Saturday, October 31, 2015
C.S. Lewis Doodle: The Rival Conceptions of God
New Advent: C.S. Lewis Doodle: The Rival Conceptions of God: This is an illustration of C.S Lewis’ first talk in the series called ‘What Christians Believe’. This became Chapter 6 in the book called ‘Mere Christianity’...
All Hallows' Eve
What to do about Halloween? Catholic moms – and an exorcist – weigh in :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): For years, Cecilia Cunningham and her husband took their children trick-or-treating in their then-suburban Philadelphia neighborhood.
“It was the kind of neighborhood outside of Philadelphia where everybody knew each other, and it was a really fun neighborhood thing,” Cunningham told CNA. “People were just out talking while kids were trick or treating, and it had been really nice up until that point.”
That point, Cunningham recalled, was in the early 1990s, when pop culture saw a resurgence of the character “Freddy Krueger,” a skinless serial killer who slashes and kills his victims with a razored glove and first appeared in the 1984 film “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
“It was the kind of neighborhood outside of Philadelphia where everybody knew each other, and it was a really fun neighborhood thing,” Cunningham told CNA. “People were just out talking while kids were trick or treating, and it had been really nice up until that point.”
That point, Cunningham recalled, was in the early 1990s, when pop culture saw a resurgence of the character “Freddy Krueger,” a skinless serial killer who slashes and kills his victims with a razored glove and first appeared in the 1984 film “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
Ask the Bible Geek: Fascinating Answers to Intriguing Questions (Updated)
NCRegister | ‘Bible Geek’ UpdatedMCCLOSKEY: Mark Hart is a well-known author and producer and one of the most sought-after speakers in the Church today, particularly among high school and college students.
In this updated and expanded edition, Ask the Bible Geek extends to issues concerning the latest social media and technology.
Although students are a natural audience for this book, it can also help parents who want to catechize their children in their early years in a way that is entertaining and informative at the same time.
For an idea of his approach, look at some of the questions considered in the section entitled “Finding God in Every Day.”
In this updated and expanded edition, Ask the Bible Geek extends to issues concerning the latest social media and technology.
Although students are a natural audience for this book, it can also help parents who want to catechize their children in their early years in a way that is entertaining and informative at the same time.
For an idea of his approach, look at some of the questions considered in the section entitled “Finding God in Every Day.”
The secret math behind feel-good music
The secret math behind feel-good music - The Washington Post: From toddlers bopping along to the latest pop hit to grandparents rediscovering the songs from their long-lost youth, listening to music has the power to stir our emotions at any age.
Scientists have long known about the influence of music on mood, even using pop songs like New Order's “Bizarre Love Triangle” and Sinéad O'Connor's “Nothing Compares 2 U” to arouse joy or sadness in subjects during psychological studies. But why do certain combinations of sounds have such a strong effect on the way we feel? How does the brain translate music into an emotion?
Scientists have long known about the influence of music on mood, even using pop songs like New Order's “Bizarre Love Triangle” and Sinéad O'Connor's “Nothing Compares 2 U” to arouse joy or sadness in subjects during psychological studies. But why do certain combinations of sounds have such a strong effect on the way we feel? How does the brain translate music into an emotion?
What has happened that we no longer think of demons as everyday presences?
Did a Demon Make Me Do It? - The Imaginative ConservativeKLUGEWICZ: Mankind has long believed in the existence of evil spirits that haunt and torment the living. Tales of demons are found in many ancient civilizations, including the Assyrian, Persian, Hindu, and Hebrew; the first known account of demons is in the Testament of Solomon, supposedly written by the Hebrew king Solomon himself, but thought to be a work of the early Christian era. But it was Christianity that developed a full typology of demons and their activities. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus drives demons out of people, and he is also recorded to have passed that power onto his disciples. Roman Catholic priests, who are said to derive this power from these disciples through the principle of apostolic succession, still perform exorcisms, a fact that was perhaps most powerfully imprinted on the public consciousness in modern times by William Peter Blatty’s book and movie, The Exorcist. Indeed, exorcism films have appeared regularly in theaters during the last decade, and there are more in Hollywood’s pipeline. A recent poll found that nearly two-thirds of Americans aged 18-29 believe in the concept of demonic possession.* So, the idea that the Devil and demons exist has not gone out of style in our modern world, despite our secular society’s professed hostility to the supernatural.
Friday, October 30, 2015
Vampires, demons, and the Cross: Catholicism and horror
Vampires, demons, and the cross: Catholicism and horror | CruxGREYDANUS: “When it comes to fighting vampires and performing exorcisms, the Roman Catholic Church has the heavy artillery.”
That’s how Roger Ebert opened his review of the 1998 film, “John Carpenter’s Vampires”.
Ebert continued, “Your other religions are good for everyday theological tasks, like steering their members into heaven, but when the undead lunge up out of their graves, you want a priest on the case. As a product of Catholic schools, I take a certain pride in this pre-eminence.”
That’s how Roger Ebert opened his review of the 1998 film, “John Carpenter’s Vampires”.
Ebert continued, “Your other religions are good for everyday theological tasks, like steering their members into heaven, but when the undead lunge up out of their graves, you want a priest on the case. As a product of Catholic schools, I take a certain pride in this pre-eminence.”
L.A. doctor convicted of murder for over-prescribing painkillers
BREAKING: L.A. Doctor Convicted of Murder for Over-Prescribing PainkillersSCHIFFER: In a case that makes medical history, a California physician was convicted today of second-degree murder, in connection with the overdose deaths of three patients. Dr. Hsiu-Ying “Lisa” Tseng was found guilty of second-degree murder after prescribing painkillers to three patients who later overdosed. She was accused of ignoring “red flags” about her prescribing habits. In one case, a patient overdosed while still in her clinic. She had also received nine phone calls in less than three years from authorities who informed her that patients had died with drugs in their systems.
Vogue Venerables: People to love before they're beatified
Vogue Venerables: People to love before they're beatified - Denver Catholic: November is just around the corner, which means it’s time to honor all those who have passed. We have All Soul’s Day, where we pray for all of our dead, and All Saint’s Day, where we honor all of those we know to be in heaven interceding for us. But what about the people who fall in between? There many ordinary, everyday Catholics whose causes for beatification are open. They’ve made it through the first round of the process and have been declared “venerable”, which means they lived a life of virtue we can all learn from.
Battling the demonic: An interview with two American exorcists
Battling the Demonic: An Interview with America’s Exorcists | The Christian Review: They’ve witnessed the stuff of Hollywood-horror variety, including levitation. They’ve trained under a master exorcist in Rome, and have counseled hundreds of individuals suffering demonic influence. They’re humble, they acknowledge personified evil, but are never afraid, because Christ’s sacrifice has already conquered evil.
Turns out most of the anti-Douthat gang are missing an important professional qualification...
To the Critics of Douthat: Yes, We Want (Your) Credentials: New York Times columnist Ross Douthat is a faithful Catholic who often writes about the Church. His latest column regarding the controversial Synod on the Family in Rome, “The Plot to Change Catholicism,” was strongly criticized in a letter to the editor by more than 50 signers, many of them theologians from Catholic colleges and universities.
But rather than answer or challenge Douthat’s observations, the signers pouted that “Mr. Douthat has no professional qualifications for writing on the subject.” In other words, only elite intellectuals in the ivory tower are allowed to comment on the Church.
But rather than answer or challenge Douthat’s observations, the signers pouted that “Mr. Douthat has no professional qualifications for writing on the subject.” In other words, only elite intellectuals in the ivory tower are allowed to comment on the Church.
The blatantly illiberal snobbery of the liberal Catholics
The blatantly illiberal snobbery of the liberal CatholicsLINKER: Opinion journalism isn't a career for the thin-skinned.
In the age of social media, that's truer than ever. Pundits are paid to hit hard, and their critics — frequently dozens of them, and sometimes hundreds or thousands — often hit back harder. Columnists know this. It's all in the game. When the criticism is bracing and substantive, the back and forth can be exhilarating. When it's harsh or threatening or tediously clueless, the endless stream of invective can be demoralizing. But it all goes together — the good and the bad of what is overall a pretty delightful way to earn a living.
In the age of social media, that's truer than ever. Pundits are paid to hit hard, and their critics — frequently dozens of them, and sometimes hundreds or thousands — often hit back harder. Columnists know this. It's all in the game. When the criticism is bracing and substantive, the back and forth can be exhilarating. When it's harsh or threatening or tediously clueless, the endless stream of invective can be demoralizing. But it all goes together — the good and the bad of what is overall a pretty delightful way to earn a living.
Confession is the pathway to divine mercy
Confession: The Pathway to MercyLONGENECKER: Am I disturbed about all the talk about mercy?
You bet I am. This is not because I am opposed to the church being the agent of God’s mercy, but because I am in favor of it. I’m in favor of it big time.
I’m glad the pope has announced the year of mercy. I’m a fan of the Divine Mercy devotion. The new church we are building will house the Southeast Shrine of the Divine Mercy.
You bet I am. This is not because I am opposed to the church being the agent of God’s mercy, but because I am in favor of it. I’m in favor of it big time.
I’m glad the pope has announced the year of mercy. I’m a fan of the Divine Mercy devotion. The new church we are building will house the Southeast Shrine of the Divine Mercy.
“Exorcism Live”: 5 better things to do than watch it
“Exorcism Live”: 5 Better Things to Do Than Watch It | Aleteia.orgSCALIA: Don’t be a sucker; don’t tune in and make a success of this cheap, ignorant attempt to monetize what is evil by tempting it, for profits.
Don’t fall for the deliberate attempt to confuse that is evident, here, with the inclusion of the mention of the “United States Old Catholic Church,” which has nothing at all to do with Rome or the Latin Mass, as some might think. These are Protestants, calling themselves Catholic, and already splintering, as Protestant churches do.
Don’t fall for the deliberate attempt to confuse that is evident, here, with the inclusion of the mention of the “United States Old Catholic Church,” which has nothing at all to do with Rome or the Latin Mass, as some might think. These are Protestants, calling themselves Catholic, and already splintering, as Protestant churches do.
How two saints used a ghost story to explore the nature of the soul
Augustine, Evodius, and the Ghost of the Scribe |Blogs | NCRegister.comMCDONALD: If I asked you to describe what happens to the soul after death, how would you do it? How would you explain it to someone who asked?�
We know what we believe. At the point of death, the soul is subject to the particular judgment, and either is ushered into the divine presence or damned for all eternity. Those who die in their sins, but not in mortal sin, undergo a purgation: a cleansing to make the soul worthy to enter the courts of the Lord. Since Augustine, we’ve understood this as a process with a temporal element, despite our understanding of a God who transcends time. It allows us to grasp the ungraspable and imagine the soul after death as embarking upon a journey, helped along by our prayers, alms, and devotions.
We know what we believe. At the point of death, the soul is subject to the particular judgment, and either is ushered into the divine presence or damned for all eternity. Those who die in their sins, but not in mortal sin, undergo a purgation: a cleansing to make the soul worthy to enter the courts of the Lord. Since Augustine, we’ve understood this as a process with a temporal element, despite our understanding of a God who transcends time. It allows us to grasp the ungraspable and imagine the soul after death as embarking upon a journey, helped along by our prayers, alms, and devotions.
10 reasons why “The Trouble with Angels” still holds up
10 Reasons Why “The Trouble with Angels” Still Holds Up | Aleteia.org: Released while the Church was shuddering through its first Post Vatican II transitions, Ida Lupino’s The Trouble with Angels remains a family favorite in a surprising number of households. Meant to be a Pollyanna-free showcase for the teenaged Hayley Mills, the simple comedy—formulaic, sentimental and unapologetically Catholic—somehow manages moments that are—dare we say it, scathingly brilliant!
Papal heralds of the future Apocalypse
Papal Heralds of the ApocalypseTURLEY: In regard to recent Papal teaching on the coming Apocalypse, the theologian Fr. Aidan Nichols O.P.� described it as ‘spectacularly present, yet strangely overlooked.’� After reading Heralds of The Second Coming: Our Lady, the Divine Mercy, and the Popes of the Marian Era from Pius IX to Benedict XVI (Angelico Press) by Stephen Walford, I tend to agree.
In fact I would go further and suggest that the average Catholic is woefully unaware of any such teaching and its relation to his or her faith. This book and what it speaks of is indeed, therefore, a ‘herald’, coming as it does to challenge this ignorance whilst convincing us now is the time to awake and, like the Wise Virgins, go out into the gathering night with lamps lit readied to meet Him who comes through its darkness to claim us…
In fact I would go further and suggest that the average Catholic is woefully unaware of any such teaching and its relation to his or her faith. This book and what it speaks of is indeed, therefore, a ‘herald’, coming as it does to challenge this ignorance whilst convincing us now is the time to awake and, like the Wise Virgins, go out into the gathering night with lamps lit readied to meet Him who comes through its darkness to claim us…
Real exorcists agree: Network's live-TV 'exorcism' is a really bad idea
Exorcists Agree: Network’s Live-TV ‘Exorcism’ Is a Really Bad Idea | Daily News | NCRegister.com: Catholic authorities and exorcists agree: Messing with the devil is a bad idea; but summoning him on live television in order to perform an unauthorized exorcism ritual is beyond foolish.
“We cannot play games with Satan and expect to win,” said Bishop Robert Hermann, auxiliary bishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, in a statement responding to plans for a séance followed by a minor exorcism at the St. Louis country home where a famous exorcism took place.
“We cannot play games with Satan and expect to win,” said Bishop Robert Hermann, auxiliary bishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, in a statement responding to plans for a séance followed by a minor exorcism at the St. Louis country home where a famous exorcism took place.
One man's experiences with the occult make him no fan of what Halloween has become
To Hell With Halloween | Daily News | NCRegister.comBEATTIE: Twenty-four years ago on Halloween, 42-year-old David Arias began a journey to hell. Ouija boards, drugs, assaults and sacrilege were a regular part of his life. After nearly four years of engaging in extraordinary evil in the pursuit of power, Arias had enough and slowly began to turn back to God for salvation.
After an initially grueling conversion, Arias now finds living in the Catholic Church to be quite normal. He is married with three children and participates in an apologetics group called Prophets of Hope and a men’s group called Cristo Rey, both at his parish in southern California. Arias, who is no fan of Halloween, spoke of his experiences in the occult with Register correspondent Trent Beattie.
After an initially grueling conversion, Arias now finds living in the Catholic Church to be quite normal. He is married with three children and participates in an apologetics group called Prophets of Hope and a men’s group called Cristo Rey, both at his parish in southern California. Arias, who is no fan of Halloween, spoke of his experiences in the occult with Register correspondent Trent Beattie.
Nun to appear on Food Network's "Chopped"
Nun to Appear on Food Network’s “Chopped”: This is fun news!
Apparently, Sr. Alicia, a religious sister from the Franciscans of the Eucharist of the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels in Chicago, is going to compete on the Food Network Show “Chopped.”
Apparently, Sr. Alicia, a religious sister from the Franciscans of the Eucharist of the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels in Chicago, is going to compete on the Food Network Show “Chopped.”
Why sharing the Catholic Faith should be an inspiring experience
Why Sharing the Catholic Faith Should be an Inspiring ExperienceCLARK: Over the years, our family has grown to enjoy various cooking shows on television.
As a family who normally eats food that might rank a few notches under “gourmet,” it’s fun to watch how the mythical other-half lives as they devote their talents not only to the food itself, but to the presentation of the food.
In fact, after a few viewings, you quickly realize that the ingredient of presentation is half the battle. Somewhere along the line, it struck me that the presentation of the Catholic Faith is very similar. It’s not all in the presentation, but much of it is.
As a family who normally eats food that might rank a few notches under “gourmet,” it’s fun to watch how the mythical other-half lives as they devote their talents not only to the food itself, but to the presentation of the food.
In fact, after a few viewings, you quickly realize that the ingredient of presentation is half the battle. Somewhere along the line, it struck me that the presentation of the Catholic Faith is very similar. It’s not all in the presentation, but much of it is.
Iranian president to meet with Pope Francis
Iranian President to Meet with Pope Francis |Blogs | NCRegister.comSHIMEK: According to La Stampa's Vatican Insider, Pope Francis will receive Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the Vatican next month. The meeting between the two leaders is scheduled for November 14 when the Premier of the Islamic Republic will be in Italy for a two-day visit ahead of a stopover in Paris. During his November 14-15 tour here, President Rouhani will also meet with Italy's President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
More details on Pope Francis' upcoming Apostolic Exhortation
Cardinal Parolin: Pope Likely to Write Apostolic Exhortation |Blogs | NCRegister.com: The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has said he thinks Pope Francis will write an apostolic exhortation on the Synod on the Family, and that it will be published “relatively quickly”.
In an Oct. 29 interview with Vatican Radio’s Italian edition, he said “I think that this time it will happen”, but added that “so far there has been absolutely no talk about this. It’s up to the Pope to decide what to do.”�
A post-synodal apostolic exhortation is a papal summary of a synod and has less magisterial weight than an encyclical or apostolic constitution.�
In an Oct. 29 interview with Vatican Radio’s Italian edition, he said “I think that this time it will happen”, but added that “so far there has been absolutely no talk about this. It’s up to the Pope to decide what to do.”�
A post-synodal apostolic exhortation is a papal summary of a synod and has less magisterial weight than an encyclical or apostolic constitution.�
Pope condemns priests and bishops who ‘defamed’ Oscar Romero
CatholicHerald.co.uk � Pope condemns priests and bishops who ‘defamed’ Oscar Romero: Pope Francis has strongly denounced the Catholic priests and bishops who “defamed” Archbishop Oscar Romero even after his murder in a campaign that delayed his beatification.
The Pope spoke off-the-cuff on Friday to a group of Salvadoran pilgrims who had travelled to Rome to thank Pope Francis for beatifying Salvadoran Oscar Romero, who is seen as a hero to the continent’s poor and oppressed.
Pope Francis said that Romero suffered martyrdom not just by his murder on March 24, 1980, but afterwards.
The Pope spoke off-the-cuff on Friday to a group of Salvadoran pilgrims who had travelled to Rome to thank Pope Francis for beatifying Salvadoran Oscar Romero, who is seen as a hero to the continent’s poor and oppressed.
Pope Francis said that Romero suffered martyrdom not just by his murder on March 24, 1980, but afterwards.
Mapping the frenzy of Europe's refugee crisis
Watch Europe's Migrant Crisis Escalate in This Animated, Interactive Map - CityLab: Last week Greece reported roughly 10,000 asylum-seekers a day arriving from Turkey. These migrant flows, the country’s highest to date, are just the latest wave of refugees from Syria, Iraq, and other conflict-ridden countries crashing onto European shores.
The sheer scale of this migrant crisis has rocked the world and left European Union leaders grappling for solutions. According to the latest figures released by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, around 680,400 people arrived in Europe just this year from crisis regions. By the time 2015 wraps up, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Finland expect a total of 1.3 million asylum applications from around the world, The New York Times reports.
The sheer scale of this migrant crisis has rocked the world and left European Union leaders grappling for solutions. According to the latest figures released by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, around 680,400 people arrived in Europe just this year from crisis regions. By the time 2015 wraps up, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Finland expect a total of 1.3 million asylum applications from around the world, The New York Times reports.
Horrors of one-child policy leave deep scars in Chinese society
Horrors of one-child policy leave deep scars in Chinese society - The Washington Post: His wife was seven months pregnant with their second child when the group of people barged into his home and took her away. He followed them to the local hospital, where — against medical advice and despite his pleadings — they jammed a needle into her belly.
“They grabbed my wife’s body like they were grabbing a pig, four or five people holding her hands and legs and head, and injected a shot into her belly,” the man said, asking not to be named for fear of retribution. “Neither my wife nor I signed any consent form.”
“They grabbed my wife’s body like they were grabbing a pig, four or five people holding her hands and legs and head, and injected a shot into her belly,” the man said, asking not to be named for fear of retribution. “Neither my wife nor I signed any consent form.”
For All the Saints: Reflecting on a great hymn of the Church
For All the Saints – Reflecting on a Great Hymn of the Church - Community in Mission : Community in MissionPOPE: As we approach the Feast of All Saints this Sunday, we do well to meditate on one of the great English hymns, “For All the Saints.” It is a wide and sweeping vision of the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant. Its imagery is regal and joyful, its poetry majestic and masterful. A vivid picture is painted in the mind as the wondrous words move by. To me it is a masterpiece. Many people know the opening line, but most have never sung it all the way through and thus miss its wondrous portrait. A number of years ago I committed words of this hymn to memory, very much in the spirit of my father, who loved to memorize things that moved him.
What St. Francis of Assisi didn't actually say
What St. Francis of Assisi Didn’t Actually Say |Blogs | NCRegister.comSTANTON: Last Sunday, our faithful deacon in the midst of his excellent homily used a quote that must of us have heard, perhaps many times.
“Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”
It is always attributed to St. Francis of Assisi—founder of the Franciscan Order—and is intended to say that proclaiming the Gospel by example is more virtuous than actually proclaiming it with voice. It is a quote that has often rankled me because it seems to create a useless dichotomy between speech and action. Besides, the spirit behind it can be a little arrogant—which I’m sure our deacon didn’t intend—intimating that those who "practice the Gospel" are in reality more faithful to the faith than those who preach it.
“Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”
It is always attributed to St. Francis of Assisi—founder of the Franciscan Order—and is intended to say that proclaiming the Gospel by example is more virtuous than actually proclaiming it with voice. It is a quote that has often rankled me because it seems to create a useless dichotomy between speech and action. Besides, the spirit behind it can be a little arrogant—which I’m sure our deacon didn’t intend—intimating that those who "practice the Gospel" are in reality more faithful to the faith than those who preach it.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
China's One-Child Policy relaxed nationwide
China's One-Child Policy Relaxed Nationwide |Blogs | NCRegister.comFISHER: Chinese couples will soon be permitted by the state to have two children. According to the New York Times, the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua has announced that the Communist party is relaxing its decades-old population control policy, which brutally punished couples for having more than one child.
For nearly forty years, the Chinese government has punished unauthorized pregnancies by forcibly sterilizing women, confiscating possessions and livestock, and destroying homes. Couples who had unauthorized children were punished by the loss of their jobs and with hefty fines; and pregnant women who could not pay the fine, which could amount to several years' wages, could be legally abducted, beaten, and forced to abort. Social scientist Steven Mosher says that the state sometimes killed unauthorized full term babies immediately after birth, or while they were still in the birth canal as their mothers labored to give birth. In 2012, Chinese social media circulated a photo of a dazed and battered woman named Feng Jiamei, lying on a hospital bed next to the bloody corpse of her child, who was forcibly aborted at seven months.
For nearly forty years, the Chinese government has punished unauthorized pregnancies by forcibly sterilizing women, confiscating possessions and livestock, and destroying homes. Couples who had unauthorized children were punished by the loss of their jobs and with hefty fines; and pregnant women who could not pay the fine, which could amount to several years' wages, could be legally abducted, beaten, and forced to abort. Social scientist Steven Mosher says that the state sometimes killed unauthorized full term babies immediately after birth, or while they were still in the birth canal as their mothers labored to give birth. In 2012, Chinese social media circulated a photo of a dazed and battered woman named Feng Jiamei, lying on a hospital bed next to the bloody corpse of her child, who was forcibly aborted at seven months.
There's something about you that makes the angels look up to you
There’s Something About You That Makes the Angels Look Up To You |Blogs | NCRegister.comBECKER: It’s college visitation time, and I recently accompanied my daughter, Meg, and her friend, Savanna, to check out the University of Chicago. The information session was helpful, but the best part was hearing about the University’s quirky admission essay questions – e.g., “What's so odd about odd numbers?” and “So where is Waldo, really?” My favorite: “How do you feel about Wednesdays?” I could really launch on that one. Aside from being Mittwoch (auf Deutsch), “Wednesday” is basically an Old English mash-up of “Odin’s Day” – as in the Norse god Odin, a deity associated with war and magic and mayhem. Think about that next time you find yourself dragging through the middle of the week.�
Mercy, mercy me. Things ain't what they used to be...
Mercy, Mercy Me. Things Ain’t What They Used to BeLONGENECKER: I’m having problems with the present talk about mercy in the church.
Of course I don’t have problems with the Divine Mercy, but the way some churchmen and the press are using the concept of mercy to twist the Catholic Church’s teaching and practice.
Consider this headline: Cardinal Wuerl: The Catholic Church is moving from legalism to mercy. There are so many problems with this article that is difficult to know where to start. First of all, as far as I can see Cardinal Wuerl never said this. The journalist did.
Of course I don’t have problems with the Divine Mercy, but the way some churchmen and the press are using the concept of mercy to twist the Catholic Church’s teaching and practice.
Consider this headline: Cardinal Wuerl: The Catholic Church is moving from legalism to mercy. There are so many problems with this article that is difficult to know where to start. First of all, as far as I can see Cardinal Wuerl never said this. The journalist did.
5 saints who had terrifying visions of hell
5 Saints Who Had Terrifying Visions of Hell | ChurchPOPMILLEGAN: Many saints have claimed to have had supernatural visions of hell. Of course, all private revelations of the saints are non-authoritative, so you shouldn’t look to these for your theology.
Rather, the saints’ visions of hell should remind us of what our faith already teaches: that hell is a real and terrible place, and people can really go there.
Rather, the saints’ visions of hell should remind us of what our faith already teaches: that hell is a real and terrible place, and people can really go there.
You can disagree with Ross Douthat, but don't attempt to censor him
Ross Douthat and the Catholic Academy |Blogs | NCRegister.comBARRON: Many years ago, a local Chicago sportscaster named Howard Sudberry recounted a curious controversy surrounding a major league baseball game. Late in the contest, the team that would eventually win was up by ten runs. A player for that squad hit a single and then stole second base. The catcher of the trailing team whined after the game that this base-stealer was rubbing it in, essentially being unsportsmanlike. Well, Sudberry was having none of it. He looked into the camera and spoke, as it were, to the catcher himself: "Then throw him out!" He was implying that the base-stealer had done absolutely nothing opposed to the rules of baseball and that, if the catcher didn't like it, he should try to beat him fair and square within the context of those same rules.
The Synod’s curious biblical commentary
The Synod’s curious biblical commentaryDESOUZA: One of the most repeated themes during the Synod on the Family was the need for a more biblically based approach. The original working document for the Synod — the Instrumentum Laboris — came in for repeated and severe criticism for taking as its starting point sociological data rather than the Word of God.
The final report made substantial improvements in that regard, but there was throughout the Synod a troubling usage of the Scriptures, as they were often employed to make a particular point in contradiction to the plain meaning of the actual text.
The final report made substantial improvements in that regard, but there was throughout the Synod a troubling usage of the Scriptures, as they were often employed to make a particular point in contradiction to the plain meaning of the actual text.
Pope Francis to write apostolic exhortation to follow Synod of the Family
Breaking: Pope Francis to write apostolic exhortation to follow-up Synod | America Magazine: Pope Francis will write an apostolic exhortation as a follow up to the Synod on the Family and “it should not take too long [to arrive],” the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, told the Italian news agency ANSA.
He said the papal document “will be based on the conclusions of the synod, as is the tradition.” He told this to reporters at the Gregorian University today, after delivering a lecture there for the 50th anniversary of “Nostra Aetate,” the Vatican II document on the relation of the Catholic Church to non-Christian religions.
He said the papal document “will be based on the conclusions of the synod, as is the tradition.” He told this to reporters at the Gregorian University today, after delivering a lecture there for the 50th anniversary of “Nostra Aetate,” the Vatican II document on the relation of the Catholic Church to non-Christian religions.
3 highlights and 2 challenges that emerged from the Synod
Report on the Synod - Catholic New YorkDOLAN: It’s good to be back in New York after almost four weeks in Rome for the Synod of Bishops on the Family. I have written a few blog posts to keep you updated on the synod (which you can find at www.cardinaldolan.org), but now that I am back I want to share with you a more complete report.�
I missed being away from New York, but the synod was a grace too! Let me mention three particular blessings of the synod.
I missed being away from New York, but the synod was a grace too! Let me mention three particular blessings of the synod.
China to end one-child policy
China to end one-child policy - BBC News: China has decided to end its decades-long one-child policy, the state-run Xinhua news agency reports.
Couples will now be allowed to have two children, it said, citing a statement from the Communist Party.
The controversial policy was introduced nationally in 1979, to slow the population growth rate.
It is estimated to have prevented about 400 million births. However concerns at China's ageing population led to pressure for change.
Couples will now be allowed to have two children, it said, citing a statement from the Communist Party.
The controversial policy was introduced nationally in 1979, to slow the population growth rate.
It is estimated to have prevented about 400 million births. However concerns at China's ageing population led to pressure for change.
Why I am not a feminist: When conventional wisdom isn't wise
Why I Am Not a Feminist: When Conventional Wisdom Isn’t Wise |Blogs | NCRegister.comGRESS: It has been a busy week for feminists. Glamour Magazine is celebrating ersatz womanhood by knighting Caitlyn Jenner as Woman of the Year and Gloria Steinem is out promoting her new book at all the familiar places: NPR, The Boston Globe, and Cosmopolitan (too awful to link). She talks everything from gender to politics to travel and a few winsome memories of her abortion.
Sadly, at the heart of Gloria’s ideology is the basic idea that women must be just like men -- and men like women. Equality can only be gained when what men and women do is interchangeable. “Until men are raising children as much as women are, women won't be able to be equal in the work place,” she explains to the gals over at Cosmo. The 81-year old Steinem, who famously said, “A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle,” hasn’t changed her playground girls-against-boys tone in the fifty years of activism, just turned up the rhetoric.
Sadly, at the heart of Gloria’s ideology is the basic idea that women must be just like men -- and men like women. Equality can only be gained when what men and women do is interchangeable. “Until men are raising children as much as women are, women won't be able to be equal in the work place,” she explains to the gals over at Cosmo. The 81-year old Steinem, who famously said, “A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle,” hasn’t changed her playground girls-against-boys tone in the fifty years of activism, just turned up the rhetoric.
A stern warning for Catholic leaders from the Book of Esther
A Stern Warning for Catholic Leaders From the Book of Esther |Blogs | NCRegister.comPOPE: There is a brief passage in the Book of Esther that serves as reminder to Catholic and other political leaders, judges, and other high officials and leaders, (not to exclude those of the clerical and religious ranks in the Church). For indeed, all who attain to higher leadership will one day render an account to the Lord for their leadership.
The fundamental warning of this text from Esther is not to forget who we are and whose we are and that God has placed Catholic leaders in higher authority to advance the Kingdom of God not our own standing.
The fundamental warning of this text from Esther is not to forget who we are and whose we are and that God has placed Catholic leaders in higher authority to advance the Kingdom of God not our own standing.
Video: Orca rockets unfortunate seal 80 feet into the air
Orca Rockets Unfortunate Seal 80 Feet Into the Air | Mental Floss: While collecting footage for a promotional whale watching video, Mike Walker of Roll.Focus.Productions managed to catch an orca popping a seal out of the water. While it's normal for orcas to hit seals with their tails to stun them, this particular hit was especially forceful. By the film crew's rough estimates, the victim flew about 80 feet above the ocean.
"We do a ton of whale watching, but this is fairly rare,” Walker told The Huffington Post. “Brett Soberg—owner of Eagle Wing—mentioned to us that it's only the fourth time he's seen an orca do that in about 20 years.”
"We do a ton of whale watching, but this is fairly rare,” Walker told The Huffington Post. “Brett Soberg—owner of Eagle Wing—mentioned to us that it's only the fourth time he's seen an orca do that in about 20 years.”
Adoration 2.0—A unique insight based on the teaching of a spiritual master
Adoration 2.0 – A Unique Insight Based on the Teaching of a Spiritual Master - Community in Mission : Community in MissionPOPE: When we think of the word “adoration,” we think of a high form of love, perhaps the highest. Theologically, we equate adoration with latria, the worship and love due to God alone. In the vernacular, to say “I adore you” is to indicate an intense and high form of love.
Liturgically, adoration of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament indicates a period during which one enters into the experience of loving God and gazing upon Him in that love.
Liturgically, adoration of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament indicates a period during which one enters into the experience of loving God and gazing upon Him in that love.
How to tell if Pope Francis is losing confidence in Cardinal Pell
How to tell if Pope Francis is losing confidence in his finance czar | CruxALLEN: On Tuesday, Pope Francis issued a letter reminding aides that even though his council of nine cardinal advisors is pondering a sweeping reform of the Church’s central administration, in the meantime all existing rules and regulations for various Vatican departments still apply.
As the pope put it, there is no “legal vacuum.”
The letter was addressed to Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the secretary of state, with the request that Parolin inform everyone else.
As the pope put it, there is no “legal vacuum.”
The letter was addressed to Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the secretary of state, with the request that Parolin inform everyone else.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Why Catholics should avoid dabbling in the occult
All things spookySHEA: But it’s also the time of year where Catholics get it from both sides. From the Wiccans and neo-pagans, we get the accusations about hating pagans; from fundamentalists, we get the accusations that we are pagans. Meanwhile, from the larger culture, we get Ouija boards from children’s game manufacturers, horoscopes in magazines and newspapers, and all manner of bric-a-brac foretelling the future, snagging good luck and controlling our destiny.
15 interesting things about Sts. Simon and Jude
15 Catholic Things on Saints Jude and Simon Day Today (Oct. 28, 2015)LOPEZ: These things caught my eye today.
Germaine Greer, transgender politics, and the Trojan Horse of feminism
Germaine Greer, Transgender Politics, and the Trojan Horse of FeminismNOBLE: I went to a women’s college and once met feminist icon Gloria Steinem, (although she would say she is no such thing).
But I have often felt ill at ease with feminism. Always a pro-life feminist, even when I was an atheist, I have never walked lock step with the feminists of my generation.
Much less so now that I am Catholic.
But I have often felt ill at ease with feminism. Always a pro-life feminist, even when I was an atheist, I have never walked lock step with the feminists of my generation.
Much less so now that I am Catholic.
Planned Parenthood Video 11: The perfect partial birth abortion is "something to strive for"
Planned Parenthood Video 11: The Perfect Partial Birth Abortion — 'Something to Strive For' | The StreamZMIRAK: I don’t want to be like Baby Hitler, so I’m not going to judge Dr. Amna Dermish, the Texas abortion provider who specializes in second-trimester procedures. We saw in the Planned Parenthood video released today that Dr. Dermish is still on the learning curve. She has gained valuable experience and learned the basic technique of transforming a nuisance fetus of 18 weeks or more into a treasure-trove of research tissue for the hungry organ market. For that Dermish can credit her mentor, Planned Parenthood’s Senior Director of Medical Services, Dr. Deborah Nucatola.
The "Catholic deacon" in last weekend's lesbian wedding? Turns out he's just a phony...
In the email: “I’m the Catholic Deacon who married Tig Notaro…”KANDRA: US Weekly is now reporting that the wedding went off as planned last weekend. By coincidence, I received an email on the subject Monday from someone named Rory Rafferty. A little digging around finds that Rory Rafferty is a former Alderman in the city of Pass Christian, Mississippi, and now serves as the principal of Torah Academy near New Orleans. He also identifies as a Benedictine in the Old Catholic Church.
Pope's Wednesday Audience: "Nostra Aetate", and an appeal for solidarity with quake victims
Pope appeals for solidarity for Pakistan/Afghanistan quake victims Vatican Radio: Pope Francis has appealed for concrete solidarity for the peoples of Pakistan and Afghanistan who have been struck by a devastating earthquake.
Linda Bordoni reports:�
The Pope’s appeal came during the Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Square two days a massive earthquake that struck the remote Hindu Kush Mountains on the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Officials are warning that the death toll which has soared above 300 will likely leap once relief workers return from remote villages.�
Linda Bordoni reports:�
The Pope’s appeal came during the Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Square two days a massive earthquake that struck the remote Hindu Kush Mountains on the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Officials are warning that the death toll which has soared above 300 will likely leap once relief workers return from remote villages.�
How liberals are handling their defeat at the Synod
How liberals are handling their defeat at the Synod | Fr. Z's BlogZUHLSDORF: Ross Douthat of the NYT really got under the skin of a whole raft of libs who, in typical lib fashion, reacted badly and are now trying silence him. Douthat wrote about how the libs lost at the Synod, how they did not get their Church and doctrine changing agenda through. That made liberal heads explode. They signed on to a group letter whining to the Editor of Hell’s Bible that that sort of thing shouldn’t be permitted. After all, they sneered, Douthat doesn’t have a theology degree.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
A victory for family time: These stores are refusing to open up on Thanksgiving Day
REI, Staples, GameStop: the Companies Staying Closed for Thanksgiving - Fortune: To compete with other retailers, many stores have been making themselves available to Black Friday junkies earlier and earlier, spilling over into Thanksgiving Day celebrations. The holiday has become less about giving thanks, and more about shoving people out of your way to snag a television set for 75% off.
Bearing ‘Witness’ to the possibility of true community
Bearing ‘Witness’ to the possibility of true community | CruxGREYDANUS: There is not a wasted or unnecessary shot in Peter Weir’s “Witness,” or a superfluous line of dialogue. Like the great barn-raising scene late in the second act, the film’s construction is both efficient and unhurried, functional and beautiful. Like the barn, it is a noble but wistful landmark; there is something defiantly out of step about it, even in the Hollywood landscape of 1985, and certainly today.
Fr. James Martin seems to have some remarkable blind spots...
Engaging Fr MartinLONGENECKER: Fr James Martin SJ is an engaging priest. With helpful books on God’s �sense of humor and practical spirituality he has helped make Catholicism approachable for many people.
However, he does seem to have some remarkable blind spots.
In �an article published over at CNN he asks, Why are Catholics so Afraid of Change?
Fr Martin is good at expressing Catholic concepts to a wide audience in what seem to be simple and direct terms.
However, he does seem to have some remarkable blind spots.
In �an article published over at CNN he asks, Why are Catholics so Afraid of Change?
Fr Martin is good at expressing Catholic concepts to a wide audience in what seem to be simple and direct terms.
Thumbsucker code: Does 'dialogue with a priest' equal Catholics going to Confession?
Thumbsucker code: Does 'dialogue with a priest' equal Catholics going to Confession? — GetReligionMATTINGLY: Veteran readers of GetReligion may have noticed two trends linked to this site's commentary on news coverage of a specific issue in modern Catholicism. The issue is Confession, also known as the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.
News trend No. 1 is that I am convinced that the radical decline in the number of Catholics, at least in North America and the modern West, going to Confession is one of the most important, and least covered, stories on the Godbeat today. Basically, it seems that millions and millions of Catholics have lost a sense that "sin" is a word that applies to them. Thus, they see no connection between the sacrament of Confession and taking Holy Communion in the Mass. That's a huge change in the practice of the Catholic faith.
News trend No. 1 is that I am convinced that the radical decline in the number of Catholics, at least in North America and the modern West, going to Confession is one of the most important, and least covered, stories on the Godbeat today. Basically, it seems that millions and millions of Catholics have lost a sense that "sin" is a word that applies to them. Thus, they see no connection between the sacrament of Confession and taking Holy Communion in the Mass. That's a huge change in the practice of the Catholic faith.
The BBC is trying to write Christianity out of history
The BBC: Writing Christianity Out of History - The Imaginative ConservativePEARCE: A few days ago I had the slimy experience of listening to a forty-minute discussion on BBC radio purporting to show the history of Britain through the medium of poetry. I describe the experience as slimy because I felt, having listened to it, that I had been slimed, finding myself covered spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally in a decaying, mendacious goo.
Let me explain.
A poet friend of mine sent a link to BBC Radio’s celebration of National Poetry Day on October 8, which included several forty-minute discussions of British history, seen through the eyes of the poets. Fearing the worst, I thought I’d dip my toe in the water, or my ear in the airwaves, somewhat tentatively at first. Feeling that the first discussion, which was on the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon roots of Britain, should be fairly safe, being far removed from the wasteland of modernity, I tuned in to learn more.
Let me explain.
A poet friend of mine sent a link to BBC Radio’s celebration of National Poetry Day on October 8, which included several forty-minute discussions of British history, seen through the eyes of the poets. Fearing the worst, I thought I’d dip my toe in the water, or my ear in the airwaves, somewhat tentatively at first. Feeling that the first discussion, which was on the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon roots of Britain, should be fairly safe, being far removed from the wasteland of modernity, I tuned in to learn more.
Here are the essentials of what the Church has taught on purgatory
Purgatory 101BEALE: If terms like hell, sin, and judgment have become unpopular in our culture, the idea of purgatory is positively radioactive.
Many people have a hard time grasping how an all-good God could allow people to spend eternity in damnation. It may be even harder to understand how people who are saved from such damnation end up suffering punishment anyways on their way to heaven—which is not an all-together unfair characterization of what purgatory is.
As confounding as it may at first seem, the doctrine of purgatory is actually simple at its core and also has a solid foundation in the Bible. Here are the essentials of what the Church has taught on purgatory.
Many people have a hard time grasping how an all-good God could allow people to spend eternity in damnation. It may be even harder to understand how people who are saved from such damnation end up suffering punishment anyways on their way to heaven—which is not an all-together unfair characterization of what purgatory is.
As confounding as it may at first seem, the doctrine of purgatory is actually simple at its core and also has a solid foundation in the Bible. Here are the essentials of what the Church has taught on purgatory.
Mortar shell hits Syrian Catholic Church during Communion, but nobody inside was hurt
Caught in the Middle: Mortar Shell Hits Syrian Catholic Church | Aleteia.orgBURGER: In an increasingly complicated time for the Syrian city of Aleppo, practically no place is completely safe. On Sunday, a mortar shell hit the Latin Catholic Church of St. Francis, in the al-Aziziyah district of the city, during Mass.
Fides news agency reported that the grenade, from areas held by anti-Assad rebels, hit the roof, tearing its dome but not penetrating it. Rather, the exposing injured seven people outside.
“If the grenade had exploded inside, there would have been a massacre,” commented Bishop Georges Abou Khazen, the apostolic vicar of Aleppo. He said that there were about 400 people in the church for the evening Mass and that the incident occurred as people were receiving communion.
Fides news agency reported that the grenade, from areas held by anti-Assad rebels, hit the roof, tearing its dome but not penetrating it. Rather, the exposing injured seven people outside.
“If the grenade had exploded inside, there would have been a massacre,” commented Bishop Georges Abou Khazen, the apostolic vicar of Aleppo. He said that there were about 400 people in the church for the evening Mass and that the incident occurred as people were receiving communion.
From Charleston to Roseburg, Satan shows his face
Satan Shows His Face - Crisis Magazine: By the time Chris Harper-Mercer killed himself on October 1, he had already killed and wounded a number of people at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, and sent the rest of the nation reeling in shock after yet another shooting spree. I will never forget the first time I ever heard of a public shooting. It made my blood run cold with an entirely new fear. Two boys pulled a fire alarm at their school in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and then shot their classmates and teachers as they exited the building, killing 5 and wounding 10 more. One of the boys was 13, the other 11—the same age as me at the time. The malice of it confused me, and I could not wrap my mind around it. Something more than concupiscence moved mere children to cold-blooded murder. It is said that the three sources of temptation are the world, the flesh, and the devil, and it would seem that there was plenty of demonic temptation that day.
The world, the flesh and Greta Garbo
The World, the Flesh, & Greta Garbo - The Imaginative ConservativeTURLEY: In July 1925, a young Swedish actress disembarked at New York harbour. She was nineteen years old and unknown, with little to mark her out from any of that day’s other arrivals. In less than two years, she would not only have become one of the most famous women in the world but would have also created a legend, one that endures still.
Greta Garbo—the name has a mystery and glamour even yet. She was always more than just a movie star, with many facets to her complex image. In the end, the world saw what it wanted to see in her, or, more precisely, what she allowed them to see. More than any other movie star, she seemed to inhabit another world—only deigning to visit this one with an ever-increasing sense of weariness before, finally, turning her back on it for good. The word enigma could have been invented for her; it was also to be the name for her place of refuge before it became, instead, a prison cell.
Greta Garbo—the name has a mystery and glamour even yet. She was always more than just a movie star, with many facets to her complex image. In the end, the world saw what it wanted to see in her, or, more precisely, what she allowed them to see. More than any other movie star, she seemed to inhabit another world—only deigning to visit this one with an ever-increasing sense of weariness before, finally, turning her back on it for good. The word enigma could have been invented for her; it was also to be the name for her place of refuge before it became, instead, a prison cell.
Cardinal Pell on the synod and Holy Communion
New Advent: Cardinal Pell on the synod and Holy Communion: Cardinal Pell explains the paragraphs in the final relatio concerning pastoral care of the divorced and civilly remarried.
The saints and all of us
The Saints and All of Us | George Weigel | First ThingsWEIGEL: Amidst all the Sturm und Drang of Synod-2015, something genuinely new in the life of the Church began, and it shouldn’t escape our notice. For the first time in two millennia, an entry in the liturgical books will now read, on the appropriate day, “Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, Spouses”—a happy addition to “Martyr,” “Confessor,” “Bishop,” “Religious,” “Pope,” etc, in the pantheon of vocations to sanctity. Spouses: a married couple, together on the tapestry that hung from the central loggia of St. Peter’s before, during, and after their canonization on October 18; a man and a woman, a dad and a mom, who were the parents of a saint, the Little Flower, and in whose married life mutual sanctification took place by cooperation with God’s grace.
Sodalitium Christianae Vitae has an apostolic visitor to investigate its founder
Sodalitium Christianae Vitae has an apostolic visitor to investigate its founder :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): The superior general of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae has made public that the community has had an apostolic visitor since April, who is charged with investigating accusations that its founder committed sexual abuse.
The apostolic visitor, who was appointed April 22, is Bishop Fortunato Pablo Urcey, Prelate of Chota. He was charged by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life with investigating allegations of abuse committed by Luis Fernando Figari.
The apostolic visitor, who was appointed April 22, is Bishop Fortunato Pablo Urcey, Prelate of Chota. He was charged by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life with investigating allegations of abuse committed by Luis Fernando Figari.
What historic sword fighting actually looked like
What Historic Sword Fighting Actually Looked Like | Mental Floss: The sword fights you see in the movies probably aren’t all that true to the realities of medieval fighting, as you might imagine. Besides the fact that enemies likely didn’t pause to trade carefully worded insults, Hollywood fight choreography is much more elegant than a real fight to the death.�
In his new documentary, UK-based photographer Cédric Hauteville dives into the world of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), a discipline that combines historic research and athletic technique to recreate medieval fighting methods. The full-length documentary, now on YouTube, was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign last year.�
In his new documentary, UK-based photographer Cédric Hauteville dives into the world of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), a discipline that combines historic research and athletic technique to recreate medieval fighting methods. The full-length documentary, now on YouTube, was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign last year.�
Video: Bill Maher makes some surprisingly good points about Islam and Christianity
New Advent: Bill Maher makes some surprisingly good points about Islam and Christianity: Charlie Rose tries to equate Christianity and Islam. Bill Maher, of all people, lays out the truth of the matter...
The amazing deathbed conversion of Oscar Wilde
The Amazing Deathbed Conversion of Oscar Wilde | ChurchPOPMILLEGAN: Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1854, Wilde was baptized as an infant in an Anglican church. His mother, Jane, however, was drawn to Catholicism and would often visit Mass. When Oscar was a young child, she asked her local priest to instruct her children in the Catholic faith, though it’s unclear if she herself ever joined the Church officially.
Wilde, though he received some Catholic instruction, did not consider himself a Catholic growing up. While at Oxford for university studies, he started to seriously consider becoming Catholic, even becoming a priest. But he also joined the Free Masons around the same time, and commented he “would be awfully sorry to give it up if I secede from the Protestant Heresy.”
Wilde, though he received some Catholic instruction, did not consider himself a Catholic growing up. While at Oxford for university studies, he started to seriously consider becoming Catholic, even becoming a priest. But he also joined the Free Masons around the same time, and commented he “would be awfully sorry to give it up if I secede from the Protestant Heresy.”
Calling names without naming names: What I like least about Pope Francis
Calling names without naming names: What I like least about Pope Francis | Catholic CultureMIRUS: We’ve all done it. We have all ascribed certain characteristics to groups of people in a general way, but without identifying whom we are talking about, or why. Sometimes we do this in a constructive manner by explaining, teaching or preaching about the virtues we all should possess and the vices we should avoid. And sometimes we go off on a rant, leaving others to assume that they know who and what we have in mind—that everybody knows who “those people” are.
It is especially unfortunate when someone in authority appears to be speaking negatively about a certain group, but gives no examples of the specific persons or particular behavior he is criticizing. Unfortunately, I believe Pope Francis himself has a tendency to do this, and it is the characteristic I like least about his very interesting and often inspiring pontificate.
It is especially unfortunate when someone in authority appears to be speaking negatively about a certain group, but gives no examples of the specific persons or particular behavior he is criticizing. Unfortunately, I believe Pope Francis himself has a tendency to do this, and it is the characteristic I like least about his very interesting and often inspiring pontificate.
Francis’ Pastoral Revolution rolls on with two big picks in Italy
Francis’ Pastoral Revolution rolls on with two big picks in Italy | CruxALLEN: Many Catholics have a gut instinct that something revolutionary is afoot in the Church under Pope Francis, but for many, its precise contours remain a bit unclear. Perhaps one way to phrase it is that Francis is leading a “Pastoral Revolution.”
The pontiff has insisted that he has no intention of altering traditional Catholic doctrine, but he wants a more compassionate and merciful application of that teaching at the pastoral level, meaning in parishes and other local venues in the Church.
He also wants a socially engaged Church on a wide set of issues, rather than a narrow focus on what Americans know as the wars of culture.
The pontiff has insisted that he has no intention of altering traditional Catholic doctrine, but he wants a more compassionate and merciful application of that teaching at the pastoral level, meaning in parishes and other local venues in the Church.
He also wants a socially engaged Church on a wide set of issues, rather than a narrow focus on what Americans know as the wars of culture.
This is what happens when rain falls on the earth's driest desert
This Is What Happens When Rain Falls On The Earth’s Driest Desert | Bored Panda: The Atacama desert in Chile is the driest non-polar desert on Earth, but even this seemingly barren wasteland can burst with life under the right conditions. If the desert experiences heavy rainfall during the Southern Hemisphere’s spring (October, November), the flowers ‘hibernating’ beneath its surface suddenly bloom with an explosion of color, eager to take advantage of the rain.
This year’s bloom was brought on by the same weather patterns that spawned Hurricane Patricia, the most powerful hurricane to make landfall on record. “The intensity of blooms this year has no precedent,” Daniel Diaz, the National Tourism Service director in Atacama, told the EFE news agency. “And the fact that it has happened twice in a same year has never been recorded in the country’s history. We are surprised.”
This year’s bloom was brought on by the same weather patterns that spawned Hurricane Patricia, the most powerful hurricane to make landfall on record. “The intensity of blooms this year has no precedent,” Daniel Diaz, the National Tourism Service director in Atacama, told the EFE news agency. “And the fact that it has happened twice in a same year has never been recorded in the country’s history. We are surprised.”
Another Synod of Bishops demands attention—especially from U.S. Catholics
Another Synod of Bishops demands attention – especially from US Catholics | CruxALLEN: During the past month, the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the family has been the dominant Catholic story in the world. The gathering of 270 prelates in Rome drew massive coverage and commentary, with many styling it as almost a “Vatican III” – maybe with a dash of the Iowa caucuses thrown in, because of its political intrigue.
There’s a case to be made, however, that it wasn’t even the most important synod of Catholic bishops in October.
To be sure, the issues involved, such as whether divorced and civilly remarried Catholics should be able to receive Communion, and how the Church ought to think about gay and lesbian relationships, raised important questions about the Catholic Church in the early 21st century: its pastoral effectiveness and its relationship with the culture.
There’s a case to be made, however, that it wasn’t even the most important synod of Catholic bishops in October.
To be sure, the issues involved, such as whether divorced and civilly remarried Catholics should be able to receive Communion, and how the Church ought to think about gay and lesbian relationships, raised important questions about the Catholic Church in the early 21st century: its pastoral effectiveness and its relationship with the culture.
'Protect our common home', world's bishops ask climate change conference
'Protect our common home', world's bishops ask climate change conference :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): Negotiators of a global agreement on climate change must take effective action to protect creation, leading bishops from around the world said on Monday.
“This agreement must put the common good ahead of national interests. It is essential too that the negotiations result in an enforceable agreement that protects our common home and all its inhabitants,” said the bishops’ Oct. 26 appeal.
The bishops’ appeal addressed negotiators at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which will take place in Paris in Nov. 30 – Dec. 11.
“This agreement must put the common good ahead of national interests. It is essential too that the negotiations result in an enforceable agreement that protects our common home and all its inhabitants,” said the bishops’ Oct. 26 appeal.
The bishops’ appeal addressed negotiators at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which will take place in Paris in Nov. 30 – Dec. 11.
Why don't people kneel at Mass?
Why Don't People Kneel at Mass? |Blogs | NCRegister.comBURKE: I cannot worship the King of all Kings in Mass and allow even a good bit of pain to keep me from kneeling or following any form of worship inspired by the Holy Spirit. That is God’s just due and that is rightly honoring to Him. If I can kneel to get ready in the morning or to pick something off the floor, or if I can go to the gym to work out, however rickety I am, then I can surely give myself to God has He has asked me to through the teachings of the Church in worship. It would be shameful to go easy on myself when Christ embraced profound suffering on my behalf as He gave Himself over to be scourged, beaten, mocked, and crucified in order to save my soul.
We can't allow preachers to run away from the Bible
Preaching the Strange Word |Blogs | NCRegister.comBARRON: About fifteen years ago, I prepared an elective class at Mundelein Seminary which I entitled "The Christology of the Poets and Preachers." In this course, I endeavored to explore the Catholic tradition's non-technical, more lyrical manner of presenting the significance of Jesus. I studied the literary works of Dante, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and G.K. Chesterton, and I also investigated in detail the sermons of many of the greatest masters: Origen, Augustine, Chrysostom, Bernard, Aquinas, Newman, and Knox, among others. What struck me with particular power, and caused me, I confess, to re-think things rather thoroughly was this: none of these figures - from the late second century to the twentieth century - whose sermons we specially revere and hold up for imitation, preached the way I was taught to preach.
Monday, October 26, 2015
What if this child lived to be 110?
What If This Child Lived to Be 110? | Catholic AnswersKEATING: Everyone grouses about death. Maybe we should take a look at the human condition and be grateful that God has provided us with an “out.” We should be grateful that, at the Fall, human nature fell sufficiently far.
It’s bad enough to find our reason impaired and our passions largely outside of our control. It would have been inconceivably worse, I suspect, to find ourselves unreasonable, impassioned, and immortal.
It’s bad enough to find our reason impaired and our passions largely outside of our control. It would have been inconceivably worse, I suspect, to find ourselves unreasonable, impassioned, and immortal.
A simple directive from God in times like these
A Simple Directive from God in Times Like These - Community in Mission : Community in MissionPOPE: Beginning in 721 B.C., after repeated warnings from the prophets, terrible waves of destruction came on the Jewish people. The Assyrians invaded and conquered the ten northern tribes of Israel. The survivors were exiled and in a certain sense were not heard from again. (They are often called the “Ten lost tribes of Israel.”)
Small, feeble attempts at reform in the south for Judah and the Levites were mostly unsuccessful. Again, despite repeated warnings from the prophets, 587 B.C. was witness to another wave of destruction: the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem. The city lay in ruins, the temple burned and looted. The survivors were exiled in Babylon and for eighty years the Promised Land lay in ruins.
Small, feeble attempts at reform in the south for Judah and the Levites were mostly unsuccessful. Again, despite repeated warnings from the prophets, 587 B.C. was witness to another wave of destruction: the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem. The city lay in ruins, the temple burned and looted. The survivors were exiled in Babylon and for eighty years the Promised Land lay in ruins.
The greatest boat race ever (dreamed up over beers)
The Greatest Boat Race Ever (Dreamed Up Over Beers) | Outside Online: On a concrete ramp near the pier in Port Townsend, Washington, Alan Hartman pulls on his eye patch. It’s uncomfortable, but the doctors say it’s necessary to keep salt water out of his right cornea, which the 47-year-old fisherman recently speared while chainsawing brush near his remote Alaska cabin.
It is not papalotry to defend the office of Peter
The Now Word � Blog Archive � Papolatry?MALLETT: I've been getting bagfuls of letters, very concerned letters, since the Synod on the Family began in Rome last year. That stream of worry didn’t let up the past few weeks as the closing sessions began to wrap up. At the center of these letters were consistent fears regarding the words and actions, or lack thereof, of his Holiness Pope Francis. And so, I did what any ex-news reporter would do: go to the sources.
The official death count from the strongest hurricane ever measured in the Western Hemisphere: zero.
Government's handling of Hurricane Patricia is a rare bit of good news for Mexico - LA Times: Skies are clear, highways are flowing with traffic and airports across the western coast of Mexico are open.
The official death count from the strongest hurricane ever measured in the Western Hemisphere: zero.
Two days after Hurricane Patricia made landfall, packing winds of 165 mph, the toll appears to be limited to flooding and wind damage to houses, power outages and small mudslides that briefly blocked some roadways.
For the Mexican government of President Enrique Peña Nieto, it was a rare bit of good news in a year in which it has sometimes seemed that everything that could go wrong, did. Peña Nieto has been hammered by criticism over his handling of the disappearance of 43 college students and the prison escape of drug cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and his administration has been beset by corruption scandals.
The official death count from the strongest hurricane ever measured in the Western Hemisphere: zero.
Two days after Hurricane Patricia made landfall, packing winds of 165 mph, the toll appears to be limited to flooding and wind damage to houses, power outages and small mudslides that briefly blocked some roadways.
For the Mexican government of President Enrique Peña Nieto, it was a rare bit of good news in a year in which it has sometimes seemed that everything that could go wrong, did. Peña Nieto has been hammered by criticism over his handling of the disappearance of 43 college students and the prison escape of drug cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and his administration has been beset by corruption scandals.
John Boehner, Paul Ryan and accountability
Boehner, Ryan, and accountability| National Review OnlineLOPEZ: “Be ready for the moment of your death. Are you ready?”
Get right with God was Fr. Charles Leke’s message at the House of Prayer here last Tuesday morning. If coffee hadn’t fully woken you up yet, his sermon might have accomplished what caffeine didn’t. Many — if not most — of us won’t get advance warning of the day and time.
Repent of your sins — “for what I have done and what I have failed to do.”
Get right with God was Fr. Charles Leke’s message at the House of Prayer here last Tuesday morning. If coffee hadn’t fully woken you up yet, his sermon might have accomplished what caffeine didn’t. Many — if not most — of us won’t get advance warning of the day and time.
Repent of your sins — “for what I have done and what I have failed to do.”
In debates on divorce, why are mainstream reporters afraid to quote Jesus?
It's thumbsucker time, after the 'tea party' bishops crash the synod on the family — GetReligionMATTINGLY: The 2015 Synod of Bishops is over and this weekend was, as required by the traditions of journalism, dedicated to the writing of thumbsuckers.
What was the synod on the family all about? What did it mean? And most importantly, from the everything-is-politics viewpoint of most journalists, which political party won, the "reformers" who back Pope Francis and his appeals for mercy or the tea-party-like radical conservatives who want people to follow all those old church rules?
What was the synod on the family all about? What did it mean? And most importantly, from the everything-is-politics viewpoint of most journalists, which political party won, the "reformers" who back Pope Francis and his appeals for mercy or the tea-party-like radical conservatives who want people to follow all those old church rules?
Their problems are our problems
Reflections of a Paralytic � Their Problems Are Our ProblemsZIMMERMAN: In his address to Congress last month, Pope Francis expressed concern for the family, which he says is “threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without.”
He particularly called attention to, “those family members who are the most vulnerable, the young.” The children. When society starts messing around with the meaning of marriage and family, it’s always the children who suffer the most.
“For many of them,” the pope said, “a future filled with countless possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair. Their problems are our problems.”
He particularly called attention to, “those family members who are the most vulnerable, the young.” The children. When society starts messing around with the meaning of marriage and family, it’s always the children who suffer the most.
“For many of them,” the pope said, “a future filled with countless possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair. Their problems are our problems.”
Pope receives Chaldean Synod: “I pray that Christians will not be forced to abandon the Middle East”
VIS news - Holy See Press Office: Francis receives the Synod of the Chaldean Church: I pray that Christians will not be forced to abandon Iraq and the Middle East: This morning Pope Francis received in audience the members of the Synod of the Chaldean Church, led by His Beatitude Patriarch Raphael I Louis Sako, to whom he expressed his solidarity will all the inhabitants of Iraq and Syria, asking that God's mercy heal the wounds of a war that has afflicted the hearts of communities, so that “no one may feel discouragement in this time when the outcry of violence seems to drown out our heartfelt prayers for peace”.
Newly declassified documents reveal major nuclear war scare before JPII's 1984 Fatima consecration
Newly declassified documents reveal how America missed a major nuclear war scare: freshly declassified report confirms that the U.S. intelligence community, in 1983 and 1984, gave insufficient weight to evidence that the leaders of the Soviet Union genuinely feared a surprise nuclear missile attack from the West, misinterpreted Kremlin pronouncements as propaganda, and, most critically, failed to provide warning about significant changes to Soviet military and intelligence postures in the wake of "Able Archer '83." That 10-day NATO exercise in November of 1983 is suspected of unintentionally and quietly pushing America and the Soviet Union closer to war. And now, there's new evidence suggesting those suspicions were right on.
Charisms are not the same thing as sanctity
Charisms =/= Sanctity |Blogs | NCRegister.comSHEA: One of the big puzzles that many Catholics have grappled with in recent years is the baffling phenomenon of some charismatic figure (one thinks of a Maciel, for instance) who can, for years, inspire or otherwise offer blessing and solace to good and decent Christians who are full of faith and obedient to the Church.� Said figure can preach or write clear and engaging explications of the Faith.� He can do all sorts of wonderful things that help struggling souls find healing, that give new purpose to the hopeless, and that help the lost discover the riches of grace in Christ.� He is beloved by his devotees—and not without reason.
Seventh Spiritual Work of Mercy: Praying for the living and the dead
Seventh Spiritual Work of Mercy: Praying for the Living and Dead |Blogs | NCRegister.comKOSLOSKI: The final spiritual work of mercy is surprisingly simple and accessible to all: “pray for the living and the dead.” However, at the same time it is very easy to forget in a culture where we are taught to be independent and divorced from our past.
First of all, while “praying for the living” is a practice accepted by almost all Christians, the modern world is constantly telling us to feed our own appetites before even thinking about other people. Unknowingly, we revert to a “me” centered prayer life. We ask, and ask, and ask, and ask and get annoyed with God when He does not give us what we want.
First of all, while “praying for the living” is a practice accepted by almost all Christians, the modern world is constantly telling us to feed our own appetites before even thinking about other people. Unknowingly, we revert to a “me” centered prayer life. We ask, and ask, and ask, and ask and get annoyed with God when He does not give us what we want.
Has the Synod offered a pathway to destruction?
Has the Synod Offered a Pathway to Destruction?LONGENECKER: I have not read the final document from the synod on the family in full yet, but there are some conservative grumblings about the ambiguity of a couple of paragraphs.
The document seems to encourage the resolution of second marriage issues with the use of the “internal forum”. This is a situation where the couple, guided by a priest comes to their own decision based on their own conscience on whether or not to receive communion. This article shows how Cardinal Nichols of London is already taking a liberal interpretation.
The document seems to encourage the resolution of second marriage issues with the use of the “internal forum”. This is a situation where the couple, guided by a priest comes to their own decision based on their own conscience on whether or not to receive communion. This article shows how Cardinal Nichols of London is already taking a liberal interpretation.
22 classic drawings from the Baltimore Catechism
22 Classic Drawings from the Baltimore Catechism | ChurchPOP: Catholic children in the U.S. used to be taught the faith with the Baltimore Catechism. Here are a bunch of cool drawings from an illustrated version.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Maureen O’Hara's secret to longevity? Saying a "Hail Mary" every night...
Maureen O’Hara Said Secret to Her Longevity was Saying a ‘Hail Mary’ Every NightROSSI: After seeing “Miracle on 34th Street” and “The Quiet Man” umpteen times in my life, it was an honor meeting Maureen O’Hara twice in the last 20 years.
This picture is from a charity event for a Catholic hospital in the late 1990s – and she also appeared as a guest on “Christopher Closeup” during our TV days when Msgr. Jim Lisante was hosting the show and I was producing.
I was a little nervous having a screen legend come to the studio, but she was as friendly and classy as could be. She was also a strong woman who knew what she wanted after working with the best that Hollywood had to offer. I remember her sitting down on the set and telling the lighting director, “I want you to light me the way John Ford used to, so put that light over here and that light over there.”
This picture is from a charity event for a Catholic hospital in the late 1990s – and she also appeared as a guest on “Christopher Closeup” during our TV days when Msgr. Jim Lisante was hosting the show and I was producing.
I was a little nervous having a screen legend come to the studio, but she was as friendly and classy as could be. She was also a strong woman who knew what she wanted after working with the best that Hollywood had to offer. I remember her sitting down on the set and telling the lighting director, “I want you to light me the way John Ford used to, so put that light over here and that light over there.”
Clinging to Onions: Saint Amato Ronconi (1225-1292)
Clinging to Onions: Saint Amato Ronconi (1225-1292)BECKER: We don’t usually associate rock star status with sanctity, but there are exceptions – like Pope St. John Paul II, for instance, and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Both routinely attracted hordes of fans, and many of those groupies turned their lives around after their derivative brush with saintly fame.
Even hype is redeemable.
St. Amato Ronconi also generated a lot of publicity in his day, some of it good, some of it not so good – including money, fame, sex, and power, just like a real rock star! A son of privilege in the northern Italian region of Saludecio, Amato had a cushy start, but he lost his parents at an early age. The orphaned Amato moved in with his older brother, Giacomo, and took on the duties of a farmhand.
Even hype is redeemable.
St. Amato Ronconi also generated a lot of publicity in his day, some of it good, some of it not so good – including money, fame, sex, and power, just like a real rock star! A son of privilege in the northern Italian region of Saludecio, Amato had a cushy start, but he lost his parents at an early age. The orphaned Amato moved in with his older brother, Giacomo, and took on the duties of a farmhand.
Feminism has invaded the Church and the world, and I'm frustrated
Feminism Invades Church and World, and I’m FrustratedSCHIFFER: On November 3, Glamour magazine is expected to announce its selection for “WOMAN OF THE YEAR” who just happens to be–get this!–a MAN.
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And if you, dear ladies, don’t find it insulting to think that a women’s fashion magazine which depends on women’s subscription dollars can’t find a single female on the planet who is a better “woman” than a cross-dressing, physically mutilated and psychologically stunted man, then I can’t imagine what could possibly get under your skin.
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And if you, dear ladies, don’t find it insulting to think that a women’s fashion magazine which depends on women’s subscription dollars can’t find a single female on the planet who is a better “woman” than a cross-dressing, physically mutilated and psychologically stunted man, then I can’t imagine what could possibly get under your skin.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Walk alongside your people, Pope Francis tells bishops at synod's close
Walk alongside your people, Pope Francis tells bishops at synod's close :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): Pope Francis Sunday officially brought the Synod on the Family to a close at Mass in St. Peter’s, warning against a “spirituality of illusion,” and reminding pastors of their duty to accompany the faithful and be bearers of God’s mercy especially in times of suffering and conflict.
“Jesus’ disciples are called to this, even today, especially today: to bring people into contact with the compassionate Mercy that saves,” he said.
“Moments of suffering and conflict are for God occasions of mercy. Today is a time of mercy!”
“Jesus’ disciples are called to this, even today, especially today: to bring people into contact with the compassionate Mercy that saves,” he said.
“Moments of suffering and conflict are for God occasions of mercy. Today is a time of mercy!”
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Final synod document strongly backs Church teaching, beauty of family life
Final synod document strongly backs Church teaching, beauty of family life :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): With a two-thirds majority vote, the more than 200 bishops gathered for the Vatican's synod on the family upheld Church teaching on hot-button issues such as homosexuality and communion for divorced and remarried persons.
The Vatican's synod on the family was opened by Pope Francis Oct. 4, and it will close Oct. 25. This year's event follows the theme “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world,” and follows 2014's extraordinary synod on the family, which focused on pastoral challenges involved in family life.
The Vatican's synod on the family was opened by Pope Francis Oct. 4, and it will close Oct. 25. This year's event follows the theme “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world,” and follows 2014's extraordinary synod on the family, which focused on pastoral challenges involved in family life.
“The real scandal is a fear of love”: At Synod's close, and unknown road ahead
Whispers in the Loggia: "The Real Scandal Is A Fear of Love" – At Synod's Close, An Unknown Road AheadPALMO: And so, after two years and three weeks of questionnaires, discernment, disputes – and, indeed, smatterings of intrigue around the edges – this climactic second Synod on the Family finished its work tonight with the complete, paragraph-by-paragraph passage of its 94-piece Final Report (Italian fulltext)... all while the ultimate resolution to the issues at stake remains unclear.
With a threshold of 177 votes required to secure the needed two-thirds' consent for each section, it was telling that the three grafs which barely reached the supermajority were the those dealing with this assembly's most charged question: the church's response to the civilly remarried, specifically in the context of their admission to the Sacraments. Of the contentious trio, paragraph 85 – which presented an opening toward "pastoral discernment... taking account of the rightly-formed conscience of persons" – was approved by a margin of just one vote (178-80). The following section, which spoke of a conversation with a priest "in the internal forum" toward finding "a correct judgment on what obstructs a [remarried person's] fuller participation in the life of the church" passed on a margin of 190-64.
With a threshold of 177 votes required to secure the needed two-thirds' consent for each section, it was telling that the three grafs which barely reached the supermajority were the those dealing with this assembly's most charged question: the church's response to the civilly remarried, specifically in the context of their admission to the Sacraments. Of the contentious trio, paragraph 85 – which presented an opening toward "pastoral discernment... taking account of the rightly-formed conscience of persons" – was approved by a margin of just one vote (178-80). The following section, which spoke of a conversation with a priest "in the internal forum" toward finding "a correct judgment on what obstructs a [remarried person's] fuller participation in the life of the church" passed on a margin of 190-64.
Pope Francis: Synod was about affirming family, indissoluble marriage
Pope Francis: Synod was about affirming family, indissoluble marriage :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): At the conclusion of the 2015 Synod on the Family, Pope Francis emphasized that the gathering had been about recognizing that society is founded on the family and marriage as the permanent union of one man and one woman.
The synod, the Pope said in his closing message, “was about urging everyone to appreciate the importance of the institution of the family and of marriage between a man and a woman, based on unity and indissolubility, and valuing it as the fundamental basis of society and human life.”
The synod, the Pope said in his closing message, “was about urging everyone to appreciate the importance of the institution of the family and of marriage between a man and a woman, based on unity and indissolubility, and valuing it as the fundamental basis of society and human life.”
The final question facing the synod fathers
CatholicHerald.co.uk � The final question facing the synod fathersDESOUZA: At the end of the synod’s first week, I made a local pilgrimage to the titular church of Cardinal John Henry Newman in Rome, San Giorgio in Velabro, for his October 9 feast day.
In the synod’s third week, a project unrelated to the synod required a short trip to Dublin where I was able to visit the original buildings of the Catholic University of Ireland, Newman’s 1850s project in Dublin, now called Newman House. The stately buildings on St Stephen’s Green now belong to University College Dublin, but the church Newman built for his Catholic university is still an active parish, and the parish priest was kind enough to let this Newman House chaplain from Canada offer the daily Mass.
In the synod’s third week, a project unrelated to the synod required a short trip to Dublin where I was able to visit the original buildings of the Catholic University of Ireland, Newman’s 1850s project in Dublin, now called Newman House. The stately buildings on St Stephen’s Green now belong to University College Dublin, but the church Newman built for his Catholic university is still an active parish, and the parish priest was kind enough to let this Newman House chaplain from Canada offer the daily Mass.
Catholics in college getting coffee
Catholics in college getting coffee - Denver Catholic: The 2013 floods were devastating for Boulder. Many residents were overwhelmed by destroyed properties. Among them was the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center, the Catholic Hub of the University of Colorado-Boulder. However, reconstructing their property opened new avenues for evangelization. Specifically, the converted part of their student center into a coffee shop.
Final Synod briefing concludes; vote on 'Relatio Finalis' to come late Saturday
Final Synod Briefing Concludes |Blogs | NCRegister.com: Moments ago, Synod Delegate President Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis from Aparecida in Brazil, pontifical appointment Cardinal Christoph Schönborn from Vienna in Austria, and Brother Herve Janson, the Prior General of the Little Brothers of Jesus, delivered the final Synod briefing inside the St. John Paul II Hall at the Holy See Press Office.
U.S. House votes to defund Planned Parenthood
US House votes to defund Planned Parenthood, but not without controversy :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): Amid continuing controversy over fetal tissue harvesting at abortion clinics, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Friday to defund Planned Parenthood and to reroute funding to community health centers.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Archbishop Chaput on the Synod: ‘Very positive,’ but not problem-free
Archbishop Chaput on the Synod: ‘Very Positive,’ but Not Problem-Free | Daily News | NCRegister.com: At this year’s Synod on the Family, Archbishop Charles Chaput might be dubbed “The Shepherd of Truth.”
Over the course of the three-week gathering of bishops from around the world, the Philadelphia archbishop has garnered attention for his unswerving commitment to speaking with clarity about the key issues in play, and for insisting that any outcome from the synod must not compromise important Church teachings.
In an Oct. 22 email interview with the Register, Archbishop Chaput again remained true to his synodal form, discussing frankly both the overall positive atmosphere of this year’s synod while at the same time not glossing over the tough issues that have arisen and that remain in play, two days before the synod fathers vote on the content of the synod’s final document.
Over the course of the three-week gathering of bishops from around the world, the Philadelphia archbishop has garnered attention for his unswerving commitment to speaking with clarity about the key issues in play, and for insisting that any outcome from the synod must not compromise important Church teachings.
In an Oct. 22 email interview with the Register, Archbishop Chaput again remained true to his synodal form, discussing frankly both the overall positive atmosphere of this year’s synod while at the same time not glossing over the tough issues that have arisen and that remain in play, two days before the synod fathers vote on the content of the synod’s final document.
Here's why it's so great to be Catholic
Why it is Great to Be Catholic |Blogs | NCRegister.comSHEA: Why is it great to be Catholic?� Because everything that Jesus said and did and promised is still just as true as it was when he walked out of the grave on Easter morning.� Sure Jesus’ followers still sin as they did on that day and have done every day since.� Sure Jesus still has enemies now as then.� But Jesus endures and so does his power to save, redeem, and transform.� Jesus Christ is why it is great to be Catholic!
You can't expect to wield supreme power just 'cause some flying horse took you to Jerusalem
Historical Horse Sense | Catholic World Report - Global Church news and viewsKILPATRICK: The Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is considered to be the third holiest site in Islam. The current wave of stabbings, shootings, and car-ramming attacks on Israeli citizens are motivated in part by a dispute about who has the best claim to the Temple Mount. As Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas recently said, “The Al-Aqsa Mosque is ours, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is ours, and the Jews have no right to defile it with their filthy feet.”
Palestinians have waged a long campaign to deny that Jews have any historical ties to Jerusalem. Recently, the New York Times took up their cause by publishing an article questioning whether the First and Second Temples ever stood on the Temple Mount. Archaeologists were quick to criticize the story, and others questioned the timing and intent of the piece. Why exacerbate an already volatile situation?
Palestinians have waged a long campaign to deny that Jews have any historical ties to Jerusalem. Recently, the New York Times took up their cause by publishing an article questioning whether the First and Second Temples ever stood on the Temple Mount. Archaeologists were quick to criticize the story, and others questioned the timing and intent of the piece. Why exacerbate an already volatile situation?
Virtue program brings solid moral formation to Catholic schools
Virtue Program Brings Guidance, Moral Formation to Catholic Schools: A unique moral formation program is helping students and teachers to understand virtues in a practical way at hundreds of schools and parishes across the U.S., reinforcing the schools’ Catholic identity.
Sister John Dominic, O.P., a member of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, told The Cardinal Newman Society in an interview that she developed the program, “Disciple of Christ: Education in Virtue,” to aid teachers in instructing students on the important role that virtue plays in morality.
Sister John Dominic, O.P., a member of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, told The Cardinal Newman Society in an interview that she developed the program, “Disciple of Christ: Education in Virtue,” to aid teachers in instructing students on the important role that virtue plays in morality.
Christians will abound if we have a sincere, unapologetic and joyful commitment to Christ
The Dangerous Fear of Attrition| Blog | The Table GroupLENCIONI: Many leaders have something of an obsession with retention, and a corresponding fear of attrition.� Whether we’re talking about employees, customers or even members of a church congregation, we seem to have an almost unconscious desire to do whatever we can to keep anyone from leaving.� So we compromise our strategies or water down our policies to appeal to the largest number of people possible.� Ironically, this actually creates the very problem we fear most as we end up discouraging—and often losing—our core constituents, the people who are our best recruiters, marketers and evangelists.� In the end, we are left with an organization that fewer and fewer people want to be part of.
Perhaps the most obvious example has to do with the misguided fear of employee attrition.� An executive recently told me about an important cultural change he had made in his organization to address the apathy and entitlement that had permeated the attitude of his three hundred employees.� Essentially, he changed the compensation system to better reward performance, which created a significant amount of anxiety within the company.� The executive then proudly announced that the initiative had brought about some improvement in productivity and that none of his employees had left.� My first reaction, and my question to him, was this: “Did the culture really change?� If no one opted out of the organization, then maybe the program wasn’t bold or dramatic enough.� Do you think that everyone belongs in the company?”
Perhaps the most obvious example has to do with the misguided fear of employee attrition.� An executive recently told me about an important cultural change he had made in his organization to address the apathy and entitlement that had permeated the attitude of his three hundred employees.� Essentially, he changed the compensation system to better reward performance, which created a significant amount of anxiety within the company.� The executive then proudly announced that the initiative had brought about some improvement in productivity and that none of his employees had left.� My first reaction, and my question to him, was this: “Did the culture really change?� If no one opted out of the organization, then maybe the program wasn’t bold or dramatic enough.� Do you think that everyone belongs in the company?”
Appeals to false conscience will offer no protection in the final judgment
Toasting the Conscience | James Conley | First ThingsCONLEY: In Letter to the Duke of Norfolk, Blessed John Henry Newman suggests gamely that religion should never be the subject matter for after-dinner social toasts. But, he says “if I am obliged to bring religion into after-dinner toasts, I shall drink—to the Pope, if you please—still, to Conscience first, and to the Pope afterwards.”
Newman promised to drink to conscience before the pope because he believed resolutely in the primacy of conscience. Newman understood that the conscience imposes an obligation—that personal integrity dictates a fundamental human duty to hear the interior voice of our conscience, and to follow its demands.
Newman promised to drink to conscience before the pope because he believed resolutely in the primacy of conscience. Newman understood that the conscience imposes an obligation—that personal integrity dictates a fundamental human duty to hear the interior voice of our conscience, and to follow its demands.
Despite court injunction, new Planned Parenthood videos are released
WORKAROUND: Despite Court Injunction, New PP Videos Are ReleasedSCHIFFER: “We can’t stop affiliates from breaking the law.” That’s the word from a Planned Parenthood executive in the latest Planned Parenthood video, released by Charles C. Johnson of the website Gotnews.com. Deb VanderHei, a national director of the Consortium of Abortion Providers, tells an undercover Center for Medical Progress representative that Planned Parenthood affiliates may still accept cash, and that the parent organization has no control over that. VanderHei’s admission directly contradicts assurances made by Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards.
John Paul reinvigorated our "kerygma-martyria", Benedict our "leitourgia", and Francis our "diakonia"
Print Articles | Convivium MagazineDESOUZA: There is a problem at the heart of the challenge we call the new evangelization. Benedict outlined this challenge with great elegance and insight. Francis almost bursts with energy to confront it. It is the reason that John Paul wrote his first two encyclicals on the merciful Redeemer and the Father who is rich in mercy. To accomplish that task in every age, the Church reforms herself — ecclesia semper reformanda! We dare not miss out on the kairos of this moment, resisting rupture only, necessary as it is, when the Christian mission requires receiving the reform being offered to the Church.
Families suffer when Catholic art and culture are diminished
Where Was Our Catholic Culture? - The Catholic ThingROYAL: As anyone who has been to Rome can see, the Church – in the city that it has so profoundly shaped – has preserved, adapted, repurposed, and integrated pieces, large and small, from thousands of years of different cultures and even whole civilizations, into a rich and humane tradition. Among the various puzzling things about the past three weeks is how small a role that deep, many-hued Catholic culture has played during the Synod on the Family. It certainly did not play much of a role in the creation of the Working Document, which instead relied more on a shallow sociology and anthropology to describe problems and on a thin rationalism for answers to them. And that, to say the least, is a sad state of affairs.
How Vatican II actually saved Catholicism
Fully Christian: Vatican II Actually Saved Catholicism: I'm going to make a radical statement here, that many of my traditional Catholic friends will not like, and simultaneously, some will be thrilled with.
Many traditional Catholics blame Vatican II for all the turmoil the Catholic Church has endured for the last 50 years. Some fundamentalist Catholics outright reject Vatican II entirely. However, after studying the history of the Catholic Church in the 20th century, I am convinced that the collapse of the Catholic Church in the Western world, in the latter half of the 20th century, was inevitable and was going to happen anyway, with or without Vatican II. I'm also going to say this. In spite of its flaws (and there were some flaws of ambiguity which many have taken advantage of) the Second Vatican Council, combined with the witness of Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, are what breathed life back into the Catholic Church during that inevitable and unavoidable Western collapse in the latter half of the 20th century.
Many traditional Catholics blame Vatican II for all the turmoil the Catholic Church has endured for the last 50 years. Some fundamentalist Catholics outright reject Vatican II entirely. However, after studying the history of the Catholic Church in the 20th century, I am convinced that the collapse of the Catholic Church in the Western world, in the latter half of the 20th century, was inevitable and was going to happen anyway, with or without Vatican II. I'm also going to say this. In spite of its flaws (and there were some flaws of ambiguity which many have taken advantage of) the Second Vatican Council, combined with the witness of Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, are what breathed life back into the Catholic Church during that inevitable and unavoidable Western collapse in the latter half of the 20th century.
The Church is suffering from a spirit of appeasement with the world...
Whatever Happened to Heroes?LONGENECKER: I have not been following the synod proceedings much because as far as I can make out most of the press about it is gossip, and like most gossip it is biased, ignorant and designed to stir up conflict, stoke the flames of discontent, apportion blame without ascertaining facts and being generally nasty and destructive.
I’m going to wait for final statements and final decisions.
But one thing has come oozing out of Rome in my direction, and it is more of a vague feeling or gut instinct than anything based on facts, and that is the feeling that within the church today there is a spirit of appeasement with the world–a kind of deadly softness that kills the spiritual life.
I’m going to wait for final statements and final decisions.
But one thing has come oozing out of Rome in my direction, and it is more of a vague feeling or gut instinct than anything based on facts, and that is the feeling that within the church today there is a spirit of appeasement with the world–a kind of deadly softness that kills the spiritual life.
Geologists find evidence of most destructive tsunami in Earth's history
The Biggest Mega-Tsunami in History - The Atlantic: Rising from the Atlantic ocean, hundreds of miles off the coast of West Africa, there’s a volcano with a 73,000-year-old scar swiped across its face. This is the mark of an ancient catastrophe, etched into the rock when a huge chunk of the volcano’s eastern flank rushed all at once into the sea.
That particular flank collapse displaced enough water to generate a powerful tsunami—one that, new evidence shows, might have been much, much bigger than geologists previously believed. “Our work provides evidence that the well-known collapse at Fogo volcano produced a very large tsunami that impacted the nearby island of Santiago,” said Ricardo Ramalho, an Earth-sciences research fellow at the University of Bristol.
That particular flank collapse displaced enough water to generate a powerful tsunami—one that, new evidence shows, might have been much, much bigger than geologists previously believed. “Our work provides evidence that the well-known collapse at Fogo volcano produced a very large tsunami that impacted the nearby island of Santiago,” said Ricardo Ramalho, an Earth-sciences research fellow at the University of Bristol.
Dark days in Krakow brought the world a great light
World Youth Day and the Way of Wojtyla, Pope St. John Paul II | Aleteia.orgGRESS: Pilgrims making the journey to Krakow for World Youth Day should prepare for an encounter with two popes—Pope Francis, of course, but also St. John Paul II, whose legacy lives on in this Polish city.
With each passing year the memories of the first Polish pope are growing dimmer and dimmer. In an effort to keep his memory alive for both pilgrims and those who may not be making the long journey to Krakow, George Weigel and I, along with photographer Stephen Weigel, have chronicled the pope’s life in City of Saints: A Pilgrim’s Guide to John Paul II’s Krakow. In the book, Weigel coaxed the old stones of Krakow to talk—telling the story of the influence the city had on the saint and the saint had on the city. There is no better way to get to know Pope Saint John Paul II than to come to know the town that helped make him the saint he is.
With each passing year the memories of the first Polish pope are growing dimmer and dimmer. In an effort to keep his memory alive for both pilgrims and those who may not be making the long journey to Krakow, George Weigel and I, along with photographer Stephen Weigel, have chronicled the pope’s life in City of Saints: A Pilgrim’s Guide to John Paul II’s Krakow. In the book, Weigel coaxed the old stones of Krakow to talk—telling the story of the influence the city had on the saint and the saint had on the city. There is no better way to get to know Pope Saint John Paul II than to come to know the town that helped make him the saint he is.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Turn off your TV, become like a child, and enter the Kingdom of Heaven
Turn Off Your TV, Become Like a Child, and Enter the Kingdom of Heaven |Blogs | NCRegister.comGAN: It’s unusual enough to declare to family that one doesn’t watch TV, let alone make this news public, so when Pope Francis revealed that he made a promise to Our Blessed Mother and hasn’t watched TV since July 15, 1990, it made quite a headline in the mainstream press. To be clear, Pope Francis doesn’t claim that watching TV is bad or sinful, but said watching TV isn’t for him, and that he simply misses the pleasure of walking the streets and stopping by a pizzeria.
Sodalitium Christianae Vitae issues statement in wake of accusations against founder
Sodalitium Christianae Vitae issues statement in wake of accusations :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae issued a statement on Wednesday announcing its commitment to the investigation of mistreatement, including sexual abuse, allegedly committed by its founder.
The Oct. 21 statement was released after the publication in Peru of a book containing testimonies against Luis Fernando Figari, founder of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae.
“The testimonies refer to acts of abuse and mistreatment, including sexual abuse. It is a cause for deep grief and shame if such acts could have been committed by Luis Fernando Figari, the founder and for many years the Superior General of our community,” read the statement which bore the signature of Alessandro Moroni Llabrés, the community's current superior general.
The Oct. 21 statement was released after the publication in Peru of a book containing testimonies against Luis Fernando Figari, founder of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae.
“The testimonies refer to acts of abuse and mistreatment, including sexual abuse. It is a cause for deep grief and shame if such acts could have been committed by Luis Fernando Figari, the founder and for many years the Superior General of our community,” read the statement which bore the signature of Alessandro Moroni Llabrés, the community's current superior general.
Vatican says rumors about Pope's health are an attempt to undermine him
Vatican says rumors about pope's health are an attempt to undermine him | Minnesota Public Radio News: After repeatedly denying reports that Pope Francis has a benign brain tumor Wednesday, the Vatican is going a step further, calling the rumor "false information" that's meant to destabilize the papacy. The doctor named in the reports also says they're untrue.
The stringent denials came after the Quotidiano Nazionale and other Italian newspapers reported that in recent months, Francis had been visited by a Japanese doctor to diagnose a tumor.
The stringent denials came after the Quotidiano Nazionale and other Italian newspapers reported that in recent months, Francis had been visited by a Japanese doctor to diagnose a tumor.
What Einstein got wrong about the speed of light
What Einstein Got Wrong About the Speed of Light | TIME: If you want to play in the quantum sandbox, you have to accept some bizarre rules. You have to accept that a single thing can exist in two states at once—alive and dead, black and white—until it’s observed or measured in some way, at which point it instantly takes on one quality or the other. You have to accept that two particles at opposite ends of the universe can be entangled in such a way that anything you do to one instantly affects the other. And you have to accept that the strictest, no-exceptions rule in all of physics—that nothing can move faster than the speed of light—may have some exceptions after all.
Pope Francis creates Vatican office for laity, family and life
Pope Francis Creates Vatican Office for Laity, Family, and Life | Daily News | NCRegister.com: Pope Francis announced Thursday to the Synod on the Family that he has chosen to establish a new office in the Roman Curia that will deal with issues of laity, family, and life, as part of his reform of the curia.
“I have decided to establish a new Dicastery with competency for Laity, Family and Life, that will replace the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family,” Pope Francis said Oct. 22, according to a communiqu� from the Holy See press office.
“To this end, I have constituted a special commission that will prepare a text delineating canonically the competencies of the new Dicastery. The text will be presented for discussion to the Council of Cardinals at their next meeting in December."
“I have decided to establish a new Dicastery with competency for Laity, Family and Life, that will replace the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family,” Pope Francis said Oct. 22, according to a communiqu� from the Holy See press office.
“To this end, I have constituted a special commission that will prepare a text delineating canonically the competencies of the new Dicastery. The text will be presented for discussion to the Council of Cardinals at their next meeting in December."
Beauty is a gift to the future
Beauty as a Sign of Hope: There are in life certain things which everyone agrees need to be paid for, even if sacrifices must be made in order to do so. Most will agree that even if something is not necessary but still useful, it is worth the money.� However, far fewer willingly make sacrifices for things that are worthy in and of themselves–like beauty.� Sometimes one needs to experience the joys of such a sacrifice, in order to understand its value. �If ever you should happen to be in Jackson, Michigan, drop into St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, to help with that understanding.� Look up at the magnificent high altar, and behind you at the rose window of St. Cecilia above the choir loft.� Walk forward and turn to your left to view the World War I window in the transept.� Then kneel at the altar rail and soak in all of this beauty in the presence of the King.
5 good changes the Synod could make
5 Good Changes the Synod Could Make - Ignitum TodaySCHNEIDER: Questions such as communion for the divorced and remarried, female deacons, and acceptance of homosexual relationships have dominated the media discussion about the Synod that began earlier this month. Instead of adding volume to those debates, I want to point out a few positive things we can pray come out of the synod. The synod may not touch on each of these, but we can all reflect on them to deepen our own understanding, which in turn helps the Church.
Did the German-speaking bishops just endorse the Kasper proposal?
Did the German-Speaking Bishops Just Endorse the Kasper Proposal? | Catholic AnswersAKIN: The German-speaking members of the Synod of Bishops have made a report which some are touting as a breakthrough for the proposal to give Communion to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.
What did they really say, and what significance does it have?
Here’s what we know at present...
What did they really say, and what significance does it have?
Here’s what we know at present...
8 things you should know about conscience and Holy Communion
Conscience and Communion | Catholic AnswersAKIN: There is a good bit of conversation about how conscience may play a role in the question of whether divorced and civilly remarried Catholics can receive Holy Communion.
For example, Chicago’s Archbishop Blase Cupich discussed the subject at a press briefing in Rome during the synod of bishops.
What the archbishop said or was trying to say is not entirely clear to me from the quotations I’ve seen in the press, and I do not wish to speculate based on incomplete press accounts.
I have, however, received a number of queries about the role of conscience in this area, and a brief look at the question may be in order.�
For example, Chicago’s Archbishop Blase Cupich discussed the subject at a press briefing in Rome during the synod of bishops.
What the archbishop said or was trying to say is not entirely clear to me from the quotations I’ve seen in the press, and I do not wish to speculate based on incomplete press accounts.
I have, however, received a number of queries about the role of conscience in this area, and a brief look at the question may be in order.�
Pope creates new Vatican department for laity, family and life
BREAKING: Pope Creates New Vatican Department for Laity, Family and Life |Blogs | NCRegister.comPENTIN: The Vatican released the following statement this evening:
"Today, at the beginning of the afternoon General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops, the Holy Father made the following announcement:
'I have decided to establish a new Dicastery with competency for Laity, Family and Life, that will replace the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family. The Pontifical Academy for Life will be joined to the new Dicastery.
To this end, I have constituted a special commission that will prepare a text delineating canonically the competencies of the new Dicastery. The text will be presented for discussion to the Council of Cardinals at their next meeting in December.'"
"Today, at the beginning of the afternoon General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops, the Holy Father made the following announcement:
'I have decided to establish a new Dicastery with competency for Laity, Family and Life, that will replace the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family. The Pontifical Academy for Life will be joined to the new Dicastery.
To this end, I have constituted a special commission that will prepare a text delineating canonically the competencies of the new Dicastery. The text will be presented for discussion to the Council of Cardinals at their next meeting in December.'"
How Wojtyla might have answered Cupich on conscience
How Wojtyla Might Have Answered Cupich on Conscience - Crisis MagazineSEWELL: In September 1953, a group of 20-somethings and their young parish priest embarked on the first of what would be 26 annual kayaking trips into the wilderness near where they all lived and worked, taking time away from normal life to enjoy the water, the wilderness, and, most of all, a prayerful retreat with each other.
This group—Środowisko, as it was called—was the experiment of Karol Wojtyla, the Polish priest most of us know better as Pope St. John Paul II. Beginning out of his parish assignment as a student chaplain, John Paul built the group of young people slowly out of a common desire for community, growth, and free discussion (such opportunities were rare at the time in Communist-ruled Poland).
This group—Środowisko, as it was called—was the experiment of Karol Wojtyla, the Polish priest most of us know better as Pope St. John Paul II. Beginning out of his parish assignment as a student chaplain, John Paul built the group of young people slowly out of a common desire for community, growth, and free discussion (such opportunities were rare at the time in Communist-ruled Poland).
The rookie card of Pope St. John Paul II
The Rookie Card of Pope St. John Paul II | TOM PERNAPERNA: Today is the feast day for Pope St. John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) as well as the 37th Anniversary of his Installation to the Papacy of the Catholic Church. Below you will find two pictures – the front and back of a prayer card from October 1978.
In some aspects, this prayer card for Pope St. John Paul II is like a baseball rookie card. It states the dates of his birth, ordination to the priesthood, elevation to the episcopate, cardinal creation, election to the papacy, and installation to the papacy.
In some aspects, this prayer card for Pope St. John Paul II is like a baseball rookie card. It states the dates of his birth, ordination to the priesthood, elevation to the episcopate, cardinal creation, election to the papacy, and installation to the papacy.
The day I met Pope John Paul II
For His Feastday: The Day I Met Pope John Paul IISCHIFFER: It was September 2004. I was conference director for Legatus, the organization of Catholic CEOs, and each September the group traveled to Rome.
In my years planning pilgrimages for Legatus, we typically had reserved seating on the dais beside the Holy Father during the Wednesday General Audience. �After the Audience, we’d pose for a group photo with the Pope, gathered around his chair.
In my years planning pilgrimages for Legatus, we typically had reserved seating on the dais beside the Holy Father during the Wednesday General Audience. �After the Audience, we’d pose for a group photo with the Pope, gathered around his chair.
13 surprising facts from the inspired life of St. John Paul II
13 Surprising Facts from the Inspired Life of St. John Paul II | ChurchPOP: October 22nd is the feast of the great St. John Paul II!
Here are 13 amazing facts about his incredible life that you may not have known
Here are 13 amazing facts about his incredible life that you may not have known
St. John Paul II stood out like a light in the darkness of this generation
New Advent: St. John Paul II stood out like a light in the darkness of this generation: John Paul II, thank you for standing out like a light in the darkness of this generation, reminding us of who we are.
After 133 years, Barcelona’s La Sagrada Familia Basilica begins work on towers
Barcelona’s La Sagrada Familia Basilica begins work on towers | Crux: Work on Barcelona’s breathtaking La Sagrada Familia Basilica, designed by visionary architect Antoni Gaudi, has entered its final phase of raising six immense towers that will make it Europe’s tallest religious building, surpassing Germany’s Ulm Minster.
Presenting the project Thursday, chief architect Jordi Fauli said the central “Tower of Jesus Christ,” the tallest of the six, will make the architectural marvel that draws millions of visitors each year one for the record books when it is finished in a little over a decade.
Presenting the project Thursday, chief architect Jordi Fauli said the central “Tower of Jesus Christ,” the tallest of the six, will make the architectural marvel that draws millions of visitors each year one for the record books when it is finished in a little over a decade.
You’re not G.K. Chesterton, and God’s perfectly fine with that
You’re Not Chesterton, And God’s Cool With That | Aleteia.orgMILLS: “I very often wish,” wrote one of my many melancholic friends, “that I had Belloc’s and Chesterton’s joy of life, which seems in both their cases to derive from joy of Christ’s life.” I had to tell him he was never going to.
G.K. Chesterton and his friend Hillaire Belloc enjoyed a larger-than-life exuberance, what we might call beer hall Christianity, complete with loud cheerful arguments across the table, howling laughter heard above the crowd, rollicking sing-alongs, and (I don’t know why I imagine this) the sounds of breaking glass. Those like my friend (and me), more likely to be found having a beer with a few friends, sitting in a corner table in a quiet pub, and at times to be found by themselves staring meditatively into space, can find their life one to envy.
G.K. Chesterton and his friend Hillaire Belloc enjoyed a larger-than-life exuberance, what we might call beer hall Christianity, complete with loud cheerful arguments across the table, howling laughter heard above the crowd, rollicking sing-alongs, and (I don’t know why I imagine this) the sounds of breaking glass. Those like my friend (and me), more likely to be found having a beer with a few friends, sitting in a corner table in a quiet pub, and at times to be found by themselves staring meditatively into space, can find their life one to envy.
“Huzzah!” for homebrewing Catholic deacons
“Huzzah!” for Homebrewing Catholic Deacons! | Quartermaster of the BarqueBOWERS: Part of the fun of the hobby is that there are “levels” of complexity. It’s possible to start out and make very good (i.e., better than a lot of bottled) beer as a beginner, without a huge investment. The one chief rule is to keep everything as clean and sanitary as possible, ESPECIALLY after “the boil”; once you’ve boiled the liquid that later becomes beer, the thing most likely to ruin it or make it taste yucky are bacterias that don’t belong. Keep all of your equipment clean, and use a sanitizer like Star-San or OneStep.
Polish bishop laicizes priest who “came out” on eve of Synod
He’s OUT! Polish Bishop Laicizes Priest Who “Came Out” on Eve of SynodSCHIFFER: The Polish priest who declared his homosexuality on the eve of the Synod on the Family, Fr. Krysztof Charamsa, has been laicized. Bishop Ryszard Kasyno, bishop of Pelplin (Poland), sent a letter to Fr. Charamsa on Wednesday, October 21, notifying him that he may no longer celebrate Mass, administer the sacraments or wear a cassock.
The action against Fr. Charamsa comes as no surprise, considering the priest’s carefully executed attack on the Church he served. Charamsa, who held a press conference October 2 with his boyfriend and announced their love relationship, had apparently been planning to disrupt the Synod with his “coming out.” He presented a 10-point “liberation manifesto” against “institutionalized homophobia in the Church” and announced the upcoming publication of a book detailing his twelve years at the heart of the Vatican bureaucracy.
The action against Fr. Charamsa comes as no surprise, considering the priest’s carefully executed attack on the Church he served. Charamsa, who held a press conference October 2 with his boyfriend and announced their love relationship, had apparently been planning to disrupt the Synod with his “coming out.” He presented a 10-point “liberation manifesto” against “institutionalized homophobia in the Church” and announced the upcoming publication of a book detailing his twelve years at the heart of the Vatican bureaucracy.
How to pray Lectio Divina with kids
how to pray lectio divina with kids - Mothering Spirit: Cradle Catholic confession time: I had never even heard of lectio divina until I started graduate theological studies. (Gulp.)
Thankfully I was blessed to study with the Benedictines, who are steeped in this prayer practice (which St. Benedict wrote about in his Rule dating back to 500). So I learned from wise sisters and brothers how to make this “holy reading” of Scripture part of my prayer life. And I’ve been grateful ever since.
But here’s the thing about lectio divina. Actually, here’s the thing about 90% of traditional spiritual practices.
Thankfully I was blessed to study with the Benedictines, who are steeped in this prayer practice (which St. Benedict wrote about in his Rule dating back to 500). So I learned from wise sisters and brothers how to make this “holy reading” of Scripture part of my prayer life. And I’ve been grateful ever since.
But here’s the thing about lectio divina. Actually, here’s the thing about 90% of traditional spiritual practices.
Witches, vampires and pirates: 5 years of America's most popular costumes
Witches, Vampires And Pirates: 5 Years Of America's Most Popular Costumes : Planet Money : NPR: Last week, we did a story on how stocking costumes can be a tricky business. Richard Parrott of Ricky's NYC, one of the biggest costume shops in New York, told us he needs to find the perfect mix of old favorites and hot new pop culture trends. This year he is betting big on costumes from the the Disney movie Frozen.
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