1.7 million human embryos created for IVF thrown away - Telegraph: Official statistics show that almost half of embryos used to help a women conceive through in vitro fertilisation were thrown away during or after the process.
The embryos are created from female eggs and male sperm during the IVF process, with some introduced into the womb, put into storage, discarded as unwanted or used in scientific experiments.
Campaigners last night described the figures, released in response to questions from peers about the level of waste generated in hospitals and fertility clinics, as disturbing.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Appeals Court blocks contraception mandate in Illinois case
Appeals Court Blocks Contraception Mandate in Illinois Case: Days before the contraception mandate, which requires employers to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs to employees, is set to go into effect, a federal appeals court has temporarily blocked it from being enforced against an Illinois company.
Where we have been, and where we are going
NCRegister | Where We Are GoingDEMELO: For me, this year was marked by two big events. In June, I got married, and in July, I began my new job as editor in chief of the Register.
Both events involve wonderful people (my husband on the one hand and my dedicated team of editors, reporters, bloggers and writers on the other), but change is never easy — it presents challenges and opportunities — requiring reflection, prayer, collaboration and a lot of effort.
For the Church, also, this hasn’t been an easy year. Catholics have been grappling with some daunting challenges. The most obvious are the threats to the free exercise of religion in Catholic institutions, the redefinition of marriage and the continued devaluing of human life at every stage.
Both events involve wonderful people (my husband on the one hand and my dedicated team of editors, reporters, bloggers and writers on the other), but change is never easy — it presents challenges and opportunities — requiring reflection, prayer, collaboration and a lot of effort.
For the Church, also, this hasn’t been an easy year. Catholics have been grappling with some daunting challenges. The most obvious are the threats to the free exercise of religion in Catholic institutions, the redefinition of marriage and the continued devaluing of human life at every stage.
10 things you need to know today: December 31, 2012
10 things you need to know today:�December 31, 2012 - The Week: Hillary Clinton is hospitalized, Kim Kardashian is pregnant, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion
As 2012 passes into 2013, keep the eyes of your heart fixed on the Son of Man
Beginning to Pray: Welcoming the New Year with PraiseLILLES: As the New Year dawns, many see this as an opportunity for all kinds of excitement and insobriety. � For others, the New Year is something to dread with great anxiety. � But for souls whom God has graced with the gift of prayer, this passage of time is a new moment in which to keep the eyes of the heart fixed on the Son of Man. �
An amazing video of a physics teacher's most important lesson on love
Amazing Video of Physics Teacher Most Important Lesson on Love |Blogs | NCRegister.comMATTARCHBOLD: This is just astoundingly beautiful. Great thanks to The New York Times for running this amazing video on this teacher and the great love he has for his disabled son. It's 12 minutes long, so I know that for some of you that's something like 11 and a half minutes over your typical allowance for video. But please trust me that this is worth it.
New Year's resolutions for the overwhelmed
New Year's Resolutions for the Overwhelmed |Blogs | NCRegister.comFULWILER: I love New Year's resolutions. I relish putting together long lists of ambitious goals every December 31st, and waking up on January 1, ready for my new, perfect, problem-free life! Needless to say, I never have quite found the resolution list that actually accomplishes all of that; in fact, I usually end up forgetting half of my New Year's goals, and only partially hitting the others.
Fourteen Catholic activists face possible death penalty in Vietnam for online activities
VIETNAM Fourteen Catholic activists could get the death penalty in Vietnam - Asia News: A group of Catholic human rights activists could get the death penalty. On 6 January, they will go on trial on subversion for violating Article 79 of the Vietnam Criminal Code, "Carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people's administration," which can entail capital punishment. The 14 people are Hồ Đức Hòa, Đặng Xuân Diệu, Lê Văn Sơn, Nguyễn Văn Duyệt, Nguyễn Văn Oai, Nguyễn Xuân Anh, Hồ Văn Oanh, Thái Văn Dung, Trần Minh Nhật, Nguyễn Đình Cương, Nông Hùng Anh, Đặng Thị Ngọc Minh, Nguyễn Đặng Minh Mẫn, and Nguyễn Đặng Vĩnh Phúc.
Riot police called in as squatters storm Vatican Embassy in Paris
Squatters storm Vatican Embassy in Paris: Riot police called in as activists stage protest over homeless immigrant row | Mail Online: Riot police were called to the Vatican Embassy in Paris today after it was occupied by campaigners for homeless immigrants.
The invasion of a sacred diplomatic space was being viewed with ‘extreme seriousness’, said an officer at the scene, who added that ‘around fifty people had got inside’.
However, by lunchtime there had been no arrests, and the protesters had pledged to leave peacefully after making their point, said the police officer.
All were campaigning against the Catholic Church’s decision to evacuate a church in Lille, northern France, earlier this month because it was being used as a homeless squat.
The invasion of a sacred diplomatic space was being viewed with ‘extreme seriousness’, said an officer at the scene, who added that ‘around fifty people had got inside’.
However, by lunchtime there had been no arrests, and the protesters had pledged to leave peacefully after making their point, said the police officer.
All were campaigning against the Catholic Church’s decision to evacuate a church in Lille, northern France, earlier this month because it was being used as a homeless squat.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
9 things you should know about how the Church celebrates January 1
9 Things You Should Know About How the Church Celebrates January 1 |Blogs | NCRegister.comAKIN: January 1 is an important day in the Church's liturgy.
There is a lot that we commemorate on this day!
What we are celebrating, and why we are celebrating it now, can be a little confusing.
Here are nine things you should know...
There is a lot that we commemorate on this day!
What we are celebrating, and why we are celebrating it now, can be a little confusing.
Here are nine things you should know...
Glad tidings of liturgical beauty and joy
Glad Tidings of Liturgical Beauty and Joy |Blogs | NCRegister.comBURKE: In St. Ignatius’ eighth rule of discernment he admonishes us that when we are in desolation we should comfort ourselves that we “will soon be consoled.” And so it is that on the final leg of our vacation trip home we encountered a jewel of Catholic worship in Dallas, Texas. As God in His providence obviously provided, we selected a parish purely based on our interest in the beautiful architecture and convenience of location. He had much more in store for us than we could have ever anticipated.�
Little-know Quadrantids present first chance for meteor watching in 2013
NASA - Quadrantids Create Year's First Meteor Shower: A little-known meteor shower named after an extinct constellation, the Quadrantids will present an excellent chance for hardy souls to start the year off with some late-night meteor watching. Peaking in the wee morning hours of Jan. 3, the Quadrantids have a maximum rate of about 80 per hour, varying between 60-200. Unfortunately, light from a waning gibbous moon will wash out many Quadrantids, cutting down on the number of meteors seen by skywatchers.
City Lights, Part 1: NASA releases a higher-resolution photograph of the United States at night
dnb_united_states_lrg.jpg (6646�4430): After it loads, try zooming to your local area.
The rainbow eucalyptus is one of the most amazing trees in the world
Curiosities: Rainbow Eucalyptus: These trees may look like they've been painted, but their bark produces all natural colors making them one of the most amazing trees in the world.� Rainbow eucalyptus are mostly in New Guinea, New Britain and Sulawesi.
Why are we in love with the sea? Everyone knows we are, but no one knows why...
The Sea Within : The Integrated Catholic LifeKREEFT: Modern times are not the low tide of sea-love but the high.� Our minds may have demythologized the sea, but our hearts have not.� We no longer think of it as Mother, or goddess, or spirit, as our ancestors did, but I think we love it even more than they did.� Just look at the prices on real estate ads for oceanfront land…
City Lights, Part 2: If all the lights went out around the world, what would city dwellers see at night?
Strombo | If All The Lights Went Out Around The World, What Would People In Cities See At Night?: If you live in a heavily populated area, chances are you don't see the stars in the night sky all that often. Light pollution in cities and large towns turns the sky into a hazy, detail-free area.
So what are we missing?
So what are we missing?
The 4 reasons that Christ was born (one of which might surprise you)
The 4 Reasons Christ Was BornCARDARONELLA: Why was Christ born? To die for our sins, right?
That’s true, but I think it’s an incomplete view of Christ’s life and mission.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraphs 456-460, gives us four reasons why the Word become Flesh.
While you might have guessed the first three, the last one might surprise you. It might even seem a bit blasphemous.
But that one gives you the ultimate reason Christ came to earth and the true goal of the Christian life.
That’s true, but I think it’s an incomplete view of Christ’s life and mission.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraphs 456-460, gives us four reasons why the Word become Flesh.
While you might have guessed the first three, the last one might surprise you. It might even seem a bit blasphemous.
But that one gives you the ultimate reason Christ came to earth and the true goal of the Christian life.
10 things you need to know today: December 30, 2012
10 things you need to know today: December 30, 2012 - The Week: Snow blankets parts of New England, the Indian rape victim is cremated, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion
How to make your family holy
How to Make Your Family Holy : The Integrated Catholic LifeBICKERSTAFF: My parents came from very different religious backgrounds. My father was a Baptist and my mother Catholic. They fell in love and were married in 1940 in the Deep South; at a time and place that harbored much suspicion and misunderstanding between these two faiths. My father, after looking into Catholicism, agreed to raise his children in the Catholic faith. This was no easy decision for him to take or for the family from which he came to understand.
How to read wisely in 2013
How to Read in 2013 - NYTimes.comDOUTHAT: Come what may in the next 12 months, 2013 has this much going for it: It’s a year without a midterm election, and a year that’s as far removed as possible from the next presidential race. This means that for a blessed 365 days you can be a well-informed and responsible American citizen without reading every single article on Politico, without hitting refresh every 30 seconds on your polling-average site of choice, without channel-hopping between Chris Matthews’s hyperventilating and Dick Morris’s promises of an inevitable Republican landslide.
Sharks? Lions? Grizzly bears? Think again. The world's most dangerous animal is...
Origins of new diseases: Zoonotic pandemics come from bats, birds, monkeys, cows, and other animals. - Slate Magazine: In May, 1997, a 3-year-old boy was admitted to an ICU in Hong Kong after suffering from influenza for a week. Two days later, the boy died of pneumonia. His case would have been merely a curiosity if it weren’t for 17 more patients who came down with the illness months later. In all, six people died from a strain of influenza that had never been seen in humans before, dubbed H5N1.
Go to Hobby Lobby. Buy stuff. They are on the front lines...
Waiting for Godot to Leave: Liberty is More Than a HobbyO'BRIEN: Breitbart has a thrilling story about the Christian couple who run Hobby Lobby, and their plans for civil disobedience in the face of Obama's unjust HHS Mandate.
At great financial risk to themselves and their company, the Green family will refuse to fund drugs that cause abortion, mandated as part of Obamacare.� This may ruin them and destroy their life's work, costing them a potential $1.3 million per day in fines - but it is the right thing to do, indeed the heroic thing to do - whether you're a Christian or a member of any Faith - or even an atheist.
At great financial risk to themselves and their company, the Green family will refuse to fund drugs that cause abortion, mandated as part of Obamacare.� This may ruin them and destroy their life's work, costing them a potential $1.3 million per day in fines - but it is the right thing to do, indeed the heroic thing to do - whether you're a Christian or a member of any Faith - or even an atheist.
Why do tragedies like Newtown make "nones" feel frozen out and defensive?
In a Crisis, Humanists Seem Absent - NYTimes.com: Since the Newtown massacre on Dec. 14, the tableau of grief and mourning has provided a vivid lesson in the religious variety of America. An interfaith service featuring President Obama, held two days after Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, included clergy members from Bahai, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and both mainline and evangelical Protestant congregations.
The Catholic year in review, and some predictions for 2013
The Year in Review. And PredictionsMAGISTER: A strong indicator of secularization in countries of ancient Christian tradition is the decline in sacramental marriages.
Italy too is glaringly marked by this decline. The 2012 edition of the “Annuario statistico italiano," published in recent days by the ISTAT, has documented that for the first time, in northern Italy, civil marriages have surpassed religious marriages, in the proportion of 51.7 against 48.3 for every hundred marriages.
Italy too is glaringly marked by this decline. The 2012 edition of the “Annuario statistico italiano," published in recent days by the ISTAT, has documented that for the first time, in northern Italy, civil marriages have surpassed religious marriages, in the proportion of 51.7 against 48.3 for every hundred marriages.
Recovering God's plan for marriage and family
Recovering God’s Plan for Marriage and Family: A Sermon on the Feast of the Holy Family | Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: Here in the middle of the Christmas Octave, the Church bids us to celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. On the old calendar, the feast of the Holy Family falls on the Sunday after Epiphany, which makes some sense. For it is a bit odd to read a gospel portraying Jesus as 12 years of age, a mere 5 days after his birth. And then, next week, we revert back to a Gospel where he is an infant, on the Feast of Epiphany.
There's no place like home!
The Holy Family: There’s No Place Like Home!SCHIFFER: Mary and Joseph must have felt the same way, when they finally settled into their routine in Nazareth.� First there was that arduous trip to Bethlehem for the census and the frantic search for lodging.� Joseph had been forced to make their bed in a lowly stable—and there, as darkness fell in that faraway land, Mary’s labor began and she delivered her firstborn Son in the brittle straw.� Just a few days later, they climbed to Jerusalem to present the newborn Jesus at the Temple—where both Simeon and Anna prophesied, telling the young couple that their infant was the Messiah! �Finally, Joseph and Mary had to make that hurried flight into Egypt to escape Herod’s murderous attack on young Jewish male children.
Pope's Sunday Angelus: Parents are "neither friends nor masters" of their children, but "guardians of an incomparable gift"
Vatican Radio - Angelus: A prayer for all the families of the world: This Sunday, as tens of thousands thronged St Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI marked the Feast of the Holy Family with a special prayer for “all the families of the world”: That parents “seriously concern” themselves with their children’s education, that they realise that every child is “an incomparable gift from God”, and that they are neither “friends nor masters” of their children’s lives but “guardians” of this gift.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Top 10 strategies for making your New Year's resolution stick
Top 10 Strategies for Making Your New Year's Resolution Stick: 2013 is on the horizon, and most of us are scrambling to make up a few New Year's resolutions that, frankly, we'll probably forget about in February. Here's how to create a resolution that actually sticks so you can better yourself this year.
What Jesus taught Mary when he was "lost", and then found
What Jesus taught Mary when he was "lost", and then found | The New Theological MovementERLENBUSH: Tradition holds that Blessed Mary alone remained steadfast in faith, even in the midst of her grief, on the Saturday of our Savior’s rest in the tomb. She knew, by her perfect faith, that Jesus would indeed rise from the dead on the third day – perhaps this is why she did not go with the other women to the tomb on Easter Sunday morning, she knew that she must not seek the living among the dead.
How is it that Mary knew that Jesus would rise from the dead? What event, if any, can be singled out as the moment when she first began to understand that her beloved Son would die and rise again?
How is it that Mary knew that Jesus would rise from the dead? What event, if any, can be singled out as the moment when she first began to understand that her beloved Son would die and rise again?
On the feast of St. Thomas Becket, we thank God for gutsy bishops like Cardinal George
Thank God for Gutsy Bishops: St. Thomas a Becket, another gutsy bishop, pray for Cdl. George. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
1000 unchurched hipsters singing songs about the Incarnation? That's the genius of Sufjan Stevens...
What We Can Learn From Sufjan Stevens About Sacred Music | Music and the Sacred: Being a regular fan and listener of Sufjan’s music, I had known for a while about his upcoming Christmas tour/concert, but hadn’t thought far enough in advance to buy myself a ticket. So finally, the semester ended, we packed our little family in the car and drove back to Buffalo to spend some time with extended family before Christmas. It was a very cold Tuesday night, and, being my hard-headed self, I decided that there was nothing that would keep me from getting into this concert. After getting denied by the people at Will Call, I did finally manage to snag a ticket and make my way in, only to be completely knocked on my behind by what transpired over the next several hours.
Why did the turtle cross the road? Clemson student uncovers a dark side of human nature
SMASHING TURTLES: Clemson Student Uncovers a Dark Side of Human NatureSCHIFFER: Changing habitat, mating instinct, egg laying. There are plenty of reasons why a healthy young box turtle would set out for adventure on the other side of a busy roadway.
Problem is, the population of South Carolina’s box turtles has declined - in part because of the reptile’s propensity for strolling out into traffic.
Problem is, the population of South Carolina’s box turtles has declined - in part because of the reptile’s propensity for strolling out into traffic.
The Holy Father's prayer intentions for January 2013
VIS news - Holy See Press Office: BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR JANUARY 2013: Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for January 2013 is: "That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him".
His mission intention is: "That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance".
His mission intention is: "That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance".
Why is the Pope on Twitter? Because the Church is in a battle for every human soul...
On Every ChannelWARREN: Shakespeare has been luckier than the Bible or the prayer books, over the last few generations. No prim and earnest committees have been struck by the English Departments, to rewrite his text. The surviving professors have been content to continue fussing over the manuscripts.
I once toyed with, then abandoned, a little satirical production that would be presented as “the new ICEL version of Julius Caesar,” working on the same principles as the begetters of the Roman Missal of 1973. It would deliver that “less literal correspondence with the original as a dynamic equivalence” feeling. Needless to say, all the poetry would disappear, along with any meaning it happened to be carrying when last seen.
I once toyed with, then abandoned, a little satirical production that would be presented as “the new ICEL version of Julius Caesar,” working on the same principles as the begetters of the Roman Missal of 1973. It would deliver that “less literal correspondence with the original as a dynamic equivalence” feeling. Needless to say, all the poetry would disappear, along with any meaning it happened to be carrying when last seen.
10 things you need to know today: December 29, 2012
10 things you need to know today: December 29, 2012 - The Week: America barrels toward the fiscal cliff, Indian gang-rape suspects face murder charges, and more in our roundup of stories that are making news and driving opinion
It is repellent to be told by an faceless power that we cannot love our neighbors
Why Are Catholics Still Whining About the HHS Mandate?BARNES: How would a government abandon allegiance to the First Amendment and “prohibit the free exercise of religion”? Since scientism and porn are gentler practices than faith, we have scooped out our religious natures like the last slop of ice cream, and it is currently difficult, if not impossible, to have a clear conception of what — precisely — constitutes an injustice to the religious man.
Are the gospel accounts mythological?
Are the Gospels a Myth?LONGENECKER: One of the most common pronouncements by the atheists in the combox is that “Christianity is a myth.”
In one sense they are correct. The gospel story does operate like a myth. However, most of the atheists making this comment do not seem to have a very knowledgeable understanding of myth and how it works. They don’t seem to understand the richness and the ambiguity of the term “myth”. When they say “myth” what they mean is “fairy tale”. Even the term “fairy tale” has far deeper and richer levels of meaning than they are aware of. They use the term “myth” to indicate a funny story about gods and goddesses that simple people made up long ago. When they say “myth” and mean “fairy tale” what they really mean is that “this is a made up pretend story which has no basis in history or scientific veracity.” When they say “myth” they mean “this is not a story like they read in the newspaper or in the history books.”
In one sense they are correct. The gospel story does operate like a myth. However, most of the atheists making this comment do not seem to have a very knowledgeable understanding of myth and how it works. They don’t seem to understand the richness and the ambiguity of the term “myth”. When they say “myth” what they mean is “fairy tale”. Even the term “fairy tale” has far deeper and richer levels of meaning than they are aware of. They use the term “myth” to indicate a funny story about gods and goddesses that simple people made up long ago. When they say “myth” and mean “fairy tale” what they really mean is that “this is a made up pretend story which has no basis in history or scientific veracity.” When they say “myth” they mean “this is not a story like they read in the newspaper or in the history books.”
No one goes away from Jesus unchanged (as seen on TV)
No One Goes Away From Jesus Unchanged, As Seen on TV | Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: Yes, it is a fact that no one encounters Jesus Christ and goes away unchanged. A blind man went away able to see, the deaf went away able to hear, the lame could walk, the hungry went away satisfied, the ignorant were instructed, the guilty forgiven, and sinners were converted.
And the call of the nations to new life and to change began with a star. And the light of the star opens the way to the Light of World, Jesus. The star of my life is Jesus.
And the call of the nations to new life and to change began with a star. And the light of the star opens the way to the Light of World, Jesus. The star of my life is Jesus.
Philippine president secretly signs contraceptives law
Philippine president signs contraceptives law opposed by the country’s Roman Catholic Church - The Washington Post: The Philippine president has signed a law that will promote contraception, sexual education and family planning programs vigorously opposed by the country’s Roman Catholic Church.
President Benigno Aquino III signed the law on Dec. 21 and his administration announced it only Saturday because of the “sensitivity” of the issue, said deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte.
President Benigno Aquino III signed the law on Dec. 21 and his administration announced it only Saturday because of the “sensitivity” of the issue, said deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte.
Friday, December 28, 2012
The growing army of Holy Innocents bears witness to an astonishing truth about Christmas
Christ’s Birth and Our Potential | First ThingsJDFLYNN: Two weeks ago, as fathers have done since Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I held my just-born daughter to my chest, closed my eyes, and uttered a prayer of thanksgiving to the God who has blessed me so abundantly. My wife was not recovering from the ordeal of labor as I held our daughter. She was standing next to me, holding my hand. Our daughter is adopted, as is our son.
Lessons from Les Miserables: 5 ways to respond to human suffering
MOVIE THOUGHTS: Les Miserables � rachel & reesa: The essential differences between the students’ self-sacrifice for the people who never come, and Jean Valjean’s sacrifice and submission to Javert is this: the students expect the people to rise, and they fight for that anticipated utopian ideal. Valjean expects nothing, except perhaps for follow after him and arrest him once he has been set free. Valjean performs his sacrifice with no notion of recompense. Every act of self-gift is a perfect and free gift. That is Christian charity.
The 11 most fascinating scientific discoveries of 2012
The 11 most fascinating scientific discoveries of 2012 - The Week: In scientific circles, 2012 will be remembered as the year we finally caught a glimpse of the elusive Higgs boson, otherwise known as the God particle. But these past 12 months were about much more than particle physics, with key findings in the fields of biology, deep space, and neuroscience. Here, in no particular order, 11 of the year's most fascinating discoveries from across the scientific spectrum...
Friday is the 20th anniversary of Mother Angelica's EWTN Radio network
A Signal for the New Evangelization | Daily News | NCRegister.comDRAKE: Mother Angelica may be best known for starting a Catholic television network, but her launch of shortwave radio on December 28, 1992, has also held its own in the work of the new evangelization. EWTN Radio has seen tremendous growth, with 215 stations now on air and new projects in the works. For the 20th anniversary of EWTN Radio, David Vacheresse, general manager of EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network, spoke with Register senior writer Tim Drake about the radio network’s past, present and future.
Ontario man’s sight restored with help of adult stem cells
Ontario man’s sight restored with help of stem cells | CTV News: When Taylor Binns slowly began going blind because of complications with his contact lenses, he started to prepare for living the rest of his life without vision. But an innovative treatment using stem cells has changed all that, and returned to him the gift of sight.
Pro-lifers should consider adding the word "ambivalence" to their vocabulary
OSV Daily Take Blog: Shaw: Abortion battle 40 years after Roe v. WadeSHAW: As the pro-life movement contemplates four decades of legalized abortion in the United States and asks itself what really needs doing to halt this hideous scandal, pro-lifers should consider adding a new word to their vocabulary: ambivalence.
According to the dictionary, ambivalence is the state of having mutually conflicting emotions or thoughts about something. And where abortion is concerned, that obviously is how things stand with a substantial number of Americans. They don't like abortion, but they want it to be legally available.
According to the dictionary, ambivalence is the state of having mutually conflicting emotions or thoughts about something. And where abortion is concerned, that obviously is how things stand with a substantial number of Americans. They don't like abortion, but they want it to be legally available.
Work begins on dorms for Catholic students at two secular universities
Work begins on dorms for Catholic students at two secular universities | National Catholic Reporter: Catholic students at one secular university in Florida soon will have a dormitory all their own.
In a historic collaboration, Bishop John G. Noonan of Orlando, Fla., Anthony J. Catanese, president of Florida Institute of Technology, Matt Zerrusen, president of the Newman Student Housing Fund, and Salvatorian Fr. Douglas Bailey, chaplain of Catholic campus ministry at the school, participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking for Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Student Residence on Dec. 7.
In a historic collaboration, Bishop John G. Noonan of Orlando, Fla., Anthony J. Catanese, president of Florida Institute of Technology, Matt Zerrusen, president of the Newman Student Housing Fund, and Salvatorian Fr. Douglas Bailey, chaplain of Catholic campus ministry at the school, participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking for Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Student Residence on Dec. 7.
An interview with Tom Peterson of 'Catholics Come Home'
Interview with Tom Peterson - On Catholics Come Home | BrandonVogt.comVOGT: Tom Peterson was a successful, award-winning advertising executive for almost three decades. But in 1997, he experienced a profound conversion at a parish retreat that set him in a new direction. He applied his advertising skills to spreading the Gospel and the result was two new media apostolates.
The first is called VirtueMedia.org, which helps promote the sanctity of life through commercials, websites, and more.
The other is the one Tom is probably best known for, Catholics Come Home. Featuring high-quality television commercials and a beautiful, dynamic website, Catholics Come Home models the New Evangelization. Dioceses and parishes across the world have used their materials to draw thousands of people back to the Church.
The first is called VirtueMedia.org, which helps promote the sanctity of life through commercials, websites, and more.
The other is the one Tom is probably best known for, Catholics Come Home. Featuring high-quality television commercials and a beautiful, dynamic website, Catholics Come Home models the New Evangelization. Dioceses and parishes across the world have used their materials to draw thousands of people back to the Church.
26 things you didn't know about 5 types of sleds
26 Things You Didn’t Know About 5 Types of Sleds - Mental Floss: Initially developed to haul loads over snowy terrain, sleds quickly evolved into recreational devices. I can fondly recall many a snow day spent hurtling down the hill in my backyard, inevitably ending up in the hedge, and emerging, scratched and exhilarated, ready for another go. I’m sure many of you have similar memories. So without further ado, here are a few things you might not have known about the history of sledding; many of these facts came from Brice J. Hoskin’s The Sled Book: Notes Concerning Winter’s Favorite Pastime.
The joy and challenge of family life: Readings for the upcoming Feast of the Holy Family
The Sacred Page: The Joy and Challenge of Family Life: Readings for the Feast of the Holy FamilyBERGSMA: The Sunday within the Octave of Christmas is always dedicated to contemplation of the Holy Family, giving us the opportunity to meditate on the way in which the family structure, established by God and perfectly mirrored in the Holy Family, reflects His own familial nature (as Father, Son, and Spirit) and shows us the truth about ourselves and our deepest longings for love, acceptance, and communion with other persons.
A behind-the-scenes glimpse at Pope Benedict's "Jesus of Nazareth"
New Advent: A behind-the-scenes glimpse at Pope Benedict's "Jesus of Nazareth": Msgr. Philip Whitmore, an official at the Vatican Secretariat of State, talks about his experience translating the last installment of Pope Benedict XVI's "Jesus of Nazareth" into English.
On the Feast of the Holy Innocents, a meditation on the sins committed against children
On The Feast of the Holy Innocents, A Meditation on the Sins Committed Against Children | Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: Exactly two weeks ago many young children lost their lives in a cruel and horrifying shooting in Connecticut. I do not need to remind any of you of the detail. They are seared in our memory.
Today, we observe the feast of the Holy Innocents, a feast commemorating the young children, of even younger age who were cruelly murdered by the paranoid and crazed killer known as Herod “the Great.” So paranoid was he that others might usurp or limit his power that he killed three of his own sons, and his wife. He ruthlessly killed many others as well. As his own death drew near, according to Josephus,� Herod decreed that in order that the nation properly mourn his death, one member of each family should be killed in his honor, and thus the mourning in all Israel for him would be sincere. His last and final act as King was to rise from his death bed and sentence to death a group of Jewish zealots who had removed an Eagle he place over the entrance of the temple. They had thought the image a desecration. Having killed them, he himself died (in bed) the next day.
Today, we observe the feast of the Holy Innocents, a feast commemorating the young children, of even younger age who were cruelly murdered by the paranoid and crazed killer known as Herod “the Great.” So paranoid was he that others might usurp or limit his power that he killed three of his own sons, and his wife. He ruthlessly killed many others as well. As his own death drew near, according to Josephus,� Herod decreed that in order that the nation properly mourn his death, one member of each family should be killed in his honor, and thus the mourning in all Israel for him would be sincere. His last and final act as King was to rise from his death bed and sentence to death a group of Jewish zealots who had removed an Eagle he place over the entrance of the temple. They had thought the image a desecration. Having killed them, he himself died (in bed) the next day.
10 things you need to know today: December 28, 2012
10 things you need to know today: December 28, 2012 - The Week: Schwarzkopf, commander of the 1991 Gulf War, dies, Russia bans U.S. adoptions, and more in our roundup of stories that are making news and driving opinion
Here's how to know when you've crossed the line from anger to hatred
What Hate Really Means |Blogs | NCRegister.comZMIRAK: This Advent seems as if we’d skipped straight over Christmas to the Feast of the Holy Innocents—though as that bleak story unfurled, I don’t recall that it led to a call for “sword control,” or fierce debates over whether every Israelite ought to be armed to resist such government tyranny.
Too bad, in retrospect, that they weren’t—though when the Zealots finally got their way and found a “Messiah” who’d lead a rebellion, the outcome was not what they’d hoped for: a massive, multi-year siege by Roman armies that ended in the destruction of Jerusalem and a 2,000 Diaspora. One key element in making any war “just” is “reasonable chance of success.” That’s the reason—the only reason—why using private force to stop abortions is unjust, as I argued some years ago when a vigilante shot late-term abortionist George Tiller.
Too bad, in retrospect, that they weren’t—though when the Zealots finally got their way and found a “Messiah” who’d lead a rebellion, the outcome was not what they’d hoped for: a massive, multi-year siege by Roman armies that ended in the destruction of Jerusalem and a 2,000 Diaspora. One key element in making any war “just” is “reasonable chance of success.” That’s the reason—the only reason—why using private force to stop abortions is unjust, as I argued some years ago when a vigilante shot late-term abortionist George Tiller.
Tidings of discomfort and liturgical abuse
Tidings of discomfort and liturgical abuse |Blogs | NCRegister.comDANBURKE: This Christmas, I was delighted to have the opportunity to travel across at least three states to celebrate the joy of this season with my family. This was the good news. The bad news? I was pelted to a spiritual pulp by liturgical abuse after abuse. Because the Mass in my home parish is faithful, I have not had to endure this level of concentrated torture for some time — and, frankly, the shock was a bit much to take.
A mysterious incident from Jesus' childhood
A Mysterious Incident from Jesus' Childhood |Blogs | NCRegister.comAKIN: This episode in the life of the Holy Family begins on a holiday: specifically, the feast of Passover.
Luke records that the Holy Family went up to Jerusalem each year for the feast of Passover, apparently in a company of "their kinsfolk and acquaintances," and when Jesus was twelve, he stayed behind in Jerusalem.
Joseph and Mary did not realize this until they had already gone "a day's journey" back to Nazareth, at which point they realized he was not with the company.
They thus began to experience the agony and anxiety of parents who discover their child is missing.
And note the foreshadowing: Was there ever another time in Jesus life, at Passover, in Jerusalem, when Mary would be deprived of Jesus?
Luke records that the Holy Family went up to Jerusalem each year for the feast of Passover, apparently in a company of "their kinsfolk and acquaintances," and when Jesus was twelve, he stayed behind in Jerusalem.
Joseph and Mary did not realize this until they had already gone "a day's journey" back to Nazareth, at which point they realized he was not with the company.
They thus began to experience the agony and anxiety of parents who discover their child is missing.
And note the foreshadowing: Was there ever another time in Jesus life, at Passover, in Jerusalem, when Mary would be deprived of Jesus?
Worldwide there are more deaths due to suicide than to accidents, homicides, and war combined
Suicide - A Multidimensional CrisisSTEELE: I’m about to enter an emotional minefield. And it’s uncomfortable. Walking in the redwoods and chatting about my life with a friend is one thing. Reflecting on my spiritual journey through time and space in a book is another. But in the Internet age, revealing a very dark moment in my life can be risky. Very.
Hobby Lobby vows to defy federal abortion order; risks fines of $1.3 million per day
Atty: Hobby Lobby won't offer morning-after pill - CBS News: An attorney for Hobby Lobby Stores said Thursday that the arts and crafts chain plans to defy a federal mandate requiring it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill, despite risking potential fines of up to $1.3 million per day.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
There's something wrong with The Hobbit. Only an hour into it, I was already checking my watch...
Pursued by Truth: The Hobbit Hobbles: An Unexpected Journey ReviewedNOBLE: When I was about ten years old on several cold, blustery evenings before a crackling fire, my Dad read me The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I loved the story. I was intent on my Dad's every word and urged him to read it every night until he finished the tale of Bilbo's adventures.�
Needless to say, I was excited to see the first movie in what is to be a trilogy based on the book. I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings trilogy and was hoping for something that would match that standard of tale-weaving onscreen. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed.�
Needless to say, I was excited to see the first movie in what is to be a trilogy based on the book. I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings trilogy and was hoping for something that would match that standard of tale-weaving onscreen. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed.�
Looking for a place to stay when you travel? Why not a monastery or convent?
Fulfilling montastery stays - Chicago Tribune: In early December I stumbled on what may be the largest breakfast in Chicago. It didn't come with a flashy, down-home title, like the "Monster Truck Driver Combo" or the "Peterbilt Protein Pile-up." Instead it was served to me in near silence, by two demure monks at the Monastery of the Holy Cross, where I was staying as a guest at the bed-and-breakfast (chicagomonk.org).
For the third day of Christmas: Frank La Rocca's setting of O Magnum Mysterium
New Advent: For the third day of Christmas: Frank La Rocca's setting of O Magnum Mysterium: Sung by the Artists Vocal Ensemble, Jonathan Dimmock, Director, this is a video to Frank La Rocca's setting of O Magnum Mysterium.
Blessed are the uncertain
Blessed Are the Uncertain |Blogs | NCRegister.comFISHER: At the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel told Mary that Elizabeth was already in her sixth month; so, by the time of the Visitation, Elizabeth must have been almost ready to give birth.� We mothers can attest that, by the end of the third trimester, the baby can't so much as yawn or wiggle a toe without getting our attention.� That baby moves and we feel it! As newborns, some of my babies had the habit of rhythmically turning their heads from side to side, or of putting one arm up over their heads -- and, seeing it for the first time, I thought: Oh, so that's what you were doing in there, you little one!� Odd sensation, to be so familiar with a phenomenon without actually knowing what it is.
Inspector Javert of Les Miserables: No quarter asked or given
Javert: No Quarter Asked or GivenLIBRESCO: Valjean and Javert are opposed, not only in their relationship to each other, but in their relationship to the grace and forgiveness that each is offered. Valjean, newly released from prison, robs a bishop who extravagantly forgives him. Javert is discovered as a spy among the revolutionaries, and Valjean volunteers to carry out his execution, but secretly spares his life and sets him free.
Seeing Jesus in the Gospel of John
Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog: Seeing Jesus in the Gospel of JohnOLSON: The farewell discourses of Jesus, as the Gospel of John presents them to us, hover in a singular way between time and eternity, between the present hour of the Passion and the new presence of Jesus that is already dawning, because the Passion itself is at the same time his "glorification" as well. On the one hand, the darkness of the betrayal, of the denial, of the abandonment of Jesus to the ultimate ignominy of the Cross weighs upon these discourses; in them, on the other hand, it seems that all of this has already been overcome and resolved into the glory that is to come.
Why can't you put metal in the microwave?
Why Can’t You Put Metal in the Microwave? - Mental Floss: We’ve all heard that it’s not safe to put metal in the microwave. But the fact of the matter is, we often put metals in the microwave—like when we heat up a Hot Pocket, for example. Its pouch has a thin layer of aluminum lining that is designed to absorb the microwaves and heat up a bit to brown the outside of the Hot Pocket.
A meditation on the bloody Octave of Christmas
A Meditation on the Bloody Octave of Christmas | Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: Many are shocked to walk into daily Mass on December 26 and instead of hearing more of the “Baby Jesus” we are confronted with Martyrdom, “The Feast of Stephen” is ancient on the Church’s calendar. More ancient than the Christmas cycle and hence it was not removed to another time.
Bu the martyrdom does not stop there. We are in the midst of the Christmas Octave, an Octave filled with blood as we shall see.
Bu the martyrdom does not stop there. We are in the midst of the Christmas Octave, an Octave filled with blood as we shall see.
10 things you need to know today: December 27, 2012
10 things you need to know today: December 27, 2012 - The Week: Russia plans to ban U.S. adoptions, Obama cuts his holiday short, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making the news and driving opinion
What we know of Jesus' life from St. John alone, and what we would not know if we only had the Fourth Gospel
What we know of Jesus' life from St. John alone, and what we would not know if we only had the Fourth Gospel | The New Theological MovementERLENBUSH: The Gospel of St. John, which many of the great Catholic Scholars hold to be the last book of the Bible to be written, is unique among the books of Scripture as being that which is most enlightened and enlightening to all men.
There are many details and events from our Savior’s life which we know only from St. John. And, yet we may be surprised to notice one very significant point concerning which he have no word at all from the Beloved.
There are many details and events from our Savior’s life which we know only from St. John. And, yet we may be surprised to notice one very significant point concerning which he have no word at all from the Beloved.
Here's a source of deep spirituality and safety that lay Catholics often overlook
Navigating the New Year |Blogs | NCRegister.comDANBURKE: A “rule” could sound restrictive or negative but it is more akin to a guide-rail on a nature trail footbridge than it is to any kind of restrictive, constraining force. I have had the opportunity to walk over many footbridges in dangerous and beautiful situations. When the guardrails were in place I was much more able to enjoy the beauty of my surroundings because I didn’t have to worry about getting off course and accidentally falling off the path into a deep valley or a hot pool of boiling mud. In the same way, a rule of life provides spiritual guardrails that allow us to rest squarely within God’s plan and to rest in His presence and grace.
Christmas engagement? 10 wedding tips to get you started...
Christmas Engagement? 10 Wedding Tips to Get You Started | Truth & Charity The Intersection of Faith & LifeMURPHY: Any of you readers get shiny new engagement rings for Christmas?
This may seem like an odd time for a post on the subject of weddings, but seeing as tomorrow is my 5th wedding anniversary and you newly engaged folks will probably be tying the knot only 6 months from now, I thought it might be the perfect opportunity to post about preparing for your Catholic wedding. My advice isn’t just whimsy, it’s gleaned from my own experience planning a wedding, my wife’s experience working for the Church, locating sacramental records, and coordinating several weddings, as well as our shared experience giving talks on several occasions for pre-cana retreats.
This may seem like an odd time for a post on the subject of weddings, but seeing as tomorrow is my 5th wedding anniversary and you newly engaged folks will probably be tying the knot only 6 months from now, I thought it might be the perfect opportunity to post about preparing for your Catholic wedding. My advice isn’t just whimsy, it’s gleaned from my own experience planning a wedding, my wife’s experience working for the Church, locating sacramental records, and coordinating several weddings, as well as our shared experience giving talks on several occasions for pre-cana retreats.
Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor rejects Hobby Lobby's plea for HHS mandate relief
Justice Sotomayor Rejects Hobby Lobby’s Request for Mandate Relief | Daily News | NCRegister.com: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has rejected a request that the federal government temporarily halt enforcement of the federal abortifacient mandate against the Christian-owned business Hobby Lobby, the Associated Press reported Dec. 27.
The Green family, owners of the Oklahoma-based retail chain Hobby Lobby, does not object to providing contraceptives through the company’s health insurance plan. But the company has filed a lawsuit against the Affordable Healthcare Act’s mandate that abortifacient drugs also be funded, on the grounds that involvement in abortions is a violation of the Greens’ religious beliefs.
The Green family, owners of the Oklahoma-based retail chain Hobby Lobby, does not object to providing contraceptives through the company’s health insurance plan. But the company has filed a lawsuit against the Affordable Healthcare Act’s mandate that abortifacient drugs also be funded, on the grounds that involvement in abortions is a violation of the Greens’ religious beliefs.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Mormonism and the martyrdom of St. Stephen
Shameless Popery: Mormonism and the Martyrdom of St. StephenHESCHMEYER: While both Catholics and LDS agree on the importance of praying to the Father, the LDS claim that this should be done to the exclusion of the Son. �Although they acknowledge that prayer to Jesus occurred in the Old Testament, Mormons refuse to do it today because they don't see it in the New Testament. �This is where St. Stephen's martyrdom comes in.
The world's most dangerous ride
New Advent: The world's most dangerous bike ride: One mistake and it's a free fall to your death. Motology's Adam Riemann rides one of the scariest Himalayan trails you'll ever see.
Did the slaughter of the Holy Innocents really happen?
Did the slaughter of the innocents really happen? |Blogs | NCRegister.comAKIN: On December 28, the Church commemorates the slaughter of the holy innocents.
These are the baby boys in Bethlehem that Herod the Great had slaughtered in an attempt to kill the Baby Jesus.
But many people today challenge the idea that this ever took place.
"We have no record of it!" they say.
Actually, we do...
These are the baby boys in Bethlehem that Herod the Great had slaughtered in an attempt to kill the Baby Jesus.
But many people today challenge the idea that this ever took place.
"We have no record of it!" they say.
Actually, we do...
The laws of physics can't trump the bonds of love
Laws of Physics Can't Trump the Bonds of Love - NYTimes.com: Jeffrey Wright is well known around his high school in Louisville, Ky., for his antics as a physics teacher, which include exploding pumpkins, hovercraft and a scary experiment that involves a bed of nails, a cinder block and a sledgehammer.
Amazing viral YouTube video wins NFL tryout for Norwegian kicker
YouTube video wins Norwegian kicker NFL tryout - NFL- NBC Sports: A Norwegian whose Youtube clip of spectacular trick shots has been watched over half a million times could be on the verge of a National Football League (NFL) contract as a kicker.
The video caught the attention of professional teams in the United States, and Norwegian state broadcaster NRK has reported that its star, Havard Rugland, had a tryout for the NFL's New York Jets this week.
"It went well," Rugland told NRK. "They tested me on field goals and kickoffs. Obviously you feel a little more pressure here, but I stayed pretty calm."
The video shows the 27-year-old performing some outrageous tricks and kicks, from nailing 60-yard field goals to soccer-style scissor kicks and volleys with American footballs.
The video caught the attention of professional teams in the United States, and Norwegian state broadcaster NRK has reported that its star, Havard Rugland, had a tryout for the NFL's New York Jets this week.
"It went well," Rugland told NRK. "They tested me on field goals and kickoffs. Obviously you feel a little more pressure here, but I stayed pretty calm."
The video shows the 27-year-old performing some outrageous tricks and kicks, from nailing 60-yard field goals to soccer-style scissor kicks and volleys with American footballs.
Far as the curse is found
Far As the Curse is Found | First ThingsDINOIA: For this child, the road that begins in Bethlehem continues on to Golgotha, and beyond to glory. The enchanting beauty that surrounds us on this feast of the nativity of our Lord celebrates the glory of the champion of our salvation. But between the nativity and the glory there was the cross, the passion and the death of our precious Savior. With Mary we gaze with joy on the child over whose ruined body we shall later shed bitter tears. The Father of heaven and earth did not hesitate to allow his only-begotten Son to become the Son of Mary in order to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found.
Chameleons? Meh. Octopi are the real kings of disguise...
Octopi: The New Kings of Disguise - Mental Floss: At the age of 21, snorkeling the clear, blue waters off Panama’s coast, Roger Hanlon caught his first glimpse of it. As the teenager scanned for vibrant sea life, his tall frame cast a shadow on an octopus below. Sensing danger, the creature blasted water at Hanlon before dashing off, its skin changing colors as it moved. First terrified, then intrigued, Hanlon chased the 1-pound mollusk for the next 20 minutes. “I just marveled at its changeable camouflage,” he says. “It moved along, fully exposed but really hard to see.”
Why do Catholics worship on Sunday instead of Saturday?
New Advent: Why do Catholics worship on Sunday instead of Saturday?: Groups like the Seventh Day Adventists object to Sunday worship as being a violation of God's commands. They criticize the Catholic Church for "changing" one of God's eternal decrees. But let's examine the Scriptural evidence to see what conclusions we should draw...
God is love, forever and always
God Is Love - Forever And AlwaysSTEELE: Approximately 150 meters above the meandering Ardeche river in France sits an uncharacteristically large limestone cave. Inside, two torches are illuminating a space seventy-five feet from the cave entrance. On the soft clay-like floor, a young woman is cooking meat over a fire, seasoning it with native herbs from the grasslands nearby.
Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem?
Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? | The New Theological MovementERLENBUSH: Men are not able to chose the time and place of their birth, just as no man may choose his mother or father. However, the case of the Christ Child is diverse – for he did indeed choose his holy Mother, having consecrated her from the first moment of her conception; and he chose St. Joseph as his guardian.
In his divinity, through his all-encompassing providence, Jesus willed not only to be born of Mary and to be under the protection of Joseph, but he further willed to be born in the city of David called Bethlehem.
In his divinity, through his all-encompassing providence, Jesus willed not only to be born of Mary and to be under the protection of Joseph, but he further willed to be born in the city of David called Bethlehem.
Some mind-blowing thoughts from Blessed Duns Scotus on the Incarnation
For Mind Blowing, Franciscan Thoughts, on the Incarnation by Bl. John Duns ScotusWEATHERS: In 1868, see, an Anglican cleric named William Gilson Humphrey put together what he called A Digest of the Doctrine of St. Thomas on the Incarnation. In the preface, he notes that Raymond Lully had a theory (remember him?), Aquinas, and a third by Bl. John Duns Scotus, whose idea was followed by heavy thinkers (Suárez, for instance), and the Franciscans, as it turns out.
'It's a Wonderful Life' is a wonderful film
It’s a Wonderful Life Celebrates a Good Life | Prayer and PerspectiveHINKEL: When I was a young retourner to the Catholic faith, I was struggling with desires to revisit a former way of life. Further, I wondered why I should put forth the effort to be good, or, at least, to try to keep the Commandments. This was my ongoing struggle. In an odd way, it was the cause of my apostasy. I fell away while in the military in Panama because I was tired of experiencing alienation. ‘Why’, I asked myself, ‘can’t I just fit in and do what everyone else is doing? Why do I have to feel so guilty about doing what I knew to be bad?’ And there was the rub: I knew in my conscience what was good and bad. My parents did an excellent job of instilling that sense in me, much to my apparent demise. This caused me undo harm, I believed, because it meant that I couldn’t do what everybody else was doing and live with myself. Hence, the alienation. The solution, I wrongly assumed, was to just forget my conscience and party and chase ladies like my buddies. I was simply tired of being the only one (so I perceived) who recognized good from bad, and feeling terribly guilty when indulging in the bad.
Comatose since Christmas 1969: A must-read account of grace, miracles, and unconditional love
Comatose since Christmas 1969: A tale of unconditional love and miracles - CNN.com: Colleen O'Bara bathed her older sister, Edwarda, and fixed her hair. She fed her through a feeding tube like she'd done countless times. It was going to be a good day, the day before Thanksgiving.
With her morning routine complete, Colleen planned to fetch a cup of coffee. She bent down and kissed her big sister, told her she'd be right back.
With her morning routine complete, Colleen planned to fetch a cup of coffee. She bent down and kissed her big sister, told her she'd be right back.
Pope Benedict: "On St. Stephen's Day, we are called to fix our gaze on the Son of God"
Vatican Radio - Pope: St. Stephen, model of New Evangelization: Each year, on the day after Christmas, the liturgy celebrates the feast of St. Stephen, deacon and first martyr. The book of Acts presents him as a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 6.8 to 10, 7.55); in him the full promise of Jesus recounted in today's Gospel passage is fulfilled, which is that believers who are called to bear witness in difficult and dangerous circumstances will not be abandoned or left defenceless: the Spirit of God will speak to them (cf. Mt 10:20). The deacon Stephen, in fact, worked, spoke and died animated by the Holy Spirit, bearing witness to the love of Christ to the point of extreme sacrifice. The first martyr is described, in his suffering, as a perfect imitation of Christ, whose passion is repeated even in the details. The life of Saint Stephen is entirely shaped by God, conformed to Christ, whose passion is repeated in him; in the final moment of death, on his knees, he takes up the prayer of Jesus on the cross, trusting in the Lord (cf. Acts 7.59 ) and forgiving his enemies: " Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (v. 60). Filled with the Holy Spirit, as his eyes are about to close, he fixed his gaze on "Jesus standing at the right hand of God" (v. 55), the Lord of all, who draws all to Him.
10 things you need to know today: December 26, 2012
10 things you need to know today: December 26, 2012 - The Week: A winter storm hits the U.S., Morsi signs Egypt's new constitution, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Urbi et Orbi message for Christmas 2012
Urbi et Orbi, Christmas 2012 - Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVICOATOFARMS: In this Year of Faith, I express my Christmas greetings and good wishes in these words taken from one of the Psalms: “Truth has sprung out of the earth”. Actually, in the text of the Psalm, these words are in the future: “Kindness and truth shall meet; / justice and peace shall kiss. / Truth shall spring out of the earth, /and justice shall look down from heaven. / The Lord himself will give his benefits; / our land shall yield its increase. / Justice shall walk before him, / and salvation, along the way of his steps” (Ps 85:11-14).
During the Pope's Mass last night, something happened that everyone should know about
And another thing about the Holy Father’s Mass for Christmas… GRADUAL! | Fr. Z's Blog – What Does The Prayer Really Say?ZUHLSDORF: During the Holy Father’s 1st Mass of Christmas last night, something happened which everyone should know about.
Instead of a “Responsorial Psalm”, the schola and a cantor sang the Gradual. �No congregational singing for that. �People were given the opportunity to participate by listening.
What a blessed relief.
The Holy Father is leading by example, of course. �Let the iron grip of exclusively congregational singing be broken!
Instead of a “Responsorial Psalm”, the schola and a cantor sang the Gradual. �No congregational singing for that. �People were given the opportunity to participate by listening.
What a blessed relief.
The Holy Father is leading by example, of course. �Let the iron grip of exclusively congregational singing be broken!
Today is born a Savior. And here are some of His saving gifts...
Today is Born a Savior. And here are some of His saving Gifts | Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: There is a Scripture reading proclaimed at the Christmas Liturgy that usually gets overlooked. And yet it should elicit considerable reflection since it is proclaimed at the Christmas Midnight Mass, one of the Church’s most prominent Liturgies. It is from the Letter to Titus in the Second Chapter. I would like to reproduce it in full and then give some commentary following.
The origin story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The origin story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - The Week: Many fictional holiday characters have origins rooted in actual history. Santa Claus, for example, is based loosely on a bishop named St. Nicholas known for giving anonymous gifts in a town in present-day Turkey. But what about Santa's trusty sidekick, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? When did Santa start flying around the globe with a team of magical reindeer, and is there some epic Christmas Eve fog in the history books?�
10 things you need to know today: December 25, 2012
10 things you need to know today: December 25, 2012 - The Week: An ex-con kills two firefighters, a big storm threatens holiday travel plans, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion
How to understand the “Christmas Proclamation”
How to understand the “Christmas Proclamation”AKIN: If you attended Mass on Christmas Eve, you may have heard the “Christmas proclamation.”
This is a beautiful, poetic announcement of the birth of Christ.
It says when Jesus was born, dating it from nine different events.
But the ways that they dated events in the ancient world are different than the ones we use today.
This is a beautiful, poetic announcement of the birth of Christ.
It says when Jesus was born, dating it from nine different events.
But the ways that they dated events in the ancient world are different than the ones we use today.
Pope's Midnight Mass homily: "Again and again it astonishes us that God makes himself a child so that we may love him"
Midnight Mass - Christmas 2012: Again and again the beauty of this Gospel touches our hearts: a beauty that is the splendour of truth. Again and again it astonishes us that God makes himself a child so that we may love him, so that we may dare to love him, and as a child trustingly lets himself be taken into our arms. It is as if God were saying: I know that my glory frightens you, and that you are trying to assert yourself in the face of my grandeur. So now I am coming to you as a child, so that you can accept me and love me.
Monday, December 24, 2012
The World War I Christmas Truce of 1914
The WWI Christmas Truce of 1914 - Mental Floss: Not much about life in the trenches of World War I is very festive. What is festive-ish is that in 1914, an unofficial Christmas Truce was spontaneously declared in many trenches, as British and German troops decided to put their differences aside for a bit.Bizarre things happened, including unarmed soldiers venturing into No Man’s Land (the space between the trenches), exchanges of gifts (apparently mostly food and cigarettes), games of soccer, and even caroling.
Come see the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square!
Come see the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square! � CNS BlogGLATZ: Vatican officials unveiled the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square today. Journalists were given a sneak peek a few days before to take come crowd-free shots.
The scene is more than 180 square yards and recreates the ancient Italian city of Matera and its famed “sassi” — cliff-clinging churches, buildings, streets and grottos carved out of the mountainside.
The scene is more than 180 square yards and recreates the ancient Italian city of Matera and its famed “sassi” — cliff-clinging churches, buildings, streets and grottos carved out of the mountainside.
Atheists say we should "celebrate reason" at Christmas. That's exactly what we're doing...
At Christmas, atheists say Celebrate Reason? We do! - FOCUS BlogCHERN: Almost as soon as the Thanksgiving turkey has been digested, an event that’s becoming an annual tradition begins. The so-called “war on Christmas.” Lawsuits are waged yearly over whether singing a Christmas carol mentioning the very name of Jesus Christ or having a display that represents his birth in public arenas violates the separation of Church and state (by the way, it doesn’t... but that’s a discussion for another day). Interesting that some of those same people don’t seemed threatened over songs about a four-hooved, antlered being from the North Pole with a radioactive-red-lighted nosed (quite possibly contracted from a nuclear power plant or toxic nightmare) flying overhead. The message from these battles each year, though, has been pretty clear in terms of the celebration of Christmas (or the “Holiday Season”) - Rudolph and his friends are OK; Jesus, not so much.
Earliest known audio recordings of Christmas found and digitized
Earliest Home Christmas Recording Discovered in London | Geekosystem: Recently discovered wax cylinders have been shown to contain what could be the earliest audio recordings of Christmas in the world. The Museum of London discovered 24 wax cylinders dating back to 1902 that contain a British family’s home phonograph recordings taken at Christmas. The recordings are considered incredibly rare because wax cylinders are fragile. They are made of wax after all, and as such they don’t store very well. Finding them over one hundred years later in playable condition is a Christmas miracle of science.
The best advice I ever got about serving Mass at Christmas…
The best advice I ever got about serving Mass at Christmas…KANDRA: As I’ve noted before, we have a remarkable cadre of altar servers in my parish—100 of ‘em, boys and girls, from ages 8 to 18, every one of them a gem.� They are selfless, generous, enthusiastic and (for the most part, except for a few yawners, scratchers and gigglers) tack-sharp.� (You can see them at work here and here.)
Several years ago, as they were lining up for Midnight Mass—an event that, in and of itself, resembles the tactical planning for D-Day— the priest who supervises them shushed them into silence for a minute and told them he had something to say. I stuck my head out of the door of the sacristy to listen.
Several years ago, as they were lining up for Midnight Mass—an event that, in and of itself, resembles the tactical planning for D-Day— the priest who supervises them shushed them into silence for a minute and told them he had something to say. I stuck my head out of the door of the sacristy to listen.
10 things you need to know today: December 24, 2012
10 things you need to know today: December 24, 2012 - The Week: India shuts roads and metro stations after protests, a GOP senator is arrested, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion
Was Joseph really suspicious of Mary? A look at the Gospel for Christmas Eve
The Sacred Page: Was Joseph Really Suspicious of Mary? A Look at the Gospel for Christmas EveBARBER: The most common interpretation is of course that Matthew's story implies that Joseph was suspicious of Mary's pregnancy. In this view, Matthew's narrative insinuates that Joseph thought that Mary had been unfaithful to him and that the child was likely from another man. He did not want to put her to shame by revealing her unfaithfulness and expose her to the authorities. The penalty, of course, for such actions would have been capital punishment.
Christmas hope returned
Christmas Hope ReturnedROYAL: One of the most extraordinary passages in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Ring appears as Frodo and Sam are taking evening rest near the end of their long struggle to defeat evil: “There, peeping among the cloud wrack, above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty forever beyond its reach.”
Why is the Christmas feast celebrated largely at night?
Why is the Christmas Feast Celebrated Largely at Night? | Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: O Holy night! Yes, a silent night! and, it came upon a midnight clear. Christmas, it would seem, is a festival of the mid night. Jesus is born when it is dark, dark midnight. We are sure of it. And why not?
Even though we are not told the exact hour of his birth we are sure it must have been night. Scripture does say that the Shepherds who heard the glad tidings were keeping watch over their flock “by night” (cf Luke 2:9). Further the Magi sought him by the light of a star, and stars are seen at night, deep midnight. None of this is evidence that Jesus was born at 11:59 PM, but it sets our clocks for night, deep midnight.
Even though we are not told the exact hour of his birth we are sure it must have been night. Scripture does say that the Shepherds who heard the glad tidings were keeping watch over their flock “by night” (cf Luke 2:9). Further the Magi sought him by the light of a star, and stars are seen at night, deep midnight. None of this is evidence that Jesus was born at 11:59 PM, but it sets our clocks for night, deep midnight.
Thousands flock to Bethlehem as local Catholics celebrate "the birth of Christ our Lord and the birth of Palestine"
Fouad Twal, top Catholic cleric in Holy Land, lauds Palestinian statehood on Christmas | Holy Post | National Post: The top Catholic cleric in the Holy Land celebrated the United Nations’ recent recognition of a Palestinian state in his annual pre-Christmas homily on Monday, saying that while the road to actual freedom from Israeli occupation remains long, the Palestinian homeland has been born.
Pope Benedict XVI undertakes intense schedule for Christmas ceremonies
NCRegister | Vatican’s Christmas Call to Faith: Pope Benedict XVI will be undertaking his usual intense schedule over Christmas this year, delivering 11 homilies and addresses from Christmas Eve until the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.
But in contrast to previous years, this year’s celebrations will reflect solidarity with some of the economic austerity shared by much of the world.
But in contrast to previous years, this year’s celebrations will reflect solidarity with some of the economic austerity shared by much of the world.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
"Before I became Catholic, I had a secret fascination with the Cross"
Archdiocese of Denver Year of Faith: My conversion to Catholicism started with an innate longing to know God: Every time I am introduced to a group of people or speaking about the faith to a crowd, there is always at least one person that comes up to me and says, “Shaina Stein—Catholic?” With such a Jewish name, people are always curious as to how I became Catholic. When it comes to believing in God or following a religion, everyone wants to see the facts, but nobody wants to do the work. This innate yearning to know the facts was what led me to Christ and is continuing to draw me closer to him.
"Dear Baby Jesus, quickly come down to earth": 1934 Christmas letter from seven-year-old Joseph Ratzinger displayed in Bavaria
Pope's childhood letter to Baby Jesus shows his faith :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): A Christmas letter that Pope Benedict XVI wrote to Baby Jesus when he was seven years-old demonstrates his devotion to the Sacred Heart and his desire to be a priest.
The letter is on display this Advent in the village of Marktl am Inn in Bavaria, where he was born.
The letter is on display this Advent in the village of Marktl am Inn in Bavaria, where he was born.
Vatican request for '.天主教' domain ('.catholic' in Chinese) to be first of new top-level domains considered
Chinese '.catholic' will be the first top-level domain considered in ICANN expansion | The Verge: The extension .catholic, written in Chinese, will be the first name considered in a new expansion to the internet's top-level domain system. ICANN, which manages the domain name system, held a random draw to determine the order of bids it would consider for approval in its scheme, which took applications earlier this year.
10 things you need to know today: December 23, 2012
10 things you need to know today: December 23, 2012 - The Week: Egypt approves its new constitution, India protests over gang-rape turn violent, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion
The Incarnation is God's gratuitous expression of love for each and every human being
One must burn with love - Vultus ChristiKIRBY: I am continuing my translation of Mother Mectilde's conference for the Vigil of Christmas 1694. She emphasizes that the Incarnation is God's gratuitous expression of love for each and every human being. Christus natus est pro nobis. The pro nobis (for us) that the liturgy sings must be brought to bear upon each one. One who hasn't grasped that the Word became flesh for me cannot rightly understand what the Church means when she sings that Christ is born for us.
9 things you need to know about Christmas
9 things you need to know about Christmas |Blogs | NCRegister.comAKIN: No matter how many times you hear Sheldon Cooper (or anyone else) say Christmas is based on a pagan holiday, we simply have no evidence of this.
If you read the writings of the Church Fathers, you do not find those who assign Christmas to December 25th saying things like, "Let's put Jesus' birthday here so we can subvert a pagan holiday." They simply don't do that.
The ones who say Jesus was born on December 25th do so because that is when they think he was born.
If you read the writings of the Church Fathers, you do not find those who assign Christmas to December 25th saying things like, "Let's put Jesus' birthday here so we can subvert a pagan holiday." They simply don't do that.
The ones who say Jesus was born on December 25th do so because that is when they think he was born.
"The most persecuted religion": Christians are targeted in 131 countries worldwide
Cooper, Huffman and Adlerstein: The Most Persecuted Religion - WSJ.com: At the height of the Nazi Holocaust, the wretched human cargo spilling out of cattle cars onto the platforms of Auschwitz was immediately subject to a brutal selektion by the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele, whose flick of a finger to the left meant immediate death in a gas chamber; to the right, slave labor and slow death from starvation or disease.
Fast forward to 2012 Nigeria, where a latter-day incarnation of selektion has been used—this time not against Jews, but against Christians.
Nigeria is the most populous black nation on earth. Among its chief blessings are oil and a large array of religious, tribal and language groups. Yet conflict, violence and terrorism are part of reality there, too.
Fast forward to 2012 Nigeria, where a latter-day incarnation of selektion has been used—this time not against Jews, but against Christians.
Nigeria is the most populous black nation on earth. Among its chief blessings are oil and a large array of religious, tribal and language groups. Yet conflict, violence and terrorism are part of reality there, too.
Can you receive Communion at Midnight Mass and then again during the day?
QUAERITUR: Can I receive Communion at Midnight Mass and then again during the day? | Fr. Z's Blog – What Does The Prayer Really Say?ZUHLSDORF: This question comes up every year. Canon 921 says that if a person is in danger of death, he may receive Communion even it is not in the context of Mass. That is Viaticum.
The "iterum" in the law does not mean “again and again”, but merely “again one more time”.
So, if you go to Midnight Mass and receive, and are in the choir at the principal Mass of the Christmas Day and want to receive again, go ahead. But if you stay for a third Mass, nope.
The "iterum" in the law does not mean “again and again”, but merely “again one more time”.
So, if you go to Midnight Mass and receive, and are in the choir at the principal Mass of the Christmas Day and want to receive again, go ahead. But if you stay for a third Mass, nope.
Is America really one nation under God?
American Christianity and Secularism at a Crossroads - NYTimes.com: This week millions of “Chreasters” — Americans who attend church only on Christmas and Easter — will crowd into pews to sing carols and renew their vague relationship with the Christian God. This year, there may be fewer Chreasters than ever. A growing number of “nones” live in our midst: those who say they have no religious affiliation at all. An October Pew Research Center poll revealed that they now account for 20 percent of the population, up from 16 percent in 2008.
A meditation on the readings from the Fourth Sunday of Advent
A Summary of our Salvation – A Meditation on the Readings from the 4th Sunday of Advent | Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: Here on the 4th Sunday of Advent, we are but a day away, practically speaking, from the unfolding of the great mystery of the Word made flesh. It is possible for us to look right past this 4th Sunday of Advent, but we do well to pause and ponder what is taught to us today about the salvation that is to unfold. One significant way we can do this is by pondering the first reading today from the prophet Micah. In four short verses we behold a kind of summary of our salvation, a snapshot of what ails us and how God heals us. Let’s look and see what the Lord, and the Church have to teach us.
A little history of the beloved “Coventry Carol”
“Coventry Carol”: A Bit of HistoryMCDONALD: From France to England, and a beloved Christmas song that takes on added poignancy this year.
One of the things ultimately killed off in the English Reformation were the regional “mystery plays”: local pageant cycles in which the common folk performed dramatized Biblical stories. Many of the surviving texts derive from the flowering of Middle English in the wake of Chaucer and Langland, and are of a very high literary quality.
One of the things ultimately killed off in the English Reformation were the regional “mystery plays”: local pageant cycles in which the common folk performed dramatized Biblical stories. Many of the surviving texts derive from the flowering of Middle English in the wake of Chaucer and Langland, and are of a very high literary quality.
Only the Logos can save an illogical world from self-destruction
New Advent: Only the Logos can save an illogical world from self-destructionRUTLER: Christmas celebrates that the Word was made flesh. The Logos that made all things came to us in human flesh. The Logos requires that we be logical about human nature, conflicted between good and evil. This moral logic posits the promise of Heaven and the threat of Hell. Terrible events such as the recent mass shooting in Connecticut can only be understood realistically as part of the spiritual combat that began with the Fall of Man.
Pope's Sunday Angelus: "Imitate Mary and Elizabeth by visiting those who suffer, and welcoming guests like God Himself..."
VATICAN Pope: At Christmas time we imitate Mary and Elizabeth, we visit the sick and welcome God - Asia News: Pope Benedict XVI invites people to visit the prisoners, the elderly, children. And also to seek and discover God. Elizabeth represents the Old Testament, which awaits the Messiah, Mary represents the fulfillment of this expectation.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
10 things you need to know today: December 22, 2012
10 things you need to know today: December 22, 2012 - The Week: The NRA holds a controversial press event, the pope denounces gay marriage, and more in our roundup of stories that are making news and driving opinion
A reflection on the 4th Sunday of Advent
A Mother’s Greeting: Scott Hahn Reflects on the 4th Sunday in Advent | St. Paul Center For Biblical TheologyHAHN: On this last Sunday before Christmas, the Church’s Liturgy reveals the true identity of our Redeemer.
He is, as today’s First Reading says, the ruler whose origin is from ancient times. He will come from Bethlehem, where David was born of Jesse the Ephrathite and anointed king.
He is, as today’s First Reading says, the ruler whose origin is from ancient times. He will come from Bethlehem, where David was born of Jesse the Ephrathite and anointed king.
Pierced by the Pope, heartened by Nouwen
Witness: Pierced by the Pope, Heartened by NouwenBULL: For reasons wide-ranging and personal, I was moved as never before by Catholic teaching on family in the Pope’s message to the curia yesterday. The truth hurts, and I suffered when the Holy Father described the “crisis that threatens the family to its foundations.”
Pope pardons Vatileaks butler, appoints Boston priest to lead Vatican's prosecution of sexual abuse claims
Boston Priest to Lead Vatican’s Oversight of Sexual Abuse Claims - NYTimes.com: Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday named a priest from Boston, the epicenter of the sexual abuse crisis in the United States, as the Vatican’s new sex crimes prosecutor. He also pardoned his former butler who was serving a prison term after leaking confidential documents in the Vatican’s most embarrassing security breach in decades.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Will God still be able to find me? A meditation based on an endearing Christmas commercial
Will God Still Be Able to Find Me? A Meditation based on an endearing Christmas Commercial | Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: Children often have problems with generalization and conceptualization. For example, when I was very young I was told that Jesus lived in the tabernacle. Fine I thought, then that must mean there is furniture and stuff in there. So when the priest opened the tabernacle up on the high altar, I earnestly looked for the furniture and perhaps the little stair case going to a second floor, much like my sister’s dollhouse was set up.
For the first time in decades, "Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol" is coming back to prime time
‘Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol’ Back in Prime Time - NYTimes.com: It's that time of year. Again.
Turn on the TV. Another “Christmas Carol.”
Don’t misunderstand. It’s practically impossible to mess up Charles Dickens’s archetypal yuletide yarn, but there are so many versions (with Reginald Owen, Alastair Sim, Albert Finney, George C. Scott, etc., etc.). In that frenzied stretch between Black Friday and Christmas, if you were to watch just one “Christmas Carol,” which would it be?
Turn on the TV. Another “Christmas Carol.”
Don’t misunderstand. It’s practically impossible to mess up Charles Dickens’s archetypal yuletide yarn, but there are so many versions (with Reginald Owen, Alastair Sim, Albert Finney, George C. Scott, etc., etc.). In that frenzied stretch between Black Friday and Christmas, if you were to watch just one “Christmas Carol,” which would it be?
One couple takes the same Christmas portrait for 40 years
One Couple Takes the Same Christmas Portrait for 40 Years – Flavorwire: these stereoscopic holiday portraits of Richard and Anna Wagner — taken every Christmas Eve from the first year of their marriage in 1900 until just three years before Anna’s death in 1945 — were sent out as Christmas cards to the couple’s friends. Today, they inadvertently offer the modern viewer a fascinating perspective on the passage of time. There are the expected physical changes, like weight fluctuations and thinning hair, as well as the addition of new technology.
The coming of Christmas and the mystery of the Visitation
Beginning to Pray: The Coming of Christmas and the Mystery of the VisitationLILLES: The Visitation, like the Annunciation, are �mysteries, sacred events, we think about as we prepare for Christmas, events that form us and prepare us for the special way the Lord wants to visit us this Christmas. � The Annunciation refers to the conversation of the Archangel Gabriel with Mary and the Visitation refers to the seventy five mile journey Mary made from Galilee to a little village on the outskirts of Jerusalem (traditionally, Ain Karem or the Spring of the Vineyard) to serve her elderly cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist.
U.S. Justice Department vs. The Little Sisters of the Poor
Got news? White House vs. Little Sisters of the PoorMATTINGLY: From coast to coast, the lawyers of religious groups and charities can almost quote the following legal language by heart. This is, of course, linked to the strange — from a church-state separation perspective — Health and Human Services mandate that attempts to create two different levels of religious liberty in the United States.
Goodbye, Judge Bork—Goodbye, My Friend
Goodbye, Judge Bork—Goodbye, My Friend | First ThingsNOVAK: As it happened, I was able to spend a couple of hours between flights with Bob Bork just ten days before he died, and I got to tell him of my gratitude for so much friendship and laughter over the past quarter-century, of my admiration for his depth, and—embarrassing him, as I knew this would—of my love for him. Bob was of the strong stock that keeps emotions such as love to himself. That’s one reason I loved him.
The Catholic Carnival of Christmas
The Catholic Carnival of Christmas | Daily News | NCRegister.comBOTTUM: Ban reindeer, if you like. Abolish Santa Claus and Christmas trees. Keep your family wrapped in the starkest of Advent penances. Eradicate eggnog and candy, tinsel and presents, snowflakes and stockings. Exterminate the festival of it all, the nonsense of the season, if you must.
Lord knows, you have cause. Christmas has become, in the United States, the holiday — which is to say, the holy day — that dare not speak its name.
Lord knows, you have cause. Christmas has become, in the United States, the holiday — which is to say, the holy day — that dare not speak its name.
When Christmas was banned in Massachusetts
Kevin Seamus Hasson: When Christmas Was Banned in Massachusetts - WSJ.com: Does it sometimes seem as if the Christmas wars—namely the battle between secularists and believers over how and where Christmas and Hanukkah (not to mention other faiths' holidays) should be recognized—have been around forever? If so, you're not far off. The opening shots of the war, at least in America, were fired in Plymouth Colony itself. And after nearly 400 years, it's past time we learned our lesson and ceased hostilities.
Ask Father Barron: What's the single most important thing to build up the life of the Church?
Ask Fr. Barron: Single most important thing to build up the life of the Church? |Blogs | NCRegister.comWARNER: Awhile ago I asked some well-known Catholics (including you all) what they'd like to ask Fr. Barron. Well Fr. Barron answered. So I'll be doing a little series here for awhile called "Ask Father Barron" where we'll get to experience these questions and answers. Will be fun! Today's question comes from Fr. Reed at CatholicTV.com. He asks Fr. Barron what he thinks the single most important thing is that we can do to build up the life of the Church - particularly in the parish. It's such a great question. Fr. Barron has an equally great and simple answer.
The perennial question about Santa Claus
The Perennial Santa Question |Blogs | NCRegister.comSHEA: I'm not going to try to adjudicate the question of sin here, and I'm skeptical it's very helpful to try.� I can pretty much guarantee the Church will *never* give you an official answer, because it's just not what the teaching office of the Church does, any more than the Magisterium issues encyclicals on whether you should get the creamed or whole kernel corn.� The Church's teaching office exists to give�us basic principles of the Tradition and some general guidance on how to apply them.� But then it's up to us to form our consciences and act accordingly.
How to write a family Christmas letter
How to Write a Family Christmas Letter |Blogs | NCRegister.comFISHER: Listen, deadbeat. It's too late to send out paper cards, which you've been "taking a year off" from doing since 1993.� In fact, failing to send out cards is the only Christmas tradition you've managed to keep faithfully, other than miraculously transforming, every Christmas Eve, from someone who owns six pairs of scissors and four rolls of tape into someone who is seriously considering using little dabs of strawberry jelly to stick together the shredded edges of wrapping paper, which you attempted to cut by scoring it with a Budweiser cap.� Jelly is sticky, isn't it?� Isn't it?
Pope Benedict delivers pre-Christmas "state of the Church" address to Roman Curia
Whispers in the Loggia: "The Fundamental Themes of This Moment" – From "Gender" to Evangelization, B16's "State of the Church": The address that's become his annual summary of the year's major events and, on the broad level, his assessment of the "joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties" of today's church – at least, as judged by its earthly head – here's the full English text of Benedict XVI's Christmas message to the Roman Curia, delivered within the hour.
10 things you need to know today: December 21, 2012
10 things you need to know today: December 21, 2012 - The Week: Obama responds to gun-control petitioners, Boehner cancels Plan B vote, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Video: Dusting St. Peter's Basilica for Christmas
New Advent: Dusting St. Peter's Basilica for Christmas: Twice a year, typically before Christmas and Easter, a select team of Vatican workers breaks out its polyester dusters, vacuum cleaner and bronze polishing fluid to clean Gian Lorenzo Bernini's 100-foot-high, 63-ton Baldacchino, the massive bronze canopy over the main altar in St. Peter's Basilica.
85 years later, survivors recall the deadliest school massacre in American history...
Bath School bombing: Remembering the deadliest school massacre in American history.: The recent shootings in Newtown, Conn., have led many people to characterize school violence as a modern affliction, a byproduct of our national obsession with guns and media violence. But the deadliest school-related massacre in American history happened in 1927, at an elementary school in Bath, Mich. A school board member named Andrew Kehoe, upset over a burdensome property tax, wired the building with dynamite and set it off in the morning of May 18. Kehoe’s actions killed 45 people, 38 of whom were children.
5 people it's easy to forget are Catholic
5 People It’s Easy to Forget Are CatholicBARNES: The gentleman we can blame for hipsters and a prolific collection of beautiful, anti-establishment prose was a Catholic. He was no angel, and certainly not a practicing Catholic (he stopped attending Mass at 14), but it has been rightly pointed out that Jack Kerouac never left his Catholicism. The beat revolution — which later seemed to think Kerouac was advocating moral relativism and playing crap music in coffee houses
What comes next? The Church from 1980 to 2013...
What Comes Next? The Church From 1980s to 2013 | CatholicVote.orgHOOPES: During that 1987 papal visit, looking at the crowds of young people lining Geary Avenue and filling Candlestick Park, I remember wondering if there was something more to this Church thing than I had thought. After Denver’s World Youth Day in 1993, the wondering stopped. It was evident that Pope John Paul II was plucking the identity of the Church out of the hands of the senior citizens and putting it in the hands of the young.
A pastoral opportunity lost?
GEORGE WEIGEL COLUMNWEIGEL: At their annual November meeting, the U.S. bishops failed to approve a pastoral message on the economy. �“The Hope of the Gospel in Difficult Economic Times” was approved by a clear majority of the bishops voting, but objections raised in large part by retired bishops were sufficient to deny the document the supermajority it needed.
All of which strikes me as a lost opportunity.
No doubt the draft document could have been improved; any ecclesial document can be improved (if you doubt that, try reading Vatican II’s Decree on the Means of Social Communication without taking a long winter’s nap). What was so striking about “The Hope of the Gospel in Difficult Economic Times,” however, was that it was different: it was the work of pastors, not policy wonks; it anchored its reflections in the Gospel, not in the dismal science; and in a public environment becoming ever more secular, it used terms like “sin” and “virtue” to describe our present circumstances, what led us into them, and what might lead us into a better future.
All of which strikes me as a lost opportunity.
No doubt the draft document could have been improved; any ecclesial document can be improved (if you doubt that, try reading Vatican II’s Decree on the Means of Social Communication without taking a long winter’s nap). What was so striking about “The Hope of the Gospel in Difficult Economic Times,” however, was that it was different: it was the work of pastors, not policy wonks; it anchored its reflections in the Gospel, not in the dismal science; and in a public environment becoming ever more secular, it used terms like “sin” and “virtue” to describe our present circumstances, what led us into them, and what might lead us into a better future.
When Charles Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol” in 1842, the holiday was nearly dead in modern England
Why Dickens’ ‘Carol’ is the most important Christmas tale - The Capitol Hill Times | The Capitol Hill Times: Dickens admired Irving. In earlier writings, such as “Sketches by Boz,” Dickens made much of the “strain of goodwill and cheerfulness,” that this holiday did more to spread good will among neighbors than any preaching or homilies.
Dickens came to write “Carol” while at a low ebb. His pervious book had not been popular and he was struggling. He was working on nonfiction pamphlets about the horrendous working conditions of children in Manchester. But the visions of Ignorance and Want that he saw on the faces of the starved, overworked and ragged children inspired him, and he worked backwards from the scene in which the Spirit of Christmas Present shows Scrooge those children to compose the whole tale.
Dickens came to write “Carol” while at a low ebb. His pervious book had not been popular and he was struggling. He was working on nonfiction pamphlets about the horrendous working conditions of children in Manchester. But the visions of Ignorance and Want that he saw on the faces of the starved, overworked and ragged children inspired him, and he worked backwards from the scene in which the Spirit of Christmas Present shows Scrooge those children to compose the whole tale.
What is WRONG with these people?
What the hell is WRONG with these people?SCALIA: If you ever doubted that there is a battle going on all around us — a true battle — between good and evil, and that that battle engages every single one of us whether we are aware of it or not, the events of the past week really ought to clarify that point for everyone.
In the face of the unspeakable evil of the slaughter of children, good broke through, and the stories are legion — good people of all faiths and of no faith at all have moved with generosity and concern to do whatever small acts of kindness they can, for the people of Newtown and also for the world, in general. The good has broken through the evil, counterbalancing the evil and and good is saying that it will not allow evil to win. We have seen this up-close-and-personally with the tremendous outpouring of toys you folks have generously sent to New Jersey, when all you needed to hear was “there are kids in need.”
In the face of the unspeakable evil of the slaughter of children, good broke through, and the stories are legion — good people of all faiths and of no faith at all have moved with generosity and concern to do whatever small acts of kindness they can, for the people of Newtown and also for the world, in general. The good has broken through the evil, counterbalancing the evil and and good is saying that it will not allow evil to win. We have seen this up-close-and-personally with the tremendous outpouring of toys you folks have generously sent to New Jersey, when all you needed to hear was “there are kids in need.”
On the virtue of holy silence before the mysteries of God
xPOPE: The Gospel of December 19th features the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and the conception of John the Baptist. And while there are certainly many teachings to be drawn from this passage, there is perhaps some value to focus for a moment on the imposition of silence made upon Zechariah. This aspect of the story maybe a particular value since we live in time marked By a lack of reflection and silence, and of often stridently expressed opinions and opposition to the hidden things of God.
America’s drone wars are not creating a safer world
America’s drone wars are not creating a safer world | CatholicHerald.co.ukSHEA: Since 2004, the United States has launched hundreds of attacks via unmanned drones within northwest Pakistan, despite Pakistan’s protests. The drones, which are piloted by radio operators in America, are touted as a means of saving the lives of US troops and making warfare more efficient. Without boots on the ground, we can safely target and kill terrorists half a world away. The question is: “Safely for whom?”
"To engage the world," Pope Benedict takes Christmas to the Financial Times
Whispers in the Loggia: "To Engage the World," B16 Takes Christmas to the Financial Times: While the PopeTree was already lit last week in St Peter's Square, the full-bore rites of Vatican Christmas get underway tomorrow morning as B16 offers his annual Yuletide "greeting" to the Roman Curia – an occasion the pontiff has repeatedly employed to deliver his assessment on the "State of the Church."
Pope Benedict promulgates decree on heroic virtue of Pope Paul VI, advances numerous other causes...
Pope declares Paul VI lived a life of heroic virtue | CatholicHerald.co.uk: Pope Benedict XVI has advanced the Cause of Pope Paul VI by recognising the Italian pope as having lived the Christian virtues in a heroic way.
He also recognised a miracle attributed to the intercession of an Italian martyr who, with an estimated 800 other people, died at the hands of Ottoman invaders in the 15th century, and he recognised a miracle attributed to the first Blessed to be born, live and die in Colombia, Blessed Mother Laura Montoya. They can now be declared saints.
He also recognised a miracle attributed to the intercession of an Italian martyr who, with an estimated 800 other people, died at the hands of Ottoman invaders in the 15th century, and he recognised a miracle attributed to the first Blessed to be born, live and die in Colombia, Blessed Mother Laura Montoya. They can now be declared saints.
OSV's Nine Outstanding Catholics of 2012
Catholics of 2012: On the following pages, we profile nine Catholics who have been outstanding examples of leadership, service and witness in the past year. They are not all newsmakers or power brokers. In some cases, they are the priest who says Mass day by day in a parish and the layperson who unselfishly volunteers his or her time to make the parish a better place and the sister who finds time to blog while living in community and teaching faith formation at a parish. As suggested by OSV readers and staff members, these Catholics — men and women, clergy and laity, famous and anonymous — do their part in uplifting the Faith in a hectic, skeptical world.
10 things you need to know today: December 20, 2012
10 things you need to know today: December 20, 2012 - The Week: The State Department gets a shake-up, South Korea elects its first female president, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion
For the first time in history, a pope has written an op-ed for a secular mainstream newspaper
Pope Writes Op-Ed on Meaning of Christmas |Blogs | NCRegister.comPENTIN: As the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord draws near, Pope Benedict XVI has taken the unusual step of writing an op-ed in a globally-read, mass circulation newspaper.
In an article in today’s Financial Times headlined: “A time for Christians to engage with the world� - Christmas is a time of great joy and an occasion for deep reflection,” the Holy Father draws on the meaning of Christmas and contrasts the ways of the world and the state with the ways of God.
In an article in today’s Financial Times headlined: “A time for Christians to engage with the world� - Christmas is a time of great joy and an occasion for deep reflection,” the Holy Father draws on the meaning of Christmas and contrasts the ways of the world and the state with the ways of God.
Christmas is a time for Christians to engage with the world
A time for Christians to engage with the world - FT.comCOATOFARMS: “Render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God,” was the response of Jesus when asked about paying taxes. His questioners, of course, were laying a trap for him. They wanted to force him to take sides in the highly charged political debate about Roman rule in the land of Israel. Yet there was more at stake here: if Jesus really was the long-awaited Messiah, then surely he would oppose the Roman overlords. So the question was calculated to expose him either as a threat to the regime, or as a fraud.
Father Robert Barron’s seven tips for the New Evangelization
Father Barron’s seven tips for New EvangelizationVOGT: When Pope John Paul II described the New Evangelization back in 1983, he said it required new ardor, new methods and new expressions.��
Since then, perhaps no priest has embodied those qualities like Father Robert Barron of Chicago.�
Through his “Word on Fire” ministry he has used blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, websites and mobile apps to spread the faith.��
He’s evangelized the culture through movie reviews and news commentary. And he released the epic “Catholicism” film series which has been seen across the world on both Catholic and secular television.�
Since then, perhaps no priest has embodied those qualities like Father Robert Barron of Chicago.�
Through his “Word on Fire” ministry he has used blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, websites and mobile apps to spread the faith.��
He’s evangelized the culture through movie reviews and news commentary. And he released the epic “Catholicism” film series which has been seen across the world on both Catholic and secular television.�
Whatever your life presents to you, don't doubt it for a minute: you have a chance to serve at the altar...
Serviam |Blogs | NCRegister.comFISHER: Imagine, if you will, that you are a pretty good ten-year-old boy.� You've been an altar server for a year or so, and you are a reasonably bright and alert kid.� And yet, as with so many ten-year-old boys, there is something of a gap between what you would be capable of if your life depended on it, and what you feel like you're capable of, when lots of people are always telling you what to do and you're trying pretty hard, but you're tired, and you haven't had anything to eat for over an hour, and besides, imagine if you had rocket feet.� Whoa, rocket feet.� Awesome.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Obamacare could drive Little Sisters of the Poor out of the U.S.
Obamacare could drive Little Sisters of the Poor out of US | The Daily Caller: A religious order of nuns is concerned about its future presence in the United States because of Obamacare’s impact on its charitable operations. The Little Sisters of the Poor told The Daily Caller that it may not qualify for a long-term exemption from Obamacare’s healthcare mandate. The law requires the order to provide government-approved health insurance to its 300 sisters who tend to the elderly in 30 U.S. cities.
The Mayan Apocalypse is about to occur!
Mayan apocalypse about to occur!AKIN: Well, the Mayan apocalypse is almost here. We’re right up to 12/21/12, the day that New Agers across the planet have been waiting for.
Perhaps you know someone who is into the “2012 phenomenon”–or perhaps you’re curious what all the hubbub is about.
Here’s a story that will put things in perspective...
Perhaps you know someone who is into the “2012 phenomenon”–or perhaps you’re curious what all the hubbub is about.
Here’s a story that will put things in perspective...
Whenever I saw him, Judge Robert Bork’s face radiated love, peace, and beauty
That Glimmer in the Judge’s EyeLOPEZ: Robert Bork died this morning. He should have been on the Supreme Court. But perhaps the fact that he wasn’t confirmed was as important a lesson to us as the time Ronald Reagan intended to have him spend on the Court might have been.
I remember emceeing a “Women for Roberts” event back one hot August D.C. day. Bob would be on the Supreme Court if his hearings were held today, Mary Ellen Bork (one of said women and wife of Judge Bork), observed as we gathered at the National Press Club, noting the rise in alternative media venues and opportunities.
I remember emceeing a “Women for Roberts” event back one hot August D.C. day. Bob would be on the Supreme Court if his hearings were held today, Mary Ellen Bork (one of said women and wife of Judge Bork), observed as we gathered at the National Press Club, noting the rise in alternative media venues and opportunities.
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