I hope Our Lady’s team beats Air Force today!
“What Defines a Man“, a senior reflects
Our Lady of the Rosary
The rosary is essential to the spiritual life of Christians. We ought to live the rosary.
The rosary is a practical study of sacred Scripture in the we remain faithful to the call to be close to Christ through constant a memory of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord. Theologically, we call this the Paschal Mystery.
The rosary, popularly seen as a Marian prayer (i.e., connected to the Blessed Virgin Mary), but really it is a Christological prayer.
The supreme victory promised by God through the intercession of Mary is none other than being generated by love and the grace of conversion. Praying the rosary keeps us in touch with Christ, the Savior, the Good Shepherd.
Read more in the John Paul II teaching found in his apostolic letter, Rosary of the Virgin Mary, and a more of the feast today given by CNA.
Catholic bishops and religious freedom
Amy Sullivan of Time magazine wrote a piece today, “Why Catholic Bishops are Targeting Obama on Religious Freedom.” I don’t particularly think Sullivan’s article is not all that informative, in fact, I think she needs to review it again and republish it. She does, however, indirectly say that Catholics –indeed all people of faith– better wake up today and get with the program: the current presidential administration of the US government is narrowing an understanding and practice of religious freedom. Catholics, unlike the Jews or the Muslims are too often slow to know the horizons of the debate. Catholics don’t often go up to Mount Nebo to survey the geography or their own history. Whether recent events are the most egregious in 30 years is a matter of opinion, but the trampling (or reduction) of religious freedom harms everybody, atheist and the Legion of Mary member alike.
It’s time to get fluent in the terms of religious freedom, pun intended.
This is not a Catholic issue. This is an issue for all people who live a life of faith.
Pope encourages sustained inter-religious dialogue
Every 5 years a bishop is to make a visit to the Eternal City first to pray at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul and secondly to make a report to the Pope (and his curia). The church-term for such a meeting is called the “ad limina” — to the threshold of the apostles, the Church, the heartbeat of our faith. It is not a meeting of checking-in with the CEO, CFO and the COO of the company. For a bishop is not a branch manager. This is a gesture of communion between two people who are in love with Christ and His sacrament, the Church; it is a meeting of one pastor meeting the Supreme Pastor, Christ, through the ministry of the See of Peter. It is a time to verify the good being done and to get feedback about what more needs to be done for the good of the faithful. With Benedict’s age I think the 5-year meeting is now about every 7 years.
In recent weeks, Benedict has been meeting with Indonesian bishops. Part of his concluding address to the latest group has an encouragement to advocate inter-religious dialogue. As you can tell, Pope Benedict XVI is a pope of dialogue. The relevant paragraph follows:
Continue reading Pope encourages sustained inter-religious dialogue
Was John Paul II euthanized?
Well, that’s a question. Provocative or not, I am quiet sure that it is germane 6 years later with little evidence. But Time magazine’s Jeff Israel brings to our attention the hypothesis of Dr Lina Pavanelli who, in an article, “The Sweet Death of Karol Wojtyla” (Micromega), claims Blessed John Paul II was euthanized. The first thing I think of is: someone is trying to make a book deal with conspiracy theory accusing the Vatican of hiding something. But I am wondering, as Israel pointed out, that if the issue is actually the doctor’s reception of Church teaching on life –or not–, especially on issues like euthanasia. Many in the medical community want to dismiss the Church’s teaching on life in order to liberalize medicine enough to reduce the dignity of the human person to absurdity. There’s a vibrancy in questioning Magisterial teaching on life in Europe because of proposed legislation.
Remember all the questions about the death of Pope John Paul I?
Here’s Israel’s article.
Was Jonah’s anger reasonable?
Spending time doing lectio divina on today’s reading at Mass taken from the Prophet Jonah, would you say that Jonah’s anger was justified? How do you characterize his relationship with God? Your relationship with God?
Read James Dennison’s commentary.
We have to face our anger, our disappointments and the mercy of God. We have no choice in the matter. None.
Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos
O God, who made your priest, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, outstanding in love, that he might proclaim the mysteries of redemption, and comfort those in affliction, grant, by his intercession, that we may work zealously for your glory and for the salvation of mankind,
Siena Forum for Faith and Culture to host Dr James Healy on being marriage and still engaged
The Siena Forum for Faith and Culture is having a Year of Marriage beginning with an afternoon presentation on October 22, 2011, 1-4:30pm by Dr James Healy, Director of the Center for Family Ministry in the Diocese of Joliet. The title of Dr Healy’s presentation is “How to be Married and Stay Engaged.”
Other events in the series in this Year of Marriage include:
January 28, 2012: Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers on “Why is Marriage Prep So Important?”
March 10, 2012: Frank Hannigan on “Building a Real Marriage”
April 21, 2012: Fr Jordan J. Kelly, OP on “The Domestic Church: Formation for Today.”
Saint Francis of Assisi
Francis, the man of God, left his home behind, abandoned his inheritance and became poor and penniless, but the Lord raised him up.
O God, by whose gift Saint Francis was conformed to Christ in poverty and humility, grant that, by walking in Francis’ footsteps, we may follow your Son, and, through joyful charity, come to be united with you.
The mystery of the Cross is likely never made more evident in Christianity than through the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. The above prayer, in fact, the new collect for the Roman Missal brings this to bear on us. Francis’ life of charity and apostolic zeal effected God’s love for all.
The Pope offers a glimpse into the Poor Man of Assisi:
Yousef Nadarkhani sentenced to death for being Christian in Iran, the Church silent
Yousef Nadarkhani, 33, is a Christian; he’s never practiced Islam, the faith of his family. He converted Christianity at the age of 19. A court ruled that he’s guilty of apostasy but he’s also being accused of security charges, running a brothel, being a rapist and being a Zionist. And now he faces death.
BUT it seems that the charge of apostasy is being minimized or completely discounted now; information conflict. Nadarkhani was arrested October 13, 2009.
“I am resolute in my faith and Christianity and have no wish to recant,” Yousef Nadarkhani said.
Benjamin Weinthal’s article in The Jerusalem Post gives some more detail.
Continue reading Yousef Nadarkhani sentenced to death for being Christian in Iran, the Church silent