From: Wisdom 7:22b-8:1
Wisdom, a Reflection of Eternal Light
[22b] For in her there is a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, [23] beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, overseeing all, and penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent and pure and most subtle. [24] For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things. [25] For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her. [26] For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. [27] Though she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets;
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Commentary:
7:22—8:1. Somehow, mysteriously, Wisdom is the same thing as the Spirit of God who gives life to and enlightens all other beings and who transcends them. In vv. 22-24 there are so many terms from the language of Greek philosophy (especially Plato and the Stoics) that the author must mean them to be recognized as such. However, even though he borrows this terminology, he clearly maintains his independence; nothing he says undermines his belief in there being only one God. He does attribute to divine Wisdom properties that Greek philosophy conferred on the “soul of the cosmos”, the nous and the logos, but he clearly does not mean to associate himself with that sort of thinking; he is simply using these terms to emphasize the excellence of divine Wisdom.
The sacred writers of the New Testament (St John and St Paul, particularly) have things to say somewhat along the lines of these verses when dealing with the mysteries of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ (cf. Jn 1:5, 9; 15:26; Col 1:5—6; Heb 1:3; etc.). Sacred texts like these were among the first to be used when, later on, Christian theology about the incarnate Word and the Holy Spirit began to take shape: we can see this from the writings of the Fathers. For example, v. 26 is used in a work attributed to St Augustine dealing with the unity of Father and Son: “A 'reflection', because the pure light of the Father is in the Son; 'a clear mirror', for the Father can be seen in the Son” ("Solutiones diversarum quaestionum", 18).
*****************************
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, November 10, 2005
What's Wrong with Single Issue Politics?
Via E-Mail:
This week's Highlights column at CatholicCulture.org required intensive labor. Having heard prior to election day all the reasons why single issue politics is wrong, I was determined to do a proper analysis of this thorny issue. It took me longer than I care to admit to develop a coherent argument. Unfortunately, election day came and went.
In the end, though, I did manage to write something that still sounded convincing a day later and has won the approval of our house critics. It's longer than my usual columns and it is too late to make a contribution to yesterday's elections, but perhaps it will help in the future. Please let me know if you find it useful:
Single Issue Politics
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Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Talks on the Commandments-Intemperance
"If anyone love me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him." St. John, 14 :23.
According to an ancient fable, Death, the King of Terrors, decided to choose a Prime Minister, one who would be first in power and influence. He called all his chalk-faced servants, the ghastly train of diseases, and asked each to put forth his claim to the honor of being Death's best worker.
One after another, cancer, heart disease, tuberculosis, arthritis, diabetes, gout, colic and asthma each put in his claim to being the greatest killer.
In the midst of the argument the court was suddenly disturbed with music, dancing and shouting. Into the hall where all the diseases had gathered with Death, came a lady with bold and flirtive air, a flushed face and a canned smile. She was attended by a troupe of cooks and bartenders and a large group of humans, mostly young men and young women. She signaled for silence and addressed the crowd:
Death grinned a pale smile, raised his bony right hand and declared:
"Intemperance, indeed, is Death's best worker. Intemperance is my favorite. Intemperance shall be my first assistant."
What that fable tells us is actual, awful fact. The greatest killer is intemperance, that is, eating too much, drinking too much, doing anything too much. It ruins health, shortens life and is against the Fifth Commandment.
God gave us an appetite and desire for food and drink. With that strong desire God has given us a reason, the ability to know when we have had enough for our health. God's book makes it clear that drunkenness is against His law:
"Neither fornicators. . . nor adulterers. . . nor drunkards. . . shall possess the kingdom of God." I Cor. 6:9.
Besides harming himself the drunkard also harms his home, his wife, his family. Only the recording angel knows how many lovely homes have been broken up, how many wives have led a hell on earth, how many children were undernourished, underclothed, underloved, because of a drunken father. Quarrels and fighting and cursing and breaking up furniture, not to mention the injuring of loved ones themselves, have resulted from excessive drinking.
The drunkard poisons his own system and often poisons the bodies, or at least weakens the bodies of his children. A child conceived in drunkenness often has poor health and particularly a weakened nervous system.
Should there be here today anyone reading this, husband or wife, any father or mother who drinks to excess, I beg you in the name of all that is holy and sacred and worthwhile, to make up your mind this very day that you will act the part of an intelligent, reasonable human being and not the part of a mere animal.
We admit the social and healthful value of an occasional friendly drink together. Liquor is truly a gift of God, given us to enjoy, but not to abuse. The Catholic Church has sensible views on drinking. She says that liquor is a gift of God, that we are to enjoy it. But with equal force Mother Church insists that to abuse this gift of God is a sin not only against nature, but against the will of the Creator.
In this, as in everything else, she teaches temperance, the moderate and reasonable and healthful use of God's gifts. She goes farther. Realizing that many cannot take one drink without going on to take too many, she begs such weaklings to abstain from liquor altogether. For some of you that is the only remedy. Stay away from liquor altogether. Drink some substitute. It will be better for your pocket-book, your health, your family, your job and above all your immortal soul.
Especially I would urge you young people to stay away from any and every form of intoxicating drink until you are 21 or even 25 years old. Don't think you have to drink to be a sport. You will find that excessive drinkers are often dull and offensive and anything but good sports.
Our Catholic view is practical and effective. We preach temperance as a virtue or power of the soul. We emphasize that excess in eating and especially in drinking is a mortal sin. It is a slow killing of the body.
Intemperance invariably leads to other sins: impurity, fighting, cursing, quarreling and even bodily injury.
The first principle of Alcoholics Anonymous, men who have conquered the excessive drink habit, is this: A man cannot overcome the habit by himself. He needs help. He needs the help of other humans. Above all he needs the help of God. Let me repeat two of their first principles:
"We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."
"We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him."
Then they humbly asked God to remove their shortcomings. Let intemperance, the first servant of Death, rule others, if she will. Don't let her rule you. Be led by God and by God's law. Refuse that drink for the love of God. Then, as Jesus tells us, you will love Him and keep His word and the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit will come and abide with you instead of the demon of unreasoning drink. May God help everyone of you to keep His fifth law, especially in this regard. Amen.
__________________________________________
Adapted from Talks on the Commandments by Fr. Arthur Tonne
According to an ancient fable, Death, the King of Terrors, decided to choose a Prime Minister, one who would be first in power and influence. He called all his chalk-faced servants, the ghastly train of diseases, and asked each to put forth his claim to the honor of being Death's best worker.
One after another, cancer, heart disease, tuberculosis, arthritis, diabetes, gout, colic and asthma each put in his claim to being the greatest killer.
In the midst of the argument the court was suddenly disturbed with music, dancing and shouting. Into the hall where all the diseases had gathered with Death, came a lady with bold and flirtive air, a flushed face and a canned smile. She was attended by a troupe of cooks and bartenders and a large group of humans, mostly young men and young women. She signaled for silence and addressed the crowd:
"As you all know," she shouted, "my name is Intemperance. Give way, you sickly band of pretenders, make way for Intemperance. How can any of you hope to rival me in killing? Our monarch, Death, knows my merits. He knows that I am the parent of all of you. He knows that you get your power of shortening life principally from me. He knows, you all know, that Intemperance is the beginning and cause of most diseases, the cause in some way or other of most deaths. I claim this office of Prime Minister of Death."
Death grinned a pale smile, raised his bony right hand and declared:
"Intemperance, indeed, is Death's best worker. Intemperance is my favorite. Intemperance shall be my first assistant."
What that fable tells us is actual, awful fact. The greatest killer is intemperance, that is, eating too much, drinking too much, doing anything too much. It ruins health, shortens life and is against the Fifth Commandment.
God gave us an appetite and desire for food and drink. With that strong desire God has given us a reason, the ability to know when we have had enough for our health. God's book makes it clear that drunkenness is against His law:
"Neither fornicators. . . nor adulterers. . . nor drunkards. . . shall possess the kingdom of God." I Cor. 6:9.
Besides harming himself the drunkard also harms his home, his wife, his family. Only the recording angel knows how many lovely homes have been broken up, how many wives have led a hell on earth, how many children were undernourished, underclothed, underloved, because of a drunken father. Quarrels and fighting and cursing and breaking up furniture, not to mention the injuring of loved ones themselves, have resulted from excessive drinking.
The drunkard poisons his own system and often poisons the bodies, or at least weakens the bodies of his children. A child conceived in drunkenness often has poor health and particularly a weakened nervous system.
Should there be here today anyone reading this, husband or wife, any father or mother who drinks to excess, I beg you in the name of all that is holy and sacred and worthwhile, to make up your mind this very day that you will act the part of an intelligent, reasonable human being and not the part of a mere animal.
We admit the social and healthful value of an occasional friendly drink together. Liquor is truly a gift of God, given us to enjoy, but not to abuse. The Catholic Church has sensible views on drinking. She says that liquor is a gift of God, that we are to enjoy it. But with equal force Mother Church insists that to abuse this gift of God is a sin not only against nature, but against the will of the Creator.
In this, as in everything else, she teaches temperance, the moderate and reasonable and healthful use of God's gifts. She goes farther. Realizing that many cannot take one drink without going on to take too many, she begs such weaklings to abstain from liquor altogether. For some of you that is the only remedy. Stay away from liquor altogether. Drink some substitute. It will be better for your pocket-book, your health, your family, your job and above all your immortal soul.
Especially I would urge you young people to stay away from any and every form of intoxicating drink until you are 21 or even 25 years old. Don't think you have to drink to be a sport. You will find that excessive drinkers are often dull and offensive and anything but good sports.
Our Catholic view is practical and effective. We preach temperance as a virtue or power of the soul. We emphasize that excess in eating and especially in drinking is a mortal sin. It is a slow killing of the body.
Intemperance invariably leads to other sins: impurity, fighting, cursing, quarreling and even bodily injury.
The first principle of Alcoholics Anonymous, men who have conquered the excessive drink habit, is this: A man cannot overcome the habit by himself. He needs help. He needs the help of other humans. Above all he needs the help of God. Let me repeat two of their first principles:
"We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."
"We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him."
Then they humbly asked God to remove their shortcomings. Let intemperance, the first servant of Death, rule others, if she will. Don't let her rule you. Be led by God and by God's law. Refuse that drink for the love of God. Then, as Jesus tells us, you will love Him and keep His word and the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit will come and abide with you instead of the demon of unreasoning drink. May God help everyone of you to keep His fifth law, especially in this regard. Amen.
__________________________________________
Adapted from Talks on the Commandments by Fr. Arthur Tonne
Schools Dropping Scouting Sponsorships, Fearing Lawsuits
Some of us thought we would be spared the idiocy but it's here on our front doorsteps:
(KSDK) - Threats of litigation by the American Civil Liberties Union is causing trouble for some Boy Scouts in St. Charles County.more...KSDK Channel 5 Report
Last year the ACLU complained the Boy Scouts were a religious group, because members were compelled to swear an oath of duty to God. When the ACLU began winning court cases, several sponsors pulled out.
Wal-Mart Bans Christmas, Boycott Launched
Dan Fogleman, Senior Manager, Wal_Mart Public Relations, said, in part, the following:Source.
“As a retailer, we recognize some of our customers may be shopping for Chanukah or Kwanza gifts during this time of year and we certainly want these customers in our stores and to feel welcome, just as we do those buying for Christmas. As an employer, we recognize the significance of the Christmas holiday among our family of associates...and close our stores in observance, the only day during the year that we are closed.”
Bill Donohue says: “It’s nice to know that Wal-Mart is closed on a federal holiday. Now here is why I am asking the leaders of 126 religious organizations that span seven religious communities to boycott Wal-Mart. Go to its website and search for Hanukkah and up come 200 items. Click on Kwanzaa and up come 77. Click on Christmas, and here’s what you get: ‘We’ve brought you to our ‘Holiday’ page based on your search.’ In other words, Wal-Mart is practicing discrimination.”
Catholic League: Catholics NOT Turning to Anglican Church
New York, Nov. 09, 2005 (CNA) - Catholic League president Bill Donohue said the assessment made by Episcopalian Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire this past weekend—that many Catholics are turning to the Anglican Church as a result of Pope Benedict’s pontificate and the Church’s stand against homosexuals in the seminary—is wrong.V. Gene Robinson appears to be "profoundly ignorant" of a great number of matters, particularly those of a moral and theological nature.
The Episcopalian bishop “[Gene Robinson is a walking embarrassment to Episcopalians everywhere and] is profoundly ignorant of what has been happening to his own church,” said Donohue...
Source.
Catholic League statement.
Fake trees turn Christmas on its head
Maybe that Christmas tree you saw really is upside down. Upside-down trees are, well, turning the upcoming holiday on its head.Source.
Hammacher Schlemmer can't even keep its $599.95 pre-lit model in stock. It's already sold out.
. . .
Sheryl Karas, author of The Solstice Evergreen: The History, Folklore and Origins of the Christmas Tree, isn't quite sure what's going on with the resurgence of upside-down trees, a 12th-century tradition in Central Europe. . .She doesn't want to put a damper on the holidays, but she suspects "there's something sinister, almost bad, about it."
What's next, upside down nativity sets?...No wait, that might mean that Christmas really is about the birth of Jesus Christ...foolish me.
Our Blessed Mother Was Victorious Last Night!
Here is a followup on the Counter Protest/Prayer Vigil of the faithful in opposition to the Catholic Action Network for Social Justice (CAN) Candlelight Vigil on the Cathedral Basilica steps last night which they (CAN) called "People of Faith for Gay Rights". This report has been slightly edited for spelling/grammar and such but remains essentially the same as I received it.
________________________________
Although I am not what you would call a veteran protest organizer or attendee, there is a certain element of predictability that goes with trying to gather Catholics together to confront an attack on the Church. For example, you can make a pretty good assumption about those who will attend, based on your previous experience. You know that the police will eventually appear at the protest. You can also expect to be surprised by one or more attendees whom you did not even know would know about the event. Tonight's [Evening of Nov 8] circumstances however were completely out of my limited realm to 'predict'.
My last communication with Brandon R. was an email he sent to me on Monday night, saying he and 'some' of his friends would get to the Cathedral a little after 7PM. He asked me if I had any ideas for slogans on signs and wondered if I had any anti-homosexual pamphlets to hand out. (I didn't). When I pulled onto the side street next to the Cathedral at 6:30, Valerie had already arrived. Shortly afterward, Dr. and Mrs. Z. pulled in behind us. As it was early, we sat quietly chatting in our car. Before long, I decided to do a "reconnaissance" mission and Dr. Z. and I walked around the back of the Cathedral to get a view of how the CAN protest was setting up, without the protestors noticing us. I thought it better not to let them know there might be a counter-protest, thinking that even if it were only the four of us, we could make our presence felt if we got a good 'position' in front of the Cathedral.
When we came back to the car, Valerie told us that Donald L. was talking to Mrs. Z. on her cell phone. Donald was standing on a corner across the street from the Cathedral. Now we were five!
Donald called Brandon and left a message on his cell phone. We waited nervously as we watched the CAN crowd of 40-50 people assemble on the Cathedral steps. Before long Brandon called Donald back and said that he and his 'friends' were on their way and would arrive in minutes. Just before hanging up, Donald asked him how many 'friends' he was bringing with him. Brandon's answer was music to our ears, he was bringing twenty five friends.
Just as Donald hung up the phone, Mr. H. and his grandson, Alec, arrived with Mr. and Mrs. P. They (Mr & Mrs P) had come to their first ever meeting on Sunday and were admittedly reluctant to come to the Cathedral to counter-protest. By now, we were nine! All of us were standing on the corner waiting for Brandon's group to arrive.
Soon, Brandon arrived and discreetly called from his car as he drove by; "Reinforcements are on the way!" Soon we could see them, all twenty five off in the distance on the side street from the Cathedral. In the dark shadows there appeared to be men wearing cassocks among the group. Could it be? Clergy? We could also see that they had come prepared with signs - this was getting to be very interesting.
We met midway on the block and Brandon introduced us to Father (I don't remember his name) and a seminarian. We chatted for a moment and then I asked Father what parish he came from, he replied St. Mary's Assumption Church, to which Dr. Z. replied; "Isn't that near the Pius X Chapel?" Father smiled wryly and said, "Yes close, extremely close."
Next Father told us that should some priests from the parish or Chancery appear, he and the seminarian would remove themselves from the crowd - likewise, in the event the media appeared, they would give no interviews. Father stated clearly that he and all of us were there to make reparation for this act, and for ourselves as we are sinners too. He said those other things (media, diocesan clergy) would bring politics into the matter which was definitely not the reason that they had come. He did not want 'politics' to become an issue in this prayerful act of reparation.
Our strategy was simple. Some of the young men from St. Mary's were eager to debate, while most others wanted to keep their heads down and pray. Father was very deferential to me and asked how I thought we should go about our battle plan. We decided that the 'debaters' would freely encounter the protesters and debate at will, the others would form a line and pray the Rosary while walking in front of the Cathedral.
The moment we turned the corner onto Lindell Blvd will long live in my memory.
Father had somehow adopted me as his 'bodyguard' and the two of us took the front of the column. The others fell in behind us in twos and our 'procession' extended quite far behind us. Just as we turned the corner, Father started; "In the Name of the Father...", meanwhile the protesters were giving testimony and sharing thoughts of 'happiness and love' for each other and empty rhetoric against Holy Mother Church.
As we 'marched' towards them loudly praying the Rosary, the speaker was forced to stop, so as to not be drowned out by our prayers. This happened virtually every time we crossed in front of them. At times they would join in on our prayer and on one occasion they began to sing "We Shall Overcome".
Before long however it was evident that we had deflated their 'balloon'. Their protest had lost its gusto. The speakers were limited to choppy, almost incoherent, dissertations. The protesters started to lose interest. Some of them even left early. But still we marched, prayed and sang. We sang Salve Regina and Immaculate Mary, we prayed the Litany to the Blessed Mother, and continued on. Even after they finally disconnected their amplifier and ended their 'vigil'.
The protesters stood somewhat in disbelief and dismay as we continued until we finished the Joyful Mysteries. Lastly, Father asked Brandon and I to assist him in reading the Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This we did standing squarely in the middle of the sidewalk at the bottom of the steps to the Cathedral.
In the end, the police had arrived and watched us. Almost looking like they didn't know what to do. The protesters appeared to complain about us, but we were moving along the sidewalk in an orderly manner. Another amazing thing tonight was the absence of media. Not one reporter was there - no Print media or television or radio.
Our Lady won! Against amazing odds, with assistance that was completely unexpected, our Blessed Mother had defeated the Promoters of Homosexuality, the Dissenters of Church teaching and the Natural Law and had thwarted their insipid agenda with the Rosary! It was a privilege for us to be called to this fight tonight. It was a privilege to be Her instruments in defeating the Dark Revolution's latest attempt to destroy the Church.
___________________________________
We are extremely indebted to Mark S. for his excellent report of last night's events. We are also indebted to all of those Catholics who marched in prayer asking for Our Lady's intercession to oppose those who fight and rebel against her Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Church. We are profoundly grateful for the extraordinary intercessions of Our Lady in helping us to combat these attacks. We are humbly indebted to our Lord, Who generously bestowed His graces on those who came to the aid of His Church.
We must continue to pray that He will give us the graces to do His will and to do so with obedience and charity. We must continue to pray that those who oppose our Lord and His Church might someday see the errors of their ways and follow His call for repentance and come back to His fold, His Church.
Thank you, Mark, for your excellent report!
________________________________
Although I am not what you would call a veteran protest organizer or attendee, there is a certain element of predictability that goes with trying to gather Catholics together to confront an attack on the Church. For example, you can make a pretty good assumption about those who will attend, based on your previous experience. You know that the police will eventually appear at the protest. You can also expect to be surprised by one or more attendees whom you did not even know would know about the event. Tonight's [Evening of Nov 8] circumstances however were completely out of my limited realm to 'predict'.
My last communication with Brandon R. was an email he sent to me on Monday night, saying he and 'some' of his friends would get to the Cathedral a little after 7PM. He asked me if I had any ideas for slogans on signs and wondered if I had any anti-homosexual pamphlets to hand out. (I didn't). When I pulled onto the side street next to the Cathedral at 6:30, Valerie had already arrived. Shortly afterward, Dr. and Mrs. Z. pulled in behind us. As it was early, we sat quietly chatting in our car. Before long, I decided to do a "reconnaissance" mission and Dr. Z. and I walked around the back of the Cathedral to get a view of how the CAN protest was setting up, without the protestors noticing us. I thought it better not to let them know there might be a counter-protest, thinking that even if it were only the four of us, we could make our presence felt if we got a good 'position' in front of the Cathedral.
When we came back to the car, Valerie told us that Donald L. was talking to Mrs. Z. on her cell phone. Donald was standing on a corner across the street from the Cathedral. Now we were five!
Donald called Brandon and left a message on his cell phone. We waited nervously as we watched the CAN crowd of 40-50 people assemble on the Cathedral steps. Before long Brandon called Donald back and said that he and his 'friends' were on their way and would arrive in minutes. Just before hanging up, Donald asked him how many 'friends' he was bringing with him. Brandon's answer was music to our ears, he was bringing twenty five friends.
Just as Donald hung up the phone, Mr. H. and his grandson, Alec, arrived with Mr. and Mrs. P. They (Mr & Mrs P) had come to their first ever meeting on Sunday and were admittedly reluctant to come to the Cathedral to counter-protest. By now, we were nine! All of us were standing on the corner waiting for Brandon's group to arrive.
Soon, Brandon arrived and discreetly called from his car as he drove by; "Reinforcements are on the way!" Soon we could see them, all twenty five off in the distance on the side street from the Cathedral. In the dark shadows there appeared to be men wearing cassocks among the group. Could it be? Clergy? We could also see that they had come prepared with signs - this was getting to be very interesting.
We met midway on the block and Brandon introduced us to Father (I don't remember his name) and a seminarian. We chatted for a moment and then I asked Father what parish he came from, he replied St. Mary's Assumption Church, to which Dr. Z. replied; "Isn't that near the Pius X Chapel?" Father smiled wryly and said, "Yes close, extremely close."
Next Father told us that should some priests from the parish or Chancery appear, he and the seminarian would remove themselves from the crowd - likewise, in the event the media appeared, they would give no interviews. Father stated clearly that he and all of us were there to make reparation for this act, and for ourselves as we are sinners too. He said those other things (media, diocesan clergy) would bring politics into the matter which was definitely not the reason that they had come. He did not want 'politics' to become an issue in this prayerful act of reparation.
Our strategy was simple. Some of the young men from St. Mary's were eager to debate, while most others wanted to keep their heads down and pray. Father was very deferential to me and asked how I thought we should go about our battle plan. We decided that the 'debaters' would freely encounter the protesters and debate at will, the others would form a line and pray the Rosary while walking in front of the Cathedral.
The moment we turned the corner onto Lindell Blvd will long live in my memory.
Father had somehow adopted me as his 'bodyguard' and the two of us took the front of the column. The others fell in behind us in twos and our 'procession' extended quite far behind us. Just as we turned the corner, Father started; "In the Name of the Father...", meanwhile the protesters were giving testimony and sharing thoughts of 'happiness and love' for each other and empty rhetoric against Holy Mother Church.
As we 'marched' towards them loudly praying the Rosary, the speaker was forced to stop, so as to not be drowned out by our prayers. This happened virtually every time we crossed in front of them. At times they would join in on our prayer and on one occasion they began to sing "We Shall Overcome".
Before long however it was evident that we had deflated their 'balloon'. Their protest had lost its gusto. The speakers were limited to choppy, almost incoherent, dissertations. The protesters started to lose interest. Some of them even left early. But still we marched, prayed and sang. We sang Salve Regina and Immaculate Mary, we prayed the Litany to the Blessed Mother, and continued on. Even after they finally disconnected their amplifier and ended their 'vigil'.
The protesters stood somewhat in disbelief and dismay as we continued until we finished the Joyful Mysteries. Lastly, Father asked Brandon and I to assist him in reading the Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This we did standing squarely in the middle of the sidewalk at the bottom of the steps to the Cathedral.
In the end, the police had arrived and watched us. Almost looking like they didn't know what to do. The protesters appeared to complain about us, but we were moving along the sidewalk in an orderly manner. Another amazing thing tonight was the absence of media. Not one reporter was there - no Print media or television or radio.
Our Lady won! Against amazing odds, with assistance that was completely unexpected, our Blessed Mother had defeated the Promoters of Homosexuality, the Dissenters of Church teaching and the Natural Law and had thwarted their insipid agenda with the Rosary! It was a privilege for us to be called to this fight tonight. It was a privilege to be Her instruments in defeating the Dark Revolution's latest attempt to destroy the Church.
___________________________________
We are extremely indebted to Mark S. for his excellent report of last night's events. We are also indebted to all of those Catholics who marched in prayer asking for Our Lady's intercession to oppose those who fight and rebel against her Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Church. We are profoundly grateful for the extraordinary intercessions of Our Lady in helping us to combat these attacks. We are humbly indebted to our Lord, Who generously bestowed His graces on those who came to the aid of His Church.
We must continue to pray that He will give us the graces to do His will and to do so with obedience and charity. We must continue to pray that those who oppose our Lord and His Church might someday see the errors of their ways and follow His call for repentance and come back to His fold, His Church.
Thank you, Mark, for your excellent report!
How "Catholic" is this Sunday Bulletin article?
Once again, a bulletin article appeared in St Cronan's Sunday Bulletin (Web version) for November 6th. (PDF Link, page 3)
Reports from a gentleman who was with an opposing group of faithful Catholics praying the Rosary last night at this "vigil" related that there were some 40-50 protesters on the Cathedral steps relating their "experiences" of "love".
Unfortunately, it is unknown at this time how many of these protesters were from St Cronan "Catholic" Parish.
It is anticipated that a report of this "vigil" will be forthcoming soon.
The Catholic Action Network for Social Justice (CAN) will hold a Candlelight Vigil on the Cathedral Basilica steps entitled "People of Faith for Gay Rights" on Tuesday, November 8th at 7pm.In a recent letter addressed to a member of CAN, Archbishop Burke basically advised the group that it should not use the name "Catholic" since CAN promotes ideas and practices that are diametrically opposed to the the teachings of the Church. It appears that perhaps the same criteria should be used for this "Catholic" parish which continues to promote dissension from Catholic teachings within the community.
This vigil, held in collaboration with the national organization Soulforce, will call for an end to the spiritual violence perpetuated against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community by the religious policies, teachings, and anti-gay rhetoric of the Church. There will be time for silence and sharing. Bring a candle, sign, song, or poem to share.
Reports from a gentleman who was with an opposing group of faithful Catholics praying the Rosary last night at this "vigil" related that there were some 40-50 protesters on the Cathedral steps relating their "experiences" of "love".
Unfortunately, it is unknown at this time how many of these protesters were from St Cronan "Catholic" Parish.
It is anticipated that a report of this "vigil" will be forthcoming soon.
Pope to Bishops: Don't Water Down Church Teachings
VATICAN CITY, November 8, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a meeting with Bishops from Austria Saturday, Pope Benedict XVI warned them against the false notion that church teachings should be watered down so as to prevent people from leaving the Church. "At times, those who direct this mission fear that people may move away if they are spoken to clearly," he said. "However," added the Pope, "experience has generally shown that the opposite happens. ... Catholic teaching presented incompletely is self- contradictory and cannot be fruitful in the long term."Source.
. . .
The Pope reminded the Bishops present of St. Paul's words in Ephesus: "I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God." The Pope said, "It is true that we must act delicately, but this must not prevent us from presenting the divine message clearly, even on those subjects that do not enjoy widespread approval, or that give rise to protest or even derision, especially in the field of the truth of faith and moral teaching."
Planned 'Parenthood' 2005 Holidays Cards
This is sick. The message inside one version of the cards is:
Warmest wishes for a peaceful holiday.
Another version of the cards is called the "Peace Hope Justice Holiday Card"
Satan surely is pleased!
Annulment, dissolution options for some Catholics
Last week's column reported the comments of Monsignor John Shamleffer, judicial vicar of the St. Louis Catholic Archdiocese regarding divorce. He said, "Divorce is not in itself morally wrong in the eyes of the Catholic Church."More...
Where do the renegades get the priests to accommodate their rebellion?
St. Stanislaus Kostka Church
Polka Mass & Fall Festival
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Beginning at 11:00 am
--------------------------
I would think that one of these days, the priests who facilitate and promote this rebellion and schism would be exposed. Assisting these people in opposition the the Archbishop's express directives is a very serious matter.
But then again, pride affects one's spiritual and mental states in strange ways. The announcement makes the following claim:
Tours of the only Polish Roman Catholic Church in St. Louis.
This may come as a shock to those at St Agatha's and to the Archdiocese. Perhaps they did not know?
Polka Mass & Fall Festival
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Beginning at 11:00 am
--------------------------
I would think that one of these days, the priests who facilitate and promote this rebellion and schism would be exposed. Assisting these people in opposition the the Archbishop's express directives is a very serious matter.
But then again, pride affects one's spiritual and mental states in strange ways. The announcement makes the following claim:
Tours of the only Polish Roman Catholic Church in St. Louis.
This may come as a shock to those at St Agatha's and to the Archdiocese. Perhaps they did not know?
Nothing unexpected about this....
Fired Loretto teacher files complaints
She says her ouster was discrimination, violating her free-speech rights.
-------------------------------
Article here.
She says her ouster was discrimination, violating her free-speech rights.
-------------------------------
Article here.
Gospel for Nov 9, Feast: Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
From: John 2:13-22
The Cleansing of the Temple
[13] The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [14] In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. [15] And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. [16] And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." [17] His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for thy house will consume me." [18] The Jews then said to him, "What signs have you to show us for doing this?" [19] Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." [20] The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" [21] But he spoke of the temple of his body. [22] When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
***********************
Commentary:
13. "The Passover of the Jews": this is the most important religious feast for the people of the Old Testament, the prefiguring of the Christian Easter (cf. note on Mt 26:2). The Jewish Passover was celebrated on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan and was followed by the festival week of the Azymes (unleavened bread). According to the Law of Moses, on those days every male Israelite had to "appear before the Lord God" (Ex 34:23; Deut 16:16)--hence the pious custom of making a pilgrimage to the temple of Jerusalem for these days, hence the crowd and all the vendors to supply the needs of the pilgrims; this trading gave rise to abuses.
"Jesus went up to Jerusalem": by doing this Jesus publicly shows that he observes the Law of God. But, as we shall soon see, he goes to the temple as the only-begotten Son who must ensure that all due decorum is observed in the House of the Father: "And from thenceforth Jesus, the Anointed of God, always begins by reforming abuses and purifying from sin; both when he visits his Church, and when he visits the Christian soul" (Origen, "Hom. on St John", 1).
14-15. Every Israelite had to offer as a passover sacrifice an ox or a sheep, if he was wealthy; or two turtle-doves or two pigeons if he was not (Lev 5:7). In addition he had to pay a half shekel every year, if he was twenty or over. The half shekel, which was the equivalent of a day's pay of a worker, was a special coin also called temple money (cf. Ex 30:13); other coins in circulation (denarii, drachmas, etc.) were considered impure because they bore the image of pagan rulers. During the Passover, because of the extra crowd, the outer courtyard of the temple, the court of the Gentiles, was full of traders, money-changers etc., and inevitably this meant noise, shouting, bellowing, manure etc. Prophets had already fulminated against these abuses, which grew up with the tacit permission of the temple authorities, who made money by permitting trading. Cf. notes on Mt 21:12-13 and Mk 11:15-18.
16-17. "Zeal for thy house will consume me"--a quotation from Psalm 69:10. Jesus has just made a most significant assertion: "You shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." By calling God his Father and acting so energetically, he is proclaiming he is the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus' zeal for his Father's glory did not escape the attention of his disciples who realized that what he did fulfilled the words of Psalm 69.
18-22. The temple of Jerusalem, which had replaced the previous sanctuary which the Israelites carried around in the wilderness, was the place selected by God during the Old Covenant to express his presence to the people in a special way. But this was only an imperfect anticipation or prefiguring of the full __expression of his presence among men--the Word of God became man. Jesus, in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Col 2:9), is the full presence of God here on earth and, therefore, the true temple of God. Jesus identifies the temple of Jerusalem with his own body, and by so doing refers to one of the most profound truths about himself--the Incarnation. After the ascension of the Lord into heaven this real and very special presence of God among men is continued in the sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist.
Christ's words and actions as he expels the traders from the temple clearly show that he is the Messiah foretold by the prophets. That is why some Jews approach him and ask him to give a sign of his power (cf. Mt 16:1; Mk 8:11; Lk 11:29). Jesus' reply (v. 20), whose meaning remains obscure until his resurrection, the Jewish authorities try to turn into an attack on the temple--which merits the death penalty (Mt 26:61; Mk 14:58; cf. Jer 26:4ff); later they will taunt him with it when he is suffering on the cross (Mt 27:40; A 15:29) and later still in their case against St Stephen before the Sanhedrin they will claim to have heard him repeat it (Acts 6:14).
There was nothing derogatory in what Jesus said, contrary to what false witnesses made out. The miracle he offers them, which he calls "the Sign of Jonah" (cf. Mt 16:4), will be his own resurrection on the third day. Jesus is using a metaphor, as if to say: Do you see this temple? Well, imagine if it were destroyed, would it not be a great miracle to rebuild it in three days? That is what I will do for you as a sign. For you will destroy my body, which is the true temple, and I will rise again on the third day.
No one understood what he was saying. Jews and disciples alike thought he was speaking about rebuilding the temple which Herod the Great had begun to construct in 19-20 B.C. Later on the disciples grasped what he really meant.
***************************
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.
The Cleansing of the Temple
[13] The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [14] In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. [15] And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. [16] And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." [17] His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for thy house will consume me." [18] The Jews then said to him, "What signs have you to show us for doing this?" [19] Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." [20] The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" [21] But he spoke of the temple of his body. [22] When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
***********************
Commentary:
13. "The Passover of the Jews": this is the most important religious feast for the people of the Old Testament, the prefiguring of the Christian Easter (cf. note on Mt 26:2). The Jewish Passover was celebrated on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan and was followed by the festival week of the Azymes (unleavened bread). According to the Law of Moses, on those days every male Israelite had to "appear before the Lord God" (Ex 34:23; Deut 16:16)--hence the pious custom of making a pilgrimage to the temple of Jerusalem for these days, hence the crowd and all the vendors to supply the needs of the pilgrims; this trading gave rise to abuses.
"Jesus went up to Jerusalem": by doing this Jesus publicly shows that he observes the Law of God. But, as we shall soon see, he goes to the temple as the only-begotten Son who must ensure that all due decorum is observed in the House of the Father: "And from thenceforth Jesus, the Anointed of God, always begins by reforming abuses and purifying from sin; both when he visits his Church, and when he visits the Christian soul" (Origen, "Hom. on St John", 1).
14-15. Every Israelite had to offer as a passover sacrifice an ox or a sheep, if he was wealthy; or two turtle-doves or two pigeons if he was not (Lev 5:7). In addition he had to pay a half shekel every year, if he was twenty or over. The half shekel, which was the equivalent of a day's pay of a worker, was a special coin also called temple money (cf. Ex 30:13); other coins in circulation (denarii, drachmas, etc.) were considered impure because they bore the image of pagan rulers. During the Passover, because of the extra crowd, the outer courtyard of the temple, the court of the Gentiles, was full of traders, money-changers etc., and inevitably this meant noise, shouting, bellowing, manure etc. Prophets had already fulminated against these abuses, which grew up with the tacit permission of the temple authorities, who made money by permitting trading. Cf. notes on Mt 21:12-13 and Mk 11:15-18.
16-17. "Zeal for thy house will consume me"--a quotation from Psalm 69:10. Jesus has just made a most significant assertion: "You shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." By calling God his Father and acting so energetically, he is proclaiming he is the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus' zeal for his Father's glory did not escape the attention of his disciples who realized that what he did fulfilled the words of Psalm 69.
18-22. The temple of Jerusalem, which had replaced the previous sanctuary which the Israelites carried around in the wilderness, was the place selected by God during the Old Covenant to express his presence to the people in a special way. But this was only an imperfect anticipation or prefiguring of the full __expression of his presence among men--the Word of God became man. Jesus, in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Col 2:9), is the full presence of God here on earth and, therefore, the true temple of God. Jesus identifies the temple of Jerusalem with his own body, and by so doing refers to one of the most profound truths about himself--the Incarnation. After the ascension of the Lord into heaven this real and very special presence of God among men is continued in the sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist.
Christ's words and actions as he expels the traders from the temple clearly show that he is the Messiah foretold by the prophets. That is why some Jews approach him and ask him to give a sign of his power (cf. Mt 16:1; Mk 8:11; Lk 11:29). Jesus' reply (v. 20), whose meaning remains obscure until his resurrection, the Jewish authorities try to turn into an attack on the temple--which merits the death penalty (Mt 26:61; Mk 14:58; cf. Jer 26:4ff); later they will taunt him with it when he is suffering on the cross (Mt 27:40; A 15:29) and later still in their case against St Stephen before the Sanhedrin they will claim to have heard him repeat it (Acts 6:14).
There was nothing derogatory in what Jesus said, contrary to what false witnesses made out. The miracle he offers them, which he calls "the Sign of Jonah" (cf. Mt 16:4), will be his own resurrection on the third day. Jesus is using a metaphor, as if to say: Do you see this temple? Well, imagine if it were destroyed, would it not be a great miracle to rebuild it in three days? That is what I will do for you as a sign. For you will destroy my body, which is the true temple, and I will rise again on the third day.
No one understood what he was saying. Jews and disciples alike thought he was speaking about rebuilding the temple which Herod the Great had begun to construct in 19-20 B.C. Later on the disciples grasped what he really meant.
***************************
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, November 08, 2005
Talks on the Commandments-The Fifth Commandment
"If you ask the Father anything in my name, he wilI give it to you." St. John, 16:23.
About 160 years ago or so there lived in Suabia, Germany, a splendid young man by the name of Meinrad. He sought quiet for prayer and meditation in the great Benedictine Order, which gave him permission to live alone on a mountain top, first in Germany and then in Switzerland, where he spent many prayerful days, days which were cruelly cut short when two robbers whom he befriended turned on him and put him to death. Instead of money they found only a hairshirt and books.
Although no one had seen the murder, the murderers were soon caught, because two tame crows that St. Meinrad had kept, followed the murderers wherever they went-into the cities, into their homes, into the taverns, everywhere cawing and fluttering, until suspicion was aroused and the two men were arrested and punished.
In memory of this divine punishment of murder, the Abbey of Reichenau, of which St. Meinrad had been a member, placed the figure of two crows on its coat of arms and seal.
Both sacred and human history are filled with such proofs of God's displeasure with those who deal in death. Killing has various forms:
1. Murder, or the deliberate taking of another's life on one's own authority, is a most serious sin that cries to heaven for vengeance. It may be:
The murderer takes to himself the right of God over human life. He robs man of his most precious possession-life. He often sends a soul into eternity without any preparation. He disrupts society, causes bitter grief and sets the stage for other murders.
2. Suicide, or taking one's own life, is also a serious sin, never permitted for any reason. It is for God to relieve you of the post of life in His way and in His time. Killing yourself doesn't help anything or anybody. Usually suicide is committed by the insane or those so emotionally unbalanced that they are not responsible. Some of the common causes of suicide are brooding over bad health or bad luck, heavy financial losses, incurable disease, the facing of punishment, or personal and family disgrace. Put your trust in God. He will see you through.
3. Mercy-killing, that is, putting to death one who is dying or suffering from an incurable disease, in order to put him out of his misery, is murder. It is never permitted - even when the patient freely and calmly gives his consent.
4. Lynching is murder, even if the victim is clearly guilty or has already been condemned to death by a court.
5. Willful and direct abortion is also a mortal sin. Doctors, nurses, parents, and all who cooperate to bring about the death of an infant either before or after its birth are guilty of murder.
Are we never allowed to take the life of another?
There are three kinds of justifiable killing, namely: self-defense, capital punishment, and a just war.
1. A man may kill another in self-defense in order to save his own life, the life of another, or to protect property of great value. You are not allowed to kill another just to preserve your reputation or good name, to prevent someone from trespassing on your property, or to protect property of little value.
2. The State has the right to punish with death if the crime is serious and the good of society requires a serious punishment. Such serious crimes are murder, treason, kidnapping. Capital punishment is permitted to prevent the criminal from doing further damage, to prevent others from crime through fear of execution. All the forms of law must be observed and a just and fair trial is absolutely necessary.
3. It is murder to kill if a war is unjust. If the war is just, soldiers are allowed and even obliged to kill in defense of their country, or in righting a wrong to their country. For a war to be just:
Today we will ask the heavenly Father, who has given us life, to help us to respect all human life in every way. We will ask the heavenly Father to give all men a respect for the life of others. We will realize, with God's help, the wickedness of all forms of killing. May all men keep this law of God. Amen.
___________________________________________________________
Adapted from Talks on the Commandments by Fr. Arthur Tonne
About 160 years ago or so there lived in Suabia, Germany, a splendid young man by the name of Meinrad. He sought quiet for prayer and meditation in the great Benedictine Order, which gave him permission to live alone on a mountain top, first in Germany and then in Switzerland, where he spent many prayerful days, days which were cruelly cut short when two robbers whom he befriended turned on him and put him to death. Instead of money they found only a hairshirt and books.
Although no one had seen the murder, the murderers were soon caught, because two tame crows that St. Meinrad had kept, followed the murderers wherever they went-into the cities, into their homes, into the taverns, everywhere cawing and fluttering, until suspicion was aroused and the two men were arrested and punished.
In memory of this divine punishment of murder, the Abbey of Reichenau, of which St. Meinrad had been a member, placed the figure of two crows on its coat of arms and seal.
Both sacred and human history are filled with such proofs of God's displeasure with those who deal in death. Killing has various forms:
1. Murder, or the deliberate taking of another's life on one's own authority, is a most serious sin that cries to heaven for vengeance. It may be:
A. Planned and intended. as poisoning another to collect insurance.Our daily papers are splattered with the blood of those unjustly put to death through revenge, desire to remove a rival, for money or out of fear. That murder is sinful is clear from Sacred Scripture. "No murderer has eternal life abiding in him." I John, 3:15. "The voice of thy brother's blood cries to Me from the earth." Gen. 9:6.
B. Not planned, but directly done, as when a robber kills a policeman who suddenly appears on the scene.
C. Due to criminal negligence, as when a doctor's neglect causes the death of a patient.
The murderer takes to himself the right of God over human life. He robs man of his most precious possession-life. He often sends a soul into eternity without any preparation. He disrupts society, causes bitter grief and sets the stage for other murders.
2. Suicide, or taking one's own life, is also a serious sin, never permitted for any reason. It is for God to relieve you of the post of life in His way and in His time. Killing yourself doesn't help anything or anybody. Usually suicide is committed by the insane or those so emotionally unbalanced that they are not responsible. Some of the common causes of suicide are brooding over bad health or bad luck, heavy financial losses, incurable disease, the facing of punishment, or personal and family disgrace. Put your trust in God. He will see you through.
3. Mercy-killing, that is, putting to death one who is dying or suffering from an incurable disease, in order to put him out of his misery, is murder. It is never permitted - even when the patient freely and calmly gives his consent.
4. Lynching is murder, even if the victim is clearly guilty or has already been condemned to death by a court.
5. Willful and direct abortion is also a mortal sin. Doctors, nurses, parents, and all who cooperate to bring about the death of an infant either before or after its birth are guilty of murder.
Are we never allowed to take the life of another?
There are three kinds of justifiable killing, namely: self-defense, capital punishment, and a just war.
1. A man may kill another in self-defense in order to save his own life, the life of another, or to protect property of great value. You are not allowed to kill another just to preserve your reputation or good name, to prevent someone from trespassing on your property, or to protect property of little value.
2. The State has the right to punish with death if the crime is serious and the good of society requires a serious punishment. Such serious crimes are murder, treason, kidnapping. Capital punishment is permitted to prevent the criminal from doing further damage, to prevent others from crime through fear of execution. All the forms of law must be observed and a just and fair trial is absolutely necessary.
3. It is murder to kill if a war is unjust. If the war is just, soldiers are allowed and even obliged to kill in defense of their country, or in righting a wrong to their country. For a war to be just:
A. Every other means of settlement must have been tried first.If an individual Catholic knew positively that the war was unjust he could not fight in it. However, that is almost impossible to know. In general the State has the responsibility. We Catholics are loyal; we follow the State; we obey the State.
B. There must be a just cause in conscience.
C. The cause must be serious, that is, the good resulting from the war must completely outweigh the evils of war. Modern warfare has so many terrible evils, that there seems to be scarcely any evil or evils great enough to justify it.
D. The war must be waged in a just way.
Today we will ask the heavenly Father, who has given us life, to help us to respect all human life in every way. We will ask the heavenly Father to give all men a respect for the life of others. We will realize, with God's help, the wickedness of all forms of killing. May all men keep this law of God. Amen.
___________________________________________________________
Adapted from Talks on the Commandments by Fr. Arthur Tonne
December 4-Are We Designs Or Occurrences?
You and your family are cordially invited to a presentation on:
Are We Designs Or Occurrences?
Why Is This Question So Important?
By: Mr. John H. Calvert
To be held at:
St. Francis de Sales Oratory
2653 Ohio Ave
St. Louis, MO 63118
Auditorium in basement beneath Church
Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 1:30 PM.
The speaker, Mr. John Calvert, is a lawyer and the Managing Director of Intelligent Design Network Incorporated.
Mr. Calvert recently defended Intelligent Design before the Kansas State Board of Education, along with over twenty other witnesses. He has traveled across the United States exposing the fallacies of Evolution, by uncovering important truths that are seldom heard.
This talk is one of a series of regularly held talks sponsored by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) and its America Needs Fatima campaign. Please join us for what promises to be a stimulating afternoon of Catholic conviviality, enlightening conversation, and hope for the future.
Admission is FREE! Refreshments will be offered. Please bring a guest!
For additional information, contact Mark Serafino (573) 459-5531 or email anfstlouis AT yahoo.com
The American TFP – America Needs Fatima
P.O. Box 341
Hanover, PA 17331
(717) 225-7147
________________________________________
High Stakes in the Evolution Debate
On Friday, July 15th Mr. John H. Calvert, co-founder of Intelligent Design Network, gave an audiovisual presentation to around 30 TFP supporters in Topeka, KS, titled: "Are We Designs Or Occurrences? Why Is This Question So Important?" The event was held at the house of TFP local coordinator Francis Slobodnik.
Mr. Calvert recently defended Intelligent Design before the Kansas State Board of Education, along with over twenty other witnesses. He has traveled across the United States exposing the fallacies of Evolution, by uncovering important truths that are seldom heard. The evidence he presented, clearly implied that the creation of life was not due to random chance, but rather the fruit of an Intelligent Designer.
Mr. Calvert explained the immense complexity of the cell structure of living organisms. This complexity makes it statistically impossible that chance could have caused its development. For example: the statistical possibility of randomly pulling letters out of a bag to spell-out the word DESIGN are 165,765,600 to 1. How much more incomprehensible is the chance altering of complex cells, let alone developing them?
Mr. Calvert recounted horror stories in which members of the scientific community suffer persecution, even for questioning evolution. He spoke of Ph.D. candidates risking their degrees and professors endangering the renewal of their contracts, simply because they question evolution. Nevertheless, evidence of Intelligent Design manages slowly but surely to make it through the politically correct filters in academia.
Perhaps, Mr. Calvert's most important point was that the influence of evolution has reached far beyond the borders of science. It has fashioned government and morality to its own likeness. For Catholics this is especially close to home. The Modernist heresy, condemned by Pope St. Pius X, could be summed up in the belief that dogma evolves.
Mr. Calvert warned that this issue is going to snowball into a monumental national debate. Kansas is currently becoming the center of this debate. Recently, school board members voted to slightly improve the state's science standard. In the next couple of years, four seats on the board will be up for re-election. A lot of money from across the nation is expected to be poured into this normally ignored election.
Indeed, the stakes are high for evolution adherents. As authentic science continues to gather facts that unmistakably point to an intelligent designer, evolutionists see their entire worldview crashing down upon them.
This far-reaching effect of evolution is one of the main reasons that evolutionists fight so tenaciously. Indeed, their whole outlook on life is at stake.
For more information please visit www.IntelligentDesignnetwork.org
Are We Designs Or Occurrences?
Why Is This Question So Important?
By: Mr. John H. Calvert
To be held at:
St. Francis de Sales Oratory
2653 Ohio Ave
St. Louis, MO 63118
Auditorium in basement beneath Church
Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 1:30 PM.
The speaker, Mr. John Calvert, is a lawyer and the Managing Director of Intelligent Design Network Incorporated.
Mr. Calvert recently defended Intelligent Design before the Kansas State Board of Education, along with over twenty other witnesses. He has traveled across the United States exposing the fallacies of Evolution, by uncovering important truths that are seldom heard.
This talk is one of a series of regularly held talks sponsored by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) and its America Needs Fatima campaign. Please join us for what promises to be a stimulating afternoon of Catholic conviviality, enlightening conversation, and hope for the future.
Admission is FREE! Refreshments will be offered. Please bring a guest!
For additional information, contact Mark Serafino (573) 459-5531 or email anfstlouis AT yahoo.com
The American TFP – America Needs Fatima
P.O. Box 341
Hanover, PA 17331
(717) 225-7147
________________________________________
High Stakes in the Evolution Debate
On Friday, July 15th Mr. John H. Calvert, co-founder of Intelligent Design Network, gave an audiovisual presentation to around 30 TFP supporters in Topeka, KS, titled: "Are We Designs Or Occurrences? Why Is This Question So Important?" The event was held at the house of TFP local coordinator Francis Slobodnik.
Mr. Calvert recently defended Intelligent Design before the Kansas State Board of Education, along with over twenty other witnesses. He has traveled across the United States exposing the fallacies of Evolution, by uncovering important truths that are seldom heard. The evidence he presented, clearly implied that the creation of life was not due to random chance, but rather the fruit of an Intelligent Designer.
Mr. Calvert explained the immense complexity of the cell structure of living organisms. This complexity makes it statistically impossible that chance could have caused its development. For example: the statistical possibility of randomly pulling letters out of a bag to spell-out the word DESIGN are 165,765,600 to 1. How much more incomprehensible is the chance altering of complex cells, let alone developing them?
Mr. Calvert recounted horror stories in which members of the scientific community suffer persecution, even for questioning evolution. He spoke of Ph.D. candidates risking their degrees and professors endangering the renewal of their contracts, simply because they question evolution. Nevertheless, evidence of Intelligent Design manages slowly but surely to make it through the politically correct filters in academia.
Perhaps, Mr. Calvert's most important point was that the influence of evolution has reached far beyond the borders of science. It has fashioned government and morality to its own likeness. For Catholics this is especially close to home. The Modernist heresy, condemned by Pope St. Pius X, could be summed up in the belief that dogma evolves.
Mr. Calvert warned that this issue is going to snowball into a monumental national debate. Kansas is currently becoming the center of this debate. Recently, school board members voted to slightly improve the state's science standard. In the next couple of years, four seats on the board will be up for re-election. A lot of money from across the nation is expected to be poured into this normally ignored election.
Indeed, the stakes are high for evolution adherents. As authentic science continues to gather facts that unmistakably point to an intelligent designer, evolutionists see their entire worldview crashing down upon them.
This far-reaching effect of evolution is one of the main reasons that evolutionists fight so tenaciously. Indeed, their whole outlook on life is at stake.
For more information please visit www.IntelligentDesignnetwork.org
Gospel for Tuesday, 32nd Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 17:7-10
Humble Service
[7] "Will any of you, who has a servant ploughing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, `Come at once and sit down at table'? [8] Will he not rather say to him, `Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink'? [9] Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? [10] So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"
******************************
Commentary:
7-10. Jesus is not approving this master's abusive and arbitrary behavior: He is using an example very familiar to His audience to show the attitude a person should have towards his Creator: everything, from our very existence to the eternal happiness promised us, is one huge gift from God. Man is always in debt to God; no matter what service he renders Him he can never adequately repay the gifts God has given him. There is no sense in a creature adopting a proud attitude towards God. What Jesus teaches us here we see being put into practice by our Lady, who replied to God's messenger (the Archangel Gabriel), "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord" (Luke 1:38).
****************************
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.
Humble Service
[7] "Will any of you, who has a servant ploughing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, `Come at once and sit down at table'? [8] Will he not rather say to him, `Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink'? [9] Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? [10] So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"
******************************
Commentary:
7-10. Jesus is not approving this master's abusive and arbitrary behavior: He is using an example very familiar to His audience to show the attitude a person should have towards his Creator: everything, from our very existence to the eternal happiness promised us, is one huge gift from God. Man is always in debt to God; no matter what service he renders Him he can never adequately repay the gifts God has given him. There is no sense in a creature adopting a proud attitude towards God. What Jesus teaches us here we see being put into practice by our Lady, who replied to God's messenger (the Archangel Gabriel), "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord" (Luke 1:38).
****************************
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, November 07, 2005
Homosexual Activists Invade Pro-Family Group Headquarters En Route to White House
WASHINGTON, November 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Homosexual activists chained themselves to a display in the foyer of the Family Research Council (FRC) headquarters in the US capitol today in an attempt to disrupt work there.More.
One can only wonder had the tables been turned, that is, if a pro-family group had disrupted a pro-homosexual group's headquarters or office building, if members of the pro-family group would have been charged with 'hate crimes'?
Pope Benedict XVI: Spread the Catechism
VATICAN CITY, NOV 5, 2005 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received prelates from the Austrian Bishop's Conference who have just concluded their "ad limina" visit. In his address to them in German, the Pope recalled how such five-yearly visits serve "to consolidate the bonds with Peter's Successor," and express "the communion of the Universal Church."Source
. . .
"Remember that it is the bishop's primary duty to bear witness to the faith. 'I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God,' said the Apostle Paul in Ephesus. It is true that we must act delicately, but this must not prevent us from presenting the divine message clearly, even on those subjects that do not enjoy widespread approval, or that give rise to protest or even derision, especially in the field of the truth of faith and moral teaching."
. . .
Benedict XVI invited Austrian prelates to intensify their pastoral care of youth and, in their catechesis, to use both the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the recently published Compendium thereto which, he recommended, should be explained and illustrated in "in all parishes, associations and movements," and become "habitual reading" in families.
Gospel for Monday, 32nd Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 17:1-6
On Leading Others Astray, Fraternal Correction
[1] And He (Jesus) said to His disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! [2] It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. [3] Take heed yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; [4] and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, `I repent,' you must forgive him."
The Power of Faith
[5] The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith! [6] And the Lord said, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, `Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea', and it would obey you."
**********************
Commentary:
1-3. Our Lord condemns scandal, that is, "any saying, action or omission which constitute for another an occasion of sin" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 417). Jesus is teaching two things here: the first is that scandal will "in fact" happen; the second, that it is a grave sin, as shown by the punishment it earns.
The reason why it is so serious a sin is that it "tends to destroy God's greatest work, that of Redemption, through souls being lost; it kills one's neighbor's soul by taking away the life of grace, which is more precious than the life of the body, and it is the cause of a multitude of sins. This is why God threatens with the most severe punishment those who cause others to stumble" ("ibid"., 418). See [the notes on] Matthew 18:6-7; 18-8; 18:10.
"Take heed to yourselves": a serious warning, meaning that we should not be a cause of scandal to others nor should we be influenced by the bad example others give us.
People who enjoy authority of any kind (parents, teachers, politicians, writers, artists, etc.) can more easily be a cause of scandal. We need to be on the alert in this respect in view of our Lord's warning, "Take heed to yourselves."
2. Millstones were circular in shape with a large hole in the center. Our Lord's description, therefore, was very graphic: it meant that the person's head just fitted through the hole and then he could not get the stone off.
3-4. In order to be a Christian one must always, genuinely, forgive others. Also, one has to correct an erring brother to help him change his behavior. But fraternal correction should always be done in a very refined way, full of charity; otherwise we would humiliate the person who has committed the fault, whereas we should not humiliate him but help him to be better.
Forgiving offenses--which is something we should always do--should not be confused with giving up rights which have been justly violated. One can claim rights without any kind of hatred being implied; and sometimes charity and justice require us to exercise our rights. "Let's not confuse the rights of the office you hold with your rights as a person. The former can never be waived" ([St] . Escriva, "The Way", 407).
Sincere forgiveness leads us to forget the particular offense and to extend the hand of friendship, which in turn helps the offender to repent.
The Christian vocation is a calling to holiness, but one of its essential requirements is that we show apostolic concern for the spiritual welfare of others: Christianity cannot be practiced in an isolated, selfish way. Thus, "if any one among you wanders from the truth and some one brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:20).
5. "Increase our faith!": a good ejaculatory prayer for every Christian. "Omnia possibilia sunt credenti". Everything is possible for anyone who has faith.' The words are Christ's. How is it that you don't say to Him with the Apostles: `"adauge nobis fidem"! increase my faith!'?" ("The Way", 588).
**********************
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.
On Leading Others Astray, Fraternal Correction
[1] And He (Jesus) said to His disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! [2] It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. [3] Take heed yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; [4] and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, `I repent,' you must forgive him."
The Power of Faith
[5] The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith! [6] And the Lord said, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, `Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea', and it would obey you."
**********************
Commentary:
1-3. Our Lord condemns scandal, that is, "any saying, action or omission which constitute for another an occasion of sin" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 417). Jesus is teaching two things here: the first is that scandal will "in fact" happen; the second, that it is a grave sin, as shown by the punishment it earns.
The reason why it is so serious a sin is that it "tends to destroy God's greatest work, that of Redemption, through souls being lost; it kills one's neighbor's soul by taking away the life of grace, which is more precious than the life of the body, and it is the cause of a multitude of sins. This is why God threatens with the most severe punishment those who cause others to stumble" ("ibid"., 418). See [the notes on] Matthew 18:6-7; 18-8; 18:10.
"Take heed to yourselves": a serious warning, meaning that we should not be a cause of scandal to others nor should we be influenced by the bad example others give us.
People who enjoy authority of any kind (parents, teachers, politicians, writers, artists, etc.) can more easily be a cause of scandal. We need to be on the alert in this respect in view of our Lord's warning, "Take heed to yourselves."
2. Millstones were circular in shape with a large hole in the center. Our Lord's description, therefore, was very graphic: it meant that the person's head just fitted through the hole and then he could not get the stone off.
3-4. In order to be a Christian one must always, genuinely, forgive others. Also, one has to correct an erring brother to help him change his behavior. But fraternal correction should always be done in a very refined way, full of charity; otherwise we would humiliate the person who has committed the fault, whereas we should not humiliate him but help him to be better.
Forgiving offenses--which is something we should always do--should not be confused with giving up rights which have been justly violated. One can claim rights without any kind of hatred being implied; and sometimes charity and justice require us to exercise our rights. "Let's not confuse the rights of the office you hold with your rights as a person. The former can never be waived" ([St] . Escriva, "The Way", 407).
Sincere forgiveness leads us to forget the particular offense and to extend the hand of friendship, which in turn helps the offender to repent.
The Christian vocation is a calling to holiness, but one of its essential requirements is that we show apostolic concern for the spiritual welfare of others: Christianity cannot be practiced in an isolated, selfish way. Thus, "if any one among you wanders from the truth and some one brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:20).
5. "Increase our faith!": a good ejaculatory prayer for every Christian. "Omnia possibilia sunt credenti". Everything is possible for anyone who has faith.' The words are Christ's. How is it that you don't say to Him with the Apostles: `"adauge nobis fidem"! increase my faith!'?" ("The Way", 588).
**********************
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, November 06, 2005
Popular Sermons on the Catechism-Faith
Faith
"He hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).
From our consideration on the end of man, which was the theme of our last instruction, we saw that Faith, the Commandments, and the Means of Grace, form the principal subject-matter of the catechism.
We propose in our discourse to-day to take the first of these three divisions, and with the help of the Holy Ghost, to consider it under two heads:
I. The nature of faith.
II. The object of faith.
I
The catechism seeks to define our conception of faith by asking, "What is faith," and the answer runs: "Faith is a theological virtue by which we firmly believe the truths which God has revealed."
Faith, therefore, consists in believing. Every kind of human knowledge rests on a foundation of belief in something, but the question before us is to differentiate between knowledge founded on faith, and every other kind of human knowledge. Around us we see many different classes of objects, animals, plants, minerals. Among animals we distinguish the birds of the air, the fish in the sea, and all those brute beasts which live on land. In speaking thus, we are classifying them according to the regions they inhabit. Again, amongst the stars we have fixed stars, which do not move, planets, which revolve more or less regularly round the sun, and comets, whose orbit seems more uncertain. Now, just as we classify those things which are outside us, so must we deal with the things that are within us. But on what lines is our classification to be made? This I will endeavor to show. In all knowledge something has to be accepted as true. That belongs to the very nature of knowledge. But for what reason is it accepted as true? If we keep that question well before our mind it will give us the right basis upon which to work.
When Columbus and his companions, after a long voyage at last reached land and disembarked in America for the first time, they at that moment certainly believed in the New World. They believed in it because they had seen it with their eyes and trodden it with their feet. They trusted the evidence of their senses. But Columbus himself had been already long and firmly convinced of the reality of its existence. What had convinced him? Had anyone told him of it? No one. The possibility of such a thing had barely been surmised. Columbus from his own observations had drawn his conclusions. He had seen some strange flotsam brought in by the westerly wind to the shores of Europe, pieces of wood curiously carved and of a kind hitherto unknown. The sea could not have produced these, he reasoned to himself; the unfamiliar wood must be the product of some far-off undiscovered country whose inhabitants have done the carving. In this way, pondering over these pieces of wood, he found evidence to persuade him of the existence of America, just as when we see smoke ascending from a chimney we feel sure there is a fire burning inside, although we have not seen it. But to continue: Columbus with his companions returned to Europe to the court of King Ferdinand, and there, to the amazement of all who heard them, they told of the wonderful country they had discovered on the other side of the ocean, and of the strange varieties of plants, animals, and men they had found there. Now, did Ferdinand and his court really credit all this? Certainly they did. On what grounds did they credit it? They had not, like Christopher and his companions, seen it with their own eyes, nor had they proved, as he had done, the likelihood of its existence by their own logical reasoning. Not at all. Then why did they assume that it was all true? Because Columbus, who was an honorable and conscientious man, bore witness to it with his companions. So Columbus, we observe, had believed in America before seeing it because he had found evjdence of its existence; his companions believed because they had beheld it with their own eyes; and Ferdinand and his court believed simply on the testimony of Columbus.
Now I am able to show you exactly in what Faith consists. In a strict and proper sense we have faith only when we accept as true something we have neither seen for ourselves, nor deduced from our own observations; in other words, when we hold something to be true which another person has told us, and indeed because he has told us. This kind of knowledge which we get by relying on the word of some one else, figures very largely, more largely indeed than any other, in the sum total of human learning. All that we know of the past, of distant countries and people, rests on faith. How could children be educated unless they accepted as true what their parents tell them? How would pupils ever learn who refused to believe the word of their teacher? How could history be written if we did not admit the credibility of earlier chroniclers? How could a judge come to a decision unless he trusted the testimony given by witnesses under oath?
I am saying, then, that one kind of human knowledge consists in believing what trustworthy people have told us. Here we have faith in the secular sense of the word. Faith in the Christian sense consists in our believing what the Lord God has said or revealed to us. And surely if it be in the nature of things to believe what people worthy of confidence tell us, how much more firmly, more uncompromisingly, more unswervingly, may we believe what God tells us. For God knows all things. He is the very truth, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. It is on the eternal truth and infallible veracity of God and on His infinite holiness that we found our faith in all that He tells us. Faith, therefore, "is a theological virtue by which we firmly believe the truths which God has revealed."
II
We now go on to ask what are the propositions or truths which we are bound to believe? We are bound to believe everything without exception that God has revealed. But has God addressed each one of us? Has He spoken to you, to me, to them, to all of us? Not to each one of us individually, but to certain special groups of men and through them to all the rest. To whom, then, has God spoken and by whom? Under the Old Law God made His revelations to men through the patriarchs and prophets. The patriarchs, such as Adam and Noah, were the fathers of the human race, or else, like Abraham, the head of one particular people. The prophets were men specially enlightened by God and given by Him a special mission to mankind. Under the New Law God has revealed Himself through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the apostles, who were His first disciples and the earliest teachers of the Church.
And all that God has revealed, whether under the Old, or under the New, Law, has been preserved, proclaimed, and proposed to us by the Church. Therefore, faith, in the Christian sense, means to believe without doubting the truths that God has revealed, and communicated to us through His Church.
What, then, is the subject-matter of God's revelation to us? What does it contain? With what does it deal? Is it with questions of agriculture, or geography, or with the secrets and forces of nature? It is concerned with none of these things, and when mention of them occurs it is merely to illustrate by way of parable or simile some lesson which it is necessary to bring home to us, as, for instance, when our Saviour speaks of the vineyard, or of the draught of fishes. So, again, we ask, what is the subject-matter of the truths revealed to us by God? They contain everything, absolutely everything which we require to know for our eternal salvation. Oh, what a multitude of great and weighty matters God has unfolded to us concerning Himself and the Godhead, His perfections, His works, and the creation of the world - things that the most perfect telescope ever invented by man would fail to bring within the range of human eyes - the origin of our first parents, the beauty of their primary state, their first home in Paradise - their temptation, their sin and misery! Then comes the human race with the history of its many wanderings, enterprises, and retributions, of the chosen people of God, their patriarchs and prophets, kings and judges, and, finally, their rejection and downfall. Above all, we learn of the life, sufferings, and glory of Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man for us, His apostles, His Church, His sacraments - the end of the world, the judgment, and our own eternal destiny - heaven or hell.
Oh, what a multitude of divine truths the revelation of God embraces! How it lights up the past and radiates into the future! How much it makes known to us which it would have baffled all the discernment and wit of man to discover! God's knowledge is infinite. He reveals to us many things which we can not and never will understand in this world, and, because His wisdom surpasses ours in such an infinite degree, we must believe all He tells us, and hold it to be true, not because we understand it, but because an all-holy and omniscient God has revealed it to us. This is the foundation on which we Catholics build our faith.
Let us thank the Lord our God, who has called us, as St. Peter says, "out of the darkness into His marvelous light" - out of unbelief, which is truly a groping in darkness. For what does the unbeliever know, either of where he came from, or whither he is going? He is enveloped in a gloom which all the electric light in the world, be it ever so powerful, is unable to dispel; he has no assurance of what awaits him after death, no knowledge of the pitfalls which lurk on the road, no conception of the fearful abyss of hell. He is blind in the light of day.
Let us, indeed, thank God, who has called us out of the darkness into His wonderful light, who not only illumines the way we have to go, but in His merciful love treads it with us. It is that same road on which mankind had traveled since the beginning of the world, and will ever travel, the very ground over which, with its heights and depths, its hills and hollows, its dangers and ultimate goal, you yourselves, each one of you, have to make your earthly pilgrimage.
We will say with the Psalmist: "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my paths" (Psalms cxviii. 105). Yes, Lord, faith will be the light to guide my feet on the long, weary, and thorny road that may perhaps still lie before me. Grant that this light may never grow dim in my heart, but let it burn so brightly that I may not only know the way, but may walk in it; may not only see the dangers, but may shun them; that I may not only recognize the goal, but may attain it - life everlasting. Amen.
_____________________________________________
Adapted from Popular Sermons on the Catechism by Fr. A. Hubert Bamberg, Edited by Fr. Herbert Thurston, S.J. (1914)
"He hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).
From our consideration on the end of man, which was the theme of our last instruction, we saw that Faith, the Commandments, and the Means of Grace, form the principal subject-matter of the catechism.
We propose in our discourse to-day to take the first of these three divisions, and with the help of the Holy Ghost, to consider it under two heads:
I. The nature of faith.
II. The object of faith.
I
The catechism seeks to define our conception of faith by asking, "What is faith," and the answer runs: "Faith is a theological virtue by which we firmly believe the truths which God has revealed."
Faith, therefore, consists in believing. Every kind of human knowledge rests on a foundation of belief in something, but the question before us is to differentiate between knowledge founded on faith, and every other kind of human knowledge. Around us we see many different classes of objects, animals, plants, minerals. Among animals we distinguish the birds of the air, the fish in the sea, and all those brute beasts which live on land. In speaking thus, we are classifying them according to the regions they inhabit. Again, amongst the stars we have fixed stars, which do not move, planets, which revolve more or less regularly round the sun, and comets, whose orbit seems more uncertain. Now, just as we classify those things which are outside us, so must we deal with the things that are within us. But on what lines is our classification to be made? This I will endeavor to show. In all knowledge something has to be accepted as true. That belongs to the very nature of knowledge. But for what reason is it accepted as true? If we keep that question well before our mind it will give us the right basis upon which to work.
When Columbus and his companions, after a long voyage at last reached land and disembarked in America for the first time, they at that moment certainly believed in the New World. They believed in it because they had seen it with their eyes and trodden it with their feet. They trusted the evidence of their senses. But Columbus himself had been already long and firmly convinced of the reality of its existence. What had convinced him? Had anyone told him of it? No one. The possibility of such a thing had barely been surmised. Columbus from his own observations had drawn his conclusions. He had seen some strange flotsam brought in by the westerly wind to the shores of Europe, pieces of wood curiously carved and of a kind hitherto unknown. The sea could not have produced these, he reasoned to himself; the unfamiliar wood must be the product of some far-off undiscovered country whose inhabitants have done the carving. In this way, pondering over these pieces of wood, he found evidence to persuade him of the existence of America, just as when we see smoke ascending from a chimney we feel sure there is a fire burning inside, although we have not seen it. But to continue: Columbus with his companions returned to Europe to the court of King Ferdinand, and there, to the amazement of all who heard them, they told of the wonderful country they had discovered on the other side of the ocean, and of the strange varieties of plants, animals, and men they had found there. Now, did Ferdinand and his court really credit all this? Certainly they did. On what grounds did they credit it? They had not, like Christopher and his companions, seen it with their own eyes, nor had they proved, as he had done, the likelihood of its existence by their own logical reasoning. Not at all. Then why did they assume that it was all true? Because Columbus, who was an honorable and conscientious man, bore witness to it with his companions. So Columbus, we observe, had believed in America before seeing it because he had found evjdence of its existence; his companions believed because they had beheld it with their own eyes; and Ferdinand and his court believed simply on the testimony of Columbus.
Now I am able to show you exactly in what Faith consists. In a strict and proper sense we have faith only when we accept as true something we have neither seen for ourselves, nor deduced from our own observations; in other words, when we hold something to be true which another person has told us, and indeed because he has told us. This kind of knowledge which we get by relying on the word of some one else, figures very largely, more largely indeed than any other, in the sum total of human learning. All that we know of the past, of distant countries and people, rests on faith. How could children be educated unless they accepted as true what their parents tell them? How would pupils ever learn who refused to believe the word of their teacher? How could history be written if we did not admit the credibility of earlier chroniclers? How could a judge come to a decision unless he trusted the testimony given by witnesses under oath?
I am saying, then, that one kind of human knowledge consists in believing what trustworthy people have told us. Here we have faith in the secular sense of the word. Faith in the Christian sense consists in our believing what the Lord God has said or revealed to us. And surely if it be in the nature of things to believe what people worthy of confidence tell us, how much more firmly, more uncompromisingly, more unswervingly, may we believe what God tells us. For God knows all things. He is the very truth, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. It is on the eternal truth and infallible veracity of God and on His infinite holiness that we found our faith in all that He tells us. Faith, therefore, "is a theological virtue by which we firmly believe the truths which God has revealed."
II
We now go on to ask what are the propositions or truths which we are bound to believe? We are bound to believe everything without exception that God has revealed. But has God addressed each one of us? Has He spoken to you, to me, to them, to all of us? Not to each one of us individually, but to certain special groups of men and through them to all the rest. To whom, then, has God spoken and by whom? Under the Old Law God made His revelations to men through the patriarchs and prophets. The patriarchs, such as Adam and Noah, were the fathers of the human race, or else, like Abraham, the head of one particular people. The prophets were men specially enlightened by God and given by Him a special mission to mankind. Under the New Law God has revealed Himself through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the apostles, who were His first disciples and the earliest teachers of the Church.
And all that God has revealed, whether under the Old, or under the New, Law, has been preserved, proclaimed, and proposed to us by the Church. Therefore, faith, in the Christian sense, means to believe without doubting the truths that God has revealed, and communicated to us through His Church.
What, then, is the subject-matter of God's revelation to us? What does it contain? With what does it deal? Is it with questions of agriculture, or geography, or with the secrets and forces of nature? It is concerned with none of these things, and when mention of them occurs it is merely to illustrate by way of parable or simile some lesson which it is necessary to bring home to us, as, for instance, when our Saviour speaks of the vineyard, or of the draught of fishes. So, again, we ask, what is the subject-matter of the truths revealed to us by God? They contain everything, absolutely everything which we require to know for our eternal salvation. Oh, what a multitude of great and weighty matters God has unfolded to us concerning Himself and the Godhead, His perfections, His works, and the creation of the world - things that the most perfect telescope ever invented by man would fail to bring within the range of human eyes - the origin of our first parents, the beauty of their primary state, their first home in Paradise - their temptation, their sin and misery! Then comes the human race with the history of its many wanderings, enterprises, and retributions, of the chosen people of God, their patriarchs and prophets, kings and judges, and, finally, their rejection and downfall. Above all, we learn of the life, sufferings, and glory of Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man for us, His apostles, His Church, His sacraments - the end of the world, the judgment, and our own eternal destiny - heaven or hell.
Oh, what a multitude of divine truths the revelation of God embraces! How it lights up the past and radiates into the future! How much it makes known to us which it would have baffled all the discernment and wit of man to discover! God's knowledge is infinite. He reveals to us many things which we can not and never will understand in this world, and, because His wisdom surpasses ours in such an infinite degree, we must believe all He tells us, and hold it to be true, not because we understand it, but because an all-holy and omniscient God has revealed it to us. This is the foundation on which we Catholics build our faith.
Let us thank the Lord our God, who has called us, as St. Peter says, "out of the darkness into His marvelous light" - out of unbelief, which is truly a groping in darkness. For what does the unbeliever know, either of where he came from, or whither he is going? He is enveloped in a gloom which all the electric light in the world, be it ever so powerful, is unable to dispel; he has no assurance of what awaits him after death, no knowledge of the pitfalls which lurk on the road, no conception of the fearful abyss of hell. He is blind in the light of day.
Let us, indeed, thank God, who has called us out of the darkness into His wonderful light, who not only illumines the way we have to go, but in His merciful love treads it with us. It is that same road on which mankind had traveled since the beginning of the world, and will ever travel, the very ground over which, with its heights and depths, its hills and hollows, its dangers and ultimate goal, you yourselves, each one of you, have to make your earthly pilgrimage.
We will say with the Psalmist: "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my paths" (Psalms cxviii. 105). Yes, Lord, faith will be the light to guide my feet on the long, weary, and thorny road that may perhaps still lie before me. Grant that this light may never grow dim in my heart, but let it burn so brightly that I may not only know the way, but may walk in it; may not only see the dangers, but may shun them; that I may not only recognize the goal, but may attain it - life everlasting. Amen.
_____________________________________________
Adapted from Popular Sermons on the Catechism by Fr. A. Hubert Bamberg, Edited by Fr. Herbert Thurston, S.J. (1914)
Gospel for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: Matthew 25:1-13
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Maidens
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [1] "Then the Kingdom of Heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. [2] Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. [3] For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; [4] but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. [5] As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. [6] But at midnight there was a cry, `Behold the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' [7] Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. [8] And the foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' [9] But the wise replied, `Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' [10] And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. [11] Afterwards the other maidens came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.' [12] But he replied, `Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' [13] Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
************************
Commentary:
1-46. The whole of chapter 25 is a practical application of the teaching contained in chapter 24. With these parables of the wise and foolish virgins and of the talents, and His teaching on the Last Judgment, our Lord is again emphasizing the need for vigilance (cf. note on Matthew 24:42). In this sense, chapter 25 makes chapter 24 more intelligible.
1-13. The main lesson of this parable has to do with the need to be on the alert: in practice, this means having the light of faith, which is kept alive with the oil of charity. Jewish weddings were held in the house of the bride's father. The virgins are young unmarried girls, bridesmaids who are in the bride's house waiting for the bridegroom to arrive. The parable centers on the attitude one should adopt up to the time when the bridegroom comes. In other words, it is not enough to know that one is "inside" the Kingdom, the Church: one has to be on the watch and be preparing for Christ's coming by doing good works.
This vigilance should be continuous and unflagging, because the devil is forever after us, prowling around "like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). "Watch with the heart, watch with faith, watch with love, watch with charity, watch with good works [...]; make ready the lamps, make sure they do not go out [...], renew them with the inner oil of an upright conscience; then shall the Bridegroom enfold you in the embrace of His love and bring you into His banquet room, where your lamp can never be extinguished" (St. Augustine, "Sermon", 93).
***********************
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.
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Maidens
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [1] "Then the Kingdom of Heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. [2] Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. [3] For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; [4] but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. [5] As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. [6] But at midnight there was a cry, `Behold the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' [7] Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. [8] And the foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' [9] But the wise replied, `Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' [10] And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. [11] Afterwards the other maidens came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.' [12] But he replied, `Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' [13] Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
************************
Commentary:
1-46. The whole of chapter 25 is a practical application of the teaching contained in chapter 24. With these parables of the wise and foolish virgins and of the talents, and His teaching on the Last Judgment, our Lord is again emphasizing the need for vigilance (cf. note on Matthew 24:42). In this sense, chapter 25 makes chapter 24 more intelligible.
1-13. The main lesson of this parable has to do with the need to be on the alert: in practice, this means having the light of faith, which is kept alive with the oil of charity. Jewish weddings were held in the house of the bride's father. The virgins are young unmarried girls, bridesmaids who are in the bride's house waiting for the bridegroom to arrive. The parable centers on the attitude one should adopt up to the time when the bridegroom comes. In other words, it is not enough to know that one is "inside" the Kingdom, the Church: one has to be on the watch and be preparing for Christ's coming by doing good works.
This vigilance should be continuous and unflagging, because the devil is forever after us, prowling around "like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). "Watch with the heart, watch with faith, watch with love, watch with charity, watch with good works [...]; make ready the lamps, make sure they do not go out [...], renew them with the inner oil of an upright conscience; then shall the Bridegroom enfold you in the embrace of His love and bring you into His banquet room, where your lamp can never be extinguished" (St. Augustine, "Sermon", 93).
***********************
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.
2nd Reading for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The Second Coming of the Lord
[13] But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. [14] For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. [15] For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. [16] For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; [17] then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. [18] Therefore comfort one another with these words.
***********************
Commentary:
13. "Those who are asleep": this __expression, already to be found in some pagan writings, was often used by the early Christians to refer to those who died in the faith of Christ. In Christian writings it makes more sense, given Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus and in the resurrection of the body. It is not just a euphemism: it underlines the fact that death is not the end. "Why does it say that they are asleep", St Augustine asks, "if not because they will be raised when their day comes?" ("Sermon 93", 6). Hence Monsignor Escriva's advice: "When facing death, be calm. I do not want you to have the cold stoicism of the pagan, but the fervor of a child of God who knows that life is changed, not taken away. To die is to live!" ("Furrow", 876).
Even though we have this hope, it is perfectly understandable for us to feel sad when people we love die. This sadness, provided it is kept under control, is a sign of affection and piety, but "to be excessively downcast by the death of friends is to act like someone who does not have the spirit of Christian hope. A person who does not believe in the resurrection and who sees death as total annihilation has every reason to weep and lament and cry over those friends and relations who have passed away into nothingness. But you are Christians, you believe in the resurrection, you live and die in hope: why should you mourn the dead excessively?" (Chrysostom, "Hom. on 1 Thess, ad loc.").
14. "It is appointed for men to die once" (Heb 9:27). However, for a person who has faith, death does not just mean the end of his days on earth. Our Lord Jesus Christ died and rose again, and his resurrection is a pledge of our resurrection: death "in Christ" is the climax of a life in union with him, and it is the gateway to heaven. And so St Paul tells Timothy, "If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him" (2 Tim 2:11-12).
The resurrection the Christian will experience is not only similar to our Lord's; his resurrection is in fact the cause of ours. St Thomas Aquinas explains this as follows: "Christ is the model of our resurrection, because he took flesh and he rose in the flesh. However, he is not only our model; he is also the efficient cause (of our resurrection) because anything done by the human nature of Christ was done not only by the power of his human nature but also by the power of the godhead united to that nature. And so, just as his touch cured the leper by virtue of its being the instrument of his godhead, so the resurrection of Christ is the cause of our resurrection" ("Commentary on 1 Thess, ad loc."). Although this passage of the letter does not say so explicitly, it is implied that we will rise with our bodies, just as Jesus rose with his.
15-17. The religious instruction of the Thessalonians was cut short because St Paul had to leave the city in a hurry. One of the doubts remaining in their minds can be expressed as follows: Will the dead be under any disadvantage "vis-a-vis" those who are still alive when the Parousia of the Lord happens? The Apostle replies in two stages: first he says that we will have no advantage of any kind over them (vv. 15-18); then he makes clear that we do not know when that even will come about (5:1-2).
In his reply he does not explicitly speak about the general resurrection; he refers only to those who die "in Christ". He distinguishes two groups as regards the situation people find themselves in at our Lord's second coming--1) those who are alive: these will be "caught up", that is changed (cf. 1 Cor 15:51; 2 Cor 5: 2-4) by the power of God and will change from being corruptible and mortal to being incorruptible and immortal; 2) those who have already died: these will rise again.
St Paul's reply is adapted to the tenor of the question; so, when he writes "we who are alive, who are left" he does not mean that the Parousia will happen soon or that he will live to see the day (cf. Pontifical Biblical Commission, "Reply" concerning the Parousia, 18 June 1915). He uses the first person plural because at the time of writing both he and his readers were alive. However, his words were misinterpreted by some of the Thessalonians, and that was the reason he wrote the second epistle a few months later (in which he puts things more clearly: "Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren, not to quickly shaken in mind or excited [...], to the effect that the day of the Lord has come" (2 Thess 2:1-2). However, even in the first letter there are enough indications that St Paul was not saying the Parousia was imminent, for he implies that he does not know when it will happen (cf. 5:1-2).
To describe the signs which will mark the Lord's coming, St Paul uses imagery typical of apocalyptic writing--the voice of the archangel, the sound of the trumpet, the clouds of heaven. These signs are to be found in the Old Testament theophanies or great manifestations of Yahweh (cf. Ex 19:16); on the day of the Parousia, too, they will reveal God's absolute dominion over the forces of nature, as also his sublimity and majesty.
When the Lord Jesus comes in all his glory, those who had died in the Lord (who already were enjoying the vision of God in heaven) and those who have been changed will go to meet the Lord "in the air", for both will now have glorified bodies (cf. 1 Cor 15:43) endowed with the gift of "agility", "by which the body will be freed from the heaviness that now presses it down, and will take on a capability of moving with the utmost ease and swiftness, wherever the soul pleases" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 12, 13).
After the general judgment, which will take place that day, the righteous will be "always with the Lord." That is in fact the reward of the blessed--to enjoy forever, in body and soul, the sight of God, thereby attaining a happiness which more than makes up for whatever they have had to do to obtain it, for "the sufferings of this present life are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom 8:18). "If at any time you feel uneasy at the thought of our sister death because you see yourself to be such a poor creature, take heart. Think of this: Heaven awaits us; what will it be like when all the infinite beauty and greatness and happiness and Love of God are poured into the poor clay vessel that the human being is, to satisfy it eternally with the freshness of an ever-new joy?" ([St] J. Escriva, "Furrow", 891).
************************
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.
The Second Coming of the Lord
[13] But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. [14] For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. [15] For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. [16] For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; [17] then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. [18] Therefore comfort one another with these words.
***********************
Commentary:
13. "Those who are asleep": this __expression, already to be found in some pagan writings, was often used by the early Christians to refer to those who died in the faith of Christ. In Christian writings it makes more sense, given Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus and in the resurrection of the body. It is not just a euphemism: it underlines the fact that death is not the end. "Why does it say that they are asleep", St Augustine asks, "if not because they will be raised when their day comes?" ("Sermon 93", 6). Hence Monsignor Escriva's advice: "When facing death, be calm. I do not want you to have the cold stoicism of the pagan, but the fervor of a child of God who knows that life is changed, not taken away. To die is to live!" ("Furrow", 876).
Even though we have this hope, it is perfectly understandable for us to feel sad when people we love die. This sadness, provided it is kept under control, is a sign of affection and piety, but "to be excessively downcast by the death of friends is to act like someone who does not have the spirit of Christian hope. A person who does not believe in the resurrection and who sees death as total annihilation has every reason to weep and lament and cry over those friends and relations who have passed away into nothingness. But you are Christians, you believe in the resurrection, you live and die in hope: why should you mourn the dead excessively?" (Chrysostom, "Hom. on 1 Thess, ad loc.").
14. "It is appointed for men to die once" (Heb 9:27). However, for a person who has faith, death does not just mean the end of his days on earth. Our Lord Jesus Christ died and rose again, and his resurrection is a pledge of our resurrection: death "in Christ" is the climax of a life in union with him, and it is the gateway to heaven. And so St Paul tells Timothy, "If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him" (2 Tim 2:11-12).
The resurrection the Christian will experience is not only similar to our Lord's; his resurrection is in fact the cause of ours. St Thomas Aquinas explains this as follows: "Christ is the model of our resurrection, because he took flesh and he rose in the flesh. However, he is not only our model; he is also the efficient cause (of our resurrection) because anything done by the human nature of Christ was done not only by the power of his human nature but also by the power of the godhead united to that nature. And so, just as his touch cured the leper by virtue of its being the instrument of his godhead, so the resurrection of Christ is the cause of our resurrection" ("Commentary on 1 Thess, ad loc."). Although this passage of the letter does not say so explicitly, it is implied that we will rise with our bodies, just as Jesus rose with his.
15-17. The religious instruction of the Thessalonians was cut short because St Paul had to leave the city in a hurry. One of the doubts remaining in their minds can be expressed as follows: Will the dead be under any disadvantage "vis-a-vis" those who are still alive when the Parousia of the Lord happens? The Apostle replies in two stages: first he says that we will have no advantage of any kind over them (vv. 15-18); then he makes clear that we do not know when that even will come about (5:1-2).
In his reply he does not explicitly speak about the general resurrection; he refers only to those who die "in Christ". He distinguishes two groups as regards the situation people find themselves in at our Lord's second coming--1) those who are alive: these will be "caught up", that is changed (cf. 1 Cor 15:51; 2 Cor 5: 2-4) by the power of God and will change from being corruptible and mortal to being incorruptible and immortal; 2) those who have already died: these will rise again.
St Paul's reply is adapted to the tenor of the question; so, when he writes "we who are alive, who are left" he does not mean that the Parousia will happen soon or that he will live to see the day (cf. Pontifical Biblical Commission, "Reply" concerning the Parousia, 18 June 1915). He uses the first person plural because at the time of writing both he and his readers were alive. However, his words were misinterpreted by some of the Thessalonians, and that was the reason he wrote the second epistle a few months later (in which he puts things more clearly: "Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren, not to quickly shaken in mind or excited [...], to the effect that the day of the Lord has come" (2 Thess 2:1-2). However, even in the first letter there are enough indications that St Paul was not saying the Parousia was imminent, for he implies that he does not know when it will happen (cf. 5:1-2).
To describe the signs which will mark the Lord's coming, St Paul uses imagery typical of apocalyptic writing--the voice of the archangel, the sound of the trumpet, the clouds of heaven. These signs are to be found in the Old Testament theophanies or great manifestations of Yahweh (cf. Ex 19:16); on the day of the Parousia, too, they will reveal God's absolute dominion over the forces of nature, as also his sublimity and majesty.
When the Lord Jesus comes in all his glory, those who had died in the Lord (who already were enjoying the vision of God in heaven) and those who have been changed will go to meet the Lord "in the air", for both will now have glorified bodies (cf. 1 Cor 15:43) endowed with the gift of "agility", "by which the body will be freed from the heaviness that now presses it down, and will take on a capability of moving with the utmost ease and swiftness, wherever the soul pleases" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 12, 13).
After the general judgment, which will take place that day, the righteous will be "always with the Lord." That is in fact the reward of the blessed--to enjoy forever, in body and soul, the sight of God, thereby attaining a happiness which more than makes up for whatever they have had to do to obtain it, for "the sufferings of this present life are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom 8:18). "If at any time you feel uneasy at the thought of our sister death because you see yourself to be such a poor creature, take heart. Think of this: Heaven awaits us; what will it be like when all the infinite beauty and greatness and happiness and Love of God are poured into the poor clay vessel that the human being is, to satisfy it eternally with the freshness of an ever-new joy?" ([St] J. Escriva, "Furrow", 891).
************************
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.
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Catholic 'gay' clergy policy 'helping Anglicans': US bishop
LONDON (AFP) - Gene Robinson, the world's first openly gay bishop, said that Pope Benedict XVI's attitude toward homosexuals might be boosting membership of the Anglican Church in the United States.A telling statement from one who has rejected God and the natural law...
"We are seeing so many Roman Catholics joining the (Anglican) church," said Robinson on a visit to London. "Pope (Joseph) Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) may be the best thing that ever happened to the (US) Episcopal Church."
"I cannot imagine how discouraging it would be to have a church hierarchy doing what it does.One cannot help but wonder how "vile" God considers homosexuality? One would think that the 'man' would know the facts before he opens his mouth...but then, facts lead to truth, which he apparently rejects...preferring instead, the lies of the evil one. Despite how openly defiant others are toward God and His revelation, we must remember to pray for them - especially if we find it difficult to do so. If reason does not work with people such as this - and it rarely seems to do so - we must recall that with God, nothing is impossible.
"I find it so vile that they think they are going to end the child abuse scandal by throwing out homosexuals from seminaries. It is an act of violence that needs to be confronted."
Link to the article is here.
Professor Defends 'Intelligent Design'
Thanks to Mark S. for the 'heads up' below:
============================================
On December 4th, America Needs Fatima will sponsor a special presentation on "Intelligent Design" by Mr. John Calvert a lawyer and Director of "Intelligent Design Network Inc". In advance of this subject, you may want to read the article below to see how this issue is currently being fought in the courts. You might also be interested in who is representing the School District.
Look for more details on Mr. Calvert's meeting in the days ahead...
============================================
On December 4th, America Needs Fatima will sponsor a special presentation on "Intelligent Design" by Mr. John Calvert a lawyer and Director of "Intelligent Design Network Inc". In advance of this subject, you may want to read the article below to see how this issue is currently being fought in the courts. You might also be interested in who is representing the School District.
Look for more details on Mr. Calvert's meeting in the days ahead...
Professor Defends 'Intelligent Design'
By MARTHA RAFFAELE, Associated Press Writer
Fri Nov 4,12:11 PM ET
A biology professor who supports classroom discussion of "intelligent design" testified Friday that major peer-reviewed scientific journals shun articles on the concept because it is a minority view.
"To endorse intelligent design comes with risk because it's a position against the consensus. Science is not a democratic process," University of Idaho microbiology professor Scott Minnich said under cross-examination.
Minnich testified on behalf of the Dover Area School Board, which is defending an October 2004 decision to require students to hear a statement about intelligent design before ninth-grade biology lessons on evolution. Teachers opposed the statement, which says Charles Darwin's theory is "not a fact" and has inexplicable "gaps," and refers students to the textbook "Of Pandas and People" for more information.
Eight families are suing to end the practice, saying it violates the constitutional separation of church and state because it essentially promotes the Bible's view of creation.
Intelligent design supporters argue that natural selection, an element of evolutionary theory, cannot fully explain the origin of life or the emergence of highly complex life forms.
Minnich testified that intelligent design is based on science and doesn't require adherence to any religious belief. He also praised the prescribed statement to students.
Like some other advocates of intelligent design, Minnich acknowledged that he believes the designer is God, but he stressed that is a personal belief, not one based on science.
The trial, which began Sept. 26, is being heard without a jury and was expected to conclude with closing arguments Friday afternoon. The judge was not expected to rule immediately.
The plaintiffs are represented by a team put together by the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The school district is represented by the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Thomas More Law Center, which says its mission is to defend the religious freedom of Christians.
___
On the Net:
Dover Area School District: http://www.dover.k12.pa.us
National Center for Science Education: http://www.ncseweb.org
Thomas More Law Center: http://www.thomasmore.org
The World is a Cruel Place Because of the Catholic Church
There is nothing too surprising in that headline. We should always recall that the servants are no greater than the Master. As He was persecuted, so shall be His followers.
From the latest C-Fam email:
=====================================
A conference of radical pro-aborts in the European Union voiced open hatred for the Catholic Church and urged that EU nations be forced to accept abortion.
Spread the word.
Yours sincerely,
Austin Ruse
President
=====================================
EU Conference Says World is a Cruel Place Because of Catholic Church
Finding ways to force countries like Ireland, Portugal and Malta to liberalize their abortion laws was the focus of a meeting of 17 members of the European Parliament and representatives of various NGOs who gathered in Brussels on October 18. At a conference entitled, "Abortion – Making it a right for all women in the EU," attendees heard testimony from abortion advocates from countries with restrictive abortion laws. Held at the European Parliament building, participants strategized about ways to make a right to abortion mandatory for all member states of the European Union. They discussed ways to argue that guaranteeing the right abortion falls under the European Union's mandate because it is a human rights and public health issue.
Participants were particularly concerned about the role of the Catholic Church in countries with a strong Catholic identity. Maria Elena Valenicano Martinez-Orozco, a member of the European Parliament from Spain, spoke on "How to deal with the Catholic Church and reproductive rights." She also addressed why Spain had success "fighting conservative powers when it comes to homosexuality and abortion" and why "it is so much harder in Portugal".
Dr. Emmanuel D. Bezzina of Malta said, "It is a cruel world that we live in. Cruel because the Catholic Church is enshrined in the Maltese Constitution. Hence the power of the Catholic Church in Malta is tremendous. See for yourself, we could not even send one Maltese woman to speak here because had anyone come they would be terrified should publicity be given in Malta and they be seen as promoting abortion. . . . And we have an arrogant Prime Minister and an arrogant party in government who flirts with the Catholic Church."
Another parliament member, Sarah Ludford of London, wrote in a column prior to the meeting that abortion should not be left in the hands of individual nations. "The intention of the conference, to put the issue of women's reproductive health firmly in a European dimension, is entirely legitimate. It is no longer good enough to say that the question of women being denied access to such abortion services is purely a matter for national governments and is nothing to do with Europe. . . . If Euro-silence prevails about the continuing tight restriction or even prohibition on abortion that persists in several member states, we are complicit in women's lives being threatened or destroyed because of excessive deference to the notion of 'subsidiarity'."
How to overcome the principle of subsidiarity was among the topics addressed at the meeting. According to one observer present at the meeting, a representative of Catholics for a Free Choice said, "Well, subsidiarity can change just as did other things. But we keep putting forward our agenda."
Anne van Lanker of Belgium admitted that, "the EU has no competence on abortion." She noted that the "tendency in the European Parliament is now changing" because new member states have made the organization more pro-life "and so we are not sure if a good law will come out." Rather than pursue a strategy of explicitly changing the laws, Van Lanker said, "We have to do what we did with Slovakia. Name and shame. Of course we cannot forbid a state [from criminalizing abortion] but we have to keep pointing out that it is an infringement of EU laws."
Copyright 2005 - C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute).
Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.
Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute
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New York, New York 10017
Phone: (212) 754-5948
Fax: (212) 754-9291
E-mail: c-fam@c-fam.org
Website: www.c-fam.org
From the latest C-Fam email:
=====================================
A conference of radical pro-aborts in the European Union voiced open hatred for the Catholic Church and urged that EU nations be forced to accept abortion.
Spread the word.
Yours sincerely,
Austin Ruse
President
=====================================
EU Conference Says World is a Cruel Place Because of Catholic Church
Finding ways to force countries like Ireland, Portugal and Malta to liberalize their abortion laws was the focus of a meeting of 17 members of the European Parliament and representatives of various NGOs who gathered in Brussels on October 18. At a conference entitled, "Abortion – Making it a right for all women in the EU," attendees heard testimony from abortion advocates from countries with restrictive abortion laws. Held at the European Parliament building, participants strategized about ways to make a right to abortion mandatory for all member states of the European Union. They discussed ways to argue that guaranteeing the right abortion falls under the European Union's mandate because it is a human rights and public health issue.
Participants were particularly concerned about the role of the Catholic Church in countries with a strong Catholic identity. Maria Elena Valenicano Martinez-Orozco, a member of the European Parliament from Spain, spoke on "How to deal with the Catholic Church and reproductive rights." She also addressed why Spain had success "fighting conservative powers when it comes to homosexuality and abortion" and why "it is so much harder in Portugal".
Dr. Emmanuel D. Bezzina of Malta said, "It is a cruel world that we live in. Cruel because the Catholic Church is enshrined in the Maltese Constitution. Hence the power of the Catholic Church in Malta is tremendous. See for yourself, we could not even send one Maltese woman to speak here because had anyone come they would be terrified should publicity be given in Malta and they be seen as promoting abortion. . . . And we have an arrogant Prime Minister and an arrogant party in government who flirts with the Catholic Church."
Another parliament member, Sarah Ludford of London, wrote in a column prior to the meeting that abortion should not be left in the hands of individual nations. "The intention of the conference, to put the issue of women's reproductive health firmly in a European dimension, is entirely legitimate. It is no longer good enough to say that the question of women being denied access to such abortion services is purely a matter for national governments and is nothing to do with Europe. . . . If Euro-silence prevails about the continuing tight restriction or even prohibition on abortion that persists in several member states, we are complicit in women's lives being threatened or destroyed because of excessive deference to the notion of 'subsidiarity'."
How to overcome the principle of subsidiarity was among the topics addressed at the meeting. According to one observer present at the meeting, a representative of Catholics for a Free Choice said, "Well, subsidiarity can change just as did other things. But we keep putting forward our agenda."
Anne van Lanker of Belgium admitted that, "the EU has no competence on abortion." She noted that the "tendency in the European Parliament is now changing" because new member states have made the organization more pro-life "and so we are not sure if a good law will come out." Rather than pursue a strategy of explicitly changing the laws, Van Lanker said, "We have to do what we did with Slovakia. Name and shame. Of course we cannot forbid a state [from criminalizing abortion] but we have to keep pointing out that it is an infringement of EU laws."
Copyright 2005 - C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute).
Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.
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Website: www.c-fam.org
The Real "Crime" is Respecting Life
William Donohue of The Catholic League scores another bulls-eye with this report:
CSI TO VIEWERS: THE REAL CRIME IS RESPECTING LIFE
CSI TO VIEWERS: THE REAL CRIME IS RESPECTING LIFE
“It is a rare Hollywood big-wig who doesn’t embrace the right to abortion. Clearly, those in charge at CSI don’t buck convention. ‘Secrets and Flies’ speaks volumes about the way CBS executives view those who hold pro-life convictions.Of course, we can hope and pray that some at CBS might experience a conversion. I can't recall the last time I watched anything on CBS...or NBC...or ABC...or MSNBC...or CNN...or...
“Americans who respect human life in all of its stages have become the target of public ridicule. Enough is enough. Let CBS know how you feel by visiting http://www.cbs.com/info/user_services/fb_global_form.shtml.”
Gospel for Saturday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 16:9-15
The Unjust Steward (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [9] "And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations.
[10] "He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. [11] If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? [12] And if you had not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? [13] No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
[14] The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they scoffed at Him. [15] But He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."
******************************
Commentary:
9-11. "Unrighteous mammon" means temporal good which have been obtained in some unjust, unrighteous way. However, God is very merciful: even this unjust wealth can enable a person to practice virtue by making restitution, by paying for the damage done and then by striving to help his neighbor by giving alms, by creating work opportunities, etc. This was the case with Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, who undertook to restore fourfold anything he had unjustly taken, and also to give half his wealth to the poor. On hearing that, our Lord specifically declared that salvation had that day come to that house (cf. Luke 19:1-10).
Our Lord speaks out about faithfulness in very little things, referring to riches--which really are insignificant compared with spiritual wealth. If a person is faithful and generous and is detached in the use he makes of these temporal riches, he will, at the end of his life, receive the rewards of eternal life, which is the greatest treasure of all, and a permanent one. Besides, by its very nature human life is a fabric of little things: anyone who fails to give them their importance will never be able to achieve great things. "Everything in which we poor men have a part--even holiness--is a fabric of small trifles which, depending upon one's intention, can form a magnificent tapestry of heroism or of degradation, of virtues or of sins.
"The epic legends always relate extraordinary adventures, but never fail to mix them with homely details about the hero. May you always attach great importance to the little things. This is the way!" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 826).
The parable of the unjust steward is a symbol of man's life. Everything we have is a gift from God, and we are His stewards or managers, who sooner or later will have to render an account to Him.
12. "That which is another's" refers to temporal things, which are essentially impermanent. "That which is your own" refers to goods of the spirit, values which endure, which are things we really do possess because they will go with us into eternal life. In other words: how can we be given Heaven if we have proved unfaithful, irresponsible, during our life on earth?
13-14. In the culture of that time "service" involved such commitment to one's master that a servant could not take on any other work or serve any other master.
Our service to God, our sanctification, requires us to direct all our actions towards Him. A Christian does not divide up his time, allocating some of it to God and some of it to worldly affairs: everything he does should become a type of service to God and neighbor--by doing things with upright motivation, and being just and charitable.
The Pharisees jeered at what Jesus was saying, in order to justify their own attachment to material things; sometimes people make fun of total commitment to God and detachment from material things because they themselves are not ready to practice virtue; they cannot even imagine other people really having this generosity: they think they must have ulterior motives. See also the note on Matthew 6:24.
[The note on Matthew 6:24 states:
24. Man's ultimate goal is God; to attain this goal he should commit himself entirely. But in fact some people do not have God as their ultimate goal, and instead choose wealth of some kind--in which case wealth becomes their god. Man cannot have two absolute and contrary goals.]
15. "Abomination": the original Greek work means worship of idols, and, by derivation, the horror this provoked in a true worshipper of God. So the __expression conveys God's disgust with the attitude of the Pharisees who, by wanting to be exalted, are putting themselves, like idols, in the place of God.
**************************
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.
The Unjust Steward (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [9] "And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations.
[10] "He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. [11] If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? [12] And if you had not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? [13] No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
[14] The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they scoffed at Him. [15] But He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."
******************************
Commentary:
9-11. "Unrighteous mammon" means temporal good which have been obtained in some unjust, unrighteous way. However, God is very merciful: even this unjust wealth can enable a person to practice virtue by making restitution, by paying for the damage done and then by striving to help his neighbor by giving alms, by creating work opportunities, etc. This was the case with Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, who undertook to restore fourfold anything he had unjustly taken, and also to give half his wealth to the poor. On hearing that, our Lord specifically declared that salvation had that day come to that house (cf. Luke 19:1-10).
Our Lord speaks out about faithfulness in very little things, referring to riches--which really are insignificant compared with spiritual wealth. If a person is faithful and generous and is detached in the use he makes of these temporal riches, he will, at the end of his life, receive the rewards of eternal life, which is the greatest treasure of all, and a permanent one. Besides, by its very nature human life is a fabric of little things: anyone who fails to give them their importance will never be able to achieve great things. "Everything in which we poor men have a part--even holiness--is a fabric of small trifles which, depending upon one's intention, can form a magnificent tapestry of heroism or of degradation, of virtues or of sins.
"The epic legends always relate extraordinary adventures, but never fail to mix them with homely details about the hero. May you always attach great importance to the little things. This is the way!" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 826).
The parable of the unjust steward is a symbol of man's life. Everything we have is a gift from God, and we are His stewards or managers, who sooner or later will have to render an account to Him.
12. "That which is another's" refers to temporal things, which are essentially impermanent. "That which is your own" refers to goods of the spirit, values which endure, which are things we really do possess because they will go with us into eternal life. In other words: how can we be given Heaven if we have proved unfaithful, irresponsible, during our life on earth?
13-14. In the culture of that time "service" involved such commitment to one's master that a servant could not take on any other work or serve any other master.
Our service to God, our sanctification, requires us to direct all our actions towards Him. A Christian does not divide up his time, allocating some of it to God and some of it to worldly affairs: everything he does should become a type of service to God and neighbor--by doing things with upright motivation, and being just and charitable.
The Pharisees jeered at what Jesus was saying, in order to justify their own attachment to material things; sometimes people make fun of total commitment to God and detachment from material things because they themselves are not ready to practice virtue; they cannot even imagine other people really having this generosity: they think they must have ulterior motives. See also the note on Matthew 6:24.
[The note on Matthew 6:24 states:
24. Man's ultimate goal is God; to attain this goal he should commit himself entirely. But in fact some people do not have God as their ultimate goal, and instead choose wealth of some kind--in which case wealth becomes their god. Man cannot have two absolute and contrary goals.]
15. "Abomination": the original Greek work means worship of idols, and, by derivation, the horror this provoked in a true worshipper of God. So the __expression conveys God's disgust with the attitude of the Pharisees who, by wanting to be exalted, are putting themselves, like idols, in the place of God.
**************************
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, November 04, 2005
Gospel for Friday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 16:1-8
The Unjust Steward
[1] He (Jesus) also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. [2] And he called him and said to him, 'What is this that I hear from you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' [3] And the steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. [4] I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.' [5] So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' [6] He said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' [7] Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' He said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' [8] The master commended the dishonest steward for his prudence; for the sons of this world are wiser in their own generation that the sons of light.
*******************
Commentary:
1-8. The unfaithful steward manages to avoid falling on hard times. Of course, our Lord presumes that we realize the immorality of the man's behavior. What he emphasizes and praises, however, is his shrewdness and effort: he tries to derive maximum material advantages from his former position as steward. In saving our soul and spreading the Kingdom of God, our Lord wants us to apply at least the same ingenuity and effort as people put into their worldly affairs or their attempts to attain some human ideal. The fact that we can count on God's grace does not in any way exempt us from the need to employ all available legitimate human resources even if that means strenuous effort and heroic sacrifice.
"What zeal people put into their earthly affairs: dreaming of honors, striving for riches, bent on sensuality. Men and women, rich and poor, old and middle-aged and young and even children: all of them the same. When you and I put the same zeal into the affairs of our souls, we will have a living and operative faith: and there will be no obstacle that we cannot overcome in our apostolic undertakings" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 317).
***************************
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.
The Unjust Steward
[1] He (Jesus) also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. [2] And he called him and said to him, 'What is this that I hear from you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' [3] And the steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. [4] I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.' [5] So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' [6] He said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' [7] Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' He said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' [8] The master commended the dishonest steward for his prudence; for the sons of this world are wiser in their own generation that the sons of light.
*******************
Commentary:
1-8. The unfaithful steward manages to avoid falling on hard times. Of course, our Lord presumes that we realize the immorality of the man's behavior. What he emphasizes and praises, however, is his shrewdness and effort: he tries to derive maximum material advantages from his former position as steward. In saving our soul and spreading the Kingdom of God, our Lord wants us to apply at least the same ingenuity and effort as people put into their worldly affairs or their attempts to attain some human ideal. The fact that we can count on God's grace does not in any way exempt us from the need to employ all available legitimate human resources even if that means strenuous effort and heroic sacrifice.
"What zeal people put into their earthly affairs: dreaming of honors, striving for riches, bent on sensuality. Men and women, rich and poor, old and middle-aged and young and even children: all of them the same. When you and I put the same zeal into the affairs of our souls, we will have a living and operative faith: and there will be no obstacle that we cannot overcome in our apostolic undertakings" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 317).
***************************
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, November 03, 2005
Whitman Supports Republicans for Choice
ST. LOUISApparently she has no concern about the horrific and murderous intrusion of "doctors" in the life of the unborn who are the most innocent and defenseless persons in our society. We should pray for the conversion of people like this. Perhaps some day, by God's grace, their eyes will be opened to the truth and their hearts will be converted.
Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman called on moderate Republicans Thursday to become more vocal within the party as she helped launch a new St. Louis-based chapter of a GOP group that supports abortion rights.
Whitman said she fears the far right has too much power in her party, which she wants to return to core principles such as "the restriction of government intrusion into our everyday lives."
More here.
Maps of percentage of Pregnancies Aborted in the United States--by States
An interesting view of data compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Our Catholic bishops: Called to lead (Canon 915)
by Judie BrownMore.
November 2, 2005
Nearly three years ago, American Life League embarked on a serious campaign. We decided it was no longer possible to sit on the sidelines and watch while public figures, who claim to be Catholic, advocate, support, promote and vote for abortion. Action became imperative. After all, the Catholic Church teaches that the act of abortion is an intrinsic evil, which means, in plain English, that abortion is wrong. It is bad; it is despicable; it kills an innocent human being prior to his or her birth.
So, we asked ourselves, why are these public figures — especially political leaders — getting away with supporting murder?
The Catholic Church not only teaches this strong truth regarding abortion, but gives bishops (and, in fact, any ordained member of the priesthood, as well as deacons and Eucharistic ministers) the ability to do something about this obvious contradiction.
Vatican policy on homosexual seminarians due tomorrow?
Vatican, Nov. 03 (CNA/CWNews.com) - A long-awaited Vatican document upholding the Church's ban on homosexual seminarians will be released on Friday, November 4, according to the Catholic News Agency.More here.
The document, which has been prepared by the Congregation for Catholic Education, has already won the approval of Pope Benedict XVI.
Gospel for Thursday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 15:1-10
Parable's of God's Mercy
[1] Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Him (Jesus). [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."
The Lost Sheep
[3] So He told them this parable: [4] "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? [5] And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] And when he comes home he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.' [7] Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
The Lost Coin
[8] "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she lost one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? [9] And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I has lost.' [10] Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
*************************
Commentary:
1-32. Jesus' actions manifest God's mercy: He receives sinners in order to convert them. The scribes and Pharisees, who despised sinners, just cannot understand why Jesus acts like this; they grumble about Him; and Jesus uses the opportunity to tell these Mercy parables. "The Gospel writer who particularly treats of these themes in Christ's teaching is Luke, whose Gospel has earned the title of `the Gospel of mercy'" (John Paul II, "Dives In Misericordia", 3).
In this chapter St. Luke reports three of these parables in which Jesus describes the infinite, fatherly mercy of God and His joy at the conversion of the sinner.
The Gospel teaches that no one is excluded from forgiveness and that sinners can become beloved children of God if they repent and are converted. So much does God desire the conversion of sinners that each of these parables ends with a refrain, as it were, telling of the great joy in Heaven over sinner who repents.
1-2. This is not the first time that publicans and sinners approach Jesus (cf. Matthew 9:10). They are attracted by the directness of the Lord's preaching and by His call to self-giving and love. The Pharisees in general were jealous of His influence over the people (cf. Matthew 26:2-5; John 11:47) a jealousy which can also beset Christians; a severity of outlook which does not accept that, no matter how great his sins may have been, a sinner can change and become a saint; a blindness which prevents a person from recognizing and rejoicing over the good done by others. Our Lord criticized this attitude when He replied to His disciples' complaints about others casting out devils in His name: "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in My name will be able soon after to speak evil of Me" (Mark 9:39). And St. Paul rejoiced that others proclaimed Christ and even overlooked the fact they did so out of self-interest, provided Christ was preached (cf. Philippians 1:17-18).
5-6. Christian tradition, on the basis of this and other Gospel passages (cf. John 10:11), applies this parable to Christ, the Good Shepherd, who misses and then seeks out the lost sheep: the Word, by becoming man, seeks out mankind, which has strayed through sinning. Here is St. Gregory the Great's commentary: "He put the sheep on His shoulders because, on taking on human nature, He burdened Himself with our sins" ("In Evangelia Homiliae", II, 14).
The Second Vatican Council applies these verses of St. Luke to the way priests should approach their pastoral work: "They should be mindful that by their daily conduct and solicitude they display the reality of a truly priestly and pastoral ministry both to believers and unbelievers alike, to Catholics and non-Catholics; that they are bound to bear witness before all men of the truth and of the life, and as good shepherds seek after those too who, whilst having been baptized in the Catholic Church, have given up the practice of the Sacraments, or even fallen away from the faith" ("Lumen Gentium", 28). However, every member of the faithful should show this same kind of concern--expressed in a fraternal way--towards his brothers and sisters, towards everyone on the road to sanctification and salvation.
7. This does not mean that our Lord does not value the perseverance of the just: He is simply emphasizing the joy of God and the saints over the conversion of a sinner. This is clearly a call to repentance, to never doubt God's readiness to forgive. "Another fall, and what a fall!... Must you give up hope? No. Humble yourself and, through Mary, your Mother, have recourse to the merciful Love of Jesus. A "miserere", and lift up your heart! And now begin again" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 711).
8. This silver coin was a "drachma", of about the same value as a denarius, that is, approximately a day's wage for an agricultural worker (cf. Matthew 20:2).
***********************
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.
Parable's of God's Mercy
[1] Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Him (Jesus). [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."
The Lost Sheep
[3] So He told them this parable: [4] "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? [5] And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] And when he comes home he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.' [7] Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
The Lost Coin
[8] "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she lost one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? [9] And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I has lost.' [10] Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
*************************
Commentary:
1-32. Jesus' actions manifest God's mercy: He receives sinners in order to convert them. The scribes and Pharisees, who despised sinners, just cannot understand why Jesus acts like this; they grumble about Him; and Jesus uses the opportunity to tell these Mercy parables. "The Gospel writer who particularly treats of these themes in Christ's teaching is Luke, whose Gospel has earned the title of `the Gospel of mercy'" (John Paul II, "Dives In Misericordia", 3).
In this chapter St. Luke reports three of these parables in which Jesus describes the infinite, fatherly mercy of God and His joy at the conversion of the sinner.
The Gospel teaches that no one is excluded from forgiveness and that sinners can become beloved children of God if they repent and are converted. So much does God desire the conversion of sinners that each of these parables ends with a refrain, as it were, telling of the great joy in Heaven over sinner who repents.
1-2. This is not the first time that publicans and sinners approach Jesus (cf. Matthew 9:10). They are attracted by the directness of the Lord's preaching and by His call to self-giving and love. The Pharisees in general were jealous of His influence over the people (cf. Matthew 26:2-5; John 11:47) a jealousy which can also beset Christians; a severity of outlook which does not accept that, no matter how great his sins may have been, a sinner can change and become a saint; a blindness which prevents a person from recognizing and rejoicing over the good done by others. Our Lord criticized this attitude when He replied to His disciples' complaints about others casting out devils in His name: "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in My name will be able soon after to speak evil of Me" (Mark 9:39). And St. Paul rejoiced that others proclaimed Christ and even overlooked the fact they did so out of self-interest, provided Christ was preached (cf. Philippians 1:17-18).
5-6. Christian tradition, on the basis of this and other Gospel passages (cf. John 10:11), applies this parable to Christ, the Good Shepherd, who misses and then seeks out the lost sheep: the Word, by becoming man, seeks out mankind, which has strayed through sinning. Here is St. Gregory the Great's commentary: "He put the sheep on His shoulders because, on taking on human nature, He burdened Himself with our sins" ("In Evangelia Homiliae", II, 14).
The Second Vatican Council applies these verses of St. Luke to the way priests should approach their pastoral work: "They should be mindful that by their daily conduct and solicitude they display the reality of a truly priestly and pastoral ministry both to believers and unbelievers alike, to Catholics and non-Catholics; that they are bound to bear witness before all men of the truth and of the life, and as good shepherds seek after those too who, whilst having been baptized in the Catholic Church, have given up the practice of the Sacraments, or even fallen away from the faith" ("Lumen Gentium", 28). However, every member of the faithful should show this same kind of concern--expressed in a fraternal way--towards his brothers and sisters, towards everyone on the road to sanctification and salvation.
7. This does not mean that our Lord does not value the perseverance of the just: He is simply emphasizing the joy of God and the saints over the conversion of a sinner. This is clearly a call to repentance, to never doubt God's readiness to forgive. "Another fall, and what a fall!... Must you give up hope? No. Humble yourself and, through Mary, your Mother, have recourse to the merciful Love of Jesus. A "miserere", and lift up your heart! And now begin again" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 711).
8. This silver coin was a "drachma", of about the same value as a denarius, that is, approximately a day's wage for an agricultural worker (cf. Matthew 20:2).
***********************
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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