Join the Knights of Columbus in a special novena for Pope Benedict XVI, beginning Divine Mercy Sunday, April 11, and concluding Monday, April 19, the fifth anniversary of the Holy Father’s election in 2005.
4/9/10: Cardinal Newman Society also offering prayers – give a Spiritual Bouquet
It is Holy Week in the Christian calendar and it has become the custom among the mainstream media (at least in the USA) to trot out stories about fundamental beliefs of Christianity. Often these stories are thinly disquised attempts to cast doubt on the beliefs, others are much more blatant.
Today is Monday in Holy Week – we’re just getting started. In my car I sometimes tune to the local NPR radio station and did so today to hear that some brilliant scientists at a U.S. university have discovered that magnetic pulses can be used to make a test subject change their minds about a moral judgement. Evidently this goes to prove that moral judgements are simply brain exercises that can be broken down, fiddled with, and even changed if we like. The NPR host wisely intoned at stories end “ . . . it could be that we don’t have, or don’t need, a soul”. Pardon my quote – it may not be exact but you get the picture. Good luck with that one oh great and wise scientists. [Read/listen]
Just a couple hours later a network news program highlighted a National Geographic channel program airing tonight – “Touched by Jesus?”. This ought to be good – are Mary Magdalen & Jesus still a couple? Is the Shroud of Turin the real deal or just a fabric of our imagination? Aren’t all those fools claiming to have stigmata just faking or are they actually “replicating” Jesus’ wounds [note the word used – ‘replicate’ as though they could just call it up whenever they wished. In my experience reading the stories of those who bore the stigmata, most would have been happy had they never had them even once!].
Ah well, what will be truly interesting is seeing who they trot out as authoritative scholars and witnesses.
update: I won’t be watching – I don’t pay my cable provider enough money – it’s on the digital package and I’m not there. Too bad.
On second thought don’t tell her — let some stranger tell her. It’ll be even better if you let Planned Parenthood do it right?
Every parent should be outraged. Planned Parenthood, operating behind the mask of women’s health care, is boldly and unashamedly pushing sex at our children before they’ve had the chance to be children and they’re getting worse by the day. Oh yeah and you’re helping to pay for it with your tax dollars.
From the moment the Church was born in the resurrection of Jesus Christ she has endured unceasing attacks from those who hate her, hate her message, and hate what she stands for in this world. Time after time waves of brutal persecution of the Church have swept over what would otherwise have been civilized nations. It hasn’t stopped and it won’t end. I have no doubt that at some point in the not too distant future more persecutions will erupt. Not “if” but “when”.
But I digress. The news headlines are shouting about new revelations of priest abuse — the latest are in Germany. The really good news for the Church haters though is that this is an opportunity to slander Pope Benedict who was Archbishop in the Diocese where a priest has been dismissed due to the accusations against him. It’s simply too much for the Catholic baiters – out of hand the Pope is immediately accused of complicity in covering up this priests abuse. Admittedly the jury’s out on this one, but I’m pretty certain that what will happen is that everyone with a bone to pick against the Church will make sure Pope Benedict’s name is front and center. If it is proven that he was not culpable you won’t hear any apologies from these folks you can put money on that.
The King of the Wild Frontier that is. I don’t know about you but for me Fess Parker’s Davey Crockett and Daniel Boone characters played on Walt Disney’s Saturday evening shows were simply the best. There was nothing on television that I looked forward to more than these shows unless it was Mighty Mouse on Saturday mornings.
Our kids today could use a good dose of Davey Crockett. Heck, come to think of it, so could I.
Thanks to Fess Parker and Walt Disney, I’ve never forgotten Davey and Daniel and probably never will.
Passing the Health Care Reform bill is apparently a make or break proposition for the Dems. Nancy Pelosi, for whom I have lost whatever shred of respect I may have previously had, maintains consistently that she “will do whatever is necessary” to ensure the bill is passed into law. Obviously that includes continuing to lie to the American people about the status of health care reform legislation within her own party.
Chuck Schumer meanwhile, is outdoing himself in efforts to find more ways to get around the Constitution and his duty as a representative of the people of the State of New York. He has been recorded as saying that the Dems are looking into a way to pass the health care reform legislation by simply changing the rules to suit themselves despite the limitations the Constitution may appear to put on the Senate’s ability to make their own rules.
I am beyond words at this point (well, ok, maybe not). Do these people have no shame whatsoever? They will do what they want and to hell with the American people and damn the Constitution.
The plain, simple fact is that the Dems, despite their self-righteous proclamations of openness and transparency, have yet to evidence either of those things not to mention failing miserably at honesty while their cup of hyposcrisy overfloweth.
Oh and by the way, I still haven’t changed my voter registration. I’ve been a registered Democrat all my voting life. Can’t remember the last time I had the desire to vote for a Democrat though.
I am convinced that the Speaker of the House of Representatives has finally and publically pronounced to all the world that she has completely lost her mind. Or is it possible I’ve misunderstood or misheard her?
Speaking to the press (they really should get someone to speak for her if you ask me) she remarked about the health care legislation that “ . . . we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.”
Please tell me she didn’t really mean what I heard her say.
I’m working from home and have been watching the so-called health care “summit” at the White House. The sham show at the White House is so transparent I can’t believe they’re trying to pull this one over our eyes. The “summit” is nothing more than a very thinly veiled attempt to make the Administration look like the “good guys” and the minority party to look like the “bad guys”.
They’ve been yakking for hours now and as best I can tell have accomplished zero, changed no minds, come to no consensus, compromised on nothing. President Obama, the Democratic members, and the Republican members have done nothing differently but finally at around 3:40PM EDST they really ticked me off.
Responding to Senator McCains remarks regarding the use of “reconciliation” to pass health care reform legislation President Obama said he thought “most Americans don’t care about procedural matters”. What! Perhaps many Americans don’t care and aren’t paying attention but most Americans certainly do care and are paying attention. Most Americans have said loudly and clearly they don’t want what the Administration is offering in the way of health care reform. My personal reason for rejecting Obamacare is that we’ve seen we cannot trust them to do the right thing. Candidate Obama made much ado about getting rid of the special influences, knocking off the back room deals, and making government more transparent. He’s done none of these things and in fact has jumped right into the “business as usual” way of working. he has proven beyond all reasonable doubt that no politician can be trusted.
I’m sick and tired of these people thinking they know better how to handle our lives when our government has proven time and time again that it cannot do better. We need to stop this foolishness Mr. President. It is not too late to begin anew a discussion of health care reform that will be right for America and right for the common good. Your current proposal simply bankrupts all Americans and the country to boot.
Is there no one left in Washington who has any idea what to do for the good of the country rather than for the good of their own agenda?
FAST from judging others
FEAST on Jesus within them
FAST from emphasis on differences
FEAST on the unity of all life
FAST from apparent darkness
FEAST on the reality of Jesus the Light of the world
FAST from thoughts of illness
FEAST on the healing power of God
FAST from discontent
FEAST on gratitude
FAST from anger
FEAST on patience
FAST from worry
FEAST on enthusiasm
(from my pastor’s homily for Sunday, 2/21/10)
It is no good asking God to work in your life if you are not willing to be honest with him, or yourself, about the mess he has to work with. You have to see a problem before you can get it fixed. You cannot put something in order until you see how far it is out of order. When someone has made a mess of his finances, and the credit card companies are chasing him and his checks keep bouncing and the electric company has turned off the lights, he has to find out how much money he has and how much money he owes to whom, before he can ever get out of debt. He has to face the facts.
We have to see the disorder of our lives if we are ever to accept God’s ordering. And more to the point, we have to see the problem clearly before we will know whom to ask for help. The less we know about ourselves, the more likely we are to be Pelagians, people who assume they can get themselves out of trouble without bothering God for help—and, were we honest about it, without submitting to his will. The best cure for Pelagianism is reality.
Letting someone smear ashes on your forehead while telling you that you are dirt is, of course, a statement that you have seen and accepted the facts about yourself. It is a sacramental enactment of something that is (we hope) going on in your heart. That is the obvious meaning. But I think the imposition of ashes also dramatizes St. Paul’s remark in 1 Corinthians that “since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” It has two movements: one corresponding to “As in Adam all die” and the other corresponding to “In Christ shall all be made alive.”
To see this, we will have to use the original, pre-“inclusivized” version. In Latin, it goes, “Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.” In the traditional English version, it goes, “Remember, O man, that dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return.” The modern versions have all eliminated that “O man,” unwisely assuming it to be sexist and exclusive, rather than, as we shall see, a statement of the most extraordinary inclusion in the history of the cosmos.
The meaning of the rite depends upon the multiple meanings of man. In that word is the Christian hope conveyed. Without it, the declaration is simply a statement of an unchangeable reality, a declaration of hopelessness and despair. The removal of man in the modern rites eliminated the crucial allusions, or at best made them needlessly distant and obscure. The liturgical effect is to eliminate the hope that alone makes the facts—that we are dust and to dust we shall inevitably return—bearable.
(from “The Dust of Adam” by David Mills)
Jesus, covered in blood and much sadness, said to Mother Pierina: “See how much I suffer. I am understood by so few. What ingratitude on the part of those who say that they love Me! I have given My heart as a sensible object of My great love for man, and I give My Face as a sensible
object of My sorrow for the sins of man. I desire that it be honored by a special feast on Shrove Tuesday. The feast will be preceded by a novena, during which the faithful make reparation with Me, uniting themselves with My sorrow.”
This year, the feast occurs on February 16th, 2010 (Shrove Tuesday) thus the novena began yesteday, Sunday Feb. 7th.
A form of prayer suitable for the Novena of the Holy Face is the Chaplet of the Eucharistic Face of Jesus. Pray it on ordinary rosary beads. Apart from the opening antiphon, which was composed by Saint Thomas Aquinas for the Office of Corpus Christi, it is entirely drawn from Sacred Scripture. It incorporates all four steps of lectio divina: lectio (the Word heard); meditatio (the Word repeated); oratio (the Word prayed), and contemplatio (the Word’s embrace).
+
O Sacred Banquet in which Christ is received,
the memory of His passion is renewed,
the soul is filled with grace,
and a pledge of future glory is given us, (alleluia).
Before each decade:
My soul is thirsting for God, the strong and living God;
when shall I enter and see the Face of God? (Ps 41:3)
On the Hail Mary beads:
It is Thy Eucharistic Face, O Lord, that I seek;
hide not Thy Face from me. (cf. Ps 26:8-9).
After each decade:
Behold, O God our protector,
and look upon the Face of Thy Christ. (Ps 83:10)
In conclusion, three times:
Father, glorify the Eucharistic Face of Thy Son,
that Thy Son may glorify Thee (cf. Jn 17:1)
(thanks to Vultus Christi)
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