that road. And there, without any fuss, Jesus appears to them, and walks with them, His conversation helping to alleviate their tiredness. I can well imagine the scene, just as dusk is falling. A gentle breeze is blowing. All around are fields ripe with wheat, and venerable olive trees, their branches shimmering in the soft glowing light.
"Jesus joins them as they go along their way. Lord, how great you are, in everything! But You move me even more when You come down to our level, to follow us and to seek us in the hustle and bustle of each day. Lord, grant us a childlike spirit, pure eyes and a clear mind so that we may recognize You when You come without any outward sign of Your glory.
"The journey ends when they reach the village. The two disciples who, without realizing it, have been deeply stirred by the words and love shown by God made man, are sorry to see Him leaving. For Jesus `appeared to be going further' (Luke 24:28). This Lord of ours never forces Himself on us. He wants us to turn to Him freely, when we begin to grasp the purity of His Love which He has placed in our souls. We have to hold Him back (`they constrained Him') and beg Him: `Stay with us, for it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent' (Luke 24:29).
"That's just like us - always short on daring, perhaps because we are insincere, or because we feel embarrassed. Deep down, what we are really thinking is: `Stay with us, because our souls are shrouded in darkness and You alone are the light. You alone can satisfy this longing that consumes us.' For `we know full well which among all things fair and honorable is the best - to possess God for ever' (St. Gregory Nazianzen, "Epistulae", 212).
"And Jesus stays. Our eyes are opened, as were those of Cleopas and his companion, when Christ breaks the bread; and, though He vanishes once more from sight, we too will find strength to start out once more - though night is falling - to tell the others about Him, because so much joy cannot be kept in one heart alone.
"The road to Emmaus - our God has filled this name with sweetness. Now the entire world has become an Emmaus, for the Lord has opened up all the divine paths of the earth" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 313f).
32. If you were an apostle, these words of the disciples of Emmaus should rise spontaneously to the lips of your professional companions when they meet you along the way of their lives" ("The Way", 917).
33-35. The disciples now feel the need to return to Jerusalem immediately; there they find the Apostles and some other disciples gathered together with Peter, to whom Jesus has appeared.
In sacred history, Jerusalem was the place where God chose to be praised in a very special way and where the prophets carried out their main ministry. God willed that Christ should suffer, die and rise again in Jerusalem, and from there the Kingdom of God begins to spread (cf. Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8). In the New Testament the Church of Christ is described as "the Jerusalem above" (Galatians 4:26), "the Heavenly Jerusalem" (Hebrews 12:22) and the "new Jerusalem" (Revelation 21:2).
The Church began in the Holy City. Later on, St. Peter, not without a special intervention of Providence, moved to Rome, thereby making that city the center of the Church. Just as Peter strengthened these first disciples in the faith, so too Christians of all generations have recourse to the See of Peter to strengthen their faith and thereby build up the unity of the Church: "Take away the Pope and the Catholic Church would no longer be catholic. Moreover, without the supreme, effective and authoritative pastoral office of Peter the unity of Christ's Church would collapse. It would be vain to look for other principles of unity in place of the true one established by Christ Himself [...]. We would add that this cardinal principle of holy Church is not a supremacy of spiritual pride and a desire to dominate mankind, but a primacy of service, ministration and love. It is no vapid rhetoric which confers on Christ's vicar the title: `Servant of the servants of God'" ([Pope] Paul VI, "Ecclesiam Suam", 83).
******************
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, March 29, 2005
|More Judicial Lunacy...
US state supreme court blocks execution because jurors consulted bible
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The supreme court of the western US state of Colorado has quashed a death sentence handed down to a convicted murderer and rapist after jurors consulted the Bible in reaching their verdict.I'm surprised the court would admit that a "higher authority" even exists...
The court on Monday ruled that the Bible, which includes the ancient premise of "eye for an eye" justice, constituted an improper outside influence and a reliance on what the judges called a "higher authority."
Source
The Anonymous Priest at St Stanislaus at Easter
Here is a thumbnail jpg...
And here is the complete picture (in a PDF):
RentaPriestatStStanislaus.pdf
Does anyone have more...
Thanks to [you know who] for sending this in.
Send a Message of Love/Hope to Terri's Family
March 28, 2005Thought I would pass this on...
Dear Friends,
The Terri Schiavo situation has brought a sad awareness to many of our fellow citizens about how heartless the culture of death is. Please be assured that no matter what happens in the next few days, we as a people of life will stand together and will, in God's strength, turn back this tide of evil and destruction. Many negotiations are still going on behind the scenes, and Priests for Life is doing everything possible. Moreover, we are in discussion with other leaders about plans for legislation that will prevent this kind of disaster from ever happening again, not only by directly protecting the vulnerable, but also by limiting the power of the courts.
Meanwhile, I would like to deliver your messages and good wishes in person to Terri's parents Bob and Mary, to her brother Bobby, and to her sister Suzanne. If you want to send them a greeting or a promise of prayers, just email Terri@priestsforlife.org, and I will hand-deliver them every greeting you send.
On other matters, there is a new online poll on our web page www.priestsforlife.org. The question for April is, "Should the United States Congress exercise veto power over Supreme Court decisions?" As always, your opinion is welcome. And while you're there, stop in to see our products at www.priestsforlife.org/products
God bless you! Fr. Frank Pavone
Press Misrepresents Catholic Teaching on End of Life Issues
An email update from Austin Ruse:
The media, in their usual cahoots with liberal theologians, are advancing the idea that the Catholic tradition would allow for Terri Schiavo to be starved to death. Two theologians spoke with Culture and Cosmos to set the record straight.
The prominence of the Terri Schiavo case has brought unprecedented media attention to the Catholic Church's teaching on end-of-life issues. But media portrayals of Church teaching are often inaccurate and misleading, according to two prominent Catholic ethicists.For those who are interested, Fr Richard McBrien was on Fox News last night - and wearing a Roman collar. Some think he was inpersonating a priest.
Father Thomas Williams, dean of the theology department of Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University, and Richard Doerflinger, Deputy Director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, both said the Church makes a distinction between ordinary and extraordinary care. The first is always required while the second is not. "The Church teaches that we have a moral obligation to support life," Doerflinger said. "That obligation has limits. People talk about ordinary and extraordinary means. That just means that when the efforts to sustain life start doing more harm than good to the patient the moral obligation ceases to apply. Even then you should never abandon a patient and never deny them the basic care owed to everyone because of their human dignity."
Father Williams quotes from Pope John Paul II's 1995 encyclical, The Gospel of Life, when trying to define extraordinary means. "The Pope uses two sets of terms. For treatment to be considered extraordinary death must be 'imminent and inevitable' and the treatment would result in 'precarious and burdensome prolongation of life.'" An example might be a cancer victim who, after several rounds of treatment, has found chemotherapy to be ineffective and foregoes the treatment in order to avoid its side effects.
Father Williams and Doerflinger said that in some instances it can be extremely difficult to determine the difference between extraordinary and ordinary care and that in such instances people must follow their conscience. But both men said the Schiavo case is clear cut. "From a Catholic perspective, this is an open and shut case," Father Williams said. According to Doerflinger, "food and water should always be seen as basic care," a teaching made abundantly clear in an address by Pope John Paul II in March, 2004, he said.
A recent article in the Washington Post, "Catholic Stance on Tube-Feeding Is Evolving," tried to paint the papal pronouncement, that food and water are basic care, as contrary to the Catholic tradition. The article placed great stock in the teachings of two Spanish theologians of the 16th century, Francisco de Vitoria and Domingo Banez, as proof that the Pope has formulated a novel teaching. Banez "wrote that a sick man could refuse food without risk of committing a mortal sin if he had no hope of survival," the Post reported, and Vitora established "the guideline that 'ordinary' means of medical treatment were obligatory, but 'extraordinary' means - methods that would cause great pain or burdens - were not required."
Father Williams, says the two Spaniards are actually consistent with the teaching the Pope John Paul. "What they said does not mean that one can refuse to consume food for any length of time or refuse food that would save one's life. What they mean is that if you are dying and the food would make you sick to your stomach or you would die anyway, you can refuse the food." But even if Vitoria or Banez were at odds with the Pope, it would not mean that the Pope has made up a new teaching. "The fact is that you can find theologians on any point - even the most settled of moral doctrines like abortion, euthanasia, contraception - who disagree. That does not mean there is doubt or division or that there is not a Catholic position. The Church doesn't work that way. That's why we have a magisterium." Doerflinger, who was interviewed for the Post story, said the article failed to bring up the many statements calling food and water basic care that preceded the Pope's address. "Up until then it had not just been 'conservative' theologians versus 'liberal' theologians. There had been a number of Vatican documents. And there had been statements by the Pro-Life Committee of the US Bishops Conference that is chaired and run by cardinals and archbishops. "
Copyright 2005---Culture of Life Foundation. Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.
Culture of Life Foundation
1413 K Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington DC 20005
Phone: (202) 289-2500 Fax: (202) 289-2502
E-mail: clf@culture-of-life.org
Website: http://www.culture-of-life.org
Before reading further, grab or make a tinfoil hat first...to protect against brain damaging waves.
He claimed that the Terri Schiavo case is not a case of euthanasia because the feeding tube "wasn't removed with the intent of killing her."
Coalition Asks Gov. Bush Priorities: Governorship or Terri's Life
PINELLAS PARK, Fla., March 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Paul Schenck, L.H.D., has issued the following statement on behalf of the 11th Hour Coalition to Save Terri Schiavo's Life:Since last Thursday, I have sent 4 faxes, called twice, and sent 3 or 4 emails...
"It is unconscionable that Gov. Bush has not taken executive action to save the life of Terri Schiavo, an innocent woman being brutally murdered in a manner not witnessed publicly since the Nazis in World War II. Frankly, we are baffled by the governor's recent assertion to the Associated Press that, '(he has) not seen any means by which the executive branch can get involved.'
"This is particularly confusing given the contents of a letter sent to the governor by the Thomas More Law Center at his request. In response to Gov. Bush's query of the law center as to whether he had the executive authority to take Terri Schiavo into protective custody, the Thomas More Law Center stated, '...we conclude that you do have that authority. As the Governor of the State of Florida, you are vested with the supreme executive power.' The letter goes on to detail, statute by statute, how and why Gov. Bush can and should take custody of Terri Schiavo. The response concludes, '...you should take immediate custody of Ms. Schiavo, provide for her life support needs, including food and hydration, and medical care, (and) direct the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to conduct a full investigation of the facts and circumstances of this case...'
"Given this compelling information, Gov. Bush's claim seems disingenuous. He is the chief executive officer of the Florida state government, and therefore does not need the permission of the judiciary-especially one so blatantly out of control-or of the legislative branch to protect the innocent life of a citizen. Are we really to believe that the governor can commute the death sentence of a hardened criminal, but cannot stop the dehydration and starvation of a disabled American?
"We all appreciate the work that Gov. Bush has done to this point to help Terri, but this is not a situation when half measures or political maneuvers will suffice. This is literally a matter of life and death, and the governor has the power and authority to defend life.
"In the end, the governor is faced with this question: Would he prefer to maintain his power as governor at the expense of an innocent woman's life, or is he willing to ascend to the highest level of leadership, integrity and courage by saving Terri's life no matter what the personal consequence?"
COALITION MEMBERSHIP: Dr. Paul Schenck, National Pro-Life Action Center on Capitol Hill; Stephen G. Peroutka, Esq., Face the Truth TV & Radio; Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, Human Life International; Joe Scheidler, Pro-Life Action League; Michael A. Peroutka, Esq., Institute on the Constitution; Rev. Greg Cox, Faith and Action; Chris Slattery, The Evergreen Association, Inc.; Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life; Rev. Stephen Cox, Gospel of Life Ministries; Rev. John Vandenberge, National Clergy Council; Pat Monaghan, Catholics United for Life.
Source.
Pope Looks Set to Return to Hospital
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul will probably have to return to hospital in the coming days for medical checks amid fears that his health is worse than the Vatican is admitting, an Italian newspaper said on Tuesday.More.
There was no immediate comment from the Vatican.
In an unsourced report, influential daily Corriere della Sera said doctors at Rome's Gemelli hospital wanted to check a tube that was inserted into the Pope's windpipe last month to help him breathe.
Unbelievable.....
From "Off the Record" at Catholic World News
The good shepherdSince this a test, I'm not going to help with the answers...
Good morning, class.
Today we're having a short quiz, covering geography and current events. There are just three questions.
1. Is there anywhere on the face of the earth that is further from St. Petersburg, Florida, than Indonesia?
2. Where is Bishop Robert Lynch, of St. Petersburg, right now?
3. Is there anything happening in the St. Petersburg diocese that would require the bishop's attention-- or, perhaps, make him want to be far, far away?
Link
Apr 4 - Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete at SLU
***** CANCELLED ******
I received an email about an upcoming talk at St. Louis University.
Here are the details:
The St. Edmund Campion Society at Saint Louis University is a Catholic apologetic group. It's a great inspiration to see things like this happening at SLU.Attraction to Infinity:
A Discussion about Faith and Science
Monday, April 4th; 7:00p.m.
Knights Room; Pius Memorial Library
Saint Louis University
Sponsored by:
The Knights of Columbus and
The St. Edmund Campion Society
Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete is the National Spiritual Advisor to the Pontifical Ecclesial movement, Communion and Liberation. He is a columnist for the New York Times, best selling author of God at the Ritz, former University president and professor, advisor on Hispanic Affairs to the US National Council of Bishops, and acclaimed speaker on issues of faith, reason and science in contemporary society. Monsignor Albacete holds degrees in Space Science, Applied Physics, and Sacred Theology.
A special Hat Tip to Tim Pawl who is the leader of the St. Edmund Campion Society at SLU and who forwarded this to me.
A Ghoulish Interview
The Post Dispatch prints a story from the New York Times which is, primarily, an interview with George Felos, the pro-euthanasia attorney complicit in the Terri Schindler/Shiavo murder.
For those who may have missed it, Felos, at a press conference last Saturday, stated:
"She is calm, she is peaceful, she is resting comfortably. ... Her lips are not chapped, they're not bleeding. Her skin's not peeling. Frankly when I saw her ... she looked beautiful. In all the years I've seen Mrs. Schiavo, I've never seen such a look of peace and beauty upon her."This deceitful description was given while other eyewitnesses described her as "gaunt," "drawn," "struggling" and "fighting like hell" for life, as if she lived in a concentration camp.
We can only hope that the autopsy, should one be needed, lead us to the truth and not to some predetermined conclusions already fabricated by those engaged in this attempted gruesome murder.
Article here.
Maureen Dowd, The Da Vinci Code, & The Vatican
THE DA VINCI CODE: Vatican should cool down and read to the end of the book
Now that "The Da Vinci Code," the two-year-old thriller by Dan Brown, is a publishing miracle - with 25 million copies sold in 44 languages, a cascade of other books inspired by the novel and a movie with Tom Hanks set to start filming this spring - it's a little late for Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone to intone on a Vatican radio broadcast: "Don't read and don't buy 'The Da Vinci Code.' "More tripe here
...
The church refuses to allow women to be ordained as priests because there were no female apostles. So if Mary Magdalene was a Madonna rather than a whore, the church loses its fig leaf of justification for male domination and exclusion.
Responses to Bouchard's Confusions
Food and water are ordinary careFrom today's Post-Dispatch Letters section
Although there are points I could agree with in the March 24 commentary by Father Charles E. Bouchard on Terri Schiavo, his use of the phrase "medical intervention" jumped out at me.
Food and water are not "medical intervention," as respirators, fancy drugs and other mechanical appliances might be. Food and water - at least for the non-dying patient - fall into the same category as Schiavo's bed and the roof over her head, clean sheets and bed baths. These we call comfort care.
When was the last time readers of this newspaper thought of food and water for their own bodies as "medical intervention"?
Contrary to what Bouchard is implying, the Roman Catholic Church in fact teaches that food and water are part of "ordinary" (as opposed to "extraordinary") care, which should be given all non-dying patients.
Jocelyn Johnson, Hospice R.N.
Hillsboro
**********************
In his March 24 commentary, Father Charles Bouchard asked whether it was possible that removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube is euthanasia. He did not mention that Pope John Paul II gave an important speech last year on nutrition and hydration of persons in a "vegetative state." The pope said it was morally obligatory to administer food and water to such persons.
The pope argued: "The evaluation of probabilities, founded on waning hopes for recovery when the vegetative state is prolonged beyond a year, cannot ethically justify the cessation or interruption of minimal care for the patient, including nutrition and hydration. Death by starvation or dehydration is, in fact, the only possible outcome as a result of their withdrawal. In this sense it ends up becoming, if done knowingly and willingly, true and proper euthanasia by omission."
I also think it was unfair of Bouchard to imply that those who think we are morally obligated to give food and water to persons in the so-called "vegetative state" somehow lack hope in God's promise of eternal life or think there is nothing more than this earthly life. After all, Christians believe that how we treat the neediest among us has a great deal to do with the eternal life we hope to enjoy.
The central issue that the Schiavo case raises is whether we as a society will respect the full human dignity of those trapped in a tragic condition like hers or whether we will permit them to be euthanized because we think of them as useless, spiritually or otherwise.
Lawrence J. Welch
Professor of Systematic Theology,
Kenrick-Glennon Seminary
Shrewsbury
Combating Moral Depression
Is not everyone's spiritual life exposed, at times, to the incursions of the 'demons' of discouragement and pusillanimity? It may come upon us with the onslaught of temptations which are hard to bear and difficult to shake off. And we witness so many tragedies, of individuals or entire societies - we live in a period in which the world has been covered by dark clouds.
Nevertheless, we must carry on bravely, with steady courage, undismayed by trials, sadness, or fear. We owe this to ourselves, to our families, to our priests, to our brothers and sisters in Christ, and to all of humanity. By our example and support, perhaps we can help those who are in need of an uplifting or steadying influence.
How are we to combat effectively the danger of moral depression?
We must combat its cause, which Pope Pius XII said, in 1940, is the weakening of faith, hope, and charity. If these theological virtues are strong in us, our whole attitude will be one of great moral strength and courage, and nothing, then, would prevent us from mission and obligation as “good soldiers of Christ” (bonus miles Christi).
But for this to happen, it is necessary that the theological virtues enter into our lives. Who of us still recites those prayers – the acts of faith, hope and charity? Are these prayers even known by Catholics anymore? Perhaps, those prayers would be a good place to start - for everyone. These prayers will provide us with a firm foundation so that we can properly ask God to increase these virtues in us. And, being strengthened in these virtues, we must then live our faith, our hope, our charity.
Our FAITH must always remind us of God's supreme dominion over the world: nothing happens but what God wills or permits; He is "our Father in heaven, and we are the children of His love; His designs upon us are always designs of mercy and love, even when we do not understand them; all of the trials and sufferings in our lives are meant ultimately for our greater good as well as God's greater glory. What strength and courage these thoughts will give if we remember them when we are tempted to lose heart. Do we live in this spirit? Can we, by God's grace work toward perfecting this virtue?
Unwavering HOPE and confidence must keep our hearts on high, superior to all of the hardships and troubles of life. If we live in the remembrance of the eternal reward which is the final, assured goal of all of our efforts, and in the conviction that God's grace is always with us, equal to every task or obligation that we must face, then we shall never be unready or ill-equipped for trials or difficulties.
We should be ready to raise ourselves to these supernatural thoughts in the actual trials of daily life lest we begin to hesitate in trusting God completely and thereby falter in our confidence.
Chief of all, it is CHARITY, love of God, that provides unconquerable strength and lead us to be magnanimous, to bear trouble calmly, and display a noble generosity.
It is love which takes away the sting of trials and adversities, because it makes us embrace whole-heartedly every manifestation of God's holy will; it establishes us in the peace and serenity of complete self-abandonment; it makes us rejoice in the Cross, because love, by its very nature, seeks to suffer for the beloved.
Does divine charity have practical and logical effects in us? Is our attitude in life always an echo of our prayer, "Fiat voluntas tua sicut in coelo et in terra" (Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven)?
Does our love of God strengthen us for every trial as it did Christ for his Passion?
Do we seek to enkindle that love "in the flames springing from the Sacred Heart"?
Reflect with special care those Psalms which express faith, trust, and delight in God, such as Ps. 26, "Dominus lux mea et salus mea: quem timebo?" (The Lord is my light and salvation, Whom shall I fear?)
Adapted from "Alter Christus, Meditations for Priests" by F.X.L'Hoir, S.J.
Gospel for Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
From: John 20:11-18
The Appearance To Mary Magdalene
[11] But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; [12] and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. [13] They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." [14] Saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. [15] Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing Him to be gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." [16] Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). [17] Jesus said to her, "Do not hold Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God." [18] Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that He had said these things to her.
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Commentary:
11-18. Mary's affection and sensitivity lead her to be concerned about what has become of the dead body of Jesus. This woman out of whom seven demons were cast (cf. Luke 8:2) stayed faithful during His passion and even now her love is still ardent: our Lord had freed her from the Evil One and she responded to that grace humbly and generously.
After consoling Mary Magdalene, Jesus gives her a message for the Apostles, whom He tenderly calls His "brethren". This message implies that He and they have the same Father, though each in an essentially different way: "I am ascending to My Father"-my own Father by nature-"and to your Father"-for He is your Father through the adoption I have won for you and by My death. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, shows His great mercy and understanding by gathering together all His disciples who had abandoned Him during His passion and were now in hiding for fear of the Jews (John 20:19).
Mary Magdalene's perseverance teaches us that anyone who sincerely keeps searching for Jesus Christ will eventually find Him. Jesus' gesture in calling His disciples His "brethren" despite their having run away should fill us with love in the midst of our own infidelities.
15. From Jesus' dialogue with Mary Magdalene, we can see the frame of mind all His disciples must have been in: they were not expecting the resurrection.
17. "Do not hold Me": the use of the negative imperative in the Greek, reflected in the New Vulgate ("noli me tenere") indicates that our Lord is telling Mary to release her hold of Him, to let Him go, since she will have another chance to see Him before His ascension into Heaven.
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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, March 28, 2005
CAUSE OF DEATH [Robert P. George ]
As the end nears for Terri Schiavo, one question remains: What will officials record on her death certificate as the cause of death? The truth is that the cause of her death will be malnutrition and/or dehydration. But will officials tell the truth? Or will they sugar coat it with euphemisms, or even record as the cause of death something that did not cause her death, such as brain damage resulting from a loss of oxygen? Scholars studying the practice of euthanasia in the Netherlands noticed from the beginning a tendency of some doctors to misrepresent the cause of death in the case of mercy killings (many of which, we now know, were and are performed without the consent of the person killed). Will the same thing happen here? Will truth be another victim in the Schiavo tragedy.Source
Is Fr. Bouchard a heterodox dissident vis-à-vis Terri Schiavo?
The short answer is YES! The longer answer is that his heterdoxy is not limited to this subject.
Why would the influential president of a Catholic Dominican theological institute recently teach moral theology that is markedly different than that of Pope John Paul II and the Catholic Church?Barbara Kralis has Bouchard's number alright...One might ask, how is it possible that he still dispenses his poisons here?
Father Charles E. Bouchard, O.P., president, and associate professor of moral theology at Dominican's Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis, Mo. said today:
"Is it possible that the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube is euthanasia? Yes, but it is more likely that it is the legitimate withdrawal of a medical intervention that no longer serves her spiritual or medical good."[1]
Contrary to Fr. Bouchard's deviating and unorthodox theology on this important matter, the Vatican this week has for the fourth time specifically spoken out against the withdrawal of Terri's palliative and ordinary care which is her 'nutrition and hydration,' and called such removal a "murderous act of Euthanasia."
Is Fr. Bouchard feeding his young impressionable students heterodox dissent on a daily basis? Let us see what else he has to say on this matter:
Source.
Our Slide into the Abyss of Depravity
Written Saturday & Sunday, in a spirit of melancholy - sadness and grief.
After witnessing, for nearly 10 days, the most recent descent of the United States government into the abyss of moral depravity, most especially by the failure of those in authority to do anything to stop the active, barbaric, and legally sanctioned murder of an innocent woman, can any of us not be ashamed of what this country has become?
First, we, as a nation, murder our unborn because they are an inconvenience - a hindrance in our continued pursuit of self-idolatry. Then we allow those babies who are nearly free from the confines of the womb and the birth canal to be murdered in a grisly and macabre manner known as partial birth abortion. And we have 'progressed' to that point where, after having been fortunate enough to survive the holocaust of abortion, all others who are deemed inconvenient or lacking some subjective 'quality of life', can now be starved and dehydrated to death at the will of the state - all of this in the name of freedom - a "right to die", a dying with "dignity." We have embraced another most cruel and inhumane means of murder and we call it the “law” as if it were “good” and something to be cherished.
Many have been rather gloomy and teary-eyed this past week, watching this heartrending story unfold as it has. In this instance, we have faces to which we can relate. We have the faces of those who embody the goodness of God and the sanctity of His gift of life. And we have the embodiment of that which is evil, putrid and defiled. We have witnessed the work of Satan, in a very special way, right before our very eyes - carried out by some who seem to be possessed by the demons.
How else can one explain the words of Michael Schiavo's attorney when he said that Terri was very "peaceful and beautiful" in her dying state - dying at the hands of the government? As I watched him and listened to his words, I felt sick to my stomach, repulsed by his grotesque distortions and his apparent fascination and glee in seeing an innocent woman dehydrate before his very eyes.
I am wondering how long it will be before those whose respirators are shut off will be deprived of access to air? I do not yet see someone actively placing a pillow or some other object over the patient's nose/mouth IF he continues to breathe on his own, but does this precedent of state sanctioned murder not permit that patient to be deprived of air if he does continue to breathe? Must that patient be placed in an air-tight chamber to fulfill the wishes of the state?
What has happened to man’s fundamental right to life and his corresponding natural right to sustain that life with water and nourishment? It is a violation of the natural law to starve anyone to death, and the positive laws of man should be a reflection of the natural law. When the “laws” of men are opposed to the natural law, we can expect nothing but tyranny and injustice, such as we have witnessed for the past 10 days. What monsters we have become.
I cannot help but fear the punishment that we rightly deserve because of the continued human sacrifices we offer on Satan's altars throughout the world.
How long will God's hand of justice be restrained? How long will He allow us to treat our fellow brothers and sisters this way? What other horrors await us after this one is accomplished?
America's leadership has been rendered impotent. I fear for my country and for my children when we are told that no one can do anything to help an innocent woman who is undergoing a tortuous death – a death that would make Joseph Mengeles proud. I fear for my country and for my children when there are police who obey illegitimate authority and grossly immoral mandates and commands and arrest those seeking to give drink to the thirsty. I fear for my country and for my children because the entire world has seen that America cannot – WILL NOT -even protect her own citizens,
We should pray that God will permit good men to rise up from among us. We should pray that God will provide wisdom and courage to those leaders who need it most. We should pray that God will have mercy on us for the horrors we continue to inflict on His children and our brothers and sisters!
While we should keep our eyes focused toward heaven, in joyous anticipation of eternal beatitude with God, we must not neglect the fact that, along the way, we will be asked to make sacrifices - for ourselves or for others. On this Easter, we should especially recognize that Easter is always preceded by Good Friday...We must be prepared to suffer and die for our Lord and for others as He did for us. He even tells us "the servant is no greater than the Master." On this glorious day of Easter, may our Lord grant us the grace to continue in prayer, reparations, and sacrifices for our sins and for the sins of others.
A Familiar Execution
EDITOR'S NOTE: While I'm certainly aware of the dangers of exaggeration, and wary of some of the implications or false conclusions that could be drawn from making parallels between the suffering of Terri Schiavo and the Passion of Our Lord, I also believe there to be a significance in the timing and details of her execution. While her personal sanctity may not be comparable to the blessed stigmatists chosen to partake in and demonstrate the sufferings of Our Lord, Terri Schiavo has been selected for a very public execution at the hands of modern Pilates in judicial robes and executive offices, who have washed their hands of her. Ironically, while the enemies of Christ have worked feverishly to eliminate any and all depictions of Our Lord's Passion, they've managed to produce an allegorical 'Passion' of sorts to an enormous audience during the holiest week of the year. As such, I consider the following thoughts worthy of reflection. —PWM
During Holy Week, Terri Schindler-Schaivo has suffered in many strikingly similar ways to Our Lord Jesus Christ:
Holy Innocents parishioners gather to celebrate, mourn
Parishioners' joy of celebrating Christ's resurrection mingled with grief over the closing of Holy Innocents Catholic Church at the last Easter Mass there Sunday.More...
In a homily that acknowledged the impending closing of the 112-year-old parish, the Rev. James P. Grady reminded his congregation of the rebirth associated with Easter.
"Even though we are destined to close in a few months, we are Easter people," Grady said. "We believe that we are transformed by the Easter sacraments.
Statement by St. Stanislaus Spokesman Richard Bach
On the radio (97.1 Talk FM) this morning, a request by Richard Bach was read by one of the commentators. It said something to the effect that those attending Mass and other services this [past] weekend at St. Stanislaus should refrain from taking pictures of the priest so as to keep his identity 'secret'. This request also pertained to certain cell phones which have video capabilities.
It's funny that we should find this out on Monday after Easter (and after, presumably, the priest has returned to his place of residence)...Sounds like the 'press release' is just a tad bit late.
Catholics Defy Church and Archbishop....
This story could be about the disobedience of some at St. Stanislaus Kostja here in St. Louis. But this is a story about other "Catholics" in Boston, who feel content it seems, to start their own church...
Hundreds of area Catholics openly defied the Vatican and the Archdiocese of Boston yesterday on the holiest day of their faith.Open rebellion caused by pride and ignorance...Apparently, these are children who have never been disciplined or properly catechized - How wonderful!
Former parishioners of Sacred Heart Church in Natick gathered in a muddy town park near the shuttered church to celebrate Easter Mass said by a priest suspended by the church for marrying.
``We are practicing our faith,'' said organizer Anne Green, who was a parishioner at Sacred Heart her whole life. ``I feel like we are the church. The hierarchy, the archdiocese, they are there to serve us, not to suppress us.''
Fourteen-year-old Brendan Melchiorri said the Mass felt as valid as any to him despite the lack of a church and an officially recognized priest.
More.
Rainbow Sash Movement & Call for Pentecost 2005
As a people of faith we witness our love for the Church. We stand opposed to homophobia at the Eucharistic table, and we make no apologies for God's gift of our sexuality.Source.
Will you join us on May 15, 2005, Pentecost Sunday, and wear the Rainbow Sash in a Parish, or a Cathedral. This is an act of faith in the Lord, who works through weakness. We call for dialogue, and justice.
Rainbow Sash Movement Responds to San Diego Bishop Robert Brom
CHICAGO, March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rainbow Sash Movement (RSM) had originally been critical of Bishop Brom's decision not to allow John McCusker's family to hold a funeral Mass at any of the parishes that make up the Diocese of San Diego. Our concern was with the lack of compassion in the Bishop's decision, and the apparent attack on John's reputation, his family, friends, and loved ones. We are glad Bishop Brom has taken to heart the wisdom of "Gaudium et spes" paragraph 16 a Vatican II document in judging John's life.More.
The RSM now stands with Bishop Brom's current pastoral position of apologizing to the McCusker family, which includes John himself, and his life partner. The Bishop must hold firm to the position that sexuality is not the basis of his decision, but compassion is. Dogma should never be used to attack individuals. When Dogma lacks any love or Charity, it becomes a falsehood. We realize there are anti gay elements in the San Diego Community that are trying to use this tragedy to promote their own anti gay agenda, this is morally wrong.
The Rainbow Sash Movement wishes to publicly send our condolences to John's life partner, family, and friends. We also wish to congratulate Bishop Brom on his current decision which is based on Gospel Values, not on bigotry.
Pope Skips Appearance at Window Today
VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II skipped his traditional appearance at his window overlooking St. Peter's Square the day after Easter, following a Holy Week during which he was unable to speak.Source.
An appearance Monday — a national holiday in Italy — had not been confirmed because of John Paul's convalescence from throat surgery to ease a breathing crisis, although he had kept the appointment to bless pilgrims throughout his 26-year papacy.
Gospel for Monday within the Octave of Easter
From: Matthew 28:8-15
Jesus Appears To The Women
[8] So they (Mary Magdalene and the other Mary) departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. [9] And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Hail!" And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshipped Him. [10] Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee; and there they will see Me."
The Soldiers Are Bribed
[11] While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. [12] And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sum of money to the soldiers [13] and said, "Tell people, `His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.' [14] And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." [15] So they took the money and did as they were directed; and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.
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Commentary:
1-15. The resurrection of Jesus, which happened in the early hours of the Sunday morning, is a fact which all the evangelist state clearly and unequivocally. Some holy women discover to their surprise that the tomb is open. On entering the hall (cf. Mark 16:5-6), they see an angel who says to them, "He is not here; for He has risen, as He said." The guards who were on duty when the angel rolled back the stone go to the city and report what has happened to the chief priests. These, because of the urgency of the matter, decide to bribe the guards; they give them a considerable sum of money on condition that they spread the word that His disciples came at night and stole the body of Jesus when they were asleep. "Wretched craftiness," says St. Augustine, "do you give us witnesses who were asleep? It is you who are really asleep if this is the only kind of explanation you have to offer!" ("Ennarationes in Psalmos", 63, 15). The Apostles, who a couple of days before fled in fear, will, now that they have seen Him and have eaten and drunk with Him, become tireless preachers of this great event: "This Jesus, they will say, "God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses" (Acts 2:32).
Just as He foretold He would go up to Jerusalem and be delivered to the leaders of the Jews and put to death, He also prophesied that He would rise from the dead (Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34). By His resurrection He completes the sign He promised to give unbelievers to show His divinity (Matthew 12:40).
The resurrection of Christ is one of the basic dogmas of the Catholic faith. In fact, St. Paul says, "If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:14); and, to prove his assertion that Christ rose, he tells us "that He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me" (1 Corinthians 15:5-8). The creed states that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day ("Nicene Creed"), by His own power (Ninth Council of Toledo, "De Redemptione Creed"), by a true resurrection of the flesh ("Creed" of St. Leo IX), reuniting His soul with His body (Innocent III, "Eius Exemplo"), and that this fact of the resurrection is historically proven and provable ("Lamentabili", 36).
"By the word `resurrection' we are not merely to understand that Christ was raised from the dead...but that He rose by His own power and virtue, a singular prerogative peculiar to Him alone. Our Lord confirmed this by the divine testimony of His own mouth when He said: `I lay down My life, that I may take it again....I have power to lay it down: and I have power to take it up again' (John 10:17-18). To the Jews He also said, in corroboration of His doctrine" `Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up' (John 2:19-20) [...]. We sometimes, it is true, read in Scripture that He was raised by the Father (cf. Acts 2:24; Romans 8:11); but this refers to Him as man, just as those passages on the other hand, which say that He rose by His own power, related to Him as God" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 6, 8).
Christ's resurrection was not a return to His previous earthly existence; it was a "glorious" resurrection, that is to say, attaining the full development of human life--immortal, freed from all limitations of space and time. As a result of the resurrection, Christ's body now shares in the glory which His soul had from the beginning. Here lies the unique nature of the historical fact of the resurrection. He could not be seen by anyone but only by those to whom He granted that grace, to enable them to be witnesses of this resurrection, and to enable others to believe in Him by accepting the testimony of the seers.
Christ's resurrection was something necessary for the completion of the work of our Redemption. For, Jesus Christ through His death freed us from sins; but by His resurrection He restored us all that we had lost through sin and, moreover, opened for us the gates of eternal life (cf. Romans 4:25). Also, the fact that He rose from the dead by His own power is a definitive proof that He is the Son of God, and therefore His resurrection fully confirms our faith in His divinity.
The resurrection of Christ, as has been pointed out, is the most sublime truth of our faith. That is why St. Augustine exclaims: "It is no great thing to believe that Christ died; for this is something that is also believed by pagans and Jews and by all the wicked: everyone believes that He died. The Christians' faith is in Christ's resurrection; that is what we hold to be a great thing--to believe that He rose" ("Enarrationes in Psalmos", 120).
The mystery of the Redemption wrought by Christ, which embraces His death and resurrection, is applied to every man and woman through Baptism and the other sacraments, by means of which the believer is as it were immersed in Christ and in His death, that is to say, in a mystical way he becomes part of Christ, he dies and rises with Christ: "We were buried therefore with Him by baptism unto death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).
An ardent desire to seek the things of God and an interior taste for the things that are above (cf. Colossians 3:1-3) are signs of our resurrection with Christ.
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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.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
BlogsForTerri Heads-up On Upcoming Announcement
BlogsForTerri and the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation are planning to join forces in a long-term mission to support life, and to defeat the emerging culture of death in America and the judicial system that supports it.A worthy effort!
The effort, still in the planning stages, will be non-partisan, and will focus on the sanctity of human life and the defeat of euthanasia by judicial fiat.
Silent and suffering, Pope offers Easter blessing
The Holy Father gave his blessing to the faithful in St. Peter's Square, and remained at the window of his apartment for about 12 minutes. But after initially struggling to speak, he gave up and remained silent. For the first time in his 26-year pontificate, he was unable to deliver his Easter message orally; in previous years he had given the short message in as many as 60 difference languages.More.
Gospel for Easter Sunday, The Resurrection of the Lord
From: Luke 24:13-35
The Road To Emmaus
[13] That very day two of them (disciples) were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, [14] and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. [15] While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. [16] But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. [17] And He said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. [18] Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, "Are You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" [19] And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, [20] and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. [21] But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. [22] Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning [23] and did not find His body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. [24] Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see." [25] And He said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?" [27] And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
[28] So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, [29] but they constrained Him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So He went in to stay with them. [30] When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. [31] And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished out of their sight. [32] They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?" [33] And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the Eleven gathered together and those who were with them, [34] who said, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" [35] Then they told what had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
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Commentary:
13-35. In the course of their conversation with Jesus, the disciples' mood changes from sadness to joy; they begin to hope again, and feel the need to share their joy with others, thus becoming heralds and witnesses of the risen Christ.
This is an episode exclusive to St. Luke, who describes it in a masterly way. It shows our Lord's zeal for souls. "As He is walking along, Christ meets two men who have nearly lost all hope. They are beginning to feel that life has no meaning for them. Christ understands their sorrow; He sees into their heart and communicates to them some of the life He carries within Himself."
"When they draw near the village, He makes as if to go on, but the two disciples stop Him and practically force Him to stay with them. They recognize Him later when He breaks the bread. The Lord, they exclaimed, has been with us! `And they said to each other: "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?"' (Luke 24:32). Every Christian should make Christ present among men. He ought to act in such a way that those who know Him sense `the aroma of Christ' (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:15). Men should be able to recognize the Master in His disciples" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 105).
13-27. Jesus' conversation with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus gives us a very good idea of the disillusionment felt by His disciples after His apparent total failure. Cleopas' words summarize Christ's life and mission (verse 19), His passion and death (verse 20), the despair felt by His disciples (verse 21), and the events of that Sunday morning (verse 22).
Earlier, Jesus had said to the Jews: "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to Me" (John 5:39). In saying this He indicated the best way for us to get to know Him. Pope Paul VI points out that today also frequent reading of and devotion to Holy Scripture is a clear inspiration of the Holy Spirit: "The progress made in biblical studies, the increasing dissemination of the Sacred Scriptures, and above all the example of tradition and the interior action of the Holy Spirit are tending to cause the modern Christian to use the Bible ever increasingly as the basic prayerbook and to draw from it genuine inspiration and unsurpassable examples" ([Pope] Paul VI, "Marialis Cultus", 30).
Because the disciples are so downhearted, Jesus patiently opens for them the meaning of all the Scriptural passages concerning the Messiah. "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?": with these words He disabuses them of the notion of an earthly and political Messiah and shows them that Christ's mission is a supernatural one--to save all mankind.
Sacred Scripture contained the prophecy that God would bring about salvation through the redemptive passion and death of the Messiah. The Cross does not mean failure: it is the route chosen by God for Christ to achieve definitive victory over sin and death (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Many of our Lord's contemporaries failed to understand His supernatural mission because they misinterpreted the Old Testament texts. No one knew the meaning of Sacred Scripture like Jesus. And, after Him, only the Church has the mission and responsibility of conserving Scripture and interpreting it correctly: "All that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 12).
28-35. The Master's presence and words restore the disciples' spirits and give them new and lasting hope. "There were two disciples on their way to Emmaus. They were walking along at a normal pace, like so many other travelers on that road. And there, without any fuss, Jesus appears to them, and walks with them, His conversation helping to alleviate their tiredness. I can well imagine the scene, just as dusk is falling. A gentle breeze is blowing. All around are fields ripe with wheat, and venerable olive trees, their branches shimmering in the soft glowing light.
"Jesus joins them as they go along their way. Lord, how great you are, in everything! But You move me even more when You come down to our level, to follow us and to seek us in the hustle and bustle of each day. Lord, grant us a childlike spirit, pure eyes and a clear mind so that we may recognize You when You come without any outward sign of Your glory.
"The journey ends when they reach the village. The two disciples who, without realizing it, have been deeply stirred by the words and love shown by God made man, are sorry to see Him leaving. For Jesus `appeared to be going further' (Luke 24:28). This Lord of ours never forces Himself on us. He wants us to turn to Him freely, when we begin to grasp the purity of His Love which He has placed in our souls. We have to hold Him back (`they constrained Him') and beg Him: `Stay with us, for it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent' (Luke 24:29).
"That's just like us--always short on daring, perhaps because we are insincere, or because we feel embarrassed. Deep down, what we are really thinking is: `Stay with us, because our souls are shrouded in darkness and You alone are the light. You alone can satisfy this longing that consumes us.' For `we know full well which among all things fair and honorable is the best--to possess God for ever' (St. Gregory Nazianzen, "Epistulae", 212).
"And Jesus stays. Our eyes are opened, as were those of Cleopas and his companion, when Christ breaks the bread; and, though He vanishes once more from sight, we too will find strength to start out once more--though night is falling--to tell the others about Him, because so much joy cannot be kept in one heart alone.
"The road to Emmaus--our God has filled this name with sweetness. Now the entire world has become an Emmaus, for the Lord has opened up all the divine paths of the earth" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 313f).
32. If you were an apostle, these words of the disciples of Emmaus should rise spontaneously to the lips of your professional companions when they meet you along the way of their lives" ("The Way", 917).
33-35. The disciples now feel the need to return to Jerusalem immediately; there they find the Apostles and some other disciples gathered together with Peter, to whom Jesus has appeared.
In sacred history, Jerusalem was the place where God chose to be praised in a very special way and where the prophets carried out their main ministry. God willed that Christ should suffer, die and rise again in Jerusalem, and from there the Kingdom of God begins to spread (cf. Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8). In the New Testament the Church of Christ is described as "the Jerusalem above" (Galatians 4:26), "the Heavenly Jerusalem" (Hebrews 12:22) and the "new Jerusalem" (Revelation 21:2).
The Church began in the Holy City. Later on, St. Peter, not without a special intervention of Providence, moved to Rome, thereby making that city the center of the Church. Just as Peter strengthened these first disciples in the faith, so too Christians of all generations have recourse to the See of Peter to strengthen their faith and thereby build up the unity of the Church: "Take away the Pope and the Catholic Church would no longer be catholic. Moreover, without the supreme, effective and authoritative pastoral office of Peter the unity of Christ's Church would collapse. It would be vain to look for other principles of unity in place of the true one established by Christ Himself [...]. We would add that this cardinal principle of holy Church is not a supremacy of spiritual pride and a desire to dominate mankind, but a primacy of service, ministration and love. It is no vapid rhetoric which confers on Christ's vicar the title: `Servant of the servants of God'" ([Pope] Paul VI, "Ecclesiam Suam", 83).
*****************
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.
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