A Beautiful Picture in So Many Ways!

Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew I

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

--John 17:20-23

The Naughty And Nice List

FYI....

c/o:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/nov/06112706.html

Which Companies are Allowing a "Merry Christmas"


(LifeSiteNews.com) -

Aspart of the Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign, LibertyCounsel has created a "Naughty and Nice" checklist(available online in pdf or MSWord) which catalogsretailers who either censor or recognize Christmas.The list was compiled from information gathered byLiberty Counsel supporters.Partial "Naughty List"Lowe's - Employees cannot say "Merry Christmas" tocustomers. Lowe's corporate advised that only whencustomers initiate a "Merry Christmas" greeting canemployees respond in kind.Toys 'R' Us - "Holidays" are in, "Merry Christmas" isout.Banana Republic - Web site has "Holiday Gift Guide"with no mention of Christmas.Bed Bath & Beyond - No mention of any holidays.Barnes & Noble - Web site says "Gift Guide," "Holidaygift baskets," "Holiday sled," "Holiday delivery," butno Christmas. Stores not allowed to put up Christmastrees, and employees are not allowed to say "MerryChristmas."Best Buy - Web site says "Unique gifts for theseason," "Holiday gift ideas." Spokesperson said theuse of "Merry Christmas" is disrespectful.Dick's Sporting Goods - Web site says "gifts" and hasimages, but no mention of Christmas.Eddie Bauer - Customer service would not recognizeChristmas, they "don't want to offend Jews, those whocelebrate Kwanza and those who have no religiouspreference."Gap - "Holiday Survival Guide" with no mention ofChristmas.Home Depot - Web site says "Holiday Store" and"Holiday Lighting" and only at bottom of site says"Make your Christmas decorations complete." Storeshave "Holiday Home Accents."K-Mart - Selling "Holiday trees" and "Holidaywreaths."Partial "Nice List"Dillard's - Advertises "Christmas Catalog."JC Penney - Web site has "Christmas ShippingCountdown."Joann Fabrics - Offers Christmas and Holiday fabrics.Kohl's - Christmas is all over TV, print and radioads.L.L. Bean - Advertises and distributes "ChristmasCatalog."Linens 'N Things - Has a "Christmas Shop" and"Christmas Checklist."Macy's - "Merry Christmas!" on its home page.Michaels - Web site has a Christmas section.M&M-Mars Candies - Will have red and green candieswith pictures of Christmas trees and angels amongother images.Target - Web site says "Christmas Decor," although thephysical store has "Holiday entertaining." TV ad says"Merry Christmas."Wal-Mart - Has a "Christmas Shop," plays Christmascarols, and employees can say "Merry Christmas."Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman of LibertyCounsel, commented: "Every consumer should make a listand check it twice, stop patronizing retailers whichare naughty and shop at those which are nice.Retailers which seek to profit from Christmas whilepretending it does not exist should realize they haveoffended the vast majority of Americans who enjoyChristmas. Customers have a choice and they will notpatronize corporate Scrooges."

The Bible is a Catholic Book: part 1 (opening thoughts)

As Catholics, we have an obligation to not only be familiar with the Bible, but also to be well versed in the teachings contained within it. We are blessed that Holy Mother Church nourishes us with the Holy Scriptures when we attend daily and Sunday Mass. During the week we typically will hear two reading, along with the Psalm of the day, while on Sundays and Holy Days we are given an additional reading to contemplate. (This does not mention that the entire Mass is full of Biblical quotes and allusions.) The Church also highly encourages us to read the Bible prayerfully every single day of our life. There may have been times in the past, in various areas of the Church, where Bible reading was not encouraged much, due to the perception that one would fall into protestantism, but this is no excuse today. Holy Mother Church exhorts her children to be nourished by daily reading of the Bible. With so many versions available and in various formats, let us answer the call! The Bible is indeed a Catholic book!

So why so much Scripture?

Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: "In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of his goodness God speaks to them in human words: "Indeed the words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human language, just as the Word of the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men (CCC101).""

Did you catch that all important phrase "in his goodness"? The Church teaches that God, in his goodness, expresses himself to us in human words. God certainly did not have to do this! Yet God "so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believed in him might not perish, but have eternal life (Jn 3:16)." The Catechism goes on to say further: "God, who "dwells in unapproachable light," wants to communicate his own divine life to the men he freely created, in order to adopt them as his sons in his only-begotten Son. By revealing himself God wishes to make them capable of responding to him, and of knowing him, and of loving him far beyond their own natural capacity." Therefore, God loves us so much that he provides us the Bible, along with Sacred Tradition, which is meant to guide us during our pilgrimage here on Earth: Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth!

So, if indeed the Bible is the Word of God, then we should not treat it like a once-read Stephen King novel or a book which "we have heard all the stories before." The Bible is the inspired word of God, which means: "God is the author of Sacred Scripture. The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (CCC105)." God also inspired the human authors to compose the books of the Bible. Therefore, there is an awesome dynamic between the Holy Spirit and the human authors which is behind the Bible you own. I think this is very exiciting! The Bible is no dead word!

What does all this mean? The inspired books teach the truth. What is the truth? Jesus Christ! As the Catechism, quoting from Vatican II, teaches: "Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures."

Therefore, if the Bible is what the Church says it is, then we should desire to read it daily. We should never let our heads hit the pillow before spending at least a few moments with the Word of God. Remember: Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth!

Pope's scholarly book on Jesus scheduled for March release

Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has completed the first volume of a major scholarly and spiritual book on Jesus of Nazareth, a work he began several years before being elected pope. "Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration" is scheduled for a March release in Italian by the Rizzoli publishing house and in German by Herder Verlag. Announcing the publication Nov. 21, Rizzoli and the Vatican gave reporters copies of the book's preface and a portion of its introduction. In the preface, signed "Joseph Ratzinger -- Benedict XVI," the pope wrote that for decades he had noticed a growing scholarly distinction between the "historical Jesus" and the "Christ of faith," a distinction that many Christians now accept as accurate. But, he wrote, if the human Jesus was totally different from the Jesus depicted in the Gospels and proclaimed by the church, what does it mean to have faith in him? "I trust the Gospels," the pope wrote. And while he said he relied on modern scholarly biblical criticism and historical research, "I wanted to attempt to present the Jesus of the Gospels as the true Jesus, as the 'historic Jesus' in the true sense of the expression." "Only if something extraordinary happened, if the figure and words of Jesus radically exceeded all the hopes and expectations of his age, can his crucifixion and his effectiveness be explained," the pope wrote. Pope Benedict explained that he began the book during his 2003 summer vacation, giving the final form to the first four chapters in the summer of 2004. "After my election to the episcopal see of Rome, I used all of my free moments to work on it," he wrote. "Because I do not know how much time and how much strength I will still be given, I have decided to publish the first 10 chapters" as Volume One of "Jesus of Nazareth." In a Nov. 21 statement, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, said, "The pope says clearly, with his usual simplicity and humility, that this is not a 'magisterial act,' but a fruit of his personal research and, as such, can be freely discussed and critiqued. "It is not a long encyclical on Jesus, but a personal presentation of the figure of Jesus by the theologian Joseph Ratzinger," who was elected pope after beginning the work, Father Lombardi said. "At the same time," the Jesuit said, "it is very significant that he, who was elected bishop of Rome and has the task of supporting the faith of his brothers and sisters, felt so strongly called to give us a new presentation of the figure of Jesus." The Vatican publishing house, which holds the rights to all the pope's written works, announced Nov. 21 that the pope had handed in the manuscript and that the Vatican had turned to Rizzoli to translate the work, find publishers for it around the world and handle the marketing. A spokesman for Rizzoli said that as of Nov. 21 the company was prepared to announce only the publication in Italian and German.

The Bible

I have decided to start a series of posts relating to the Bible. Over the next few weeks, I am going to post comments regarding the integrity of the Bible, Catholic Interpretation of the Bible, the various translations of the Bible, and which are the best Catholic Study Bibles currently in publication.

Hopefully this will be helpful for some of you. Your comments are most welcome!

The Widows’ Faith

Readings
1 Kings 1:10-16
Psalm 146:7-10
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44

We must live by the obedience of faith, a faith that shows itself in works of charity and self-giving (see Galatians 5:6). That’s the lesson of the two widows in today’s liturgy.

The widow in the First Reading isn’t even a Jew, yet she trusts in the word of Elijah and the promise of his Lord. Facing sure starvation, she gives all that she has, her last bit of food—feeding the man of God before herself and her family.

The widow in the Gospel also gives all that she has, offering her last bit of money to support the work of God’s priests in the Temple.

In their self-sacrifice, these widows embody the love that Jesus last week revealed as the heart of the Law and the Gospel. They mirror the Father’s love in giving His only Son, and Christ’s love in sacrificing himself on the cross.

Again in today’s Epistle, we hear Christ described as a new high priest and the suffering servant foretold by Isaiah. On the cross, He made sacrifice once and for all to take away our sin and bring us to salvation (see Isaiah 53:12).

And again we are called to imitate His sacrifice of love in our own lives. We will be judged, not by how much we give—for the scribes and wealthy contribute far more than the widow. Rather, we will be judged by whether our gifts reflect our livelihood, our whole beings, all our heart and soul, mind and strength.

Are we giving all that we can to the Lord—not out of a sense of forced duty, but in a spirit of generosity and love (see 2 Corinthians 9:6-7)?

Do not be afraid, the man of God tells us today. As we sing in today’s Psalm, the Lord will provide for us, as he sustains the widow.

Today, let us follow the widows’ example, doing what God asks, confident that our jars of flour will not grow empty, nor our jugs of oil run dry.

(c/o St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology: www.salvationhistory.com)

Our Hope in the Eucharist

Nov. 09 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) hailed "the rediscovery of Eucharistic adoration" during a November 9 meeting with members of the Pontifical Committee for the International Eucharistic Congress.
The Holy Father thanked committee members for their work in preparation for the 49th International Eucharistic Congress, which will be held in Quebec in June 2008. He said that the event was certain to be "a source of spiritual renewal, an occasion to make better known the blessed Eucharist."
"How much need modern humanity has to rediscover the source of its hope in the sacrament of the Eucharist!" the Pope said. He took special note of the presence of many members of the group Adorers of the Eucharist, and said the revival of Eucharistic adoration is a welcome development-- one which he hopes "will become ever more widespread."
Pope Benedict predicted that the public release of his apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist, concluding the work of the 2005 Synod of Bishop on the topic, would help preparations for the International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec. Although no date has been set for the release of that papal document, informed Vatican observers have said that its promulgation is now "imminent."
The International Eucharistic Congress was born in France late in the 19th century, inspired by St. Pierre Julien Eymard and with organizational leadership from a lay woman, Emilie Tamiser. With the support of Pope Leo XIII, the first Eucharistic Congress was held in Lille in 1881. Gradually spreading around the world, the Eucharistic Congress movement encouraged frequent reception of the Eucharist by Catholic adults, and careful attention to preparing young children for their First Communion.

Just plain awful!

For those of you who have weak liturgical hearts....turn away! I hate the liturgical wars that continue in the Latin rite, but this is way too over-the-top to ignore.

Vote! Just do it!

In an address to European politicians on March 30, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI stated: “ As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the principal focus of her interventions in the public arena is the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person, and she is thereby consciously drawing particular attention to principles which are not negotiable. Among these the following emerge clearly today: • Protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death;• Recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family – as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage – and its defense from attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different forms of union which in reality harm it and contribute to its destabilization, obscuring its particular character and its irreplaceable social role;• The protection of the rights of parents to educate their children.”

Why I am Happy to be Catholic!

Below are various quotes and posts regarding the recently installed Katherine Jefferts Schori as the presiding "bishop" of the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA). (The Episcopal Church USA is related to the Anglican Communion, but there has arisen the potential of schism from the various member "churches" due to the actions of ECUSA in the last few years, most notably the elevation to "bishop" of an openly gay man.)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Katharine Jefferts Schori took office Saturday as the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States -- a first not only for her country but also for the global Anglican Communion, which has never before had a female priest leading one of its provinces.

Her job is further complicated by her personal support for Robinson's election. She believes the church should ordain gays and bless same-sex couples, though she insists she won't impose her views on others.

She will now represent the American denomination and faces many Anglican leaders angered by the 2003 consecration of the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, and some that oppose ordination of women.

"If some in this church feel wounded by recent decisions, then our salvation, our health as a body, is at some hazard and it becomes the duty of all of us to seek healing and wholeness," Jefferts Schori said in her sermon Saturday.

That may not be enough to appease other branches of the Anglican family, which take a traditional view that gay relationships are prohibited by Scripture. Referring to the Anglican leaders who reject the idea of women's ordination: Jefferts Schori has said they'll have to "get over it."

The problem is that to sacrifice "truth" in order to "seek healing" is just plain wrong and is actually against the main job of a "bishop." How would actual bishops respond to this line of thinking? What do you think St. Athanasius or St. Ignatius of Antioch would do in this situation? They would certainly choose death or exile. You know with all the petty squabbles we have now a days in the Catholic Church, the ongoing collapse of the Episcopal Church serves to show how blessed we are to have the Pope and those legitimate bishops united to him.

Lets look at a interview from "Stand Firm", which is a traditional Anglican site. I think these comments which will flesh out even more the huge problems that exist in ECUSA:

RY: TIME Magazine asked you an interesting question, we thought, "Is belief in Jesus the only way to get to heaven?" And your answer, equally interesting, you said "We who practice the Christian tradition understand him as our vehicle to the divine. But for us to assume that God could not act in other ways is, I think, to put God in an awfully small box." And I read that and I said "What are you: a Unitarian?!?" [laughs] What are you-- that is another concern for people, because, they say Scripture says that Jesus says he was The Light and The Way and the only way to God the Father.

KJS: Christians understand that Jesus is the route to God. Umm-- that is not to say that Muslims, or Sikhs, or Jains, come to God in a radically different way. They come to God through... human experience... through human experience of the divine. Christians talk about that in terms of Jesus.

RY: So you're saying there are other ways to God.

KJS: Uhh... human communities have always searched for relationship that which is beyond them.. with the ultimate.. with the divine. For Christians, we say that our route to God is through Jesus. Uhh.. uh..that doesn't mean that a Hindu.. uh.. doesn't experience God except through Jesus. It-it-it says that Hindus and people of other faith traditions approach God through their.. own cultural contexts; they relate to God, they experience God in human relationships, as well as ones that transcend human relationships; and Christians would say those are our experiences of Jesus; of God through the experience of Jesus.

RY: It sounds like you're saying it's a parallel reality, but in another culture and language.

KJS: I think that's accurate.. I think that's accurate.

I thought I read in some book that a guy named Jesus said that he was "The Way, the Truth, and the Life."

These quotes are not to poke fun or ridicule what is happening in ECUSA, but simply to show how some "churches" are falling away from traditional Christian beliefs in order to accomodate themselves with the "modern" world. Again, we should pray for our seperated brethren, but also give thanks to God for giving us the Church. This Church, founded in 33AD by Our Lord himself, will never be overcome by the world, by our own sinfulness, or Satan himself.

Praise be to Jesus Christ!

Happy All Souls Day!

Remember to pray for those souls who are in purgatory!

Eternal Father,

I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my family.
Amen.

New Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Detroit

A priest of the Corpus Christi diocese, Msgr. Daniel Flores, is named auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Detroit. Cardinal Maida says he's delighted that the bishop-elect "is now part of our team," and indicates the new bishop's ministry will include a special focus on Hispanic concerns in the Detroit archdiocese. For his part, Bishop-elect Flores says he is "humbled" by Pope Benedict XVI's expression of confidence in him, and "looks forward to learning and serving in my new home." (www.aodonline.org)

Below is a short article he wrote for a diocesan paper in southern Texas in 2000:

The Church is a mystery of love. She is not a mystery in the manner of a mystery novel, the kind where with enough time and persevering to the end of the story, the plot makes sense.
And the mystery of the Church is not like the scientific problems associated to figuring out how the nerve endings relate to the brain cells that make human thinking possible; for that is the kind of mystery that science will come ever closer to describing accurately (with enough time).
No. She is a mystery like Marriage is a mystery; the mystery of a union lived, plodded through, suffered with, rejoiced in, and never exhausted.

Thus does Saint Paul speak when he says in Ephesians 5, 31, that marriage is the great mystery, I refer to Christ and the Church.

This way of understanding mystery has to do with how all things find their ultimate reason for being in the love poured out from Christ on the Cross.

The sacrament of Marriage flows from that pouring, as does the Eucharist, the Priesthood, the power to forgive sins; indeed the whole reality that is the complexity of one Church in many members.

As a result of this outpouring, all the members who live the mystery we call the Church show forth the sign of their origin.

Just like sunlight can be said to show forth a sign of its source in the Sun itself, so also each is asked by Him to live a life marked by the love that gives us life. Born from the wounded side of a Crucified savior, washed in that blood, we are made fit for his Father's house by becoming what we have received.

But the making fit implies that we receive Christ in imitation of that selflessness that inspired his coming and his going. That is the whole point; He came and went, so that we could receive and follow.

The Church is why He came, which is the same as saying we are why He came. The Church teaches, proclaims, and announces in obedience to Him; that is part of the mystery. She fails, repents and falls upon his mercy. That too is why He came.
He did not come only to show himself loving; He came to love us in the showing, and by the showing lead us home. The Paschal mystery, from Holy Thursday to Pentecost Sunday, from the blood and the water to the Spirit and fire, is the great drama of this showing and leading, leading and showing.

But we will miss the mystery if we only analyze its shape; we will miss the leading if we only observe from a distance.

If we wish to draw fruit from the showing, then we must love what He has done. This means that we are asked humbly to love the Church in the full dimension of her life, including saints and sinners, Popes and paupers, the luke-warm and the zealously devoted.

We love Christ in loving her, for He gave Himself up to make it possible for the mystery to be born, to grow, and to be the living sign of the offer of Himself to the whole human race.
And He who is united to her in an indissoluble bond will not allow us to love Him without loving also the work He has done. We are the work He has done; let us give thanks for that. To Him be praise forever and ever. Amen.
(http://www.goccn.org/stc/articles/article.cfm?article=49)