Fifth Sorrowful Mystery (The Crucifixion)
Confidence in Our Lady's Intercession
Mental Prayer Meditation Helps
Presence of God.
Grace I Ask: Jesus, my divine teacher, teach me to be poor in spirit.
Mental Picture (d. Luke 7: II-I7) : The noonday sun beats down on the high wooden gate of the walled city of Naimn. From this gate comes the slight figure of the widow, bent over in grief as she follows the funeral of her only son.
Christ halts the sad procession. Some quality in the bent, unpretentious widow attracts Him: He recognizes her poverty of spirit, her willingness to be empty, to be without the one thing that was good in her life. She is not wailing in hysterics; she freely gives back to God the best thing that He has given her.
Christ cannot resist. To the heart empty of selfish ambitions and desires he grants a full measure of reward. "I say to thee, young man, arise."' And He gave him to his mother.
My Personal Application: What does Christ see as He looks at me? Is He struck by my poverty of spirit? Is He attracted by my lack of selfish ambitions? Is there anything in my life that is crowding God out? Am I the type who always thinks that God owes him something?
I Speak to Christ: Jesus, really I am quite a poor person. I can count a lot of things that are "mine," but they are what you gave me. Take from me whatever you wish, but fill me more and more with yourself.
Thought for Today: "You have made us for yourself, God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."
___________________
Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Gospel for Saturday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Matthew 14:1-12
The Death of John the Baptist
[1] At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus; [2] and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist, he has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him." [3] For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison, for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; [4] because John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." [5] And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. [6] But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and pleased Herod, [7] so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. [8] Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter." [9] And the king was sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given; [10] he sent and had John beheaded in the prison, [11] and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. [12] And his disciples came and took the body and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.
____________________________
Commentary:
1. Herod the tetrarch, Herod Antipas (see the note on Mt 2:1), is the same Herod as appears later in the account of the Passion (cf. Lk 23:7ff). A son of Herod the Great, Antipas governed Galilee and Perea in the name of the Roman emperor; according to Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian ("Jewish Antiquities", XVIII, 5, 4), he was married to a daughter of an Arabian king, but in spite of this he lived in concubinage with Herodias, his brother's wife. St. John the Baptist, and Jesus himself, often criticized the tetrarch's immoral life, which was in conflict with the sexual morality laid down in the Law (Lev 18:16;20:21) and was a cause of scandal.
3-12. Towards the end of the first century Flavius Josephus wrote of these same events. He gives additional information--specifying that it was in the fortress of Makeronte that John was imprisoned (this fortress was on the eastern bank of the Dead Sea, and was the scene of the banquet in question) and that Herodias' daughter was called Salome.
9. St Augustine comments: "Amid the excesses and sensuality of the guests, oaths are rashly made, which then are unjustly kept" ("Sermon 10").
It is a sin against the second commandment of God's Law to make an oath to do something unjust; any such oath has no binding force. In fact, if one keeps it--as Herod did--one commits an additional sin. The Catechism also teaches that one offends against this precept if one swears something untrue, or swears needlessly (cf. "St Pius V Catechism", III, 3, 24). Cf. note on Mt 5:33-37.
___________________________
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 Death of John the Baptist
[1] At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus; [2] and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist, he has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him." [3] For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison, for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; [4] because John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." [5] And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. [6] But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and pleased Herod, [7] so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. [8] Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter." [9] And the king was sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given; [10] he sent and had John beheaded in the prison, [11] and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. [12] And his disciples came and took the body and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.
____________________________
Commentary:
1. Herod the tetrarch, Herod Antipas (see the note on Mt 2:1), is the same Herod as appears later in the account of the Passion (cf. Lk 23:7ff). A son of Herod the Great, Antipas governed Galilee and Perea in the name of the Roman emperor; according to Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian ("Jewish Antiquities", XVIII, 5, 4), he was married to a daughter of an Arabian king, but in spite of this he lived in concubinage with Herodias, his brother's wife. St. John the Baptist, and Jesus himself, often criticized the tetrarch's immoral life, which was in conflict with the sexual morality laid down in the Law (Lev 18:16;20:21) and was a cause of scandal.
3-12. Towards the end of the first century Flavius Josephus wrote of these same events. He gives additional information--specifying that it was in the fortress of Makeronte that John was imprisoned (this fortress was on the eastern bank of the Dead Sea, and was the scene of the banquet in question) and that Herodias' daughter was called Salome.
9. St Augustine comments: "Amid the excesses and sensuality of the guests, oaths are rashly made, which then are unjustly kept" ("Sermon 10").
It is a sin against the second commandment of God's Law to make an oath to do something unjust; any such oath has no binding force. In fact, if one keeps it--as Herod did--one commits an additional sin. The Catechism also teaches that one offends against this precept if one swears something untrue, or swears needlessly (cf. "St Pius V Catechism", III, 3, 24). Cf. note on Mt 5:33-37.
___________________________
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, August 04, 2006
Mental Prayer for the First Saturday of August
Fifth Sorrowful Mystery (The Crucifixion)
Confidence in Our Lady's Intercession
Mental Prayer Meditation Helps
Presence of God.
Grace I Ask: Confidence that my Mother will help me.
Mental Picture (d. John I9: 25-27): See Jesus hanging on the cross - writhing, twisting with pain. At the foot of the cross, Mary - gazing up, helpless, grief-stricken - and St. John - arm around Mary, helping support her. Over the din of the mob, "Mother, behold your son." A few short moments and the body is motionless. Mary looks into the face of John and sees in him her children, mankind saved by Christ. They must take His place; He no longer needs her.
My Personal Application: What an exchange, me for Christ! Poor Mother Mary. But what a grace for me! The Mother of God is my Mother! The most perfect Mother of all... looking out for me... caring for me... and still the Mother of Jesus. Look at what she has done for Christ. Could He refuse her anything? My Mother wants only the best for me and she can get the best from Christ. Do I go to my Mother as I should? Do I look for her care, do I ask her assistance? She loves me, her Son loves her, her Son is God; can she not get anything for me that will help me to her Son?
I Speak to God: Dear Lord, thank you for such a Mother. O Mother, I need you so much. Help me to remember to run to you when I am in need. I know you will get the help for me if only I will ask: "Remember, O Most loving Virgin Mary, never was it known..."
Thought for Today: My Mother, I place my trust in you.
___________________
Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
Confidence in Our Lady's Intercession
Mental Prayer Meditation Helps
Presence of God.
Grace I Ask: Confidence that my Mother will help me.
Mental Picture (d. John I9: 25-27): See Jesus hanging on the cross - writhing, twisting with pain. At the foot of the cross, Mary - gazing up, helpless, grief-stricken - and St. John - arm around Mary, helping support her. Over the din of the mob, "Mother, behold your son." A few short moments and the body is motionless. Mary looks into the face of John and sees in him her children, mankind saved by Christ. They must take His place; He no longer needs her.
My Personal Application: What an exchange, me for Christ! Poor Mother Mary. But what a grace for me! The Mother of God is my Mother! The most perfect Mother of all... looking out for me... caring for me... and still the Mother of Jesus. Look at what she has done for Christ. Could He refuse her anything? My Mother wants only the best for me and she can get the best from Christ. Do I go to my Mother as I should? Do I look for her care, do I ask her assistance? She loves me, her Son loves her, her Son is God; can she not get anything for me that will help me to her Son?
I Speak to God: Dear Lord, thank you for such a Mother. O Mother, I need you so much. Help me to remember to run to you when I am in need. I know you will get the help for me if only I will ask: "Remember, O Most loving Virgin Mary, never was it known..."
Thought for Today: My Mother, I place my trust in you.
___________________
Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
Embryo research 'like Nazi experiment'
From Australia:
And here's a link to a local publication in the U.S. where others see the same diabolical similarities.
We have witnessed over 40 years of federally approved contraception, 30+ years federally approved murders of the innocent unborn. Years of "Not yet federally approved" euthanasia, or what is called "death with dignity"....And now we await approval by various states and governmental bodies to sanction that which we thought would never return - the wanton and destructive experimentation of human beings, humans in their most vulnerable and primitive state.
A SENIOR Labor figure has attacked the push by Victoria and Queensland for human embryo research, likening therapeutic cloning to Nazi Germany's medical experiments on humans.
The evocation of Hitler's Germany by conservative union leader Joe de Bruyn came as the Victorian and Queensland premiers urged the Howard Government to reconsider its ban on human embryo research.
"Therapeutic cloning is the creation of human life for the express purpose of destroying it so you can obtain the stem cells and do research," the national secretary of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association told The Australian.
"That's no different to what Hitler's doctors used to do during the last century. They experimented on human life, and that's what this is."
And here's a link to a local publication in the U.S. where others see the same diabolical similarities.
We have witnessed over 40 years of federally approved contraception, 30+ years federally approved murders of the innocent unborn. Years of "Not yet federally approved" euthanasia, or what is called "death with dignity"....And now we await approval by various states and governmental bodies to sanction that which we thought would never return - the wanton and destructive experimentation of human beings, humans in their most vulnerable and primitive state.
Celebration honors Virgin Mary
Carthage, Missouri — The four-day 29th annual Marian Days celebration officially began Thursday with the opening ceremony and Mass.
The four-day event generally draws about 60,000 people to Carthage, most of them Vietnamese. They camp on and around the campus of the Congregation of Mary Co-Redemptrix, as well as filling area hotels and motels.
This year, the special emphasis of Marian Days is "The Year of the Word of God," and the theme is "Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart" from Luke 2:19.
Marian Days started in 1977 by Vietnamese Catholics who settled in Carthage after the 1975 fall of Saigon.
Ministry responds to those with same-sex attraction
The Church makes room for men and women who struggle with homosexual temptations, a priest and a psychologist told a group in St. Louis July 28.
Courage is a ministry that provides spiritual support for men and women with same-sex attractions who are striving to live chastely in accord with Catholic teaching. The ministry held its annual conference at St. Louis University July 27-30.
Father John Harvey, OSFS, a moral theologian and founding director of Courage, and Peter Rudegeair, a clinical psychologist, addressed some 80 clergy and youth ministers from St. Louis during a part of the conference. The speakers noted that a goal is to assist those who come to the Church seeking help.
They also promoted Encourage, an organization helping parents, spouses and children of people living in a gay lifestyle.
"Courage is a support group," said Father Harvey, a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. "People need the help of God and the help of a group."
SNAP wants details from Springfield
A St. Louis-based watchdog group is pressing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield to reveal more details about an internal investigation that found new cases of sexual and financial misconduct in the church."Watchdog" group? Yea, right! "Roman Catholic Faithful", they ain't...
"We like the fact that they have admitted this. It's a start," said Judy Jones of St. Louis, a member of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, at a news conference in front of the Springfield Diocese headquarters on Thursday. "We want to know what else they're going to do."Notice - the group "wants names and details"...What is this obsession and fixation with SNAP's wanting the details of financial misconduct or the lurid details of sexual sins committed with adults?
Specifically, the group wants names and details regarding several priests who, the church says, were found to have engaged in noncriminal sexual or financial misconduct.
But Jones argued that withholding information about even noncriminal misconduct fostered an atmosphere of secrecy that produced a danger of child abuse and other crimes.I have a suggestion for SNAP - You want details, do your own investigation.
Continuing to withhold information about the finding, Jones argued, produces the impression that "they care more about the good of the church than they do about anybody who has been harmed, whether it be children or vulnerable adults."
This group has no more right to the details of an internal investigation that you are I...While the prudential decision on what details to release to the public might be debatable, SNAP's arrogant approach only hurts and hinders matters.
As SNAP fades more and more into irrelevance, we might, in the short run, see more and more of the group as it tries to re-assert itself and its importance into the affairs of the Church. But this, too, shall pass.
Diocese of San Francisco Finds Way to Circumvent Vatican on Homosexual Adoptions?
That's the way it seems...at least for the time being - and the "gay" community is ecstatic:
But first (as this post has been updated many times already), read this press release from August 2:
Catholic Charities CYO’S New Adoption Partnership Will Serve Substantially More Vulnerable Children
Then study and read some more...There is plenty to see and read.
S.F. Archdiocese Finds Way To Help Gay Adoption
But wait - back in March of this year we read this article in the SF Chronicle:
It also seems that there is no concern by the archdiocese for the authentic welfare of children placed in an environment of homosexuality - which as the Holy See tells us, is a form of violence against the child.
It seems that the directives from the Vatican are part of some legalistic game for these people. This becomes obvious when one hears or reads the statements coming from the archdiocese regarding this adoption arrangement.
See Family Builders here
And how's this for a quote from "Family Builders":
So now, the archdiocese or its designates, in a bizarre sacrificial way, can "offer up" poor children in need to the gods of homosexuality and deviance and yet claim to not be an accomplice...
Who are those who pervert the truth and why do they hold positions in the Church where they can do so much damage?
But first (as this post has been updated many times already), read this press release from August 2:
Catholic Charities CYO’S New Adoption Partnership Will Serve Substantially More Vulnerable Children
Then study and read some more...There is plenty to see and read.
S.F. Archdiocese Finds Way To Help Gay Adoption
Earlier this year, the Vatican announced Catholic Charities could not longer pair children with adoptive same-sex parents.San Francisco Catholic Charities Avoids Gay Adoption Controversy
So the solution approved by San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer was for Catholic Charities to team up with California Kids Connection, an Oakland-based adoption network.
Even though California Kids does work with same-sex couples, Catholic Charities feels it can help because that's all it's doing - helping - not actually finalizing the adoptions.
Thom Lynch, executive director of the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center, told The Globe he would have liked to see Catholic Charities maintain its own adoption program. However, he said, the compromise enables Catholic Charities staff to continue to assist with adoptions, and may hopefully lead to ``far more children being adopted into gay families and other families."SF Catholic Charities dodges gay adoptions
The social services arm of the Archdiocese of San Francisco said it found a way to help connect hard-to-place children with welcoming parents, gay or straight, without violating the Catholic Church's views on homosexuality.Something is wrong out West...and many already suspected that things would not get any better when George Niederauer was named as archbishop of San Francisco. And it appears that their suspicions are being confirmed again.
By partnering with another adoption service, San Francisco's Catholic Charities will increase the number of children that find homes without directly placing kids with same-sex couples, the agency's executive director, Brian Cahill, said Wednesday.
But wait - back in March of this year we read this article in the SF Chronicle:
Archdiocese halts same-sex adoptions at Catholic CharitiesIs it difficult to figure out? It seems - at least based on available information - that it's taken a while to devise a scheme on just how to place children with homosexuals while maintaining an attitude of complete innocence - that is, it's another group who is responsible for placing children.
Spokesman points to stance taken by new archbishop
Catholic Charities has placed five children with same-sex couples since 2000, but a statement from Archbishop George Niederauer makes clear there will be no more, said Maurice Healy, spokesman for the archdiocese.
Brian Cahill, executive director of Catholic Charities for San Francisco, said Niederauer did not explicitly ban same-sex adoption.
"This is an outright statement that is false," Cahill said of Healy's assertion. "Mr. Healy is, A, mistaken, B, doesn't speak for Catholic Charities and, frankly, it's clear to me that he's not speaking for the archbishop these days."
It also seems that there is no concern by the archdiocese for the authentic welfare of children placed in an environment of homosexuality - which as the Holy See tells us, is a form of violence against the child.
It seems that the directives from the Vatican are part of some legalistic game for these people. This becomes obvious when one hears or reads the statements coming from the archdiocese regarding this adoption arrangement.
The archbishop welcomed the partnership with Family Builders, saying that it would provide for more efficient adoption services "in a way that is compatible with both Catholic moral teaching and the requirements of civil law.” (Source -CWNews)I pray the good archbishop is truly able to tell when words and action are compatible with Catholic moral teaching. Let's look...
See Family Builders here
And how's this for a quote from "Family Builders":
At Family Builders By Adoption, we take pride in the fact that almost half of the families we work with are LGBT families. (my emphasis)LGBT "families"??? PRIDE?
So now, the archdiocese or its designates, in a bizarre sacrificial way, can "offer up" poor children in need to the gods of homosexuality and deviance and yet claim to not be an accomplice...
Who are those who pervert the truth and why do they hold positions in the Church where they can do so much damage?
Gospel for August 4, Memorial: St. John Vianney, Priest
From: Matthew 13:54-58
No One is a Prophet in His Own Country
[54] And coming to His (Jesus') own country He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? [55] Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? [56] And are not all His sisters with us? Where then did this Man get all this?" [57] And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." [58] And He did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
______________________________
Commentary:
53-58. The Nazarenes' surprise is partly due to people's difficulty in recognizing anything exceptional and supernatural in those with whom they have been on familiar terms. Hence the saying, "No one is a prophet in his own country." These old neighbors were also jealous of Jesus. Where did He acquire this wisdom? Why Him rather than us? They were unaware of the mystery of Jesus' conception; surprise and jealousy cause them to be shocked, to look down on Jesus and not to believe in Him: "He came to His own home, and His own people received Him not" (John 1:11).
"The carpenter's son": this is the only reference in the Gospel to St. Joseph's occupation (in Mark 6:3 Jesus Himself is described as a "carpenter"). Probably in a town like Nazareth the carpenter was a general tradesman who could turn his hand to jobs ranging from metalwork to making furniture or agricultural implements.
For an explanation of Jesus' "brethren", see the note on Matthew 12:46-47.
[The note of Matthew 12:46-47 states:
46-47. "Brethren": ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and other languages had no special words for different degrees of relationship, such as are found in more modern languages. In general, all those belonging to the same family, clan and even tribe were "brethren".
In the particular case we have here, we should bear in mind that Jesus had different kinds of relatives, in two groups--some on His mother's side, others on St. Joseph's. Matthew 13:55-56 mentions, as living in Nazareth, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas ("His brethren") and elsewhere there is reference to Jesus' "sisters" (cf. Matthew 6:3). But in Matthew 27:56 we are told that James and Joseph were sons of a Mary distinct from the Blessed Virgin, and that Simon and Judas were not brothers of James and Joseph, but seemingly children of a brother of St. Joseph.
Jesus, on the other hand, was known to everyone as "the son of Mary" (Mark 6:3) or "the carpenter's son" (Matthew 13:55).
The Church has always maintained as absolutely certain that Jesus had no brothers or sisters in the full meaning of the term: it is a dogma that Mary was ever-Virgin (cf. note on Matthew 1:25).]
___________________________
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.
No One is a Prophet in His Own Country
[54] And coming to His (Jesus') own country He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? [55] Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? [56] And are not all His sisters with us? Where then did this Man get all this?" [57] And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." [58] And He did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
______________________________
Commentary:
53-58. The Nazarenes' surprise is partly due to people's difficulty in recognizing anything exceptional and supernatural in those with whom they have been on familiar terms. Hence the saying, "No one is a prophet in his own country." These old neighbors were also jealous of Jesus. Where did He acquire this wisdom? Why Him rather than us? They were unaware of the mystery of Jesus' conception; surprise and jealousy cause them to be shocked, to look down on Jesus and not to believe in Him: "He came to His own home, and His own people received Him not" (John 1:11).
"The carpenter's son": this is the only reference in the Gospel to St. Joseph's occupation (in Mark 6:3 Jesus Himself is described as a "carpenter"). Probably in a town like Nazareth the carpenter was a general tradesman who could turn his hand to jobs ranging from metalwork to making furniture or agricultural implements.
For an explanation of Jesus' "brethren", see the note on Matthew 12:46-47.
[The note of Matthew 12:46-47 states:
46-47. "Brethren": ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and other languages had no special words for different degrees of relationship, such as are found in more modern languages. In general, all those belonging to the same family, clan and even tribe were "brethren".
In the particular case we have here, we should bear in mind that Jesus had different kinds of relatives, in two groups--some on His mother's side, others on St. Joseph's. Matthew 13:55-56 mentions, as living in Nazareth, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas ("His brethren") and elsewhere there is reference to Jesus' "sisters" (cf. Matthew 6:3). But in Matthew 27:56 we are told that James and Joseph were sons of a Mary distinct from the Blessed Virgin, and that Simon and Judas were not brothers of James and Joseph, but seemingly children of a brother of St. Joseph.
Jesus, on the other hand, was known to everyone as "the son of Mary" (Mark 6:3) or "the carpenter's son" (Matthew 13:55).
The Church has always maintained as absolutely certain that Jesus had no brothers or sisters in the full meaning of the term: it is a dogma that Mary was ever-Virgin (cf. note on Matthew 1:25).]
___________________________
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, August 03, 2006
Ed Martin Selected as Gov. Blunt's Chief of Staff
JEFFERSON CITY -- Gov. Matt Blunt is tapping Ed Martin, the chairman of the St. Louis City Board of Election Commissioners, to serve as his chief of staff.Martin is also a member of the group, Defenders of Archbishop Burke, a local grassroots organization formed to defend the Archbishop from the numerous calumnies which arose, particularly regarding St Stanislaus and the issue of so-called "Catholic" politicians who support abortion and other intrinsic evils.
Martin, 36, is the founding partner of the law firm Martin & Simmonds. He has had a relatively high profile in the St. Louis area, co-hosting radio talk shows and contributing to various publications.
...
As an attorney for Americans United for Life, Martin represents health care professionals who have moral objections to abortion or to dispensing certain drugs, such as emergency contraceptives.
For example, Martin filed a complaint in January with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of a St. Charles pharmacist fired from a Target Corp. store for refusing to dispense the so-called "morning-after" birth control pill.
As expected, with Martin's support of promoting quality education by allowing school choice for parents, some are not pleased with his appointment. But then, some are rarely satisfied.
This should be seen as a step in the right direction for Governor Blunt. Perhaps, Martin will be able to persuade the Governor to review his flawed position of support for the killing and destruction of human life which is a necessary part of embryonic stem cell research.
Mental Prayer for the First Friday of August-Sacred Heart, Model of All Virtues
Mental Prayer Meditation Helps
Presence of God.
Grace I Ask: That I may consider the Sacred Heart my model in all things.
The Idea: Sometimes we sum up the people we know by saying they are "good sports" or "lots of fun." Sometimes we can do it in one word; we call a person "serious" or "kind." And we notice too that certain saints are singled out for particular virtues, such as St. Philip Neri for cheerfulness or St. Maria Goretti for purity. Christ is the perfect man because He is God. He is the model of cheerfulness, of obedience, of purity, of humility, of all virtues. And when we consider the Sacred Heart of Christ we can find the one word that sums up Christ's character completely, that sums up His whole life, His work. That word is "love."
Love is the greatest of the virtues because all the rest are needed to practice it.
The Sacred Heart of Christ stands for the complete life of Christ, for all the virtues because it means, above all, love.
My Personal Application: What is my idea of real love? Something weak, or silly, or sensual? Or do I see love as a real giving of myself, of my thoughts, words, and deeds to Christ in return for His love? A return of myself to Him who is all goodness, all happiness, all love, the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
I Speak to Christ: Most Sacred Heart, filled with love for me, fill my small heart and soul with real, deep love for you. When I am trying to be obedient and pure and kind, help me to see that I am loving you.
Thought for Today: Sacred Heart of Jesus, I implore that I may ever love thee more and more.
___________________
Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
Presence of God.
Grace I Ask: That I may consider the Sacred Heart my model in all things.
The Idea: Sometimes we sum up the people we know by saying they are "good sports" or "lots of fun." Sometimes we can do it in one word; we call a person "serious" or "kind." And we notice too that certain saints are singled out for particular virtues, such as St. Philip Neri for cheerfulness or St. Maria Goretti for purity. Christ is the perfect man because He is God. He is the model of cheerfulness, of obedience, of purity, of humility, of all virtues. And when we consider the Sacred Heart of Christ we can find the one word that sums up Christ's character completely, that sums up His whole life, His work. That word is "love."
Love is the greatest of the virtues because all the rest are needed to practice it.
The Sacred Heart of Christ stands for the complete life of Christ, for all the virtues because it means, above all, love.
My Personal Application: What is my idea of real love? Something weak, or silly, or sensual? Or do I see love as a real giving of myself, of my thoughts, words, and deeds to Christ in return for His love? A return of myself to Him who is all goodness, all happiness, all love, the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
I Speak to Christ: Most Sacred Heart, filled with love for me, fill my small heart and soul with real, deep love for you. When I am trying to be obedient and pure and kind, help me to see that I am loving you.
Thought for Today: Sacred Heart of Jesus, I implore that I may ever love thee more and more.
___________________
Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
Madonna 'Blasphemy' Raises Fury in Rome
Rome's Catholic, Muslim and Jewish leaders have united to condemn pop star Madonna's decision to stage a mock-crucifixion when she performs in the Italian capital on Sunday a stone's throw away from Vatican City.
The lapsed-Catholic diva's latest irreverent performance sees her wearing a fake crown of thorns and descending on a suspended, glittery cross as part of her worldwide "Confessions Tour".
Cardinal Ersilio Tonino, speaking with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI said: "This time the limits have really been pushed too far.
"This concert is a blashphemous challenge to the faith and a profanation of the cross. She should be excommunicated."
Hezbollah uses Christian villages as shields in missile attacks
That's another reason why they are known as terrorists and cowards. They use women and children as shields...
Washington DC, Aug. 03, 2006 (CNA) - Recent reports indicate that Hezbollah is using Christian villages to shield its attacks against Israel.Does the Western press really care about reporting the truth? Are they not more enamored with promoting staged sensationalist pictures and unsubstantiated stories coming from Hezbollah operatives? Do they even care that Hezbollah engages in the murder of Lebanese citizens?
According to Christian Solidarity International, Hezbollah is hiding among civilian populations, mostly in southern Lebanese towns, such as Ain Ebel, Rmeish, Alma Alshaab.
Launching attacks behind human shields is in violation of the Geneva Convention's provision for the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts, which prohibits the use of civilians as military shields.
. . .
Sami El-Khoury, president of the World Maronite Union, adds that media reports about Christian support for Hezbollah are inaccurate.
"Contrary to Western press reports, indicating high percentages of Christian support for Hezbollah, 90 percent of Christians, 80 percent of Sunni and 40 percent of Shiites in Lebanon oppose Hezbollah," El-Khoury told Christian Solidarity International.
Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, Dead at 76
Rome, Aug. 03 (CWNews.com) - Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo Higuera, who served as the Vatican's representative in Washington from 1998 to 2005, died in Rome on August 2 after a long illness.Requiescat in pacem!
It's all better now...
...isn't it?
And I suppose it depends on the definition of a 'minor'...
Probe finds misdeeds at Springfield Diocese"Serious misconduct?" Sodomy must not be considered a crime in Illinois...
SPRINGFIELD - An investigative committee said Wednesday it found some "serious misconduct" by a few priests within the Springfield Catholic Diocese that includes Madison County but no criminal activity after an 18-month probe.
The problems centered around former diocese Bishop Daniel Ryan, who the probe found engaged in improper sexual conduct and used his position to hide that behavior."Improper sexual conduct" = homosexual acts...
[But]....none of the wrongdoing involves abuse of minors.None of the "wongdoing" (deviant homosexual acts) involved minors...Does these mean all were just consenting adults?
And I suppose it depends on the definition of a 'minor'...
"I'm deeply sorry for the misdeeds of any priest whom I have placed in or allowed to remain in a position of trust in this diocese," Bishop George Lucas said.How does that statement square with the report from Stephen Brady of Roman Catholic Faithful (RCF) regarding Msgr. John Renken’s predatory homosexual nature?
"There's been a change, a substantive change, in the way this diocese operates at the top, and the vast majority of priests are doing an exemplary job," said [Committee member and state Sen. Bill Haine, D-Alton]. "They were as much in the wilderness in the Ryan years as we were and the laity was."If I recall, RCF exposed Ryan and others years ago and those who chose to remain in the "wilderness" simply refused to acknowledge the extent of the perversions.
Lucas, who heads the 28-county diocese covering central and part of southern Illinois, ordered the probe in February 2005 after the beating of the Rev. Eugene Costa two months earlier by two [male] teens in a Springfield park [after he [reportedly approached them for sex - homosexual sex]...Costa subsequently resigned and spent more than five months at an out-of-state rehabilitation center.
Not Man Enough to Accept His Punishment
Catholic priest flees US extradition and becomes a fugitive from justice
PHOENIX (Reuters) - A fugitive Catholic priest ordered back to Phoenix from Rome to face child sex charges has vanished, authorities in Arizona said on Wednesday.A real role model, isn't he? A priest who is also an alleged predatory child molester - and he reportedly left the country to avoid prosecution...Sin is bondage, enslavement...It clouds the mind and hardens the heart. The man should know that while one may temporarily evade justice, there will come a time for each of us when we will no longer be able to hide from our sins or from the Just Judge...Say a prayer for this man's soul and for his victims if you have the opportunity.
The Rev. Joseph Henn, 57, could not be found at the headquarters of his religious order in the Italian capital when authorities arrived with an extradition order issued by the Italian Supreme Court, Arizona prosecutors said.
Henn, accused of molesting three boys from 1979-1981, had been under house arrest for the last year at the Society of the Divine Savior and was trying to block his return to Phoenix when he disappeared about two weeks ago, they said.
Pedophilia a 'civil right', claims defendant
From Cleveland:
A suburban Cleveland man [Phillip Distasio, 34, of Rocky River, Ohio] accused of sexually assaulting nine disabled boys told a judge Wednesday that his apartment was a religious sanctuary where smoking marijuana and having sex with children are sacred rituals protected by civil rights laws.
The admitted pedophile offered a surprising defense Wednesday to 74 charges of rape, drugs and pandering obscenity to minors.
. . .
He told the judge, "I'm a pedophile. I've been a pedophile for 20 years. The only reason I'm charged with rape is that no one believes a child can consent to sex. The role of my ministry is to get these cases out of the courtrooms."
Distasio, a self-professed pagan friar, is representing himself on 74 charges. He said he's the leader of a church called Arcadian Fields Ministries, and that some of his congregants are among the victims in his case.
Gospel for Thursday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Matthew 13:47-53
The Net
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [47] "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; [48] when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. [49] So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, [50] and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
[51] "Have you understood all this?" They said to Him, "Yes." [52] And He said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
[53] And when Jesus had finished these parables He went away from there.
___________________________
Commentary:
47. "Fish of every kind": almost all the Greek manuscripts and early translations say "All kinds of things". A dragnet is very long and about two meters wide; when it is extended between two boats it forms double or triple mesh with the result that when it is pulled in it collects all sorts of things in addition to fish--algae, weeds, rubbish, etc.
This parable is rather like the parable of the cockle, but in a fishing context: the net is the Church, the sea the world.
We can easily find in this parable the dogmatic truth of the Judgment: at the end of time God will judge men and separate the good from the bad. It is interesting to note our Lord's repeated references to the last things, especially Judgment and Hell: He emphasizes these truths because of man's great tendency to forget them: "All these things are said to make sure that no one can make the excuse that he does not know about them: this excuse would be valid only if eternal punishment were spoken about in ambiguous terms" (St. Gregory the Great, "In Evangelia Homilae", 11).
52. "Scribe": among the Jews a scribe was a religious teacher, a specialist in sacred Scripture and its application to life. Our Lord here uses this word to refer to the Apostles, who will have the role of teachers in His Church. Thus, the Apostles and their successors, the Bishops, are the "Ecclesia docens", the teaching Church; they have the authority and the mission to teach. The Pope and the Bishops exercise this authority directly and are also helped in this by priests. The other members of the Church form the "Ecclesia discens", the learning Church. However, every disciple of Christ, every Christian who has received Christ's teaching, has a duty to pass this teaching on to others, in language they can understand; therefore, he should make sure he has a good grasp of Christian doctrine. The treasure of Revelation is so rich that it can provide teaching which applies to all times and situations. It is for the word of God to enlighten all ages and situations--not the other way around. Therefore, the Church and its pastors preach, not new things, but a single unchanging truth contained in the treasure of Revelation: for the past two thousand years the Gospel has always been "good news".
___________________________
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 Net
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [47] "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; [48] when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. [49] So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, [50] and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
[51] "Have you understood all this?" They said to Him, "Yes." [52] And He said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
[53] And when Jesus had finished these parables He went away from there.
___________________________
Commentary:
47. "Fish of every kind": almost all the Greek manuscripts and early translations say "All kinds of things". A dragnet is very long and about two meters wide; when it is extended between two boats it forms double or triple mesh with the result that when it is pulled in it collects all sorts of things in addition to fish--algae, weeds, rubbish, etc.
This parable is rather like the parable of the cockle, but in a fishing context: the net is the Church, the sea the world.
We can easily find in this parable the dogmatic truth of the Judgment: at the end of time God will judge men and separate the good from the bad. It is interesting to note our Lord's repeated references to the last things, especially Judgment and Hell: He emphasizes these truths because of man's great tendency to forget them: "All these things are said to make sure that no one can make the excuse that he does not know about them: this excuse would be valid only if eternal punishment were spoken about in ambiguous terms" (St. Gregory the Great, "In Evangelia Homilae", 11).
52. "Scribe": among the Jews a scribe was a religious teacher, a specialist in sacred Scripture and its application to life. Our Lord here uses this word to refer to the Apostles, who will have the role of teachers in His Church. Thus, the Apostles and their successors, the Bishops, are the "Ecclesia docens", the teaching Church; they have the authority and the mission to teach. The Pope and the Bishops exercise this authority directly and are also helped in this by priests. The other members of the Church form the "Ecclesia discens", the learning Church. However, every disciple of Christ, every Christian who has received Christ's teaching, has a duty to pass this teaching on to others, in language they can understand; therefore, he should make sure he has a good grasp of Christian doctrine. The treasure of Revelation is so rich that it can provide teaching which applies to all times and situations. It is for the word of God to enlighten all ages and situations--not the other way around. Therefore, the Church and its pastors preach, not new things, but a single unchanging truth contained in the treasure of Revelation: for the past two thousand years the Gospel has always been "good news".
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Mt. Soledad Cross and Veterans Memorial -Safe for Now
Thomas More Law Center Applauds Senate Passage Of Bill To Preserve the Mt. Soledad Cross and Veterans Memorial
ANN ARBOR, MI – The Thomas More Law Center applauded the Senate’s swift passage last night of the Bill to Preserve the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial. The legislation was passed unanimously and will become an important legal factor in the seventeen-year federal lawsuit by a self-proclaimed atheist to remove the 29-foot concrete cross atop Mt. Soledad. The ACLU strongly opposed the legislation. The cross is the centerpiece of the veterans memorial that currently contains over 1,700 granite plaques honoring veterans from the civil war to the current war in Iraq.
Claim that a Chapel Replaced an Abortion Facility Denied
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- It made a nice story: A building where abortions used to be performed in a suburb of Buffalo, N.Y., becomes a Catholic chapel dedicated to the aborted children. The trouble is the building's only previous owners adamantly deny they ever rented space to anyone who performed abortions.The story ran in mid July here...and here.
In mid-July Catholic News Service picked up and distributed internationally a story about the chapel that originally ran in the Western New York Catholic, the Buffalo diocesan newspaper. The story said a local independent Catholic radio station, WLOF-FM, had recently celebrated the dedication of a chapel in a building where abortions used to be performed. Bishop Edward U. Kmiec of Buffalo presided at the dedication.
"Professor Ratzinger" goes back to school...
After Islam last year, Darwin topic this year
Evolution will be the focus of the upcoming seminar between the pope and his former students in Castel Gandolfo. Meanwhile, Jesuit scholar Christian W. Troll has updated his analysis of progressive Muslim thinkers
by Sandro Magister
McCaskill Added to List of Embryonic Stem Cell Research Champions
I first read about this here:
The groups advocated the killing and destruction of innocent human life for research purposes have, as should be expected, no qualms about engaging in disinformation campaigns regarding the stem cell debates. And the media, generally, helps them in this endeavor.
This propaganda can be seen again here, in which McCaskill makes the list of "Stem Cell Champions":
It is up to each of us to proclaim the truth, both to those who do not know it, and to those who reject it. And, as always, we must pray that God will let us be His instruments in stopping the genocide of abortion and embryonic stem cell research.
Because of her outspoken support for Stem Cell research, Senate candidate Claire McCaskill has been added to the Stem Cell Champions ActBlue page.Conveniently missing from the statement is the use of the term "embryonic". Most of us support and recognize the benefits of "stem cell research", unless that "research" involves the intrinsically evil use and destruction of "embryos". We are all aware of the advances made using "adult stem cells" and fully support that research.
The groups advocated the killing and destruction of innocent human life for research purposes have, as should be expected, no qualms about engaging in disinformation campaigns regarding the stem cell debates. And the media, generally, helps them in this endeavor.
This propaganda can be seen again here, in which McCaskill makes the list of "Stem Cell Champions":
Missouri Senator Jim Talent voted against HR 810, and also opposes the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, slated for the November, 2006 ballot.Talent is also a supporter of stem cell research - but he does not support "embryonic" stem cell research. McCaskill's position is one of support for the killing the innocent unborn, whether they are in utero or ex utero - in a petri dish. It's disgraceful that the proponents of a culture of death are unable to speak truthfully. But then, should we expect anything more from those who march in lockstep with the father of lies?
Democratic challenger Claire McCaskill has been one of the most ardent supporters of stem cell research of any candidate. The race is currently neck and neck in the polls, and fundraising could make the critical difference.
It is up to each of us to proclaim the truth, both to those who do not know it, and to those who reject it. And, as always, we must pray that God will let us be His instruments in stopping the genocide of abortion and embryonic stem cell research.
An Urgent Pro-Life Action Alert
From the Illinois Federation for Right to Life
Child Protection Custody Act (S. 403)CLICK HERE to view the related Press Release
Sign the Petition to the U.S. Senate Democrats to let the Child Protection Custody Act Proceed
On July 25th the U.S. Senate voted to pass the Child Protection Custody Act (S. 403). The key point of this bill was to prohibit transporting minors across state lines for abortions in violation of parents' rights and to circumvent local Parental Notification laws which are currently active in 29 states.
Fourteen Democratic senators voted to pass the bill, but Senator Dick Durbin immediately moved to rally the Democratic Caucus to kill the bill.
We demand that U.S. Senate Democrats, led by Senators Harry Reid (NV) and Dick Durbin (IL), remove the procedural roadblock they have erected to try to stop passage of the Child Protection Custody Act (S. 403).
This is an urgent matter, the time to act is now, please sign this petition by Thursday, August 3rd to save this bill, please CLICK HERE
Vatican on Assets of Suppressed Parishes
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- When a bishop suppresses a parish, its assets and liabilities must go to the parish or parishes that receive the parishioners, not to the diocese, a top Vatican official said in a letter to U.S. bishops.
The letter from Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Clergy to Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, could have significant implications for many U.S. dioceses that are closing parishes because of a shortage of priests or a declining Catholic population.
. . .
In his letter, sent in March and distributed to U.S. bishops in mid-July, Cardinal Castrillon said that most parish closings fall under the provisions of Canon 121 or Canon 122 of the church's Code of Canon Law, not Canon 123.
His congregation was concerned that "erroneous use of Canon 123 in the dioceses of the United States is not uncommon," he said.
Canon 121 deals with two or more parishes -- or any other institutions similarly classified in church law as "public juridic persons" -- simply being merged into one.
Canon 122 deals with parishes or other public juridic persons being divided -- as might happen if one portion of the Catholic community in a suppressed parish goes to one neighboring parish and one portion to another.
Canon 123 deals with the simple "extinction" of a parish or other church institution similarly classified.
In the first case, the assets of the suppressed parish should go to the parish it is merged with, Cardinal Castrillon said.
In the second case, the assets should be distributed equitably and proportionately to the two or more receiving parishes, he said.
Only in the third case should the parish assets revert back to the diocese, he said.
Date Changes for 2008 Solemnities of St. Joseph, Annunciation
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Because of conflicts in the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar, the Vatican has decided that in 2008 the dates of the feasts of St. Joseph and of the Annunciation of the Lord will be moved.More here...
In 2008, if the feast of St. Joseph were to be celebrated as usual on March 19, it would fall on the Wednesday of Holy Week and if the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord were to be celebrated March 25, it would fall on the Tuesday during the octave of Easter.
Therefore, the congregation said, in 2008 the feast of St. Joseph will be celebrated March 15, the day before Palm Sunday, and the feast of the Annunciation will be celebrated March 31, the Monday after the second Sunday of Easter, which also is Divine Mercy Sunday.
Gospel for Wednesday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Matthew 13:44-46
The Hidden Treasure; The Pearl
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [44] "The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
[45] "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, [46] who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
______________________
Commentary:
44-46. In these two parables Jesus shows the supreme value of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the attitude people need if they are to attain it. The parables are very alike, but it is interesting to note the differences: the treasure means abundance of gifts; the pearl indicates the beauty of the Kingdom. The treasure is something stumbled upon; the pearl, the result of a lengthy search; but in both instances the finder is filled with joy. Faith, vocation, true wisdom, desire for Heaven, are things which sometimes are discovered suddenly and unexpectedly, and sometimes after much searching (cf. St. Gregory the Great, "In Evangelia Homilae", 11). However, the man's attitude is the same in both parables and is described in the same terms: "he goes and sells all that he has and buys it": detachment, generosity, is indispensable for obtaining the treasure.
"Anyone who understands the Kingdom which Christ proposes realizes that it is worth staking everything to obtain it [...]. The Kingdom of Heaven is difficult to win. No one can be sure of achieving it, but the humble cry of a repentant man can open wide its doors" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 180).
___________________________
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 Hidden Treasure; The Pearl
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [44] "The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
[45] "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, [46] who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
______________________
Commentary:
44-46. In these two parables Jesus shows the supreme value of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the attitude people need if they are to attain it. The parables are very alike, but it is interesting to note the differences: the treasure means abundance of gifts; the pearl indicates the beauty of the Kingdom. The treasure is something stumbled upon; the pearl, the result of a lengthy search; but in both instances the finder is filled with joy. Faith, vocation, true wisdom, desire for Heaven, are things which sometimes are discovered suddenly and unexpectedly, and sometimes after much searching (cf. St. Gregory the Great, "In Evangelia Homilae", 11). However, the man's attitude is the same in both parables and is described in the same terms: "he goes and sells all that he has and buys it": detachment, generosity, is indispensable for obtaining the treasure.
"Anyone who understands the Kingdom which Christ proposes realizes that it is worth staking everything to obtain it [...]. The Kingdom of Heaven is difficult to win. No one can be sure of achieving it, but the humble cry of a repentant man can open wide its doors" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 180).
___________________________
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, August 01, 2006
Mental Prayer for August 2 - Our Lord Preaches in His Hometown. Nazareth
Mental Prayer Meditation Helps
Presence of God.
Grace I Ask: To come to the realization that my Catholic beliefs may bring me much criticism and scorn.
Mental Picture (d. Luke 4: 14-30): Christ takes the Scriptures and reads the prophecy of the Messias. "Today is fu1fi11ed this Scripture in your ears"...murmur and unrest...is this not the son of Joseph the carpenter? How dare he speak like this? The mob swings into action at the wild suggestion to throw the "madman" from the cliff just outside the town. The Master is swept along by the crazed mob gradually growing more boisterous until... of a sudden someone notices that the prophet has slipped out of their hands. "His hour had not yet come."
My Personal Application: When my efforts at being more Christlike are ridiculed, do I recall the reception that Christ received from his own townspeople?... or do I give up and follow the crowd? Has it ever really dawned on me that Christ's life was actually full of seeming failure and persecution? It is not easy to take insults or even half-serious "kidding" especially from our companions. Christ gives us an example: "As they have hated me, they will also hate you." Is the servant better than the master?
I Speak to Christ: Lord, I admit I would prefer physical pain to the embarrassment of others' making fun of my attempts at being Christlike. But you understand the problem of trying to lead a life of imitation of you in a world that is so often opposed to everything you stand for. Help me. Give me the courage never to stop trying just out of human respect.
Thought for Today: Is the servant better than the master?
___________________
Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
Presence of God.
Grace I Ask: To come to the realization that my Catholic beliefs may bring me much criticism and scorn.
Mental Picture (d. Luke 4: 14-30): Christ takes the Scriptures and reads the prophecy of the Messias. "Today is fu1fi11ed this Scripture in your ears"...murmur and unrest...is this not the son of Joseph the carpenter? How dare he speak like this? The mob swings into action at the wild suggestion to throw the "madman" from the cliff just outside the town. The Master is swept along by the crazed mob gradually growing more boisterous until... of a sudden someone notices that the prophet has slipped out of their hands. "His hour had not yet come."
My Personal Application: When my efforts at being more Christlike are ridiculed, do I recall the reception that Christ received from his own townspeople?... or do I give up and follow the crowd? Has it ever really dawned on me that Christ's life was actually full of seeming failure and persecution? It is not easy to take insults or even half-serious "kidding" especially from our companions. Christ gives us an example: "As they have hated me, they will also hate you." Is the servant better than the master?
I Speak to Christ: Lord, I admit I would prefer physical pain to the embarrassment of others' making fun of my attempts at being Christlike. But you understand the problem of trying to lead a life of imitation of you in a world that is so often opposed to everything you stand for. Help me. Give me the courage never to stop trying just out of human respect.
Thought for Today: Is the servant better than the master?
___________________
Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
Pro-Life Spokesperson Objects to FDA Action on Morning-After Pill
WASHINGTON (July 31, 2006)— Deirdre McQuade, pro-life spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, reacted strongly to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement on July 31 moving toward over-the-counter (OTC) availability of Plan B for women eighteen and older.Continued here...
“Making this powerful, abortifacient drug available without a doctor’s oversight could place women and their newly-conceived children at risk,” Ms. McQuade said.
Let's not hastily jump to conclusions...
From an email today:
Sisters Mary Catherine, Maria Theresa, Katherine Marie, Rose Frances, & Novice Mary Kathleen left the Convent on a trip to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and were sightseeing on a Tuesday in July.Scroll down...
It was hot and humid in town and their traditional garb was making them so uncomfortable.
They decided to stop in at Patty McGuire's Pub for a cold soft drink.
Patty had recently added some special legs to his barstools which were the talk of the fashionable east side neighborhood.
All five nuns sat up at the bar and were enjoying their Cokes when Monsignor Riley entered the bar through the front door with Father McGinty for a cold drink - they were shocked and almost fainted at what they saw. . .
"Chaplainess" Praises Women's Ordinations
Minnesotan Regina Nicolosi was not among the 12 American women who boarded a boat in Pittsburgh on Monday to be "ordained" as priests and deacons — a ritual that will not be recognized by the Roman Catholic Church and could prompt excommunication.This is a sign of spiritual disease - a truely supportive position would be a call to conversion and repentance, an admonishment that she has objectively committed mortal sin, imperiled her soul, and removed herself from the Church of Christ. Anything less is uncharitable.
Although Nicolosi said she has received several letters from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis threatening excommunication and met personally with Archbishop Harry Flynn in October, she feels her Red Wing parish and its priest have been very supportive.
"For me, the church is not just the hierarchy in the Vatican," she said Monday. "I really believe what we are doing is supported by many in the community."Believe what you want, but her beliefs are not grounded in reality but are the work of the father of lies. It makes no difference how many uninformed people agree with her position since "Truth is not determined by a majority vote."
Since Monday's ceremony in Pittsburgh, more than 40 Roman Catholic women now consider themselves ordained.Mother Mary, pray for us!
Pictures from the Asylum...
...Or, Kindergarten Nap Time?
Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette photos
The Roman Catholic Womenpriests Community ordained women as priests and deacons during a ceremony aboard a riverboat on the Monongahela River yesterday. The Catholic Church said the participants excommunicated themselves through their actions.
Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette photos
The Roman Catholic Womenpriests Community ordained women as priests and deacons during a ceremony aboard a riverboat on the Monongahela River yesterday. The Catholic Church said the participants excommunicated themselves through their actions.
On a riverboat cruising the confluence of Pittsburgh's three rivers yesterday, eight women held hands triumphantly and danced with three others they call bishops, as one of the latter proclaimed: "It is with great joy we present to you our newly ordained women priests."The article and more pictures are here...
'No' to research on embryonic stem cells
A Letter to the Editor of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press:
www.GodsPreciousGifts.com
www.FeministsAnonymous.com
www.RecoveringFemininsts.blogspot.com
www.neveragainescr.blogspot.com
As the mother of an insulin-dependent, Type I juvenile diabetic, and as a researcher of Nazi medical experimentations and exterminations carried out during the Holocaust, I am struck by the undeniable similarities between the false promises made by proponents of human embryonic stem cell research and the Nazi justification for the Holocaust. After the horrors of the Nazi atrocities were exposed, the cry of "never again!" was heard around the world.This parallels Alan Keyes statements below. Darla hosts the following blogs, websites:
Sadly, "never again!" has turned into "let's kill again!" with human embryonic stem cell research. If we are repulsed by the killings of the Jews during the Holocaust, we should be repulsed and oppose with all our being the gruesome exterminations of the most vulnerable people among us — human embryos.
Ethical adult stem cell research holds promise and has produced cures for diseases. We should all be saying "never again!" to unethical human embryonic stem cell research.
DARLA MEYERS
Hudson, Wis.
www.GodsPreciousGifts.com
www.FeministsAnonymous.com
www.RecoveringFemininsts.blogspot.com
www.neveragainescr.blogspot.com
Kick-Off Rally on Stem Cells/Cloning just a Beginning
Rev. Rick Scarborough, of Vision America, was the organizer of Monday's event in Jefferson City at the Concord Baptist Church. This rally was the first of five over next few weeks. The goal of the rallies is to educate the public on the stem cell initiative to be voted on in November.
Shao-Chun Chang, a researcher at Washington University in St. Louis, argued that one area of research protected by the ballot measure, called somatic cell nuclear transfer, is human cloning.This fact is widely dismissed by the proponents of the initiative, who have redefined cloning to serve their Frankenstein-like ends. How convenient it is when one is able, with court approval, to change the meanings of words, particularly in matters as this.
[The event's keynote speaker, Alan] Keyes equated the effort to protect embryonic cells with the struggle for equality among African-Americans. And he likened the movement in favor of embryonic stem cell research to the Nazi effort to preach the inferiority of certain forms of humans.Those who favor the killing of innocent human life are either woefully ignorant of history and/or masic moral principles - or - they do not care to be bothered by such things, they are morally and spiritually dead.
"We have sacrificed blood and treasure to bring (that thinking) to an end," he said. "Shall we now vote to legalize it in Missouri?"
Baby Born Alive Murdered at Abortion Clinic
Regardless of the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, it appears that abortion clinics feel they are outside the law in such cases. Take this latest example in Florida, for instance.
NBC6 News reported Friday on the discovery by Hialeah police, who said they had received a call alleging that someone at the abortion clinic had killed a baby born alive on the premises July 20.May God have mercy on us all!
According to the anonymous caller who reported the incident, after the woman gave birth to her child in the waiting room, "Employees cut the umbilical cord, put the baby in a bag and walked away with it," [Hialeah Police Lt. Ralph] Garcia said.
Gospel for Aug 1, Memorial: St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop & Doctor of the Church
From: Matthew 13:36-43
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
[36] Then He (Jesus) left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." [37] He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; [38] the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the Kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, [39] and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. [40] Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. [41] The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His Kingdom all causes of sin and evildoers, [42] and throw them out into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. [43] Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."
________________________
Commentary:
36-43. While making its way on earth, the Church is composed of good and bad people, just men and sinners: they are mixed in with one another until the harvest time, the end of the world, when the Son of Man, in His capacity as Judge of the living and the dead, will divide the good from the bad at the Last Judgment--the former going to eternal glory, the inheritance of the saints; the latter, to the eternal fire of Hell. Although the just and the sinners are now side by side, the Church has the right and the duty to exclude those who cause scandal, especially those who attack its doctrine and unity; this is can do through ecclesiastical excommunication and other canonical penalties. However, excommunication has a medicinal and pastoral function--to correct those who are obstinate in error, and to protect others from them.
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
[36] Then He (Jesus) left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." [37] He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; [38] the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the Kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, [39] and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. [40] Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. [41] The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His Kingdom all causes of sin and evildoers, [42] and throw them out into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. [43] Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."
________________________
Commentary:
36-43. While making its way on earth, the Church is composed of good and bad people, just men and sinners: they are mixed in with one another until the harvest time, the end of the world, when the Son of Man, in His capacity as Judge of the living and the dead, will divide the good from the bad at the Last Judgment--the former going to eternal glory, the inheritance of the saints; the latter, to the eternal fire of Hell. Although the just and the sinners are now side by side, the Church has the right and the duty to exclude those who cause scandal, especially those who attack its doctrine and unity; this is can do through ecclesiastical excommunication and other canonical penalties. However, excommunication has a medicinal and pastoral function--to correct those who are obstinate in error, and to protect others from them.
___________________________
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, July 31, 2006
Mental Prayer, Monthly Check-Up for August-On Summertime
Mental Prayer Meditation Helps
Presence of God.
Grace I Ask: Lord, give me light to see clearly how I have lived as a Catholic so far this summer, and give me the strength to improve where it is needed.
The Idea: When summer arrived, if I was any kind of faithful Catholic at all, I had great plans for the season. I was determined to continue living my faith even more completely. I was going to be very exact in performing aU my personal daily spiritual duties. I was going to do some apostolic work. I was going to end up the summer a better Catholic than when I began. How have things gone?
My Personal Application: An honest check of my conduct will tell me quickly how I've done. If I have done well, I should give thanks to God and keep up the good work. If not, the only thing for me to do is to make up for the ground I have lost. The important thing is: what am I going to do for the future? I still have a month left before the hustle and bustle of school starts and preparations begin for fall. I can go a long way in this month to make up for what I haven't done so far.
I Speak to God: Lord, once you said that a man who puts his hand to a plow shouldn't look back. By that you meant that the future is more important than the past, for the future is still in our power. In the future we can correct the mistakes of the past. No matter what the past has been, the future can be good. Give me your grace to make the future of my life what you want it to be.
Thought for Today: Now I begin anew.
___________________
Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
Presence of God.
Grace I Ask: Lord, give me light to see clearly how I have lived as a Catholic so far this summer, and give me the strength to improve where it is needed.
The Idea: When summer arrived, if I was any kind of faithful Catholic at all, I had great plans for the season. I was determined to continue living my faith even more completely. I was going to be very exact in performing aU my personal daily spiritual duties. I was going to do some apostolic work. I was going to end up the summer a better Catholic than when I began. How have things gone?
My Personal Application: An honest check of my conduct will tell me quickly how I've done. If I have done well, I should give thanks to God and keep up the good work. If not, the only thing for me to do is to make up for the ground I have lost. The important thing is: what am I going to do for the future? I still have a month left before the hustle and bustle of school starts and preparations begin for fall. I can go a long way in this month to make up for what I haven't done so far.
I Speak to God: Lord, once you said that a man who puts his hand to a plow shouldn't look back. By that you meant that the future is more important than the past, for the future is still in our power. In the future we can correct the mistakes of the past. No matter what the past has been, the future can be good. Give me your grace to make the future of my life what you want it to be.
Thought for Today: Now I begin anew.
___________________
Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
Seattle Priest (and liturgy consultant) Criticizes EWTN Masses
** Corrected **
Was this man's article in the Inland Register & diocesan web page approved by the Spokane bishop, the current USCCB President, William Skylstad?
Liturgy Reflections:Eucharistic celebrations? In Protestant services? And this man is a priest? And, of course, there is no liturgical dance in EWTN Masses...
Mysterious liturgy
by Father Jan Larson
I was recently watching a part of the daily televised liturgy on EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network). The liturgy there is an odd mix of English and Latin, while following the texts of the current Roman Missal. The priest and ministers of the liturgy look way too somber and serious. The ritual is performed with all the exaggerated exactness of the pre-Vatican II Latin liturgy. The Mass is overly formal and mechanical. Needless to say, there are no women allowed in the sanctuary area, there is no procession with the gifts, no Sign of Peace, and, of course, no Communion from the cup for the lay people who are present. The liturgy, in effect, is unlike anything that Catholics experience in the vast majority of Catholic parish churches.
. . .
“As for the growing similarity among the Eucharistic celebrations of Catholics and Protestants, we should rejoice that Catholics now feel at home at Lutheran, Methodist, and Episcopalian worship, and that our Protestant neighbors have gained much through our process of renewal and reform."
Was this man's article in the Inland Register & diocesan web page approved by the Spokane bishop, the current USCCB President, William Skylstad?
Liguori Publications Pulls Bridget Mary Meehan Books
Bridget Mary Meehan is one of the women to be "ordained" today.
As reported last week, Liguori was selling 5 of Meehan's books. Today, a search of the site revealed no books by the author.
A call was made to check on the availability of her books and I was told that they were no longer going to carry any of her books - due, it seems, to Meehan's simulation of the Sacrament of Holy Orders today in Pittsburgh.
Kudos to Liguori for this decision...
As reported last week, Liguori was selling 5 of Meehan's books. Today, a search of the site revealed no books by the author.
A call was made to check on the availability of her books and I was told that they were no longer going to carry any of her books - due, it seems, to Meehan's simulation of the Sacrament of Holy Orders today in Pittsburgh.
Kudos to Liguori for this decision...
One last time, then, no more, until later....
My will is weak and could not resist. The temptation was more than I "felt" I could handle. Selected excerpts from the "BIOS" (warning, PDF file) of the Pittsburgh 12:
What a group...Pary for them and for those that they lead astray.
Priests
Eileen McCafferty DiFranco...was active in her parish community for
many years and is currently involved in building an intentional church community in the Philadelphia area.
Olivia Doko MA, OSB, Cam. Oblate,...has a private Holy Listening practice,...Qualified as a pastoral consultant through Loyola University, New Orleans,
Joan Clark Houk, M.Div., is a careful and cheerful listener to the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world and in her life...Joan’s ministries, that began over 30 years ago, include Catechesis, Sacramental preparation, youth ministry, adult education, and Pastoral Director of two parishes without priest pastors.
Bridget Mary Meehan, D.Min., a Sister for Christian Community, has fifteen years of experience in parish ministry....
Rebecca McGuyver is a university biology teacher, a professional science writer, and an invited speaker on the bio-theology of sex and gender. Her ministries include teaching, writing, public speaking, and internet-based theological communications -- particularly in the areas of scripture, church documents (including the Documents of Vatican II), and bio-theology. A grandmother, a divorcee...
Dana Reynolds, BA, is an author, a spiritual director, and co-founder of Mosaics, women’s spirituality center in Monterey, California... She is a student of iconography and a certified labyrinth facilitator.
Kathleen Strack, M.Div., Candidate: Doctor of Psychology has been a lay minister in parishes and other settings for over 20 years. Ms. Strack’s current ministries include...personal life coaching and spiritual direction.
Kathy Sullivan Vandenberg, MS, M.Div., is a feminist theologian, clinical therapist, and trauma specialist. Ms Vandenberg's current ministries include counseling, adjunct graduate educator, and hospital chaplain.
Deacons:
Cheryl Bristol, lesbian by birth, Catholic by choice, has felt called to ministry for 25 years... She is currently a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, rights activist working with Catholics and other groups to end intolerance and religion abuse. Other ministries include chaplaincy, playing the harp, and performing Holy Unions.
Juanita Cordero... Her present ministries include teaching, alternative healing, and forming a new Catholic Community in San Jose. Juanita and her husband, Don ... have been involved in liturgy and music planning for more than 30 years.
Mary Ellen Robertson, BA in Theology, RN, Dominican Associate, ministers through spiritual direction,... past hospital chaplain (4 yrs), and presently a hospice chaplain.
Janice Sevre-Duszynska is co-chair of the Ministry of Irritation of the Women's Ordination Conference...Janice has been actively involved for many years in peaceful vigils to promote peace and justice issues.
This Gives New Meaning to "White Collar Crime"
A priest who resigned from a church in an affluent Connecticut community misspent up to $1.4 million in parishioner donations to lead a life of luxury with another man, according to a church-directed investigation.
The Rev. Michael Jude Fay spent church money on limousines, stays at top hotels, jewelry, Italian clothing and a Florida condominium shared with the other man, auditors hired by the diocese found. About half the money he spent was kept in a secret bank account, according to their report, which was mailed Friday to 1,700 parishioners of the church in Darien, Conn., and obtained in advance by The Associated Press.
Never Again!
A new blog:
If anyone knows of an organization trying to unite families against experimentation and extermination of our fellow brothers and sisters with human embryonic stem cell "research", please let me know. I started this blog to try to unite families who will not succumb to these evils.Check it out...
Darla
Cardinal Sfeir: Lebanon in agony
Beirut (AsiaNews) – The Maronite Patriarch, Nasrallah Sfeir, has denounced and condemned this morning’s massacre by Israeli bombers against the city of Qana near Tyre, which claimed more than 50 civilian lives, including 27 children.
During Mass held today at the summer seat of the patriarchate in Dimane (north Lebanon), Patriarch Sfeir said: “This morning the bad news reached me about the murder by Israel of 50 defenceless civilians in the village of Qana, a village that has already tasted the bitterness of death and hatred in the not distant past, again at the hand of Israeli forces. Once again I make my appeal, launched on Friday together with all the Maronite bishops, for an immediate ceasefire. Lebanon is no longer able to endure, our people is in agony while the world looks on. The crime of Qana must be condemned by all."
Stem cell initiative: Ethics v. economics
From Saturday's Post Dispatch, we find this letter. (All emphasis below is mine):
The politically motivated "documentary" ads run by the MCLC (Missouri Coalition for Lobotomizing Citizens) can only be seen as demonic, the embracing of evil to perpetuate the culture of death, wherein certain individuals seek to make themselves gods, deciding who is worthy of life and who is unworthy of life. If I'm not mistaken, I seem to recall that one of the 20th century's purveyors of death determined that some deserved no life whatsoever - his term was "life unworthy of life"...Is that not what we are witnessing today?
Missouri Cures' half-hour documentary on stem cell research uses a sleight-of-hand magic trick to eliminate the word "embryonic" from its message, replacing it with the phrase "early stem cell." This artfully crafted attempt to remove the word "embryo" from the debate reflects the nefarious lengths to which our leaders will go to avoid the truth.Source.
Voters are being asked to walk into the booth and make a decision to vote to destroy embryos for the sole purpose of economic development in Missouri. This immutable point is completely ignored as the electorate is mystified in the trance of our medical and economic leaders.
Look into the future six months to a time when voters have approved this madness and the life within embryos is routinely destroyed: Will there be any frontier left to define what is not ethical?
While Missouri Cures dumps $10 million into brain-washing the public masses that embryonic stem cells are now early stem cells, those who have a strong ethical backbone are vilified as puritanical Neanderthals.
How far is the time when no ethical or moral argument will be accepted, and any and all scientific activity will automatically be performed?
To clarify perspectives as we step into the voting booth, we should imagine ourselves on our deathbed and ask what we will wish we had chosen.
Christopher D. Desloge | Villa Ridge
The politically motivated "documentary" ads run by the MCLC (Missouri Coalition for Lobotomizing Citizens) can only be seen as demonic, the embracing of evil to perpetuate the culture of death, wherein certain individuals seek to make themselves gods, deciding who is worthy of life and who is unworthy of life. If I'm not mistaken, I seem to recall that one of the 20th century's purveyors of death determined that some deserved no life whatsoever - his term was "life unworthy of life"...Is that not what we are witnessing today?
The Church of the Future???
Since the topic of the Pittsburgh 12 has been discussed numerous times and little more needs to be said about it other than we need to seriously pray for these indviduals, I thought I would share some comments from four of the women involved who are from the San Francisco Bay Area (courtesy of SFGate.com).
Bay Area women
"In some minds, we are out of the church. I don't see it that way. I hope to guide people to the church of the future, which will welcome everyone to the table."Interesting comments. And they are indicative of nearly everyone who choose to separate himself/herself from the Church. The Church founded by our Lord and Savior is not good enough, so one must remake it his (or her) own image.
Bay Area women
Kathleen Kunster
Age: 61
Emeryville resident
Certified public accountant, master's degree in divinity
Grandmother of four
"When I was 11, I told the priest, 'Father, I think I have a calling to be a priest.' He said, 'Girls can't be priests.' "
Juanita Cordero
Age: 64
Los Gatos resident
Licensed vocational nurse, master's in human development, instructor at De Anza College
Mother of five
"My calling to the priesthood is really strong. This is the road I need to go down."
Dana Reynolds
Age: 58
Carmel resident
Spiritual director of Mosaics, a women's spirituality center
Married 39 years, mother of two, grandmother
"We don't have the luxury of time to debate who should be a priest, who shouldn't. The world is at a crisis point. We need to start pouring the love out."
Olivia Doko
Age: 63
Pismo Beach resident
Master's in theology, founder and director of Olive Tree Ministries
Married 43 years, 2 sons, 1 grandson
"There are so many people that hunger for the ministry that women can offer."
Eliminating Holy Days
And the times, they keep a changin'...And it's debatable whether or not it's for the better.
The Bishops of England and Wales, with confirmation by the Holy See, have transferred three Holy Days of Obligation to Sundays...The following Holy Days will transfer to the nearest Sunday:
1. Epiphany of the Lord
2. Ascension of the Lord
3. Body and Blood of the Lord
In a certain way, it seems that such an accommodation, while it may be considered pastoral, is, nonetheless, an acquiescence or surrender to the world. Catholic holy days are slowly eliminated for a variety of reasons or excuses, replaced by secular holidays or normal work days.
There seems to be so little emphasis on these holy days and even less on the Feasts and Solemnities of the Church calendar.
It shouldn't be long before the few remaining Holy Days of Obligation are likewise moved to Sundays...After all, there should be little inconvenience or sacrifice required of Catholics these days to attend Holy Mass on a day other than Sunday.
The Bishops of England and Wales, with confirmation by the Holy See, have transferred three Holy Days of Obligation to Sundays...The following Holy Days will transfer to the nearest Sunday:
1. Epiphany of the Lord
2. Ascension of the Lord
3. Body and Blood of the Lord
In a certain way, it seems that such an accommodation, while it may be considered pastoral, is, nonetheless, an acquiescence or surrender to the world. Catholic holy days are slowly eliminated for a variety of reasons or excuses, replaced by secular holidays or normal work days.
There seems to be so little emphasis on these holy days and even less on the Feasts and Solemnities of the Church calendar.
It shouldn't be long before the few remaining Holy Days of Obligation are likewise moved to Sundays...After all, there should be little inconvenience or sacrifice required of Catholics these days to attend Holy Mass on a day other than Sunday.
When you can't support your position with facts....
...change the debate to one of religion - a "holy war."
Such is the latest in the report of the Post Dispatch's article "Churches joining stem cell showdown."
There are several interesting nuggets in the article:
Let us not forget that prayer is one of our best means to promote an authentic culture of life and defeat the proposed amendment permitting human cloning and the killing of innocent human life. To this end, Archbishop Burke announced a "Rosary Crusade", seeking the intercession of our Lady of Guadalupe, to help us in our efforts.
Such is the latest in the report of the Post Dispatch's article "Churches joining stem cell showdown."
There are several interesting nuggets in the article:
The biggest Baptist church in Jefferson City will host a rally Monday night that is the first shot in what some portray as a three-month holy war over Missouri's November ballot proposal to protect all forms of stem-cell research allowed under federal law.Holy war??? From the first paragraph of the article, the tone has been set.
St. Louis Roman Catholic Archbishop Raymond Burke is slated to join them [Missouri Baptist Convention?] at a rally on Aug. 28 at the Life Christian Church, 13001 Gravois Road.This is good news...Archbishop Burke can speak of the natural moral law implications quite well.
The Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, the group promoting the ballot measure, cites wording that bans human cloning.This group knows full well that the wording is intentionally dishonest yet it maintains its deceitful position that human cloning will be banned - an outright lie, a self-made redefination of cloning - all in a mendacious attempt to mislead the voters.
[Former U.S. Sen. John C. Danforth, an Episcopal priest and honorary co-chairman of the coalition's campaign said that] he'd prefer to keep religion out of what he sees as a scientific matter.What he really means is that this is a pseudo-scientific matter with ethical implications that should not be discussed or exposed to the light of day. His position, which is disgraceful and dishonest, is undermined by the fact that biological science is clear that the embryonic life he advocates killing is "human"...
"It's very important that this issue not be addressed as one religious view against another," Danforth said. "It's important that it be resolved on the basis of other considerations."This matter can be argued successfully absent any religious view. However, Danforth and his group of modern day Dr. Frankensteins reject ethics and the natural moral law. They also reject the humanity of the proposed "cloned" embryos, and in so doing. This rejection also displays a contempt for basic biological science. The "other considerations" to which Danforth refers must be something else, then - money.
"It's a mistake to look at this as a purely religious issue," said the Rev. Charles E. Bouchard, president of Aquinas Institute of Theology and an opponent of the ballot proposal. "At the moment of fertilization it becomes a life issue, and any reasonable person can ask when life begins. You don't have to be a believer."An excellent summation from Fr. Bouchard.
Fight 'may get too ugly'Merely because others which to formulate this as a religious issue does not diminish the fact that this is an ethics and life issue first and foremost. By equating this as an issue with fundamentally religious overtones, some hope to deflect a reasonsed and rational inquiry into the facts. They wish to make this an emotional issue (as is obvious by studying their ad blitz). This is a well designed campaign to discourage voters from looking at the facts.
Still, others say that religion is the foundation of much of the debate over embryonic stem-cell research.
Supporters [of killing human life] say the research can lead to cures of debilitating diseases, such as Parkinson's. Opponents say it is immoral and unproven.Supporters refuse to address the ethical implications of destroying life in such a wanton and macabre manner.
"They have dubbed it a 'holy war,'" said the Rev. James T. Morris, pastor of Lane Tabernacle CME Church in St. Louis and a supporter of the ballot proposal. He is among a group of African-American pastors who have been traveling around the state promoting it.We are not told who the "they" is...Perhaps it's the cloned human beings who would be sacrificed to the altar of money and patents? Or maybe is the Coalition who would prefer the issue to be couched in the religious arena?
The Rev. Suzanne Meyer, pastor of First Unitarian Church of St. Louis and a supporter of the measure, compared the opponents of embryonic stem cell research to scientific naysayers of past generations...Decades from now, she contended, "We'll look back at the theological arguments against embryonic stem cell research and regard them as ludicrous and as reprehensible."Of course, Ms. Meyers, in convenient fashion, completely ignores the ethical ramifications of her support of killing innocent human life. It would seem that some have completely abandoned any desire to submit to the natural moral law.
Danforth poses a rhetorical question: "If a building was burning and there was a Petri dish in one room and a 3-year-old in another, which would you save? ... There is no moral equivalence between cells in a dish, never implanted in a uterus and a child."Danforth attempts to obfuscate the real issues. Thankfully, Keyes and others present the truth.
Said [commentator and politician Alan] Keyes in reply: "What is in that dish is humanity, and that is not in dispute. What is in dispute is its development."
Coalition chairman Rubin said he was concerned that the religious groups' donations and spending had yet to show up on any campaign-finance reports. Missouri law requires that such money-raising and spending be reported.The Knights of Columbus and the Missouri Baptist Convention have contributed money to educate the public. Apparently this doesn't sit well with the coalition which would rather not have its deceptions exposed. I imagine we may see efforts in the future to quell the truth.
Let us not forget that prayer is one of our best means to promote an authentic culture of life and defeat the proposed amendment permitting human cloning and the killing of innocent human life. To this end, Archbishop Burke announced a "Rosary Crusade", seeking the intercession of our Lady of Guadalupe, to help us in our efforts.
The crusade was developed as a response to a current ballot initiative that seeks to constitutionally protect embryonic stem-cell research and human cloning in Missouri. (Source)Please pray daily for this intention....More information is available at www.morosarycrusade.org
Gospel for July 31, Memorial: St. Ignatius Loyola, Priest
From: Matthew 13:31-35
The Mustard Seed; The Leaven
[31] Another parable He (Jesus) put before them saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; [32] it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
[33] He told them another parable. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened."
[34] All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed He said nothing to them without a parable. [35] This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."
_________________________
Commentary:
31-32. Here, the man is Jesus Christ and the field, the world. The grain of mustard seed is the preaching of the Gospel and the Church, which from very small beginnings will spread throughout the world.
The parable clearly refers to the universal scope and spread of the Kingdom of God: the Church, which embraces all mankind of every kind and condition, in every latitude and in all ages, is forever developing in spite of obstacles, thanks to God's promise and aid.
33. This comparison is taken from everyday experience: just as leaven gradually ferments all the dough, so the Church spreads to convert all nations.
The leaven is also a symbol of the individual Christian. Living in the middle of the world and retaining his Christian quality, he wins souls for Christ by his word and example: "Our calling to be children of God, in the midst of the world, requires us not only to seek our own personal holiness, but also to go out onto all the ways of the earth, to convert them into roadways that will carry souls over all obstacles and lead them to the Lord. As we take part in all temporal activities as ordinary citizens, we are to become leaven acting on the mass" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 120).
34-35. Revelation, God's plans, are hidden (cf. Matthew 11:25) from those who are disposed to accept them. The Evangelist wishes to emphasize the need for simplicity and for docility to the Gospel. By recalling Psalm 78:2, he tells us once more, under divine inspiration, that the Old Testament prophecies find their fulfillment in our Lord's preaching.
___________________________
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 Mustard Seed; The Leaven
[31] Another parable He (Jesus) put before them saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; [32] it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
[33] He told them another parable. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened."
[34] All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed He said nothing to them without a parable. [35] This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."
_________________________
Commentary:
31-32. Here, the man is Jesus Christ and the field, the world. The grain of mustard seed is the preaching of the Gospel and the Church, which from very small beginnings will spread throughout the world.
The parable clearly refers to the universal scope and spread of the Kingdom of God: the Church, which embraces all mankind of every kind and condition, in every latitude and in all ages, is forever developing in spite of obstacles, thanks to God's promise and aid.
33. This comparison is taken from everyday experience: just as leaven gradually ferments all the dough, so the Church spreads to convert all nations.
The leaven is also a symbol of the individual Christian. Living in the middle of the world and retaining his Christian quality, he wins souls for Christ by his word and example: "Our calling to be children of God, in the midst of the world, requires us not only to seek our own personal holiness, but also to go out onto all the ways of the earth, to convert them into roadways that will carry souls over all obstacles and lead them to the Lord. As we take part in all temporal activities as ordinary citizens, we are to become leaven acting on the mass" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 120).
34-35. Revelation, God's plans, are hidden (cf. Matthew 11:25) from those who are disposed to accept them. The Evangelist wishes to emphasize the need for simplicity and for docility to the Gospel. By recalling Psalm 78:2, he tells us once more, under divine inspiration, that the Old Testament prophecies find their fulfillment in our Lord's preaching.
___________________________
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, July 30, 2006
Remember Katrina
...the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) through its America Needs Fatima campaign is asking members to join “Remember Katrina” – a massive crusade of protest and reparation for the terrible insults to God and His Mother, Mary Most Holy seen during Mardi Gras in New Orleans.Besides the obvious blasphemies and repugnant behavior, is it not ill advised to mock God, Our Lord and the Blessed Mother in light of the tragedies and destruction which have struck New Orleans recently?
The TFP effort is based on the documented accounts of what happened at the 2005 New Orleans Mardi Gras parades and revelries, some six months before Katrina.
On January 22, for example, the Krewe du Vieux, a Mardi Gras reveling group, opened the Mardi Gras season with floats and characters targeting Jesus Christ, the Blessed Mother and the Catholic Church with obscenities and blasphemy.
Just imagine this:A float with a Jesus-figure, his wife “JAP (Jieuxish American Princess), andOther floats are too graphic and lewd to be described.
the Mother of Jesus described as “the Virgin Bubbe, Mother of Cheesus…”
Another float mocked the concept of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, showing an
image of the Sacred Heart imprinted on a huge lamb chop. Surrounding this
blasphemous image were signs reading: “…welcome Ewe to the Flock …He
died for Ewe …Ewes for Jesus.”
Finally, a member of the Krewe du Vieux dressed up to mock Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Patroness of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans. Written over her fake yet exposed breasts, were the words “Our Lady of Very Prompt Succor.”
HT to Patte for the link.
July 31, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, priest
Old Calendar: St. Ignatius of Loyola, confessorSee Catholic Culture's special section on St. Ignatius here.
In the year 1521 a cannon ball fractured the left leg of Captain Ignatius Loyola, the future founder of the Jesuits.
While he was convalescing, Ignatius read about Christ and His saints and thus turned wholly to God. He then undertook to equip himself for Christ's service by acquiring a good classical and theological education.
The members of the Society of Jesus became the shock troops of the Church in the battle against the spread of Protestantism in Europe, as well as one of the greatest foreign mission organizations that the world has known. Ignatius died on July 31, 1556.
2006 Resolutions of Confraternity of Catholic Clergy
The Members of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy at their 30th annual Convocation (July 10th – 14th, 2006) in Washington, DC, issued the following resolutions:
www.catholic-clergy.org
1. Encouraged by the recent recommendations of the USCCB to more accurately and faithfully translate the Mass from the typical Latin text into the English vernacular, we ask for a complete and consistent correction of all errors and deletions in the Roman Missal. Rather than a partial repair, we, as daily celebrants of the Divine and Sacred Liturgy, see the need for a complete restoration of sacred language and precise translations, based on the axiom lex orandi, lex credendi. We are particularly concerned for sacrosanct vocabulary such as ‘consubstantial’ defined by the Council of Nicea in 325 (and explicitly mentioned in the Creed) and other areas the literal Latin expresses more reverence and clarity than the current translations.
2. We express our appreciation and gratitude to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for his recent visit to Spain to address the 5th World Meeting for Families where he vigorously reaffirmed traditional values such as sacramental marriage and the intrinsic sanctity of family life as the cornerstone of the society and religion.
3. We urge our fellow clergy (deacons, priests and bishops) to encourage their people to fully support those in public office who consistently and courageously defend the sanctity of life by working for legislation or judicial decisions to end the evils of abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research and to uphold the sanctity of marriage as a permanent, faithful and God-willing fruitful union between a man and a woman.
4. We implore our fellow clergy by preaching and teaching to inform and educate parents about the hidden, immanent and devastating threats to their children present on the internet and through cell phone technology. Supervision and prudence are necessities not options to protect our young people from the evils of pornography, violence, the occult and sexual abuse.
5. We are deeply concerned for the long term physical, psychological and spiritual harm being done to women, especially the young, who are unaware of all the consequences and effects of abortion due to the misrepresentation and dishonesty being given to them in the media and secular culture.
6. We renew our filial devotion and love to the Blessed Mother, Queen of the Clergy, and consecrate our ordained ministry to her Immaculate Heart as we contemplated her unique role in salvation history while we celebrated Holy Mass all week in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Given on 17 July 2006
Washington, DC
Rev. Kenneth Brighenti, PhD, editor
Confraternity of Catholic Clergy
Mental Prayer for July 31 - The Workers Are Few
Mental Prayer Meditation Helps
Presence of God.
Grace I Ask: To realize that I should be a harvester because I am a Catholic.
Mental Picture: Suppose I am in a position to see the countryside of Palestine at the time when our Lord was there. I hear Him speak to the 72 disciples. "Pray to the Lord of the harvest that He will send workers for the harvest."' I see the disciples sent by Christ into the hills and comers of Palestine: 72 for a population of 500 thousand... "the harvest indeed is great..." Now I am in a position where I can see the whole world today. Six billion souls inhabit our earth... "the harvest indeed is great..."
My Personal Application: I keep my position where I can see the whole world. There they are. Six billion souls. Getting up in the morning. Doing their daily work. Going to bed at night. How many know that once upon a time the God-Man was numbered among men? That He was sent to be their way, their truth, their
life? "The workers are few..." Solution: these few had better be very, very good workers and they should get more good workers to help them.
I Speak to Christ: Christ, my divine leader, I found you in the meditation on the Two Armies. I gave myself to you. When I leave this meditation, I will go back again into the world as your disciple, one of the "few." I will go into my section of the harvest. Help me to be a good harvester. Then you can reach some of the six billion through me... at least by my good example.
Thought for Today: Christ will live in the world through me today.
___________________
Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
Presence of God.
Grace I Ask: To realize that I should be a harvester because I am a Catholic.
Mental Picture: Suppose I am in a position to see the countryside of Palestine at the time when our Lord was there. I hear Him speak to the 72 disciples. "Pray to the Lord of the harvest that He will send workers for the harvest."' I see the disciples sent by Christ into the hills and comers of Palestine: 72 for a population of 500 thousand... "the harvest indeed is great..." Now I am in a position where I can see the whole world today. Six billion souls inhabit our earth... "the harvest indeed is great..."
My Personal Application: I keep my position where I can see the whole world. There they are. Six billion souls. Getting up in the morning. Doing their daily work. Going to bed at night. How many know that once upon a time the God-Man was numbered among men? That He was sent to be their way, their truth, their
life? "The workers are few..." Solution: these few had better be very, very good workers and they should get more good workers to help them.
I Speak to Christ: Christ, my divine leader, I found you in the meditation on the Two Armies. I gave myself to you. When I leave this meditation, I will go back again into the world as your disciple, one of the "few." I will go into my section of the harvest. Help me to be a good harvester. Then you can reach some of the six billion through me... at least by my good example.
Thought for Today: Christ will live in the world through me today.
___________________
Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
Before the "Ordinations" Tomorrow, Let Us Recall...
...According to the Holy See, on July 10, 2002, stated, in part, the following:
As we witnessed before, the Church is not reluctant to proceed:
"In order to give direction to the consciences of the Catholic faithful and dispel any doubts which may have arisen, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wishes to recall the teaching of the Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis of Pope John Paul II, which states that 'the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful' (n. 4).Since such "ordinations" constitutes the "simulation of a sacrament", a formal warning should be given to those involved in accordance with Canon 1347 §1:
"For this reason, the above-mentioned 'priestly ordination' constitutes the simulation of a sacrament and is thus invalid and null, as well as constituting a grave offense to the divine constitution of the Church. Furthermore, because the 'ordaining' Bishop belongs to a schismatic community, it is also a serious attack on the unity of the Church. Such an action is an affront to the dignity of women, whose specific role in the Church and society is distinctive and irreplaceable."
Can. 1347 §1 A censure cannot validly be imposed unless the offender has beforehand received at least one warning to purge the contempt, and has been allowed suitable time to do so.It is my understanding that those involved, if they refuse to recant and repent, may incur an excommunication reserved to the Holy See.
As we witnessed before, the Church is not reluctant to proceed:
DECREE OF EXCOMMUNICATIONPerhaps, with the help of the Holy Spirit, those involved in this upcoming sacrilege will reconsider before tomorrow.
DECLARATION ISSUED BY
THE SACRED CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
AUGUST 5, 2002
On 5 August the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published the Decree of Excommunication of the seven women who took part in an invalid ordination ceremony in Austria on Saturday, 29 June.
The ceremony which took place on a boat on the Danube River in Austria, was performed by Romulo Antonio Braschi, an Argentinian priest, who broke with the Catholic Church in 1998, and was ordained a Bishop in the Schismatic Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil. That group broke away from the Holy See in 1945. The seven women, from Germany, Austria and the United States are: Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger, Adelinde Theresia Roitinger, Gisela Forster, Iris M¸ller, Ida Raming, Pia Brunner and Angela White. The women were given time to repent and renounce their ordination, but the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith noted that they have given no sign of repentance.
Premise to the Decree of Excommunication
In order to dispel any doubts about the canonical status of Bishop Romulo Antonio Braschi, who attempted to confer priestly ordination on several Catholic women, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith confirms that, as a schismatic, he has already incurred an excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.
Decree of Excommunication
Following upon the warning issued by this Congregation on 10 July 2002, and published the following day, because the women Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger, Adelinde Theresia Roitinger, Gisela Forster, Iris M¸ller, Ida Raming, Pia Brunner and Angela White did not within the period that ended on 22 July 2002, give any indication of amendment or repentance for the most serious offense they had committed, this Dicastery, in keeping with this warning, declares that they have incurred an excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See with all the effects established by canon 1331 of the Code of Canon Law.
In having to take this action, the Congregation trusts that, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, these persons may discover the path of conversion in order to return to the unity of the faith and to communion with the Church, which they have wounded by their actions.
Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 5 August 2002.
JOSEPH Card. RATZINGER
Prefect
TARCISIO BERTONE, S.D.B.
Archbishop Emeritus of Vercelli
Secretary
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