Wednesday, January 7, 2004

How the New Bishop of Phoenix Spent His Christmas Eve

Praying Outside an Abortuary (Thanks to Pat Madrid at Envoy for linking to this story...see I told you they were orthodox over there).



From How the New Bishop of Phoenix Spent His Christmas Eve - Praying Outside an Abortuary:



"Only days after taking on his new position as the Bishop of Phoenix, Thomas J. Olmsted, joined some 200 pro-lifers in praying outside a Planned Parenthood abortuary - on Christmas Eve. The Arizona public reported it as the bishop's first public non-liturgical act as the new bishop.



The bishop's participation, although kept quiet, swelled the numbers at the prayer rally to the largest in several years.



Commenting to the media on his presence at the prayer rally Bishop Olmsted said:

'Christmas is a celebration of God becoming one of us, entering fully into our human life, especially as an unborn child in his mother's womb. I am here to pray, not to protest. I am here to pray for the mother and the unborn child, especially those in difficult situations, that they get the help they need.'



In an especially powerful statement Bishop Olmsted said, 'This is Calvary, an innocent victim is dying here.'"

Make a Donation to Envoy Magazine

If you haven't picked up a copy or seen the great work that Envoy does in presenting the Faith in a way that is both orthodox and entertaining, check out there site. Give them a donation too...



Envoy - Make A Donation

Tuesday, January 6, 2004

Who Introduced a Quote by Mahatma Gandhi

By saying, "you know, he ran a gas station down in St. Louis"?



ABCNEWS.com ::



After being approached by The Associated Press to clarify the remarks, XXXXXX suggested in a statement late Monday that she never meant to fuel the stereotype often used as a comedic punch line that certain ethnic groups run America's gas stations.



First of all, yes she did.



Secondly, if you read the piece you find that unlike most people who would be crucified and their political careers ruined--she is given a pass.



Who is it?



Go to ABC News and find out.



Madonna and Child





Photo of Amy and Joseph taken outside of St. Procopius Abbey in suburban Chicago last month.

Rose's Confession Doesn't Change a Thing

From where they love him most, Pete Rose's confession wins no sympathy. If anything I think Cincinnati feels betrayed.



From Rose's confession doesn't change a thing:



However muddled Pete Rose's case has become, eligibility for the Hall of Fame is a different issue from eligibility to manage a team. Two years after his banishment, baseball adopted a special rule to make sure Rose, who holds 32 records from his playing career, could not be inducted into the Hall of Fame. That's dubious, retroactive punishment. Rose was a great player on the field. His last chance to appear on the writers' ballot is December 2005. He belongs on that ballot. The traditional ticket to the Hall of Fame all along has been the vote by the baseball writers. The decision on whether Rose belongs in the Hall ought to be left up to the baseball writers.



His gambling will never erase what he did on the field. And putting him in the Hall will never erase the shame he brought on himself and the game he loved.




Memorial of Blessed Andre

Here is a link to the Shrine of St. Joseph that he founded which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year!



L'Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal

Monday, January 5, 2004

Where to Find Christ if You've Lost Him

From John Donne and our friends at the Bruderhof Communities - They Took My Lord Away by John Donne:



"To lose Christ may befall the most righteous person that is; but then he knows where he left him; he knows at what time he lost his way, and where to seek it again. Even Christ's imagined father and his true mother, Joseph and Mary, lost him, and lost him in the holy city at Jerusalem. They lost him and knew it not. They lost him and went a day's journey without him and thought him to be in the company. But as soon as they comprehended their error, they sought and they found him, when as his mother told him, his father and she had sought with a heavy heart.



Alas we may lose him at Jerusalem, even in his own house, even at this moment while we pretend to do him service. We may lose him by suffering our thoughts to look back with pleasure upon the sins which we have committed, or to look forward with greediness upon some sin that is now in our purpose and prosecution. We may lose him at Jerusalem, how much more, if our dwelling be a Babylon in confusion and mingling God and the world together, or if it be a Sodom, a wanton and intemperate misuse of God's benefits to us. We may think him in the company when he is not; we may mistake his house; we may take a conventicle for a Church; we may mistake his apparel, that is, the outward form of his worship; we may mistake the person, that is, associate ourselves to such as are no members of his body.



But if we do not return to our diligence to seek him, and seek him, and seek him with a heavy heart, though we began with a taking away - other men, other temptations took him away - yet we end in a casting away, we ourselves cast him away since we have been told where to find him and have not sought him. And let no one be afraid to seek or find him for fear of the loss of good company; faith is no sullen thing, it is not a melancholy, there is not so sociable a thing as the love of Christ Jesus.

"