Humor teaches. The trauma caused in watching this video is worth it. Do agree with this list? Sadly, there are youth leaders and priests who hold these approaches in the Catholic Church.
Tag: culture
How do you worship?
A friend of mine sent me this video on worship. I think you might enjoy the humor. I did.
Veterans Day Remembrance
Today is dedicated to world peace through the recognition of our countrymen’s service in the armed forces. We indeed pray for peace of mind and heart, city, state and country. We pray in thanksgiving for the sacrifices of the men and women who served the country to keep us free, safe and peaceful.
I would encourage you to recognize in some way today the generosity of those who served in the military and to ask Saint Martin of Tours to bless them and our civil leaders with the capacity to work for peace in all areas of our lives.
Let us pray.
God our Father, You reveal that those who work for peace will be called Your sons. Help us to work without ceasing for that justice which brings true and lasting peace.
20 years since the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Marking the end of Communism with the Fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.
H2O News on the Fall of the Wall
See a collection of photos of the Wall
CNN on the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Meeting Fr Z in NYC
Meeting “blog personalities” is always fun, especially meeting a popular blogging priest. Father John Zuhlsdorf writes the blog, What Does The Really Say? He’s an affable priest with a good sense of humor and a good thinker. He celebrated a Solemn Requiem Mass in the Extraordinary Form for First Friday at the beautiful Church of the Guardian Angels (NYC). The particular intention for the Mass was for deceased priests.
The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus
In his homily, Father Zuhlsdorf spoke about the priesthood as the result of the outpouring of love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mindful of the human condition and the Incarnation, we have Perfect Love choosing imperfect men to be priests to preach the Gospel and to celebrate the sacraments. And because the priest is a normal human being with the normal failings as other men, we know the imperfect minister needs conversion. Our job is to beg for God’s mercy upon our priests, living and deceased, as an act of love for the priests. Priests are fallible, sinful human beings like everyone else and yet they are called by God to serve Him as priests for the good of His people. It is an awesome thing to consider that our souls are fed by priests, some of whom are worthy ministers of the Lord and some not. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of a priest’s ministry does not depend on the state of his soul (something part of our doctrine since the time of Saint Augustine).
We believe that two sacraments give permanent character to our souls that lasts into eternity: Baptism and Holy Orders. So, when a priest dies his soul is recognized as a priestly soul in heaven by God and whole heavenly court. The priesthood, therefore, does not end on the day when the priest’s body dies.
In this Year for Priests, indeed even outside of this special year, we ought to care for the priests who serve our parishes and other ministries in concrete ways. We ought to pray for the souls of the priests who have died, too. I am particularly thinking of the priests and bishops who gave us new Life in Christ through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist and Penance, and the other sacraments as applicable.
I have an immense sense of gratitude for the faith I received from the priest who baptized me, the bishop who confirmed me, the priests who heard my confessions and gave me the Body of Christ.
Could we offer a prayer once a day during November for the deceased priests we knew? After November, could we offer a prayer for the priests at least once a month in the years to come?
It would be good to read (or re-read) the Pope’s letter to the Church announcing the Year for Priests. There you will find some startlingly beautiful points to reflect upon and live out of. In my opinion, the Pope’s letter has so much to consider that it would take a lifetime to understand.
Music is an epiphany of beauty in man & woman
In a piano concert in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, the Pope and a full house friends listened to the music of great composers in a concert sponsored by the International Piano Academy of Imola. The experience of the music was joined by some reflections of Benedict XVI’s which said in part, music is the union of persons and peoples in that it accompanies every human experience. He also observed that music gives shape to what you cannot do with words because it arouses the emotions that are difficult to communicate. Likewise, he pointed out what we all know, that is, great music relaxes the mind, stirs deep emotions, and elevates the mind to God. Hear the report of the evening.
Andrea Pozzo: recognized 300 years later at Study Congress at the Gregorian Univ.
2009 marks the 300th anniversary of the death of Jesuit
Brother Andrea Pozzo, the 17th century painter whose works adorn many churches
in Europe, including the beautiful Saint Ignatius Church, Rome, Italy. (I love his work and have enthralled by it for years!) He was
born November 30, 1642 and died August 31, 1709.
Brother Andrea was known for
his design, architecture and painting. Several initiatives were planned for the anniversary,
including a week-long celebration that was recently held in Vienna, the city
where he worked for many years and where he died. The Pontifical Gregorian
University in Rome will hold an International Study Congress from the November
18-20. Participants will analyze Pozzo’s work and offer insights and reflections
for research and study.
his design, architecture and painting. Several initiatives were planned for the anniversary,
including a week-long celebration that was recently held in Vienna, the city
where he worked for many years and where he died. The Pontifical Gregorian
University in Rome will hold an International Study Congress from the November
18-20. Participants will analyze Pozzo’s work and offer insights and reflections
for research and study.
Pope calls for meeting with contemporary artists
Under the leadership of Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, contemporary artists of all media are invited to the Vatican for a meeting on November 21st.
It is hoped that part of the meeting would take place in the Sistine Chapel, the home of some of Michelangelo’s greatest works of art.
This is a very promising meeting!
Watch the video clip.
Catholic Underground NYC is coming soon: Sept 5th
is coming back for a new season beginning
on September 5th
7:30-10:30 p.m. at the Our Lady of Good Counsel Church
230 East 90th Street
Eucharistic adoration with Evening Prayer, worship, confession and
free music follows in the church hall
For more info see the Underground
The Madeleine turns 100
Utah’s Catholics are celebrating a 100 years of the Catholic cathedral’s presence in a state long known as a haven for Mormons. The mother church of the diocese, The Cathedral of the Madeleine, is 100 years old. While history shows us that Franciscan missionaries preached and celebrated Mass as early as 1776, this celebration concretizes a presence in a house of prayer that has celebrated the sacraments unto salvation.
Catholics on the East coast of the USA or perhaps anywhere else other than Utah will wonder why I am bringing this story more attention. Isn’t the Madeleine’s anniversary a local festivity? Yes and no. Certainly the Catholics of the Diocese of Salt Lake City are remembering the graces and challenges of living their Christian faith there which obviously includes a witness to Christ. Well, it is obvious to me that every claim to witnessing to Christ is not of equal importance if we don’t point to Jesus as the origin of our happiness, the fact of being the Bread of Life and being THE way, the truth and the life. But all of us ought to be celebrating the fact that Christ has made Himself known to His people there. The theology and practice of the Catholic Church is know deeply that what affects Utah’s Catholic community affects us; being Catholic means that we are part of a Church, therefore a companionship of people announcing the the Presence of Salvation today. The Church thinks this is so with the presence of the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine for the Faith who unites all of us with the Holy Father. That is, the beauty of the Catholic faith is its true universality.