Friday, 33rd Week In Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; St. Columban, Abbot
From: Luke 19:45-48
Jesus in the Temple
[45] And He (Jesus) entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, [46] saying to them, "It is written, `My house shall be a house of prayer'; but you have made it a den of robbers."
[47] And He was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy Him; [48] but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people hung upon His words.
_________________________
Commentary:
45-48. Jesus' indignation shows His zeal for the glory of His Father, to be recognized at this time in the temple itself. He inveighs against the traders for engaging in business which has nothing to do with divine worship (cf. Matthew 21:12; Mark 11-15). Even the priests allowed some of these abuses to go on--perhaps because they benefited from them in the form of taxes. The traders did perform services necessary for divine worship but this was vitiated by their excessive desire for gain, turning the temple into a marketplace.
"My house shall be a house of prayer": Jesus uses these words from Isaiah (56:7; cf. Jeremiah 7:11) to underline the purpose of the temple. Jesus' behavior shows the respect the Temple of Jerusalem deserved; how much more reverence should be shown our churches, where Jesus Himself is really present in the Blessed Sacrament. (cf. notes on Matthew 21:12-13; and Mark 11:15-18).
[The notes on Matthew 21:12-13 states:
12-13. Although God is present everywhere and cannot be confined within the walls of temples built by man (Acts 17:24-25), God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle where He would dwell among the Israelites (Exodus 25:40). Once the Jewish people were established in Palestine, King Solomon, also in obedience to a divine instruction, built the temple of Jerusalem (1 Kings 6-8), where people went to render public worship to God (Deuteronomy 12).
Exodus (23:15) commanded the Israelites not to enter the temple empty-handed, but to bring some victim to be sacrificed. To make this easier for people who had to travel a certain distance, a veritable market developed in the temple courtyards with animals being bought and sold for sacrificial purposes. Originally this may have made sense, but seemingly as time went on commercial gain became the dominant purpose of this buying and selling of victims; probably the priests themselves and temple servants benefited from this trade or even operated it. The net result was that the temple looked more like a livestock mart than a place for meeting God.
Moved by zeal for His Father's house (John 2:17), Jesus cannot tolerate this deplorable abuse and in holy anger He ejects everyone--to show people the respect and reverence due to the temple as a holy place. We should show much greater respect in the Christian temple--the Christian churches--where the eucharistic sacrifice is celebrated and where Jesus Christ, God and Man, is really and truly present, reserved in the tabernacle. For a Christian, proper dress, liturgical gestures and postures, genuflections and reverence to the tabernacle, etc. are expressions of the respect due to the Lord in His temple.
[The notes on Mark 11:15-18 states:
15-18. Our Lord does not abide lack of faith or piety in things to do with the worship of God. If He acts so vigorously to defend the temple of the Old Law, it indicates how we should truly conduct ourselves in the Christian temple, where He is really and truly present in the Blessed Eucharist. "Piety has its own good manners. Learn them. It's a shame to see those `pious' people who don't know how to attend Mass--even though they go daily,--nor how to bless themselves (they throw their hands about in the weirdest fashion), nor how to bend the knee before the Tabernacle (their ridiculous genuflections seem a mockery), nor how to bow their heads reverently before a picture of our Lady" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 541).]
___________________________
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 20, 2008
Principles and Practices - November 21
REASON CONTROLS
A good and devout man first arrangges in his own mind those duties which he has outwardly to perform; neither does he in the performance of them yield to the desires of a corrupt inclination, but regulates his actions by the dictates of sound reason.
-The Imitation
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930
A good and devout man first arrangges in his own mind those duties which he has outwardly to perform; neither does he in the performance of them yield to the desires of a corrupt inclination, but regulates his actions by the dictates of sound reason.
-The Imitation
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930
Thoughts of St Augustine for November 21
CERTAINLY a work of mercy does good, both in the rich and in the poor; in the rich by will and work conjoined, in the poor by will alone. When such are the rich man's dispositions and he despises in himself all that there is to puff him up with pride, then is he God's poor man.
_________________________
Click here for more information.
From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont
_________________________
Click here for more information.
From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont
Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-November 21
(THE PRESENTATION OF MARY IN THE TEMPLE)
THERE never was and never will be an offering on the part of a pure creature greater or more perfect than that which Mary made to God, when, at the age of three years, she presented herself in the temple to offer him, not aromatical spices, nor calves, nor gold, but her entire self, consecrating herself as a perpetual victim in his honour.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927
THERE never was and never will be an offering on the part of a pure creature greater or more perfect than that which Mary made to God, when, at the age of three years, she presented herself in the temple to offer him, not aromatical spices, nor calves, nor gold, but her entire self, consecrating herself as a perpetual victim in his honour.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
News Updates, 11/20
Sainthood cause begins for Father Peyton
Archbishop Edwin O’Brien of Baltimore will preside today over the opening session of the sainthood cause of Father Patrick Peyton. The famed ‘Rosary priest’ was born in Ireland in 1909 and died in 1992....
Picking Pockets in the Pew—the CCHD Scandal
On November 23rd in Catholic churches around the country ushers will pass collection baskets for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Millions of trusting Catholics will contribute “to help the poor.” What many don’t know is that their hard-earned dollars will pour into the coffers of liberal organizations promoting causes they oppose and which often hurt the poor.
TAKE ACTION: When the ushers pass the basket on November 23rd faithful Catholics should drop in a note saying why they will never put a penny in the CCHD collection until it follows Catholic social justice teachings instead of serving as a conduit for left-wing liberal extortionists. Then write a check to a local charity that truly serves the poor.
Unconstitutional amendment?
California Supreme Court agrees to hear challenges to Proposition 8
Supreme Court to review Obama's citizenship
A case that challenges President-elect Barack Obama's name on the 2008 election ballot citing questions over his citizenship has been scheduled for a "conference" at the U.S. Supreme Court...
Read more about Leo Donofrio's suit here
Scheduled for full conference Dec 5.
At the Vatican, One Newspaper Is Making Noise. For Some, Too Much (Chiesa)
It's "L'Osservatore Romano." Twice in recent months, it has prompted negative reactions from part of the hierarchy and the Catholic world, over organ transplants and euthanasia. But on other issues as well, its commentaries are raising discussion, within the Church and outside of it. For example, about Pius XII and the Jews...
The Coming "War" Between the Obama Administration and the Catholic Church
The possible signing of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) by President-Elect Barack Obama would be "the equivalent of a war" an unnamed senior Vatican official recently told TIME magazine.
Barack Obama Picks Pro-Abortion Senator Tom Daschle as Health Secretary
In his second major decision as the president-elect, Barack Obama has chosen pro-abortion former U.S. senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota as his Health and Human Services Secretary. Daschle will replace pro-life advocate Mike Leavitt, who has been working on protecting pro-life doctors and nurses.
English CatholicEnglish Catholic Bishops have Failed to Admit “Sickness” of Dissent in the Church: Lancaster Bishop“We have all witnessed with alarm many who profess to be Catholics disavowing the Church's teaching authority ... dismissing apostolic traditions and the doctrines of the Fathers and giving the place of honour to the fashionable opinions of society.”
[Many have been shouting this FOR YEARS!]
CNN calls cardinal's Obama criticism a diatribe
Wolf Blitzer refers to comments as a 'scathing rant'
[No surprises here, is there?]
Potential Euthanasia Victim Lauren Richardson Saved, Parents Reconcile
Delaware resident Lauren Richardson nearly became a euthanasia victim this summer as her mother and father feuded over her life that reminded observers of the debate over Terri Schiavo. Richardson is a 24-year-old woman who overdosed on heroin in August 2006 while she was three months pregnant with a baby girl.
Bishops: Ending stem cell ban will alienate many
President-elect could reignite emotional national debate
New York Catholic school enrollments plunge
Trend has recently closed dozens of diocesan schools
Will the Pope and Obama clash over abortion?
Vatican official: 'There's more fear here than wrath'
Priests, nun held for Sister Abhaya murder
Arrests come more than 16 years after the death
Al-Qaeda No. 2 insults Obama with racial slur
Implies President-elect 'does bidding of whites'
Al Qaeda orders Iraqi Christians to leave country
Bishop told to depart 'immediately and permanently'
Poland's Cardinal Wyszynski proposed Wojtyla
Late Warsaw archbishop's journal reveals 1978 conclave
Murtha seeks immunity from suit
A Marine who sued U.S. Rep. John Murtha for defamation urged a federal appeals court Tuesday to order the Johnstown Democrat to testify under oath in the case.
[What a pathetic coward!]
Scalia: Foreign law isn't ours
Judges who use foreign laws to interpret the U.S. Constitution are rewriting it rather than respecting its founders, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told a roomful of judges and top lawyers in Houston on Monday night...
Archbishop Edwin O’Brien of Baltimore will preside today over the opening session of the sainthood cause of Father Patrick Peyton. The famed ‘Rosary priest’ was born in Ireland in 1909 and died in 1992....
Picking Pockets in the Pew—the CCHD Scandal
On November 23rd in Catholic churches around the country ushers will pass collection baskets for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Millions of trusting Catholics will contribute “to help the poor.” What many don’t know is that their hard-earned dollars will pour into the coffers of liberal organizations promoting causes they oppose and which often hurt the poor.
TAKE ACTION: When the ushers pass the basket on November 23rd faithful Catholics should drop in a note saying why they will never put a penny in the CCHD collection until it follows Catholic social justice teachings instead of serving as a conduit for left-wing liberal extortionists. Then write a check to a local charity that truly serves the poor.
Unconstitutional amendment?
California Supreme Court agrees to hear challenges to Proposition 8
Supreme Court to review Obama's citizenship
A case that challenges President-elect Barack Obama's name on the 2008 election ballot citing questions over his citizenship has been scheduled for a "conference" at the U.S. Supreme Court...
Read more about Leo Donofrio's suit here
Scheduled for full conference Dec 5.
At the Vatican, One Newspaper Is Making Noise. For Some, Too Much (Chiesa)
It's "L'Osservatore Romano." Twice in recent months, it has prompted negative reactions from part of the hierarchy and the Catholic world, over organ transplants and euthanasia. But on other issues as well, its commentaries are raising discussion, within the Church and outside of it. For example, about Pius XII and the Jews...
The Coming "War" Between the Obama Administration and the Catholic Church
The possible signing of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) by President-Elect Barack Obama would be "the equivalent of a war" an unnamed senior Vatican official recently told TIME magazine.
Barack Obama Picks Pro-Abortion Senator Tom Daschle as Health Secretary
In his second major decision as the president-elect, Barack Obama has chosen pro-abortion former U.S. senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota as his Health and Human Services Secretary. Daschle will replace pro-life advocate Mike Leavitt, who has been working on protecting pro-life doctors and nurses.
English CatholicEnglish Catholic Bishops have Failed to Admit “Sickness” of Dissent in the Church: Lancaster Bishop“We have all witnessed with alarm many who profess to be Catholics disavowing the Church's teaching authority ... dismissing apostolic traditions and the doctrines of the Fathers and giving the place of honour to the fashionable opinions of society.”
[Many have been shouting this FOR YEARS!]
CNN calls cardinal's Obama criticism a diatribe
Wolf Blitzer refers to comments as a 'scathing rant'
[No surprises here, is there?]
Potential Euthanasia Victim Lauren Richardson Saved, Parents Reconcile
Delaware resident Lauren Richardson nearly became a euthanasia victim this summer as her mother and father feuded over her life that reminded observers of the debate over Terri Schiavo. Richardson is a 24-year-old woman who overdosed on heroin in August 2006 while she was three months pregnant with a baby girl.
Bishops: Ending stem cell ban will alienate many
President-elect could reignite emotional national debate
New York Catholic school enrollments plunge
Trend has recently closed dozens of diocesan schools
Will the Pope and Obama clash over abortion?
Vatican official: 'There's more fear here than wrath'
Priests, nun held for Sister Abhaya murder
Arrests come more than 16 years after the death
Al-Qaeda No. 2 insults Obama with racial slur
Implies President-elect 'does bidding of whites'
Al Qaeda orders Iraqi Christians to leave country
Bishop told to depart 'immediately and permanently'
Poland's Cardinal Wyszynski proposed Wojtyla
Late Warsaw archbishop's journal reveals 1978 conclave
Murtha seeks immunity from suit
A Marine who sued U.S. Rep. John Murtha for defamation urged a federal appeals court Tuesday to order the Johnstown Democrat to testify under oath in the case.
[What a pathetic coward!]
Scalia: Foreign law isn't ours
Judges who use foreign laws to interpret the U.S. Constitution are rewriting it rather than respecting its founders, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told a roomful of judges and top lawyers in Houston on Monday night...
Vermont Country Stores Lowers Standards, Begins Selling Sex Toys, Aids
Some may be familiar with "The Vermont Country Store" (VCS)from its catalog or one of its stores. It's been understood by mmost that VCS has been a source of quality, hard-to-find, and unique items such as toys, apparel, food & candy, etc. Some see it as a business geared to satisfying traditional family-oriented needs.
The website for the business states:
It looks as if America has suffered another casualty in the culture war now that owner, Lyman Orton, has decided to include these "hard-to-find" items in the Christmas catalog and on the web site. Unfortunately, family values and morality takes another hit. It should come as no surprise that Orton's decision will result in negative consequences. We can understand why families and individuals, who still believe in virtue and morality and who are prepared to spend their hard earned money with like-minded businesses, will abandon VCS for other suppliers. I would certainly support such an effort. Any business that wraps itself in in a veneer of family values and tradition while promoting products geared to sexual immorality is unworthy of my business.
Some have already scratched "The Vermont Country Store" from their Christmas shopping lists. More, no doubt, will follow.
HT to Mark S. for the info.
The website for the business states:
In 1945, Vrest and Ellen Orton printed their first catalogue—just 12 pages and 36 products—and mailed it to the folks on their Christmas card list. Vrest, a frugal Yankee at heart, insisted that the merchandise be durable and above all practical. His wife Ellen, who grew up on the Wilcox dairy farm in nearby Manchester, Vermont, made certain the new business was as practical as the products it sold....Now, it seems, that the business has decided to sell "Adult" items that many people find offensive. Apparently, management feels the need to cash in on the nation's widespread immorality and wrap the packages up in "Family Tradition" - this looks better, I suppose, than the plain brown wrappers that the "Adults only" sex/perversion shops use for shipping.
The Family Tradition Continues
Third and fourth generation storekeepers and still going strong
The Vermont Country Store is owned by Lyman Orton and sons Cabot, Gardner, and Eliot, 7th & 8th generation Vermonters, and 3rd & 4th generation storekeepers, who still adhere to the old-fashioned values set forth by Vrest and take pride in being The Purveyors of the Practical and Hard-to-Find...
"We still go to great lengths to find products that aren't sold anywhere else," said Eliot Orton.
It looks as if America has suffered another casualty in the culture war now that owner, Lyman Orton, has decided to include these "hard-to-find" items in the Christmas catalog and on the web site. Unfortunately, family values and morality takes another hit. It should come as no surprise that Orton's decision will result in negative consequences. We can understand why families and individuals, who still believe in virtue and morality and who are prepared to spend their hard earned money with like-minded businesses, will abandon VCS for other suppliers. I would certainly support such an effort. Any business that wraps itself in in a veneer of family values and tradition while promoting products geared to sexual immorality is unworthy of my business.
Some have already scratched "The Vermont Country Store" from their Christmas shopping lists. More, no doubt, will follow.
HT to Mark S. for the info.
Gospel for Thursday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. Felix of Valois, confessor
From: Luke 19:41-44
Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem
[41] And when He (Jesus) drew near and saw the city He wept over it, [42] saying, "Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes. [43] For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, [44] and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation."
_____________________
Commentary:
41-44. When the procession reaches a place where there is a good view of the city, they are disconcerted by Jesus' unexpected weeping. Our Lord explains why He is weeping, by prophesying the destruction of the city which He loved so much: not one stone will remain on another, and its inhabitants will be massacred--a prophecy which was fulfilled in the year 70, when Titus razed the city and the temple was destroyed. These historical events will be a punishment for Jerusalem failing to recognize the time of its visitation, that is, for closing its gates to the salvific coming of the Redeemer. Jesus loved the Jews with a very special love: they were the first to whom the Gospel was preached (cf. Matthew 10:5-6); to them He directed His ministry (cf. Matthew 15:24); He showed His word and by His miracles that He was the Son of God and the Messiah foretold in the Scriptures. But the Jews for the most part failed to appreciate the grace the Lord was offering them; their leaders led them to the extreme of calling for Jesus to be crucified.
Jesus visits every one of us; He comes as our Savior; He teaches us through the preaching of the Church; He gives us forgiveness and grace through the sacraments. We should not reject our Lord, we should not remain indifferent to His visit.
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
From: Luke 19:41-44
Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem
[41] And when He (Jesus) drew near and saw the city He wept over it, [42] saying, "Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes. [43] For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, [44] and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation."
_____________________
Commentary:
41-44. When the procession reaches a place where there is a good view of the city, they are disconcerted by Jesus' unexpected weeping. Our Lord explains why He is weeping, by prophesying the destruction of the city which He loved so much: not one stone will remain on another, and its inhabitants will be massacred--a prophecy which was fulfilled in the year 70, when Titus razed the city and the temple was destroyed. These historical events will be a punishment for Jerusalem failing to recognize the time of its visitation, that is, for closing its gates to the salvific coming of the Redeemer. Jesus loved the Jews with a very special love: they were the first to whom the Gospel was preached (cf. Matthew 10:5-6); to them He directed His ministry (cf. Matthew 15:24); He showed His word and by His miracles that He was the Son of God and the Messiah foretold in the Scriptures. But the Jews for the most part failed to appreciate the grace the Lord was offering them; their leaders led them to the extreme of calling for Jesus to be crucified.
Jesus visits every one of us; He comes as our Savior; He teaches us through the preaching of the Church; He gives us forgiveness and grace through the sacraments. We should not reject our Lord, we should not remain indifferent to His visit.
___________________________
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.
Principles and Practices - November 20
THE VIRTUE OF FAITH
Faith is the highest honour we can render to Divine truth. It is also a debt we owe to God; He has a right to expect implicit trust in His word, and we should give proof of this trust when He tries our faith. Such tests are the law of life; they strengthen the virtue which is tested and add lustre to it; above all, they are occasions for glorifying and rendering homage to God.
-Saudreau.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930
Faith is the highest honour we can render to Divine truth. It is also a debt we owe to God; He has a right to expect implicit trust in His word, and we should give proof of this trust when He tries our faith. Such tests are the law of life; they strengthen the virtue which is tested and add lustre to it; above all, they are occasions for glorifying and rendering homage to God.
-Saudreau.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930
Thoughts of St Augustine for November 20
HE is prayed to, therefore, in the form of God; he prays in the form of a servant; there as Creator, here as the created, assuming without change the Created Nature that he was to change, and making us one man with himself, Head and Body. We pray then, to him, through him, in him; we speak with him and he speaks with us.
_________________________
Click here for more information.
From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont
_________________________
Click here for more information.
From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont
Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-November 20
IF beggars do not receive the alms they ask they do not cease asking; they return to ask again. If the master of the house does not show himself any more, they set to work to knock at the door. This is what God wishes us to do: to pray, and to pray again, and never to leave off praying.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927
News Updates, 11/19
Commentary: If a hate crime takes place in a forest, and nobody hears it,...
In San Francisco's Castro district, a handful of homosexual activists were peacefully chanting slogans when they were set upon by a mob of angry fundamentalist Christians, who surrounded and hounded them, shouting obscenities and threatening to kill them. One woman was thrown to the ground and kicked. Police intervened in time to prevent further violence, and escorted the small group...
Catholics Who Vote for Freedom of Choice Act Could Face Automatic Excommunication
When asked last week whether a Catholic politician voting for the Freedom of Choice Act would incur automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said the question would need to be discussed once the actual language of the bill was known. FOCA would impose nationwide abortion on demand and government funding of abortion.
When it comes to Church teachings, “I pick and choose“
California’s First Lady says she’s ‘a Cafeteria Catholic’
ABC Special Touts Sex Changes as Normal
Barbara Walters promised she would “raise the whole question” of what is a man and what is a woman. She never answered the question, she just preached 'tolerance'.
Religious Groups Want Obama to OK Tax-Funded Abortion, Zap Pro-Life Laws
A coalition of pro-abortion religious groups and denominations has sent incoming president Barack Obama a letter asking him to promote abortion. The groups want Obama to okay forcing taxpayers to fund abortions and urge him to sign a bill overturning pro-life laws nationwide. The letter is signed by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and several Jewish and mainline Protestant bodies.
Sparks fly as gay activist mob swarms Christians
'We're going to kill you. We know who you are'
Poland denies Barack Obama cannibal 'joke'
Episode could strain relations between Warsaw, Washington
"Homophobic" Speech Ruling Overturned in France
Deputy Christian Vanneste was convicted in 2006 of "homophobic" speech after stating that "homosexuality is inferior to heterosexuality. If it were universalized it would be dangerous for humanity."
Muslims converting to Christianity in Balkans
Albanians increasingly returning to the Church
Keyes sues to prove Obama's citizenship
President-elect says he was born in Hawaii in 1961
[Paternal granny says he was born in Kenya, Obama website admits 'dual citizenship']
Bishop: Educated Catholics have sown dissent [and Heresy, Schism]
Graduates spreading skepticism and confusion in Church?
Italian nuns refuse to carry out court order in 'right-to-die' case
Despite an Italian court's order, the religious who administer a hospice in Milan have refused to discontinue the feeding and hydration of Eluana Englaro, a severely disabled woman whose father won legal permission to end her life.
Fargo bishop prays for Obama's conversion
... to recognize dignity of human life from conception
[Others pray he converts from Mohammedanism to Christianity]
Convicted Arizona priest arrested in San Francisco
Violated probation in 2005, manhunt comes to an end
And with another view of this story we have:
“Roaming the streets targeting hitchhikers and runaways”
Fugitive ex-priest arrested outside San Francisco’s Most Holy Redeemer parish
[MHR seems to really have an attractive draw for the weirdos and the bizarre - well, it is in San Fransicko (as some say)]
Some abortion foes shifting focus to 'reduction'
...frustrated by failure to overturn Roe v. Wade
New Obama Advisor Backs Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Despite Failures
During the presidential campaign, there was little question that Barack Obama would reverse President Bush's limits on making taxpayers fund embryonic stem cell research. The person Obama named to manage transition activities related to bioethics issues appears to guarantee Obama's direction.
Charles plans to be 'Defender of Faith'
Dropping 'the' to appeal to multi-faith Britain
German Homeschooling Family Applies for Asylum in US
PURCELLVILLE, Virginia, Nov. 18, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A homeschooling family who recently fled Germany has filed for political asylum in the United States.
Cow Tax Proposal Would Threaten Agriculture Viability
“With the economy in bad shape and the possibility of a deep recession looming, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to levy new taxes—on cows and pigs,” American Farm Bureau Federation Director of Regulatory Relations Rick Krause told Wyoming Farm Bureau members at their annual meeting. Krause spoke in Sheridan on Nov. 7.
[Doesn't oppressive taxation brings about "Revolution"?]
Al-Qaida No. 2 insults Obama with racial epithet
CAIRO, Egypt – Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday, describing the president-elect in demeaning terms that imply he does the bidding of whites...In al-Qaida's first response to Obama's victory, al-Zawahri also called the president-elect — along with secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice — "house negroes."
In San Francisco's Castro district, a handful of homosexual activists were peacefully chanting slogans when they were set upon by a mob of angry fundamentalist Christians, who surrounded and hounded them, shouting obscenities and threatening to kill them. One woman was thrown to the ground and kicked. Police intervened in time to prevent further violence, and escorted the small group...
Catholics Who Vote for Freedom of Choice Act Could Face Automatic Excommunication
When asked last week whether a Catholic politician voting for the Freedom of Choice Act would incur automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said the question would need to be discussed once the actual language of the bill was known. FOCA would impose nationwide abortion on demand and government funding of abortion.
When it comes to Church teachings, “I pick and choose“
California’s First Lady says she’s ‘a Cafeteria Catholic’
ABC Special Touts Sex Changes as Normal
Barbara Walters promised she would “raise the whole question” of what is a man and what is a woman. She never answered the question, she just preached 'tolerance'.
Religious Groups Want Obama to OK Tax-Funded Abortion, Zap Pro-Life Laws
A coalition of pro-abortion religious groups and denominations has sent incoming president Barack Obama a letter asking him to promote abortion. The groups want Obama to okay forcing taxpayers to fund abortions and urge him to sign a bill overturning pro-life laws nationwide. The letter is signed by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and several Jewish and mainline Protestant bodies.
Sparks fly as gay activist mob swarms Christians
'We're going to kill you. We know who you are'
Poland denies Barack Obama cannibal 'joke'
Episode could strain relations between Warsaw, Washington
"Homophobic" Speech Ruling Overturned in France
Deputy Christian Vanneste was convicted in 2006 of "homophobic" speech after stating that "homosexuality is inferior to heterosexuality. If it were universalized it would be dangerous for humanity."
Muslims converting to Christianity in Balkans
Albanians increasingly returning to the Church
Keyes sues to prove Obama's citizenship
President-elect says he was born in Hawaii in 1961
[Paternal granny says he was born in Kenya, Obama website admits 'dual citizenship']
Bishop: Educated Catholics have sown dissent [and Heresy, Schism]
Graduates spreading skepticism and confusion in Church?
Italian nuns refuse to carry out court order in 'right-to-die' case
Despite an Italian court's order, the religious who administer a hospice in Milan have refused to discontinue the feeding and hydration of Eluana Englaro, a severely disabled woman whose father won legal permission to end her life.
Fargo bishop prays for Obama's conversion
... to recognize dignity of human life from conception
[Others pray he converts from Mohammedanism to Christianity]
Convicted Arizona priest arrested in San Francisco
Violated probation in 2005, manhunt comes to an end
And with another view of this story we have:
“Roaming the streets targeting hitchhikers and runaways”
Fugitive ex-priest arrested outside San Francisco’s Most Holy Redeemer parish
[MHR seems to really have an attractive draw for the weirdos and the bizarre - well, it is in San Fransicko (as some say)]
Some abortion foes shifting focus to 'reduction'
...frustrated by failure to overturn Roe v. Wade
New Obama Advisor Backs Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Despite Failures
During the presidential campaign, there was little question that Barack Obama would reverse President Bush's limits on making taxpayers fund embryonic stem cell research. The person Obama named to manage transition activities related to bioethics issues appears to guarantee Obama's direction.
Charles plans to be 'Defender of Faith'
Dropping 'the' to appeal to multi-faith Britain
German Homeschooling Family Applies for Asylum in US
PURCELLVILLE, Virginia, Nov. 18, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A homeschooling family who recently fled Germany has filed for political asylum in the United States.
Cow Tax Proposal Would Threaten Agriculture Viability
“With the economy in bad shape and the possibility of a deep recession looming, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to levy new taxes—on cows and pigs,” American Farm Bureau Federation Director of Regulatory Relations Rick Krause told Wyoming Farm Bureau members at their annual meeting. Krause spoke in Sheridan on Nov. 7.
[Doesn't oppressive taxation brings about "Revolution"?]
Al-Qaida No. 2 insults Obama with racial epithet
CAIRO, Egypt – Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday, describing the president-elect in demeaning terms that imply he does the bidding of whites...In al-Qaida's first response to Obama's victory, al-Zawahri also called the president-elect — along with secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice — "house negroes."
Assisted Suicide, Euthanasia, Mercy-Killing: Other Names for Murder
Keep in mind that this was written over 50 years ago:
============
Too much page one publicity was given several years ago to the case of a doctor in New Hampshire who deliberately used a treatment that could cause, if it did not actually cause, the death of a patient. The incident gave promoters of so-called painless killing a lot of free propaganda.
On the other hand the story set all of us thinking. For one thing the event made us realize that there are many so-called healers of men's bodies, and unfortunately a large number of so-called healers of men's souls, rudderless preachers of the Gospel, who favor putting innocent people to death.
They call this form of murder mercy-killing, which means the administration of an easy, painless death to one who is suffering from an incurable and often agonizing ailment. Mercy-killing is also called euthanasia, which means easy and painless death.
Let us sweep aside the screen of sickly sentimentality which surrounds the subject. Then we can get down to sound reasoning. Mercy-killing stands condemned on several counts, some of which are moral, some of which are material or physical. We mention both because often people who propose or favor this method of helping the diseased are influenced only by arguments rooted in the material.
1. Mercy-killing is outright murder on the part of the one who administers the drug or other means that will bring about death.
2. Mercy-killing is suicide on the part of the patient who requests or consents to any means of shortening life or destroying life.
3. God and God alone has the direct right to dispose of human life. The Almighty has definitely condemned murder and suicide. In mercy killing, a doctor or a group of doctors, the patient or his relatives, take to themselves this right of God. Here is the fundamental reason that euthanasia is wrong from the moral standpoint.
4. Mercy-killing not only fails to take into account man's supernatural life; it denies it. It disregards the value of pain and suffering; it rejects all idea of merit gained by suffering; it ignores entirely the word of Christ:
6. The practice of killing off the incurable, the insane, the crippled, and the defective, stands condemned by the science of medicine. Here is a telling point in any argument with the material-minded proponents of putting people to death. Who is to say that a disease is incurable? Within the last few generations medical science has made enormous strides forward in curing disease. Thousands upon thousands lie dead in our cemeteries from diseases which since their death have found a cure and a remedy. Kill off the so-called incurable, the so-called fatally diseased, the so-called criminally insane, and the research doctors, the explorers and discoverers in medical science will have no subjects to work with, no basis, no specimens for their observations and examination.
7. The public approval and practice of mercy-killing will gradually and eventually lead us into the horrible slaughter of the sickly and insane that shocked the world when we heard how it was carried on in Nazi concentration camps. Practically the same methods are stili carried on behind the Iron Curtain.
8. Life would become cheapened even more and civilization would be pushed back even farther to pagan times when undesirables were exposed to die, to the pagan practices of some in China and Aftica today who leave unwanted children to be devoured by wild beasts or to perish by starvation.
A few moments' reasoning proves that mercy-killing is against God's law and against nature's law. It is immoral and unscientific. I would also like to point out that it is un-American.
As a nation we believe in God [or at least, we used to]. We believe that all our blessings have come from the Creator. We repeat with conviction the words of our Declaration of Independence:
In the New Hampshire case we do not know whether or not the patient asked the doctor to end her suffering. But our euthanasia societies pound that point - if the patient insists, the physician must administer the killing drug. Do they realize that a person wracked with pain is in no position to think clearly? He wants relief from pain at any price. He needs to be protected from himself.
You will encounter people who lean a little, or even strongly, to this pagan practice. A large number of doctors and even a group of clergy commended the murder. That proves we have all too many ministers who are miles from their moral moorings, and that we have too many doctors who are traitors to their Hippocratic Oath, namely:
__________________
Adapted from Occasional Talks, Volume 2
by Fr. Arthur Tonne, OFM (©1954)
============
Too much page one publicity was given several years ago to the case of a doctor in New Hampshire who deliberately used a treatment that could cause, if it did not actually cause, the death of a patient. The incident gave promoters of so-called painless killing a lot of free propaganda.
On the other hand the story set all of us thinking. For one thing the event made us realize that there are many so-called healers of men's bodies, and unfortunately a large number of so-called healers of men's souls, rudderless preachers of the Gospel, who favor putting innocent people to death.
They call this form of murder mercy-killing, which means the administration of an easy, painless death to one who is suffering from an incurable and often agonizing ailment. Mercy-killing is also called euthanasia, which means easy and painless death.
Let us sweep aside the screen of sickly sentimentality which surrounds the subject. Then we can get down to sound reasoning. Mercy-killing stands condemned on several counts, some of which are moral, some of which are material or physical. We mention both because often people who propose or favor this method of helping the diseased are influenced only by arguments rooted in the material.
1. Mercy-killing is outright murder on the part of the one who administers the drug or other means that will bring about death.
2. Mercy-killing is suicide on the part of the patient who requests or consents to any means of shortening life or destroying life.
3. God and God alone has the direct right to dispose of human life. The Almighty has definitely condemned murder and suicide. In mercy killing, a doctor or a group of doctors, the patient or his relatives, take to themselves this right of God. Here is the fundamental reason that euthanasia is wrong from the moral standpoint.
4. Mercy-killing not only fails to take into account man's supernatural life; it denies it. It disregards the value of pain and suffering; it rejects all idea of merit gained by suffering; it ignores entirely the word of Christ:
"If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." St. Luke, 9:23.5. Mercy-killing helps no one and solves no problems. Rather it creates problems, a problem for the patient who is seriously sick. He will be in mortal fear that the doctor will shorten his life. It creates a problem for the doctor who has a conscience - he will be unwilling to grant the request of the patient or the relatives, should they desire euthanasia. It creates a problem for society and especially for our courts in the form of expensive, tax-paid prosecutions and investigations.
6. The practice of killing off the incurable, the insane, the crippled, and the defective, stands condemned by the science of medicine. Here is a telling point in any argument with the material-minded proponents of putting people to death. Who is to say that a disease is incurable? Within the last few generations medical science has made enormous strides forward in curing disease. Thousands upon thousands lie dead in our cemeteries from diseases which since their death have found a cure and a remedy. Kill off the so-called incurable, the so-called fatally diseased, the so-called criminally insane, and the research doctors, the explorers and discoverers in medical science will have no subjects to work with, no basis, no specimens for their observations and examination.
7. The public approval and practice of mercy-killing will gradually and eventually lead us into the horrible slaughter of the sickly and insane that shocked the world when we heard how it was carried on in Nazi concentration camps. Practically the same methods are stili carried on behind the Iron Curtain.
8. Life would become cheapened even more and civilization would be pushed back even farther to pagan times when undesirables were exposed to die, to the pagan practices of some in China and Aftica today who leave unwanted children to be devoured by wild beasts or to perish by starvation.
A few moments' reasoning proves that mercy-killing is against God's law and against nature's law. It is immoral and unscientific. I would also like to point out that it is un-American.
As a nation we believe in God [or at least, we used to]. We believe that all our blessings have come from the Creator. We repeat with conviction the words of our Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, and that among these are the right to LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."The right to LIFE was given by God and can be taken away directly only by God.
In the New Hampshire case we do not know whether or not the patient asked the doctor to end her suffering. But our euthanasia societies pound that point - if the patient insists, the physician must administer the killing drug. Do they realize that a person wracked with pain is in no position to think clearly? He wants relief from pain at any price. He needs to be protected from himself.
You will encounter people who lean a little, or even strongly, to this pagan practice. A large number of doctors and even a group of clergy commended the murder. That proves we have all too many ministers who are miles from their moral moorings, and that we have too many doctors who are traitors to their Hippocratic Oath, namely:
"I solemnly swear that I will treat the sick only with a view to helping them and never in order to inflict injury. I will not give anyone a deadly poison, even if requested to do so, nor will I suggest such a way of acting."Yes, it's murder - only with different names.
__________________
Adapted from Occasional Talks, Volume 2
by Fr. Arthur Tonne, OFM (©1954)
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Gospel for Wednesday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 19:11-28
Parable of the Pounds
[11] As they heard these things, He (Jesus) proceeded to tell a parable, because He was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the Kingdom of God was to appear immediately. [12] He said therefore, "A nobleman went into a far country to receive kingly power and then return. [13] Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, `Trade with these till I come.' [14] But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him saying, `We do not want this man to reign over us.' [15] When he returned, having received the kingly power, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. [16] The first came before him, saying, `Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.' [17] And he said to him, `Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' [18] And the second came, saying, `Lord, your pound has made five pounds.' [19] And he said to him, `And you are to be over five cities.' [20] Then another came, saying, `Lord, here is your pound, which I kept laid away in a napkin; [21] for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.' [22] He said to him, `I will condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? [23] Why then did you not put my money into the bank, and at my coming I should have collected it with interest?' [24] And he said to those who stood by, `Take the pound from him, and give it to him who has the ten pounds.' [25] (And they said to him, `Lord, he has ten pounds!') [26] `I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. [27] But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.'"
The Messiah Enters the Holy City
[28] And when He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
_____________________________
Commentary:
11. The disciples had a wrong concept of the Kingdom of Heaven: they thought it was about to happen and they saw it in earthly terms: they envisaged Jesus conquering the Roman tyrant and immediately establishing the Kingdom in the holy city of Jerusalem, and that when that happened they would hold privileged positions in the Kingdom. There is always a danger of Christians failing to grasp the transcendent, supernatural character of the Kingdom of God in this world, that is, the Church, which "has but one sole purpose--that the Kingdom of God may come and the salvation of the human race may be accomplished." (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 45).
Through this parable our Lord teaches us that, although His reign has begun, it will only be fully manifested later on. In the time left to us we should use all the resources and graces God gives us, in order to merit the reward.
13. The "mina", here translated as "pound", was worth about 35 grammes of gold. This parable is very like the parable of the talents reported in St. Matthew (cf. 25:14-30).
14. The last part of this verse, although it has a very specific context, reflects the attitude of many people who do not want to bear the sweet yoke of our Lord and who reject Him as king. "There are millions of people in the world who reject Jesus Christ in this way; or rather they reject His shadow, for they do not know Christ. They have not seen the beauty of His face; they do not realize how wonderful His teaching is. This sad state of affairs makes me want to atone to our Lord. When I hear that endless clamor--expressed more in ignoble actions than in words--I feel the need to cry out, `He must reign!' (1 Corinthians 15:25)" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 179).
17. God counts on our fidelity in little things, and the greater our effort in this regard the greater the reward we will receive: "Because you have been `in pauca fidelis', faithful in small things, come and join in your Master's happiness. The words are Christ's. `In pauca fidelis!... Now will you neglect little things, if Heaven itself is promised to those who mind them?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 819).
24-26. God expects us to strive to put to good use the gifts we have received--and He lavishly rewards those who respond to His grace. The king in the parable is shown to be very generous towards his servants--and generous in rewarding those who managed to increase the money they were given. But he is very severe towards the lazy servant who was also the recipient of a gift from his Lord, who did not let it erode but guarded it carefully--and for this his king criticizes him: he failed to fulfill the just command the king gave him when he gave him the money: "Trade till I come." If we appreciate the treasures the Lord has given us--life, the gift of faith, grace--we will make a special effort to make them bear fruit--by fulfilling our duties, working hard and doing apostolate. "Don't let your life be barren. Be useful. Make yourself felt. Shine forth with the torch of your faith and your love. With your apostolic life, wipe out the trail of filth and slime left by the corrupt sowers of hatred. And set aflame all the ways of the earth with the fire of Christ that you bear in your heart" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 1).
28. Normally in the Gospels when there is mention of going to the Holy City it is in terms of "going up" to Jerusalem (cf. Matthew 20:18; John 7:8), probably because geographically the city is located on Mount Zion. Besides, since the temple was the religious and political center, going up to Jerusalem had also a sacred meaning of ascending to the holy place, where sacrifices were offered to God.
Particularly in the Gospel of St. Luke, our Lord's whole life is seen in terms of a continuous ascent towards Jerusalem, where His self-surrender reaches its high point in the redemptive sacrifice of the Cross. Here Jesus is on the point of entering the city, conscious of the fact that His passion and death are imminent.
___________________________
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 Pounds
[11] As they heard these things, He (Jesus) proceeded to tell a parable, because He was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the Kingdom of God was to appear immediately. [12] He said therefore, "A nobleman went into a far country to receive kingly power and then return. [13] Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, `Trade with these till I come.' [14] But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him saying, `We do not want this man to reign over us.' [15] When he returned, having received the kingly power, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. [16] The first came before him, saying, `Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.' [17] And he said to him, `Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' [18] And the second came, saying, `Lord, your pound has made five pounds.' [19] And he said to him, `And you are to be over five cities.' [20] Then another came, saying, `Lord, here is your pound, which I kept laid away in a napkin; [21] for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.' [22] He said to him, `I will condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? [23] Why then did you not put my money into the bank, and at my coming I should have collected it with interest?' [24] And he said to those who stood by, `Take the pound from him, and give it to him who has the ten pounds.' [25] (And they said to him, `Lord, he has ten pounds!') [26] `I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. [27] But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.'"
The Messiah Enters the Holy City
[28] And when He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
_____________________________
Commentary:
11. The disciples had a wrong concept of the Kingdom of Heaven: they thought it was about to happen and they saw it in earthly terms: they envisaged Jesus conquering the Roman tyrant and immediately establishing the Kingdom in the holy city of Jerusalem, and that when that happened they would hold privileged positions in the Kingdom. There is always a danger of Christians failing to grasp the transcendent, supernatural character of the Kingdom of God in this world, that is, the Church, which "has but one sole purpose--that the Kingdom of God may come and the salvation of the human race may be accomplished." (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 45).
Through this parable our Lord teaches us that, although His reign has begun, it will only be fully manifested later on. In the time left to us we should use all the resources and graces God gives us, in order to merit the reward.
13. The "mina", here translated as "pound", was worth about 35 grammes of gold. This parable is very like the parable of the talents reported in St. Matthew (cf. 25:14-30).
14. The last part of this verse, although it has a very specific context, reflects the attitude of many people who do not want to bear the sweet yoke of our Lord and who reject Him as king. "There are millions of people in the world who reject Jesus Christ in this way; or rather they reject His shadow, for they do not know Christ. They have not seen the beauty of His face; they do not realize how wonderful His teaching is. This sad state of affairs makes me want to atone to our Lord. When I hear that endless clamor--expressed more in ignoble actions than in words--I feel the need to cry out, `He must reign!' (1 Corinthians 15:25)" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 179).
17. God counts on our fidelity in little things, and the greater our effort in this regard the greater the reward we will receive: "Because you have been `in pauca fidelis', faithful in small things, come and join in your Master's happiness. The words are Christ's. `In pauca fidelis!... Now will you neglect little things, if Heaven itself is promised to those who mind them?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 819).
24-26. God expects us to strive to put to good use the gifts we have received--and He lavishly rewards those who respond to His grace. The king in the parable is shown to be very generous towards his servants--and generous in rewarding those who managed to increase the money they were given. But he is very severe towards the lazy servant who was also the recipient of a gift from his Lord, who did not let it erode but guarded it carefully--and for this his king criticizes him: he failed to fulfill the just command the king gave him when he gave him the money: "Trade till I come." If we appreciate the treasures the Lord has given us--life, the gift of faith, grace--we will make a special effort to make them bear fruit--by fulfilling our duties, working hard and doing apostolate. "Don't let your life be barren. Be useful. Make yourself felt. Shine forth with the torch of your faith and your love. With your apostolic life, wipe out the trail of filth and slime left by the corrupt sowers of hatred. And set aflame all the ways of the earth with the fire of Christ that you bear in your heart" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 1).
28. Normally in the Gospels when there is mention of going to the Holy City it is in terms of "going up" to Jerusalem (cf. Matthew 20:18; John 7:8), probably because geographically the city is located on Mount Zion. Besides, since the temple was the religious and political center, going up to Jerusalem had also a sacred meaning of ascending to the holy place, where sacrifices were offered to God.
Particularly in the Gospel of St. Luke, our Lord's whole life is seen in terms of a continuous ascent towards Jerusalem, where His self-surrender reaches its high point in the redemptive sacrifice of the Cross. Here Jesus is on the point of entering the city, conscious of the fact that His passion and death are imminent.
___________________________
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.
Principles and Practices, November 19
ON THE WAY OF THE CROSS
You see, my children, only the first step is painful. Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses....We have not the courage to carry our cross, and we are very much mistaken; for,whatever we do, the cross holds us tight - we cannot escape from it. What, then, have we to lose? Why not love our crosses and make use of them to take us to heaven?
-The Spirit of the Cure of Ars.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930
You see, my children, only the first step is painful. Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses....We have not the courage to carry our cross, and we are very much mistaken; for,whatever we do, the cross holds us tight - we cannot escape from it. What, then, have we to lose? Why not love our crosses and make use of them to take us to heaven?
-The Spirit of the Cure of Ars.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930
Thoughts of St Augustine for November 19
ONCE we are like him, how shall faintness or distraction be possible? Let our minds be at rest on this point, brethren, the praise of God and love of God will never cloy us.
_________________________
Click here for more information.
From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont
_________________________
Click here for more information.
From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont
Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-November 19
WHOEVER would become a saint, must during this life resemble the lily among thorns, which, however much it may be pricked by them, never ceases to be a lily; that is, it is always equally sweet and serene. The soul that loves God maintains an imperturbable peace of heart.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927
Monday, November 17, 2008
News Updates, 11/18
Muslim Group Orders All Christians Out of Iraq
A Christian bishop received a threatening letter written by Ansar al-Islam, a Kurdish Muslim group affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq. The letter ordered the Christians to leave Iraq en masse and stated it is sending a final warning to Christians in Baghdad and other Iraqi governorates to leave Iraq permanently.
Cardinal: Obama is 'disruptive and apocalyptic'
American prelate delivers frank address at Catholic U.
“Cultural earthquake”
Cardinal describes Obama as ‘aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic,’ predicts U.S. Catholics will weep ‘hot, angry tears of betrayal’ in years to come
Obama and the bishops are talking the same platform
Kmiec speech at St. John’s Seminary attracts pro-life protesters [
Abortion opponents protest U.S. bishops' 'support' for Obama
[For some (most?) is seems that party politics comes BEFORE loyalty to Christ and His Church]
Father Bourgeois heading to Rome to appeal threatened excommunication
Father Roy Bourgeois says that he plans a trip to the Vatican, accompanied by sympathetic priests and at least one bishop, to lobby against the formal excommunication that has been threatened because of his public support for the ordination of women and his involvement in illicit "ordination" ceremonies...
[Any dibbs on who this "bishop" might be? Remy de Roo? Gumbleton?]
Maine diocese: Same-sex unions not marriage
Bishop Malone voices strong opposition to activist calls
Fr. George W. Rutler: No place for amateur soldiers in the army of the Lord
Many have warned about the consequences of yielding the Faith to false messiahs.
Bishops condemn 'silent genocide' in Congo
Widespread massacres, targeted killings, systematic rapes
US Army returns college to Chaldean Catholics
Seminarians, students and staff left in January 2007
'Ad limina' visits no longer occur every 5 years
U.S. bishops will have an extra year to report to Pope
Italian nuns refuse to kill Eluana Englaro
Hospice won't carry out court order to remove hydration
No infant euthanasia reported in Netherlands
First year after laws on mercy killings were expanded
Do outspoken bishops lose conference elections?
Has Archbishop Chaput been marginalized for strong stance?
[Should faithful orthodox bishops start a truly Catholic national conference and let the heterodox faction whither away?]
Obama warned of 'huge threat' from al-Qaeda
Security officials fear 'spectacular' during transition
Divided Loyalties, Obama’s Eligibility Problem
Judah Benjamin, an historian and former journalist, has written a two-part series challenging the Constitutionality of Barack Obama’s eligibility to be President. It is exhaustively researched, and lengthy compared to most blog entries....Barack Obama has been a citizen of multiple nations. And even if his citizenship outside the US was renounced, Article II of the U.S. Constitution prohibits him from being President, for the same reason that naturalized citizens are prohibited: divided loyalties....Part 1 & Part 2
A Christian bishop received a threatening letter written by Ansar al-Islam, a Kurdish Muslim group affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq. The letter ordered the Christians to leave Iraq en masse and stated it is sending a final warning to Christians in Baghdad and other Iraqi governorates to leave Iraq permanently.
Cardinal: Obama is 'disruptive and apocalyptic'
American prelate delivers frank address at Catholic U.
“Cultural earthquake”
Cardinal describes Obama as ‘aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic,’ predicts U.S. Catholics will weep ‘hot, angry tears of betrayal’ in years to come
Obama and the bishops are talking the same platform
Kmiec speech at St. John’s Seminary attracts pro-life protesters [
Abortion opponents protest U.S. bishops' 'support' for Obama
[For some (most?) is seems that party politics comes BEFORE loyalty to Christ and His Church]
Father Bourgeois heading to Rome to appeal threatened excommunication
Father Roy Bourgeois says that he plans a trip to the Vatican, accompanied by sympathetic priests and at least one bishop, to lobby against the formal excommunication that has been threatened because of his public support for the ordination of women and his involvement in illicit "ordination" ceremonies...
[Any dibbs on who this "bishop" might be? Remy de Roo? Gumbleton?]
Maine diocese: Same-sex unions not marriage
Bishop Malone voices strong opposition to activist calls
Fr. George W. Rutler: No place for amateur soldiers in the army of the Lord
Many have warned about the consequences of yielding the Faith to false messiahs.
Bishops condemn 'silent genocide' in Congo
Widespread massacres, targeted killings, systematic rapes
US Army returns college to Chaldean Catholics
Seminarians, students and staff left in January 2007
'Ad limina' visits no longer occur every 5 years
U.S. bishops will have an extra year to report to Pope
Italian nuns refuse to kill Eluana Englaro
Hospice won't carry out court order to remove hydration
No infant euthanasia reported in Netherlands
First year after laws on mercy killings were expanded
Do outspoken bishops lose conference elections?
Has Archbishop Chaput been marginalized for strong stance?
[Should faithful orthodox bishops start a truly Catholic national conference and let the heterodox faction whither away?]
Obama warned of 'huge threat' from al-Qaeda
Security officials fear 'spectacular' during transition
Divided Loyalties, Obama’s Eligibility Problem
Judah Benjamin, an historian and former journalist, has written a two-part series challenging the Constitutionality of Barack Obama’s eligibility to be President. It is exhaustively researched, and lengthy compared to most blog entries....Barack Obama has been a citizen of multiple nations. And even if his citizenship outside the US was renounced, Article II of the U.S. Constitution prohibits him from being President, for the same reason that naturalized citizens are prohibited: divided loyalties....Part 1 & Part 2
Catholic Citizens of Illinois calls for Boycott of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Some of us have refused to participate in this sinful activity for years - With God's help and blessings, maybe more Catholics will thumb their noses at the CCHD and contribute to truly worthy causes?
Pass it on to your Catholic family and friends! Someone needs to clean the rats out at the USCCB.
By Catholic Citizens of IllinoisContinued here.
When the Catholic Bishops of the United States established the Campaign for Human Development in 1970, they mandated the Campaign to fund "such projects as voter registration, community organizations, community-run schools, minority-owned cooperatives and credit unions, capital for industrial development and job training programs, and setting up rural cooperatives." It was subsequently renamed the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, with prohibitions on funding of projects that were not in conformity with Catholic moral teaching.
The CCHD was sold to Catholic parishioners with a slogan of "a hand up instead of a hand out," but instead, CCHD has heavily invested in the political organizing techniques of Saul Alinky, a Marxist organizer from Chicago who founded the nationwide Industrial Areas Foundation, which in the Chicago area is known as United Power. United Power has been financed by various mainline Protestant churches and has made great inroads into the Catholic Church in Chicago, recruiting parish ministers and receiving funding from various parishes through dues and contributions. For all practical purposes, United Power is an extension of the far left wing of the Democrat Party....
Pass it on to your Catholic family and friends! Someone needs to clean the rats out at the USCCB.
Gospel for Tuesday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
Optional Memorials of the Dedication of the Churches of Peter and Paul, apostles; St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, virgin (USA)
Old Calendar: Dedication of the Basilicas of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
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" ([Blessed] 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.
Old Calendar: Dedication of the Basilicas of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
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" ([Blessed] 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.
Administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston stepped in it
Remember the story about the Charleston priest, Father Jay Scott Newman, JCL, who had the courage to tell his parishioners the truth regarding Church teaching and voting?
Well, Barbara Kralis, has written about this episode of ecclesiastical backpedalling and the scandal and confusion caused by Msgr. Laughlin's tirade against the understanding of Church teaching which all faithful Catholics understand.
Her article is in 2 parts: Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here.
Excellent articles, well worth reading!
"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."Recall also that the diocese's temporary Administrator, Msgr. Martin Laughlin, became adamant and defensive that any priest who would say such things...
Well, Barbara Kralis, has written about this episode of ecclesiastical backpedalling and the scandal and confusion caused by Msgr. Laughlin's tirade against the understanding of Church teaching which all faithful Catholics understand.
Her article is in 2 parts: Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here.
Excellent articles, well worth reading!
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