Give unto her of the fruit of her own hands, and let her works praise her in the gates, alleluia.
A Morning Prayer to
… the character of the Good Shepherd is branded on your hearts.. at ordination.
On the premise that the faithful require the truth, I am still wondering about the authenticity of the apparitions of the Blessed Mother at Medjugorje, especially with how one pope dealt with the cult and how the current pope is dealing with it. At the end of July I posted a question about the possibility of the apparitions being a hoax with the reduction to the lay state of the Franciscan priest who promoted the apparitions. With 30 million+ pilgrims since the messages were revealed, there seems to be some continued interest among the Church, Mariologists, and the faithful. I think we all need the discernment of the Church.
Almighty and everlasting God, Who has given us this day a reverent and holy joy in the feast of Thy blessed Apostle Bartholomew, we beseech Thee, grant unto Thy Church ever to love that which he believed and to preach that which he taught.
The historical facts regarding the Apostle Bartholomew are murky: his real name is unknown, he’s not mentioned in the Fourth Gospel and only curiously listed in the Synoptics but is closely connected with Nathaniel and Philip, where he preached the Gospel after the Pentecost is speculated, the manner of his death is obscure and even his relics are “thought by some” to be in Rome in a church named for him. But some of the relics are in Frankfurt and others in Canterbury.
Regardless of all this, the Church honors Bartholomew as an apostle of Jesus Christ who gave his life for the Good News.We honored him in a liturgical memorial for ages and we continue to do so today asking for his intercession before the Throne of Grace.
Today let us offer a prayer for the Church in Armenia and for Francis Cardinal George, archbishop of Chicago whose titular church in Rome is Saint Bartholomew on the Island and for tanners.
Hey!!! Follow
the progress of the 30th Rimini Meeting working under the theme of Knowledge is always an event.
Particularly
fascinating to me are the photos of the events which speak a 1000 words.
Remember to keep the Meeting in your daily prayer to the Holy Spirt: It’s
an opportunity to meet Christ!
Given the hard and beautiful of work that has
transpired over three decades in putting the Meeting together, a 2-part video
presentation takes us through the highlights. See 30 years of the Rimini
Meeting: A Review —part 1
and part 2.
If
you care to watch some of the Meeting on TV
if you can manage Italian and Spanish.
Take a look at what’s on deck for the
program and notice the variety of speakers… the program can
be found here which I recommend your perusing.
Pope Benedict XVI
said at the Angelus: “Today the 30th edition of the ‘Meeting for
Friendship Among Peoples’ has opened in Rimini, [Italy], taking as its
title ‘Knowledge Is Always an Event.’ In addressing a cordial greeting to those
who are taking part in this significant gathering, I hope that it will be a
propitious occasion for understanding that ‘[k]nowing is not simply a material
act, since … [i]n all knowledge and in every act of love the human soul
experiences something ‘over and above,’ which seems very much like a gift that
we receive, or a height to which we are raised’ (Caritas in Veritate, No.
77).”
Some of our brothers and sisters have found themselves in a downward spiral that could end in premature death if a fundamental change doesn’t happen: getting & remaining clean. It’s easy to pontificate about the necessity to get and stay clean “or else,” perhaps even trying brow-beat someone into change hoping to trigger a desire to live more healthily. None this works. The simple thing is to allow God’s grace to work and to have a clean environment to live and work, to provide competent professional help and to make opportunities available for substantive change to happen. One more ingredient in my book that’s essential and a non-negotiable is the spiritual. Prayer, spiritual direction and fidelity to the witness of the Church goes to the root level of human desires and happiness given us by Divine Providence. But we have to admit that unless a drug addict wants to change her life no amount clever argument or cute programing is going to matter. If a person doesn’t take his human heart (his desires) seriously, including his need of happiness, then there is little we who aren’t captured by addiction can do.
Canon law isn’t the most scintillating subject for most
Catholics, even for priests, but it’s a necessary science in our ecclesial existence. I am happy to let you
know that the fourth edition, revised and updated, of Dr. John Huels’ The
Pastoral Companion, has been published by Wilson & Lafleur of Montreal in
the Gratianus Series.
A link to the Table of Contents at the above link will demonstrate the topics covered. It seems to me that all pastoral ministers need this book.
It’s on the website, www.wilsonlafleur.com, on the link
for “new releases” or just follow the link above which may be easier.
The author was a professor mine at the University of Notre Dame and is quite good in his scholarship and pastoral insight.
Funny, my 1000th post is on a book on canon law.
On Saturday August 16th Bishop Lori blessed the grounds of
the new Council 185 Meeting and Storage building which will be named Moritz
Hall.
The Moritz Hall derives its name from PGK Len Moritz who has been a major
force assuring completion of this four year project.
The hot day was part of a
Saint Rose of Lima (Newtown, CT) hosted Fan the Fire Youth Rally. Over 600 teens from all
over the diocese spent the day participating in renewal, witness and
confession. The day ended with a sunset Mass celebrated by Bishop Lori,
Monsignor Robert Weiss and a host of concelebrants. Vivat Jesus!