Memorial Bl. John Duns Scotus
Old Calendar: Holy Four Crowned Martyrs
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.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Thoughts and Counsels - November 8
The best preparation for death is a perfect resignation to the will of God, after the example of Jesus Christ, who, in His prayer in Gethsemani prepared Himself with these words, "Father, not as I will, but as Thou wilt."
-St. Vincent de Paul
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Vincent de Paul
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for November 8, For All Eternity
Thinking of death, a great artist, who was unfortunately a pagan, the Countesse de Noailles, felt herself broken in advance at the realization that one day there was to be an end.
"Alas, if we could only tell fleeting time to wait."
No, no, time rolls on impassable. At each minute I am dying a little, but I am not aware of it. Only the last minutes of my life will be called, wrongly it is true, the time of my death. Every minute contributes to the approach of my last minute, which will definitely cut the thread of my existence. As the sentence, often written upon sun dials, expresses it: "Every hour strikes, the last kills."
I will try to remember well in this season that I am always dying. I will use this thought as an incentive truly to live every moment, that is to say, to give to each of my days its complete fruit for souls and for God.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
"To have received all and cease to know.For her, scarcely believing at all in the immortality of the soul, death was the end of all. Instead of imagining the tomb as an arch of triumph, an open door to the beyond, she saw it as a hole; an abyss; there is no outlet; it is closed in by the earth on both sides. She pitied herself, sorrowing at this eternal destruction of what she had felt so vibrant in life.
What then? I was life and I am going to cease to be
For all eternity?"
"Could it truly be that the universe destroysAh yes, it is true that one day death will overtake me, and this life below, so warm, so full of desires, of curiosities, of thirsts of all kinds, will find its end. Ah, if one could only stop the march of the hours!
Its most ardent creation?"
"Alas, if we could only tell fleeting time to wait."
No, no, time rolls on impassable. At each minute I am dying a little, but I am not aware of it. Only the last minutes of my life will be called, wrongly it is true, the time of my death. Every minute contributes to the approach of my last minute, which will definitely cut the thread of my existence. As the sentence, often written upon sun dials, expresses it: "Every hour strikes, the last kills."
I will try to remember well in this season that I am always dying. I will use this thought as an incentive truly to live every moment, that is to say, to give to each of my days its complete fruit for souls and for God.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Fox2 News on "Catholic" Women Priestesses
Local Fox2 News has a video of a short interview with Elsie Hainz McGrath and Rose Marie Hudson who are scheduled to commit an act of schism this Sunday resulting in automatic excommunication...
(KTVI - myFOXstl.com) -- It is a first for St. Louis, and it's giving rise to another battle with St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke. Two Catholic women are about to be ordained priests. FOX 2's Andy Banker reports on the firestorm that's ignited on so many fronts.
Archbishop Burke Issues Warning of Automatic Excommunication
From the Post Dispatch:
Source
The Archdiocese of St Louis has more on this here, titled "The Nature of Priestly Ordination: Theological Background and Some Present Concerns"
St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke has warned two Roman Catholic women that if they go through with a planned ordination Sunday, they will be automatically excommunicated for an act of schism.Here it comes!
The two women, Elsie Hainz McGrath (pictured right) and Rose Marie Hudson (on the left) , are scheduled to be ordained as priests of an organization called Roman Catholic Womenpriests at Central Reform Congregation, a synagogue in St. Louis. Only men are ordained as priests in the Roman Catholic church.
In letters delivered by courier to the two women Monday evening, Burke admonished them "to renounce your intention to attempt to receive priestly ordination" and "to retract publicly any denial or contrary affirmation regarding the Church’s Catholic Doctrine...that women cannot validly receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders."
The archbishop continued: "Should you refuse to comply, in order to protect the faithful from grave spiritual deception...you will incur automatically...the censure of excommunication..."
The archdiocese would not comment on the letters Wednesday, saying that all correspondence from the archbishop is private.
Source
The Archdiocese of St Louis has more on this here, titled "The Nature of Priestly Ordination: Theological Background and Some Present Concerns"
A Daughter of "Father" Mother writes...
From the combox regarding this post we read:
The comments about the priest shortage are completely devoid of any sense of rational thinking since this sham 'ordination' ritual does absolutely nothing to address the issue. It merely causes scandal and division within the Church, inflicting more pain in the Body of Christ.
And what does "being accepting of all people" mean in the context of the 'discussion'? That some propose to become heretics or engage in schismatic acts does not require that the faithful pretend that nothing is wrong and we "accept" these women as faithful Catholics. Did not our Lord tell his disciples to leave those, shaking the dust from their sandals, who would not hear the Good News? The two women and their supporters also choose to reject Him and the One Who sent Him...
Then comes the specious claim that these women are "rejected" because of how they were born - I assume this means "as female." Lord, please have mercy on us!
And of course, they could do the work of Jesus if they had not chosen to reject Him and His Church - but facts merely cloud the important things - like prideful arrogance and a lust for some hidden power...
Lastly, I don't think it makes any difference who her mother is. I don't care to guess. Both are extremely confused, wrong, and heading for disaster and both need our prayers. That they have succumbed to the lures and promises of the evil one is regrettable indeed.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of your comments. I only tuned in because my mom's name came up in the article (and I will leave that up to you all to figure out which one that is) but I must say I have had quite a laugh with all this ridiculous back and forth about laws, canons, blah blah blah.I can't seem to find any mention of canon law in the post but then, it was probably hidden between the lines and I'm too obuse to see it....
I guess my only question would be, what are you so scared of? Talking? Figuring out how to solve the priest shortage in the Catholic Church? Being accepting of all people? Not rejecting someone just because of how they were born? Maybe focusing truly on the work of Jesus?Hmmm...this is truly interesting.I don't believe anyone is scared or afraid, except to the extent we might fear the loss of the souls of our sisters in Christ - after all, we are joined by baptism and their actions, objectively, place their souls in grave danger. For this, we should all be fearful and pray for conversion.
The comments about the priest shortage are completely devoid of any sense of rational thinking since this sham 'ordination' ritual does absolutely nothing to address the issue. It merely causes scandal and division within the Church, inflicting more pain in the Body of Christ.
And what does "being accepting of all people" mean in the context of the 'discussion'? That some propose to become heretics or engage in schismatic acts does not require that the faithful pretend that nothing is wrong and we "accept" these women as faithful Catholics. Did not our Lord tell his disciples to leave those, shaking the dust from their sandals, who would not hear the Good News? The two women and their supporters also choose to reject Him and the One Who sent Him...
Then comes the specious claim that these women are "rejected" because of how they were born - I assume this means "as female." Lord, please have mercy on us!
And of course, they could do the work of Jesus if they had not chosen to reject Him and His Church - but facts merely cloud the important things - like prideful arrogance and a lust for some hidden power...
Well folks, thanks for the laugh! It really was a pleasure. Oh, and before you start discussing it amongst yourselves, yes, I do have a degree in Theology and Pastoral Ministry...yes, CATHOLIC theology.Well now we get to the meat and potatoes - we've been dealing with a woman who has a "degree" in Theology and Pastoral Ministry, and in Catholic theology, no less! I wonder if these degrees are passed from one generation to the next. Maybe Erin is next in line to be ordained - Just think, this could become a family thing.
Erin
Lastly, I don't think it makes any difference who her mother is. I don't care to guess. Both are extremely confused, wrong, and heading for disaster and both need our prayers. That they have succumbed to the lures and promises of the evil one is regrettable indeed.
Woman rabbi takes the heat for Catholic ordinations
What a title from the National Catholic Distorter...But I suspect that there will be a litttle more "heat" after the so-called ordinations occur - if you catch my drift.
Pamela Schaeffer writes:
And is a master's from AI something of which to be proud? And how "rigorous" exactly was the diaconate program years ago? Mind you, I'm asking questions because I do not know? What I do know is that there has been a miserable failure in the past about some of these programs which has led, it seems, to an attitude of rebellion and dissent...It's no wonder there are so many so-called Catholics who pick and choose what they believe - if they believe anything at all.
One can only hope and pray that the Archbishop of St Louis addresses this scandalous behavior, if and when the event occurs. There's still time for these two ex-Catholic women to repent and be reconciled with the Church.
NCR article here.
More articles on this subject are here.
Pamela Schaeffer writes:
Two Catholic women are being ordained by Roman Catholic Womenpriests here Nov. 11, prompting outrage from Catholic officials -- outrage that, surprisingly, is directed less at the women aspiring to the Catholic priesthood, or at the movement ordaining them, than toward a rabbi who agreed to host the event.Quite the gala, this pretend ordination will be.
The women to be ordained are Elsie Hainz McGrath, a retired writer and editor for a Catholic publishing house, and Rose Marie Dunn Hudson, a former teacher. Bishop Patricia Fresen, who was for many years a Dominican nun, ordained the women as deacons Aug. 12 and will perform the ceremony here. The women are among a growing number of deacons, priests and bishops ordained in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement. Based on responses to formal invitations, Hudson said organizers are expecting 300 to 400 to attend.
In keeping with a form developed by Roman Catholic Womenpriests, both McGrath and Hudson have completed a course of pre-ordination studies and were previously ordained as deacons. Both women are converts and both have long been involved in service to the church. Each has four children and 11 grandchildren....A 'lay pastoral minister' - How nice!
Hudson, a longtime teacher, was certified by the St. Louis archdiocese as a lay pastoral minister in 1998, after completing a two-year formation program,...
and received a master’s degree in pastoral studies in an extension program offered by Loyola University, New Orleans. She was the first woman to serve as parish council president at her former parish, St. Joseph Catholic Church in Farmington, Mo.As others have repeatedly stated, this 'ordination' sham is all about power and pride...
McGrath worked with the St. Louis archdiocese to develop a family life commission, earned an undergraduate degree in theology at St. Louis University while working as a secretary in the theology department in the 1980s.Might be part of the problem...? Maybe others know about the 1980s theology department at SLU?
Invited to join the editorial staff at Liguori, the Catholic publishing house, she stayed for 12 years, while earning a master’s degree from Aquinas Institute of Theology in 2002. Her late husband was an ordained deacon in the St. Louis archdiocese, and she attended courses with him throughout a rigorous formation program.And let's not forget that Liguori was still selling her pamphlets and booklets as of last week.
And is a master's from AI something of which to be proud? And how "rigorous" exactly was the diaconate program years ago? Mind you, I'm asking questions because I do not know? What I do know is that there has been a miserable failure in the past about some of these programs which has led, it seems, to an attitude of rebellion and dissent...It's no wonder there are so many so-called Catholics who pick and choose what they believe - if they believe anything at all.
One can only hope and pray that the Archbishop of St Louis addresses this scandalous behavior, if and when the event occurs. There's still time for these two ex-Catholic women to repent and be reconciled with the Church.
NCR article here.
More articles on this subject are here.
Russell Shaw asks: Can bishops agree on Communion for politicians?
I guess it depends on what one means by "agree"...but the short answer, lacking divine intervention, is probably "no."
And many of us painfully recall what happened next, with countless weak-kneed bishops refusing to protect the Holy Eucharist.
It's not difficult to see the polarization caused by Mahony and McCarrick on this issue. But they weren't the only ones...
Next week the bishops meet in Baltimore to 'discuss' this matter some more...a matter which should have been settled by Cardinal McCarrick's failed special "Task Force" to formulate a 'report' and 'recommendations' about this issue.
Shaw's complete article is here.
"The bishops are not of one mind in discussing this question," Cardinal Francis George of Chicago diplomatically told an interviewer...Certainly everyone recalls that Archbishop Burke stated that John Kerry would be denied Holy Communion if he were to come to the St Louis Archdiocese. And as bishop of La Crosse, Bishop Burke had previously taken that step with other politicians supporting the killing of the unborn.
They've been arguing about that since 2004, and up to now the closest they've come to agreement was a statement three years ago saying each bishop could do as he thought best in his own diocese...
...there are several important differences between 2004 and 2007 where this issue is concerned...
And many of us painfully recall what happened next, with countless weak-kneed bishops refusing to protect the Holy Eucharist.
... Among the critics of Archbishop Burke's position were prominent members of the hierarchy such as Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington and Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles.Prominent members of the hierarchy? Only in these eyes of a few...
It's not difficult to see the polarization caused by Mahony and McCarrick on this issue. But they weren't the only ones...
Bishop Donald W. Wuerl of Pittsburgh -- now, archbishop of Washington -- complained about unilateral action by one bishop on a matter affecting them all. He called for a "process, mechanism or procedure" for reaching consensus.Consensus...how accommodating for the bishop/politician - a pathetically sad example of being "lukewarm."
Next week the bishops meet in Baltimore to 'discuss' this matter some more...a matter which should have been settled by Cardinal McCarrick's failed special "Task Force" to formulate a 'report' and 'recommendations' about this issue.
Bishops who oppose refusing Communion say that would politicize the Sacrament, though it isn't clear what they mean by that.They probably don't know either, it's just a nice sound bite which gives them cover in doing nothing...
Helping set the stage for the bishops' discussion in Baltimore -- along with Pope Benedict's remarks last May -- is the fact that several current presidential contenders are pro-choice Catholics. Another factor is a recent article by Archbishop Burke arguing his position in a canon law journal. Although it's no secret that the bishops are divided, the coming debate is likely to take place in executive session.One can only pray that, between now and the meeting, our Lord will give more of our bishops the courage, zeal and wisdom that so few seem to possess, especially when it comes to proclaiming the truth, and protecting the Holy Eucharist from sacrilege by those who publicly proclaim their support for the murder of the most innocent unborn sons and daughters of God.
In his interview, Cardinal George called some Catholic politicians' voting records "scandalous," but he questioned whether the bishops could agree on a uniform policy.
Shaw's complete article is here.
Gospel for Wednesday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 14:25-33
Conditions For Following Jesus
[25] Now great multitudes accompanied Him (Jesus); and He turned and said to them, [26] "If any one comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. [27] Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. [28] For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? [29] Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, [30] saying, `This man began to build, and was not able to finish.' [31] Or what king, going to encounter another king in a war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? [32] And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. [33] So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple."
_________________________
Commentary:
26. These words of our Lord should not disconcert us. Love for God and for Jesus should have pride of place in our lives and we should keep away from anything which obstructs this love: "In this world let us love everyone," St. Gregory the Great comments, "even though he be our enemy; but let us hate him who opposes us on our way to God, though he be our relative [...]. We should then, love, our neighbor; we should have charity towards all--towards relative and towards strangers--but without separating ourselves from the love of God out of love for them" ("In Evangelia Homiliae", 37, 3). In the last analysis, it is a matter of keeping the proper hierarchy of charity: God must take priority over everything.
This verse must be understood, therefore, in the context of all of our Lord's teachings (cf. Luke 6:27-35). These are "hard words. True, `hate' does not exactly express what Jesus meant. Yet He did put it very strongly, because He doesn't just mean `love less,' as some people interpret it in an attempt to tone down the sentence. The force behind these vigorous words does not lie in their implying a negative or pitiless attitude, for the Jesus who is speaking here is none other than that Jesus who commands us to love others as we love ourselves and who gives up His life for mankind. These words indicate simply that we cannot be half-hearted when it comes to loving God. Christ's words could be translated as `love more, love better', in the sense that a selfish or partial love is not enough: we have to love others with the love of God" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 97). See the notes on Matthew 10:34-37; Luke 2:49.
As the Second Vatican Council explains, Christians "strive to please God rather than men, always ready to abandon everything for Christ" (Vatican II, "Apostolicam Actuositatem, 4).
27. Christ "by suffering for us not only gave us an example so that we might follow in His footsteps, but He also opened up a way. If we follow that way, life and death becomes holy and acquire a new meaning" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 22).
The way the Christian follows is that of imitating Christ. We can follow Him only if we help Him bear His cross. We all have experience of suffering, and suffering leads to unhappiness unless it is accepted with a Christian outlook. The Cross is not a tragedy: it is God's way of teaching us that through sin we can be sanctified, becoming one with Christ and winning Heaven as a reward. This is why it is so Christian to love pain: "Let us bless pain. Love pain. Sanctify pain....Glorify pain!" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 208).
28-35. Our Lord uses different examples to show that if mere human prudence means that a person should try to work out in advance the risks he may run, with all the more reason should a Christian embrace the cross voluntarily and generously, because there is no other way he can follow Jesus Christ. "`Quia hic homo coepit aedificare et non potuit consummare! He started to build and was unable to finish!' A sad commentary which, if you don't want, need be made about you: for you possess everything necessary to crown the edifice of your sanctification--the grace of God and your own will." ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 324).
33. Earlier our Lord spoke about "hating" one's parents and one's very life; now He equally vigorously requires us to be completely detached from possessions. This verse is a direct application of the two foregoing parables: just as a king is imprudent if he goes to war with an inadequate army, so anyone is foolish who thinks he can follow our Lord without renouncing all his possessions. This renunciation should really bite: our heart has to be unencumbered by anything material if we are able to follow in our Lord's footsteps. The reason is, as He tells us later on, that it is impossible to "serve God and Mammon" (Luke 16:13). Not infrequently our Lord asks a person to practice total, voluntary poverty; and He asks everyone to practice genuine detachment and generosity in the use of material things. If a Christian has to be ready to give up even life itself, with all the more reason should he renounce possessions: If you are a man of God, you will seek to despise riches as intensely as men of the world seek to possess them" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 633). See the note on Luke 12:33-34.
Besides, for a soul to become filled with God it must first be emptied of everything that could be an obstacle to God's indwelling: "The doctrine that the Son of God came to teach was contempt for all things in order to receive as a reward the Spirit of God in himself. For, as long as the soul does not reject all things, it has no capacity to receive the Spirit of God in pure transformation" (St. John of the Cross, "Ascent of Mount Carmel", Book 1, Chapter 5, 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.
Conditions For Following Jesus
[25] Now great multitudes accompanied Him (Jesus); and He turned and said to them, [26] "If any one comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. [27] Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. [28] For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? [29] Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, [30] saying, `This man began to build, and was not able to finish.' [31] Or what king, going to encounter another king in a war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? [32] And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. [33] So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple."
_________________________
Commentary:
26. These words of our Lord should not disconcert us. Love for God and for Jesus should have pride of place in our lives and we should keep away from anything which obstructs this love: "In this world let us love everyone," St. Gregory the Great comments, "even though he be our enemy; but let us hate him who opposes us on our way to God, though he be our relative [...]. We should then, love, our neighbor; we should have charity towards all--towards relative and towards strangers--but without separating ourselves from the love of God out of love for them" ("In Evangelia Homiliae", 37, 3). In the last analysis, it is a matter of keeping the proper hierarchy of charity: God must take priority over everything.
This verse must be understood, therefore, in the context of all of our Lord's teachings (cf. Luke 6:27-35). These are "hard words. True, `hate' does not exactly express what Jesus meant. Yet He did put it very strongly, because He doesn't just mean `love less,' as some people interpret it in an attempt to tone down the sentence. The force behind these vigorous words does not lie in their implying a negative or pitiless attitude, for the Jesus who is speaking here is none other than that Jesus who commands us to love others as we love ourselves and who gives up His life for mankind. These words indicate simply that we cannot be half-hearted when it comes to loving God. Christ's words could be translated as `love more, love better', in the sense that a selfish or partial love is not enough: we have to love others with the love of God" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 97). See the notes on Matthew 10:34-37; Luke 2:49.
As the Second Vatican Council explains, Christians "strive to please God rather than men, always ready to abandon everything for Christ" (Vatican II, "Apostolicam Actuositatem, 4).
27. Christ "by suffering for us not only gave us an example so that we might follow in His footsteps, but He also opened up a way. If we follow that way, life and death becomes holy and acquire a new meaning" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 22).
The way the Christian follows is that of imitating Christ. We can follow Him only if we help Him bear His cross. We all have experience of suffering, and suffering leads to unhappiness unless it is accepted with a Christian outlook. The Cross is not a tragedy: it is God's way of teaching us that through sin we can be sanctified, becoming one with Christ and winning Heaven as a reward. This is why it is so Christian to love pain: "Let us bless pain. Love pain. Sanctify pain....Glorify pain!" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 208).
28-35. Our Lord uses different examples to show that if mere human prudence means that a person should try to work out in advance the risks he may run, with all the more reason should a Christian embrace the cross voluntarily and generously, because there is no other way he can follow Jesus Christ. "`Quia hic homo coepit aedificare et non potuit consummare! He started to build and was unable to finish!' A sad commentary which, if you don't want, need be made about you: for you possess everything necessary to crown the edifice of your sanctification--the grace of God and your own will." ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 324).
33. Earlier our Lord spoke about "hating" one's parents and one's very life; now He equally vigorously requires us to be completely detached from possessions. This verse is a direct application of the two foregoing parables: just as a king is imprudent if he goes to war with an inadequate army, so anyone is foolish who thinks he can follow our Lord without renouncing all his possessions. This renunciation should really bite: our heart has to be unencumbered by anything material if we are able to follow in our Lord's footsteps. The reason is, as He tells us later on, that it is impossible to "serve God and Mammon" (Luke 16:13). Not infrequently our Lord asks a person to practice total, voluntary poverty; and He asks everyone to practice genuine detachment and generosity in the use of material things. If a Christian has to be ready to give up even life itself, with all the more reason should he renounce possessions: If you are a man of God, you will seek to despise riches as intensely as men of the world seek to possess them" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 633). See the note on Luke 12:33-34.
Besides, for a soul to become filled with God it must first be emptied of everything that could be an obstacle to God's indwelling: "The doctrine that the Son of God came to teach was contempt for all things in order to receive as a reward the Spirit of God in himself. For, as long as the soul does not reject all things, it has no capacity to receive the Spirit of God in pure transformation" (St. John of the Cross, "Ascent of Mount Carmel", Book 1, Chapter 5, 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.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Msgr. Perl of the Ecclesia Dei Commission discusses upcoming document on Summorum Pontificum
From the Una Voce Arkansas Ozarks Regional Newsletter:
And we are also informed of "An Extraordinary Event in Little Rock"
[This is a ".doc" file]
Msgr. Perl of the Ecclesia Dei Commission on an Upcoming Document (from the Italian Papal news website Petrus):This should be interesting - while the motu proprio was quite clear, it's evident that some have difficulty understanding things which are unambiguous or not unintelligible..."It is true, we are writing a document-instruction on the correct interpretation of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum which has liberalized the Mass according to the liturgical books of Saint Pius V, as modified by Blessed John XXIII."Thus says Monsignor Camille Perl, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, in an exclusive interview to Petrus, who adds:"Though not a Congregation, we have been granted the faculty to prepare this note for the definition of some aspects of the Papal Motu Proprio as, for example, that of the stable group. We will thus clarify what is understood as stable group, how many people should precisely ask their Parish Priest to celebrate in the pre-Conciliar rite."Monsignor Perl, the instruction is due to the several objections raised by Bishops and Priests opposed to the new rules of access to the Mass in Tridentine Rite?"The situation is under the eyes of all. Regardless of that, after the Pope's Motu Proprio, it was legitimate to expect contrasting reactions. Some have expressed enthusiasm, some have not. Nevertheless, it is enough to recall that the Motu Proprio did not come down from heaven, but is the result of a long path."
And we are also informed of "An Extraordinary Event in Little Rock"
At a clergy continuing education event on October 16-18, fifty-seven priests and deacons learned more about Summorum Pontificum.Wonderful news!
Held at the St. John Center in Little Rock, the group heard Father Laurent Demets, FSSP, current chaplain for the St. John the Baptist Latin Mass Community in North Little Rock, Cherokee Village, and Mountain Home, and former chaplain Father Joseph Portzer, FSSP, lead a program in which the Motu Proprio and its implications were covered in some depth....
[This is a ".doc" file]Thoughts and Counsels - November 7
True humility consists in being content with all that God is pleased to ordain for us, believing ourselves unworthy to be called His servants.
-St. Teresa
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Teresa
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for November 7, The Greatest Evil
A monarch of ancient times, in the kingdom of Persia, one day called together three of the wisest philosophers then known, and asked them what they regarded as the greatest evil on earth.
The first answered: the greatest evil is sickness.
The second declared: the greatest evil is old age.
The third explained: the greatest evil is to have to admit in the face of death that you have bungled your life.
I hope earnestly, by the mercy of God, not to waste my life but to assure my salvation. The true problem is, however, to know whether I shall have acquired for God during my life the merits He expects; if I shall have saved in my lifetime all the souls that were dependent on my sanctity; if I shall have procured for the Lord all the glory that He wished.
To bungle my life. The expression is very strong. But between bungling my life and making it productive of the greatest returns, there is an enormous distance, a tremendous range. If I have to appear before God today, what would I think of my life? Would I be completely satisfied with it? Does it offer, truly, completely, honestly, the expected fruit of my existence?
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
The first answered: the greatest evil is sickness.
The second declared: the greatest evil is old age.
The third explained: the greatest evil is to have to admit in the face of death that you have bungled your life.
I hope earnestly, by the mercy of God, not to waste my life but to assure my salvation. The true problem is, however, to know whether I shall have acquired for God during my life the merits He expects; if I shall have saved in my lifetime all the souls that were dependent on my sanctity; if I shall have procured for the Lord all the glory that He wished.
To bungle my life. The expression is very strong. But between bungling my life and making it productive of the greatest returns, there is an enormous distance, a tremendous range. If I have to appear before God today, what would I think of my life? Would I be completely satisfied with it? Does it offer, truly, completely, honestly, the expected fruit of my existence?
"O my God, am I not deluded? Is that what a life of a religious means? But no, let me see. Well, but then, what do I expect?"_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Excommunication for New St Stanislaus Board Members?
St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke has warned two recently-elected members of the St. Stanislaus Kostka Church board that by joining the church’s leadership they have committed an act of schism, and he has summoned them to the Catholic Center on Lindell to defend themselves.These two were interviewed on a very brief news report this evening but I was not quick enough to capture it...maybe I can later. They did not seem too concerned about this - after all, most of those in schism reject lawful authority and make for themselves a new church based on their own desires. They ignore the seriousness of their actions.
Stan Rozanski, 59 of south St. Louis County and Bernice Krauze, 65 of south St. Louis received letters Friday telling them the Rev. Thomas Doyle, their choice of a canon lawyer to represent them before Burke, had been rejected by the archbishop. Instead, Burke assigned them legal representation from within the archdiocese.
Archbishop Burke's Vision For The Future
From our local Fox station:
More here with video.
In Good Faith: Archbishop Burke's Vision For The FutureSomething worth noting, as Archbishop Burke tells us, is that Kenrick-Glennon seminary has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of seminarians since last Spring (112 this fall). God is so very generous when his children practice and live a fervent prayer life and are faithful to Christ and His Church.
By Dan Gray
(KTVI-myFOXstl.com) -- Seeing the Archbishop greet parishioners after a Sunday mass at the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica, he comes across as a friendly man with a great smile. At every event he stays until every person who wants to meet him has a chance to do so. He speaks with a soft voice but at times he carries the church's hard line.
"First of all as Archbishop, I have to be concerned about the whole flock whether they like me or not or whether they like what I'm doing or not, so that's the number one thing. I never deliberately intentionally alienate anyone and I don't write anybody off," Burke said...
"In the world in which we live some people don't accept everything the church teaches and I'm sorry about that, some Catholics don’t and I'm sorry about that. I have to try and help them understand but my point is I need to keep teaching the faith..."
"...The Catholic identity is very much in danger. Why? Because we live in a culture that's completely secularized. A kind of relativism, a kind of hedonism, materialism and so forth, these kinds of tendencies of our culture, for us we have to resist them. My vision for the Archdiocese, I’ve always used the words, the new evangelization to lead the faithful of the Archdiocese to live their Catholic faith with a new enthusiasm and a new energy that will make a difference in our world."
More here with video.
HLI Condemns Action of NJ Governor and State Senator as ‘Tyranny’
From a Press Release from Human Life International:
Religious persecution of the state, taking the form of coercion under duress, is just one of a number of attempts to impose paganism and tyranny among those who have a sense of moral decency and obligation. The only difference, as I see it, between pagan Rome and a pagan America is that currently the state or federal government does not yet deprive Christians of life - only liberty and livelihood...But this, too, could change - if history is any indicator.
Read HLI's Press Release here.
FRONT ROYAL, VA — The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, STL, president of Human Life International, (HLI) today said, “When a state rejects the protection of individual consciences, that state loses its soul.”Day by day, we seem to fall further into an abyss of totalitarianism, where an individual's true freedom is rejected by the state and politicians suffer from illusions of grandeur and power.
Father Euteneuer was commenting on a New Jersey law sponsored by state Senator Joseph Vitale and signed into law by Governor Jon Corzine that effectively forces pharmacists in that state to violate their consciences by filling prescriptions for abortifacient—abortion-causing—contraception...
Religious persecution of the state, taking the form of coercion under duress, is just one of a number of attempts to impose paganism and tyranny among those who have a sense of moral decency and obligation. The only difference, as I see it, between pagan Rome and a pagan America is that currently the state or federal government does not yet deprive Christians of life - only liberty and livelihood...But this, too, could change - if history is any indicator.
Read HLI's Press Release here.
KMOV Interview of Newest St Stanislaus Board Members
Archbishop Raymond Burke threatens two more local Catholics with excommunication
Video here
{KMOV) - St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke is threatening two more local Catholics with excommunication. They are parishioners at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church. That parish has been battling Archbishop Burke practically since he was installed...Link here
Stan Rozanski and Bernice Krauze are the newest board members of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church...
News 4 spoke to those parishioners and an archdiocese spokesman about this new confrontation.
Video here
Bishop Vasa: Lessons in Obedience...
Lessons in obedience and God's will are part of daily life
He offers an interesting and easy to understand perspective, especially for those who think disobedience is the answer.
BEND — Discerning and discovering God’s will is one thing; determining what one will do once that will is known or manifested is quite another...Bishop Vasa relates an ordeal with a county planning board which nade a decision on a matter not to his liking...Nevertheless he acknowledges that he is required to obey the ruling - despite the fact that he disagrees with it. But this decision does not bear the mark of infallibility as does Humanae Vitae.
There are some, especially some in the Church, who claim that the opinions of those members of the 1968 papal commission who proposed that contraception should be acceptable, needed to be heeded and followed.
Instead, Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical, “Humanae Vitae,” concerning the transmission of human life, in which the longstanding teaching of the Church which proscribes the use of artificial contraception was reaffirmed. God’s will had been manifested. Yet, despite that encyclical, now approaching its 40th anniversary, many in the Church have determined that God’s will for them is that they not listen to or heed this voice of the Church...
He offers an interesting and easy to understand perspective, especially for those who think disobedience is the answer.
Gospel for Tuesday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 14:15-24
Parable of the Invited Guests
[15] When one of those who sat at table with Him (Jesus) heard this, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God!" [16] But He said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; [17] and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, `Come; for all is now ready.' [18] But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, `I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.' [19] And another said, `I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.' [20] And another said, `I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' [21] So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, `Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.' [22] And the servant said, `Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' [23] And the master said to the servant, `Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. [24] For I tell you, none of those who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"
_____________________
Commentary:
15. In biblical language the _expression "to eat bread in the Kingdom of God" means sharing in eternal beatitude, of which this great banquet is a symbol (cf. Isaiah 25:6; Matthew 22:1-4).
16-24. If God invites someone to know Him in faith, he should sacrifice any human interest which gets in the way of replying to God's call, no matter how lawful and noble it be. The objections we tend to put for- ward, the duties we appeal to, are really just excuses. This is why the ungrateful invitees are blameworthy.
"Compel people to come in": it is not a matter of forcing anyone's freedom -- God does not want us to love Him under duress--but of helping a person to make right decisions, to shrug off any human respect, to avoid occasions of sin, to do what he can to discover the truth.... A person is "compelled to come in" through prayer, the example of a Christian life, friendship-- in a word, apostolate. "If in order to save an earthly life it is praiseworthy to use force to stop a man from committing suicide, are we not to be allowed use of the same force--holy coercion -- to save the Life (with a capital) of many who are stupidly bent on killing their souls?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 399)
___________________________
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 of the Invited Guests
[15] When one of those who sat at table with Him (Jesus) heard this, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God!" [16] But He said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; [17] and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, `Come; for all is now ready.' [18] But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, `I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.' [19] And another said, `I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.' [20] And another said, `I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' [21] So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, `Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.' [22] And the servant said, `Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' [23] And the master said to the servant, `Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. [24] For I tell you, none of those who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"
_____________________
Commentary:
15. In biblical language the _expression "to eat bread in the Kingdom of God" means sharing in eternal beatitude, of which this great banquet is a symbol (cf. Isaiah 25:6; Matthew 22:1-4).
16-24. If God invites someone to know Him in faith, he should sacrifice any human interest which gets in the way of replying to God's call, no matter how lawful and noble it be. The objections we tend to put for- ward, the duties we appeal to, are really just excuses. This is why the ungrateful invitees are blameworthy.
"Compel people to come in": it is not a matter of forcing anyone's freedom -- God does not want us to love Him under duress--but of helping a person to make right decisions, to shrug off any human respect, to avoid occasions of sin, to do what he can to discover the truth.... A person is "compelled to come in" through prayer, the example of a Christian life, friendship-- in a word, apostolate. "If in order to save an earthly life it is praiseworthy to use force to stop a man from committing suicide, are we not to be allowed use of the same force--holy coercion -- to save the Life (with a capital) of many who are stupidly bent on killing their souls?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 399)
___________________________
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 05, 2007
Thoughts and Counsels - November 6
Meditation for November 6, The Hour of My Death
What kind of death awaits me? A gentle death or a violent death? A death in bed, a death in prison? A death resulting simply from old age; from failing strength, from sickness, from a bullet; or from a cudgel (club)? God alone knows!
If we were living in other times, such questions would be useless or extravagant. But in the period of history in which we live and in which we shall die, all is possible, and we must be ready. Furthermore, nowhere is it written that the era of martyrs is closed.
Assuredly, I should not get proud, believing too readily that such little virtues as mine are the seed of the martyr.
Neither ought I to live in a state of cowardice which makes me reject it, a priori, as a too beautiful end, declaring, without any proof, that it is not meant for me.
The right rule of action is to let God determine my future, and my end; I will prepare myself, with all my soul, for my end, which will demand of me the maximum of love. To do that, I will strive throughout my life, beginning today, to live in the habitual gift of maximum love. Charles de Foucauld wrote in 1897:
My problem is not whether I shall die a martyr, that is God's concern. My problem is to live, and nineteen years if necessary, as someone of whom God can make a martyr.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
If we were living in other times, such questions would be useless or extravagant. But in the period of history in which we live and in which we shall die, all is possible, and we must be ready. Furthermore, nowhere is it written that the era of martyrs is closed.
Assuredly, I should not get proud, believing too readily that such little virtues as mine are the seed of the martyr.
Neither ought I to live in a state of cowardice which makes me reject it, a priori, as a too beautiful end, declaring, without any proof, that it is not meant for me.
The right rule of action is to let God determine my future, and my end; I will prepare myself, with all my soul, for my end, which will demand of me the maximum of love. To do that, I will strive throughout my life, beginning today, to live in the habitual gift of maximum love. Charles de Foucauld wrote in 1897:
"Think that you must die a martyr and desire that it be today....In order that I may give you this infinite grace, be faithful, in vigilance and in carrying your cross. Consider that it is to this death that all your life must tend; see of what trifling importance many things seem in this light; think often of this death to prepare for it, and to judge things by their right value."It was only nineteen years after having written these lines, the first of December, 1916, that Foucauld was assassinated in the Sahara.
My problem is not whether I shall die a martyr, that is God's concern. My problem is to live, and nineteen years if necessary, as someone of whom God can make a martyr.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Fox2 News Interview with Archbishop Burke, Part 2
In Good Faith: Latin MassMore here
St. Louis, MO (KTVI - myFOXstl.com) --
More Catholics are worshiping at Latin masses in the St. Louis Archdiocese. St. Francis de Sales Church in South St. Louis has been offering the Latin mass for two years where nearly one-thousand people worship every Sunday. By the end of this year, three other parishes will be celebrating the old worship. In July, the pope relaxed restrictions on celebrating the Latin mass.
In Good Faith on Monday night, in a rare one on one interview St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke shares why he supports the Latin mass...
Previous link, Faith On FOX TV - Communion Cops
Vatican official decries opposition to Summorum Pontificum
Rome, Nov. 5, 2007 (CWNews.com) - In an interview with the Italian Petrus web site, Archbishop Albert Ranjith Patabendige, the secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship, acknowledged that the papal document, Summorum Pontificum, has been met in some dioceses with criticism and resistance. In some cases, the Sri Lankan prelate said, the hostility amounts to "rebellion against the Pope..."This rebellion has been going on for years...Is it finally time to deal with it? How much longer will the rampant disobedience and defiance go unchecked?
Archbishop Ranjith...charged that the resistance to the Pope's policy has been driven by "on the one hand, ideological prejudices, and on the other hand pride-- one of the deadliest sins."
More at CWNews here.
Gospel for Monday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 14:12-14
Attitude to the Poor
[12] He (Jesus) said to the man who had invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. [13] But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, [14] and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."
___________________
Commentary:
14. A Christian acts in the world in the same way anyone else does; but his dealings with his colleagues and others should not be based on pursuit of reward or vainglory: the first thing he should seek is God's glory, desiring Heaven as his only reward (cf. Luke 6:32-34).
___________________________
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.
Attitude to the Poor
[12] He (Jesus) said to the man who had invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. [13] But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, [14] and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."
___________________
Commentary:
14. A Christian acts in the world in the same way anyone else does; but his dealings with his colleagues and others should not be based on pursuit of reward or vainglory: the first thing he should seek is God's glory, desiring Heaven as his only reward (cf. Luke 6:32-34).
___________________________
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 04, 2007
Faith On FOX TV - Communion Cops
Notice Fox News' controversial choice of words...
More here (text)... or video links here...
Fox 2 is apparently running a 3 night report on this topic...I'll try to link and/or capture the video...(KTVI - myFOXstl.com) --
In Good Faith Sunday night, FOX 2's Dan Gray reported the archbishop is urging ordained and lay ministers to deny communion to people the Catholic Church considers unworthy. "Its the greatest gift we have in the church. There's nothing greater in the church, in the Catholic Church than the Body and Blood of Christ," Burke told Gray in rare one on one interview.
Holy Communion is a gift that the St. Louis archbishop said he would not share with presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004 or Rudy Giuliani this year. both men are Catholic. Both men support abortion rights. He emphasized," For us not to be concerned about its reception its just wrong." Now Burke is taking it a step further. He says any eucharistic minister should not give the sacrament to politicians who support abortion or to anyone known to be in mortal sin. The archbishop said, "The canon reads that a person who is in public grave sin, obstinately so, is not to be admitted to receive Holy Communion and so the responsibility falls upon the minister of the Holy Communion, whether it be the bishop, priest or deacon or an extraordinary minister."
Burke says if a minister does distribute communion to unworthy people they themselves are putting their own souls in jeopardy.
Burke: "If it was a priest he would be disciplined by the bishop, if it was a bishop he would disciplined by a higher authority or if it was an extraordinary minister they would be disciplined by the parish priest who is in charge there. the likely thing is the person would no longer be a minister of Holy Communion.
Gray: "Would that be a mortal sin?"
Burke: "Yes, of course."
More here (text)... or video links here...
Thoughts and Counsels - November 5
The greatest pain which the holy souls suffer in purgatory proceeds from their desire to possess God. This suffering especially afflicts those who in life had but a feeble desire of heaven.
-St. Alphonsus
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Alphonsus
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for November 5, Purgatory
When Eugenie Smet was seven years old, she was running merrily with some other little girls in her father's garden, when she stopped abruptly and said, as if struck by a sudden idea which nailed her to the spot: "Do you know what I am thinking about? If one among us were detained in a prison of fire, and the rest of us could deliver her by a single word, would we not say this word immediately? Well, many souls are held in the fire of Purgatory; God Himself, who punishes them justly, is waiting for us to deliver them by a little prayer and we will not do it."
The Church has just introduced the cause of Eugenie Smet's beatification. As Mother Mary of Providence, encouraged by the saintly Cure of Ars, she founded the Institute of the "Auxiliaries of the Souls in Purgatory," whose motto is: "To pray, to love, to suffer for the liberation of those who are expiating in the dwelling of purification."
I should be zealous in this devotion, for it is not a private devotion at all, but a thoroughly catholic program.
Pray for the souls in Purgatory; they can do nothing for themselves.
Love to offer now and then the thousand and one actions of the day; the multiple beatings of my heart, for the deliverance of the Poor Souls from Purgatory.
Suffer for them, above all, when a more cutting renunciation presents itself; accept it in the spirit of charity and of mercy; through the merits of this sacrifice, heaven will be opened more quickly for these suffering souls, or their pain will be lessened, for the greater glory of God.
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
The Church has just introduced the cause of Eugenie Smet's beatification. As Mother Mary of Providence, encouraged by the saintly Cure of Ars, she founded the Institute of the "Auxiliaries of the Souls in Purgatory," whose motto is: "To pray, to love, to suffer for the liberation of those who are expiating in the dwelling of purification."
I should be zealous in this devotion, for it is not a private devotion at all, but a thoroughly catholic program.
Pray for the souls in Purgatory; they can do nothing for themselves.
Love to offer now and then the thousand and one actions of the day; the multiple beatings of my heart, for the deliverance of the Poor Souls from Purgatory.
Suffer for them, above all, when a more cutting renunciation presents itself; accept it in the spirit of charity and of mercy; through the merits of this sacrifice, heaven will be opened more quickly for these suffering souls, or their pain will be lessened, for the greater glory of God.
"And you, O Holy Souls in Purgatory, whom I have been able to help fraternally, help me in your turn. Teach me to refuse God nothing since you know so well to what a Purgatory a refusal of grace can lead."_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Theological Gymnastics from the Post Dispatch
Post Dispatch Columnist, Sylvester Brown, Jr., writes:
Into the darkness he continues:
But what about Brown's statement that there was no "Church" when Jesus was alive? One might wonder what our Lord meant then, when he said, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18) Surely, there was a Church, but it was not yet "born" until Christ's death on the cross, when blood and water issued forth from Christ's side...
And Christ, in speaking to his Apostles at the Last Supper after making them priests like himself, reminded them of this truth: "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and have appointed that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain." (John 15:16)
Second, God chose men exclusively to be his priests, both in the Old Testament as Aaron, and in the New Testament as Christ.
Third, men, and men alone, are to exercise the ministerial priesthood, representing all mankind before God in things pertaining to God.
And regarding Brown's proof text, it must be understood that this text is connected with baptism and not with holy orders. St. Paul precedes this passage with the words: "For all you who have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ." But why let the context of the passage get in the way, right? Some are not looking for facts, but for ways to sow division and rebellion, and Brown assists those whose aim is to further heresy and schism. And Brown enlists the support of others claiming to be "teachers" in theological matters - none of whom would likely receive a mandatum to teach in an authentically Catholic institution.
But it should not be surprising that the Church still has to deal with the same heresies with which she dealt in the past.
What's the rationale?
Some fail to understand that being equal in dignity is not the same as being equal in function or calling.
Despite its divinization of men and women through baptism which confers the common priest?hood on all the faithful, the New Testament never grants women the graces of the ministry of the Holy Sacrifice, of the preaching of the word or of the discipline in the Church.
These graces are reserved exclusively for men. Never is a woman chosen to be in public an authorized representative of Christ or his Church. To no woman does Christ ever make the promise to ratify in heaven what she has bound or loosed on earth. No woman is given the power of the keys. No woman is commissioned to perform the ministry of public preaching. Christ does not entrust the administration of the sacraments to women; neither does he commit the care of his flock to them. (*)
Yet some would claim that they now know what Christ failed to know, understand, or teach when He walked the earth and established His Church...Fortunately He grants His followers the grace necessary to avoid these false teachers, infected as they are with error and dissent.
There is still time for these two confused woman to recant and refrain from further separation from the Church and from Christ. We should pray for them and for those, like Brown and others, so that their minds might be illumined with the light of truth and their hearts might be converted...
The Post article is here.
For more on this subject, I might suggest this post Woman and the Priesthood, Excerpts
HT to Paul for the link!
[*] Excerpt from Women Priests & Other Fantasies, by Fr. Vincent P. Miceli, S.J. (© 1985)
Would Jesus exclude women? I don't think soSo much for his first attempt (in this column) at proposing and answering a vague and ambiguous theological question...
Jesus came to mind as I read a press release about two Roman Catholic women, Rose Marie Dunn Hudson of Festus and Elsie Hainz McGrath of St. Louis, who will be ordained as priests on Nov. 11 at Central Reform Congregation, a synagogue in St. Louis.He continues, like many others, to venture off ill-prepared into areas about which he lacks any understanding. First, the women will not be ordained as Roman Catholic priests - for this is a theological impossibility - and second, if Jesus did come to his mind as he claims, one can only wonder which "Jesus" that was?
A Catholic ordination at a Jewish congregation. Wow!
Into the darkness he continues:
Let's put that tidbit aside for a moment and deal with the issue of female priests. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. But, then again, I'm not Catholic.Prepare for the enlightenment...
Of course, the church hierarchy frowns on the practice...An understatement if there ever was one...
Any chance the Catholic Church might soften its stand on women priests?Any journalist doing the most rudimentary forms of research would know this answer - and, Brown does seem to attempt to find out:
Absolutely not, said Lawrence J. Welch, a professor of theology at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary: "The church's position is that it does not ordain women — it's impossible. Now, some have been ordained, but in the eyes of the church, nothing happened. It's not recognized."Seems simple enough and quite clear - there is no ambiguity in what Prof. Welch stated. But Brown then insists on donning his "theology" cap and engaging the professor:
It's Jesus' way, Welch added.
"The church's practice for centuries has been based on Christ's actions," Welch said. "An ordained man represents Christ as the bridegroom to the church. This was also Jesus' relationship with the church."
But there was no "church" when Christ was alive, I pointed out. I asked Welch how the Vatican could be so sure that Jesus would oppose women priests.Given Brown's apparent weakness in the area of theology, one can only wonder what his next vocation might be, medicine, astronomy, business? Be that as it may, one need not be a biblical scholar to understand that God has chosen only men to be His priests.
But what about Brown's statement that there was no "Church" when Jesus was alive? One might wonder what our Lord meant then, when he said, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18) Surely, there was a Church, but it was not yet "born" until Christ's death on the cross, when blood and water issued forth from Christ's side...
And Christ, in speaking to his Apostles at the Last Supper after making them priests like himself, reminded them of this truth: "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and have appointed that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain." (John 15:16)
Second, God chose men exclusively to be his priests, both in the Old Testament as Aaron, and in the New Testament as Christ.
Third, men, and men alone, are to exercise the ministerial priesthood, representing all mankind before God in things pertaining to God.
"During the Last Supper, Christ chose men as his disciples. They were given the authority to speak in Jesus' name," Welch said. "In that sense, he created priests."While claiming the contrary, Brown is intent on taking issue with Professor Welch and the Church, and again he demonstrates his ignorance of Scripture as well as his ability to parrot the irrational rantings of dissidents.
Not to take issue with the good professor, but I seem to remember a pretty inclusive definition of Christ's flock written by one of his "priests" in Galatians 3:28:
"There is neither Jew nor Greek … neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
And regarding Brown's proof text, it must be understood that this text is connected with baptism and not with holy orders. St. Paul precedes this passage with the words: "For all you who have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ." But why let the context of the passage get in the way, right? Some are not looking for facts, but for ways to sow division and rebellion, and Brown assists those whose aim is to further heresy and schism. And Brown enlists the support of others claiming to be "teachers" in theological matters - none of whom would likely receive a mandatum to teach in an authentically Catholic institution.
"Yes! There is your proof of what Jesus wanted," said Ronald Modras, professor of theological studies at St. Louis University. The ordination of women, he said, is simply an extension of the "sea changes" within the Roman Catholic Church that started in the 1960s to address a modern world: "What you have now is a retrieval of Jesus' affirmation and appreciation of women. The 12 disciples were men, but Jesus also had women in leadership positions and female disciples."Not only does ignorance infect the intellects of some journalists, but also of some so-called Catholic theological professors.
Although the Vatican opposes the practice, Modras said several factions inside the Roman Catholic Church are in favor of the ordination of women to priesthood. Students, he added, who attended "good theological schools" are well aware of Jesus' "liberating attitude."Modras fails to mention that such factions are heretical, if not in practice, then in belief. And his idea of "good theological schools" is most likely at odds with fundamental Catholic ideals.
One of the women to be ordained, Elsie Hainz McGrath, received her master's degree from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. She believes her ordination meets Christ's approval.It's obvious that what McGrath claims to believe and what Christ would approve are at odds with each other. It may also be indicative of problems with Aquinas Institute if, after receiving a "Masters" degree that one could be so opposed to the Church.
"Jesus never ordained anyone. He also never organized a hierarchal system," McGrath said. "His mission was to establish a community of caring people who administered to those in need."Tell me again, what kind of theology degree did McGrath receive? A masters of heresy?
But it should not be surprising that the Church still has to deal with the same heresies with which she dealt in the past.
Welch said he has heard nothing from the Vatican or Archbishop Raymond Burke about excommunicating the women should they go through with the ordination. But on a "spiritual level," he said, this affair has "harmed the unity" inside and outside the church.Indeed, the actions of these women and those who provide them support rupture the unity of the Church and cause grave scandal among the faithful. Surely, something will be done to address this scandal.
The Rev. Vincent Heier, director of Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Affairs with the Archdiocese, spoke more bluntly: "This issue has been resolved among Roman Catholics. I know Susan Talve (rabbi of Central Reform Congregation). She's done many courageous and good things. But for her to aid and abet this … well, it simply shows no respect. We would never get involved with the affairs of the Jewish community."It must be a "woman" thing....
What's the rationale?
Actually, said Rabbi Talve, her board's decision to host the ordination was all about respect. "We were approached by two wonderful women who asked to use our space. 'Hospitality' is our core value," she said. "The board seriously considered the matter. It has never been our intent to interfere in church affairs. It hurts me that we may cause pain for the archdiocese but, in this case, our core values guided us."The "core values" guided them in the wrong direction - to assist those who wish to cause pain and scandal in the archdiocese...
Talve [said]...: "It would be presumptuous for me, as a rabbi, to go there. I only hope those who take his [Jesus] message out into the world have compassion for women who want to serve in this way."Who fails to listen to what Jesus said: "He who hears you, hears me; and he that despises you, despises me; and he that despises me, despises him that sent me." (Luke 10:16)
Again, I'm not Catholic, but that answer sounds like something Jesus might say.
Some fail to understand that being equal in dignity is not the same as being equal in function or calling.
Despite its divinization of men and women through baptism which confers the common priest?hood on all the faithful, the New Testament never grants women the graces of the ministry of the Holy Sacrifice, of the preaching of the word or of the discipline in the Church.
These graces are reserved exclusively for men. Never is a woman chosen to be in public an authorized representative of Christ or his Church. To no woman does Christ ever make the promise to ratify in heaven what she has bound or loosed on earth. No woman is given the power of the keys. No woman is commissioned to perform the ministry of public preaching. Christ does not entrust the administration of the sacraments to women; neither does he commit the care of his flock to them. (*)
Yet some would claim that they now know what Christ failed to know, understand, or teach when He walked the earth and established His Church...Fortunately He grants His followers the grace necessary to avoid these false teachers, infected as they are with error and dissent.
There is still time for these two confused woman to recant and refrain from further separation from the Church and from Christ. We should pray for them and for those, like Brown and others, so that their minds might be illumined with the light of truth and their hearts might be converted...
The Post article is here.
For more on this subject, I might suggest this post Woman and the Priesthood, Excerpts
HT to Paul for the link!
[*] Excerpt from Women Priests & Other Fantasies, by Fr. Vincent P. Miceli, S.J. (© 1985)
Gospel for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 19:1-10
The Conversion of Zacchaeus
[1] He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through. [2] And there was a rich man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. [3] And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. [4] So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was to pass that way. [5] And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." [6] So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. [7] And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." [8] And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." [9] And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost."
___________________
Commentary:
1-10. Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind; He has healed many sick people, has raised the dead to life and, particularly, has brought forgiveness of sin and the gift of grace to those who approach Him in faith. As in the case of the sinful woman (cf. Luke 7:36-50), here He brings salvation to Zacchaeus, for the mission of the Son of Man is to save that which was lost.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector and, as such, was hated by the people, because the tax collectors were collaborators of the Roman authorities and were often guilty of abuses. The Gospel implies that this man also had things to seek forgiveness for (cf. verses 7-10). Certainly he was very keen to see Jesus (no doubt moved by grace) and he did everything he could to do so. Jesus rewards his efforts by staying as a guest in his house. Moved by our Lord's presence Zacchaeus begins to lead a new life.
The crowd begin to grumble against Jesus for showing affection to a man they consider to be an evildoer. Our Lord makes no excuses for his behavior: He explains that this is exactly why He has come--to seek out sinners. He is putting into practice the parable of the lost sheep (cf. Luke 15:4-7), which was already prophesied in Ezekiel: "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak" (34:16).
4. Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus, and to do so he has to go out and mix with the crowd. Like the blind man of Jericho he has to shed any kind of human respect. In our own search for God we should not let false shame or fear of ridicule prevent us from using the resources available to us to meet our Lord. "Convince yourself that there is no such thing as ridicule for whoever is doing what is best" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 392).
5-6. This is a very good example of the way God acts to save men. Jesus calls Zacchaeus personally, using his name, suggesting he invite Him home. The Gospel states that Zacchaeus does so promptly and joyfully. This is how we should respond when God calls us by means of grace.
8. Responding immediately to grace, Zacchaeus makes it known that he will restore fourfold anything he obtained unjustly--thereby going beyond what is laid down in the Law of Moses (cf. Exodus 21:37f). And in generous compensation he gives half his wealth to the poor. "Let the rich learn", St. Ambrose comments, "that evil does not consist in having wealth, but in not putting it to good use; for just as riches are an obstacle to evil people, they are also a means of virtue for good people" ("Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc."). Cf. note on Luke 16:9-11).
10. Jesus' ardent desire to seek out a sinner to save him fills us with hope of attaining eternal salvation. "He chooses a chief tax collector: who can despair when such a man obtains grace?" (St. Ambrose, "Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").
___________________________
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 Conversion of Zacchaeus
[1] He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through. [2] And there was a rich man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. [3] And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. [4] So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was to pass that way. [5] And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." [6] So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. [7] And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." [8] And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." [9] And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost."
___________________
Commentary:
1-10. Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind; He has healed many sick people, has raised the dead to life and, particularly, has brought forgiveness of sin and the gift of grace to those who approach Him in faith. As in the case of the sinful woman (cf. Luke 7:36-50), here He brings salvation to Zacchaeus, for the mission of the Son of Man is to save that which was lost.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector and, as such, was hated by the people, because the tax collectors were collaborators of the Roman authorities and were often guilty of abuses. The Gospel implies that this man also had things to seek forgiveness for (cf. verses 7-10). Certainly he was very keen to see Jesus (no doubt moved by grace) and he did everything he could to do so. Jesus rewards his efforts by staying as a guest in his house. Moved by our Lord's presence Zacchaeus begins to lead a new life.
The crowd begin to grumble against Jesus for showing affection to a man they consider to be an evildoer. Our Lord makes no excuses for his behavior: He explains that this is exactly why He has come--to seek out sinners. He is putting into practice the parable of the lost sheep (cf. Luke 15:4-7), which was already prophesied in Ezekiel: "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak" (34:16).
4. Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus, and to do so he has to go out and mix with the crowd. Like the blind man of Jericho he has to shed any kind of human respect. In our own search for God we should not let false shame or fear of ridicule prevent us from using the resources available to us to meet our Lord. "Convince yourself that there is no such thing as ridicule for whoever is doing what is best" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 392).
5-6. This is a very good example of the way God acts to save men. Jesus calls Zacchaeus personally, using his name, suggesting he invite Him home. The Gospel states that Zacchaeus does so promptly and joyfully. This is how we should respond when God calls us by means of grace.
8. Responding immediately to grace, Zacchaeus makes it known that he will restore fourfold anything he obtained unjustly--thereby going beyond what is laid down in the Law of Moses (cf. Exodus 21:37f). And in generous compensation he gives half his wealth to the poor. "Let the rich learn", St. Ambrose comments, "that evil does not consist in having wealth, but in not putting it to good use; for just as riches are an obstacle to evil people, they are also a means of virtue for good people" ("Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc."). Cf. note on Luke 16:9-11).
10. Jesus' ardent desire to seek out a sinner to save him fills us with hope of attaining eternal salvation. "He chooses a chief tax collector: who can despair when such a man obtains grace?" (St. Ambrose, "Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").
___________________________
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 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2
Prayer for Perseverance
[11] To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfill every good resolve and work of faith by his power, [12] so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Coming of the Lord
[1] Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren, [2] not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
____________________
Commentary:
11. S t. Paul takes up the thread of the prayer he began in v. 4, asking God to keep the believers true to their calling. He himself is very good example of how teachers of Christian doctrine should approach their work; he does not confine himself to expounding the truths of faith: the first step he takes is to pray for his work to be fruitful. St. Augustine observes that anyone who wants to teach the word of God "tries as far as possible to make his words understandable, pleasing and persuasive. But he should be convinced that if he is to obtain a good result it will be due more to the piety of his prayers than to his gifts of speech. And so, praying for those he is to address, he should be more a supplicant than a speaker. When the time comes for him to speak, before actually doing so he should raise his parched soul to God that he may utter only what he has himself eaten and drunk" ("Christian Instruction", 4, 15).
T he Apostle asks God to make the Thessalonians "worthy of his call", that their efforts should have the support of divine grace, for no supernatural action can be planned, begun or brought to a conclusion without the grace of God (cf. Boniface II, "Per Filium Nostrum, Dz-Sch", 399). Hence the liturgical prayer: "Lord, be the beginning and end of all that we do and say. Prompt our actions with your grace, and complete them with your all-powerful help" ("Liturgy of the Hours", Morning Prayer, Monday Week 1).
12. The Greek formula here translated as "according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" could also be interpreted as "according to the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ"--in which case we would have here a confession of christological faith which would be of enormous value on account of its antiquity. It would be an acknowledgment of Christ being both God ("Theos") and Lord ("Kyrios"), that is, "Iesus Christus, Dominus et Deus noster". However, the expression "our God" often appears in Pauline writings (cf., in this very chapter, vv. 2 and 11); he also frequently uses the formula "Lord Jesus Christ". This suggests that there is a distinction between "our God" and "the Lord Jesus Christ" (or even "our Lord Jesus Christ"); hence the preferred translation.
1-2. The main theme of the letter is given here--the timing of the second coming of the Lord. Some people had been unsettling the minds of the Thessalonians by saying that the Parousia was about to happen. The phrase "by spirit" is a reference to people claiming to have a charismatic gift of prophecy from the Holy Spirit who were spreading their own ideas as if they came from God. Others preferred to pass off what they had to say as coming from St. Paul (orally or in writing). Those who try to mislead the people of God by teachings contrary to Christian faith often use methods of the same sort. By twisting the meaning of Sacred Scripture (cf. Mt 4:6) they not infrequently promote wrong teaching as if it were a revelation from the Holy Spirit. The Second Vatican Council has reminded us how to identify subjective interpretation of that kind: "The task of giving an authentic interpretation, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ" ("Dei Verbum", 10).
Even in our own day there are sects and impressionable people who put a lot of effort into working out when the second coming will take place, sometimes making specific predictions which the passage of time disproves. They are missing the main point, which is that we should be always on the watch, always ready to joyfully meet the Lord. "To the effect that the day of the Lord has come": this is literally what the Greek says--or "as if the day of the Lord is here", in the sense of "about to come any minute now". The New Vulgate [and the Navarre Spanish: trs.] translate it as "as if the day of the Lord were imminent", which is faithful to the tenor of the text and reads more clearly.
___________________________
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.
Prayer for Perseverance
[11] To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfill every good resolve and work of faith by his power, [12] so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Coming of the Lord
[1] Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren, [2] not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
____________________
Commentary:
11. S t. Paul takes up the thread of the prayer he began in v. 4, asking God to keep the believers true to their calling. He himself is very good example of how teachers of Christian doctrine should approach their work; he does not confine himself to expounding the truths of faith: the first step he takes is to pray for his work to be fruitful. St. Augustine observes that anyone who wants to teach the word of God "tries as far as possible to make his words understandable, pleasing and persuasive. But he should be convinced that if he is to obtain a good result it will be due more to the piety of his prayers than to his gifts of speech. And so, praying for those he is to address, he should be more a supplicant than a speaker. When the time comes for him to speak, before actually doing so he should raise his parched soul to God that he may utter only what he has himself eaten and drunk" ("Christian Instruction", 4, 15).
T he Apostle asks God to make the Thessalonians "worthy of his call", that their efforts should have the support of divine grace, for no supernatural action can be planned, begun or brought to a conclusion without the grace of God (cf. Boniface II, "Per Filium Nostrum, Dz-Sch", 399). Hence the liturgical prayer: "Lord, be the beginning and end of all that we do and say. Prompt our actions with your grace, and complete them with your all-powerful help" ("Liturgy of the Hours", Morning Prayer, Monday Week 1).
12. The Greek formula here translated as "according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" could also be interpreted as "according to the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ"--in which case we would have here a confession of christological faith which would be of enormous value on account of its antiquity. It would be an acknowledgment of Christ being both God ("Theos") and Lord ("Kyrios"), that is, "Iesus Christus, Dominus et Deus noster". However, the expression "our God" often appears in Pauline writings (cf., in this very chapter, vv. 2 and 11); he also frequently uses the formula "Lord Jesus Christ". This suggests that there is a distinction between "our God" and "the Lord Jesus Christ" (or even "our Lord Jesus Christ"); hence the preferred translation.
1-2. The main theme of the letter is given here--the timing of the second coming of the Lord. Some people had been unsettling the minds of the Thessalonians by saying that the Parousia was about to happen. The phrase "by spirit" is a reference to people claiming to have a charismatic gift of prophecy from the Holy Spirit who were spreading their own ideas as if they came from God. Others preferred to pass off what they had to say as coming from St. Paul (orally or in writing). Those who try to mislead the people of God by teachings contrary to Christian faith often use methods of the same sort. By twisting the meaning of Sacred Scripture (cf. Mt 4:6) they not infrequently promote wrong teaching as if it were a revelation from the Holy Spirit. The Second Vatican Council has reminded us how to identify subjective interpretation of that kind: "The task of giving an authentic interpretation, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ" ("Dei Verbum", 10).
Even in our own day there are sects and impressionable people who put a lot of effort into working out when the second coming will take place, sometimes making specific predictions which the passage of time disproves. They are missing the main point, which is that we should be always on the watch, always ready to joyfully meet the Lord. "To the effect that the day of the Lord has come": this is literally what the Greek says--or "as if the day of the Lord is here", in the sense of "about to come any minute now". The New Vulgate [and the Navarre Spanish: trs.] translate it as "as if the day of the Lord were imminent", which is faithful to the tenor of the text and reads more clearly.
___________________________
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.
1st Reading for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: Wisdom 11:21-2:12
God, Almighty and Merciful
[22] Because the whole world before thee is like a speck that tips the scales, and like a drop of morning dew that falls upon the ground. [23] But thou art merciful to all, for thou canst do all things, and thou dost overlook men's sins, that they may repent, [24] For thou lovest all things that exist, and hast loathing for none of the things which thou hast made, for thou wouldst not have made anything if thou hadst hated it. [25] How would anything have endured if thou hadst not willed it? Or how would anything not called forth by thee have been preserved?
[26] Thou sparest all things, for they are thine, O Lord who lovest the living.
[1] For thy immortal spirit is in all things. [2] Therefore thou dost correct little by little those who trespass, dost remind and warn them of the things wherein they sin, that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in thee, 0 Lord.
________________________
Commentary:
11:21-12:2. The lessons given here about God's steadfast love and mercy towards all created things are not anything new, of course (cf. Hos 6:4-6; Jon 3:1-4:11), but maybe they were never quite as forcefully put as here (especially vv. 23-26), and the style of sapiential argument spells Out very well the universal range of God's mercy towards sinful man and the love that is at work in creation and in its conservation. St Thomas deals with this subject with his typical clarity: God would never have created something which he would then not love, for it derives from him and participates in his supreme goodness, even if only to a tiny degree: "God loves all living things. He does not love in the same way as we do, for our will does not make things good; human love is a movement of the will towards its object [...]; the love of God creates and fills all things with goodness" ("Summa Theologiae", 1, 20, 2).
Therefore, when God punishes man, as he sometimes does, his intention is always one of love and mercy. It is this divine purpose that 11:23-26 takes pleasure in showing to be all-encompassing: God is all-powerful; nothing, no one, can resist him; his mercy does not stem from any weakness on his part; it is the effect of love: he loves the living.
Origen used this passage to draw lessons about God's all-embracing love: "Because we are his children, the Lord encourages us to develop the same attitude, and teaches us to do good works for all mankind. For that is why he is called the 'savior of all people, especially of those who believe in him' (1 Tim 4:10), and his Christ the 'expiation of our sins, and the sins of the whole world' (1 Jn 2:2)" ("Contra Celsum", 4, 28).
St Gregory the Great, in his homilies to the people of Rome, exhorted them to appreciate God's unlimited love for sinners: "Here we read that he appeals to all those who are stained with sin, and cries out to all those who have abandoned him. Let us not spurn the hand of mercy that he holds out to us; let us not fail to see the great value of the love the Lord has for us. In his kindness he calls out to those who have lost their way, and he prepares a place for us, for when we return to his heart of mercy. Let each person consider the debt that weighs him down--and all the while God waits and never loses his patience with us. Let those who chose not to stay with him return to him; let those who failed to appreciate his love stand close by his side, so that they may be raised up" ("Homiliae in Evangelia", 33).
The passage also underlines God's loving providence towards all created beings. The "Catechism of the Catholic Church", 301 puts it as follows: "With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and bring them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence."
___________________________
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.
God, Almighty and Merciful
[22] Because the whole world before thee is like a speck that tips the scales, and like a drop of morning dew that falls upon the ground. [23] But thou art merciful to all, for thou canst do all things, and thou dost overlook men's sins, that they may repent, [24] For thou lovest all things that exist, and hast loathing for none of the things which thou hast made, for thou wouldst not have made anything if thou hadst hated it. [25] How would anything have endured if thou hadst not willed it? Or how would anything not called forth by thee have been preserved?
[26] Thou sparest all things, for they are thine, O Lord who lovest the living.
[1] For thy immortal spirit is in all things. [2] Therefore thou dost correct little by little those who trespass, dost remind and warn them of the things wherein they sin, that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in thee, 0 Lord.
________________________
Commentary:
11:21-12:2. The lessons given here about God's steadfast love and mercy towards all created things are not anything new, of course (cf. Hos 6:4-6; Jon 3:1-4:11), but maybe they were never quite as forcefully put as here (especially vv. 23-26), and the style of sapiential argument spells Out very well the universal range of God's mercy towards sinful man and the love that is at work in creation and in its conservation. St Thomas deals with this subject with his typical clarity: God would never have created something which he would then not love, for it derives from him and participates in his supreme goodness, even if only to a tiny degree: "God loves all living things. He does not love in the same way as we do, for our will does not make things good; human love is a movement of the will towards its object [...]; the love of God creates and fills all things with goodness" ("Summa Theologiae", 1, 20, 2).
Therefore, when God punishes man, as he sometimes does, his intention is always one of love and mercy. It is this divine purpose that 11:23-26 takes pleasure in showing to be all-encompassing: God is all-powerful; nothing, no one, can resist him; his mercy does not stem from any weakness on his part; it is the effect of love: he loves the living.
Origen used this passage to draw lessons about God's all-embracing love: "Because we are his children, the Lord encourages us to develop the same attitude, and teaches us to do good works for all mankind. For that is why he is called the 'savior of all people, especially of those who believe in him' (1 Tim 4:10), and his Christ the 'expiation of our sins, and the sins of the whole world' (1 Jn 2:2)" ("Contra Celsum", 4, 28).
St Gregory the Great, in his homilies to the people of Rome, exhorted them to appreciate God's unlimited love for sinners: "Here we read that he appeals to all those who are stained with sin, and cries out to all those who have abandoned him. Let us not spurn the hand of mercy that he holds out to us; let us not fail to see the great value of the love the Lord has for us. In his kindness he calls out to those who have lost their way, and he prepares a place for us, for when we return to his heart of mercy. Let each person consider the debt that weighs him down--and all the while God waits and never loses his patience with us. Let those who chose not to stay with him return to him; let those who failed to appreciate his love stand close by his side, so that they may be raised up" ("Homiliae in Evangelia", 33).
The passage also underlines God's loving providence towards all created beings. The "Catechism of the Catholic Church", 301 puts it as follows: "With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and bring them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence."
___________________________
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 03, 2007
Thoughts and Counsels - November 4
Let us read the lives of the saints; let us consider the penances which they performed, and blush to be so effeminate and so fearful of mortifying our flesh.
-St. Alphonsus
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Alphonsus
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for November 4, Death
At the abbey Saint Bavon, at Gand - at the present time a museum of engraved stones - is found the memorial slab of the famous painter who began the picture in the cathedral, The Adoration of the Lamb, which he worked at until his death in 1426.
This slab used to be in the transept of the cathedral; the constant tread of feet wore much of it away; an incrustation of marble that represented a skeleton holding before it a brass plaque can still be seen; but the Flemish verses written on the metal can no longer be read. This is the inscription: "Take example from me, you who tread on me. I was once like you; but now I am stretched out beneath your feet. Neither advice, nor art, nor medicine, have helped me. My name was Hubert van Eyck. Now I am the prey of worms."
Someone deciphered it - this form is perhaps somewhat simplified, but I can easily remember it. Even while alive the human body has little value; with the fat that it contains one could make, at the most, a few pieces of soap; with its iron, a little key; the rest is in proportion. Reduced to its principal elements the whole, well paid for, is not worth more than ninety-six cents.
Fortunately there is a soul! Ponder over this thought, the price of the soul.
Without doubt I must not ridicule my brother the body too much. I must give it the place it deserves, but even after having become a religious; after having renounced the comforts of the body. . . do I not give the body more than its due?
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
This slab used to be in the transept of the cathedral; the constant tread of feet wore much of it away; an incrustation of marble that represented a skeleton holding before it a brass plaque can still be seen; but the Flemish verses written on the metal can no longer be read. This is the inscription: "Take example from me, you who tread on me. I was once like you; but now I am stretched out beneath your feet. Neither advice, nor art, nor medicine, have helped me. My name was Hubert van Eyck. Now I am the prey of worms."
Someone deciphered it - this form is perhaps somewhat simplified, but I can easily remember it. Even while alive the human body has little value; with the fat that it contains one could make, at the most, a few pieces of soap; with its iron, a little key; the rest is in proportion. Reduced to its principal elements the whole, well paid for, is not worth more than ninety-six cents.
Fortunately there is a soul! Ponder over this thought, the price of the soul.
Without doubt I must not ridicule my brother the body too much. I must give it the place it deserves, but even after having become a religious; after having renounced the comforts of the body. . . do I not give the body more than its due?
"In this month of the dead, give me light, O my God, to esteem this envelope of flesh which binds my soul at its right value. Grant that I may never come to any important decision in the future, without having first asked myself, according to the counsel of St. Ignatius, what I would wish to have done, at the hour of my death."_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Catholic School Board Committee Approves 'Pro-Gay' Manual...
...Does Not Teach Homosexual Acts Sinful
Director of the Board says, "differences of opinion in areas like theology, faith, and morals" is "natural and healthy for a living, dynamic Church"
By John-Henry Westen
WATERLOO, Ontario, November 2, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Family Life Advisory Committee (FLAC) of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) met last night to consider objections to a pro-homosexual teacher resource manual which were raised by the local group Defend Traditional Marriage and Family (DTMF). Despite a petition signed by nearly 500 Catholic parents opposing the book, FLAC decided to retain "Open Minds to Equality" in an 11-5 vote...
The representative of the local bishop, Bishop Anthony Tonnos of Hamilton Diocese, on the board is Teresa Hartnett. Hartnett told LifeSiteNews.com that she has read through the resource book and while she admits there are some 14 pages of objectionable material in the teacher resource, "the majority of the stuff in there is absolutely wonderful stuff."
Gospel for Saturday, 30th Week in Ordinary Time
Optional Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, religious
Old Calendar: Hubert of Liege
From: Luke 14:1, 7-11
[1] One Sabbath when He (Jesus) went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching Him.
A Lesson About Humility
[7] Now He told a parable to those who were invited, when He marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, [8] "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; [9] and he who invited you both will come and say to you, `Give place to this man' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. [10] But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, `Friend, go up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. [11] For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
______________________
Commentary:
11. Humility is necessary for salvation that Jesus takes every opportunity to stress its importance. Here He uses the attitudes of people at banquet to remind us again that it is God who assigns the places at the Heavenly banquet. "Together with humility, the realization of the greatness of man's dignity--and of the overwhelming fact that, by grace, we are made children of God--forms a single attitude. It is not our own efforts that save us and gives us life; it is the grace of God. This is a truth which must never be forgotten" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 133).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Old Calendar: Hubert of Liege
From: Luke 14:1, 7-11
[1] One Sabbath when He (Jesus) went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching Him.
A Lesson About Humility
[7] Now He told a parable to those who were invited, when He marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, [8] "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; [9] and he who invited you both will come and say to you, `Give place to this man' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. [10] But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, `Friend, go up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. [11] For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
______________________
Commentary:
11. Humility is necessary for salvation that Jesus takes every opportunity to stress its importance. Here He uses the attitudes of people at banquet to remind us again that it is God who assigns the places at the Heavenly banquet. "Together with humility, the realization of the greatness of man's dignity--and of the overwhelming fact that, by grace, we are made children of God--forms a single attitude. It is not our own efforts that save us and gives us life; it is the grace of God. This is a truth which must never be forgotten" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 133).
___________________________
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 02, 2007
Thoughts and Counsels - October 3
The example of the saints is proposed to every one, so that the great actions shown us may encourage us to undertake smaller things.
-Ven. Louis de Granada
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-Ven. Louis de Granada
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for November 3, Preparation for Death
The foreign missionary, Theophane Venard, whom the Annamites used to call Father Ven because of his uprightness and purity, was martyred at Tonkin in 1860 and beatified in 1909. From the cage in which he was imprisoned before his death he wrote the following letter full of profound faith and calm joyousness:
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
"It is near midnight. Around my wooden cage are lances and long swords; at two yards from me a lamp throws its flickering light upon my page of Chinese paper, allowing me to write these lines. I am waiting from day to day for my sentence. Perhaps tomorrow I will be led to death.I will read this sublime letter as if it were addressed to me.
"According to all probability, I will be beheaded. Glorious ignominy for which heaven will be the prize! At this news, dear sister, you will weep, but from happiness. See your brother, then, the halo of the martyr crowning his head, the palm of the conqueror waving in his hand. In a little while my soul will leave the earth, will finish its exile, will end its combat. But first the grain of wheat must be crushed, the grape must be pressed. Will I be bread, and wine pleasing to the taste of the Father? I hope so, by the grace of the Savior, by the protection of His Immaculate Mother.
"And you, dear sister, I leave you in the fields of virtues and good works. Harvest numberless merits for eternal life, which awaits both of us. Harvest faith, hope, charity, patience, sweetness, perseverance, and a holy death!
"Farewell, Melanie, farewell, darling sister, farewell!"
"Dear Sister, I leave you in the field of virtues. and good works. Harvest numberless merits. Harvest faith, hope, charity, patience, sweetness, perseverance and a holy death!"_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
CWNews: New English translation of Missal is complete
Nov. 2, 2007 (CWNews.com) - The International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) has completed a draft of its English translation of the Roman Missal.While this is good news, why does it takes over another year to listen to complaints or seek more input? Then, how long will it take?
The ICEL draft, which was unveiled on November 1, will now be submitted to the bishops' conferences of the English-speaking world. Bishop Arthur Roche of Leeds, England, explained that ICEL will solicit comments on the draft, make appropriate changes, and hopes to complete the English translation by the end of 2008...
You can help a pro-life hero!
From Pro-Life Wisconsin:
Thanks to Darla for the tip!
Scott Southworth, the district attorney of Juneau County and a longtimeTo help out, click here.
supporter of Pro-Life Wisconsin, has been nominated for an award by CNN. The voting is done online and ends Monday, November 5, 2007 at 12 p.m. ET. Vote now and show your support for a fellow pro-lifer! All votes are anonymous and do not require registration.According to the CNN description of Southworth, "In 2003, while in Iraq, Maj. Scott Southworth volunteered at the Mother Teresa Orphanage in Baghdad. There, he befriended Ala'a, a 9-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. Two years later, Southworth arranged to bring Ala'a to the United States. In June, he was granted legal adoption and the two officially became father and son."
If Southworth wins his category, he faces the winners of five other categories in an online vote. The race is sure to be close, with Southworth currently in the lead by one percent.
The overall winner goes to New York for a special show in December, during which Southworth hopes to promote the adoption of special needs children like Ala'a. The winner also receives $25,000, which Southworth would use in part to pay for medical equipment, a stair lift, and legal bills for Ala'a.
"As a Christian man I couldn't walk away from this little boy," Southworth said. "It's so cool to be able to promote God on CNN on national television and talk about our faith and give it a pro-life perspective."
A vote for Southworth is a vote for adoption - a cause the pro-life community supports. Southworth also talked about the importance of adoption and its role in Christianity.
"The idea of special needs adoption and how many children there are. People need to step up and adopt them. These children give back so much joy. it's not about me, Scott Southworth, and the award, but everything else we can do with this," he said.
Several of the Pro-Life Wisconsin staff have had the pleasure of meeting Ala'a, and one can see Ala'a truly loves his father. Forward this on to friends and family!
Thanks to Darla for the tip!
"Bella" breaks box office records - #1 beating SAW 4
From BellaNews:
THANK YOU!!!!!FYI... see Bella the movie
Because of your help Bella broke records on opening weekend! Bella achieved:
-#1 highest avg Box Office per screen of any film in our category in the world this year!
-#2 highest avg Box Office per screen of any film in the world on Friday & Saturday
-#1 highest avg Box Office per screen of any film in the world on Sunday
Ebert's incredible thumbs up review
And MOST IMPORTANT- The people love it voting us #1 on Fandango and Yahoo.com! This does not mean the race is over… actually the race has just begun. We have qualified for the Olympics and now we need to get the gold medal! Lionsgate is watching what happens this weekend to determine if they want to go wide with Bella based on this weekends box office results!
Can you help us again this weekend? This is what you can do…
1. Adopt a theater (again) for this weekend or next weekend ($1500-$3000 - visit www.HelpBella.com)
2. You can adopt an entire market (if interested please call Jason at: 202-375-9805)
3. Promote Bella Online (see websites below) and offline through any outlet you have access to (I am going to send you an email you can send to press next)
4. Send this email to everyone you know.
5. VERY IMPORTANT... Go to these web sites and make positive reviews if you loved the film.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bella/reviews_users.php
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809423607/info
http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie.aspx?m=2073822
http://movies.aol.com/movie/bella/27497/reviews#m_memberreview
(watch the trailer to make it the #1 watched trailer)
http://movies.go.com/readerreviews/movie?name=bella_2007&genre=drama
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482463/
http://www.fandango.com/MoviePage.aspx?mid=98038&
http://howtohelpbella.com/promotehelp_viewrate.html
http://movies.go.com/readerreviews/movie?name=bella_2007&genre=drama
For more encouraging good news see Tony Bennett's streaming video of his endorsement, Eduardo on the Ryan Seacrest show and Eberts amazing review, go to www.BellaNews.com.
.
We hope you can help Bella make history and make a dramatic impact on the world!
God bless,
Sean Wolfington
Oblates of Wisdom Establishes House in St. Louis
The Society of the Oblates of Wisdom has established a house in St. Louis at St. Mary of Victories Church in South St. Louis.In their theological orientation, Oblates of Wisdom are anti-Modernist and place a marked constructive emphasis on fidelity to the Church's Magisterium. Their spirituality is strongly traditional and is based on their consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (Link)
Msgr. John F. McCarthy, director general of the society, said the move came at the invitation of Archbishop Raymond L. Burke and with the welcome of Father Paul Spielman, chaplain of the Hungarian Catholic community at St. Mary of Victories.
The Society of the Oblates of Wisdom is a public association of priests from the Diocese of La Crosse, Wis., for service there and in other dioceses...
The study center will serve as a pre-theology residence where candidates for the priesthood with a college degree will study philosophy, preparatory theology and classical languages in preparation for entry into a theological seminary...
Source: St Louis Review
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