Joseph in Milwaukee's Miller Park







He's wearing what he calls the "fish hat" backwards. It is a Florida Marlin's ball cap and we were watching the Brewers play and getting beat by the Mighty Marlins--("mighty" being a reference from Hemmingway's characterisation of the Marlin in The Old Man and the Sea)

Paul Elie Laments the Leadership of the Church



From the op-ed in the NY Times, A Church in Search of Followers



A very quotable line in the piece is,



But in the meantime, in their drive to protect their dioceses' worldly assets, the bishops are squandering the church's only asset of any value: its claim to fidelity to Christ and the Gospel.

Bring the Kneelers Back!



From The Beacon Journal:



Kneeling has its price, and churches in Stark and Portage counties soon may have to pay it.



Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, who leads the six-county Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, has sent a letter to the 116 parishes he supervises making it clear that kneeling is required while parts of the Mass are being celebrated.



That's created a problem in the pews at churches such as Holy Spirit in Uniontown.



When it was built in 1986, the Catholic church had been rumored to be moving away from the practice of kneeling during the Mass. And since standing was recognized by the church as a sacred position, it seemed reasonable to cut costs by building a sanctuary without kneelers.



Now, the parish of more than 500 families is faced with the challenge of installing kneelers to comply with Tobin's directive. It's a challenge that could cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Death Ship Delayed by Storm (or God?)



From the (washingtonpost.com):



A storm raging on the Baltic on Friday is set to delay a Dutch floating abortion clinic's controversial stop in Poland in a challenge to the Roman Catholic country's strict laws on terminating pregnancy.



The ship, which offers abortions in international waters to women in countries where the procedure is more restricted than in the Netherlands, will remain at sea until at least Saturday, according to the Women on Waves Foundation which runs it.

Busey World - I'm With Busey. Gary Busey reality show



A new show on Comedy is very unique and quite funny, if not a bit over the top.

Christian One-Liners (sent to me by a friend who lives in the deep south)



Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't

belong.



The phrase that is guaranteed to wake up an audience: "And in

conclusion."



If the church wants a better preacher, it only needs to pray for the

one it has.



God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why

should you?



To make a long story short, don't tell it.



Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.



Peace starts with a smile.



I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it

make which one you stay home from?



Be ye fishers of men. You catch them - He'll clean them.



Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.



Don't put a question mark where God put a period.



Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.



Forbidden fruits create many jams.



God grades on the cross, not the curve.



God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over

"religious nuts!"



God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.



He who angers you, controls you!



If God is your Co-pilot - swap seats!



Prayer: Don't give God instructions - just report for duty!



The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

Harry Potter Casts Spell Over Animal Kingdom Too!







Hope this doesn't have anything to do with the plot of the new book. I'd hate to be accused of crossing paths with J. K. Rowling who is suing the Daily News for big bucks!

Iraqi Information Minister Revisited



I fear that the Iraqi Foreign Information Minister may reimerge in the coming days as a spokesperson for a group that is under fire from the media and seems incapable of rising to the occaision of dealing honestly with the heat. Rather we are likely to hear that "there is no problem", "this is a fabrication of the media", and maybe even "there never was a bishop named O'Brien in Phoenix."



While the antics of the "information" minister in Iraq were amusing, one cannot say the same for those who follow the one that said "you shall know the truth and it shall make you free." My hope is that within the tight knit group there is a holy man who will rise up and lead the Church both honestly and truthfully. This bishop would rally the many good bishops and leave behind those who are more comfortable blaming everyone else for their personal failures and insist on trying to drag the lot of bishops down to their level.



Please offer your prayers these days that such a bishop (and they are there) might be moved by the Spirit of God to take on this role.

Governor Keating Defends Himself in the NY Times Today



From the NY Times:



A few opponents of the board have said we went too far, engaging in what one resistant diocesan newspaper termed a "witch hunt." Again, I do not agree. This is not about pilfering Saturday night bingo proceeds; it concerns horrific actions by a small cadre of priests who have victimized hundreds — perhaps thousands — of children and adolescents, and defiled the institution they claimed to serve.



Sexual abuse leaves lifelong emotional scars. In the past year, I met with many victims of abuse. I heard their heartbreaking stories of damaged lives and broken trust. I pledged to them that they would have a voice, and I am convinced that they will continue to be heard, if only because most Catholics know that right is on their side.



Sadly, a few church leaders, including some in large dioceses, chose to resist and obstruct the board. When we asked valid questions, they gave us few or no answers. Where information and cooperation was called for, we received delay or an outright refusal to help.



These few leaders turned to their lawyers when they should have looked into their hearts — and I expressed my disgust with them. I am a candid person, and that makes some people uncomfortable. So be it. Obstructing justice, excusing and concealing those who victimize innocent children: these are not the actions of holy men. They are sins — and they are crimes. God may hold them accountable in the next world, but we will certainly hold them accountable in this one.



Those who have sought to block the board are few, and I am convinced they will remain ineffective. From Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, to the many parish priests and members of the laity who wrote or called me, I am grateful — for their support, but most of all grateful that they understand how vital it is to restore trust in our church.



That work continues. With God's help, it will succeed in cleansing the church of a vast stain.

Index of Leading Catholic Indicators



Interesting new book that examines statistical data concerning all things Catholic. Here you will find an interview with the author Ken Jones. Here is a bit to whet your appetite:



The devastation of religious orders of women since Vatican II can only be described as shocking. In 1965 there were almost 180,000 nuns in the United States. Today there are 75,000, with an average age of 69. By 2020 we have projected that there will be 21,000 below age 70. It is not being an alarmist to say that within our lifetime, there will be virtually no nuns in the United States - a stunning turn of events since 1965.



Do the statistics show anything about the ordinary life of Catholics? Again, in all areas there has been a dramatic decline. In 1965 there were 1.3 million infant baptisms, in 2002 there were 1 million. (In the same period the number of Catholics in the United States rose from 45 million to 65 million.) In 1965 there were 126,000 adult baptisms - converts - in 2002 there were 80,000. In 1965 there were 352,000 Catholic marriages, in 2002 there were 256,000. In 1968 there were 338 annulments, in 2002 there were 50,000.



Attendance at Mass has also plummeted. A 1958 Gallup poll reported that 74 percent of Catholics went to Sunday Mass in 1958. A 1994 University of Notre Dame study found that the attendance rate was 26.6 percent. A more recent study by Fordham University professor James Lothian concluded that 65 percent of Catholics went to Sunday Mass in 1965, while the rate dropped to 25 percent in 2000.



What about Catholic education? This is one area that particularly surprised me, because I was not aware of how dramatically enrollment has declined at Catholic schools since the Council. For example, between 1965 and 2002 the number of diocesan high schools fell from 1,566 to 786, and the number of students dropped from almost 700,000 to 386,000. At the grade school level, there were 10,503 parochial schools in 1965 and 6,623 in 2002. The number of students went from 4.5 million to 1.9 million.



Some people say, “We know the numbers have declined since the Council, but the downward trend started before the Council.” How do you respond? I respond by saying it’s simply not true. An especially helpful feature to my book is that my statistical analysis starts in the 1920s and 1930s, so trends can be discovered. For example, look at the number of total seminarians. There were about 9,000 in 1920, 17,000 in 1940, 25,000 in 1950, almost 40,000 in 1960, and 49,000 in 1965 - a consistent trend upward. In 1970 there were 28,000 seminarians - a decline of over 41 percent in just five years. In 2002 there were 4,700. This pattern is reflected in every area - a steady increase until the Council, and a dramatic decline afterwards.

Alleged Victim of Clergy Abuse Nearly Drowns in Pope John Paul II Park



From Boston Globe Online:



One of the alleged sexual abuse victims of convicted child molester and defrocked priest John J. Geoghan nearly drowned yesterday afternoon in the Neponset River in Dorchester's Pope John Paul II Park, authorities said.



Patrick McSorley, 28, of Hyde Park, was in critical condition last night at Boston Medical Center, where he was taken by ambulance after a friend found him splashing and struggling in the river, said David Procopio, the Suffolk district attorney's spokesman.

Power of the Laity in the Tradition of the Catholic Church



The current crisis in the Church might be compared to the Arian heresy of the fourth century. I have made this argument in other places on this blog in the past--that there are some in the Church represented in every sector both lay and cleric that I believe are in heresy. These have rejected the miraculous, the Divinity of Christ, His Resurrection, and His founding of the Church--yet they continue within and the damage they do is great.



In the atmosphere of a church seeking to reconcile with the elements that have separated from us--the faithful have been made to endure all sorts of silliness and in some cases evil in the spirit of not repeating the mistakes of the past. Heresy is a word that one seldom hears in the post Vatican II church except in the cases of ultra right wing Catholics. But heresy is very much a part of the tradition of the Church and to ignore its presence in the modern church can only do great damage to the Body of Christ.



There is an old Latin saying that says, "Every heresy comes from the altar" and another that says that the laity always save the church. The temptation of the laity is to think that they are powerless to change the current condition and indeed this is a grave temptation and one that ignores the reality that without the laity the church is beheaded.



The tradition of the Church going back to the election of St. Ambrose is that the laity do have real power in the church that is exercised through them by the Holy Spirit. It is time to revisit the story of the election of St. Ambrose and for the faithful to present the best that the Church has to offer as candidates for the priesthood and episcopacy. This can be done concretely by sending letters to the Apostolic Delegate in the United States and to the Holy See itself. If we are not doing it then we are leaving it to members of the clerical club to do it.



There is another power that the laity have and unfortunately do not use--prayer. Prayer is incredibly powerful. Jesus said that if we had faith we could say to a mountain be moved and planted in the sea and it would obey us! If we all join our prayers for reform in the church it will happen! If we sit back and feel like we can't make a difference and therefore ignore the condition of the church, our parish, our diocese, then things will only get worst.



If everyone who reads this post would pray concretely for change and reformation in the church--change and reform will happen. The reason many of us feel hopeless from time to time is because we have bought into the heretical teachings that we have been fed (even if we have fought off accepting them--the seeds have been sown), the only way to overcome these teachings is to act in faith that Christ is all powerful and we are members of His Body the Church.



Here is the account of the election of St. Ambrose as bishop. What would happen if there were similiar popular acclaim today in Boston, Philadelphia, Phoenix and any other open diocese in the U.S.?



Election of St. Ambrose by the People of Milan and Confirmation of the Emperor



The Arian Bishop Auxentius of Milan, who banned Catholic congregations from worshipping in the diocese's churches, died in 374, and the Arians and Catholics fought over the vacant position which exercised a metropolitan's jurisdiction over the whole of northern Italy. Ambrose had only been in Milan for three years at the time of the bishop's death and he expected that there might be trouble over the selection of his successor.



So, Ambrose, who was a Catholic in name but still a catechumen, went to the cathedral to try to calm the rival parties. During his speech exhorting the people to concord and tranquility, a child is said to have cried, "Ambrose for bishop!" The cry was taken up by both sides, neither of which was anxious to decide the issue between them. The local bishops had asked Emperor Valentinian to make the appointment but he turned the dubious honor back to the bishops. Now the matter was out of their hands. Ambrose was unanimously elected bishop by all parties.



The election of Ambrose, the one in charge of the local police, heightens our awareness of a truism: all clergy are recruited from the laity. It is better to choose an irreproachable person esteemed by all, than a savant who sows discord. The choice of Ambrose was a bold one, but it surprises no one but us.



Our attitudes towards vocations seems different than that in the early church. We today see a vocation as the story of a soul-- discernment of the vocation privately, preparation in a seminary, and gradual growth into the clerical role. For the early Church it was above all the call of God expressed by the Church. To our taste, the secret history of Ambrose's soul did not count enough. But we forget that it is the Holy Spirit through the Church that calls.



What did Ambrose think of this call? At first he protested (just like the prophets) saying he was not even baptized, and fled rather than yield to the tumult. St. Paulinus of Nola wrote of the incident:



"Ambrose left the church and had his tribunal prepared. . . . Contrary to his custom, he ordered people submitted to torture. When this was done the people did not acclaim him any the less [saying]: 'May his sin fall on us!' The people of Milan, knowing that Ambrose had not been baptized, sincerely promised him a remission of all his sins by the grace of baptism.



"Troubled, Ambrose returned to his house. . . . Openly he had prostitutes come in for the sole purpose, of course, that once the people saw that, they would go back on their decision. But the crowd only cried all the louder: 'May your sin fall on us'" (Paulinus, Life of Ambrose, 7).



The people, however, continually pursued him and insisted that he take the see. The emperor confirmed the nomination and Ambrose capitulated. Beginning on November 24, 373, Ambrose was taken through baptism and the various orders to be consecrated as bishop on December 1 or 7--one or two weeks later. (Talk about fast track!) (The dates vary somewhat depending on the source.)

Yes, You've Received a Message, but for Whom?



Upon my recent travels I had an interesting conversation with a well known priest about matters mystical. He recounted a tale of a woman who was claiming to receive messages from the Blessed Virgin Mary for ten years. Over that period of time the Virgin had given the woman quite a volume of material that she, the Virgin, wished for the seer to make public. The seer had brought the material to my priest friend for his review.



Being a wise and discerning priest who is literally besieged with this type of phenomena on a daily basis, he enlisted the help of a woman that he knows to have the gift of discernment. She read through the material and requested a meeting with the seer.



The first question that she asked the seer was this, "How long have you not spoke to your husband?"



"Ten years," the seer responded.



The woman handed the volumes of messages to her and said, "Give these to him, it is everything you've wanted to say to him during all that time."

Now the Pope Accepts Phoenix Bishop's Resignation



From CNN.com:





Pope John Paul II has accepted the resignation of Bishop Thomas O'Brien of Phoenix, Arizona, who faces charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, CNN confirmed Wednesday.



O'Brien, 67, was charged Tuesday, about two weeks after signing a deal to avoid prosecution stemming from his handling of a sex abuse scandal.

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Well Thought Out Critique of What's Wrong with Seminary Formation



By Father Rob Johansen, read it at Crisis Magazine What's Wrong with our Seminaries?



I once read somewhere that the Historical Critical method is useful for translators--so that they know the true meaning of the "word" they are translating from one setting in history to another but useless in translating the translation into a different culture. Here is Father Rob's take on the method:



Apart from the tedium and consequent disinterest in Scripture that such total reliance on the historical-critical method engenders, the other problem with it is that it’s virtually useless for training priests to preach meaningfully from the Scriptures. The historical-critical method is certainly helpful for understanding the background and context of a Scripture passage, but it’s powerless to answer the questions in the minds of the average Catholic in the pew: How does this scripture relate to my life as a Catholic, and how does it nourish my faith? The historical-critical approach is even more inimical to penetrating the mysteries of the Faith themselves. To do that, one needs the Fathers and the spiritual senses, and that’s precisely what our seminarians aren’t getting. While this deficiency may not be the sole cause of the poor preaching many Catholics experience today, it certainly doesn’t help.

Harry Potter and the Bishop of Phoenix



There is a lot of security right now trying to keep anyone from stealing the latest Harry Potter book to be released this Friday night at the stroke of midnight. Across the nation children will crowd bookstores awaiting the latest tome from J. K. Rowling that some are reporting features such treats as vomit flavored cotton candy--just the smell of such a treat would be enough for me to be a manufacturer of a future batch!



At the same time as the the latest Potter book is being released and revealed the bishops of the U.S. will be going into secrecy at their semi-annual meeting. We can only speculate as to what they will be discussing but there is little doubt that the Bishop of Phoenix might be a late addition to the agenda. His scandalous "hit and run" accident is as scandalous as any event that he has covered up in his diocese and is seen by every Catholic that I have spoken with as a great betrayal, if not a sign of sickness (perhaps alcoholism as one person speculates).



The secrecy of the bishops will do nothing to take away the media circus from the environs of the St. Louis meeting, in fact one might speculate that the usually forgotten June meeting of the bishops is likely to receive more coverage than ever because of the secrecy in the same way that the antics of the publisher of the Potter books keeps the attempts to steal the book on the front page daily before the actual release of the title.



Harry Potter is about magic, the Christian religion is about truth, setting your light on a hill where everyone can see your good works. There are magicians in the Scriptures--they seek to replicate the miracles that the believers in God work. In the modern world sometimes it is a little hard to tell who are the magicians and who are the believers or if there are any believers out there.



Magic usually arises out of fear. A person like the title character Harry Potter, rejected by his foster family, gets to the point that reality is too difficult to deal with, so they flea into the world of "make believe" where they are powerful and in charge.



Christ offers a different type of empowerment. Christians are people who are able to face any eventuality and to see in the cross--the light of the resurrection. They can face what might defeat the unbeliever because they know that ultimately the definition of who they are comes from God not from the crowd shouting "crucify him!"



The "hit and run" mentality of not facing up to the consequences of the failures of those in the church is "fear" based and frankly reaks of folks living in a magical kingdom rather than the Kingdom of God. It sort of reminds me of the apostles fleeing Christ upon His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.



Folks, it all comes down to faith and faith comes through prayer and trust in God. It isn't an escape from reality it is an imersion into reality. It means facing up to all the difficulties of the present moment and doing the right thing.



Which brings us to "us". How can we work to reform ourselves and the Church? What can we do to support the work of good bishops and priests to further the establishment of the Kingdom of God?



These are the big questions and there is no magical answer to any of them, but through trust in God (exemplified by prayer and lots of it) we will find that we are able to face them and make a big difference no matter how small we are in God's Kingdom.

Need to Replace that Ink Cartridge?



The Cistercians offer you an inexpensive option:Welcome to LaserMonks

St. John Paul the First?



From Newsday.com:



The case is growing for making the pope's predecessor a saint, church officials said Monday. John Paul I, born Albino Luciani, was pontiff for 33 days in 1978.



The northern Italian diocese where he was born is gathering testimony about his life in hopes of persuading the Vatican that he should be made a saint, a process that can take years or even decades.



The Rev. Giuseppe Bratti, secretary to the bishop of Belluno-Feltre, said the testimony includes increasing accounts of possible miracles that faithful attribute to John Paul I.

Trinity Sunday



Today would be a good day to preach on God the Father, don't you think? It is Father's Day and Trinity Sunday. The Holy Spirit should have got some play last week for the Solemnity of Pentecost and Jesus has gotten play all year long, so today we should defintely hear something about God the Father.



In my dealings with people over spiritual matters, I've found that a lot of people have problems with God the Father. Of course it has more to do with earthly matters in the end than with God. Since I would remind all that when St. Philip asked Jesus to "show us the Father" that Jesus replied "anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." So in reality a good homily on the "Father" would be like a good homily on "Jesus." It would be kind of like most artists' rendition of the Trinity where God the Father is just an older version of Our Lord.



Today try to foster an ongoing sense of the adoration due to God the Father- thanking Him for all of creation with every breath that you take!

Overpopulation of Deer?



I think I counted at least 20 deer last night in our 100 mile trip back from Michigan. Two here, one there all grazing near the fast moving traffic--looking up every now and again at some faces peering in the distance in their direction.



Kind of the way that I feel when we do these booksignings that are almost always poorly planned and carried out. People come in looking at you, like who the hell are you, and you get the idea that the managers of the store haven't really done a lot of advertising or forethought about the whole enterprise that you are providing for them for free. In other words it didn't cost the bookstore anything to have us there and they made at least an extra $300+ bucks for the two hours that we were there explaining our books to their customers. But I'll bet if they had thought about it a bit more and promoted the heck out of the fact that two authors who between them have ten published books in the Catholic market--they could have made ten times that amount.



But it strikes me that many out there are a whole lot like those deer. Just grazing by the busy interstate and perhaps a little bit of grieving over the few who risk crossing the interstate and lie dead--feet up in the air by the side of the road.

Travels



Amy and I have been on the road all this week. Tuesday I met with one of our authors in downtown Chicago then we headed off to Milwaukee, WI for an evening baseball game at the relatively new Miller Park. There were few in attendance (I think they announced a crowd of 11,000 but there were hardly more than 5,000 there). The mighty Florida Marlins won handily 12-4. Before going to the game we stopped in at the Cathedral in Milwaukee which underwent a renovation a few years ago. Amy has commented that I don't particularly care for the "Mother of the Church" statue, so let me clarify why.



First it has long been a tradition in the Church that any statue of Mary is always linked to Christ (Our Lady of Fatima is one exception that comes to mind though)--Mary is either holding the child Jesus or is pregnant with Him. This Madona seems to be just, well liberated--not encumbered with child either in her arms or womb. Her hair flies freely giving the notion of fleeing (repression, patriarchy?) and of course historically hair exposed would connote Mary Magdalene not Mary the Mother of Christ. My main problem with the image is that it strikes me to be linked to an idealogy not true devotion to the Mother of Christ and the Mother of the Church. The other statue to the right of the sanctuary is of Blessed John XXIII, again I have no problem with this image except that it clearly is trying to send a message of reform etc. (reform that I am all for by the way but not necessarily in the way that Archbishop Weakland would have conceived of it). The focus of the chuch is organ pipes something that shows the triumpth of musicians as liturgists in the post Vatican II church. Another interesting note about this cathedral is the centrality of the altar and ambo but the relatively obscurity of the "cathedra"--the bishop's chair.



One reflection that I had after this visit was how the ambry has become such a featured focus of new church's. In old church's you would have had a hard time locating the receptical for the holy oils, now adays it is a featured site, often lit with big glass jugs holding more oil than could ever be used in a year for annointings. The other is the centrality of the Baptismal font, usually done in the name of reclaiming our liturgical roots but the church's that I have visited from the fourth century did not have a baptismal font in the entrance of the church but rather in a hidden separate room where they could be done away from the congregation. The novelty of putting one in the entrance is purely a creation of modern liturgists. So we have the exaltation of music, oil and water and exile of the Lord Jesus Christ present in the reserved Blessed Sacrament--I wonder what that says about reform?



On Friday, we visited an Eastern Catholic church in our search for a Catholic Carmelite monastery in Munster, IN. More on this when we get back from our book signing in Lansing, Michigan today. We'll be at the Rosary Book Store in Lansing today from 1-3 signing all those great Catholic books we've written! If you are in the area stop by and say hi!

Buying a Car and the Internet



I have always hated looking at cars and dealing with sales people. I realize they have to make a buck but there is so much dishonesty that goes on that it really is hard to trust anything that anyone tells you in a dealership. The internet helps the buyer a whole lot. I have learned more in the past 24 hrs about the scams that dealer pull off than I ever could have imagined. There are sites that you can find by doing a google search for "buying a new car" that will probably make a lot of you, like me, feel like an absolute idiot for past buying experiences.



I would like to single out one dealership that has a glowing reputation for being "customer friendly", namely the local Saturn dealership. First of all the quality of the Saturn cars that I have test drove is pretty bad. They seem incredibly "cheap." One that I test drove on Saturday had already been dented up. When the salesperson came to give me the costs on a sheet that included a "free DVD player and screen" the price had inflated by nearly three thousand dollars from the sticker price. Well upon closer inspection they (the notorious ever present "manager") had tacked on a stain protection plan for nearly a $1,000 extra and the entertainment package was about $4,000 dollars minus the $978 DVD player--so I had been lied to and frankly that is all it takes for me to have an impression of Saturn that will not go away anytime soon.



But back to the internet and car buying...



Besides learning all the tricks that are going to be played on you, the internet offers you the opportunity to research the reviews and other timely information on the car you are looking at--giving you an upper hand when actually test driving it. There is so much to learn and it is all here online for you to learn it.

Dubrovnik, Croatia



The Pope is in Dubrovnik, Croatia today. I've been to Dubrovnik twice in my life, both times in conjunction with a visit to Medjugordje. The first time I was there in 1989 it was part of Yugoslavia the second time it was just beginning to become part of Croatia.



Several things I remember about Dubrovnik are: that it lays claim to St. Blase of blessing of the throats fame--they sell candles there that are a unique twisting of two big candles into a "u" shape. I used to have a set but I think they were left behind in a church somewhere along my life's journey.



The other thing that I remember was a huge reliquary that included a ton of relics located in the Cathedral, including a large reliquary containing the arm of St. John the Baptist. The most impressive or questionable relics contained in this display were two both dealing with infants.



First there were the relics of the Holy Innocents martyred by King Herod. Sure enough there were little skeletal remains contained in a glass box but it would take a great amount of faith to believe that they were actually the "holy innocents" but after years of reflecting over this I have come to see that there is no doubt that they contain the bones of holy innocents who died before their families were ready to see them go.



The other "questionable" relic there is the "diaper" of Jesus. Now I admit I have never researched the question in the Anchor Bible Dictionary to see whether babies wore diapers in Palestine at the time of Christ and if they did who had the foresight to keep Jesus' diaper packed away when He no longer required it. But again my doubt has turned into faith that the relic of the diaper of Jesus points to the humanity of the Son of God at its most rudimentary expression. As cute as babies are they are capable of creating quite a mess and its left to an adult to clean up. God humbling Himself even to that point makes the mystery of the Incarnation even that more real.



I had hoped that the Pope would remark on one or the other of these Dubrovnik specialties but I looked and he did not...so I have.

Musings



I'm reading a "new" Thomas Merton book that is very good. I'm not sure if it has been released yet since I think I'm reading a review copy. The book was one that he worked on in 1959 but sat unfinished until in 1968 he finally got around to making a few corrections.



Trouble is that he had specified in a trust in 1967 that if he died this manuscript (at that time unfinished) should never be published. He left the corrected and finished copy with a priest friend and asked him to have some cloistered Carmelites read it for their review. They loved it, but in the meantime Merton never returned to pick up the manuscript, his body came back in body bag from the Orient.



The priest friend in his grief rather forgot about it too, until in the 1970's when he discovered the manuscript that the Carmelites had returned and their glowing recomendation of it. He wrote the Abott of Merton's Monastery and informed it that the book should be published as Merton had conveyed this wish to him before leaving on the trip that took his life.



Trouble is that oral testimony does not override a written will for obvious reasons ("well Daddy told me just before he died that he wanted me to inherit the farm not junior"). So the manuscript went unpublished until now. The change has come about because Cisterician Studies has published bits and pieces of it over the years and it is felt that to do the text justice the final edited version should be released.



I've read a few chapters so far and it is very good!



The name of the book is The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation

Provide Aid to Earthquake Victims in Algeria

Where to Buy the Rosary Book



Praying the Rosary

Amy Should Have Posted This One







I'll let her explain why.

Life of the Florida Fish and Game Officers



or Where People Think Jesus is a Turtle...



From Jacksonville.com:



Officers John Giles and Guy Carpenter II responded to a complaint about a man who had water turtles in an illegal enclosure. Upon arriving at the man's house, the officers found two Florida cooter turtles in a skylight that was buried like a swimming pool in the front yard.



After telling the man that the turtles needed some way to get out of the water if they wanted to, he responded by saying that one of the turtles was Jesus and that he had planned on eating both of them later in the evening.



The officers told the man that he needed to put a rock or log in the pool with the turtles so that they could get out of the water, but he decided to let them go into the lake in his back yard instead.

Thanks to Martin Farkus for This Link



Fast Lane to Heaven



Very interesting site! Man had near death experience, experienced a vision of a "lady of light" (all the more interesting that the Pope added Mysteries of Light), had a vision where he foresaw a terrorist attack on New York or Washington and major wars breaking out throughout the world starting in the Middle East as a result (all in 1984). The book predicting the major terrorist attack was published in 2001 (six months before September 11th)!

For a Peak inside the New Rosary Book



Go Here

Did Image of Mary in Florida Portend 9/11?



See Spirit Daily - Daily spiritual news from around the world for the story and pictures.

Catholic League Notes that Bruce Almighty Offfends Movie Critics



From the CATHOLIC LEAGUE for Religious and Civil Rights:



Catholic League president William Donohue commented today on the way movie critics are reacting to “Bruce Almighty”:



“Louis Giovino, the Catholic League’s director of communications, came to work today expecting to see “Bruce Almighty”; the film has comedian Jim Carrey playing God. But then I noticed that so many movie critics were upset with the religious-laden ending to the flick. This made me very happy. Indeed, it made my day.



Go to the Catholic League site for the quotes from various movie critics.

Thanks to Kathryn Lively for Her Review!



From Catholic and Christian Book Reviews:



Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with Fulton J. Sheen by Michael Dubruiel



OSV Press, 0879737158, $8.95





One might hear the name Fulton Sheen and think, assuming the person knows of Sheen, that his words and works are no longer relevant. True, the archbishop has been dead for over twenty years, and original episodes of his inspirational television show, Life is Worth Living, aired in the 1950s on a network that no longer exists, but one must consider also that the Bible is and always will be relevant. So it is with Sheen's wisdom, as a young Army solider on a tour of duty in Turkey learned once when presented with a taped series of Sheen's inspirational talks. Indeed, as this solder-turned-author Michael Dubruiel stresses, Sheen's writings on faith are timeless, as was his devotion to Christ and to spreading his Good News.





Dubruiel offers in Praying in the Presence of the Lord with Fulton J. Sheen the opportunity to reacquaint the Sheen reader with some of the bishop's more memorable reflections. For the Sheen beginner, Presence is a welcome primer of over thirty sermonettes on redemption and reperation, having a relationship with Christ, and imitating His holiness. Each is concluded with Dubruiel's own reflections on Sheen's writing, along with suggested meditations and prayers.





That Presence concludes with Sheen's reflections on war and peace make this book especially valuable for the Christian reader. "In exiling God from our national life, our politics, oue economics, and our education, it was not His Heart we pierced - it was America we slew!" he writes of another war, yet these words are still applicable, and no doubt if Sheen live today he would encourage us to heed them.

Catholic University??? Upset with Cardinal's Remarks



From Cardinal's speech upsets university - smh.com.au:



"In many parts of the world, the family is under siege," Cardinal Arinze said. "It is opposed by an anti-life mentality as is seen in contraception, abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. It is scorned and banalised by pornography, desecrated by fornication and adultery, mocked by homosexuality, sabotaged by irregular unions and cut in two by divorce."



Theresa Sanders, a professor of theology at the university, protested by leaving the stage where Cardinal Arinze was speaking. Other students upset with the comments also left, according to emails on a subscription list used by many of the university's gay and lesbian students.



Ed Ingebretsen, a professor of English at Georgetown and a priest in the American Catholic Church, said on Wednesday that Cardinal Arinze's remarks were in line with Catholic doctrine, but nonetheless seemed out of place at the commencement ceremony.



"These things are exactly what he's paid to say," Professor Ingebretsen said. "[But] it's a graduation; why he decided to do the pro-family thing no one seems to know."



Professor Ingebretsen said he was compelled, as a writer, to post a short apology on the email subscription list "on behalf of Catholics" for Cardinal Arinze's "insensitive remarks", which he termed "un-Christian".

Interesting Piece on the Pope and the Iraq War



From the New York Times:



Revisiting the Pope's Stance on Iraq



So the pope's words did not fall into an absolute void. But they certainly did not provoke any vast crisis of conscience or even, apparently, a serious setback for the Republican White House's much vaunted "Catholic strategy." Those who imagine that the Holocaust could have actually been halted by a clarion call from Pope Pius XII should take note.

The general impression is that many American Catholics were quite content to have a pope widely viewed as a peacemaker — even as they were equally content to disagree with him.



This is not a measure of waning Catholic belief. No one was more ardent in buffering the American policy against Vatican criticism than Catholic neoconservatives whose admiration for the pope usually knows no bounds. They emphasized that the pope's primary responsibility was to ensure that moral principles remained part of the public debate and that all peaceful remedies were given a fair chance.



On the other hand, they insisted, responsibility for making the factual estimates and prudent judgments needed to apply those principles always remained with laypeople and knowledgeable public authorities.



Vatican worries about the effects of the war were understandable, said George Weigel, the pope's semiofficial biographer and consistent defender. But "reasonable people can have different views about the effects," he said in an interview during the war.



Arguments like Mr. Weigel's are familiar enough. But they had usually been found in the mouths of liberal Catholic thinkers, who were now enjoying the sight of neoconservatives suddenly discovering important qualifications in their usual enthusiasm for papal leadership.



Beyond the inconsistencies revealed by this internal Catholic clash between liberal and neoconservative intellectuals, is there anything more to say about the pope's moral leadership in matters of war and peace, and its apparently limited effect?

Today is the Feast of the St. Rita of Cascia



The National Catholic Register has a story that piqued my interest because I knew the story of St. Rita and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the twist to their headline, "Raising Kids St. Rita’s Way" was going to be. Go to their site to read the article but for those of you who want to know the "rest of the story", I've included the last few paragraphs that reveal the fate of St. Rita's children--none of whom to my knowledge have been canonized (so there is a little bit of fudging going on here).



From the National Catholic Register



After St. Rita lost her family, of course, she entered the convent. After 40 years of praying there, “she received one rose that bloomed in the winter, that came to life out of time, out of the same cold ground that contained the bodies of her husband and children,” says Father DiGregorio. “She read it as a sign that God had brought out of the tragedy of their deaths their salvation through her prayers for them.”



“So what’s the real vocation of parents?” he asks. “Is it to want my children to grow us successful and comfortable? Or is it wanting my children to grow up to be saints, get to paradise and see God?”



For Catholic parents, St. Rita has the answer.



For a picture of St. Rita's incorrupt body visit Catholic POV.

Definition of a Christian?



From The Office of Readings:



Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.



And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labour under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives. They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law.



Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonour, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.



To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.



Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body’s hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together. The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself.



Diognetus gives us a lot to meditate upon. How do we see his view of a Christian matching up with how we view our lot in this world?

Terror Alert Raised Amid Threats Against Boston, NY, DC and East Coast Beaches







One wonders if one of these times the boy who cried wolf will actually be bitten?



From ABC News:



An FBI bulletin obtained by ABCNEWS points to two recent e-mails intercepted by U.S. intelligence. One message, according to the bulletin, warns of "a possible devastating attack in the next 48 hours and urged all Muslims to leave all cities, especially Boston, New York and the commercial coastline."



However, one government official said intelligence analysts have serious doubts about the credibility of the source of those messages.



A separate message targets Washington and again points to possible attacks against New York and the nation's beaches.



The nation's terror-alert status was yellow — the third level, signifying "elevated." Orange is the fourth level, and red is the fifth and highest level.

How One Diocese Dealt with Clergy Abuse Complaint



From the Albany timesunion.com:



Candles and incense burned in the chapel as a circle of clerics splashed holy oils on him, David Leonard recalled of what he described as his exorcism 25 years ago.



Murmured prayers swelled into shouts and accusations, he said. The priests were trying to expel demons they believed were troubling the 35-year-old man who said a priest sexually abused him when he was a child.

Who is Joe Scarborough?







A Floridian...

A graduate of both the University of Alabama and Florida...

A former member of Congress...

and host of MSNBC show called Scarborough Country...

and now named the "generic angry white man" by some bloggers.



For more...Joe Scarborough for Congress

Pope Reflects on His Own Death



From Pope's day before God nears, Yahoo News:



"Yesterday, I turned 83. I am ever more aware of the fact that the day when I have to account for my life before God is always closer," the pope, speaking in Polish, said on Monday in unprepared remarks in St Peter's Square to thousands of visiting Poles.

Trouble in Orthodoxy



From Telegraph | News | Greek bishop is accused of hiring hit-man to kill Patriarch:



A Greek Orthodox bishop is to be charged under anti-terrorism laws in Athens for allegedly plotting to murder the head of the ancient Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Bishop Timotheos of Vostra is accused of offering to pay a hit-man $500,000 (£354,000) to have his clerical rival, Patriarch Irenaios, killed.



According to Irenaios's lawyer, Timotheos offered the money to a Palestinian radical, Yusaf Naim al-Mufti. He was said to be angry that he had lost out to Irenaios in the 2001 election to become patriarch - one of the most sought-after roles within the Greek Orthodox Church.

Happy Birthday Pope John Paul II!



E-MAIL the Pope!







E-Mail the Holy Father a Birthday Wish by going to the Vatican Web Site and click on "BIrthday of the Holy Father" or just send your message to: John_Paul_II@vatican.va

June Carter Cash Dead







Goes to show you never can tell. Who would have thought she would have died before Johnny?

The Color of Money







Most countries have colored money, now we do too!

Russian Monks will Read Your Prayers Before Miraculous Image of the Virgin...



For a Price



From the The Scotsman - International:



MONKS at one of Russia’s most famous religious retreats, the Holy Lake Monastery of Our Lady of Iberia, have struck on a new scheme to raise cash - selling prayers on line.



Visitors to the monastery’s website (www.iveron.ru) can now complete a prayer form and send it to the monks, who pledge to read it aloud in front of the "miracle-working" Iberia icon of the Holy Virgin.



A single mention in prayers costs 25 roubles (50p), while an "eternal" mention costs 1,000 roubles (£20).



Payment can be made by post, bank transfer or using an internet payment scheme. The prayer service has provoked a torrent of criticism from believers, who have recorded their protests in the monastery’s on-line visitors’ book.

Seminarians Abducted in Uganda



From Catholic News.com:



The Ugandan army is seeking a group of rebels who abducted more than 40 trainee Catholic priests over the weekend.



Army spokesman Major Bantariza told the BBC that at least 100 soldiers had been sent to rescue the boys.



An eight-year-old boy was shot dead during the attack, which happened early on Sunday morning at the Lacor junior seminary in Gulu district, about 400km north of Uganda.



The Lord's Republican Army (LRA) rebellion has lasted 16 years, during which time thousands of children have been abducted and conscripted to fight alongside the rebels.



The director of Lacor seminary, Mathew Odong, said he fears those abducted may be forced to become LRA fighters.

Ad Limina Visits for Non-Catholic Christian Leaders?



From Catholic News.Com--Former Anglican head suggests all religious leaders report to Pope:



Dr George Carey, who retired as Archbishop of Canterbury last year, has recommended that leaders of other religious communities make regular ad limina visits to the Pope, as Catholic bishops do.



Dr Carey made his proposal on Saturday, the last day of the seminar on John Paul II: 25 Years of Pontificate, the Church at the Service of Man, organized by the Lateran University.



"I am convinced of the value of the 'ad limina' visits which the Pope has with his colleagues of the episcopate from all over the world," held every five years, he said.



Dr Carey wondered if "Pope John Paul II might consider having an informal consultation, every now and then, with the leaders of the Churches of other communions".

Modern Art



I've written about modern art on this blog before with some insight into "art imititating life." Below is a link to a UK Times piece on why it is okay not to like modern art--this reminds me of a joke that I heard on the radio the other day:



An older woman was looking at a piece of modern art in a gallery rather confused, seeing the gallery owner nearby she pointed at it and said "What is it?"



Rather condescendingly he pointed out, "It is supposed to be a mother and child."



She responded, "Then why isn't it?"



Why it's OK not to like modern art

By Julian Spalding at Times Online:



I HAVE NEVER met anyone who told me they loved modern art. No one ever came up to me, their eyes glowing with pleasure, telling me I just must see, say, the new wall drawings by Sol Lewitt in the 1970s, or the smashed-plate paintings by Julian Schnabel in the 1980s, or the life-size, glazed porcelain figures by Jeff Koons in the 1990s.



I have, however, met plenty of people who have told me that I ought to like modern art. There is some place for “ought” in life, but none at all in art; art is a gift, not a duty. The people who told me that it was my job as a curator to like modern art invariably had a vested interest in so doing: either they earned their living making, teaching, criticising or curating modern art, or they came from the worlds of the media and marketing, who genuinely admire anything that can attract so much attention.