A record number of Australians flocked to Rome last week to attend to the Mass and rites of canonization celebrated by Pope Benedict of 6 people, among them was Australia's first saint, Sister Mary of the Cross MacKillop. While many will make her the patron saint of the former ex-communicate, she is for me an example of staying faithful to Christ even when ecclesiastics are unusually harsh in their pastoral judgment. For Saint Mary of the Cross for us too, Jesus told us that upon Peter is the Church built; and that's how we follow Christ: by remaining on that Rock. As her own religious name indicates, "of the Cross," we ought to carry our cross but with Christ helping us. We don't go through life alone!!!! The Lord is there with us, right now.
In the last few days the Catholic and secular media have picked up a story in L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, on the famous show, "The Simpsons." To me, the show is OK social commentary and therefore not for young audiences. The show is now in its 22nd season and broadcast to 90 countries. The claim is that Homer J. Simpson is Catholic. Well.... The Jesuit periodical, La Civiltà Cattolica published last week Jesuit Francesco Occhetta's essay, "'The Simpsons' and Religion." For what's it's worth, here is the précis of the article says:
Too many women, too many friends, have or have had, breast cancer. Just the other day in the local newspaper there was an obit for a young woman who died of breast cancer at 43 years. Her battle with an ugly disease captured my prayer for that day. It drew to intensify my own resolve to work in simple ways to work for a cure but my angle is the spiritual battle; first petitioning the patron saint of those living with diseases of the breast, Saint Agatha. (If you're a Communio reader you might remember attention focussed on Saint Agatha's spiritual patronage for breast cancer survivors especially in February.)
There are several "firsts" for the new session of the Supreme Court of the United States. Among the firsts:
