Someone asked me today why Jesus told His Apostles not to tell others about Him. I sent her this short article from Zenit from Feb of this year...
Christ knew that to fulfill his mission he had to suffer and die on the cross. For this reason, he took great strides to keep his identity hidden, says Pope Benedict XVI.
Reflecting on Sunday's Gospel (Mark 1:21-28) before praying the Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter's Square on 1 February, the Pope spoke about the "so-called 'Messianic secret.'"
"For the moment, Jesus does not want anyone outside the restricted group of his disciples to know that he is the Christ, the Son of God," the Pontiff explained. "This is why he often admonishes the apostles and the sick people whom he heals to not reveal his identity to anyone."
"Not only does Jesus chase demons out of people, freeing them from the worst slavery, but he prohibits the demons themselves from revealing his identity," he added.
The Holy Father said Christ insisted on this secret "because the fulfillment of his mission is at stake, on which our salvation depends."
"He knows in fact that to liberate humanity from the dominion of sin he must be sacrificed on the cross as the true paschal lamb," Benedict XVI explained. "The devil, for his part, tries to divert his attention and direct it instead toward a human logic of a powerful and successful messiah."
The Pope continued: "The cross of Christ will be the demon’s ruin, and this is why Jesus does not cease to teach his disciples that in order to enter into his glory he must suffer much, be rejected, condemned and crucified. Suffering is an integral part of his mission."
"Jesus suffers and dies on the cross for love," he added. "When we consider this, we see that it is in this way that he gave meaning to our suffering, a meaning that many men and women of every age understood and made their own, experiencing profound serenity even in the bitterness of difficult physical and moral trials."
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Update on A. J.
This is the update for the fourteen year old girl that we've been praying for:
"The theme today was "limited good news." AJ's heart is continuing to work at an acceptable level, with the help of her medication. Her potassium levels have stabilized and may even be decreasing, which is good news -- that will make life easier for her heart. The biopsy of her lung came back negative for fungus, which means that the doctors can proceed with the experimental treatment for the Wegener's disease. On the down side, the small hole in her lung let a little more air into her belly, which tends to give AJ sharp pains in her middle. The doctors are still saying that they don't need to operate on that, however, which is good since AJ's still pretty weak.
So, we'll keep watching developments and hoping for continued good news, even if it's a little at a time. And we'll hope that AJ gets some more good rest tonight -- sleep tight, sweetie. "
"The theme today was "limited good news." AJ's heart is continuing to work at an acceptable level, with the help of her medication. Her potassium levels have stabilized and may even be decreasing, which is good news -- that will make life easier for her heart. The biopsy of her lung came back negative for fungus, which means that the doctors can proceed with the experimental treatment for the Wegener's disease. On the down side, the small hole in her lung let a little more air into her belly, which tends to give AJ sharp pains in her middle. The doctors are still saying that they don't need to operate on that, however, which is good since AJ's still pretty weak.
So, we'll keep watching developments and hoping for continued good news, even if it's a little at a time. And we'll hope that AJ gets some more good rest tonight -- sleep tight, sweetie. "
Please pray for Anna Jean!
This just came in from a Catholic friend and fellow writer. Please pray for this amazing girl who desparately needs prayers. I am leaving a couple of names out for privacy reasons...
"To my prayerful friends all over the world,
I need prayers, desperately, for a 14-year-old who lives down the street. Her name is A.J. (Anna Jean) xxxxxxxxxx. A month ago, she fainted while away at camp, her face then began to fill with fluid, her kidneys later began to fail. She was in Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago for a couple of weeks, was diagnosed with Wegener's Disease (Google it), and then was to begin Cytoxan (a heavy chemo drug) to try and stop the disease promptly. As a precaution, she had an MRI to be sure that her heart would be strong enough for the drugs, They found a mass. She had open heart surgery... on top of dialysis regularly, heavy drugs, another surgery to build up her nose with tissue from her hip because the Wegener's had deformed the nose, and so on.
A.J. has never complained. Not once. I cannot tell you how beautiful, kind, compassionate, amazing this girl is. We are so close with her and her family that they are the people with whom we celebrated my "10 years cancer-free" ... in Italy. A.J. has also been my mother's helper and then babysitter for the last three years. I love this girl as if she were my own.
She came home from the hospital last Thursday and all looked good. She went out to dinner with family, requested that I make her spaghetti carbonara on Friday, and then she started to feel sick again. She knew she would need dialysis three times a week for a couple of months until they regulated medications, but now she couldn't breath. Turns out her lungs were filling up with fluid. Back in CMH. Then, they found air in her abdomen, leaking from one lung. Now her heart is enlarged and is not working well at all. She is fighting for her life. Those were the words used last night... fighting for her life.
I need all of my prayer partners, all over the world, to storm heaven for A.J. Her mom is Sue, dad is Al, younger sister in Amy and older sister in Allie. They all need your prayers. They've personally asked me for prayers and I promised that I would contact all of you. Thank you for getting on your knees. The world needs this girl, and more girls like her, safe and healthy and inspiring the masses.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
"To my prayerful friends all over the world,
I need prayers, desperately, for a 14-year-old who lives down the street. Her name is A.J. (Anna Jean) xxxxxxxxxx. A month ago, she fainted while away at camp, her face then began to fill with fluid, her kidneys later began to fail. She was in Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago for a couple of weeks, was diagnosed with Wegener's Disease (Google it), and then was to begin Cytoxan (a heavy chemo drug) to try and stop the disease promptly. As a precaution, she had an MRI to be sure that her heart would be strong enough for the drugs, They found a mass. She had open heart surgery... on top of dialysis regularly, heavy drugs, another surgery to build up her nose with tissue from her hip because the Wegener's had deformed the nose, and so on.
A.J. has never complained. Not once. I cannot tell you how beautiful, kind, compassionate, amazing this girl is. We are so close with her and her family that they are the people with whom we celebrated my "10 years cancer-free" ... in Italy. A.J. has also been my mother's helper and then babysitter for the last three years. I love this girl as if she were my own.
She came home from the hospital last Thursday and all looked good. She went out to dinner with family, requested that I make her spaghetti carbonara on Friday, and then she started to feel sick again. She knew she would need dialysis three times a week for a couple of months until they regulated medications, but now she couldn't breath. Turns out her lungs were filling up with fluid. Back in CMH. Then, they found air in her abdomen, leaking from one lung. Now her heart is enlarged and is not working well at all. She is fighting for her life. Those were the words used last night... fighting for her life.
I need all of my prayer partners, all over the world, to storm heaven for A.J. Her mom is Sue, dad is Al, younger sister in Amy and older sister in Allie. They all need your prayers. They've personally asked me for prayers and I promised that I would contact all of you. Thank you for getting on your knees. The world needs this girl, and more girls like her, safe and healthy and inspiring the masses.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
Go get your copy of this movie!
My review should be out very soon and I'll post it here. Go get your DVD which debuts September 15th. I had a lovely interview with Ellen Bry the lead actress (which you'll read about in my review very soon). The movie is wholesome. inspiring and heart-tugging! Get it for your family!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Update from Washington Times on Obama's video
UPDATED:
"President Obama's plan to inspire the nation's schoolchildren with a video address next week erupted into controversy Wednesday, forcing the White House to pull out its eraser and rewrite a government recommendation that teachers nationwide assign students a paper on how to "help the president."
Presidential aides acknowledged the White House helped the U.S. Education Department craft the proposal, which immediately was met by fierce criticism from Republicans and conservative organizations who accused Mr. Obama of trying to politicize the education system.
White House aides said the language was an honest misunderstanding in what was supposed to be a inspirational, pro-education message to America's youths.
Among the activities the government initially suggested for prekindergarten to sixth-grade students: that they "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president." Another task recommended for students immediately after listening to the speech: to engage in a discussion about what "the president wants us to do."
The novel curriculum plan brought sharp criticism from conservatives, including some who complained that classrooms were being used to spread political propaganda. In response, the White House last night confirmed they were revising the lesson plan that was distributed last week by the U.S. Department of Education.
"We're clarifying that language," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
By Wednesday evening, the sentence asking children to think about how they can "help the president" had been replaced. The rewritten line said students should "write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short-term and long-term education goals. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals."
Mr. Vietor said the reaction to the lesson plan may not have been so strong had the curriculum been circulated after people heard the speech, which he said does not mention any political issues and does not stray from a clear message encouraging children to excel and stay in school.
The speech is "about the value of education and the importance of staying in school as part of his effort to dramatically cut the dropout rate. It's not a policy speech," Mr. Vietor said."
(From the Washington Times)
"President Obama's plan to inspire the nation's schoolchildren with a video address next week erupted into controversy Wednesday, forcing the White House to pull out its eraser and rewrite a government recommendation that teachers nationwide assign students a paper on how to "help the president."
Presidential aides acknowledged the White House helped the U.S. Education Department craft the proposal, which immediately was met by fierce criticism from Republicans and conservative organizations who accused Mr. Obama of trying to politicize the education system.
White House aides said the language was an honest misunderstanding in what was supposed to be a inspirational, pro-education message to America's youths.
Among the activities the government initially suggested for prekindergarten to sixth-grade students: that they "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president." Another task recommended for students immediately after listening to the speech: to engage in a discussion about what "the president wants us to do."
The novel curriculum plan brought sharp criticism from conservatives, including some who complained that classrooms were being used to spread political propaganda. In response, the White House last night confirmed they were revising the lesson plan that was distributed last week by the U.S. Department of Education.
"We're clarifying that language," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
By Wednesday evening, the sentence asking children to think about how they can "help the president" had been replaced. The rewritten line said students should "write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short-term and long-term education goals. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals."
Mr. Vietor said the reaction to the lesson plan may not have been so strong had the curriculum been circulated after people heard the speech, which he said does not mention any political issues and does not stray from a clear message encouraging children to excel and stay in school.
The speech is "about the value of education and the importance of staying in school as part of his effort to dramatically cut the dropout rate. It's not a policy speech," Mr. Vietor said."
(From the Washington Times)
Thursday, September 3, 2009
President Obama's video to be shown at to our kids
I just received an email from an alarmed friend who said,
"Someone I don't even know forwarded this to me. I don't usually read the comments underneath the videos, but I did this time. Boy, there is a lot of outrage. The schools are going to show this to children across the country on Tues. Imagine if George Bush or ANY president attempted to do something like this.
The president is supposed to serve the people but Obama wants everyone to make a pledge to serve him.
It doesn't start off so bad, but get to the last minute. You will understand why I'm alarmed. Read some of the comments."
So, see for yourself... Click here to view the video that will be shown in our schools.
I know parents who are opting to have their kids sit this one out. Please watch and pass this on.
"Someone I don't even know forwarded this to me. I don't usually read the comments underneath the videos, but I did this time. Boy, there is a lot of outrage. The schools are going to show this to children across the country on Tues. Imagine if George Bush or ANY president attempted to do something like this.
The president is supposed to serve the people but Obama wants everyone to make a pledge to serve him.
It doesn't start off so bad, but get to the last minute. You will understand why I'm alarmed. Read some of the comments."
So, see for yourself... Click here to view the video that will be shown in our schools.
I know parents who are opting to have their kids sit this one out. Please watch and pass this on.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Woman almost died from blood clots due to the birth control pill
Washington, DC (02 September 2009) – A woman in Austin, Texas, is the latest victim of the deadly side effects of the birth control pill.
Patti Kelly, 28, was diagnosed in August with multiple blood clots in both lungs. Her doctor told her that if she hadn’t come into the emergency room when she did, she “could have died instantly.”
Kelly’s doctor named birth control as the driving factor in onslaught of the blood clots that could have caused Kelly’s death.
Marie Hahnenberg, project director for American Life League’ s “The Pill Kills” outreach, is not surprised.
“We are constantly hearing about problems that stem from the dangerous chemicals used in hormonal contraception,” Hahnenberg said. “Women have been told for years that the birth control pill is the answer to their medical complications, when it is only causing more problems – even death.”
In 2008, Johnson and Johnson spent at least $68.7 million to settle hundreds of lawsuits filed by women who suffered blood clots, heart attacks or strokes after using the company’s Ortho Evra birth-control patch. This summer, lawsuits have been filed against Bayer’s dangerous and life-threatening Yasmin and Yaz birth control pills.
“Not only do the pill, patch, intrauterine device and similar birth control products cause great harm to the woman herself, but these products also can cause early abortions,” Hahnenberg said. “The physical and emotional perils associated with birth control are one of the most closely guarded secrets in the pharmaceutical industry. It’s time women knew the truth.”
For more information on the birth control pill and other hormonal contraception as well as victims of the pill check out www.thepillkills.com
American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to natural death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
American Life League: The Pill Killls http://thepillkills.com/
KVUE: Austin Woman Claims Birth Control Nearly Killed Her (29 August 2009) http://www.kvue.com/news/newton/stories/082809_kvue_Birth_Control_Danger-ts.127771e6f.html
Bloomberg: J&J Paid $68 Million to Settle Birth-Control Cases (10 October 2008)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=amZT0X84_8zU&refer=home
AboutLawsuits.com: Yasmin and Yaz Birth Control Lawsuits Mount Against Bayer (24 July 2009) http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/yasmin-and-yaz-birth-control-lawsuits-mount-5062/
From American Life League
Patti Kelly, 28, was diagnosed in August with multiple blood clots in both lungs. Her doctor told her that if she hadn’t come into the emergency room when she did, she “could have died instantly.”
Kelly’s doctor named birth control as the driving factor in onslaught of the blood clots that could have caused Kelly’s death.
Marie Hahnenberg, project director for American Life League’ s “The Pill Kills” outreach, is not surprised.
“We are constantly hearing about problems that stem from the dangerous chemicals used in hormonal contraception,” Hahnenberg said. “Women have been told for years that the birth control pill is the answer to their medical complications, when it is only causing more problems – even death.”
In 2008, Johnson and Johnson spent at least $68.7 million to settle hundreds of lawsuits filed by women who suffered blood clots, heart attacks or strokes after using the company’s Ortho Evra birth-control patch. This summer, lawsuits have been filed against Bayer’s dangerous and life-threatening Yasmin and Yaz birth control pills.
“Not only do the pill, patch, intrauterine device and similar birth control products cause great harm to the woman herself, but these products also can cause early abortions,” Hahnenberg said. “The physical and emotional perils associated with birth control are one of the most closely guarded secrets in the pharmaceutical industry. It’s time women knew the truth.”
For more information on the birth control pill and other hormonal contraception as well as victims of the pill check out www.thepillkills.com
American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to natural death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
American Life League: The Pill Killls http://thepillkills.com/
KVUE: Austin Woman Claims Birth Control Nearly Killed Her (29 August 2009) http://www.kvue.com/news/newton/stories/082809_kvue_Birth_Control_Danger-ts.127771e6f.html
Bloomberg: J&J Paid $68 Million to Settle Birth-Control Cases (10 October 2008)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=amZT0X84_8zU&refer=home
AboutLawsuits.com: Yasmin and Yaz Birth Control Lawsuits Mount Against Bayer (24 July 2009) http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/yasmin-and-yaz-birth-control-lawsuits-mount-5062/
From American Life League
The best kept secret about the birth control pill
"Perhaps the best-kept secret of modern medicine is the link between oral contraceptives and increased breast cancer risk.
While combined oral contraceptives, better known as The Pill, rank as Group I carcinogens according to a 2005 report released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization, doctors continue to routinely prescribe the pill for a variety of conditions, ranging from acne to birth control (American Cancer Society, 2008)....
Combined oral contraceptives are composed of estrogen and progesterone or progestin, a synthetic form of progesterone. Estrogen and progesterone are female sex hormones; estrogen thickens the lining of the uterus, and progesterone/progestin prepares the endometrium for implantation of the egg. (National Cancer Institute, 2006).
The reasoning behind a combination of estrogen and progesterone/progestin is that estrogen given on its own increases the risk of uterine cancer. Taking a combination of the 2 confers protection from uterine cancer but increases breast cancer risk..." (Continued here)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Pope Benedict and St. Monica
Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Aug 30, 2009 / 11:14 am (CNA).- At Sunday’s Angelus prayer in the courtyard of Castel Gandolfo’s apostolic palace, Pope Benedict XVI recalled the previous week’s liturgical memorial of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine of Hippo and model and patron of Christian mothers.
“Much is recounted about her in her son’s autobiography ‘The Confessions,’ a masterpiece among the most read works of all time,” Pope Benedict said. “There, we understand that St. Augustine imbibed the name of Jesus with maternal milk and was educated in the Christian religion by his mother, the principles of which remained impressed on him even in the years of spiritual and moral wavering.”
Monica, Benedict XVI explained, never stopped praying for her son and his conversion and she had the consolation of seeing him return to the faith and receiving baptism. The Pope added, “God heard the prayers of this holy mother, to whom the Bishop of Tagaste said: ‘It is impossible that a child of so many tears should go lost.’ In truth, St. Augustine does not only convert, but decides to embrace the monastic life and back in Africa, and himself establishes a community of monks.”
“The final spiritual conversations between him and his mother in the quiet of a house in Ostia, in anticipation of departure for Africa, are moving and edifying,” the Holy Father explained. “By then St. Monica had become for this her child ‘more than a mother, the source of his Christianity.’ Her lone desire had been for years the conversion of Augustine, who then was positively oriented toward a life of consecration to God’s service.”
She could only die content, the Pontiff said, on August 27, 387, 56 years old, after having asked her children to not worry about her burial, but to remember her, where ever they were, at the altar of the Lord. St. Augustine repeated that his mother had “twice given birth” to him.
Pope Benedict continued: “The history of Christendom has numerous examples of holy parents and authentic Christian families, who accompanied the life of generous priests and pastors of the Church.”
He recounted Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianen, who both came from families of saints, and spouses Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini, who lived from the end of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century and were beatified by Pope John Paul II in October 2001 on the twentieth anniversary of his Apostolic Exhortation “Familiaris consortio.”
“This document,” the Pope expounded, “in addition to illustrating the value of marriage and the responsibilities of the family, calls spouses to a particular task on the way of holiness that, drawing grace and strength from the Sacrament of Matrimony, they follow their entire life.”
“When spouses dedicate themselves generously to the education of children, guiding them and orienting them to discover the design of God’s love, they prepare that fertile spiritual terrain where vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life spring and mature.
Pope Benedict concluded his Angelus message by asking the faithful to seek the intercession of St. John Mary Vianney and the Blessed Virgin Mary in this Year for Priests.
Addressing English-speaking pilgrims and visitors after the Angelus, he singled out the first year seminarians from the Pontifical North American College.
“May your time here at Castel Gandolfo and in Rome deepen your integral understanding of our faith and strengthen in you the desire to be consistent in word and deed, following the heart and mind of our Lord. Upon each of you present and your families, I invoke God’s blessing of peace and joy!”
“Much is recounted about her in her son’s autobiography ‘The Confessions,’ a masterpiece among the most read works of all time,” Pope Benedict said. “There, we understand that St. Augustine imbibed the name of Jesus with maternal milk and was educated in the Christian religion by his mother, the principles of which remained impressed on him even in the years of spiritual and moral wavering.”
Monica, Benedict XVI explained, never stopped praying for her son and his conversion and she had the consolation of seeing him return to the faith and receiving baptism. The Pope added, “God heard the prayers of this holy mother, to whom the Bishop of Tagaste said: ‘It is impossible that a child of so many tears should go lost.’ In truth, St. Augustine does not only convert, but decides to embrace the monastic life and back in Africa, and himself establishes a community of monks.”
“The final spiritual conversations between him and his mother in the quiet of a house in Ostia, in anticipation of departure for Africa, are moving and edifying,” the Holy Father explained. “By then St. Monica had become for this her child ‘more than a mother, the source of his Christianity.’ Her lone desire had been for years the conversion of Augustine, who then was positively oriented toward a life of consecration to God’s service.”
She could only die content, the Pontiff said, on August 27, 387, 56 years old, after having asked her children to not worry about her burial, but to remember her, where ever they were, at the altar of the Lord. St. Augustine repeated that his mother had “twice given birth” to him.
Pope Benedict continued: “The history of Christendom has numerous examples of holy parents and authentic Christian families, who accompanied the life of generous priests and pastors of the Church.”
He recounted Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianen, who both came from families of saints, and spouses Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini, who lived from the end of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century and were beatified by Pope John Paul II in October 2001 on the twentieth anniversary of his Apostolic Exhortation “Familiaris consortio.”
“This document,” the Pope expounded, “in addition to illustrating the value of marriage and the responsibilities of the family, calls spouses to a particular task on the way of holiness that, drawing grace and strength from the Sacrament of Matrimony, they follow their entire life.”
“When spouses dedicate themselves generously to the education of children, guiding them and orienting them to discover the design of God’s love, they prepare that fertile spiritual terrain where vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life spring and mature.
Pope Benedict concluded his Angelus message by asking the faithful to seek the intercession of St. John Mary Vianney and the Blessed Virgin Mary in this Year for Priests.
Addressing English-speaking pilgrims and visitors after the Angelus, he singled out the first year seminarians from the Pontifical North American College.
“May your time here at Castel Gandolfo and in Rome deepen your integral understanding of our faith and strengthen in you the desire to be consistent in word and deed, following the heart and mind of our Lord. Upon each of you present and your families, I invoke God’s blessing of peace and joy!”
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Senator Ted Kennedy's advocasy for abortion
From Fr. James's blog:
"HYANNIS PORT, Massachusetts, August 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The public Catholic funeral of Senator Ted Kennedy - whose long career of abortion advocacy helped sever the American Catholic identity from the Church's pro-life teaching - will be a source of immense scandal, says Human Life International (HLI) president Fr. Tom Euteneuer. In addition, he said, Obama's scheduled eulogy at the event amounts to a "perfect absolution" whitewashing Kennedy's opposition to Catholic moral teaching.
A funeral mass has been scheduled for Saturday morning at the Boston Archdiocese's Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, following the Senator's death Tuesday night after a battle with brain cancer.
Kennedy is well-known for dissenting from Catholic Church teaching in the latter decades of his public life, advocating unrestricted abortion as well as embryonic stem-cell research and same-sex "marriage."
"Ted Kennedy's positions on a variety of issues have been a grave scandal for decades, and to honor this 'Catholic' champion of the culture of death with a Catholic funeral is unjust to those who have actually paid the price of fidelity," said Fr. Euteneuer in a statement Thursday. He continued, "There was very little about Ted Kennedy’s life that deserves admiration from a spiritual or moral point of view. He was probably the worst example of a Catholic statesman that one can think of. When all is said and done, he has distorted the concept of what it means to be a Catholic in public life more than anyone else in leadership today." "It is not enough for Kennedy to have been a 'great guy behind the scenes' as we have seen him referred to even by his political opponents.".
Euteneuer faulted Kennedy for putting "a Catholic rhetorical veneer" on liberal politics that "did nothing to advance true justice as the Church sees it or to advance the peace of Christ in this world."
"He will not be missed by the unborn who he betrayed time and time again, nor by the rest of us who are laboring to undo the scandalous example of Catholicism that he gave to three generations of Americans."
Euteneuer told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) in a Thursday interview that the best course of action for the Boston Archdiocese's Cardinal Sean O'Malley would be "Private funeral, family only - period."
While O'Malley issued a statement this week praising the senator's "commitment to public service" and offering his prayers, he has not directly commented on the funeral plans. LifeSiteNews.com's phone and email requests for comment from the Boston Archdiocese were not answered.
Euteneuer noted that "we don't really know" if Kennedy repented of his public position before death. "So just because he received the sacrament of reconciliation, doesn't mean he was actually reconciled with the Church and with God," he said. "We just don't know that. We hope for it."
However, said Euteneuer: "We know that Sen. Kennedy did not repent publicly, therefore any kind of public funeral or appearance by public figures like President Obama only reinforces the scandal. It does not do anything to undo the damage that Sen. Kennedy has done."
Pro-life leaders, including HLI and the American Life League, were dismayed that President Obama is scheduled to deliver a eulogy at Kennedy's funeral Mass. Obama and Kennedy have been close allies ever since Kennedy threw his weight..." (Continued here)
"HYANNIS PORT, Massachusetts, August 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The public Catholic funeral of Senator Ted Kennedy - whose long career of abortion advocacy helped sever the American Catholic identity from the Church's pro-life teaching - will be a source of immense scandal, says Human Life International (HLI) president Fr. Tom Euteneuer. In addition, he said, Obama's scheduled eulogy at the event amounts to a "perfect absolution" whitewashing Kennedy's opposition to Catholic moral teaching.
A funeral mass has been scheduled for Saturday morning at the Boston Archdiocese's Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, following the Senator's death Tuesday night after a battle with brain cancer.
Kennedy is well-known for dissenting from Catholic Church teaching in the latter decades of his public life, advocating unrestricted abortion as well as embryonic stem-cell research and same-sex "marriage."
"Ted Kennedy's positions on a variety of issues have been a grave scandal for decades, and to honor this 'Catholic' champion of the culture of death with a Catholic funeral is unjust to those who have actually paid the price of fidelity," said Fr. Euteneuer in a statement Thursday. He continued, "There was very little about Ted Kennedy’s life that deserves admiration from a spiritual or moral point of view. He was probably the worst example of a Catholic statesman that one can think of. When all is said and done, he has distorted the concept of what it means to be a Catholic in public life more than anyone else in leadership today." "It is not enough for Kennedy to have been a 'great guy behind the scenes' as we have seen him referred to even by his political opponents.".
Euteneuer faulted Kennedy for putting "a Catholic rhetorical veneer" on liberal politics that "did nothing to advance true justice as the Church sees it or to advance the peace of Christ in this world."
"He will not be missed by the unborn who he betrayed time and time again, nor by the rest of us who are laboring to undo the scandalous example of Catholicism that he gave to three generations of Americans."
Euteneuer told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) in a Thursday interview that the best course of action for the Boston Archdiocese's Cardinal Sean O'Malley would be "Private funeral, family only - period."
While O'Malley issued a statement this week praising the senator's "commitment to public service" and offering his prayers, he has not directly commented on the funeral plans. LifeSiteNews.com's phone and email requests for comment from the Boston Archdiocese were not answered.
Euteneuer noted that "we don't really know" if Kennedy repented of his public position before death. "So just because he received the sacrament of reconciliation, doesn't mean he was actually reconciled with the Church and with God," he said. "We just don't know that. We hope for it."
However, said Euteneuer: "We know that Sen. Kennedy did not repent publicly, therefore any kind of public funeral or appearance by public figures like President Obama only reinforces the scandal. It does not do anything to undo the damage that Sen. Kennedy has done."
Pro-life leaders, including HLI and the American Life League, were dismayed that President Obama is scheduled to deliver a eulogy at Kennedy's funeral Mass. Obama and Kennedy have been close allies ever since Kennedy threw his weight..." (Continued here)
Friday, August 28, 2009
Start a novena to Blessed Mother Teresa today!
Please take a moment to look at the official Mother Teresa website here and also look here for the novena that begins today. The novena will end on Mother Teresa's feast day which is September 5th.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Fr. James's Sunday Homily
"Throughout the past few weeks, the Catholic Sunday liturgy has presented us an opportunity to meditate upon the mystery of the Eucharist. Each week we have heard, verse by verse, the proclamation of chapter six of the Gospel of St. John. The entire chapter of John's Gospel is a catechesis on the Eucharist.
Chapter six is divided into three parts: the miracle of the loaves and fishes (verses 1-15); the walking on the water (verses 16-21); the discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum (verses 22-71). The two miracles that precede Jesus' discourse are essential to a correct understanding of the discourse on the Eucharist.
The two miracles illustrate that Jesus is truly God. Because of his divine nature, he can multiply the loaves and the fishes, and he can walk on water. These two miracles testify to the fact that as God, he can do as he pleases with physical reality.
The point made here is very clear. If Jesus can intervene within these physical realities, he can also change bread and wine into his own body and blood.
Those who heard Jesus' discourse on the Eucharist understood exactly what he was saying. For this reason they rejected his teaching. "As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him” (John 6: 66).
It is true that during the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church adopted the term, "transubstantiation" from the highly advanced philosophical and theological thought of the time. However, this does not mean that the Church did not believe in transubstantiation until this particular moment in time.
As I have been explaining for the past weeks, transubstantiation means "change of substance", or "change of reality." When the priest repeats the words that Jesus spoke at the Last Supper, the bread is no longer bread, and the wine is no longer wine. Instead, the entire substance of the bread and the entire substance of the wine have been changed into the substance of The Body and Blood of Christ.
Transubstantiation occurs only by the power of God, and in a way that we cannot empirically detect. We know that transubstantiation takes place through the certainty of faith. Jesus, the Son of God; Jesus the Messiah; Jesus the Lord and Savior of the universe said: "This is my body"; "This is my blood". Faith is a vision superior to reason, but it does not contradict reason, precisely because faith relies upon the authority of God who does not deceive, nor can be deceived. Jesus is the truth and He cannot lie. "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14: 6).
When it comes to the Eucharist, the bottom line is this: either Jesus Christ is true God and true Man, the Incarnate Word of God, or he is a complete and total lunatic. Either the Catholic Church possesses the greatest gift known to humanity, or we are idol worshippers.
"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (John 6: 52-55).
There is no doubt that Jesus was not speaking symbolically. "I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6: 51).
Personally, I have never doubted. However, I think that aside from the volumes of beautiful theology and spirituality that have been written about the Eucharist, and even aside from the countless number of our brothers and sisters, who throughout the centuries, have shed their blood to defend the Eucharist, my favorite proof of the Eucharist is contained in this Sunday's Gospel reading.
Had Jesus been telling his disciples that the Eucharist was merely a symbol of his presence among us, he would have begun calling after them, asking that they return even as they were departing from his company. He would have attempted to explain his words to them and to assure them that they must have misunderstood him. Instead, what did he do? He stood firm and watched them leave.
Then with majesty and self-dominion he turned to his Apostles and asked an amazing question: "Will you also go away?" (John 6: 67). Without hesitation, Peter, the first Pope of the Catholic Church, pronounced some of the most powerful words of the Bible: "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6: 68-69).
The real difficulty of Catholicism is two-fold. Catholicism demands an act of total surrender to Jesus, the Lord and Savior of the universe, with a complete acceptance of him as the final authority; and Catholicism also demands a moral standard of the highest level. The difficulty for the first disciples and for many of his disciples today, is to accept the Eucharist as true, with all its implications. Many refuse Christ, not because he puzzles the intellect, but because he challenges our lives.
Every Sunday or even during the week, we worship at our parishes and receive the gift of the Eucharist without even considering the thousands upon thousands of our brothers and sisters who throughout the history of the Catholic Church have given their lives precisely to defend what we do without any obstacles at all. Here is one story that is very moving and happened not to far from our own country.
During 1920’s there was a brutal persecution against the Catholic Church throughout Mexico. Churches were closed and the land was drenched with the blood of thousands of martyrs made up of priests, religious and lay people. The persecution went on for the next two decades and even to this day, there are many vestiges of a pervasive anti-catholic mentality.
One group of ladies, among many examples of heroism that were prevalent throughout Mexico, showed their love for their parish priest one day in 1934.
Maria de la Luz Camacho, an attractive twenty-seven year old woman was standing by the front doors of her parish church of Coyoacan, Mexico. Maria stood led a group of young women to guard the church because she had learned that a large group of men from the anti-Catholic Red Syndicate had planned to burn down the church, and carry the priest off to jail and kill him.
When the group of revolutionaries arrived at the parish church, Maria, her sister, and a small group of valiant young women stood at the doors of the church. “We are not afraid. If it becomes necessary, we are ready to die for Christ the King”, cried out Maria. “Those who wish to enter this church must first pass over my body”. Shortly after the initial confrontation, the Red Shirts opened fire and Maria de la Luz Camacho was killed.
Word spread quickly about her martyrdom. 30,000 people assembled in the small town..." (Continued here)
Chapter six is divided into three parts: the miracle of the loaves and fishes (verses 1-15); the walking on the water (verses 16-21); the discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum (verses 22-71). The two miracles that precede Jesus' discourse are essential to a correct understanding of the discourse on the Eucharist.
The two miracles illustrate that Jesus is truly God. Because of his divine nature, he can multiply the loaves and the fishes, and he can walk on water. These two miracles testify to the fact that as God, he can do as he pleases with physical reality.
The point made here is very clear. If Jesus can intervene within these physical realities, he can also change bread and wine into his own body and blood.
Those who heard Jesus' discourse on the Eucharist understood exactly what he was saying. For this reason they rejected his teaching. "As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him” (John 6: 66).
It is true that during the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church adopted the term, "transubstantiation" from the highly advanced philosophical and theological thought of the time. However, this does not mean that the Church did not believe in transubstantiation until this particular moment in time.
As I have been explaining for the past weeks, transubstantiation means "change of substance", or "change of reality." When the priest repeats the words that Jesus spoke at the Last Supper, the bread is no longer bread, and the wine is no longer wine. Instead, the entire substance of the bread and the entire substance of the wine have been changed into the substance of The Body and Blood of Christ.
Transubstantiation occurs only by the power of God, and in a way that we cannot empirically detect. We know that transubstantiation takes place through the certainty of faith. Jesus, the Son of God; Jesus the Messiah; Jesus the Lord and Savior of the universe said: "This is my body"; "This is my blood". Faith is a vision superior to reason, but it does not contradict reason, precisely because faith relies upon the authority of God who does not deceive, nor can be deceived. Jesus is the truth and He cannot lie. "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14: 6).
When it comes to the Eucharist, the bottom line is this: either Jesus Christ is true God and true Man, the Incarnate Word of God, or he is a complete and total lunatic. Either the Catholic Church possesses the greatest gift known to humanity, or we are idol worshippers.
"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (John 6: 52-55).
There is no doubt that Jesus was not speaking symbolically. "I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6: 51).
Personally, I have never doubted. However, I think that aside from the volumes of beautiful theology and spirituality that have been written about the Eucharist, and even aside from the countless number of our brothers and sisters, who throughout the centuries, have shed their blood to defend the Eucharist, my favorite proof of the Eucharist is contained in this Sunday's Gospel reading.
Had Jesus been telling his disciples that the Eucharist was merely a symbol of his presence among us, he would have begun calling after them, asking that they return even as they were departing from his company. He would have attempted to explain his words to them and to assure them that they must have misunderstood him. Instead, what did he do? He stood firm and watched them leave.
Then with majesty and self-dominion he turned to his Apostles and asked an amazing question: "Will you also go away?" (John 6: 67). Without hesitation, Peter, the first Pope of the Catholic Church, pronounced some of the most powerful words of the Bible: "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6: 68-69).
The real difficulty of Catholicism is two-fold. Catholicism demands an act of total surrender to Jesus, the Lord and Savior of the universe, with a complete acceptance of him as the final authority; and Catholicism also demands a moral standard of the highest level. The difficulty for the first disciples and for many of his disciples today, is to accept the Eucharist as true, with all its implications. Many refuse Christ, not because he puzzles the intellect, but because he challenges our lives.
Every Sunday or even during the week, we worship at our parishes and receive the gift of the Eucharist without even considering the thousands upon thousands of our brothers and sisters who throughout the history of the Catholic Church have given their lives precisely to defend what we do without any obstacles at all. Here is one story that is very moving and happened not to far from our own country.
During 1920’s there was a brutal persecution against the Catholic Church throughout Mexico. Churches were closed and the land was drenched with the blood of thousands of martyrs made up of priests, religious and lay people. The persecution went on for the next two decades and even to this day, there are many vestiges of a pervasive anti-catholic mentality.
One group of ladies, among many examples of heroism that were prevalent throughout Mexico, showed their love for their parish priest one day in 1934.
Maria de la Luz Camacho, an attractive twenty-seven year old woman was standing by the front doors of her parish church of Coyoacan, Mexico. Maria stood led a group of young women to guard the church because she had learned that a large group of men from the anti-Catholic Red Syndicate had planned to burn down the church, and carry the priest off to jail and kill him.
When the group of revolutionaries arrived at the parish church, Maria, her sister, and a small group of valiant young women stood at the doors of the church. “We are not afraid. If it becomes necessary, we are ready to die for Christ the King”, cried out Maria. “Those who wish to enter this church must first pass over my body”. Shortly after the initial confrontation, the Red Shirts opened fire and Maria de la Luz Camacho was killed.
Word spread quickly about her martyrdom. 30,000 people assembled in the small town..." (Continued here)
Friday, August 21, 2009
Teresa Tomeo's weekly "NOISE" feature on EWTN TV
All Next Week: Don’t Miss ‘Noise’: An EWTN Original Production
"Are you sick of much of the secular media and its biased agenda, but feeling helpless about how you and your family can respond? Then tune into our new series, “Noise” with EWTN Favorite Teresa Tomeo.
Each weekday evening next week at 6:30 p.m. ET, watch Media Expert Teresa Tomeo as she presents a highly entertaining series on Catholicism and the media.
Monday, she looks at the problems created by the negative media saturation of our culture; Tuesday, she considers the cultural problems created by the saturation of violent imagery in the media; Wednesday, she looks at what the Church teaches about the proper use of the media; Thursday, she looks at how the media can be used as a tool for evangelization; and Friday, she sums it all up by giving us ways we can combat negative media saturation and make a positive difference! Each 30-minute episode will also air at 3 a.m.
Help spread Goodness and Truth in the world by taping this program and showing it to your friends or in your parish.
The series is based on Teresa Tomeo’s book by the same name. To purchase a copy, go to: http://bit.ly/Lqsyp And tune into EWTN Radio Network every weekday morning at 9 a.m. ET to hear Teresa Tomeo on 'Catholic Connection.'"
(Taken from EWTN release)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
On the subject of purity...
The subject of purity has been popping up a lot lately, so I thought I'd share this marvelous post I came across. Also, be sure to check out an upcoming blog post at my blog, "View From the Domestic Church" (later today or tomorrow) because I'll be featuring something on purity in the Catholic classrooms or lack thereof. But first, take a look here:
The Purity of Mary
"Lately I have had any number of discussions with various friends and acquaintances about whether the Blessed Virgin Mary struggled with the concupiscence of the flesh..." ( Continued here at Tea at Trianon)
"Lately I have had any number of discussions with various friends and acquaintances about whether the Blessed Virgin Mary struggled with the concupiscence of the flesh..." ( Continued here at Tea at Trianon)
Planned Parenthood and U.S. Catholic Bishops
Washington D.C., Aug 20, 2009 / 06:19 am (CNA).- Cecile Richards, President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, has criticized the U.S. Catholic bishops’ work to exclude abortion coverage from health care legislation. In response, an official with the conference insisted that taking human life is not health care and warned that pro-abortion politics are endangering the entire proposal.
Writing in an August 18 opinion piece at the Huffington Post, Cecile Richards characterized the bishops’ desire to exclude abortion coverage from health care reform as one that denies “comprehensive reproductive care” which she claimed to be supported by the majority of Americans.
She also argued that the Catholic position was an ongoing effort to eliminate... (Continued at Catholic News Agency here)
Writing in an August 18 opinion piece at the Huffington Post, Cecile Richards characterized the bishops’ desire to exclude abortion coverage from health care reform as one that denies “comprehensive reproductive care” which she claimed to be supported by the majority of Americans.
She also argued that the Catholic position was an ongoing effort to eliminate... (Continued at Catholic News Agency here)
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Busy, busy, busy!
Go on over to View From the Domestic Church to see why. Scroll down and catch up on the whole week.
God bless!
Donna-Marie
God bless!
Donna-Marie
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Sunday Homily from Fr. James
"True parents would never be content to be simply bringing children into the world. They would want to do everything possible to nourish and educate their children. In the same way, we must understand that for the good of our spiritual life, like these true parents we must do everything possible to nourish our souls. Thus frequent reception of the Eucharist is necessary if we are to participate in the life of grace that begins at Baptism.
"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (John 6: 52-55).
The readings for this Sunday taken from the Book of Proverbs and from St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians urge us to put into practice precisely what Our Lord Jesus Christ has instructed us to do. If we fail to listen, if we choose to reject His teachings, we will prove ourselves both foolish and ignorant. "Forsake foolishness that you may live" (Book of Proverbs 9: 6). "Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord" (Ephesians 5: 15-16)." ( Continued here)
"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (John 6: 52-55).
The readings for this Sunday taken from the Book of Proverbs and from St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians urge us to put into practice precisely what Our Lord Jesus Christ has instructed us to do. If we fail to listen, if we choose to reject His teachings, we will prove ourselves both foolish and ignorant. "Forsake foolishness that you may live" (Book of Proverbs 9: 6). "Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord" (Ephesians 5: 15-16)." ( Continued here)
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Words of wisdom...
St. Josemaria Escriva sure knew what he was talking about...
"You're not humbled when you humble yourself, but when you are humbled by others and you bear it for Christ."
~St. Josemaria Escriva
"You're not humbled when you humble yourself, but when you are humbled by others and you bear it for Christ."
~St. Josemaria Escriva
Friday, August 14, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Strong meteor showers tonight!
(Aug. 11) - The annual Perseid meteor shower is expected to put on a good show this week for those willing to get up in the wee hours of the morning and wait patiently for the shooting stars.
In North America, the best time to watch will be between midnight to 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12, but late Tuesday night and also Wednesday night could prove fruitful, weather permitting.
The Perseids, most of them no bigger than a pea, shoot through Earth's atmosphere every year in late July and early August. Here the shower is seen on August 12, 2008.
The Perseids are always reliable, and sometimes rather spectacular. The only things that puts a damper on the August show are bad weather or bright moonlight. Unfortunately this week, as the Perseids reach their peak Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the moon will be high in the sky, outshining the fainter meteors.
Still, skywatchers around the globe will have a good chance of spotting the brighter meteors. Some already are enjoying the show.
The Perseids are bits of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which has laid down several streams of debris, each in a slightly different location, over the centuries as it orbits the sun. Every August, Earth passes through these debris streams, which spread out over time... (Continued here)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Pope Benedict recalled some saints of memory...
Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Aug 9, 2009 / 10:35 am (CNA).- Before the recitation of Sunday’s Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict XVI recalled some saints whose memory will be celebrated by the Church in the upcoming weeks. He said that St. Edith Stein, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Pontian, St. Lawrence, are witnesses to "Christian humanism," differing greatly from "atheistic humanism."
"What wonderful models of holiness, the Church proposes to us! These saints are witnesses to that love that loves ‘to the end,’ and ignores the evil received, but fights it with the good," Pope Benedict explained. "From them we can learn, especially we priests, the evangelical heroism that inspires us, without fear, to give our life for the salvation of souls. Love conquers death!"
St. Edith Stein and St. Maximilian Kolbe will celebrate their feast days this week. Both died at Auschwitz in the 1940s...( Continued here)
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
St. John Vianney
From Fr. James's blog...
"Pope Benedict has declared a special Year for Priests. Here is a sermon from St. John Vianney, the patron saint of Catholic priests.
My children, we have come to the Sacrament of Orders. It is a Sacrament which seems to relate to no one among you, and which yet relates to everyone. This Sacrament raises man up to God.
What is a priest! A man who holds the place of God -- a man who is invested with all the powers of God. "Go, " said Our Lord to the priest; "as My Father sent Me, I send you. All power has been given Me in Heaven and on earth. Go then, teach all nations. . . . He who listens to you, listens to Me; he who despises you despises Me. "
When the priest remits sins, he does not say, "God pardons you"; he says, "I absolve you. " At the Consecration, he does not say, "This is the Body of Our Lord;" he says, "This is My Body. "
Saint Bernard tells us that everything has come to us through Mary; and we may also say that everything has come to us through the priest; yes, all happiness, all graces, all heavenly gifts. If we had not the Sacrament of Orders, we should not have Our Lord. Who placed Him there, in that tabernacle? It was the priest. Who was it that received your soul, on its entrance into life? The priest. Who nourishes it, to give it strength to make its pilgrimage? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, by washing that soul, for the last time, in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest -- always the priest. And if that soul comes to the point of death, who will raise it up, who will restore it to calmness and peace? Again the priest. You cannot recall one single blessing from God without finding, side by side with this recollection, the image of the priest.
Go to confession to the Blessed Virgin, or to an angel; will they absolve you? No. Will they give you the Body and Blood of Our Lord? No. The Holy Virgin cannot make her Divine Son descend into the Host. You might have two hundred angels there, but they could not absolve you. A priest, however simple he may be, can do it; he can say to you, "Go in peace; I pardon you. " Oh, how great is a priest!
The priest will not understand the greatness of his office till he is in Heaven. If he understood it on earth, he would die, not of fear, but of love. The other benefits of God would be of no avail to us without the priest..." (Continued here.)
"Pope Benedict has declared a special Year for Priests. Here is a sermon from St. John Vianney, the patron saint of Catholic priests.
My children, we have come to the Sacrament of Orders. It is a Sacrament which seems to relate to no one among you, and which yet relates to everyone. This Sacrament raises man up to God.
What is a priest! A man who holds the place of God -- a man who is invested with all the powers of God. "Go, " said Our Lord to the priest; "as My Father sent Me, I send you. All power has been given Me in Heaven and on earth. Go then, teach all nations. . . . He who listens to you, listens to Me; he who despises you despises Me. "
When the priest remits sins, he does not say, "God pardons you"; he says, "I absolve you. " At the Consecration, he does not say, "This is the Body of Our Lord;" he says, "This is My Body. "
Saint Bernard tells us that everything has come to us through Mary; and we may also say that everything has come to us through the priest; yes, all happiness, all graces, all heavenly gifts. If we had not the Sacrament of Orders, we should not have Our Lord. Who placed Him there, in that tabernacle? It was the priest. Who was it that received your soul, on its entrance into life? The priest. Who nourishes it, to give it strength to make its pilgrimage? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, by washing that soul, for the last time, in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest -- always the priest. And if that soul comes to the point of death, who will raise it up, who will restore it to calmness and peace? Again the priest. You cannot recall one single blessing from God without finding, side by side with this recollection, the image of the priest.
Go to confession to the Blessed Virgin, or to an angel; will they absolve you? No. Will they give you the Body and Blood of Our Lord? No. The Holy Virgin cannot make her Divine Son descend into the Host. You might have two hundred angels there, but they could not absolve you. A priest, however simple he may be, can do it; he can say to you, "Go in peace; I pardon you. " Oh, how great is a priest!
The priest will not understand the greatness of his office till he is in Heaven. If he understood it on earth, he would die, not of fear, but of love. The other benefits of God would be of no avail to us without the priest..." (Continued here.)
Monday, August 3, 2009
Angels of God
"You’re going to want this book on your bookshelf or night table. Angels of God: The Bible, the Church and the Heavenly Hosts is a wonderful inspirational book, which draws us deeper into the fascinating lives of angels..." Check out my review for Angels of God over at Catholic Exchange today.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
"I am the Bread of Life..".
From Fr. James Fargaglia...
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6: 35).
Last week we began our consideration of the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John. The entire chapter is a catechesis on the awesome mystery of the Eucharist.
The first part (verses 1-21) consists of two miracles. The second part (verses 22-71) contains the body of teaching on the Eucharist. The miracles are an important introduction to the teaching. John the Evangelist is focusing in on the divinity of Jesus. Only God can perform miracles. If Jesus can multiply the loaves and the fishes; if Jesus can walk on the water, he can also change bread and wine into himself.
As we journey through chapter 6 of John’s Gospel, we need to be crystal clear what we mean by transubstantiation and real presence. Let us quickly review what we discussed last Sunday.
Transubstantiation means "change of substance", or "change of reality." When the priest repeats the words that Jesus spoken at the Last Supper, the bread is no longer bread, and the wine is no longer wine. Instead, the entire substance of the bread and the entire substance of the wine have been changed into the substance of The Body and Blood of Christ. Transubstantiation occurs only by the power of God, and in a way that we cannot empirically detect. We know that transubstantiation takes place through the certainty of faith. Jesus, the Son of God; Jesus the Messiah; Jesus the Lord and Savior of the universe said: "This is my body"; "This is my blood". Faith is a vision superior to reason, but it does not contradict reason, precisely because faith relies upon the authority of God who does not deceive, nor can be deceived. Jesus is the truth and thus is incapable of lying.
Real presence refers to the presence of our Eucharistic Lord. We read the following in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
“The mode of Christ’s presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend. In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really and substantially contained. This presence is called real – by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be real too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1374).
Now, that we have reviewed the essential points from last week’s Sunday homily, let’s turn our thoughts to the Catholic priesthood. There is an old saying that affirms: without the priest there is no Eucharist and without the Eucharist there is no priest... Continued here)
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6: 35).
Last week we began our consideration of the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John. The entire chapter is a catechesis on the awesome mystery of the Eucharist.
The first part (verses 1-21) consists of two miracles. The second part (verses 22-71) contains the body of teaching on the Eucharist. The miracles are an important introduction to the teaching. John the Evangelist is focusing in on the divinity of Jesus. Only God can perform miracles. If Jesus can multiply the loaves and the fishes; if Jesus can walk on the water, he can also change bread and wine into himself.
As we journey through chapter 6 of John’s Gospel, we need to be crystal clear what we mean by transubstantiation and real presence. Let us quickly review what we discussed last Sunday.
Transubstantiation means "change of substance", or "change of reality." When the priest repeats the words that Jesus spoken at the Last Supper, the bread is no longer bread, and the wine is no longer wine. Instead, the entire substance of the bread and the entire substance of the wine have been changed into the substance of The Body and Blood of Christ. Transubstantiation occurs only by the power of God, and in a way that we cannot empirically detect. We know that transubstantiation takes place through the certainty of faith. Jesus, the Son of God; Jesus the Messiah; Jesus the Lord and Savior of the universe said: "This is my body"; "This is my blood". Faith is a vision superior to reason, but it does not contradict reason, precisely because faith relies upon the authority of God who does not deceive, nor can be deceived. Jesus is the truth and thus is incapable of lying.
Real presence refers to the presence of our Eucharistic Lord. We read the following in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
“The mode of Christ’s presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend. In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really and substantially contained. This presence is called real – by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be real too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1374).
Now, that we have reviewed the essential points from last week’s Sunday homily, let’s turn our thoughts to the Catholic priesthood. There is an old saying that affirms: without the priest there is no Eucharist and without the Eucharist there is no priest... Continued here)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)