ASK FATHER: Suspension of Communion on the tongue because of #Coronavirus | Fr. Z's BlogZUHLSDORF: We have seen this movie before, with the outbreak of various strains of influenza and viruses.
Here are a few commonsense observations.
Firstly, it is not allowed to distribute Communion in the hand during the Traditional Latin Mass or when using the Rite for Distribution of Communion outside of Mass, or during sick calls with the older Rituale Romanum. Also, in the older Rite, Communion is not distributed under both kinds. That takes care of that.
I don’t see a way around that. Distribution of Communion in the hand would be a serious liturgical abuse, precisely because it deals with the Eucharistic species.
Friday, January 31, 2020
This is a time of great consternation — abide in the truth that liberates
This is a Time of Great Consternation — Abide in the Truth That LiberatesPOPE: As I have been reading Bishop Athanasius Schneider’s book, Christus Vincit, I am struck by the similarities between his experiences and mine.
Although we come from very different parts of the world, we were born just a couple of months apart in 1961, at the end of an era in the Church. All through the sixties, changes kept coming. I remember receiving my First Holy Communion in 1968, kneeling at the altar rail of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview, Illinois. Our family relocated to Jacksonville, Florida, the next year, and shortly thereafter the marble rail at the church we attended was removed, leaving large holes in the floor and wall.
I don’t remember having religious objections at the time, but even as a boy of nine I wondered why beautiful marble would simply be discarded. My mother had a marble table I admired, and I was always told to be careful around it because it was special. Seeing a marble altar rail ripped out and stacked behind the church for disposal looked to me to be an act of vandalism and senseless destruction. Something was wrong in the Church.
Although we come from very different parts of the world, we were born just a couple of months apart in 1961, at the end of an era in the Church. All through the sixties, changes kept coming. I remember receiving my First Holy Communion in 1968, kneeling at the altar rail of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview, Illinois. Our family relocated to Jacksonville, Florida, the next year, and shortly thereafter the marble rail at the church we attended was removed, leaving large holes in the floor and wall.
I don’t remember having religious objections at the time, but even as a boy of nine I wondered why beautiful marble would simply be discarded. My mother had a marble table I admired, and I was always told to be careful around it because it was special. Seeing a marble altar rail ripped out and stacked behind the church for disposal looked to me to be an act of vandalism and senseless destruction. Something was wrong in the Church.
Kobe Bryant’s death ignites pro-life posts after ESPN anchor’s on-air testimony
Kobe Bryant's Death Ignites Beautiful Pro-Life Posts After ESPN Anchor's Powerful Testimony |: Kobe Bryant was the father to four young girls, which ignited amazingly pro-life posts dedicated to dads of girls this past week. The posts came in response to ESPN anchor Elle Duncan’s powerful testimony regarding Kobe Bryant as a “girl dad.”
This Sunday, look to the consecrated for hope
This Sunday, Look to the Consecrated for Hope | The Gregorian Institute at Benedictine CollegeHOOPES: The Feast of the Presentation this Sunday shows how a single encounter with Jesus Christ can make a whole life worthwhile.
In Sunday’s readings, the Holy Family meet two people who have no family.
We will hear the same Sunday Gospel twice this year, once in December’s Feast of the Holy Family and this Sunday’s Presentation feast day, which is the World Day for Consecrated Life. The December feast will show what family intimacy with Christ looks like. This Sunday shows what intimacy with Christ looks like for religious.
In Sunday’s readings, the Holy Family meet two people who have no family.
We will hear the same Sunday Gospel twice this year, once in December’s Feast of the Holy Family and this Sunday’s Presentation feast day, which is the World Day for Consecrated Life. The December feast will show what family intimacy with Christ looks like. This Sunday shows what intimacy with Christ looks like for religious.
A plea to the lay Church
(88) A Plea to the Lay Church | LinkedInESTHERCASWELL: Lay People, messy families we need you! The Church needs you. We will die without you. Priests and Religious need you. We don't just need you for our annual fund or to bring dinner to our homes. We need you so badly and are afraid to admit it. We need to remember what family is. We need to see children making mistakes and being forgiven, we need to see play, we need humor. We need you to invite us into the chaos of your homes, not to fix it or bless it but to be in it and see it as it is. We need to belong without being needed for service. We need you to see beyond the habit or collar to our own fragility. We need someone who will invite us not just to be on Instagram with them but weak with them. We need a brother or sister who will not be scandalized that we struggle. Priests need to be friends with husbands and fathers. Sisters need to be close with wives and mothers. When we forget what family is, we forget who God is. We may know Jesus in the Eucharist and be consecrated to Mary but we are flesh.
How would St. John Bosco speak to his students?
How would St. John Bosco speak to his students? | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: The great Catholic educator St. John Bosco was known to suffocate his students with love. This meant that he identified and affirmed his students as children created in the image and likeness of God. Part of this unique approach was instilling in his students a sense of moral discipline, the use of reason and the study of religion. St. John Bosco was not passive in his approach with “his boys” in many respects he was a strict disciplinarian who had little tolerance for disobedience, and he was not shy of expressing his displeasure with their behavior when warranted.
Punxsutawney Phil can’t hold a candle to Christ
Punxsutawney Phil Can’t Hold a Candle to Christ - Adoremus BulletinCARSTENS: It happens from time to time that a feast of the Lord falls on a Sunday in Ordinary Time and, since such a feast ranks high among the liturgical days, it replaces even the Sunday celebration. Such is the case on Sunday, February 2, 2020. On this day, rather than observing the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Roman Rite will celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. And there is much to dig out about this day.
Boris, St. Boris, St. Boris and Brexit
Boris, St. Boris, St. Boris and BrexitTURLEY: During last year’s British general election Boris Johnson campaigned on a slogan of “Get Brexit Done!”
After three years of interminable debate and delay about how to execute the result of the 2016 referendum on the United Kingdom’s continued membership of the European Union, that slogan worked at the ballot box for Johnson and the Conservative party. At 11:00 p.m. this evening, the U.K. will leave the EU. But, this is only the end of the beginning. The real process of Brexit must now commence — namely, the negotiated settlement of how the U.K. leaves and what sort of future relationship it will have with the EU.
After three years of interminable debate and delay about how to execute the result of the 2016 referendum on the United Kingdom’s continued membership of the European Union, that slogan worked at the ballot box for Johnson and the Conservative party. At 11:00 p.m. this evening, the U.K. will leave the EU. But, this is only the end of the beginning. The real process of Brexit must now commence — namely, the negotiated settlement of how the U.K. leaves and what sort of future relationship it will have with the EU.
Sunday is the Feast of the Presentation
The Sacred Page: The Feast of the PresentationBERGSMA: We have a truly unusual situation this Sunday. Under normal circumstances, it would be the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, but it just so happens that this year, the Feast of the Presentation (pegged to Feb. 2) falls on the Sunday and “outranks” the regular Lord’s Day obligation. The result is that many persons who do not regularly attend daily mass will have the rare experience of celebrating the full liturgy for the Feast of the Presentation.
The Readings for this Feast Day focus on the theme of the priesthood of Christ, seeing a kind of sacerdotal significance to this first entrance of the Messiah into the Temple. These Readings prompt us to meditate firstly on how Jesus has served and continues to serve as our great High Priest, but also how his priesthood is lived out in our own lives, since we share in his priesthood by virtue of our Baptism.
The Readings for this Feast Day focus on the theme of the priesthood of Christ, seeing a kind of sacerdotal significance to this first entrance of the Messiah into the Temple. These Readings prompt us to meditate firstly on how Jesus has served and continues to serve as our great High Priest, but also how his priesthood is lived out in our own lives, since we share in his priesthood by virtue of our Baptism.
A dramatic moment in Bible history that almost everyone missed
A Dramatic Moment in Biblical History that Almost Everyone Missed - Community in MissionPOPE: I want to anticipate Sunday’s feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Let’s consider an event that was glorious in its significance and fulfillment, yet was missed by nearly everyone.
Joseph and Mary had brought Jesus to the Temple to present Him there. As they ascended the glorious steps to the Temple Mount, they were fulfilling a requirement of the Law. Although they were fulfilling an obligation, something much more dramatic was taking place. To understand what, we must look back to 587 B.C.
The Babylonians had invaded Jerusalem and the unthinkable had happened: the Holy City of Jerusalem had been destroyed and along with it the Temple of God. Inside the Temple had been housed the precious Ark of the Covenant.
Joseph and Mary had brought Jesus to the Temple to present Him there. As they ascended the glorious steps to the Temple Mount, they were fulfilling a requirement of the Law. Although they were fulfilling an obligation, something much more dramatic was taking place. To understand what, we must look back to 587 B.C.
The Babylonians had invaded Jerusalem and the unthinkable had happened: the Holy City of Jerusalem had been destroyed and along with it the Temple of God. Inside the Temple had been housed the precious Ark of the Covenant.
Churches in central China closed as coronavirus continues to spread
Chinese churches closed as coronavirus spreads- UCA News: Countless Catholics and other Christians across China are facing a weekend without church services and changed Eucharistic practices after the coronavirus spread to every province, the infection rate surpassed SARS and the World Health Organization declared a global emergency.
Human rights groups have become increasingly disturbed at controls being enforced by Chinese authorities, including heavy censorship, some of which are considered by medical experts to be counterproductive, as governments around the region scrambled to get citizens out of the Hubei province quarantine zone.
The death toll had climbed to 213 in China with 9,692 infections as of Jan. 31. Hundreds more cases have been reported around the world and tens of thousands of people are under observation. The UK today reported its first two infections.
Human rights groups have become increasingly disturbed at controls being enforced by Chinese authorities, including heavy censorship, some of which are considered by medical experts to be counterproductive, as governments around the region scrambled to get citizens out of the Hubei province quarantine zone.
The death toll had climbed to 213 in China with 9,692 infections as of Jan. 31. Hundreds more cases have been reported around the world and tens of thousands of people are under observation. The UK today reported its first two infections.
One again, Argentina has dug itself into a financial hole — and this time, the new Argentinian president is hoping the Pope can help dig them out
Opinion | Can Pope Francis Deliver a Debt Miracle for Argentina? - The New York Times: In a scene in Netflix’s biopic “The Two Popes,” the soon-to-be Pope Francis tells Pope Benedict a joke that Argentines often repeat to make fun of themselves: “I am an Argentinian. How does an Argentinian kill himself? He climbs to the top of his ego and jumps off!” But the Argentine ego has indeed been hurt by Pope Francis’ unwillingness to return to his homeland since he ascended to the papacy in March 2013 — even though he has visited nearly 50 countries on 32 foreign trips, including nearly all of its neighbors.
Thursday, January 30, 2020
German ‘synodal path’ aims to shape Vatican decisions, says plan’s architect
German ‘Synodal Path’ Aims to Shape Vatican Decisions, Says Plan’s ArchitectPENTIN: One of the chief architects of the German Church’s synodal path which begins today has said an important novelty of the process is that it aims to influence papal and curial decisions, even if it cannot be binding on matters concerning the universal Church.
In a revealing interview, Jesuit Father Hans Langendörfer, the influential secretary of the German bishops’ conference, told Bonn’s General Anzeiger newspaper Jan. 27 that those organizing the synodal path “don’t assume Rome must implement what we have decided here in Germany” but they do expect “insights and convictions” to be “taken into account in Rome.”
He said a “particular goal” of the process is its “binding nature” in relation to decisions that are the responsibility of the local Church. But he said that “what is new” about the synodal path is that it “can also come to decisions which concern the Roman level — not the level of a council, but the level of the Holy Father and his Curia.”
In a revealing interview, Jesuit Father Hans Langendörfer, the influential secretary of the German bishops’ conference, told Bonn’s General Anzeiger newspaper Jan. 27 that those organizing the synodal path “don’t assume Rome must implement what we have decided here in Germany” but they do expect “insights and convictions” to be “taken into account in Rome.”
He said a “particular goal” of the process is its “binding nature” in relation to decisions that are the responsibility of the local Church. But he said that “what is new” about the synodal path is that it “can also come to decisions which concern the Roman level — not the level of a council, but the level of the Holy Father and his Curia.”
Interview with Terese Piccola, a woman who experienced exorcism
Respect Life Radio Podcast - Terese Piccola: Interview with a woman who experienced exorcism | Free Listening on Podbean App: "Oftentimes what happens when we're abused, or something evil happens to us, if we don't respond in the correct manner, we leave ourselves open to that weakness, and to looking for things outside of the Church," said Terese Piccola. "And that's exactly what happened to me."
Her story was recently recounted by the National Catholic Register in a blog post titled, "Wife and Mother of Four Describes Experience of Possession, Exorcism." You can follow her on Twitter @terese_little.
Her story was recently recounted by the National Catholic Register in a blog post titled, "Wife and Mother of Four Describes Experience of Possession, Exorcism." You can follow her on Twitter @terese_little.
Blessed Franz Jägerstätter was a brave man surrounded by conventional cowards. That’s why his own words are so important...
MWMCMAKEN: Last month, Fox Searchlight Productions released Terrence Malick's new film A Hidden Life about Austrian conscientious objector Franz Jägerstätter. Jägerstätter was executed in 1943 for refusing to fight for the German state. Malick's film portrays the effects of this act of resistance, especially the devastating effects on Jägerstätter's wife and his children. It is an important film which shows the real-life implications of resisting the state in a totalitarian world. The film shows us the great difficulty of holding to one's principles in the face of draconian and violent punishment heaped upon those who refuse to participate in the state's designs.
In reaction to coronavirus scare, bishops in the Philippines and Singapore ban Communion on the tongue
SOUTHEAST ASIA Church issues directives to avoid coronavirus contagion: In a world anxious over the health crisis caused by the 2019-nCoV outbreak, the Catholic Church in Southeast Asia is taking a number of steps to avoid contagion among the faithful, including prophylactic measures touching prayers and the holy communion.
In the Philippines, no case of coronavirus-related pneumonia has been reported yet; however, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has issued some directives.
In the Philippines, no case of coronavirus-related pneumonia has been reported yet; however, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has issued some directives.
Cardinal Barbarin of Lyon, France, acquitted by appeals court of failing to report abuse
French Cardinal acquitted by appeal court of failing to report abuse: Cardinal Philipe Barbarin has been acquitted by a French appeals court of failing to report sexual abuse by a diocesan priest. The Archbishop of Lyon was convicted in March, 2019, of “of non-denunciation of ill-treatment” of a minor and given a six-month suspended prison sentence.
The decision Jan. 30 by the appeals court in Lyon was reached after prosecutors in the case sought the Cardinal’s vindication. The cardinal’s lawyer called the result “logical,” saying that Barbarin had been the subject of “calumny” over the course of the trial.
The decision Jan. 30 by the appeals court in Lyon was reached after prosecutors in the case sought the Cardinal’s vindication. The cardinal’s lawyer called the result “logical,” saying that Barbarin had been the subject of “calumny” over the course of the trial.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Jumping worms are taking over North American forests
Jumping Worms Are Taking Over North American Forests - The Atlantic: On a sweltering July day, I follow Annise Dobson down an overgrown path into the heart of Seton Falls Park. It’s a splotch of unruly forest, surrounded by the clamoring streets and cramped rowhouses of the Bronx. Broken glass, food wrappers, and condoms litter the ground. But Dobson, bounding ahead in khaki hiking pants with her blond ponytail swinging, appears unfazed. As I quickly learn, neither trash nor oppressive humidity nor ecological catastrophe can dampen her ample enthusiasm.
Go to confession! Death, Kobe Bryant, and you
Death, #KobeBryant, and You | Fr. Z's BlogZUHLSDORF: You will hear a great deal in the next few days about the early death of basketball star Kobe Bryant, who seems to have been a practicing Catholic. It might even bump some impeachment coverage off the waves.
A death like this is very sad. We should say a prayer for him and his closest.
His death will seem sadder to many because of his fame. But YOU are no less valuable to God, no less desired by Him for heaven than the late Mr. Bryant.
Sudden death happens. It happens to quite a lot of people, as a matter of fact.
Bluntly, if sudden, unforeseen, death happened to Kobe Bryant, it can easily happen to you.
Just look the wrong way at the wrong moment.
A death like this is very sad. We should say a prayer for him and his closest.
His death will seem sadder to many because of his fame. But YOU are no less valuable to God, no less desired by Him for heaven than the late Mr. Bryant.
Sudden death happens. It happens to quite a lot of people, as a matter of fact.
Bluntly, if sudden, unforeseen, death happened to Kobe Bryant, it can easily happen to you.
Just look the wrong way at the wrong moment.
Dawn in a bleared world: Hopkins and Monet
Dawn in a Bleared World: Hopkins and Monet – Building Catholic CultureSTAUDT: Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-89), an Oxford convert mentored by St. John Henry Newman, stands among the greatest Catholic poets in the English language. After teaching at Newman’s oratory in Birmingham, Hopkins entered the Jesuits and, after numerous teaching positions in Britain, was sent as a professor of Greek and Latin to the university Newman founded in Dublin, The Catholic University of Ireland, where he died prematurely. Hopkins lived in Victorian England and Ireland and witnessed the social and environmental changes that accompanied the Industrial Revolution.
Ecclesiastical judgment: What about those saints who left their spouses or children for consecrated life?
Ecclesiastical judgment: Saints who left spouse or children for consecrated life? | Catholic CultureMIRUS: The ways of God in the formation of saints are indeed mysterious. This was impressed upon me again by an article on Rose Hawthorne by Patricia Snow in the January issue of First Things. Under the title Hawthorne’s Daughter, Snow explores what she calls the “shadow” hanging over Rose Hawthorne’s cause for canonization. That shadow is the set of circumstances under which she left her husband, George, who had converted to Catholicism with Rose in 1891. In time, Rose felt a strong call to serve the poor who were suffering from cancer. Her only child had died at the age of five and, after a period of depression, Rose become convinced that both she and her husband were being called by God to this special service, which gave new meaning to her life. But her husband did not agree, and he did what he could to dissuade her. Rose never considered divorce, but she did receive a dispensation from the Church to separate from her husband and eventually to found a new order, the Servants of Relief for Incurable Cancer, now known as the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne.
This Sunday, February 2, 2020, will be the celebration of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
A Sunday Feast: the Presentation of the Lord | Catholic Culture: This feast of our Lord supersedes the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
I have written on different aspects of this feast in the past, including how this is NOT the real end of the Christmas season even “traditionally.” I discussed this feast of light and the blessing of candles, and also how I love the Canticle of Simeon especially because of a family association. With this feast being celebrated on a Sunday, it brings a few more observations about the Presentation of the Lord.
I have written on different aspects of this feast in the past, including how this is NOT the real end of the Christmas season even “traditionally.” I discussed this feast of light and the blessing of candles, and also how I love the Canticle of Simeon especially because of a family association. With this feast being celebrated on a Sunday, it brings a few more observations about the Presentation of the Lord.
Spending time with my spiritual father
Spending Time with My Spiritual Father | Word on FireBARRON: I write these words from the Eternal City of Rome, whither I’ve come with my brother bishops from Region 11 (California, Nevada, and Hawaii) for our ad limina visit. This is a regular and canonically required trip to pray at the limina apostolorum (the threshold of the Apostles), the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul, and to meet with the successor of Peter. Yesterday was the first official day of the pilgrimage, and it was extraordinary indeed. We gathered early in the morning for Mass in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica, in the presence of the tomb of the Galilean fisherman to whom Jesus gave the keys of kingdom of heaven. And then, just about a half-hour later, we were ushered into the Apostolic Palace, and after traversing a number of elaborately decorated corridors and receiving a few salutes from Swiss Guards (I’ll confess that I rather like the salutes!), we lined up to meet the Pope.
Wednesday General Audience: On the Beatitudes
GENERAL AUDIENCE: On the Beatitudes (Full Text) - ZENIT - EnglishCOATOFARMS: We begin today a series of catecheses on the Beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel. This text that opens the “Sermon on the Mount,” and that has illuminated the life of believers and also of many non-believers. It’s difficult not to be touched by these words of Jesus, and the desire is right to understand them and to receive them ever more fully. The Beatitudes contain the Christian’s “identity card” — this is our identity card –, because they delineate the face itself of Jesus, His style of life. Now we frame globally these words of Jesus; in the next catecheses we will comment on the individual Beatitudes, one by one.
9 priests in Italy’s Disciples of the Annunciation community, group recently shut down by Vatican, accused of sex abuse
Priests in group shut down by Vatican accused of sex abuseWINFIELD: Nine priests and brothers of a Catholic group recently shut down by the Vatican are under investigation by Italian authorities for allegedly sexually abusing two brothers, officials and news reports said Wednesday.
Prato Bishop Giovanni Nerbini confirmed that Prato criminal prosecutors had opened an investigation after he reported the case to police against members of the Disciples of the Annunciation community. He pledged the church’s cooperation with the investigation.
The Vatican in December officially dissolved the Disciples, a Prato-based, diocesan-approved association of the faithful, after two successive Vatican investigations uncovered a host of problems and members fled the group.
Prato Bishop Giovanni Nerbini confirmed that Prato criminal prosecutors had opened an investigation after he reported the case to police against members of the Disciples of the Annunciation community. He pledged the church’s cooperation with the investigation.
The Vatican in December officially dissolved the Disciples, a Prato-based, diocesan-approved association of the faithful, after two successive Vatican investigations uncovered a host of problems and members fled the group.
How a vegan diet could affect your intelligence
How a vegan diet could affect your intelligence - BBC Future: It was the late 1880s in the city of Rajkot, India. The meeting was to take place on the banks of the local river – and discretion was essential. Mahatma Gandhi, who was just a teenager at the time, hadn’t told his parents where he was going; if they had found out, they would have been shocked to death.
As it happens, Gandhi was having a picnic. And on this occasion, India’s future national hero – and one of the most famous vegetarians in history – wasn’t planning to dine on cucumber sandwiches. No, for the first time in his life, he was going to eat meat.
As he later wrote in his biography, Gandhi was raised as a strict Vaishnava Hindu, so he had never even seen meat before this fateful day. But his picnic companion was a shady character with an unusual obsession – the idea that meat held the key to being physically and mentally strong.
As it happens, Gandhi was having a picnic. And on this occasion, India’s future national hero – and one of the most famous vegetarians in history – wasn’t planning to dine on cucumber sandwiches. No, for the first time in his life, he was going to eat meat.
As he later wrote in his biography, Gandhi was raised as a strict Vaishnava Hindu, so he had never even seen meat before this fateful day. But his picnic companion was a shady character with an unusual obsession – the idea that meat held the key to being physically and mentally strong.
The bullies and that book
The bullies and that book - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: Immediately after news broke on January 12 that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Cardinal Robert Sarah had written a book on the crisis of the priesthood in the 21st-century Church, online hysteria erupted — which rather underscored the prudence of a New Year’s resolution I had recommended to concerned Catholics in a January 1 column: “Resolve to limit your exposure to the Catholic blogosphere.” The extraordinary venom spewed at the pope emeritus and the cardinal by more than a few commentators did not advance the Church’s discussion of the reform of the priesthood one jot or tittle. It actually retarded that urgent discussion, diverting attention from some urgent issues (including the deep roots of the abuse crisis and the meaning of clerical celibacy) by treating a serious book as if it were a partisan political tract.
Why is it that we can endure great pain but only a little pleasure?
Why Is It that We Can Endure Great Pain But Only A Little Pleasure? - Community in MissionPOPE: One of the great mysteries of our life in this world is that we can endure more pain than pleasure. Indeed, we can endure only a little pleasure at a time. In fact, too much pleasure actually brings pain: sickness, hangovers, obesity, addiction, laziness, and even boredom. Yet we seem to be able to endure a lot of pain. Some of our pain, whether physical or emotional, can be very intense and go on for years.
The “smell of the scrapple,” and other Philly notes
Whispers in the LoggiaPALMO: While on the usual after-hours circuit at the 2014 November meeting of the US bishops, this scribe stopped to wave and nod to a familiar trio of prelates holed up at a table in the Marriott lounge. Per his habit, the then-auxiliary of Rockville Centre wasn't with his old confreres from Philadelphia, but the bench's contingent of his fellow Cuban exiles: the auxiliaries of Brooklyn and Newark, Bishops Octavio Cisneros and Manny Cruz. To be sure, Nelson Perez would always join the other Philly priests-made-bishops for their traditional dinner during the week, but – having spent 15 years in these night sessions (i.e. the part of the day when Whispers' work really gets done) – the rest of the time, Nelson invariably wound down the days with the conference's Latino bloc, often including the now-president, LA's Archbishop José Gomez.
New report on worldwide Christian persecution sounds alarm in West
New Report on Worldwide Christian Persecution Sounds Alarm in WestTADIE: The 2020 “World Watch List,” published by international religious freedom advocate Open Doors, confirms the unprecedented level of persecution against Christians around the world — a persecution that appears even worse than what the Church experienced in the first few centuries of its existence.
Presented by Open Doors’ Italian bureau during a Jan. 15 news conference at the Chamber of Deputies in Rome, the annual report focuses on the 50 countries where the Christians are most likely to be persecuted. Referring to the period between Nov. 1, 2018, and Oct. 31, 2019, the research was conducted in about 100 countries that can be linked to increased persecution.
Presented by Open Doors’ Italian bureau during a Jan. 15 news conference at the Chamber of Deputies in Rome, the annual report focuses on the 50 countries where the Christians are most likely to be persecuted. Referring to the period between Nov. 1, 2018, and Oct. 31, 2019, the research was conducted in about 100 countries that can be linked to increased persecution.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Kobe Bryant and Gianna went to Mass before chopper crash
Kobe Bryant and Gianna went to church before chopper crash: Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, went to church just hours before dying — along with seven others — in a helicopter crash on the way to the teen’s basketball tournament, a report said.
The two attended 7 a.m. Catholic Mass and received Communion at the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels in Newport Beach, a church spokesman confirmed to the Daily Mail.
After leaving the house of God, Bryant and Gianna boarded a Sikorsky S-76B with the other occupants at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana at 9:06 a.m.
The two attended 7 a.m. Catholic Mass and received Communion at the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels in Newport Beach, a church spokesman confirmed to the Daily Mail.
After leaving the house of God, Bryant and Gianna boarded a Sikorsky S-76B with the other occupants at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana at 9:06 a.m.
After 142 years, fast-fading Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration to end perpetual adoration
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration ending 24/7 prayer ministry: Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA), beginning next month, will no longer pray 24 hours, seven days a week.
After 23 years of including prayer partners in its adoration ministry and following 12 years of careful study of the future of the practice, FSPA will pray daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. beginning February 26, 2020. The congregation has prayed 24/7 in their chapel since August 1, 1878.
After 23 years of including prayer partners in its adoration ministry and following 12 years of careful study of the future of the practice, FSPA will pray daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. beginning February 26, 2020. The congregation has prayed 24/7 in their chapel since August 1, 1878.
The universe just keeps expanding, and gravity doesn’t slow it down. Now we might know why...
Dark Energy - What Is Gravity - How Does Gravity Work: A theoretical physicist in England has won a prestigious award for her work on the theory of massive gravity, which could explain why gravity hasn’t constrained the rapid expansion of the universe. The $100,000 award honors the work of Claudia de Rham, who has worked for 10 years on a way to turn massive gravity theory into something measurable.
Cosmologists have puzzled for decades about how to marry gravity with the speed at which the universe is expanding. Gravity as we understand it would work to hold the universe together, not let it race apart from itself into eventual oblivion. Enter the counterpart to dark matter, dark energy, which is what scientists call whatever is pulling the universe apart. Dark matter helps to explain the amount of gravity we observe in some circumstances; dark energy handles the amount of gravity we don’t observe in other circumstances.
Cosmologists have puzzled for decades about how to marry gravity with the speed at which the universe is expanding. Gravity as we understand it would work to hold the universe together, not let it race apart from itself into eventual oblivion. Enter the counterpart to dark matter, dark energy, which is what scientists call whatever is pulling the universe apart. Dark matter helps to explain the amount of gravity we observe in some circumstances; dark energy handles the amount of gravity we don’t observe in other circumstances.
What happens when they find a World War II bomb down the street?
What Happens When They Find a World War II Bomb Down the Street - Atlas Obscura: I found out about the bomb down the street by text message on Tuesday at 4:22 pm, just as I was locking my bike outside our son’s preschool. It was a screengrab, actually: My wife had passed on a tweet from the Berlin police department with a photo of a huge archaeological excavation and construction site that we can see from our balcony in the center of the city.
Put your life in order with this prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas
Put your life in order with this prayer by St. Thomas AquinasKOSLOSKI: Establishing order in our lives isn’t always very easy. This can be especially difficult when children are added to the mix. Whatever the case may be, living in a disorganized way can often lead to greater anxiety and fewer feelings of peace in the soul.
St. Thomas Aquinas is well known for his amazing work in organizing the beliefs of the Catholic Church into his Summa Theologiae. He also wrote a powerful prayer that he reportedly prayed every day, usually entitled, “For Ordering a Life Wisely.”
It is a lengthy prayer, but it is filled with great wisdom and is a cry out to God, asking him to help bring order into your life where you need it most.
St. Thomas Aquinas is well known for his amazing work in organizing the beliefs of the Catholic Church into his Summa Theologiae. He also wrote a powerful prayer that he reportedly prayed every day, usually entitled, “For Ordering a Life Wisely.”
It is a lengthy prayer, but it is filled with great wisdom and is a cry out to God, asking him to help bring order into your life where you need it most.
13 signs that the person you’re dating has what it takes to get married
13 Signs that the person you’re dating has what it takes to get married : The decision to get married is an important step for a couple. It means that both people are willing to be united to each other and share life together. Wanting to be married isn’t enough, however; real maturity is necessary for a marriage to work.
How do I know whether my boyfriend or girlfriend is truly ready to get married? Dr. Fernando Sarráis, a psychiatrist, is the author of the book Family in Harmony (“Familia en armonía” in the original Spanish), and in it he points out 13 things that need to be in place before a couple can consider themselves ready for marriage.
How do I know whether my boyfriend or girlfriend is truly ready to get married? Dr. Fernando Sarráis, a psychiatrist, is the author of the book Family in Harmony (“Familia en armonía” in the original Spanish), and in it he points out 13 things that need to be in place before a couple can consider themselves ready for marriage.
Yo, Politico scribes: You might want to attend the March for Life next year and count the Catholics — GetReligion
Yo, Politico scribes: You might want to attend March for Life next year and count the Catholics — GetReligionMATTINGLY: Anyone who works on Capitol Hill or within a mile or two of Union Station in Washington, D.C., knows what happens on the day of the annual March for Life.
Lots and lots of folks roll into town. The streets are lined with buses packed with students — often the orange-yellow school buses used for short-range work. Then there are miles of rented buses that roll in from schools — middle schools, high schools and colleges — all over the Southeast, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and even the Midwest.
It’s pretty easy to note that the vast majority of the buses are from Catholic institutions. It’s harder to judge the points of origin for groups that fly into D.C. to take part.
Lots and lots of folks roll into town. The streets are lined with buses packed with students — often the orange-yellow school buses used for short-range work. Then there are miles of rented buses that roll in from schools — middle schools, high schools and colleges — all over the Southeast, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and even the Midwest.
It’s pretty easy to note that the vast majority of the buses are from Catholic institutions. It’s harder to judge the points of origin for groups that fly into D.C. to take part.
Pope Francis to publish a book with reflections on St. John Paul II
Pope Francis to publish a book with reflections on St. John Paul II: Pope Francis has co-authored a book of reflections on the life of St. John Paul II to be published in Italian.
The book, entitled "St. John Paul the Great," is the product of a series of conversations between Pope Francis and Fr. Luigi Maria Epicoco which took place from June 2019 to January 2020, according to its preface.
The book is expected to be published sometime ahead of the 100 year anniversary of the birth of Karol Wojtyla on May 18.
The book, entitled "St. John Paul the Great," is the product of a series of conversations between Pope Francis and Fr. Luigi Maria Epicoco which took place from June 2019 to January 2020, according to its preface.
The book is expected to be published sometime ahead of the 100 year anniversary of the birth of Karol Wojtyla on May 18.
Monday, January 27, 2020
Will G.K. Chesterton’s home be demolished?
Will Chesterton's Home Be Demolished? - Crisis MagazineTURLEY: Overroads is marked down for demolition.
Last year, the owners of the former home of G.K. Chesterton and his wife, Frances, put the house on the market with an asking price of 1.9 million pounds (about $2.4 million dollars). They found no buyers, and so turned to property developers. These, in turn, applied to the local council for permission to knock down the house and erect an apartment block in its stead. The demolition and building application was lodged just before Christmas; the decision came through last week: the application was refused.
Last year, the owners of the former home of G.K. Chesterton and his wife, Frances, put the house on the market with an asking price of 1.9 million pounds (about $2.4 million dollars). They found no buyers, and so turned to property developers. These, in turn, applied to the local council for permission to knock down the house and erect an apartment block in its stead. The demolition and building application was lodged just before Christmas; the decision came through last week: the application was refused.
Priest says Kobe Bryant attended Mass the morning of his death
Priest Reveals Kobe Bryant Attended Mass the Morning of His Death: Retired NBA player Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning. Seven additional victims also died.
Fr. David Barnes, the Director of the Catholic Newman Center at Boston University, revealed that Kobe Bryant attended Mass on Sunday morning at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach just before his death. Fr. Jeremy Daniel Paulin, pastor of St. Mary’s parish in Alton, Ill., shared Barnes’ full post.
Fr. David Barnes, the Director of the Catholic Newman Center at Boston University, revealed that Kobe Bryant attended Mass on Sunday morning at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach just before his death. Fr. Jeremy Daniel Paulin, pastor of St. Mary’s parish in Alton, Ill., shared Barnes’ full post.
7 mysterious sounds science has yet to solve
Seven mysterious sounds science has yet to solve | Popular Science: Pings. Buzzes. Rumbles. Booms. Hums. Bumps in the night. Sounds of unknown origin can be more than unsettling; they can inspire decades of mythos and fear—and obsessive scientific inquiry. Some cases of enigmatic noise are now closed, like the southern Pacific “bloops” detected by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hydrophones in 1997 and finally, in 2005, tied to Antarctic icequakes. But other cacophonous culprits remain at large. From jarring radio broadcasts to harmonious dunes, here are some of the world’s great sonic mysteries.
Five Russian Orthodox seminarians wow judges on the French version of ‘The Voice’
Orthodox seminarians shock French ‘Voice’ judgesMAURO: A group of five Russian Orthodox seminarians from a school in Paris appeared on the French version of The Voice, where they shocked and wowed the judges.
At the start, two of the judges can be seen wondering how many voices are really singing, as the five men’s timbres mixed beautifully to ring throughout the auditorium. When the low rumbling bass notes are added, one of the judges drops her jaw, marveling at the exquisite sound. The Union of Orthodox Journalists notes that the song they performed was “My soul, rise up, why are you sleeping?” It is a hymn that is normally performed before and after the season of Lent. It is customary for believers to pray on their knees for the duration of the song.
At the start, two of the judges can be seen wondering how many voices are really singing, as the five men’s timbres mixed beautifully to ring throughout the auditorium. When the low rumbling bass notes are added, one of the judges drops her jaw, marveling at the exquisite sound. The Union of Orthodox Journalists notes that the song they performed was “My soul, rise up, why are you sleeping?” It is a hymn that is normally performed before and after the season of Lent. It is customary for believers to pray on their knees for the duration of the song.
Pollyanna among the prophets
Pollyanna Among the Prophets - Crisis MagazineRUTLER: Gerbert of Aurillac and Bi Sheng of Hubei were roughly contemporary (946–1003 and 990–1051), but Europe and China are far from each other. It is a pity that these men could not meet, for it would have been a unique match of minds. Gerbert became the first French pope—as Sylvester II—with an intelligence “off the charts” by any standard, and certainly so as an inventor. He introduced Hindu-Arabic numbers to the West, improved the celestial sphere, and invented the pendulum clock and what we would now recognize as a pipe organ. By constructing the first counting device to function digitally as well as an abacus that mimicked the algorithm used today for arithmetic computations, he has claim to being the father of the modern computer, centuries before Pascal. During the Song dynasty, several decades after the death of Sylvester, Bi Sheng developed a moveable albeit cumbersome type, due to its porcelain blocks.
With bright wings: George Weigel’s “The Irony of Modern Catholic History“
With Bright Wings: George Weigel's "The Irony of Modern Catholic History" ~ The Imaginative ConservativeLONGENECKER: During one of my many visits to Benedictine monasteries, one of the monks observed, “It’s the Mennonite in you that is drawn to the monastery isn’t it?”
He was right. My Swiss Mennonite ancestors found refuge in William Penn’s colony in the 1770’s. The irony of the Mennonites and other Anabaptist groups is that they were primitivists—looking to re-create a simple, New Testament, Spirit-filled communalism, and in their reactionary zeal they were militantly up to date. To put it simply, in the eighteenth century it was up to date to be out of date.
He was right. My Swiss Mennonite ancestors found refuge in William Penn’s colony in the 1770’s. The irony of the Mennonites and other Anabaptist groups is that they were primitivists—looking to re-create a simple, New Testament, Spirit-filled communalism, and in their reactionary zeal they were militantly up to date. To put it simply, in the eighteenth century it was up to date to be out of date.
12 great March for Life 2020 signs (with 7 bonus Baby Yodas)
12 Amazing March for Life 2020 Signs & 7 Nice Baby Yoda MFL Signs | Matthew SchneiderSCHNEIDER: Thousands and thousands marched on Washington today to protect the right to life of the most vulnerable, the unborn. In recent years, I have gone and taken photos of the best signs but this year that was not possible. However, people were willing to share their great March for Life signs. There were many great Baby Yoda signs but they are all near the end. All images are used with permission and all I have done is sometimes cropped them. The links below each picture lead back to the source.
Abortion and preaching to the choir
Abortion and preaching to the choir | Catholic CulturePOKORSKY: Catholic parishes, dioceses, and the entire Church are pro-life. We love life, or so we say. Yet it is common for some (priests and laity) to warn priests to avoid preaching about abortion because “the people already know what the Church teaches” and “you’re preaching to the choir.”
So in evading this hot-button issue, what should priests emphasize? “The love of God” is the most common reply. But don’t Catholics also know that God loves them?
Others argue that abortion is a political issue and priests have no business dabbling in politics. Of course, wise churchmen respect the rights of the laity to make their own prudential judgments in the political arena. After all, beyond their citizen status, the clergy usually does not have special expertise in running municipalities, states, or nations. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s….”
So in evading this hot-button issue, what should priests emphasize? “The love of God” is the most common reply. But don’t Catholics also know that God loves them?
Others argue that abortion is a political issue and priests have no business dabbling in politics. Of course, wise churchmen respect the rights of the laity to make their own prudential judgments in the political arena. After all, beyond their citizen status, the clergy usually does not have special expertise in running municipalities, states, or nations. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s….”
Why study Latin?
Why study Latin? - Denver CatholicSTAUDT: Ave Maria, Gloria in excelsis, Agnus Dei, Dominus Vobiscum, Sanctus, Tantum Ergo. These are just some of the Latin phrases that Catholics may recognize. Although it’s common to speak of Latin as a “dead” language, it remains alive within the Church, her sacred language of prayer, study, and unity. Pope Benedict XVI asked Catholics to learn the basic prayers of the Mass and the rosary to be able to pray together throughout the world. This common language roots the Latin rite of the Church in a common identity and heritage. A sacred language also points to the transcendent mystery and reverence of the Mass, moving beyond the ordinary language of one’s daily routine.
What happened in the “Dark Ages,” and why do people call them dark?
What's in a Name? Shedding Light on the Dark Ages | Heights Forum: When did they occur? For most of us, the idea of darkness is opposed to light as evil to good. I sat at the piano the other night with my five-year-old son. We were both playing our own thing on different parts of the keyboard. Although I was not lucky enough to have a piano in my house as a kid, I remembered being five and loving the black keys best—I don’t know why—and I asked him, “Which keys do you like better, the white ones or the black ones?”
Without a second’s hesitation, he said, “The white ones.” He replies to all questions without a second’s hesitation. It’s a bad tendency that all boys share, but some of us have to struggle harder than others to get it under control in order to become men.
Without a second’s hesitation, he said, “The white ones.” He replies to all questions without a second’s hesitation. It’s a bad tendency that all boys share, but some of us have to struggle harder than others to get it under control in order to become men.
The time I met Kobe Bryant at daily Mass: “Like all of us, he came to pray”
The Time I Met Kobe Bryant in Daily Mass: "Like All of Us, He Came to Pray" |: News broke this afternoon that retired NBA player Kobe Bryant and his daughter died in a helicopter crash.
Bryant was also a practicing Catholic, and explained in an interview how his faith helped him through some dark times. Instagram user Cristina Ballestero revealed an amazing story about seeing Bryant at a weekday Mass at Holy Family Cathedral in Orange, California.
Bryant was also a practicing Catholic, and explained in an interview how his faith helped him through some dark times. Instagram user Cristina Ballestero revealed an amazing story about seeing Bryant at a weekday Mass at Holy Family Cathedral in Orange, California.
New film ‘Holy Silence’ tries to get into the mind of Pope Pius XII during World War II
'Holy Silence' tries to get into the mind of Pope Pius XII during World War IILISI: Popes are in these days. Films about them are, anyway. The last few months have given us the fact-challenged Netflix movie The Two Popes and the sin-filled HBO series The New Pope. A new documentary, out this month, tries to come to terms with the cost of Pope Pius XII’s silence during World War II.
The film Holy Silence, which premiered on January 21 at the Miami Jewish Film Festival, comes less than two months before the scheduled release of the Vatican Apostolic Archives regarding the pontificate of Pius XII in an effort to provide historical context for 17 million pages that will be released. Pius XII was pope from 1939 to 1958, years that included World War II. The archive includes some 17 million pages of documents.
The film Holy Silence, which premiered on January 21 at the Miami Jewish Film Festival, comes less than two months before the scheduled release of the Vatican Apostolic Archives regarding the pontificate of Pius XII in an effort to provide historical context for 17 million pages that will be released. Pius XII was pope from 1939 to 1958, years that included World War II. The archive includes some 17 million pages of documents.
China’s war on religion backfires in Wuhan as deadly coronavirus continues to spread
China's war on religion backfires in Wuhan ucanews.org: China’s respiratory virus emergency has quickly escalated into a full blown and so far uncontrolled human tragedy, with scores of people already dead and more than 100,000 people likely to have been affected.
It is increasingly clear that much of the blame for the seriousness of the coronavirus’s spread can be placed on the culture of lying and covering up bred by China’s deeply flawed and highly corrupted Marxist-Leninist system “with Chinese characteristics.”
Yet it’s also worth reflecting on the limited tools that the Chinese government has to deal with the situation due to its parallel wars on both religion and civil society. The two are closely related as across the world the Catholic Church, Protestant denominations, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and most other organized religions play an outsized role in civil society through religion-backed organizations and charities devoted to humanitarian services.
It is increasingly clear that much of the blame for the seriousness of the coronavirus’s spread can be placed on the culture of lying and covering up bred by China’s deeply flawed and highly corrupted Marxist-Leninist system “with Chinese characteristics.”
Yet it’s also worth reflecting on the limited tools that the Chinese government has to deal with the situation due to its parallel wars on both religion and civil society. The two are closely related as across the world the Catholic Church, Protestant denominations, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and most other organized religions play an outsized role in civil society through religion-backed organizations and charities devoted to humanitarian services.
A meditation on a short sentence from the Gospels: “Everyone is looking for you”
“Everyone Is Looking for You” - A Meditation on a Short Sentence from Scripture - Community in MissionPOPE: There is a brief line in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel that simply and completely sums up what we all are doing, even if we’re not aware of it. The setting of the passage is the outskirts of Capernaum in the early morning.
The prior day Jesus had healed a great many people at the house of Simon Peter. As the new day dawned there was already a multitude gathered in hopes of seeing this healer. Word must have spread quickly about Jesus.
But where was He? The text says that Jesus had slipped away to a deserted place to pray.
The prior day Jesus had healed a great many people at the house of Simon Peter. As the new day dawned there was already a multitude gathered in hopes of seeing this healer. Word must have spread quickly about Jesus.
But where was He? The text says that Jesus had slipped away to a deserted place to pray.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Kobe Bryant Dead at 41: How Scandal Turned Him to Catholic Faith and Divine Mercy
Kobe Bryant Dead at 41: How Scandal Turned Him to Catholic Faith and Divine Mercy: Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Southern California. Bryant, the father of four, was 41.
Bryant's daughter Gianna, 13, was reportedly killed in the helicopter crash as well, along with another teen and her parent, and the helicopter's pilot. They were reportedly traveling to a basketball game.
Bryant is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He retired in 2016 after a 20 year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, in which the shooting guard won five NBA championships, a league MVP award, two scoring championships, and myriad other distinctions.
Bryant's daughter Gianna, 13, was reportedly killed in the helicopter crash as well, along with another teen and her parent, and the helicopter's pilot. They were reportedly traveling to a basketball game.
Bryant is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He retired in 2016 after a 20 year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, in which the shooting guard won five NBA championships, a league MVP award, two scoring championships, and myriad other distinctions.
Homily for first Word of God Sunday: Why does God give us his Word?
Pope’s homily for 1st Word of God Sunday: Why does God give us his Word?COATOFARMS: “Jesus began to preach.” With these words, the evangelist Matthew introduces the ministry of Jesus. The One who is the Word of God has come to speak with us, in his own words and by his own life. On this first Sunday of the Word of God, let us go to the roots of his preaching, to the very source of the word of life. Today’s Gospel helps us to know how, where and to whom Jesus began to preach. How did he begin? With a very simple phrase: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This is the main message of all Jesus’ sermons: to tell us that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. What does this mean? The kingdom of heaven means the reign of God, that is, the way in which God reigns through his relationship with us. Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, that God is near.
Third Sunday of the Year — Come and go with me to my Father’s house
Come and Go With Me To My Father's House - A Homily for the Third Sunday of the Year - Community in MissionPOPE: In these early weeks of “ordinary” time, we are being introduced to Jesus and the beginnings of His public ministry. Matthew’s Gospel today describes how Jesus began His public ministry in the wake of the arrest of John the Baptist. Matthew tells us four things about Jesus’ ministry: its context, its content, its call, and its comprehensiveness. Let’s look at each in turn.
“Keep a Bible close to you,” says Pope, as Church celebrates first “Sunday of the Word of God”
Pope Francis: Keep a Bible close to you for daily inspiration: Pope Francis preached Sunday about the life-changing power of God’s word in Scripture, encouraging everyone to keep a Bible close for daily inspiration.
“Let us make room in our lives for the word of God. Each day, let us read a verse or two of the Bible. Let us begin with the Gospel: let us keep it open on our table, carry it in our pocket, read it on our cell phones, and allow it to inspire us daily,” Pope Francis said in his homily Jan. 26.
“The Lord gives you his word, so that you can receive it like a love letter he has written to you, to help you realize that he is at your side. His word consoles and encourages us. At the same time it challenges us, frees us from the bondage of our selfishness and summons us to conversion. Because his word has the power to change our lives and to lead us out of darkness into the light,” the pope said.
“Let us make room in our lives for the word of God. Each day, let us read a verse or two of the Bible. Let us begin with the Gospel: let us keep it open on our table, carry it in our pocket, read it on our cell phones, and allow it to inspire us daily,” Pope Francis said in his homily Jan. 26.
“The Lord gives you his word, so that you can receive it like a love letter he has written to you, to help you realize that he is at your side. His word consoles and encourages us. At the same time it challenges us, frees us from the bondage of our selfishness and summons us to conversion. Because his word has the power to change our lives and to lead us out of darkness into the light,” the pope said.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
As an “act of mercy,” God has given some saints visions of Hell. Here’s what we can learn from them...
What the Hell? Saints' visions of the damned 'an act of mercy,' author saysLOPEZ: Hell is the final guarantee that what we do here and now really matters: That’s the message Paul Thigpen gives in the book Saints Who Saw Hell: And Other Catholic Witnesses to the Fate of the Damned.
“If Hell doesn’t exist, then all roads lead to the same destination, whether it’s Heaven, or annihilation, or something else. And if all roads lead to the same place, it ultimately makes no difference which road we take. On the other hand, if our choices will lead us ultimately to one of two utterly different destinies, then our choices have crucially different consequences,” he continues.
“If Hell doesn’t exist, then all roads lead to the same destination, whether it’s Heaven, or annihilation, or something else. And if all roads lead to the same place, it ultimately makes no difference which road we take. On the other hand, if our choices will lead us ultimately to one of two utterly different destinies, then our choices have crucially different consequences,” he continues.
Elizabeth Wurtzel made a mess of her life, and ended up dying as she lived...
Elizabeth Wurtzel's Pure Heart, and How It Wrecked Her Life | The StreamMILLS: “This is it for me,” she declared in the pages of New York magazine just seven years ago. “I am a free spirit. I do not know any other way to be. No one else seems to live as I do. In a world gone wrong, a pure heart is dangerous.”
Elizabeth Wurtzel died last week, of cancer. She was only 52. She’d come to fame at 27, writing the story of her struggles with depression in the big best-seller Prozac Nation. She continued writing confessional articles and books. She spoke openly about her problems, but in a way that revealed she didn’t really know what her problems were.
Chief among them was her idea, her silly, cheap, foolish idea, that she was a free spirit with a pure heart, and that made everything all right.
Elizabeth Wurtzel died last week, of cancer. She was only 52. She’d come to fame at 27, writing the story of her struggles with depression in the big best-seller Prozac Nation. She continued writing confessional articles and books. She spoke openly about her problems, but in a way that revealed she didn’t really know what her problems were.
Chief among them was her idea, her silly, cheap, foolish idea, that she was a free spirit with a pure heart, and that made everything all right.
Are you a “conversational narcissist?” Here’s how to recognize it, and how to avoid it...
Conversational Narcissism: How to Avoid It | The Art of Manliness: Last month I met up with an old friend I hadn’t seen in forever to have lunch. Having both read and written about how to be an effective and charismatic conversationalist, I followed the old dictum of listening more than talking and asking the other person engaging questions about themselves. This is supposed to charm your conversation partner. I guess it worked because my friend talked about himself for an hour straight and didn’t ask me a single question.
When we’ve talked about the ins and outs of making good conversation before, someone inevitably asks, “But what if both people keep trading questions back and forth?” Well, that’s a pretty good problem to have, but I’ve yet to see it happen. Instead, most folks seem to struggle with asking any questions at all and have a very difficult time relinquishing the floor.
When we’ve talked about the ins and outs of making good conversation before, someone inevitably asks, “But what if both people keep trading questions back and forth?” Well, that’s a pretty good problem to have, but I’ve yet to see it happen. Instead, most folks seem to struggle with asking any questions at all and have a very difficult time relinquishing the floor.
Father Leo Heinrichs, Denver priest shot at Mass in 1908, could be declared a saint
Denver priest shot at Mass could be declared a saintKOSLOSKI: When Joseph Heinrichs fled Otto von Bismarck’s Kulturkampf in Germany, he thought he was escaping persecution. He didn’t know that shortly after being ordained a Franciscan priest and taking the religious name Leo, he would be shot because of one man’s hatred for the Catholic faith.
Fr. Leo Heinrichs initially served at various places in New York and New Jersey, but in 1907 he was assigned to St. Elizabeth’s parish in Denver, Colorado. According to the parish website, “When Fr. Leo Heinrichs, O.F.M., became pastor of St. Elizabeth’s on September 23rd, 1907, Denver’s poor learned they had a friend in the pastor of St. Elizabeth’s, and every morning a line formed at the friary gate.”
Fr. Leo Heinrichs initially served at various places in New York and New Jersey, but in 1907 he was assigned to St. Elizabeth’s parish in Denver, Colorado. According to the parish website, “When Fr. Leo Heinrichs, O.F.M., became pastor of St. Elizabeth’s on September 23rd, 1907, Denver’s poor learned they had a friend in the pastor of St. Elizabeth’s, and every morning a line formed at the friary gate.”
Francis X. Maier — Good Servant of a Good Shepherd
Francis X. Maier, Good Servant of a Good ShepherdKING: In the late 1970s native New Yorker Francis X. Maier made the decision to leave Hollywood screenwriting to focus on writing a novel, The World on the Last Day, about the fall of Saigon.
To support his wife and young family and supplement the advance he got from his publisher, he began working part time as an editor for the National Catholic Register, then headquartered in Los Angeles. A few months later he was named editor in chief.
“I just fell in love with it,” Maier, 71, told the Register by phone from Philadelphia. “I never finished the novel. I did the National Catholic Register for the next 15 years of my life.”
To support his wife and young family and supplement the advance he got from his publisher, he began working part time as an editor for the National Catholic Register, then headquartered in Los Angeles. A few months later he was named editor in chief.
“I just fell in love with it,” Maier, 71, told the Register by phone from Philadelphia. “I never finished the novel. I did the National Catholic Register for the next 15 years of my life.”
Bishop Joseph Strickland says he asked Pope Francis about McCarrick report at ad limina visit
Bishop Strickland says he asked pope about McCarrick report: Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler, Texas, said he asked Pope Francis about the Vatican investigation into Theodore E. McCarrick and the release of a promised report on how the former cardinal managed to rise through church ranks.
The bishop, who was making his ad limina visit to Rome, drew widespread attention in August 2018 for a public statement saying he found “credible” the allegations made by retired Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the former nuncio to the United States, regarding McCarrick.
Vigano alleged that top Vatican officials, including Francis, knew for years that McCarrick had been accused of sexual misconduct.
The bishop, who was making his ad limina visit to Rome, drew widespread attention in August 2018 for a public statement saying he found “credible” the allegations made by retired Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the former nuncio to the United States, regarding McCarrick.
Vigano alleged that top Vatican officials, including Francis, knew for years that McCarrick had been accused of sexual misconduct.
Prayer for the conversion of a loved one
Prayer for the conversion of a loved oneKOSLOSKI: or various reasons, people we know and love will either walk away from the Catholic faith, or have never been given the fullness of the truth in the first place. In either case, our hearts might ache that this person has not embraced the saving power of Jesus’ love and compassion.
While we should do all that we can to provide an inspiring example for them to follow, sometimes all we can do is pray and hope that God will lead them home.
Here is a prayer from a manual of prayers published in 1851 that beautifully represents our desires and cries out to God for help.
While we should do all that we can to provide an inspiring example for them to follow, sometimes all we can do is pray and hope that God will lead them home.
Here is a prayer from a manual of prayers published in 1851 that beautifully represents our desires and cries out to God for help.
This Sunday is the first “Biblemas” ever! Here are the readings for the Sunday of the Word of God...
The Sacred Page: The First "Biblemas" Ever! Readings for the Feast of the Word of GodBERGSMA: For the first time in the history of the Church, we are celebrating the Feast of the Word of God this Sunday, the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time. By his beautiful motu proprio “Aperuit Illis”, Pope Francis established a new feast day to be observed every year on the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, celebrating the Word of God. It is the Mass of the Bible, or “Biblemas.” Get your Biblemas cards now! They are going fast! Put up your Biblemas tree!
The Third Sunday of OT is a wise choice for the observance of this feast day, because it is on the Third Sunday that we begin the ad seriatim or sequential reading of the Gospel of the year that will continue until the end of November.
The Third Sunday of OT is a wise choice for the observance of this feast day, because it is on the Third Sunday that we begin the ad seriatim or sequential reading of the Gospel of the year that will continue until the end of November.
The ministry of angels, as seen in a commercial
The Ministry of Angels As Seen in a Commercial - Community in MissionPOPE: Most of us struggle with the fact that God allows bad things to happen to us. Why does He not intervene more often to protect us from attacks of various kinds and from events that cause sadness, setbacks, or suffering?
While mysterious, the clearest answer is that God allows suffering in order that some greater blessing may occur. To some degree I have found this to be so; some of my greatest blessings required that a door slam shut for me or that I endure some suffering. If my college sweetheart had not ended things, I would most likely not have the very great blessing of being a priest today. Had I gotten some of my preferred assignments in my early years as a priest, I would not have been enriched by the assignments I did have. Those difficult assignments have drawn me out and helped me to grow far more than the cozy, familiar placements I desired would have. Had I not entered into the crucible of depression and anxiety in my thirties, I would not have learned to trust God as much as I do, and I would not have learned important lessons about myself and about life.
While mysterious, the clearest answer is that God allows suffering in order that some greater blessing may occur. To some degree I have found this to be so; some of my greatest blessings required that a door slam shut for me or that I endure some suffering. If my college sweetheart had not ended things, I would most likely not have the very great blessing of being a priest today. Had I gotten some of my preferred assignments in my early years as a priest, I would not have been enriched by the assignments I did have. Those difficult assignments have drawn me out and helped me to grow far more than the cozy, familiar placements I desired would have. Had I not entered into the crucible of depression and anxiety in my thirties, I would not have learned to trust God as much as I do, and I would not have learned important lessons about myself and about life.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, former head of Congregation for Bishops, elected new dean of the College of Cardinals
Cardinal Re elected new dean of the College of Cardinals: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re has been elected the new dean of the College of Cardinals with Cardinal Leonardo Sandri as vice-dean.
Re, 85, will serve a five-year term under the new term limits created by Pope Francis in a motu proprio issued Dec. 21. Previously, cardinal dean, considered “first among equals,” was a position held for the duration of one’s life.
The dean of the College of Cardinals presides at the conclave for the election of the pope and represents the Holy See during the sede vacante.
Re, 85, will serve a five-year term under the new term limits created by Pope Francis in a motu proprio issued Dec. 21. Previously, cardinal dean, considered “first among equals,” was a position held for the duration of one’s life.
The dean of the College of Cardinals presides at the conclave for the election of the pope and represents the Holy See during the sede vacante.
Friday, January 24, 2020
What do we mean by the word “mystery?”
What Do We Mean by the Word "Mystery?" - Community in MissionPOPE: In the secular world, a “mystery” is something that baffles or eludes understanding, something that lies undisclosed. And the usual attitude of the world toward mystery is to solve it, get to the bottom of, or uncover it. Mysteries must be overcome! The riddle, or “who-done-it” must be solved!
In the Christian and especially the Catholic world, “mystery” is something a bit different. Here, mystery refers to the fact that there are hidden dimensions in things, people, and situations that extend beyond their visible, physical dimensions.
In the Christian and especially the Catholic world, “mystery” is something a bit different. Here, mystery refers to the fact that there are hidden dimensions in things, people, and situations that extend beyond their visible, physical dimensions.
Canon law and Catholic common sense
Canon Law and Catholic Common Sense | Edward Peters | First ThingsEDPETERS: Asmall but intense drama unfolded last week in the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, Virginia. Thanks largely to the graciousness of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, the matter was resolved in the least painful way possible. Even so, it warrants a few words of reflection.
The Episcopal diocese was seeking a large, convenient venue for the upcoming consecration of Rev. Susan Haynes as bishop. The diocese asked for permission to use the spacious parish of St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg for the rites. The parish pastor and the Catholic bishop of Richmond, Barry Knestout, granted permission. This sparked a backlash from many lay Catholics, who were distraught by the news that a Catholic parish planned to host the consecration of an Episcopalian bishop (a woman, as it happened, though that fact was mostly a distraction in this case). After a few days of increasing Catholic institutional embarrassment, the Episcopalians canceled their plans and found another site for the ceremony. Two points suggest themselves.
The Episcopal diocese was seeking a large, convenient venue for the upcoming consecration of Rev. Susan Haynes as bishop. The diocese asked for permission to use the spacious parish of St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg for the rites. The parish pastor and the Catholic bishop of Richmond, Barry Knestout, granted permission. This sparked a backlash from many lay Catholics, who were distraught by the news that a Catholic parish planned to host the consecration of an Episcopalian bishop (a woman, as it happened, though that fact was mostly a distraction in this case). After a few days of increasing Catholic institutional embarrassment, the Episcopalians canceled their plans and found another site for the ceremony. Two points suggest themselves.
Full text of EWTN News interview with Vice President Mike Pence
Full text of EWTN News interview with VP Mike Pence: After an hour long meeting with Pope Francis Jan. 24, Vice President Mike Pence sat down with EWTN News to discuss their conversation. Here is CNA's transcript of that interview...
On day of March for Life, VP Pence and Pope Francis discuss US pro-life movement during Vatican meeting
VP Pence and Pope Francis discuss US pro-life movement during Vatican meeting: As the March for Life got underway in Washington, DC, Pope Francis and Vice President Mike Pence met in the Vatican Friday to discuss the Church's commitment to the pro-life movement. "It was a great privilege to spend time with Pope Francis and to be able to do so on a day that literally hundreds of thousands of Americans, including many Catholic Americans, are gathered on our National Mall in Washington D.C. standing up for the right to life, was a particular joy for me,” Pence told EWTN News Jan. 24.
Abortion long ago became a natural symbol for the loss of a spiritual center...
The Divine Measure: Changing the Culture of Death ~ The Imaginative ConservativeARBERY: The decision reflected the sexual revolution of the 1960s, but it also shaped American culture in the decades afterward, both for those who gradually, more or less unthinkingly, accepted its premises, and for those whose increasingly articulate opposition has characterized the stance of the Church. Certainly, resistance to Roe v. Wade went into the founding of Wyoming Catholic College. Dr. Robert Carlson wrote in the Philosophical Vision Statement that, “The occasion for founding Wyoming Catholic College is a crisis of disintegration we now face in Western culture, especially in education.” (PVS 7). He goes on to quote W.B. Yeats’s poem, “The Second Coming,” in which Yeats writes that “the center cannot hold.”
What St. Francis de Sales can teach us about charisms
What St. Francis De Sales Can Teach us about Charisms | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: Identity I argue is a very important term within the context of leading a person to Jesus Christ. Whether the intention is to introduce the concept of God, guide someone toward developing a relationship with Jesus Christ or simply introducing a genuine life in steeped in prayer, these elements are intimately united toward a central theme of introducing and guiding a person toward Jesus Christ hence identity. If the person in question begins to know, understand and hence identify with Christ then we begin to witness the first fruits of a genuine conversion. The great Doctor of the Church St. Francis De Sales whom St. John Bosco modeled in the establishment of the great Salesian teaching order emphasized the value of exercising a genuine identity in Jesus Christ. A preferred method or approach in developing an active relationship with Jesus Christ was the exercise of the charisms of almsgiving, fasting and devotion. The premise of these charisms or acts of faith was to prepare the soul for an engagement with Christ.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Tim Tebow marries Miss Universe: It’s tabloid heaven, but there's a deeper story there
Tim Tebow marries Miss Universe: It's tabloid heaven, but there's a deeper story there — GetReligionMATTINGLY: Let’s face it. A New York City tabloid is going to do what a New York City tabloid is going to do.
So, if you had to make a prediction, what do you think would be in the lede of a New York Daily News report about Tim Tebow marring a woman who had been named Miss Universe?
Think it through. What aspect of Tebow’s life have more than a few journalists (and activists with lower motives) probed ever since That Press Conference during his playing days at the University of Florida?
So here we go...
So, if you had to make a prediction, what do you think would be in the lede of a New York Daily News report about Tim Tebow marring a woman who had been named Miss Universe?
Think it through. What aspect of Tebow’s life have more than a few journalists (and activists with lower motives) probed ever since That Press Conference during his playing days at the University of Florida?
So here we go...
4 things I wish I had done differently when I homeschooled
4 Things I Wish I Had Done Differently When I Homeschooled: Statistics show 91 percent of U.S. kids attend public school. But for many reasons, including academic rigor and secularism, homeschooling has been on the rise for the last decade. According to EdChoice’s 2017 Schooling in America survey, while about 3 percent of U.S. students are currently homeschooled, about 7 percent of families would homeschool if they could.
Supreme Court split over Montana case on public funding for religious schools
Supreme Court Split Over Montana Case on Public Funding for Religious Schools - WSJ: At issue is Montana program that offered up to $150 tax credit to residents who gave like amount to organizations providing scholarships to private schools—and made no distinction between nonreligious, religious institutions.
On Friday, President Donald Trump to become first president in history to attend March for Life
President Donald Trump to attend March for Life on Friday: U.S. President Donald Trump will address the national March for Life in person on Friday, making him the first president in the event’s 47-year history to do so, organizers announced.
“See you on Friday...Big Crowd!” the president said Wednesday in a retweet of a video from last year’s march, posted by the national March for Life account.
Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, said in a statement that the organizers of the Washington, D.C., event are “deeply honored” to welcome Trump to the march.
“See you on Friday...Big Crowd!” the president said Wednesday in a retweet of a video from last year’s march, posted by the national March for Life account.
Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, said in a statement that the organizers of the Washington, D.C., event are “deeply honored” to welcome Trump to the march.
Pope appoints Cleveland’s Bishop Nelson Perez to succeed Archbishop Chaput in Philadelphia
Cleveland's Bishop Nelson Perez to lead Philadelphia archdiocese: Bishop Nelson Perez of Cleveland was appointed Archbishop of Philadelphia Thursday, returning to the local Church of his priestly ordination.
He succeeds Archbishop Charles Chaput, 75, who had led the Philadelphia archdiocese since 2011. Ordained a priest of the Capuchin Franciscans in 1970, Archbishop Chaput served as Bishop of Rapid City and Archbishop of Denver before his transfer to Philadelphia.
"Bishop Perez is a man who already knows and loves the Church in Philadelphia, and is already known and loved by our priests and people. I cannot think of a better successor to lead this Archdiocese," Chaput wrote online following the announcement.
He succeeds Archbishop Charles Chaput, 75, who had led the Philadelphia archdiocese since 2011. Ordained a priest of the Capuchin Franciscans in 1970, Archbishop Chaput served as Bishop of Rapid City and Archbishop of Denver before his transfer to Philadelphia.
"Bishop Perez is a man who already knows and loves the Church in Philadelphia, and is already known and loved by our priests and people. I cannot think of a better successor to lead this Archdiocese," Chaput wrote online following the announcement.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
The Lamb from the ‘Ghent Altarpiece’ is worrying art lovers
Lamb from the 'Ghent Altarpiece' is worrying art lovers - CNN Style: There are no words to express the result" was the beaming reaction of Belgium's Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, after a 15th-century masterpiece — painted over shortly after completion — was restored to its former glory.
And they were right — commentators have been left speechless by one particular aspect of the newly revealed painting.
The latest panel of the “Ghent Altarpiece,” a large work by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, was unveiled in December as part of an ongoing project to restore the painting to its original design.
And they were right — commentators have been left speechless by one particular aspect of the newly revealed painting.
The latest panel of the “Ghent Altarpiece,” a large work by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, was unveiled in December as part of an ongoing project to restore the painting to its original design.
State of contradiction: Despite its liberal politics, family life in California is more stable than in the country as a whole...
State of Contradiction: Progressive Family Culture, Traditional Family Structure in California | Institute for Family Studies: California has been at the vanguard of family change in America. Culturally and legally—from the Human Potential Movement to the passage of no-fault divorce under then-Gov. Ronald Reagan, from Hollywood movies and shows like “The Graduate” and “Friends”—the Golden State has played a central role in pioneering and representing the cultural attitudes that have transformed marriage and family life across the nation. Indeed, because of Hollywood’s, and now Silicon Valley’s, outsized influence on the global stage, California has amplified values and virtues like expressive individualism, personal fulfillment, and tolerance across the world.
A plea for Pakistan’s Christians
A Plea for Pakistan’s Christians | Charles J. Chaput | First ThingsCHAPUT: Many Pakistani Catholic families currently live in the Greater Philadelphia region. They are a great blessing to our community. These are very impressive people, grateful for their Pakistani heritage, whose Catholic faith was nourished in Pakistan. However, the hardships now faced by Christians in Pakistan profoundly concern them. On their behalf, I write to you—as their local archbishop, but also as a former Commissioner with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)—to ask that you work urgently to assure true religious liberty for all citizens of Pakistan, especially for members of minority faiths.
The dangerous and beautiful storms of the Midwest
The Dangerous and Beautiful Storms of the Midwest | Outside Online: In the new photo book 'Fierce Beauty,' celebrated photographer Eric Meola chases wild weather across the Great Plains
This is a war we’re in. Get used to it...
It’s War. Get Used to It – Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: During my recent bout with the flu I had the chance to re-read Evelyn Waugh’s Sword of Honor trilogy. One of the criticisms of the books is that they are uneven, dull at times, confusing and disjointed. On re-reading I realize much of that was intentional. Waugh was showing the reality of war. I’ve also been reading more Church history. It's a reminder that crisis in the Church is what Church history is all about. From the beginning the Church has been engaged in a knock-down, knuckle-to-chin battle.
HBO’s ‘The New Pope’ serves up plenty of sin, but no substance
HBO's 'The New Pope' serves up plenty of sin, but no substanceLISI: There is often a Hollywood fascination with all that’s morbid about religion. It has traditionally had a profane approach when it comes to the Catholic church. That it loves to dramatize reality into what can sometimes be an ugly trope, this is exactly what we get with HBO’s new TV mini-series The New Pope.
The series picks up from The Young Pope, starring Jude Law as the fictional (and very conservative) Pius XIII, that ran in 2016. That series ended with the young fictional pontiff deep in a coma. The second series, which premiered on January 13, gets even crazier — and more sacrilegious — with the introduction of a new pope, played in over-the-top form by John Malkovich as John Paul III.
The series picks up from The Young Pope, starring Jude Law as the fictional (and very conservative) Pius XIII, that ran in 2016. That series ended with the young fictional pontiff deep in a coma. The second series, which premiered on January 13, gets even crazier — and more sacrilegious — with the introduction of a new pope, played in over-the-top form by John Malkovich as John Paul III.
A pilgrimage to the world’s oldest house church — which is in Connecticut...
A Pilgrimage to the World’s Oldest House Church . . . in Connecticut – Building Catholic CultureSTAUDT: My family spent Christmas back in my hometown, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Some of us took a pilgrimage of sorts to visit ancient and medieval art in New York City and Yale University’s Art Gallery in New Haven. Connecticut may seem an odd location, but a team from Yale helped to excavate the Roman colony of Dura-Europos in Syria in the 1930s. They discovered the oldest extant church in the world, including frescoes that date back to around the AD 230s.
Parish in Rome opens doors to the poor, 24 hours a day
Parish in Rome opens doors to the poor, 24 hours a daySANMARTIN: Despite the fact that Rome has some 900 Catholic churches, finding one that is open for prayer at any given moment can be quite challenging. Some keep office hours, but most open only around Mass time.
Yet as of last December, there is a church that is open 24/7, with Eucharistic adoration and a team of 8 to 10 volunteers who, together with the parish priest, make sure there is always someone available to welcome those who need a helping hand.
“This project is not only for poor people,” said Roberta, a volunteer at the Church of the Stigmata of St. Francis, during an open house on Monday to show a recently inaugurated dorm for some 30 homeless people.
Yet as of last December, there is a church that is open 24/7, with Eucharistic adoration and a team of 8 to 10 volunteers who, together with the parish priest, make sure there is always someone available to welcome those who need a helping hand.
“This project is not only for poor people,” said Roberta, a volunteer at the Church of the Stigmata of St. Francis, during an open house on Monday to show a recently inaugurated dorm for some 30 homeless people.
Pro-life group counters Planned Parenthood, announces $52 million war chest for 2020 election
Pro-life group announces $52 million war chest for 2020 election: A pro-life political group has announced its plans to support President Donald Trump and pro-life senatorial candidates in their 2020 election campaigns. The announcement comes after Planned Parenthood announced its own plans to spend an unprecedented amount during the 2020 elections.
The Susan B. Anthony List and Women Speak Out PAC, its partner super PAC, said Friday it has plans to spend $52 million in the 2020 election cycle.
Mallory Quigley, national spokeswoman for the group, told CNA the amount is “the largest budget for any election cycle that we’ve ever had.”
The Susan B. Anthony List and Women Speak Out PAC, its partner super PAC, said Friday it has plans to spend $52 million in the 2020 election cycle.
Mallory Quigley, national spokeswoman for the group, told CNA the amount is “the largest budget for any election cycle that we’ve ever had.”
New England Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson producing pro-life documentary
Patriots' Benjamin Watson Producing Abortion Documentary | Hollywood Reporter: Due to a Jan. 4 playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson won’t be playing in the upcoming Super Bowl. So instead, he’s wading into filmmaking by putting the final touches on a feature documentary about abortion. Watson, a pro-life Christian, is executive producing and partially financing a movie called Divided Hearts of America that he started filming in May, prior to the NFL season, and continued for two weeks during the bye week for the Patriots. Now, he’s in postproduction on the project.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
“I did not know him” — a meditation on a saying by St. John the Baptist
I Did Not Know Him. A Meditation on a Saying By St. John the Baptist - Community in MissionPOPE: In last Sunday’s Gospel St. John the Baptist speaks of Jesus, calling him superior, pre-existent, and anointed by the Holy Spirit. But what also stands out is that twice he says, “I did not know him.” This seems odd given that they were cousins. While it is possible that the text merely means they were not well acquainted, it is likely the text means something more, something deeper. It is as if he is saying, “I knew him, but I never really knew him. I never really saw until now the full depths of him, I did not fully realize his glory; not until God showed me. ”
How Communist cruelty and Western folly built a ticking underpopulation bomb in China
Opinion | The Chinese Population Crisis - The New York TimesDOUTHAT: In recent days both this newspaper and The Wall Street Journal have carried reports on one of the most important geopolitical facts of the 21st century: The world’s great rising power, the People’s Republic of China, is headed for a demographic crisis.
Like the United States and most developed countries, China has a birthrate that is well below replacement level. Unlike most developed countries, China is growing old without first having grown rich.
Of course China has grown richer: My colleague David Leonhardt, who spent time in China at the beginning and the end of the 2010s, just wrote a column emphasizing the “maturing” of the Chinese economy over that period, the growth of start-ups and consumer spending and the middle class.
Like the United States and most developed countries, China has a birthrate that is well below replacement level. Unlike most developed countries, China is growing old without first having grown rich.
Of course China has grown richer: My colleague David Leonhardt, who spent time in China at the beginning and the end of the 2010s, just wrote a column emphasizing the “maturing” of the Chinese economy over that period, the growth of start-ups and consumer spending and the middle class.
10 years after Vatican investigation, Legion of Christ faces ‘new credibility crisis’
10 years after Vatican reform, Legion in new abuse crisis: The administrator of the elite Catholic school in Cancun, Mexico, used to take the girls out of class and send them to the chapel, where the priest from the Legion of Christ religious order would sexually abuse them.
“As some were reading the Bible, he would rape the others in front of them, little girls aged 6 to 8 or 9,” said one of his victims, Ana Lucia Salazar, now a 36-year-old Mexican television host and mother of three.
“Afterward, nothing was the same, nothing went back to the way it was,” she said through tears at her home in Mexico City.
“As some were reading the Bible, he would rape the others in front of them, little girls aged 6 to 8 or 9,” said one of his victims, Ana Lucia Salazar, now a 36-year-old Mexican television host and mother of three.
“Afterward, nothing was the same, nothing went back to the way it was,” she said through tears at her home in Mexico City.
Monday, January 20, 2020
Dr. Martin Luther King’s refutation of atheistic materialism
Dr. Martin Luther King's Refutation of Atheistic Materialism - Community in MissionPOPE: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we commemorate today, is best known as a civil rights leader who worked to end racial injustice, but he had other things to say as he preached each Sunday, first in his own assembly and later as he spoke around the country.
Among his recorded sermons is one in which Dr. King addressed the problem of unbelief, of materialism and atheism. His reflections are well worth pondering today because the problem is even more widespread now than it was when he made these remarks in 1957. A complete transcript of the sermon is available here: The Man Who Was a Fool.
Among his recorded sermons is one in which Dr. King addressed the problem of unbelief, of materialism and atheism. His reflections are well worth pondering today because the problem is even more widespread now than it was when he made these remarks in 1957. A complete transcript of the sermon is available here: The Man Who Was a Fool.
In MLK Day message, U.S. Catholic bishops say nation needs ‘genuine conversion of heart’
Catholic bishops: US still 'painfully' far from Martin Luther King’s dream: The example of Martin Luther King, Jr., is still sorely needed in the United States, given continued injustices, racism and discrimination against minorities, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a message for MLK Day.
“As our nation prepares to commemorate the life and witness of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., we are grateful for his courageous stand in solidarity with all who suffer injustice and his witness of love and nonviolence in the struggle for social change,” Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Jan. 16.
“As our nation prepares to commemorate the life and witness of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., we are grateful for his courageous stand in solidarity with all who suffer injustice and his witness of love and nonviolence in the struggle for social change,” Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Jan. 16.
How do parents make travel easier for children with hidden disabilities?
Seattle-area parents of kids with disabilities share their tips for making travel fun | The Seattle TimesDUIN: You’ve seen them at the airport, at the beach or in a restaurant. A child is thrashing or kicking or on the ground while a desperate parent hovers nearby, trying to ignore angry glances from passersby. I know because I’ve been that anguished parent.
On display are “cognitive disabilities,” invisible handicaps related to how children’s brains work. For many kids with cognitive disabilities or developmental disorders, a car can be a prison, a plane or a new hotel room can be sheer terror.
In the past, families were stuck, barely venturing outside the county, certainly not on an overnight trip. Travel meant potential trauma minefields, and unfortunately, we live in a world where bystanders are more apt to call the police or Child Protective Services than offer help to the parents.
On display are “cognitive disabilities,” invisible handicaps related to how children’s brains work. For many kids with cognitive disabilities or developmental disorders, a car can be a prison, a plane or a new hotel room can be sheer terror.
In the past, families were stuck, barely venturing outside the county, certainly not on an overnight trip. Travel meant potential trauma minefields, and unfortunately, we live in a world where bystanders are more apt to call the police or Child Protective Services than offer help to the parents.
The Pope’s point man on migrants, who was made a cardinal in October, takes over his titular parish
Pope's point man on migrants - made a cardinal in October - takes over titular parishSANMARTIN: Canadian Jesuit Michael Czerny, made a cardinal by Pope Francis last October, became the titular pastor of a parish in the outskirts of Rome on Sunday.
During his homily, he spoke to the thousands gathered - many of whom were migrants - about his own family fleeing war and finding refuge in North America.
“My family of four fled from post-war Czechoslovakia,” Czerny said. “We arrived in Canada by ship in the year 1948. This life experience of ours was immortalized in advance in the Flight into Egypt painted on glass by my maternal grandmother, Anna Hayek Löw.”
During his homily, he spoke to the thousands gathered - many of whom were migrants - about his own family fleeing war and finding refuge in North America.
“My family of four fled from post-war Czechoslovakia,” Czerny said. “We arrived in Canada by ship in the year 1948. This life experience of ours was immortalized in advance in the Flight into Egypt painted on glass by my maternal grandmother, Anna Hayek Löw.”
How many religious flocks are ready for children with hidden disabilities?
Think about this: How many religious flocks are ready for children with 'hidden' disabilities? — GetReligionMATTINGLY: On one level, this week’s think piece is not about religion. Then again, it is a personal and transparent piece from The Seattle Times — written by GetReligion contributor Julia Duin, a veteran religion-beat professional.
It’s a piece about what it’s like to travel with one or more children with “hidden disabilities.” She is talking about PTSD, autism, anxiety disorders and other intense conditions that, to be blunt, may not immediately be obvious to people at nearby restaurant tables, in lines at theater parks or jammed into adjacent airplane seats.
OK, what about people of various ages who are settled in for peace and quiet, or even transcendence, in a nearby pew during Mass?
It’s a piece about what it’s like to travel with one or more children with “hidden disabilities.” She is talking about PTSD, autism, anxiety disorders and other intense conditions that, to be blunt, may not immediately be obvious to people at nearby restaurant tables, in lines at theater parks or jammed into adjacent airplane seats.
OK, what about people of various ages who are settled in for peace and quiet, or even transcendence, in a nearby pew during Mass?
Sunday, January 19, 2020
The priests we need to save the Church
The Priests We Need to Save the Church ~ The Imaginative Conservative: Kevin Wells’ monograph was started as a celebration of the priestly ministry of his uncle. Monsignor Thomas Wells was a devout and effectual priest whose ministry was cut short by his untimely murder. While compiling notes and tributes to write about the hallmarks of this pious priest, Mr. Wells unexpectedly found himself writing in the aftermath of the 2018-19 scandals that shook the Roman Catholic Church. The experienced journalist in him (he was a sports reporter for the Tampa Tribune) rose to the surface in response, and the resulting book is written primarily to priests as an exhortation to renew the vitality of their ordained ministries.
Where virtue falls short, U.S. envoy says money talks on religious freedom
Where virtue falls short, US envoy says money talks on religious freedomALLEN: While in the abstract it may seem the case for religious freedom and protecting vulnerable religious minorities ought to be based on virtue and morality, the U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom believes something else is bringing governments around today: Cold, hard cash.
“If you want to grow an economy and build something,” Sam Brownback told Crux, promoting religious freedom is essential.
“Money is a chicken, it won’t go where there’s a conflict,” he said. “You’ve just ruled yourself out of a whole bunch of investment if you’ve given in to this monochromatic view of religion, that it has to be this [way] and everybody else we punish. You’ve just really frozen yourself out of the global economy and you’re not going to grow.”
“If you want to grow an economy and build something,” Sam Brownback told Crux, promoting religious freedom is essential.
“Money is a chicken, it won’t go where there’s a conflict,” he said. “You’ve just ruled yourself out of a whole bunch of investment if you’ve given in to this monochromatic view of religion, that it has to be this [way] and everybody else we punish. You’ve just really frozen yourself out of the global economy and you’re not going to grow.”
Cardinal Dolan conducting ‘Vos estis’ investigation into Brooklyn’s Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio
Cardinal Dolan conducting 'Vos estis' investigation into Brooklyn's Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio: Cardinal Timothy Dolan is conducting an investigation into Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, following an allegation of sexual abuse.
The investigation is being conducted under the provisions of Vos estis lux mundi, the Church law issued by Pope Francis last year on dealing with accusations against bishops.
In a statement released Jan. 18, Joseph Zwilling, director of communications in the Archdiocese of New York, confirmed the investigation.
“As directed by Vos estis, Cardinal Dolan earlier notified the Holy See of the allegation that was raised concerning Bishop DiMarzio from his time as a priest in the Archdiocese of Newark. On January 7, 2020, the Cardinal received instruction from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that he is to begin an investigation.”
The investigation is being conducted under the provisions of Vos estis lux mundi, the Church law issued by Pope Francis last year on dealing with accusations against bishops.
In a statement released Jan. 18, Joseph Zwilling, director of communications in the Archdiocese of New York, confirmed the investigation.
“As directed by Vos estis, Cardinal Dolan earlier notified the Holy See of the allegation that was raised concerning Bishop DiMarzio from his time as a priest in the Archdiocese of Newark. On January 7, 2020, the Cardinal received instruction from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that he is to begin an investigation.”
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Stroik family looks to honor late daughter Raffaella Stroik with a new ballet
Stroik family looks to honor late daughter with a new ballet: Raffaella Stroik loved beauty.
A devout Catholic and a talented professional ballerina, Raffaella felt she experienced the beatific vision when she was performing for others. She hoped her art could be transformative in their lives.
But Raffaella’s short life ended in tragedy. On Nov. 14, 2018, her body was found in a lake some 140 miles from St. Louis, where she was a member of the city’s ballet. She was 23 years old.
Authorities ruled that there seemed to have been neither foul play nor self-harm.
A devout Catholic and a talented professional ballerina, Raffaella felt she experienced the beatific vision when she was performing for others. She hoped her art could be transformative in their lives.
But Raffaella’s short life ended in tragedy. On Nov. 14, 2018, her body was found in a lake some 140 miles from St. Louis, where she was a member of the city’s ballet. She was 23 years old.
Authorities ruled that there seemed to have been neither foul play nor self-harm.
Oldest material on Earth discovered
Oldest material on Earth discovered - BBC News: Scientists analysing a meteorite have discovered the oldest material known to exist on Earth.
They found dust grains within the space rock - which fell to Earth in the 1960s - that are as much as 7.5 billion years old.
The oldest of the dust grains were formed in stars that roared to life long before our Solar System was born.
A team of researchers has described the result in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
They found dust grains within the space rock - which fell to Earth in the 1960s - that are as much as 7.5 billion years old.
The oldest of the dust grains were formed in stars that roared to life long before our Solar System was born.
A team of researchers has described the result in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Mary is the antidote to our anti-life culture
Mary is the antidote to our anti-life culture - Our Sunday VisitorGRESS: The notion that women must support abortion has “become part of the cultural air that we breathe,” author Carrie Gress told Our Sunday Visitor.
While this was not always the case, abortion has been labeled as the solution for women’s problems — namely the “problems” of children and chastity.
In an interview with Our Sunday Visitor, Gress, who received her doctorate in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, explains how we live in a culture that is anti-virgin and anti-mother — ultimately anti-Mary, the Virgin Mother herself. Sharing insights from her most recent book, “The Anti-Mary Exposed” (TAN Books, $27.95), Gress gives hope that our Blessed Mother is the antidote to this culture of death.
While this was not always the case, abortion has been labeled as the solution for women’s problems — namely the “problems” of children and chastity.
In an interview with Our Sunday Visitor, Gress, who received her doctorate in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, explains how we live in a culture that is anti-virgin and anti-mother — ultimately anti-Mary, the Virgin Mother herself. Sharing insights from her most recent book, “The Anti-Mary Exposed” (TAN Books, $27.95), Gress gives hope that our Blessed Mother is the antidote to this culture of death.
The Methodists may soon split up — will some become Catholic?
The Methodists May Soon Split Up — Will Some Become Catholic?PJSMITH: Ten years ago, Benedict XVI issued a new decree that would create three new Catholic dioceses with English Christian patrimony called personal ordinariates and they would also receive Anglican, Methodist, Episcopal and AME congregations, clergy and individuals into the Catholic Church with the richness of their traditions.
Benedict XVI’s 2009 apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus began the Ordinariates, which received the first wave of Episcopal and Anglican congregations and clergy in North America, the United Kingdom and Oceania. And these new dioceses have also seen Catholics who were former Anglicans or Episcopalians join them, making the Ordinariate their canonical home in the wider Latin Church.
Benedict XVI’s 2009 apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus began the Ordinariates, which received the first wave of Episcopal and Anglican congregations and clergy in North America, the United Kingdom and Oceania. And these new dioceses have also seen Catholics who were former Anglicans or Episcopalians join them, making the Ordinariate their canonical home in the wider Latin Church.
Father Paul Wattson: The Catholic convert who founded the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Fr. Paul Wattson: The Catholic Convert Who Founded the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - The Coming Home Network: Every year since 1908, beginning on January 18 and ending on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul on January 25, the Graymoor Institute and the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement have been promoting a focused week of prayer and reflection, asking God to bring unity to the body of Christ.
The idea of an octave of prayer for unity among Christians was the brainchild of Servant of God Fr. Paul Wattson, who conceived of it while he was still an Anglican. In a 2016 lecture at St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in Minnesota, Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson gave a thorough and fascinating presentation on the man behind the International Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which you can watch here
The idea of an octave of prayer for unity among Christians was the brainchild of Servant of God Fr. Paul Wattson, who conceived of it while he was still an Anglican. In a 2016 lecture at St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in Minnesota, Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson gave a thorough and fascinating presentation on the man behind the International Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which you can watch here
Catholic parish will not host consecration for Episcopalians after all
Catholic parish will not host Episcopalian consecration: The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia will no longer hold a bishops's consecration at a Catholic parish in Williamsburg, after an internet petition objecting to the event drew national attention. “It is with great sadness that I have received a letter from Bishop-Elect Susan Haynes stating that, due to the controversy of the proposed use of St. Bede Catholic Church for her consecration of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, she has decided to find another location for the ceremony to take place,” Bishop Barry Knestout of the Catholic Richmond diocese said in a Jan. 17 statement.
St. Bede Catholic Church is located within the Diocese of Richmond.
St. Bede Catholic Church is located within the Diocese of Richmond.
Discernment shouldn’t stop when you enter the seminary
Discernment Continues in the Seminary | Matthew SchneiderSCHNEIDER: The purpose of discernment is action. The purpose of discerning if you are called to the priesthood is to either be set on the path of ordination or set on the path to marriage. Someone may ask whether all discernment should come before entering the Seminary. Recently, a story about those who had discerned out of the seminary lead some people I know to wonder if such discernment should be done before the seminary. I thought I should give a brief explainer about why discernment should not finish before the seminary.
“The Fairness for All Act creates all the problems The Equality Act creates, then exempts a few people from those problems, then calls it religious liberty”
Respect Life Radio Podcast - Greg Baylor: Fairness for All Act a bad compromise on religious liberty | Free Listening on Podbean App: "The Fairness for All Act essentially creates all the problems that The Equality Act creates, and then exempts a handful of people from those problems, and then they call that a victory for religious liberty," said Greg Baylor, senior counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom. "I would say it's a victory for religious liberty not to create the problems in the first place."
Baylor is a previous guest on Respect Life Radio, where he discussed The Equality Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in May 2019. The Fairness for All Act is purported compromise legislation, proposed in December by U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah. Follow @GregBaylor on Twitter to see links regarding the Fairness for All Act and other subjects.
Baylor is a previous guest on Respect Life Radio, where he discussed The Equality Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in May 2019. The Fairness for All Act is purported compromise legislation, proposed in December by U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah. Follow @GregBaylor on Twitter to see links regarding the Fairness for All Act and other subjects.
Chinese bishop and priests evicted over ‘fire safety’
Chinese bishop and priests evicted over 'fire safety': Chinese officials have evicted members of the clergy, including a bishop, from their homes and are closing Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Fujian. While the officials cited “fire safety standards” as the reason for the evictions, all the clergy and churches affected have refused to join the Communist-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.
The CPCA, the state-run Catholic Church, entered into an agreement with the Vatican in 2018, regularizing the status of its bishops. While the terms of the agreement have not been released, it has widely been reported that it gives the Communist party effective veto power over future episcopal appointments.
The CPCA, the state-run Catholic Church, entered into an agreement with the Vatican in 2018, regularizing the status of its bishops. While the terms of the agreement have not been released, it has widely been reported that it gives the Communist party effective veto power over future episcopal appointments.
Make sure the voice of Jesus is the first one you seek in the morning, and that His word informs your every decision
Jesus is not optional - Denver CatholicBONACCI: Sometimes I decide what I’m going to write about. And sometimes God does.
I just came back from the FOCUS conference in Phoenix. It was awesome, incidentally, and I highly recommend that you all look into it for next year. Yes, it is sponsored by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. And yes, there are a lot of college kids there. But there is also a marvelous adult track, with wonderful speakers and fabulous activities. But I digress. The very first speaker was Father Mike Schmitz, and the theme of his talk was that Jesus is not “optional.” It was a wonderful talk and gave me so much spiritual food for thought.
I just came back from the FOCUS conference in Phoenix. It was awesome, incidentally, and I highly recommend that you all look into it for next year. Yes, it is sponsored by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. And yes, there are a lot of college kids there. But there is also a marvelous adult track, with wonderful speakers and fabulous activities. But I digress. The very first speaker was Father Mike Schmitz, and the theme of his talk was that Jesus is not “optional.” It was a wonderful talk and gave me so much spiritual food for thought.
Planned Parenthood to invest $45 million in 2020 elections
Planned Parenthood announces $45 million investment in 2020 elections today - CBS News: As abortion-supporters brace for another year of restrictions and court battles, Planned Parenthood is throwing its weight into the 2020 elections.
This week, Planned Parenthood launched the biggest electoral effort in its history: a $45 million spend to support presidential, congressional and state-level candidates in the 2020 elections who support abortion rights. Jenny Lawson, the Planned Parenthood Votes Executive Director, said, "The stakes have never been higher."
This week, Planned Parenthood launched the biggest electoral effort in its history: a $45 million spend to support presidential, congressional and state-level candidates in the 2020 elections who support abortion rights. Jenny Lawson, the Planned Parenthood Votes Executive Director, said, "The stakes have never been higher."
We must stop running from reality. But how to begin?
We must stop running from reality. But how to begin? | Catholic CultureMIRUS: When my children were young and played games together, my younger daughter sometimes infuriated the others when, after she had lost a game, she would declare: “In my mind, I won.” She wasn’t completely serious, but she certainly frustrated the winners. But wait: We live in a society in which a great many people do the same thing and believe it. This frustrates me, too.
I am referring not to games but to life. We live in an era in which people seem to think that reality is whatever the make up in their own heads, and that they are really winning when they make extraordinarily bad choices. Willfulness—even if it often arises from a herd mentality—is rampant. It seems that we may believe whatever we want (at least as long as it is something fashionable), and become whatever we want, even if it is something that destroys us.
Fair warning: This leads back to the N word: Nature.
I am referring not to games but to life. We live in an era in which people seem to think that reality is whatever the make up in their own heads, and that they are really winning when they make extraordinarily bad choices. Willfulness—even if it often arises from a herd mentality—is rampant. It seems that we may believe whatever we want (at least as long as it is something fashionable), and become whatever we want, even if it is something that destroys us.
Fair warning: This leads back to the N word: Nature.
Planned Parenthood is targeting Latinos — and the Green Bay Packers are paying them to do it
Planned Parenthood Targets Latinos — and the Green Bay Packers Are Paying for It: In December, the Green Bay Packers Foundation announced that Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin was one of its 192 grant recipients for 2019 — triggering intense criticism from the local Catholic and pro-life community.
The Packers said the grant, which, according to Fox 11 News, ranges between $3,000 and $7,000, was for a specific Planned Parenthood program: Cuidándonos Creceremos más Sanos (CCmáS), which means “Taking Care of Ourselves We Will Grow Healthier.”
The program offers $50, in cash, to Latino families who host a small party in their homes at which Planned Parenthood addresses them and their friends on topics such as sexuality, their obligation to be involved in the community, and communicating with the government.
The Packers said the grant, which, according to Fox 11 News, ranges between $3,000 and $7,000, was for a specific Planned Parenthood program: Cuidándonos Creceremos más Sanos (CCmáS), which means “Taking Care of Ourselves We Will Grow Healthier.”
The program offers $50, in cash, to Latino families who host a small party in their homes at which Planned Parenthood addresses them and their friends on topics such as sexuality, their obligation to be involved in the community, and communicating with the government.
Friday, January 17, 2020
This Sunday, no greater joy than encountering Jesus
This Sunday, No Greater Joy Than Encountering Jesus | The Gregorian Institute at Benedictine CollegeHOOPES: There is no greater joy in this world than encountering Jesus.
There is no greater peace than being in communion with God.
No work is as satisfying as work that you know pleases him.
These are three rock-bottom truths that the world, the flesh and the devil continually lie to us about (and that we lie to ourselves about) but the Church brings them into sharp focus in the readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.
Many people practice the recognition of God with various prayers. A morning offering may pray, “let me see you, Lord, in the events of every day.” At the elevation of the host, many pray, “My Lord and my God” (and “My Jesus, mercy,” at the elevation of the chalice).
These prayers are reaching for what John the Baptist did, according to the Gospel: “John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’”
There is no greater peace than being in communion with God.
No work is as satisfying as work that you know pleases him.
These are three rock-bottom truths that the world, the flesh and the devil continually lie to us about (and that we lie to ourselves about) but the Church brings them into sharp focus in the readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.
Many people practice the recognition of God with various prayers. A morning offering may pray, “let me see you, Lord, in the events of every day.” At the elevation of the host, many pray, “My Lord and my God” (and “My Jesus, mercy,” at the elevation of the chalice).
These prayers are reaching for what John the Baptist did, according to the Gospel: “John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’”
Ahead of Hong Kong announcement, “La Civiltà Cattolica” exhumes a deceased Chinese bishop to attack Cardinal Zen
“La Civilta Cattolica” Exhumes a Deceased Chinese Bishop to Attack Cardinal Zen - Settimo Cielo - Blog - L’EspressoMAGISTER: In the beginning of the year speech to the diplomatic corps, Pope Francis found words on everything, from Burkina Faso to northern Macedonia. But not on China.
This silence was not a surprise, given the fear of the Vatican authorities that any word of theirs in this regard could only irritate the Asian giant, already rather hostile toward “foreign” religions, including the Catholic Christian.
Just before, however, the pope gave his speech, a magazine that reflects his thoughts very closely and is printed after review by him and by the secretariat of state, “La Civiltà Cattolica” directed by the Jesuit Antonio Spadaro, had come out with a thirteen-page article that spoke of China in spades, but to attack heavily, complete with first and last name, Cardinal Joseph Zen Zekiun, 88, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, who for years has raised his voice against what he judges as ruinous surrenders by the Holy See to Chinese supremacy.
This silence was not a surprise, given the fear of the Vatican authorities that any word of theirs in this regard could only irritate the Asian giant, already rather hostile toward “foreign” religions, including the Catholic Christian.
Just before, however, the pope gave his speech, a magazine that reflects his thoughts very closely and is printed after review by him and by the secretariat of state, “La Civiltà Cattolica” directed by the Jesuit Antonio Spadaro, had come out with a thirteen-page article that spoke of China in spades, but to attack heavily, complete with first and last name, Cardinal Joseph Zen Zekiun, 88, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, who for years has raised his voice against what he judges as ruinous surrenders by the Holy See to Chinese supremacy.
China’s birthrate hits historic low, in looming crisis for Beijing
China’s Birthrate Hits Historic Low, in Looming Crisis for Beijing - The New York Times: The number of babies born in China last year fell to a nearly six-decade low, exacerbating a looming demographic crisis that is set to reshape the world’s most populous nation and threaten its economic vitality.
About 14.6 million babies were born in China in 2019, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. That was a nearly 4 percent fall from the previous year, and the lowest official number of births in China since 1961, the last year of a widespread famine in which millions of people starved to death. That year, only 11.8 million babies were born.
About 14.6 million babies were born in China in 2019, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. That was a nearly 4 percent fall from the previous year, and the lowest official number of births in China since 1961, the last year of a widespread famine in which millions of people starved to death. That year, only 11.8 million babies were born.
Pope prepares to celebrate first Sunday of the Word of God on Jan. 26
Pope prepares to celebrate first Sunday of the Word of God on Jan. 26SANMARTIN: Next week, Pope Francis will lead the first celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God, which he instituted as a yearly occasion to celebrate and study the Bible.
Francis wants to “stimulate all Christians not to place the Bible on the shelf as one of many books, perhaps filled with dust, but as an instrument that awakens our faith,” said Italian Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella on Friday.
“It is an evangelization initiative that can help Christian communities and also priests not to improvise when it comes to communicating the word of God,” Fisichella said at a press conference in Rome. “The people of God have a right to listen to the word of God and to receive an explanation from the priest [in his homily] that is coherent with the word of God and not a free interpretation of it.”
Francis wants to “stimulate all Christians not to place the Bible on the shelf as one of many books, perhaps filled with dust, but as an instrument that awakens our faith,” said Italian Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella on Friday.
“It is an evangelization initiative that can help Christian communities and also priests not to improvise when it comes to communicating the word of God,” Fisichella said at a press conference in Rome. “The people of God have a right to listen to the word of God and to receive an explanation from the priest [in his homily] that is coherent with the word of God and not a free interpretation of it.”
Vatican picks pro-Beijing Father Peter Choy Wai-man as Bishop of Hong Kong, but delays announcement, sources say
Vatican picks Hong Kong bishop, delays announcement: The Holy See has delayed announcing its pick for the next bishop of Hong Kong, CNA has learned, amid concerns that local clergy and lay Catholics will see Rev. Peter Choy Wai-man as too sympathetic to the Chinese Communist government.
The Diocese of Hong Kong has been without permanent leadership since January 2019, when Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung died unexpectedly. Since Yeung died, the diocese has been led temporarily by Cardinal John Tong Hon, Yeung’s predecessor, who retired from the post in 2017.
Senior Church officials in Rome, Hong Kong, and mainland China have independently confirmed to CNA that a decision to appoint Fr. Choy as Hong Kong’s next bishop has received final approval in Rome. Choy is presently one of four vicars general in the Hong Kong diocese. CNA requested comment from Choy on his appointment, but no answer was received by time of posting.
The Diocese of Hong Kong has been without permanent leadership since January 2019, when Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung died unexpectedly. Since Yeung died, the diocese has been led temporarily by Cardinal John Tong Hon, Yeung’s predecessor, who retired from the post in 2017.
Senior Church officials in Rome, Hong Kong, and mainland China have independently confirmed to CNA that a decision to appoint Fr. Choy as Hong Kong’s next bishop has received final approval in Rome. Choy is presently one of four vicars general in the Hong Kong diocese. CNA requested comment from Choy on his appointment, but no answer was received by time of posting.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Does Terrence Malick’s new film show the real Franz Jägerstätter?
Does Malick’s new film show the real Franz J�gerst�tter? | Catholic Herald: Franz Jägerstätter’s life and death raise one question above all: why did he do it? Why did this Austrian farmer refuse to fight in Hitler’s army, and why did he stick doggedly to that decision even when told he would face the death penalty for doing so?
Jägerstätter’s martyrdom – he was declared Blessed by Pope Benedict XVI – has always resonated with religious believers, and Terrence Malick’s new biopic, A Hidden Life, has been most warmly received by Jägerstätter’s fellow Christians. For the Eastern Orthodox writer Rod Dreher, it is “the best evocation of the Gospel ever committed to film”. It is, as Malick’s films tend to be, inventively told and achingly beautiful. But the big question goes unanswered.
Jägerstätter’s martyrdom – he was declared Blessed by Pope Benedict XVI – has always resonated with religious believers, and Terrence Malick’s new biopic, A Hidden Life, has been most warmly received by Jägerstätter’s fellow Christians. For the Eastern Orthodox writer Rod Dreher, it is “the best evocation of the Gospel ever committed to film”. It is, as Malick’s films tend to be, inventively told and achingly beautiful. But the big question goes unanswered.
For the five ‘Bernies’ of Indiana’s Marian High School, “disability means different ability”
Bernadette Scholars: ‘disability means different ability’ - Today's Catholic: Grocery shopping and Christmas-themed aerobics classes are not part of a typical high school curriculum. But at Marian High School, these are important lessons for particular students.
Marian has five additions this year, and principal Mark Kirzeder hopes to see a similar increase next school year. Not new classes, but special new students — students with mild intellectual disabilities. They are the first of the school’s Bernadette Scholars, and they are making their mark at Marian.
The Bernadette Scholars Program is separate from individualized education/resource room programs, and the 2019-20 school year marks its pilot year at the Mishawaka high school. Affectionately called “Bernies,” Bernadette Scholars are on non-diploma, certificate-of-completion tracks. They spend the bulk of the day together in shared classes. Next semester they will be further assimilated into the typical classrooms.
Marian has five additions this year, and principal Mark Kirzeder hopes to see a similar increase next school year. Not new classes, but special new students — students with mild intellectual disabilities. They are the first of the school’s Bernadette Scholars, and they are making their mark at Marian.
The Bernadette Scholars Program is separate from individualized education/resource room programs, and the 2019-20 school year marks its pilot year at the Mishawaka high school. Affectionately called “Bernies,” Bernadette Scholars are on non-diploma, certificate-of-completion tracks. They spend the bulk of the day together in shared classes. Next semester they will be further assimilated into the typical classrooms.
Tabernacle retrieved intact from church destroyed by earthquake in Puerto Rico
Tabernacle retrieved intact from church destroyed by earthquake in Puerto Rico: Precariously resting on the edge of an altar leaning forward from the impact of the earthquake that struck Puerto Rico, a tabernacle was retrieved intact from a church in Puerto Rico and brought to safety.
In the early hours of Jan. 7, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the island, the last of a series of quakes that began Dec. 28. The earthquake left one dead, various people injured, serious damage to the infrastructure, and a power outage on the island. A state of emergency was declared.
In the early hours of Jan. 7, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the island, the last of a series of quakes that began Dec. 28. The earthquake left one dead, various people injured, serious damage to the infrastructure, and a power outage on the island. A state of emergency was declared.
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