The Bishop of Rome as Christian Radical | First ThingsWEIGEL: It was a brief greeting to former colleagues. But if you read Pope Francis’ recent letter to the Argentine bishops’ conference closely, you get a glimpse of the man, his convictions, and his vision.
First, the man: Jorge Mario Bergoglio has remained very much himself, rather than adopting what some might deem the pontifical style. Any pope who can write his former colleagues in these terms—“Dear Brothers: I am sending these lines of greeting and also to excuse myself for being unable to attend due to ‘commitments assumed recently’ (sounds good?)”—is a man at home in his own skin, and one likely to remain that way.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
FDA approves morning-after pill over-the-counter for girls 15 and older
Morning-after pill to be made available over the counter :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): On April 30, the Food and Drug Administration approved over the counter sale of the morning-after pill Plan B One-Step to all women aged 15 and older.
Plan B One-Step is the name of the drug, made exclusively by Teva Women's Health, Inc., which acts as an emergency contraceptive which reduces the possibility of pregnancy when taken up to three days after sexual intercourse. It is taken as a single-dose 1.5 mg tablet of levonorgestrel.
Pharmacies and retailers with on-site pharmacies will have the drug on shelves, and those wishing to purchase it will have to provide proof of age. Teva has agreed to have a security tag placed on all Plan B One-Step cartons to prevent theft, according to the FDA.
Plan B One-Step is the name of the drug, made exclusively by Teva Women's Health, Inc., which acts as an emergency contraceptive which reduces the possibility of pregnancy when taken up to three days after sexual intercourse. It is taken as a single-dose 1.5 mg tablet of levonorgestrel.
Pharmacies and retailers with on-site pharmacies will have the drug on shelves, and those wishing to purchase it will have to provide proof of age. Teva has agreed to have a security tag placed on all Plan B One-Step cartons to prevent theft, according to the FDA.
Sustained by God's grace, Wyoming Catholic College is going strong
God’s Grace Sustains Wyoming Catholic | Daily News | NCRegister.com: Administrators and alumni of Wyoming Catholic College have only God to thank for the school’s unlikely survival and success.
The college began teaching students in the fall of 2007, only months before the country entered the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Even established Catholic institutions began having trouble luring and maintaining gifts and tuition. Skeptics didn’t give the start-up a lot of hope.
Just more than five years later, graduates have embarked upon successful careers and are pursuing post-graduate degrees. Four have entered religious vocations, and two in this spring’s graduating class plan to join their ranks.
The college began teaching students in the fall of 2007, only months before the country entered the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Even established Catholic institutions began having trouble luring and maintaining gifts and tuition. Skeptics didn’t give the start-up a lot of hope.
Just more than five years later, graduates have embarked upon successful careers and are pursuing post-graduate degrees. Four have entered religious vocations, and two in this spring’s graduating class plan to join their ranks.
What's killing the Church in America? Cultural Catholics who reject the catholicity of Catholicism...
What’s Killing American Catholicism – 1LONGENECKER: Reading Sherry Weddell’s excellent "Forming Intentional Disciples" is making me think about the American church and what ails her. Can anybody deny that there is a sickness in the body ecclesia? When 50% of Catholics vote for a man who stoutly defends same sex marriage and partial birth abortion can we say that Catholics in America are okay?
I don’t think so.
Thus a series of posts on what’s killing Catholicism. All the words begin with the letter ‘C’. I can’t help it. I was brought up as a Biblical Evangelical and our pastors always used alliteration to make their points memorable.
I don’t think so.
Thus a series of posts on what’s killing Catholicism. All the words begin with the letter ‘C’. I can’t help it. I was brought up as a Biblical Evangelical and our pastors always used alliteration to make their points memorable.
The death of Aloysius Jin Luxian, China's most famous and powerful bishop
x: China’s most famous—and most powerful—Catholic bishop has died. When I last saw him in 2011, I knew then that age was finally catching up with Shanghai’s remarkable and indefatigable prelate. As we sat together, I handed him a pile of rare photographs of him and his fellow Jesuits, images that dated before his arrest in 1955. Pausing for some time as he looked over the first photograph, he said in a low voice, “Old beloved friends.” He had not seen those faces in more than six long and eventful decades. He asked me to bring more photographs of “Catholic Shanghai before the Communists”; I do have more images to give him, but now he is perhaps seeing the real faces of his “beloved friends,” and I will file them away for posterity. Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian, SJ (1916-2013), was one of the most gentle and charming people I have met, and he was also among the most enigmatic, and as I thumb through his dossier I vacillate between admiration, disagreement, speculation, and sometimes disappointment. As I said in my 2010 interview with Bishop Jin for Ignatius Insight, with Jin there are “no easy answers.” I would like to offer a few remarks here about why Bishop Jin’s recent death, at the age of 97, is probably one of the most noteworthy events in the history of Catholicism in China.
Video: Cargo-laden 747 stalls in midair, crashes at Bagram Air Base (warning: content and language)
VIDEO: Flightglobal expert analyses Bagram 747 crash sequence: The fatal departure of a National Air Cargo Boeing 747-400F from Bagram air base on 29 April has been caught on amateur video. This is what the video shows:
The first sight of the aircraft on film shows it in an apparently steady climb through about 1200ft above airfield level, just after take-off, but with an extremely high nose-up attitude.
Within about 3s of appearing on film the aircraft's port (left) wing begins to drop, and 1s later the roll reverses, the right wing dropping. Simultaneously, the 747 begins a dramatic yaw to the right, the nose dropping fast. The roll stops at an angle of about 110deg to the horizontal, by which time the forward airspeed is well below flying speed and the aircraft is just falling sideways through the air. As some airspeed is recovered in the fall, the pilots manage to roll the wings level.
The first sight of the aircraft on film shows it in an apparently steady climb through about 1200ft above airfield level, just after take-off, but with an extremely high nose-up attitude.
Within about 3s of appearing on film the aircraft's port (left) wing begins to drop, and 1s later the roll reverses, the right wing dropping. Simultaneously, the 747 begins a dramatic yaw to the right, the nose dropping fast. The roll stops at an angle of about 110deg to the horizontal, by which time the forward airspeed is well below flying speed and the aircraft is just falling sideways through the air. As some airspeed is recovered in the fall, the pilots manage to roll the wings level.
Pope Francis to canonize 800 Italians slain during historic siege
Pope Francis to canonise 800 Italians slain during historic siege | CatholicHerald.co.ukGLATZ: Pope Francis is preparing to canonise an estimated 800 Italian laymen killed by Ottoman soldiers in the 15th century. The canonisation service will be on May 12 in St Peter’s Square and it will be the first carried out by the Pontiff since he was elected in early March.
The killing of the martyrs by Ottoman troops, who launched a weeks-long siege of Otranto, a small port town at the most eastern tip of southern Italy, took place in 1480.
The killing of the martyrs by Ottoman troops, who launched a weeks-long siege of Otranto, a small port town at the most eastern tip of southern Italy, took place in 1480.
It profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world, or his life savings for a giant banana with dreadlocks
Man Loses $2600 on Carnival Game | Geekosystem: Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming New Hampshire’s own Mr. Henry Gribbohm, Jr., to the dictionary. Not as a definition, per se, but as a note perfect illustration. If there is any justice, Mr. Gribbohm’s portrait will forever appear next to the definition of the word “rube.” See also: Mark, pigeon, dupe, and all-day sucker. Because anyone can lose a ten spot trying to knock over milk bottles or ring the bell to win a prize for your sweetie. Hell, it’s half the fun of going to the fair.
But it takes a very special sort of mark — a once-in-a-lifetime pigeon — to lose their entire life savings on a carnival game. And 30-year-old Henry Gribbohm is exactly that sort of mark, losing $2,600 playing the ball toss game Tubs of Fun at a New England carnival and putting that coveted World’s Biggest Rube trophy pretty much out of reach for the rest of humanity.
But it takes a very special sort of mark — a once-in-a-lifetime pigeon — to lose their entire life savings on a carnival game. And 30-year-old Henry Gribbohm is exactly that sort of mark, losing $2,600 playing the ball toss game Tubs of Fun at a New England carnival and putting that coveted World’s Biggest Rube trophy pretty much out of reach for the rest of humanity.
How many priests would pull a pointless stunt like this? I would hope, not more than one...
Clerical slumming | In the Light of the LawEDPETERS: You know what slumming is. It’s where rich kids pretend to be poor and do poor for a spell, knowing it’s all fake for them, of course, and that, when they’re done slumming, they can go home and get a hot shower and have a yummy snack and sleep in a clean bed, unlike their slum-buds for whom the poor life is very real and for whom daddy’s dollars aren’t a phone call away and able to make everything alright if they get into trouble.
Well, apparently, there’s a priest who decided to try something similar and pretend that he was an alien trying to get to America. I first heard the story on Univision yesterday but attributed my confusion over it to gaps in my knowledge of Spanish. Now I’m thinking my Spanish was maybe okay; it was the stunt itself that I could not fathom.
Well, apparently, there’s a priest who decided to try something similar and pretend that he was an alien trying to get to America. I first heard the story on Univision yesterday but attributed my confusion over it to gaps in my knowledge of Spanish. Now I’m thinking my Spanish was maybe okay; it was the stunt itself that I could not fathom.
Merle Haggard was right: Honky-tonk heaven looks fun, but it feels like hell...
Merle Haggard And Rules For DiscernmentETIENNE: I wish to begin today’s entry with a salute to my classmates (1992) from the North American College.� Twenty one years ago today, we entered St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome for our deacon ordinations.� There, laying prostrate on the floor in the chapel of the Chair of St. Peter we gave our lives to the Lord for the service of His Church and people.� What a blessed walk of life and faith these twenty one years have been!� Please, God, may many more young men follow us as such ‘gentle, but ardent servants of the altar.’
10 things you need to know today: April 30, 2013
10 things you need to know today: April 30, 2013 - The Week: No survivors left in Bangladesh building, female DNA is found on a Boston bomb, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion
Hundreds of parishioners watch in shock as priest dies suddenly during Mass
St Patrick's Catholic Church Priest Timothy Hannigan... | Stuff.co.nz: Hundreds of parishioners watched in shock as a Catholic priest died at the altar during mass, moments after baptising a baby.
Napier's longest-serving priest, Monsignor Timothy Francis Hannigan, 81, collapsed at the altar during communion at St Patrick's Catholic Church on Sunday.
A doctor and nurses in the packed church rushed to help the popular priest when he slumped to the ground about 9.30am, but he died by the altar of the church where he had served for more than 30 years.
"It's one thing for a priest to die in a church, but it's a whole other thing for him to die during communion," a parishioner who did not wish to be named said yesterday.
Napier's longest-serving priest, Monsignor Timothy Francis Hannigan, 81, collapsed at the altar during communion at St Patrick's Catholic Church on Sunday.
A doctor and nurses in the packed church rushed to help the popular priest when he slumped to the ground about 9.30am, but he died by the altar of the church where he had served for more than 30 years.
"It's one thing for a priest to die in a church, but it's a whole other thing for him to die during communion," a parishioner who did not wish to be named said yesterday.
“Why does the Church have all those gold cups and fancy paintings?”
In defense of beautySHEA: This remains the substance of the charge to this day: that the evangelical counsel of poverty is contradicted by the art, the gold, the finery, the gorgeousness of the Catholic artistic and cultural tradition and that the only true Christian is more or less walking barefoot in the snow like St. Francis. Its power was felt in Dominic’s time by the people in southern France, who compared the austere lives of the Cathars with those of the corrupt clergy and voted “Cathar” in droves. It retains an enormous amount of power today when, in addition to the gorgeousness, there is also the inevitable corruption that always afflicts any aggregation of homo sapiens, including ordained homo sapiens. In short, a bishop — living in a mansion with fine wines and premium cigars — who covers up the abuse of children is a powerful argument against the Faith.�
Pope Francis meets with President Shimon Peres of Israel
Pope Francis Meets with President Shimon Peres of Israel | ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome: Pope Francis met this morning with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the Vatican Apostolic Palace. Shortly after, President Peres met with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, who was accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
Saturday, May 4th, is Free Comic Book Day. I wonder if I should tell the kids...
Comic Books:� the Good, the Bad, and the #*&%^*@ |Blogs | NCRegister.comFISHER: You used to hear, more often than you do today, that comic books are bad because they make kids stupid and lazy -- that it's a sin and a shame for kids to sit around reading comic books when they could be playing baseball, helping their mothers, or reading actual literature.� Nowadays, you're more likely to hear parents grateful that their kids are reading at all, rather than spending the day hunched in front of the Xbox.� But anyway, for parents who still do worry that kids who read comic books will soon begin to read nothing but comic books:� it's a real concern, if you have that kind of kid.� But other kids are perfectly capable of reading comic books sometimes, and good literature at other times.� It just depends on the kid.
The primitive cruelty of modern "love"
The Primitive Cruelty of Modern “Love” | Crisis MagazineESOLEN: Several weeks ago, Saint Valentine’s Day at my school came and went. There was no dance. There was no concert. There was no ice cream social. There was no party for trading little gifts. There was no showing of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon or Marty or Goodbye, Mr. Chips or Casablanca. There were no foolish and innocent flirtations on the way to class.
But there was some small notice taken of the holiday. A group of women, as has been customary for several years, rented space at a local theater to stage there what they are not allowed to stage at our Catholic college, the dreary, hapless porno-twaddle called The Vagina Monologues. A few hundred of our students made the trip across the city to watch it, including some young men motivated by a sort of homeless chivalry. The stated justification for the show is to protest violence against women—though, in Eve Ensler’s initial version of the play, the only violence against a woman was a lesbian drug-rape of a teenage girl, and that was celebrated as liberating.
But there was some small notice taken of the holiday. A group of women, as has been customary for several years, rented space at a local theater to stage there what they are not allowed to stage at our Catholic college, the dreary, hapless porno-twaddle called The Vagina Monologues. A few hundred of our students made the trip across the city to watch it, including some young men motivated by a sort of homeless chivalry. The stated justification for the show is to protest violence against women—though, in Eve Ensler’s initial version of the play, the only violence against a woman was a lesbian drug-rape of a teenage girl, and that was celebrated as liberating.
Monday, April 29, 2013
During my conversion to Catholicism, the Marian doctrines were among the most difficult to embrace...
Marian Devotion and the Spiritual Life : The Integrated Catholic LifeDANBURKE: The one aspect of spiritual development that has, until recently, been more mysterious to me, is Marian devotion. The turning point was when someone pointed out several things to me. First, they challenged me to reflect on the scripture in Romans 13 where St. Paul instructs us to “give honor to whom honor is due.” Then they posed a simple question, “If we are called to give honor to whom honor is due, the Archangel under God’s command gives honor to Mary, then we are honoring God if we reflect that same disposition.”
The West is no longer a culture. It has become an anti-culture...
Must read file: Reflections on an Insightful Column describing how the West has become and Anti-Culture � Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: As we have discussed on this blog before, the Western World seems to have embarked on a (failed) experiment, testing whether a culture can exist without a shared cultus. That, is to say whether a true and unifying vision that we call culture can really exist at all without something above and beyond it,� which unifies it and to which it must answer.
Unfortunately the word “cult”� has strongly negative connotations in English, referring to extremist forms of religious association. But the Latin word cultus refers to devotion and/or religious adoration to God or to a body of religious beliefs and vision. As such, it serves as the basis for culture and makes up the very heart of that word.
Unfortunately the word “cult”� has strongly negative connotations in English, referring to extremist forms of religious association. But the Latin word cultus refers to devotion and/or religious adoration to God or to a body of religious beliefs and vision. As such, it serves as the basis for culture and makes up the very heart of that word.
A new voice for U.S. bishops and women in the Catholic Church
A New Voice for U.S. Bishops & Women in the Catholic ChurchLOPEZ: After Jorge Cardinal Bergolio was elected pope, on the morning of his installation Mass, Timothy Cardinal Dolan passed right by me as I was doing an interview with the NET-TV outside St. Peter’s Basilica, on his way up to an interview with The Today Show. In his interview, Cardinal Dolan talked with enthusiasm and gratitude for Pope Francis and his early words as pontiff.
6 secrets special needs moms know but won't tell you
6 Secrets Special Needs Moms Know But WON"T Tell You (Special Needs Mom): I am a special needs mom. And I have secrets. Things I don’t talk about and stuff that other mom’s don’t know, or may have forgotten along the way...
The unseen force that drives Ouija boards, dowsing rods, and fake bomb detectors
The unseen force that drives Ouija boards and fake bomb detectors | Chris French | Science | guardian.co.uk: This week businessman James McCormick was convicted of fraud after making millions selling fake bomb detectors to security forces in Iraq and many other countries around the world. The detectors were said to work in a similar way to dowsing rods and were claimed to detect explosives up to one kilometre below the ground. Even more incredibly, they could apparently be used to locate drugs, people, elephants – even $100 bills. They didn't work and, in all probability, hundreds of lives were lost as a result of misplaced trust in the phony devices.
How a dying U.S. parish was brought back to life by returning to reverence
� Heaven Meets Earth: Watch This Omar F. A. Guti�rrezGUTIERREZ: Airing this Tuesday on EWTN at 6:30 ET/5:30 CT is the story of a parish on the brink of being a statistic and how the pastor and his people have been able to turn it around. It is a story, ably told by the StoryTel Foundation and titled “Where Heaven Meets Earth: Restoring the Sacred at St. Peter Church,” that points beyond the young, vibrant pastor. It is more than merely a tale about the right ministries and good preaching. The parish stands as a testament to the power of tradition, of reverence, of a community whose sole purpose is to make sure everybody encounters Jesus.
St. Peter’s Catholic Church is located on 27th and Leavenworth is what is viewed by many in the Omaha Metro area as a rough part of town. Personally, I’ve been there many times in the evenings and have never felt unsafe, but then I only live ten blocks West and a short jog North of the parish.
St. Peter’s Catholic Church is located on 27th and Leavenworth is what is viewed by many in the Omaha Metro area as a rough part of town. Personally, I’ve been there many times in the evenings and have never felt unsafe, but then I only live ten blocks West and a short jog North of the parish.
St. Catherine of Siena sheds light on the importance of truth and devotion to Christ
BTP#22 St. Catherine of Siena - Passion for Truth: Beginning to Pray w/ Dr. Anthony Lilles � Discerning Hearts Discerning HeartsLILLES: She is an important figure for those who see a rediscovery of prayer as the force of renewal in the Church. Because she put her devotion to Christ first, she found herself with a spiritual mission to help restore the life and unity of Christ’s body. Some of her efforts met with a little success. But as she approached her death at the age of 33, her lifetime of effort in building up the Church seemed to be in vain. Corruption, scandal, cowardice – and most of all indifference – seemed to infect the Church even more.
10 real-life fairy tale islands around the world
THE WORLD GEOGRAPHY: 10 Real Life Fairytale Islands: The approximate definition of a real life fairytale island would be that it is small island often covered with lush vegetation, from which emerges a magnificent ancient building. When people say that a place is like something from a fairy tale often they are exaggerating, but that is not the case with these charming islands listed below.
Philadelphia's Msgr. William Lynn may be sitting in prison for a crime that never happened. And he's not the only one...
Star witness' story in Philadelphia sex abuse trials doesn't add up | National Catholic Reporter: On Jan. 17, a former priest named Edward V. Avery was sworn in as a witness in a Philadelphia courtroom. The man once known as the "smiling padre" was dressed in an ill-fitting baby-blue prison uniform and was missing his usual toupee.
What Avery had to say would stun courtroom observers and enrage a prosecutor.
Avery had been in jail nearly a year since March 22, 2012, when he pleaded guilty to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and to conspiring with Msgr. William J. Lynn, the Philadelphia archdiocese's former secretary for clergy, to endanger the welfare of a child. The victim of both crimes was a former 10-year-old altar boy identified in a 2011 Philadelphia grand jury report as "Billy Doe."
The prosecutor who called Avery as a witness asked a simple question that nobody had bothered to ask the year before, when the former priest pleaded guilty: Did you do it?
What Avery had to say would stun courtroom observers and enrage a prosecutor.
Avery had been in jail nearly a year since March 22, 2012, when he pleaded guilty to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and to conspiring with Msgr. William J. Lynn, the Philadelphia archdiocese's former secretary for clergy, to endanger the welfare of a child. The victim of both crimes was a former 10-year-old altar boy identified in a 2011 Philadelphia grand jury report as "Billy Doe."
The prosecutor who called Avery as a witness asked a simple question that nobody had bothered to ask the year before, when the former priest pleaded guilty: Did you do it?
The hidden symbolism of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Pope Francis' coat of arms
Pope Francis' Coat of Arms Explained as Devotion to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph ~ Dr. Taylor Marshall | Canterbury TalesMARSHALL: The IHS signifies the Holy Name of Jesus in Greek (IHSYS), and is an emblem of the Society of Jesus of which the Holy Father is a member.
The three nails of the crucifixion are featured as a sign of Our Lord's Passion.
The blue background of the shield signifies the blue protective mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary.�
The 8-pointed star symbolizes Our Lady as the Star of Sea. The number 8 represents the "eighth day" one beyond seven. Christ rose on the "eighth day" and His Kingdom is beyond. This is why baptismal fonts are eight-sided.
The golden spikenard flower represents Saint Joseph's purity. Some have mistaken this image as a bunch of grapes, but it's not. It's a flower.
The three nails of the crucifixion are featured as a sign of Our Lord's Passion.
The blue background of the shield signifies the blue protective mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary.�
The 8-pointed star symbolizes Our Lady as the Star of Sea. The number 8 represents the "eighth day" one beyond seven. Christ rose on the "eighth day" and His Kingdom is beyond. This is why baptismal fonts are eight-sided.
The golden spikenard flower represents Saint Joseph's purity. Some have mistaken this image as a bunch of grapes, but it's not. It's a flower.
Must watch: Live Action's latest undercover video will shock you
Creative Minority Report: Must Watch: Live Action's Latest Undercover Video Will Shock YouMATTARCHBOLD: Live Action has done it again. And this latest undercover video discussing late-term abortions will horrify you.
Dr. Kermit Gosnell is not alone,” said Lila Rose, Founder and President of Live Action. “The gruesome and inhuman practices exposed in Gosnell’s ‘House of Horrors’ are business as usual for the abortion industry in America. These children’s lives are brutally destroyed when they are the most defenseless. This isn’t ‘choice’; this is murder.”
The Bronx, NY abortion counselor is caught on tape describing, in gruesomely precise terms, how late-term abortions happen. She details what is done with a baby after the abortion and advises to “flush” the baby down the toilet if he or she is delivered at home before the final stage of the two- or three-day abortion procedure.
Dr. Kermit Gosnell is not alone,” said Lila Rose, Founder and President of Live Action. “The gruesome and inhuman practices exposed in Gosnell’s ‘House of Horrors’ are business as usual for the abortion industry in America. These children’s lives are brutally destroyed when they are the most defenseless. This isn’t ‘choice’; this is murder.”
The Bronx, NY abortion counselor is caught on tape describing, in gruesomely precise terms, how late-term abortions happen. She details what is done with a baby after the abortion and advises to “flush” the baby down the toilet if he or she is delivered at home before the final stage of the two- or three-day abortion procedure.
Are ordinations in England really higher now than in the 1950s? Let's take a closer look...
RORATE C�LI: An argument over numbers: how does the 1950s compare with today?JOSEPHSHAW: Below is a graph of ordination statistics in England and Wales with a longer range of data (still with a few gaps): click to enlarge. The old Catholic Directories published the names of all those ordained in the previous year, by diocese and religious order. By counting these names my sources have been able to come up with a statistics for secular ordinations, religious ordinations, and a total number of ordinations each year. This source of data dried up in the 1980s, so I have added, as an extra line, the figures for ordinations to the secular priesthood given by the Vocations Office for each year from 1982, which, though the differ slightly from the data in the Directories, look reasonably reliable. There was a rush of vocations after the Papal Visit of 1982; following the decision by the Church of England to ordain women 1992, the English bishops ordained some 200 former Anglicans after an accelerated process of formation. Apart from those two blips, the post-Vatican II decline continued until just five years ago, when things slowly began to improve, from a very low base.
A brief directive for today's Catholic leaders from the Acts of the Apostles
A Brief Directive for Church Leaders from the Acts of the Apostles � Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: The Second reading from yesterday’s mass (5th Sunday of Easter) is very Catholic and too informative to merely pass up. It presents a Church as rather highly organized and possessed of some the structures we know to day in full form. Granted, some of these structures are in seminal (seed) form, but the ARE there.
We will also notice qualities of the original kerygma that are at variance with what some modern thinkers declare should be the methodology of the Church. The soft, cross-less Christianity of many today who remove the cross and replace it with a pillow and insist merely on inclusion and affirmation is strangely absent in this early setting.
We will also notice qualities of the original kerygma that are at variance with what some modern thinkers declare should be the methodology of the Church. The soft, cross-less Christianity of many today who remove the cross and replace it with a pillow and insist merely on inclusion and affirmation is strangely absent in this early setting.
Learn how to recognize these subtle tactics of the devil in your life
Can evil spirits be good? : Roman Catholic Spiritual DirectionBARTUNEK: If our spiritual enemies can’t convince us to commit evil actions, they will often try to convince us to over-commit ourselves in doing good. Stimulating our vanity or our unhealthy emotional patterns that make it hard for us to establish healthy boundaries, he will make it hard for us to say “no” when we ought to. This opens us up to wrongly continuing in destructive relationships, or simply exhausting ourselves doing too many things – good things, but more than what God actually is asking of us. These are common challenges for Christians who are well along on their spiritual journey. They need to be addressed in spiritual direction before they lead to burn-out, cynical frustration, or paralyzing discouragement.
George Washington's best productivity tricks
George Washington's Best Productivity Tricks: In order to become a famous inventor, president, scientist, or just about anything else with a semblance of importance, you have to know how to get things done. With that in mind, we know that we can learn a lot about productivity and leadership from these types, so we figured we'd look into exactly how they do it, starting with President George Washington.
George Washington was the quintessential jack of all trades. He not only led the United States in the Revolutionary War, he was also our first president. It takes some serious management and leadership skills to get that much done, so here are three of our favorite tips we've gleaned from him.
George Washington was the quintessential jack of all trades. He not only led the United States in the Revolutionary War, he was also our first president. It takes some serious management and leadership skills to get that much done, so here are three of our favorite tips we've gleaned from him.
Today's parish music is artificial, elitist, and copyright-clogged. Chant is organic, shareable, and free...
Is Chant Like Folk Music? | Crisis MagazineTUCKER: Somehow we have this impression that Gregorian chant is part of a high Church ethos. It’s for conservatives and traditionalists who favor their liturgy buttoned up, obedient, and strict. On the other hand, this line of thinking goes, people who want authentic human expression of spontaneous religious experience should embrace popular music and a looser liturgical ethos.
I’ve always been puzzled by this caricature. And it is more than puzzling. It is poisonous to the liturgical debate because it reduces the whole issue to questions of taste, style, and education. It results in a strange class war that has nothing to do with what the liturgy is in its essentials and is asking from us.
If you look back at the roots of chant, and even just take time to understand what it means from a musical and historical point of view, you quickly find that it has nothing to do with music conservatories, stuffy performance venues, and rule-bound authoritarians. And, moreover, it has nothing to do with social class, taste, and educational level. The issue of the chanted Mass is really about whether the liturgy is going to be permitted to be what it is or whether we are going to replace its authentic voice with something else.
I’ve always been puzzled by this caricature. And it is more than puzzling. It is poisonous to the liturgical debate because it reduces the whole issue to questions of taste, style, and education. It results in a strange class war that has nothing to do with what the liturgy is in its essentials and is asking from us.
If you look back at the roots of chant, and even just take time to understand what it means from a musical and historical point of view, you quickly find that it has nothing to do with music conservatories, stuffy performance venues, and rule-bound authoritarians. And, moreover, it has nothing to do with social class, taste, and educational level. The issue of the chanted Mass is really about whether the liturgy is going to be permitted to be what it is or whether we are going to replace its authentic voice with something else.
To say that the Boston bombers distorted their religion is to perpetuate a dangerous misunderstanding of Islam
Of Bishops and Bombers | Catholic World Report - Global Church news and viewsKILPATRICK: In his Sunday homily the week after the Boston Marathon bombing, Cardinal Sean O’Malley said that the action of the bombers was a “perversion of their religion.” We have grown accustomed to hearing such statements from prelates, as well as from presidents and prime ministers. Terrorist have “perverted” their religion or “distorted” it or “misinterpreted” it. But how accurate are such assessments?
On one occasion, Muhammad ordered the beheading of more than 700 Jews who had surrendered to him. On another occasion, when a severed head was tossed at his feet by one of his men, he exclaimed that it was “more acceptable to me than the choicest camel in Arabia.” On still another occasion he exulted, “I have been made victorious through terror.” Indeed, the Qur’an is full of admonitions to terrorize. Was Muhammad perverting the religion he founded? Was he a “misunderstander” of Islam?
On one occasion, Muhammad ordered the beheading of more than 700 Jews who had surrendered to him. On another occasion, when a severed head was tossed at his feet by one of his men, he exclaimed that it was “more acceptable to me than the choicest camel in Arabia.” On still another occasion he exulted, “I have been made victorious through terror.” Indeed, the Qur’an is full of admonitions to terrorize. Was Muhammad perverting the religion he founded? Was he a “misunderstander” of Islam?
After a 100% bone marrow match, college athlete puts aside sports goals to help save a stranger's life
Heroic college student gives up dream of athletics career to donate bone marrow to stranger | TIME.com: Lyle was a 100% match — a one in four million chance — with a patient who only has six months left to live. “I knew right away I was definitely going to donate,” he told the Massachusetts Eagle Tribune. “I was pretty terrified at first, but it is starting to settle in.”
The procedure meant, however, that he would be unable to lift more than 20 pounds over his head for a few weeks, which would prevent him from taking part in the final two meets of the year, including the America East Championships, where he was hoping to throw shot put.
The procedure meant, however, that he would be unable to lift more than 20 pounds over his head for a few weeks, which would prevent him from taking part in the final two meets of the year, including the America East Championships, where he was hoping to throw shot put.
Pope's Monday morning Mass: Shame is a gift, and "Jesus in the confessional is not a dry cleaner"
Pope: Shame is a true Christian virtue: The Confessional is not a ‘dry cleaners’ where our sins are automatically washed away and Jesus is not waiting there to ‘beat us up’, but to forgive us with the tenderness of a father for our sins. Moreover, being ashamed of our sins is not only natural, it’s a virtue that helps prepare us for God's forgiveness. This was the central message of Pope Francis’ homily Monday morning during Mass celebrated with staff from the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) and religious present in Casa Santa Marta.
Saying "the university is not a church", Catholic college hosts raunchy no-cameras-allowed drag show for students
Catholic University Hosts Drag Show, Prompts Protest (VIDEO): The University of San Diego – a large, private Catholic college – hosted a drag show in its campus theater Thursday night, prompting a protest by students and local residents who called the event an aberration to Catholicism’s values, while others on campus defended the performance.
“A drag show is not consistent with Catholic teaching,” student protestor and sophomore Ailsa Tirado, 20, said in an interview with The College Fix. “Why call yourself a Catholic school? It’s in direct contradiction with explicit Catholic moral teaching.”
Tirado said more than 4,000 students across the nation signed a petition against “Celebration of Gender Expression – Supreme Drag Superstar 2,” which was organized by PRIDE, the college’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer student-support group.
“A drag show is not consistent with Catholic teaching,” student protestor and sophomore Ailsa Tirado, 20, said in an interview with The College Fix. “Why call yourself a Catholic school? It’s in direct contradiction with explicit Catholic moral teaching.”
Tirado said more than 4,000 students across the nation signed a petition against “Celebration of Gender Expression – Supreme Drag Superstar 2,” which was organized by PRIDE, the college’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer student-support group.
Throughout the United States, nearly 150 Catholic schools will close permanently this year
Why Catholic schools are shutting their doors | Grand Haven Tribune: The effects ripple through communities as schools and the parishes that support them lose members. They are often buckling under the pressures of declining enrollment and a weak economy.
Several challenges facing the church, in addition to a faltering economy, help to explain why so many schools are closing. Society is more secularized and there is a decline in the church-going population. The priest sex abuse scandal has kept the church in the news — and in court — for many years. And there have been demographic shifts in America's Catholic landscape, including immigrants who are Catholic but who do not put a priority on a Catholic education.
Several challenges facing the church, in addition to a faltering economy, help to explain why so many schools are closing. Society is more secularized and there is a decline in the church-going population. The priest sex abuse scandal has kept the church in the news — and in court — for many years. And there have been demographic shifts in America's Catholic landscape, including immigrants who are Catholic but who do not put a priority on a Catholic education.
At April's end, the doctors are in
Whispers in the Loggia: At April's End, The Doctors Are InPALMO: As it has for some six centuries, this 29 April again marks the feast of one of the great saints of ecclesiastical renewal: Catherine of Siena – by turns as a nurse, mystic and Dominican tertiary - but a figure who remains most famous for her pen, with which she corresponded as adviser, and often scourge, of her day's hierarchs.
Even at a young age, Catherine sensed the troubled society around her and wanted to help. She dreamed of dressing up like a man to become a Dominican friar; more than once she ran into the street to kiss the ground where Dominicans walked...
Even at a young age, Catherine sensed the troubled society around her and wanted to help. She dreamed of dressing up like a man to become a Dominican friar; more than once she ran into the street to kiss the ground where Dominicans walked...
There is an interesting disparity between various accounts of the Pope's morning Mass homilies
The Spell of Pope FrancisMAGISTER: This disparity between the radio and the newspaper of the Holy See is an indication of the uncertainty that still reigns at the Vatican on what kind of media treatment to give the weekday homilies of the pope, the ones that he delivers at the 7 a.m. Mass, in the chapel of the residence where he is living.
To these Masses are admitted a selection of the public, different each morning. And among those present on April 24 a fair number were employees of the IOR.
These homilies of the pope are recorded in their entirety. But they do not undergo the procedure for his official discourses, when it comes to the parts improvised off-the-cuff.
That is, they are not transcribed from the audio recording, cleaned up in thought and expression, then submitted to the pope and finally made public in the approved text.
To these Masses are admitted a selection of the public, different each morning. And among those present on April 24 a fair number were employees of the IOR.
These homilies of the pope are recorded in their entirety. But they do not undergo the procedure for his official discourses, when it comes to the parts improvised off-the-cuff.
That is, they are not transcribed from the audio recording, cleaned up in thought and expression, then submitted to the pope and finally made public in the approved text.
10 things you need to know today: April 29, 2013
10 things you need to know today: April 29, 2013 - The Week: Obama taps a new transportation chief, Syria's prime minister survives bombing, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion
Saying it's "no longer a taboo", German Bishops' head calls for women deacons, more roles for "different lifestyles"
Women Catholic deacons 'no longer taboo' - The Local: Archbishop of Freiburg Robert Zollitsch, who chairs the German Bishops' Conference, called for the change at the end of a four-day meeting to discuss possible reforms.
The conference, the first of its kind, invited 300 Roman Catholic experts to propose reforms. Zollitsch's comments echo year-long calls from the Central Committee of German Catholics to permit women to become deacons. On Sunday, Zollitsch said that aim was no longer a 'taboo.'
Zollitsch said the Catholic Church could only regain credibility and strength by committing to reform. He described an "atmosphere of openness and freedom" at the conference.
Deacons assist priests during church services and can perform baptisms and marriages outside of mass. Their primary role however is to serve the needy in their community and their duties are considered secular rather than pastoral.
The conference, the first of its kind, invited 300 Roman Catholic experts to propose reforms. Zollitsch's comments echo year-long calls from the Central Committee of German Catholics to permit women to become deacons. On Sunday, Zollitsch said that aim was no longer a 'taboo.'
Zollitsch said the Catholic Church could only regain credibility and strength by committing to reform. He described an "atmosphere of openness and freedom" at the conference.
Deacons assist priests during church services and can perform baptisms and marriages outside of mass. Their primary role however is to serve the needy in their community and their duties are considered secular rather than pastoral.
Newark's Archbishop John Myers allows priest who admitted groping boy to continue working with children
Newark archbishop allows priest who admitted groping boy to continue working with children | NJ.com: Six years ago, to avoid retrial on charges that he groped a teenage boy, the Rev. Michael Fugee entered a rehabilitation program, underwent counseling for sex offenders and signed a binding agreement that would dictate the remainder of his life as a Roman Catholic priest.
Fugee would not work in any position involving children, the agreement with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office states. He would have no affiliation with youth groups. He would not attend youth retreats. He would not hear the confessions of minors.
Fugee would not work in any position involving children, the agreement with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office states. He would have no affiliation with youth groups. He would not attend youth retreats. He would not hear the confessions of minors.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Four people hurt in knife attack during Mass in Albuquerque
LA Times - Four people hurt in Albuquerque church stabbing: At least four people were hurt at an Albuquerque church Sunday when a visitor jumped out of the pews and stabbed a choir member during a song, police and witnesses said.
Ever seen a 76-year-old pope make a one-handed catch from a moving vehicle? Jump to the 2:40:01 mark and watch...
New Advent: Holy Mass and Confirmation with Regina Coeli: Streamed live on April 28, 2013. Pope Francis celebrates Mass and confers the Sacrament of Confirmation on the Fifth Sunday of Ester, followed by the recitation of the Regina Coeli.
I used to be an outspoken atheist. Now I'm convinced that Catholicism is true. Here's what made me change my mind...
A Question I Never Tire of Answering | John C. Wright's JournalWRIGHT: I am more than a presumably rational individual, I am a champion of atheism who gave arguments in favor of atheism so convincing that three of my friends gave up their religious belief due to my persuasive reasoning powers, and my father stopped going to church.
Upon concluding through a torturous and decades-long and remorseless process of logic that all my fellow atheists were horribly comically wrong about every basic point of philosophy, ethics and logic, and my hated enemies the Christians were right, I wondered how this could be. The data did not match the model.
Upon concluding through a torturous and decades-long and remorseless process of logic that all my fellow atheists were horribly comically wrong about every basic point of philosophy, ethics and logic, and my hated enemies the Christians were right, I wondered how this could be. The data did not match the model.
It takes courage to swim against the current, but it's good for the heart
Pope Francis Homily at Day of Confirmands Mass | ZENIT - The World Seen From RomeCOATOFARMS: In the second reading, we listened to the beautiful vision of Saint John: new heavens and a new earth, and then the Holy City coming down from God. All is new, changed into good, beauty and truth; there are no more tears or mourning… This is the work of the Holy Spirit: he brings us the new things of God. He comes to us and makes all things new; he changes us. The Spirit changes us! And Saint John’s vision reminds us that all of us are journeying towards the heavenly Jerusalem, the ultimate newness which awaits us and all reality, the happy day when we will see the Lord’s face – that marvelous face, the most beautiful face of the Lord Jesus - and be with him for ever, in his love.
Once again, another theory of Einstein's has been proved right
Einstein Proved Right on Gravity—Again - WSJ.com: Scientists have subjected Albert Einstein's famous theory of gravity to its toughest real-world test so far—and it has prevailed.
The theory, which was published nearly a century ago, had already passed every test it was subjected to. But scientists have been trying to pin down precisely at what point Einstein's theory breaks down, and where an alternative explanation would have to be devised.
The theory, which was published nearly a century ago, had already passed every test it was subjected to. But scientists have been trying to pin down precisely at what point Einstein's theory breaks down, and where an alternative explanation would have to be devised.
Having come down from Heaven, Jesus knew the lives of children are endowed from Heaven
New Advent: Having come down from Heaven, Jesus knew the lives of children are endowed from HeavenRUTLER: Liturgical readings in the Easter season often couple the Book of the Acts of the Apostles with the Book of Revelation. They are so different that at first you might think it is like putting a history of Dutch New Amsterdam alongside a science fiction novel. The Acts seem so human, with charming details, such as the fine needlework done by Dorcas (Acts 9:36-42). There is none of that in the Revelation of St. John. But think again: Dorcas the seamstress was raised from the dead. That is as astonishing as St. John’s descriptions of Heaven, which, since they are being filtered from eternity into time, seem almost like hallucinations.
Bishop Gumbleton misrepresents Archbishop Vigneron on who should receive Communion
Bishop Gumbleton Misrepresents Archbishop Vigneron on Who Should Receive Communion | CatholicVote.orgJANETSMITH: Archbishop Vigneron and Bishop Gumbleton may be less at odds than Bishop Gumbleton seems to think. �Vigneron’s statements that some individuals should not present themselves for Communion referred to those who publicly advocate for such things as same sex marriages, or any other serious matter, such as the legalization of abortion, not to the private individual who struggles with these matters in his or her conscience, as Gumbleton seems to have in mind.
Video: Three years of the Sun in three minutes
New Advent: Three years of the Sun in three minutes: In the three years since it first provided images of the sun in the spring of 2010, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has had virtually unbroken coverage of the sun's rise toward solar maximum, the peak of solar activity in its regular 11-year cycle. This video shows those three years of the sun at a pace of two images per day.
A visit (with pictures) to Pope Francis' old apartment in Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA - LEBANON The pope of the poor: visiting Card Bergoglio's flat in Buenos Aires - Asia News: "A man drunk with God", the title (from the French) of the classic biography of Saint Sharbel by Fr Paul Daher, spontaneously comes to mind when listening to those who were close to Pope Francis when he was still the archbishop of Buenos Aires.
We are in the Archbishop's Palace in the Argentine capital. Thanks to a special concession and led by Episcopal Vicar Mgr Joaquin Succunza, the Maronite Patriarch, Card Beshara Rai (pictured), was able to visit the flat where the former archbishop lived: his bedroom, private chapel and office. Télé-Lumière, a Lebanese Christian TV network, was allowed to tape this exclusive visit.
Pope confirms 44 young people in St. Peter's Square, calls them to be 'steadfast'
Pope confirms young people, calls them to be 'steadfast' :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): At a Mass where he confirmed 44 young people, Pope Francis encouraged the youth of the world to persist in their faith even in the midst of obstacles.
“Remaining steadfast in the journey of faith, with firm hope in the Lord, is the secret of our journey,” he told over 70,000 young people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
“There are no difficulties, trials or misunderstandings to fear, provided we remain united to God as branches to the vine, provided we do not lose our friendship with him, provided we make ever more room for him in our lives,” he said during the 10:00 a.m. Mass on April 28.
“Remaining steadfast in the journey of faith, with firm hope in the Lord, is the secret of our journey,” he told over 70,000 young people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
“There are no difficulties, trials or misunderstandings to fear, provided we remain united to God as branches to the vine, provided we do not lose our friendship with him, provided we make ever more room for him in our lives,” he said during the 10:00 a.m. Mass on April 28.
The United Church of Christ has replaced dialogue with anti-Catholic mockery. If we take ecumenism seriously, we must act...
xZUHLSDORF: Here’s the bottom line.
The women’s ordination thing is silliness. It is a circus.
A Protestant church in Kentucky hosted this particular circus. They gave the Catholic Church the finger.
There should be consequences.
The most sacred rites of the Catholic Church are Holy Mass and ordination to Holy Orders.
They effectively trampled rites that we Catholics hold as sacred.
These silly Catholic women-priest supporters are committing sacrilege in simulating Mass and Orders.
However, the Protestants who host them are assisting in a mockery of our Holy Mass and a mockery of our priesthood.
The women’s ordination thing is silliness. It is a circus.
A Protestant church in Kentucky hosted this particular circus. They gave the Catholic Church the finger.
There should be consequences.
The most sacred rites of the Catholic Church are Holy Mass and ordination to Holy Orders.
They effectively trampled rites that we Catholics hold as sacred.
These silly Catholic women-priest supporters are committing sacrilege in simulating Mass and Orders.
However, the Protestants who host them are assisting in a mockery of our Holy Mass and a mockery of our priesthood.
Man is not just a "trousered ape". Man is made in the image and likeness of God...
NCRegister | Man or Beast: The Modern DilemmaDEMARCO: A story is told in circles where science and humor coincide about an ape that was experiencing an acute identity crisis. The troubled primate escaped from the Bronx Zoo and, after sending shock waves of terror through the local community, was found in the New York City Public Library, holding in one hand Darwin’s Origin of the Species and in the other hand a copy of the Book of Genesis. "I just had to find out," he apologetically explained to reporters, "whether I was my keeper’s brother or my brother’s keeper."
Does the ape belong in a zoo as a captive who is cared for by his zoo keeper? Or is he human enough to be thought of on par with human beings?
Does the ape belong in a zoo as a captive who is cared for by his zoo keeper? Or is he human enough to be thought of on par with human beings?
Vatican fresco cleaning reveals long-hidden images of native Americans painted in 1494
John Thavis | Vatican fresco cleaning reveals images of native AmericansTHAVIS: It hasn’t drawn much attention yet, but the Vatican has quietly announced the discovery of what it believes is the first artistic representation of native Americans.
A detail of a fresco by the Renaissance artist Pinturicchio, discovered during restoration work in the Vatican Museums, depicts men dressed only in feathered headdresses who appear to be dancing, and another on horseback.
The painting was completed in 1494, shortly after Christopher Columbus returned from the New World with a detailed description of natives who painted themselves, danced and gave gifts of parrots.
For hundreds of years, the frescoed figures were hiding in plain sight – sort of. They are part of the background in a lunette fresco titled “The Resurrection,” noted for its depiction of Pope Alexander VI, the infamous Rodrigo Borgia, who was elected in 1492.
A detail of a fresco by the Renaissance artist Pinturicchio, discovered during restoration work in the Vatican Museums, depicts men dressed only in feathered headdresses who appear to be dancing, and another on horseback.
The painting was completed in 1494, shortly after Christopher Columbus returned from the New World with a detailed description of natives who painted themselves, danced and gave gifts of parrots.
For hundreds of years, the frescoed figures were hiding in plain sight – sort of. They are part of the background in a lunette fresco titled “The Resurrection,” noted for its depiction of Pope Alexander VI, the infamous Rodrigo Borgia, who was elected in 1492.
The Group of Eight cardinal advisers could be joining Pope Francis in Assisi later this year
Trip to Assisi on the horizon for Pope’s top men - Vatican InsiderGALEAZZI: The eight cardinals appointed byt he Pope to help and advise him on the issue of Curia reform could be joining Francis on his visit to Assisi. The cardinal advisors have been summoned to Rome at the start of October (probably 4 October, the feast day of the patron saint of Italy), when the Pope intends to visit St. Francis’ tomb. On 2 May, Franciscans are expected in the Holy See and a meeting between the Pope and his “board” of advisors in the sacred land of St. Francis’ pilgrimage, could be on the cards. The objective of the meeting would be to pray and discuss how to reform, streamline and moralise the Vatican machine and ecclesiastical bureaucracy, turning them into a support and a useful tool for faith rather than an obstacle. “The trip could last several days,” the Holy See stressed. Until now, the Church has tried not to jump the gun in terms of the “geopolitics” of the Pope’s journeys. Preparation for the World Youth Day in Rio is well underway and a visit to Assisi looks likely.
Country music legend George Jones died Friday. Here are five of his finest moments in song...
Bill DeMain Remembers George Jones | Mental Floss: I moved to Nashville in 1989. At the time, I had no interest in country music. It never crossed my radar growing up in New Jersey, and to be honest, I had a slightly lopsided view of it as nothing more than rhinestones, fringe and sideburns shaped like Italy. That all changed when I heard George Jones sing “A Good Year For The Roses.”
In three revelatory minutes, I suddenly understood that this was soul music, in the deepest sense of the word. This tale of a broken relationship, which unfolds against the banal observations of a guy noticing the unmowed grass and garden outside his window, is absolutely one of the most heartfelt, moving songs I've ever heard. Like my other favorite singers – Frank Sinatra, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye – George Jones had the ability to make a song personal, so it sounded as if he was confiding in you a story about his own life. Which in most cases, he probably was.
In three revelatory minutes, I suddenly understood that this was soul music, in the deepest sense of the word. This tale of a broken relationship, which unfolds against the banal observations of a guy noticing the unmowed grass and garden outside his window, is absolutely one of the most heartfelt, moving songs I've ever heard. Like my other favorite singers – Frank Sinatra, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye – George Jones had the ability to make a song personal, so it sounded as if he was confiding in you a story about his own life. Which in most cases, he probably was.
The Boston Marathon bombers are ethnic Chechens. So who are the Chechens? Here's what you need to know...
The Tsarnaev brothers' Chechnya connection - The Week: The Chechens are an ethnic group in the Caucasus region who have been fighting for independence from Russia for four centuries. Most Chechens are Sunni Muslims, many of whom practice in the mystical Sufi tradition; most Russians are Orthodox Christians. But the independence struggle has long been more about nationality than religion. Chechen identity is fiercely independent and anti-hierarchical, and rests on clan honor and — to a great extent — hatred of Russia. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's high school friends say he rarely talked about his ethnicity, except to quickly correct anyone who suggested he was Russian.
10 things you need to know today: April 28, 2013
10 things you need to know today: April 28, 2013 - The Week: Obama entertains at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, another ricin suspect is arrested, and more in our roundup of stories that are making news and driving opinion
Look to the skies! Saturn makes a beautifully close approach to Earth tonight...
How to See Saturn at Its Closest to Earth in 2013 | Geekosystem: 1.3 billion kilometers is a great distance, but tonight consider it relatively close. That’s how far away close Saturn will be to the Earth tonight. What does that mean for you? It means that with a telescope — even a cheap one — you can get a beautiful view of another planet that’s more than 800 million miles away. Oh, you don’t have a telescope? Go buy a telescope. There’s still time.
Spacecraft that are out in the solar system are constantly sending back stunning images of the planets, and we love to look at them, but there’s something to be said about observing something firsthand.The more powerful the telescope you use, the better view you’ll have, but even with a small refracting telescope, the rings should be easily visible and distinct from the planet itself.
Spacecraft that are out in the solar system are constantly sending back stunning images of the planets, and we love to look at them, but there’s something to be said about observing something firsthand.The more powerful the telescope you use, the better view you’ll have, but even with a small refracting telescope, the rings should be easily visible and distinct from the planet itself.
The Legacy of Love: A meditation on the Gospel for the Fifth Week of Easter
The Legacy of Love – A Meditation on the Gospel for the 5th Week of Easter � Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: The title of this sermon uses the word Legacy, which refers to something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor.
Perhaps the most accessible image of this is money. If I receive 100 million dollars from a dying relative I can tap into those funds and start living differently. My bill now, that seem overwhelming, can be paid off the mere interest of my finds, and I can start enjoying things I thought I could never afford in the past. In other words, a legacy can utterly change the way I live, and open new possibilities.
Perhaps the most accessible image of this is money. If I receive 100 million dollars from a dying relative I can tap into those funds and start living differently. My bill now, that seem overwhelming, can be paid off the mere interest of my finds, and I can start enjoying things I thought I could never afford in the past. In other words, a legacy can utterly change the way I live, and open new possibilities.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Photographer Justin Quinnell found a camera so tiny he could hide it inside his mouth. So that's what he did...
Justin Quinnell: Taking pinhole photography pictures from inside a mouth (PHOTOS).: Photographer Justin Quinnell says he has a lot of crazy ideas and not enough time to try them all.
But one day more than a decade ago, he started thinking about a pinhole camera he had, about 3 inches across, which he figured was nearly indestructible. You could drop it off bridges, he said, or attach it to windshield wipers. Or put it in your mouth. So that's what he did. He hasn't looked back.
"I love it because it's really quite uncomfortable and that's fine. Some pictures are a bit contrived. Others are accidental flukes. Some are a bit unnerving. Others, I'll never forget taking them."
Like the one he took lying down on the floor of the Guggenheim, smiling at the ceiling to capture the spiral ramp. Or the one he tried to take when he put corn in his mouth along with the camera, hoping to attract and photograph pigeons. Or the one in the hospital, when his wife was giving birth to their son.
"I have a very open-minded wife," he said. "But the photo didn't come out. It was a shame."
But one day more than a decade ago, he started thinking about a pinhole camera he had, about 3 inches across, which he figured was nearly indestructible. You could drop it off bridges, he said, or attach it to windshield wipers. Or put it in your mouth. So that's what he did. He hasn't looked back.
"I love it because it's really quite uncomfortable and that's fine. Some pictures are a bit contrived. Others are accidental flukes. Some are a bit unnerving. Others, I'll never forget taking them."
Like the one he took lying down on the floor of the Guggenheim, smiling at the ceiling to capture the spiral ramp. Or the one he tried to take when he put corn in his mouth along with the camera, hoping to attract and photograph pigeons. Or the one in the hospital, when his wife was giving birth to their son.
"I have a very open-minded wife," he said. "But the photo didn't come out. It was a shame."
Two small but significant changes regarding Communion reception in the United States
Two small but significant changes regarding Communion receptionKANDRA: A website calls attention to this item in a USCCB newsletter on the new Roman Missal, from January:
What does the Missal say about the posture of the faithful when receiving Holy Communion? What about Communion in the hand?
Both of these questions are covered in no. 160 of the GIRM. It states clearly there that the “norm” established for �the United States for reception of Holy Communion is standing. In the 2003 GIRM, it stated that no one should be refused Communion if they kneel, but that afterward they should be properly catechized. In the current edition, the exhortation to catechesis is removed and the exception to the norm of standing is left to the discretion of the faithful: “unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling.”
What does the Missal say about the posture of the faithful when receiving Holy Communion? What about Communion in the hand?
Both of these questions are covered in no. 160 of the GIRM. It states clearly there that the “norm” established for �the United States for reception of Holy Communion is standing. In the 2003 GIRM, it stated that no one should be refused Communion if they kneel, but that afterward they should be properly catechized. In the current edition, the exhortation to catechesis is removed and the exception to the norm of standing is left to the discretion of the faithful: “unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling.”
8 things to know and share about St. Catherine of Siena
8 things to know and share about St. Catherine of Siena |Blogs | NCRegister.comAKIN: In a vision that was ever present in Catherine's heart and mind Our Lady presented her to Jesus who gave her a splendid ring, visible to her alone.
In this extraordinary episode we see the vital centre of Catherine’s religious sense, and of all authentic spirituality: Christocentrism.
For her Christ was like the spouse with whom a relationship of intimacy, communion and faithfulness exist. He was the best beloved whom she loved above any other good.
This profound union with the Lord is illustrated by another episode in the life of this outstanding mystic: the exchange of hearts.
According to Raymond of Capua who passed on the confidences Catherine received, the Lord Jesus appeared to her holding in his holy hands a human heart, bright red and shining. He opened her side and put the heart within her saying...
In this extraordinary episode we see the vital centre of Catherine’s religious sense, and of all authentic spirituality: Christocentrism.
For her Christ was like the spouse with whom a relationship of intimacy, communion and faithfulness exist. He was the best beloved whom she loved above any other good.
This profound union with the Lord is illustrated by another episode in the life of this outstanding mystic: the exchange of hearts.
According to Raymond of Capua who passed on the confidences Catherine received, the Lord Jesus appeared to her holding in his holy hands a human heart, bright red and shining. He opened her side and put the heart within her saying...
Catholic priests not welcome at Boston's bombing scene
At Boston's bombing scene: Catholic priests need not apply - Catholic CultureLAWLER: Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Jennifer Graham tells me something that I hadn’t heard about Boston Marathon bombing. As dozens of victims were sprawled across Boylston Street, many of them in danger of death, Catholic priests came running to the scene—and were turned away.
Doctors and nurses were welcome at the bombing scene. Firefighters and police officers were welcome. But Catholic priests, who might have offered the solace of the sacraments, were not.
Doctors and nurses were welcome at the bombing scene. Firefighters and police officers were welcome. But Catholic priests, who might have offered the solace of the sacraments, were not.
New for all ages: A reflection on the upcoming Sunday readings
New For All Ages: Scott Hahn Reflects on the 5th Sunday of Easter | St. Paul Center For Biblical TheologyHAHN: Until the end of time, the Church will declare to the world God’s mighty deeds, blessing His holy name and giving Him thanks, singing of the glories of His kingdom.
In His Church, we know ourselves as His “faithful ones,” as those Jesus calls “My little children” in today’s Gospel. We live by the new law, the “new commandment” that He gave in His final hours.
The love He commands of us is no human love but a supernatural love. We love each other as Jesus loved us in suffering and dying for us. We love in imitation of His love.
In His Church, we know ourselves as His “faithful ones,” as those Jesus calls “My little children” in today’s Gospel. We live by the new law, the “new commandment” that He gave in His final hours.
The love He commands of us is no human love but a supernatural love. We love each other as Jesus loved us in suffering and dying for us. We love in imitation of His love.
Turn your smart phone into a Star Trek tricorder with these real-life science apps
Turn Your Mobile Into a Scientific Tricorder with These Real-Life Apps: In Star Trek, tricorders are multifunctional devices that do everything from mass spectrometry and genetic analysis to communications. Now there are a host of mobile apps you can turn your phone into a scientific tool not entirely unlike what Data uses to analyze new planets.
In the Star Trek universe, tricorders have three default scanning functions — geological, meteorological and biological — though they come in more specific flavors, such as the medical tricorder.
In the Star Trek universe, tricorders have three default scanning functions — geological, meteorological and biological — though they come in more specific flavors, such as the medical tricorder.
Vatican halts appointments of new bishops in Scotland until O'Brien investigation is completed
O'Brien scandal: Vatican calls halt to new bishops | Herald Scotland: In the first known move in relation to the crisis since the election of Pope Francis, Scotland's leading Catholic cleric Philip Tartaglia was given the news at a meeting in the Vatican this week.
Cardinal O'Brien resigned from his position as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh two months ago amid confessions of gay sexual activity spanning decades.
The move by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, one of the front-runners in the recent conclave to elect a new pope, means three dioceses – Paisley, Dunkeld and Edinburgh – will not have their vacancies for a bishop filled.
Another two with ageing bishops, Motherwell and Galloway, will not have their churchmen replaced.
Canadian Cardinal Ouellet is the current prefect of the Congregation for the Bishops, which oversees the selection of new bishops.
Serving and former trainee priests have claimed to have been abused by Cardinal O'Brien, who remains a cardinal.
Cardinal O'Brien resigned from his position as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh two months ago amid confessions of gay sexual activity spanning decades.
The move by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, one of the front-runners in the recent conclave to elect a new pope, means three dioceses – Paisley, Dunkeld and Edinburgh – will not have their vacancies for a bishop filled.
Another two with ageing bishops, Motherwell and Galloway, will not have their churchmen replaced.
Canadian Cardinal Ouellet is the current prefect of the Congregation for the Bishops, which oversees the selection of new bishops.
Serving and former trainee priests have claimed to have been abused by Cardinal O'Brien, who remains a cardinal.
The whole story of the kidnapping of the Greek and Syriac Orthodox Metropolitans of Aleppo
The Whole Story of the Kidnapping of the Greek and Syriac Orthodox Metropolitans of Aleppo / OrthoChristian.Com: The two kidnapped metropolitans are Metropolitan Youhanna Ibrahim, Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo, and Boulos Yazigi, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo and Alexandretta, brother of Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X Yazigi, who has been struck with a double tragedy.
Bishop Matta Khoury, secretary to Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Zakka I Iwas, spoke to al-Joumhouria on behalf of the patriarch, who had just come out of the hospital on the night of the incident. He confirmed, also in his capacity as Bishop of Bab Touma in Damascus, that the Patriarchate will not take any decision while awaiting any contact from the kidnappers, in order to know their intentions and demands.
Bishop Matta Khoury, secretary to Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Zakka I Iwas, spoke to al-Joumhouria on behalf of the patriarch, who had just come out of the hospital on the night of the incident. He confirmed, also in his capacity as Bishop of Bab Touma in Damascus, that the Patriarchate will not take any decision while awaiting any contact from the kidnappers, in order to know their intentions and demands.
The Pope Emeritus will move to his new home at the Vatican on Wednesday
Ratzinger to return to the Vatican on May 1st - Vatican InsiderTORNIELLI: Benedict XVI returns to the Vatican. He left the Holy See on 28 February, the last day of his pontificate, which ended officially on the evening of that same day, following his resignation. Unless there is last minute change of plan, the Pope Emeritus is expected to return to the Vatican on 1 May. The former cloistered monastery where the former Pope will be living, is now ready for him to move in. The monastery is a four story building, with communal areas and twelve monastic cells, a new wing measuring approximately 450 metres squared, a chapel, the cloistered nuns’ choir, a library, a gallery, an evergreen hedge, a heavy gate that separates the cloistered area from the other parts of the monastery and a large garden where peppers, tomatoes, courgettes, cabbages, lemons and oranges are grown.
Our old immigration laws have created an intolerable situation
Catholic New World - The Cardinal's Column - To Walk Together…FRANCISGEORGE: The day after the recent conclave to elect Pope Francis ended, the cardinal electors assembled in the Sistine Chapel to concelebrate Mass with him. He preached a very straightforward homily, constructed around three words: to walk, to build, to proclaim. We are to walk together, to keep moving, but at such a pace that no one is left behind or overlooked. We are to build as we walk so that the generations that follow will have a home in the church. As we walk and build, we are to talk, to profess our faith in Christ crucified and risen. That, in three words, is the program for the new evangelization.
The church tries to walk with everyone, even those who cannot physically walk: the aged, the unborn, the chronically sick. There is another group of outcasts that merit our special attention these days: those who have spent many years walking among us but who are not here with rights because they crossed the border illegally. The U.S. bishops have not condoned illegal entry into this or any other country. The bishops have said, however, that we should look at those who are here as our brothers and sisters, deserving of concern for them and their families.
The church tries to walk with everyone, even those who cannot physically walk: the aged, the unborn, the chronically sick. There is another group of outcasts that merit our special attention these days: those who have spent many years walking among us but who are not here with rights because they crossed the border illegally. The U.S. bishops have not condoned illegal entry into this or any other country. The bishops have said, however, that we should look at those who are here as our brothers and sisters, deserving of concern for them and their families.
10 things you need to know today: April 27, 2013
10 things you need to know today: April 27, 2013 - The Week: The Bangladesh building death tally passes 300, the Boston suspect is moved, and more in our roundup of stories that are making news and driving opinion
“The Pearl of Great Price” and “The Woman at the Well” beautifully retold in a short animated video
“The Pearl of Great Price” and “The Woman at the Well” beautifully retold in a short animated video � Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: A young girl is playing in the sandbox of this world, creatively building with its resources. Around her neck is a locket which symbolizes her greatest treasure from this world, her “idol,” if you will. What exactly that worldly treasure or idol is, that is� for you to answer. Perhaps it is popularity, possessions, power, or some pleasure.
But as the world, with its false promises of lasting joy often does, her worldly creations and accomplishments are swept away in a moment by a huge wave. Her idol cannot save her, it too is swept away. Sic transit gloria mundi
But she must recover it! She must regain her foothold in this world’s passing pleasures and powerless idols! So she dives even deeper into this tumultuous world, as if willing to experiences its most deadly forces, if only she can get back what she lost, what the world cruelly took back! Her idol not only cannot help her, it is what leads her into the very jaws of death.
But as the world, with its false promises of lasting joy often does, her worldly creations and accomplishments are swept away in a moment by a huge wave. Her idol cannot save her, it too is swept away. Sic transit gloria mundi
But she must recover it! She must regain her foothold in this world’s passing pleasures and powerless idols! So she dives even deeper into this tumultuous world, as if willing to experiences its most deadly forces, if only she can get back what she lost, what the world cruelly took back! Her idol not only cannot help her, it is what leads her into the very jaws of death.
To exercise the gift of knowledge is to be a complete thinker, a thinker who refuses to truncate thought
Knowledge: All Truth Is God’s Truth | Daily News | NCRegister.comSHEA: Knowledge is the fifth of the seven sanctifying gifts of the Holy Spirit. As we have discussed previously, all the sanctifying gifts are ordered toward conforming us to the image and likeness of Jesus Christ and making us participants in his life.
Because we are all called to be fully conformed to Jesus, all the sanctifying gifts are available to all the baptized and confirmed. In this, they are different from charismatic gifts, which are distributed by the Holy Spirit in such a way that nobody has all the gifts but everybody has some of them.
We receive the gift of knowledge, as we receive all the sanctifying gifts, when we are infused with sanctifying grace. And, as with all gifts of grace, they build on nature.
Because we are all called to be fully conformed to Jesus, all the sanctifying gifts are available to all the baptized and confirmed. In this, they are different from charismatic gifts, which are distributed by the Holy Spirit in such a way that nobody has all the gifts but everybody has some of them.
We receive the gift of knowledge, as we receive all the sanctifying gifts, when we are infused with sanctifying grace. And, as with all gifts of grace, they build on nature.
I was once offered a job at an abortion clinic
I Was Once Offered a Job at an Abortion ClinicSCHIFFER: In later years, I regretted that I hadn’t played along, at least for a while - scheduling a personal interview, meeting the staff, getting a guided tour of the building.� �Talking to the abortionist.� But my shocked squeal had betrayed my horror at the sinister “work” that went on there, and I had blown my chance to be welcomed as one of the “treatment professionals”.
How did it happen that I, a pro-life woman, unknowingly applied for work at a killing factory?� Well, I was young and needed money, and I responded to a classified ad in my local newspaper.� The ad was fairly obscure about the job description
How did it happen that I, a pro-life woman, unknowingly applied for work at a killing factory?� Well, I was young and needed money, and I responded to a classified ad in my local newspaper.� The ad was fairly obscure about the job description
A boy's life with unisex scouts
A Boy’s Life with Unisex Scouts | Public DiscourseESOLEN: I see a boy.
Luke is ten years old. He sports a cowlick across his forehead, and a bright smile.
Despite the birth of a child a thousand miles away with vestigial organs of the opposite sex, and despite genetic anomalies that blunt the edge of masculinity or femininity here or there, everyone is certain he is a boy. It took the doctor in the delivery room but a moment to declare, “It’s a boy!”
Luke is outdoors a lot, running after baseballs, footballs, and soccer balls. He has what Marilynne Robinson happily calls “skinny boy strength.” You can see it in the muscles of his chest. His voice is pitched high, but not really—as if a flute were played an octave low.
Luke is ten years old. He sports a cowlick across his forehead, and a bright smile.
Despite the birth of a child a thousand miles away with vestigial organs of the opposite sex, and despite genetic anomalies that blunt the edge of masculinity or femininity here or there, everyone is certain he is a boy. It took the doctor in the delivery room but a moment to declare, “It’s a boy!”
Luke is outdoors a lot, running after baseballs, footballs, and soccer balls. He has what Marilynne Robinson happily calls “skinny boy strength.” You can see it in the muscles of his chest. His voice is pitched high, but not really—as if a flute were played an octave low.
Friday, April 26, 2013
More reasons to read New Advent daily...
Te Deum laudamus!: More reasons to read New Advent daily...KORZENIEWSKI: I've scanned and read �headlines at New Advent for many years now. �New Advent has featured some of my posts. The side-bar was recently updated to include some other items, such as these. �It gets updated daily, and sometimes more. Visit the site daily for the next few days and I think you will see why it is a Catholic's site of choice.
Obama takes swipe at pro-life activists, sidesteps Gosnell during Planned Parenthood speech
Obama takes swipe at pro-life activists, ignores Gosnell during Planned Parenthood speech | LifeSiteNews.com: President Obama took a combative stance during his speech to Planned Parenthood today, pledging his unconditional support to the abortion giant, and, at more than one point, taking a swipe at pro-life activists who oppose the organization.
“No matter how great the challenge, no matter how fierce the opposition, there’s one thing that the past few years have shown,” said President Obama, “that Planned Parenthood is not going anywhere. It’s not going anywhere today. It’s not going anywhere tomorrow."
He continued: “As long as we’ve got to fight to make sure women have access to quality affordable healthcare, and as long as we’ve got to fight to protect a women’s right to make her own choices about her own health, I want you to know that you’ve also got a president who’s going to be with you fighting with you every step of the way.”
“No matter how great the challenge, no matter how fierce the opposition, there’s one thing that the past few years have shown,” said President Obama, “that Planned Parenthood is not going anywhere. It’s not going anywhere today. It’s not going anywhere tomorrow."
He continued: “As long as we’ve got to fight to make sure women have access to quality affordable healthcare, and as long as we’ve got to fight to protect a women’s right to make her own choices about her own health, I want you to know that you’ve also got a president who’s going to be with you fighting with you every step of the way.”
Pope Francis says life is a "journey of preparation" for Heaven
Pope says life is 'journey of preparation' for heaven :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): “The whole journey of life is a journey of preparation” for heaven, Pope Francis said during his homily at Friday morning Mass.
The Pope reflected on the Gospel passage from St. John for today in which Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid or troubled because he goes to prepare a place in the Father’s house for them.
“Prepare a place means preparing our ability to enjoy the chance, our chance, to see, to feel, to understand the beauty of what lies ahead, of that homeland towards which we walk,” he remarked.
Members of the Vatican Typography office attended the Eucharistic celebration on April 26, alongside the Vatican Labor Office and Vatican State Police inside St. Martha’s House chapel.
The Pope reflected on the Gospel passage from St. John for today in which Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid or troubled because he goes to prepare a place in the Father’s house for them.
“Prepare a place means preparing our ability to enjoy the chance, our chance, to see, to feel, to understand the beauty of what lies ahead, of that homeland towards which we walk,” he remarked.
Members of the Vatican Typography office attended the Eucharistic celebration on April 26, alongside the Vatican Labor Office and Vatican State Police inside St. Martha’s House chapel.
Pope Francis: The Christian life is like cataract surgery for the "eyes of our soul"
Pope: Preparing for the heavenly homeland: Our journey of faith is not one of alienation, but prepares our hearts to see the beautiful face of God: this was Pope Francis’ message during Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae. On Friday Mass was attended by Staff from the Vatican Typography, the Vatican Labor Office and Vatican State Police...
We had no idea what Alexander Graham Bell sounded like. Until now...
We Had No Idea What Alexander Graham Bell Sounded Like. Until Now | History & Archaeology | Smithsonian Magazine: During the years I spent in the company of Alexander Graham Bell, at work on his biography, I often wondered what the inventor of the world’s most important acoustical device—the telephone—might have sounded like.
Born in Scotland in 1847, Bell, at different periods of his life, lived in England, then Canada and, later, the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. His favorite refuge was Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, where he spent the summers from the mid-1880s on. In his day, 85 percent of the population there conversed in Gaelic. Did Bell speak with a Scottish burr? What was the pitch and depth of the voice with which he loved to belt out ballads and music hall songs?
Born in Scotland in 1847, Bell, at different periods of his life, lived in England, then Canada and, later, the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. His favorite refuge was Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, where he spent the summers from the mid-1880s on. In his day, 85 percent of the population there conversed in Gaelic. Did Bell speak with a Scottish burr? What was the pitch and depth of the voice with which he loved to belt out ballads and music hall songs?
In the Catholic Church, "all are welcome" does not mean "anything goes"
His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan � All Are Welcome!DOLAN: It was a lesson I began to learn when I was seven or eight. My buddy Freddie from across the street and I were playing outside.� Mom called me for supper.
“Can Freddie stay and eat supper with us?”� I asked.
“He’d sure be welcome, if it’s okay with his mom and dad,” she replied.
“Thanks, Mrs. Dolan,” Freddie replied.� “I’m sure it’s okay, because mom and dad are out, and the babysitter was just going to make me a sandwich whenever I came in.”
I was so proud and happy.� Freddie was welcome in our house, at our table.� We both rushed in and sat down.
“Freddie, glad you’re here,” dad remarked, “but . . . looks like you and Tim better go wash your hands before you eat.”
“Can Freddie stay and eat supper with us?”� I asked.
“He’d sure be welcome, if it’s okay with his mom and dad,” she replied.
“Thanks, Mrs. Dolan,” Freddie replied.� “I’m sure it’s okay, because mom and dad are out, and the babysitter was just going to make me a sandwich whenever I came in.”
I was so proud and happy.� Freddie was welcome in our house, at our table.� We both rushed in and sat down.
“Freddie, glad you’re here,” dad remarked, “but . . . looks like you and Tim better go wash your hands before you eat.”
Turkish president speaks "directly" to one of the kidnapped Syrian bishops on Thursday
Turkish president speaks to one of kidnapped Syrian bishops - Vatican InsiderTOSATTI: The President of Turkey, Abdullah Gül, has informed figures of the Syriac Orthodox Church that yesterday he had the chance to speak with Yuhanna Ibrahim, one of the two prelates who were recently kidnapped near Aleppo as they were apparently attempting to negotiate the release of two priests who had been in the hands of the rebels for some time. The news was communicated by the Syrian Orthodox bishop, Daniel Kourieh in Beirut. The Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Kakka Iwas, was told that the Turkish president had “spoken” to Yuhanna Ibrahim "directly".
Life's too short to pretend you like scat
Scat Free |Blogs | NCRegister.comFISHER: I once told a jazz-savvy guy how much I loved Ella Fitzgerald, except for the songs with scat singing.� He laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and laughed.� Somewhat offended, I asked why.� It turns out that Ella Fitzgerald is especially known for her scatting -- that she's also, in fact, known as "Queen of Scat." He said that enjoying Ella Fitzgerald except for her scatting is like enjoying Rembrandt except for his painting. Well, too bad!� I don't like it.� I recognize that she's great at it, and she comes closer than anyone else� to making scat sound tolerable.� I just don't like it.� I actually tried to force myself to like scat, when I had a girl crush on my high school jazz choir director, who was a wannabe jazz singer.� I even tried singing scat (and sounded very much like a nice Catholic girl from New Hampshire trying to sing scat).� I tried and I tried, but it turns out that I just don't like it.
There’s deception going on in the front office of the Boy Scouts
Something Rotten in the Boy Scouts | Crisis MagazineRUSE: The Boy Scouts are considering changing their policy of not allowing open homosexuality in either their Scout or leadership ranks. The policy has placed the Boy Scouts in the buzz saw of the zeitgeist and up until recently they have resisted. There are some weak-kneed leaders who want to throw over the policy and appear willing to violate the Scout Law to do it.
The Scout front office released the result of a national survey and “listening” process that purported to show that the Scouts—boys, parents, leaders and donors—favor a change in the policy. The Boy Scouts say the process reveals great changes in attitudes and that a majority of those at all levels of Scouting “tend to agree that youth should not be denied the benefits of Scouting.”
This was dutifully and even triumphantly reported in the mainstream press. �The only problem is the news reports were wrong. And the news reports were wrong because the Boy Scouts misrepresented the results. One close observer of the Boy Scouts calls the poll “a pack of lies.”
The Scout front office released the result of a national survey and “listening” process that purported to show that the Scouts—boys, parents, leaders and donors—favor a change in the policy. The Boy Scouts say the process reveals great changes in attitudes and that a majority of those at all levels of Scouting “tend to agree that youth should not be denied the benefits of Scouting.”
This was dutifully and even triumphantly reported in the mainstream press. �The only problem is the news reports were wrong. And the news reports were wrong because the Boy Scouts misrepresented the results. One close observer of the Boy Scouts calls the poll “a pack of lies.”
10 things you need to know today: April 26, 2013
10 things you need to know today: April 26, 2013 - The Week: Bombing suspects' father delays trip to U.S., the NFL draft is in full swing, and more in our roundup of stories that are making news and driving opinion
Franciscan University forges ahead with new president
Franciscan University Forges Ahead With New President | Daily News | NCRegister.com: Trustees at the Franciscan University of Steubenville have selected a new president to carry on the university’s mission to be the leading light of faithful Catholic higher education in the United States.
But the Franciscan friar chosen to take over the helm of the university also has a strong legal background that could prove invaluable as Franciscan University fights the federal government in court to retain its Catholic identity.
But the Franciscan friar chosen to take over the helm of the university also has a strong legal background that could prove invaluable as Franciscan University fights the federal government in court to retain its Catholic identity.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI ends speculation, plans to return to Vatican City "in the next few days"
Letter #64: Benedict to Return to Vatican CityMOYNIHAN: Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI is expected to return from Castel Gandolfo to Vatican City in the next few days.
The Emeritus Pope — creating a situation unique in the history of the Church where a former Pope and a reigning Bishop of Rome will be both living inside the Vatican at the same time — will return to the Vatican “between the end of April and the first days of May, as planned,” Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Vatican Press Office, said yesterday at the offices of the Foreign Press Club in Rome, as reported by Isabella Piro of Vatican Radio.
Some had speculated in recent days that Benedict might change his mind and not come back to the Vatican for many months, or perhaps even not at all, remaining instead at Castel Gandolfo. This news ends that speculation.
The Emeritus Pope — creating a situation unique in the history of the Church where a former Pope and a reigning Bishop of Rome will be both living inside the Vatican at the same time — will return to the Vatican “between the end of April and the first days of May, as planned,” Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Vatican Press Office, said yesterday at the offices of the Foreign Press Club in Rome, as reported by Isabella Piro of Vatican Radio.
Some had speculated in recent days that Benedict might change his mind and not come back to the Vatican for many months, or perhaps even not at all, remaining instead at Castel Gandolfo. This news ends that speculation.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Family Research Council releases never-before-seen security footage of 2012 shooting
FRC Blog � Security footage: Hero thwarts terrorist shooter at Family Research Council: Last August, FRC building manager Leo Johnson was temporarily manning the front desk at our Washington headquarters when a now-confessed terrorist intent on killing everyone in the building entered with a handgun and 100 rounds of ammunition.� As he drew his gun, Leo courageously charged the attacker into oncoming gunfire.� Even after sustaining a direct hit to his forearm, he subdued the attacker and wrestled the gun away from�him.
Watch: Little girl breaks through security detail, gives note to Pope Francis
New Advent: Little girl breaks through security detail, gives note to Pope Francis: At the end of his Wednesday general audience April 24, 2013, Pope Francis was slowly leaving the square when a little girl came running out from the crowd dodging security. The pope and police around the popemobile saw her coming and hoisted her up for a greeting. She also had a note of some sort she gave to the pope who passed it on to his assistant.
10 things to do instead of wallowing in all the bad news
Ten Things to Do Instead of Wallowing |Blogs | NCRegister.comFISHER: As Catholics and as citizens, we have a responsibility to be well-informed about the news, because we have a responsibility to do the right things:� write to our congressmen, elect the right (or the least disastrous) candidates, make the right choices for our kids' education, maybe boycott or support the right corporations, and of course pray for the right things.� But keeping up with the news most certainly falls under the law of diminishing returns.� After a while, reading the headlines stops informing you and starts deflating you.� You think you're filling your brain with information so you can be spurred to action, but you're really just filling your heart with despair until you feel like there's no point in even trying to act.
Study shows babies are conscious beings; two-month-olds still in question
Study Shows Babies Are Conscious Beings, Two-Month-Olds Still in Question : Stacy TrasancosTRASANCOS: They say they are interested in this for the safety of the baby, to know whether or not anesthesia is needed when doing surgery on very young infants.
The thing is, they say that about studying fetal consciousness too.
However, policy decisions about limiting abortion before 24 weeks depend on these studies. If they admit that a fetus is conscious and can feel pain, people start thinking harder about abortion. But as long as the clump of tissue isn’t conscious, then it’s not really “there”, not really a human “being”, and since “it” can’t feel pain, well, abortion must be no big deal then, right? That’s what abortion advocates say.
The thing is, they say that about studying fetal consciousness too.
However, policy decisions about limiting abortion before 24 weeks depend on these studies. If they admit that a fetus is conscious and can feel pain, people start thinking harder about abortion. But as long as the clump of tissue isn’t conscious, then it’s not really “there”, not really a human “being”, and since “it” can’t feel pain, well, abortion must be no big deal then, right? That’s what abortion advocates say.
Don't waste time being shocked or baffled by the evil in the world. Just go to confession...
The Boston bombings and their aftermath - By Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M., Cap.CHAPUT: Violence and grief in the Boston area have rightly dominated our news media for the past week. The latest terrorist bloodshed is not at all senseless. It’s the work of calculated malice. Innocent people, including children, have paid the price for other people’s hatred. Our most important task right now is to pray for the victims and their families.
God exists, and God can heal even the worst suffering, despite every human attempt to ignore him and every terrible sin that seems to “disprove” his presence. And yet it’s fair to ask: How can a good God allow this kind of evil to happen?
The answer is both simple and hard. There’s nothing soft-focus or saccharine about real Christianity. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for the brave; not the complacent, and not cowards. The world and its beauty give glory to God; but we live in it with divided hearts, and so the world is also a field of conflict. God’s son died on a cross and rose from the dead to deliver us from our sins. He didn’t take away our freedom to choose evil. Until this world ends, some people will do vile and inhuman things to others.
God exists, and God can heal even the worst suffering, despite every human attempt to ignore him and every terrible sin that seems to “disprove” his presence. And yet it’s fair to ask: How can a good God allow this kind of evil to happen?
The answer is both simple and hard. There’s nothing soft-focus or saccharine about real Christianity. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for the brave; not the complacent, and not cowards. The world and its beauty give glory to God; but we live in it with divided hearts, and so the world is also a field of conflict. God’s son died on a cross and rose from the dead to deliver us from our sins. He didn’t take away our freedom to choose evil. Until this world ends, some people will do vile and inhuman things to others.
Diocese of Columbus may face lawsuits, criminal charges for firing homosexual teacher
Columbus Diocese Takes Heat for Firing Lesbian Teacher | Daily News | NCRegister.com: Bishop Frederick Campbell and other school officials in the Diocese of Columbus could face criminal charges under the city of Columbus’ anti-discrimination laws for upholding the Church’s moral teachings on sexuality by firing a lesbian gym teacher.
The diocese has come under fire for terminating the contract of Carla Hale, 57, a physical education teacher employed for 19 years at Bishop Watterson High School, after learning of Hale’s “spousal relationship” with another woman. The diocese fired Hale after an unnamed Bishop Watterson parent forwarded to diocesan officials a local obituary for Hale’s mother Jeanne Roe, which listed Hale’s lesbian companion Julie as one of her survivors.
The diocese has come under fire for terminating the contract of Carla Hale, 57, a physical education teacher employed for 19 years at Bishop Watterson High School, after learning of Hale’s “spousal relationship” with another woman. The diocese fired Hale after an unnamed Bishop Watterson parent forwarded to diocesan officials a local obituary for Hale’s mother Jeanne Roe, which listed Hale’s lesbian companion Julie as one of her survivors.
The future of the Church, in the not-too-distant future
In The Not Too Distant Future… : The Integrated Catholic LifeHAIN: The answer is not easy and we have to pray for courage, humility and strength.� We will remain committed to Christ and His Church and that will involve hardship…even suffering.� We have a pretty clear choice: We can choose Hell or Heaven.� Hell is the easy path and it only requires us to turn our backs on Christ and all that we know to be good and true.� It means giving the government what it wants which is devotion and loyalty to them instead of God.� Or, we can choose Heaven
The attack is underway in Columbus
The attack is underway in Columbus | Fr. Z's Blog (olim: What Does The Prayer Really Say?)ZUHLSDORF: Have you been following the controversy in Columbus?
Bishop Campbell needs our support.
Friends, this is going to happen more and more often. We are going to see myriad harassment cases in the courts, relentlessly attacking every entity of the Church on the basis of “discrimination” of “civil” rights.
The proponents of the unnatural have so far successfully pushed the rhetorical line that homosexual “marriage” equality (under the twisted word “gay”) are civil rights, in the same way that racial equality was a matter of civil rights.
They are dead wrong, of course. Homosexual marriage is NOT a civil rights issue. But that doesn’t make any difference. With the help of the mainstream media, most people – especially liberals and the low-information populace – have swallowed that line.
Bishop Campbell needs our support.
Friends, this is going to happen more and more often. We are going to see myriad harassment cases in the courts, relentlessly attacking every entity of the Church on the basis of “discrimination” of “civil” rights.
The proponents of the unnatural have so far successfully pushed the rhetorical line that homosexual “marriage” equality (under the twisted word “gay”) are civil rights, in the same way that racial equality was a matter of civil rights.
They are dead wrong, of course. Homosexual marriage is NOT a civil rights issue. But that doesn’t make any difference. With the help of the mainstream media, most people – especially liberals and the low-information populace – have swallowed that line.
It looks like Pope Francis will be finishing ex-Pope Benedict's encyclical on faith
John Thavis | New pope is planning encyclical, first foreign tripTHAVIS: There's some interesting news (and some non-news) out of the Vatican today.
First, it looks like Pope Francis will be finishing ex-Pope Benedict's encyclical on faith. The Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said he would not exclude the possibility that Francis' first encyclical would be issued later this year. The spokesman noted that before his resignation, Pope Benedict had already done initial work on an encyclical to mark the "Year of Faith."
Father Lombardi also said Pope Francis would continue to reside in the Vatican guest house, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, instead of moving into the more formal (and much larger) papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. The pope like his room at the guesthouse, and apparently enjoys the relative freedom of movement it offers him.
First, it looks like Pope Francis will be finishing ex-Pope Benedict's encyclical on faith. The Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said he would not exclude the possibility that Francis' first encyclical would be issued later this year. The spokesman noted that before his resignation, Pope Benedict had already done initial work on an encyclical to mark the "Year of Faith."
Father Lombardi also said Pope Francis would continue to reside in the Vatican guest house, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, instead of moving into the more formal (and much larger) papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. The pope like his room at the guesthouse, and apparently enjoys the relative freedom of movement it offers him.
Kidnapped Syrian bishops still missing, despite reports otherwise
Kidnapped Syrian bishops still missing, despite reports otherwise - CSMonitor.com: The fate of two prominent Orthodox bishops reportedly kidnapped in northern Syria remains uncertain, after their churches were unable to verify a claim that the pair had been released by their "terrorist" captors.
BBC News reports that Greek Orthodox Bishop Boulos Yazigi and Syriac Orthodox Bishop Yohanna Ibrahim, both leaders of their churches in Aleppo, are still missing and their families remain concerned about their well being. The two men were seized and their driver killed on Monday by an "armed terrorist group" according to Syrian state television, which routinely describes all rebels as terrorists.
BBC News reports that Greek Orthodox Bishop Boulos Yazigi and Syriac Orthodox Bishop Yohanna Ibrahim, both leaders of their churches in Aleppo, are still missing and their families remain concerned about their well being. The two men were seized and their driver killed on Monday by an "armed terrorist group" according to Syrian state television, which routinely describes all rebels as terrorists.
10 amazing ancient cliff dwellings around the world
10 Incredible Ancient Cliff Dwellings: Long before there were high-rise buildings and residential skyscrapers, people still managed to live far above ground, at sometimes dizzying heights. Like modern city inhabitants, these ancestors of ours enjoyed pleasant breezes and great views, not to mention the feeling of safety that comes with living somewhere relatively inaccessible.
10 things you need to know today: April 25, 2013
10 things you need to know today: April 25, 2013 - The Week: Bush dedicates his library, the death toll rises in the Bangladesh building collapse, and more in our roundup of stories that are making news and driving opinion
In Boston, our bloated and paramilitarized surveillance state didn’t work
In Boston, our bloated surveillance state didn’t work - Salon.com: The subtext of the official state view and media coverage coming out of Boston over the last week carried a crucial message to the American public: It was a vindication of the Counter-Terrorism Surveillance State and its massive expenditures and the associated erosion of American constitutional liberties.
To that end, the several days since the bombing of the Boston Marathon showcased a mesmerizing display of reality television mediated by the unquestioning officiousness of the fourth estate. On vivid display was “proof through performance,” a validation that the laws passed and massive expenditures incurred over the last decade were essential to the state’s “protection of the public.”
To that end, the several days since the bombing of the Boston Marathon showcased a mesmerizing display of reality television mediated by the unquestioning officiousness of the fourth estate. On vivid display was “proof through performance,” a validation that the laws passed and massive expenditures incurred over the last decade were essential to the state’s “protection of the public.”
The current call to reform the Roman Curia, from progressives and traditionalists alike, dates back to the early 1900s
Vatican Diary / Future curia, old projectMAGISTER: A curia with "more representation and a more collegial government." A curia with "dialogue and bi-directional communications in a modern and efficient organization." A curia with a full "re-evaluation of the episcopal office". A curia with "above all: fewer Italians."
These would seem to be the lines of action of that reform of the curia which Pope Francis has set in motion - including through the constitution of a group of eight cardinal advisors - to apply the indications of the cardinals who elected him, formulated in the general congregations that preceded the conclave.
In reality, this program is not a response to the curial dysfunction that manifested itself in a dramatic way during the pontificate of Benedict XVI.
It is an older program. Much older. From thirty years before even Vatican Council II.
These would seem to be the lines of action of that reform of the curia which Pope Francis has set in motion - including through the constitution of a group of eight cardinal advisors - to apply the indications of the cardinals who elected him, formulated in the general congregations that preceded the conclave.
In reality, this program is not a response to the curial dysfunction that manifested itself in a dramatic way during the pontificate of Benedict XVI.
It is an older program. Much older. From thirty years before even Vatican Council II.
The annulment process is hard enough as it is. Why make it worse with bureaucratic sloppiness?
Tribunal TroublesRANDALLSMITH: Among the many part-time jobs I did during graduate school, one involved working for an airline. Something I discovered working that job was that, although there are any number of difficulties that will annoy passengers, there is one that is guaranteed to alienate them forever.
Passengers dislike flight delays, no legroom, and rude, uncaring airline personnel, but none of these will necessarily keep them from flying your airline again. Lose their luggage, on the other hand, and they’re done. They won’t be back for years – if ever. The problem is, it’s very easy to get so busy getting people on and off planes that you forget this little side affair, but it carries an extraordinary degree of importance in the lives of passengers.
Passengers dislike flight delays, no legroom, and rude, uncaring airline personnel, but none of these will necessarily keep them from flying your airline again. Lose their luggage, on the other hand, and they’re done. They won’t be back for years – if ever. The problem is, it’s very easy to get so busy getting people on and off planes that you forget this little side affair, but it carries an extraordinary degree of importance in the lives of passengers.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Is Pope Francis a Jonah for our times?
Pope Francis: A Jonah for Our Times? | Crisis MagazineSCANLON: The Christian concern and alarm over homosexual sins is not some arbitrary singling out of a “lifestyle”. It’s the modern day aggressive homosexual movement which is calling attention to itself, by making demands on civilization that clearly reject everything that tradition, human reason, and God‘s laws have set in place. Homosexuality’s merciless demands that society publicly admire their sin, turn over the institution of marriage, and even bestow the right to raise children—is the modern equivalent of Sodom’s men trying to break down the door of Lot’s house to satisfy their own lustful pleasure.
If you're faithful to Jesus Christ, the day you die will be the greatest day of your life
We do not want you to be like whose who have no hope – A Reflection on Modern Christian Attitudes Toward Dying � Archdiocese of WashingtonPOPE: At a recent meeting wherein an elderly relative was preparing advanced medical directives, a friend of the family, a secular Jew, expressed the discomfort the speaking about dying brings something to most people. �I happened to mention in passing, that for a Christian, the day we die is really the greatest day of our life. �She looked to me with some surprise and while I expected her to articulate that she thought that heaven was a dubious reality, instead she Said something quite different. �She said, “Perhaps there is heaven for the faithful who believe after death. And perhaps then, to die is the greatest day of one’s life. But I do not observe the Christians live this way. It seems that they are just as anxious as anyone else about dying, and earnestly seek to avoid death just as much as anyone else.”
Oyez! For the first time ever, you can listen to major Supreme Court cases from the past 60 years
Oyez! Listen to major Supreme Court cases - The Week: The near-real-time release of Supreme Court audio is a recent development, but the court (who knew?) has been taping its sessions for more than 60 years. And now, they've released reams and reams of historical arguments and cases that heretofore were only given to historians, and even then, quite selectively.
The Oyez Project at the University of Illinois has put them all together — hundreds of cases since 1955. And the Supreme Court will add the cases to its website by next week.
If you've ever wanted to hear how Roe v. Wade was argued, your feast will be bountiful.�
The Oyez Project at the University of Illinois has put them all together — hundreds of cases since 1955. And the Supreme Court will add the cases to its website by next week.
If you've ever wanted to hear how Roe v. Wade was argued, your feast will be bountiful.�
Scottish Catholic midwives win legal battle to avoid taking part in abortions
BBC News - Catholic midwives win appeal over abortion case: Mary Doogan, 58, and Concepta Wood, 52, lost a previous case against NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC).
The court ruled that their human rights had not been violated as they were not directly involved in terminations.
Appeal judges have now ruled their right to conscientious objection means they can refuse to delegate, supervise or support staff involved in abortions.
Ms Doogan, from Garrowhill in Glasgow, and Mrs Wood, from Clarkston in East Renfrewshire, were employed as labour ward co-ordinators at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow.
The court ruled that their human rights had not been violated as they were not directly involved in terminations.
Appeal judges have now ruled their right to conscientious objection means they can refuse to delegate, supervise or support staff involved in abortions.
Ms Doogan, from Garrowhill in Glasgow, and Mrs Wood, from Clarkston in East Renfrewshire, were employed as labour ward co-ordinators at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow.
Archbishop prays while topless gay activists shout curses and douse him with water
Archbishop prays while topless gay activists shout curses and douse him with water | LifeSiteNews.com: In an astonishing display of gentleness in the face of a vile attack, the head of the Catholic Church in Belgium, Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard, remained calmly seated with eyes closed in prayer Tuesday as four topless women attacked him with shouts and curses and doused him with water.�
It’s not the first time the bishop has been attacked for standing up for the Church’s teachings on homosexuality and expressing his concern for those who live the homosexual lifestyle.
The incident took place at the ULB University in Brussels where the archbishop was participating in a debate on blasphemy laws.
It’s not the first time the bishop has been attacked for standing up for the Church’s teachings on homosexuality and expressing his concern for those who live the homosexual lifestyle.
The incident took place at the ULB University in Brussels where the archbishop was participating in a debate on blasphemy laws.
Why is a living child that has been delivered still called a “fetus” in some news stories?
Journalism and the first few minutes after childbirthMATTINGLY: There is nothing new about journalists arguing about the loaded language that surrounds our public debates about abortion.
For starters, there is the whole “pro-choice” vs. “anti-abortion” thing and all of the years in which editors in so many mainstream newsrooms granted one side of the debate it’s positive, vague, self-chosen label while slapping a label on the other side that was, for many, too negative and too narrow. Most of all, only one side of the debate had to wrestle with the ugly word “abortion.” Who can oppose “choice,” the ultimate buzz word of the American Way of Life?
I have also heard my share of newsroom debates about the word “fetus.” For example, in a news story about a pregnant woman, some journalists argued that it was best to avoid direct quotes in which the mother referred to her “baby” if, in the next paragraph, the reporter would be using the newsroom-approved term “fetus.” Didn’t that clash look awkward? Perhaps it would be best to paraphrase the mother to remove that tricky language?
For starters, there is the whole “pro-choice” vs. “anti-abortion” thing and all of the years in which editors in so many mainstream newsrooms granted one side of the debate it’s positive, vague, self-chosen label while slapping a label on the other side that was, for many, too negative and too narrow. Most of all, only one side of the debate had to wrestle with the ugly word “abortion.” Who can oppose “choice,” the ultimate buzz word of the American Way of Life?
I have also heard my share of newsroom debates about the word “fetus.” For example, in a news story about a pregnant woman, some journalists argued that it was best to avoid direct quotes in which the mother referred to her “baby” if, in the next paragraph, the reporter would be using the newsroom-approved term “fetus.” Didn’t that clash look awkward? Perhaps it would be best to paraphrase the mother to remove that tricky language?
4 secrets to spiritual health (for when you're under fire)
FormationToolbox: 4 Spiritual Health Secrets (for when You're Under Fire)NATHANMILLER: We have already shown the difference between simple feelings of ups and downs possibly caused by a million things, and the essential next step, that is, the spiritual nature of consolation and desolation. I don't think we can repeat that enough. Without the ability to make that distinction, you won't be able to get much further. (That's like knowing the difference between muscle aches caused by your jog last night, and a muscle illness which needs to be cured.)
Most failures to discern God's voice properly are failures to distinguish between spiritual and non-spiritual movements of the human soul.
Spiritual consolation or desolation cannot be created or caused by you - they essentially come from above or below.
Most failures to discern God's voice properly are failures to distinguish between spiritual and non-spiritual movements of the human soul.
Spiritual consolation or desolation cannot be created or caused by you - they essentially come from above or below.
Defense rests in Gosnell murder trial, calls no witnesses; closing arguments scheduled for Monday
BREAKING: Defense rests in Gosnell murder trial, calls no witnesses; Gosnell won’t take the stand | LifeSiteNews.com: Kermit Gosnell's defense has rested without calling a single witness, according to an eyewitness inside the courtroom.
Gosnell's attorney, Jack McMahon, “tersely announced, 'Defense rests' as [the] jury was seated after lunch,” tweeted J.D. Mullane of the Bucks County Courier Times, the local newspaper that has covered the trial since its beginning six weeks ago.
Gosnell's co-defendant, Eileen O'Neill, ended her defense after calling her character witnesses.
Mullane added that Judge Jeffrey Minehart had dismissed the jury until Monday.
Gosnell's attorney, Jack McMahon, “tersely announced, 'Defense rests' as [the] jury was seated after lunch,” tweeted J.D. Mullane of the Bucks County Courier Times, the local newspaper that has covered the trial since its beginning six weeks ago.
Gosnell's co-defendant, Eileen O'Neill, ended her defense after calling her character witnesses.
Mullane added that Judge Jeffrey Minehart had dismissed the jury until Monday.
When people ask oafish questions about your personal life, here's a good comeback
The Soul of Good MannersELIZABETHDUFFY: The question of whether or not to have another child is one of the most intimate conversations a husband and wife will have with one another, and Maureen makes a good point: it does not belong in the realm of polite conversation.
On one hand, it’s a good sign that people are still interested in family status when meeting a new person. The question is an effective shorthand that provides clues to how you live, whether or not you’re married, and your religious beliefs.
So much information packed into a seemingly innocuous question. No wonder we find it so troublesome to answer.
On one hand, it’s a good sign that people are still interested in family status when meeting a new person. The question is an effective shorthand that provides clues to how you live, whether or not you’re married, and your religious beliefs.
So much information packed into a seemingly innocuous question. No wonder we find it so troublesome to answer.
Obama backs out of Planned Parenthood keynote address
Obama backs out of Planned Parenthood keynote address - Washington Times: President Obama has canceled plans to deliver a keynote address at Planned Parenthood’s annual fundraising dinner Thursday night, citing a desire to spend more time with family of the victims of the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas.
White House spokesman Jay Carney announced the decision to cancel the keynote speech at the gala during his daily press briefing with reporters Wednesday. He said Mr. Obama will still address Planned Parenthood and its supporters Friday morning.
White House spokesman Jay Carney announced the decision to cancel the keynote speech at the gala during his daily press briefing with reporters Wednesday. He said Mr. Obama will still address Planned Parenthood and its supporters Friday morning.
Following the footsteps of the early Christians in a debate with atheists
Following the Footsteps of the Early Christians in a Debate with Atheists | Prayer and PerspectiveHINKEL: A couple of nights ago, my dear friend and colleague (and co-blogger) John-Mark Miravalle participated in his third debate in a year sponsored by SOMA (the Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics) at the University of Kansas. The topic of the debate centered on whether or not one can tell the difference between right from wrong without the existence of God. For some reason, SOMA is quite interested in pursuing ongoing debates with Christians of whom they openly despise. �Praise God! They are willing to do what Christians too often lack the interest or courage to do–engage opponents on important points of divergence.
When you make an effort to follow the Church's teachings, the Catholic life is an inherently well-ordered life
xFULWILER: It's been an interesting year here at the Fulwiler household (and by "interesting" I mean "absolutely insane, mostly in a bad way"). First, I was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism (blood clots) in both lungs while I was 24 weeks pregnant, which left me hospitalized for the better part of a week and extremely tired and short of breath for the rest of the pregnancy. Then, as the baby's due date approached, I was back in the hospital to have a filter put in a major vein to prevent any clots that might form during labor from traveling to my lungs and heart; to everyone's frustration, especially mine, the doctor realized midway through the procedure that it wouldn't be possible, so it was all for naught. The labor was difficult, in part because I had a heparin drip and a bunch of other blood thinning craziness going on and, long story short, I had to have more than 10 blood draws from the same arm over a 12-hour period. Then, after five healthy babies, our sixth child was born with tears in both lungs, and had to be transported immediately to a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at a different hospital only hours after he was born. He had tubes in his chest that meant that nobody could pick him up for a week. He stayed in the NICU for almost two weeks, and just came home late Thursday night.
The new film about Jackie Robinson ("42") is a very, very good movie
GEORGE WEIGEL COLUMNWEIGEL: Columnist George F. Will once wrote that Jackie Robinson was second—a “very close second”—to Martin Luther King Jr. in the pantheon of African Americans who reversed a nation’s racial attitudes and helped create what is, today, the most racially egalitarian society in history. “42” is a useful reminder of just how much those men, and others, had to overcome: Robinson’s teammates are, to put it gently, unenthusiastic about his presence among them; the Phillies’ race-baiting manager, Ben Chapman, mercilessly harasses Number 42 when he comes up to the plate; the Cardinals’ Enos Slaughter deliberately spikes Robinson on a routine play at first base; Pirates’ pitcher Fritz Ostermueller throws a killer pitch that smashes into Robinson’s temple (in the days before batting helmets); potty-mouthed fans remind us just how foul American racial epithets could be—and how children were taught to imitate the sins of their parents.
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