Monday, May 2, 2005
It is Time to Renew the Church
Father Benedict Groeschel visits his seminary. Interestingly the place where he did his novitiate, fairly close to where I work was also sold and bought by another denomination.
From Father Benedict:
"The other day I visited the old seminary I had attended as a Capuchin. Because of the loss of vocations the large building on the banks of the Hudson in Garrison, New York, had been closed and later sold. It is now a Buddhist retreat house, and the staff treated me with friendliness and courtesy. It was the occasion of great sadness, however, when I saw in the place where the Blessed Sacrament had once been reserved a large and imposing statue of Buddha. I have no hostility to the Buddhist religion. Buddha himself tried to lead people to peace; more than anything else he was an ethical philosopher. Buddhists have made him into something of a god, although that term does not fit too well. The statue certainly showed a serious artistic attempt to portray divinity. What saddened me greatly was that the presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist was gone. When the Capuchin friars sold the seminary, the building was supposed to be converted into condominiums. The new owner was not able to do that, however, and resold the property to the Buddhist retreat movement. This is a sad commentary on the fact that in the last thirty or forty years Catholics in the United States have 'dropped the ball,' if I may put it that way. There may be many excuses and reasons, but history will judge that we did not do well with the vibrant faith we received from our forebears. It is time to get on with the Church's work, that is, the work Christ gives us as Catholics. It is time to renew religious education, Catholic life, and the observance of the Gospel. It is time for every Catholic who has his or her wits about them to become as fervent a Christian as possible. "
From Father Benedict:
"The other day I visited the old seminary I had attended as a Capuchin. Because of the loss of vocations the large building on the banks of the Hudson in Garrison, New York, had been closed and later sold. It is now a Buddhist retreat house, and the staff treated me with friendliness and courtesy. It was the occasion of great sadness, however, when I saw in the place where the Blessed Sacrament had once been reserved a large and imposing statue of Buddha. I have no hostility to the Buddhist religion. Buddha himself tried to lead people to peace; more than anything else he was an ethical philosopher. Buddhists have made him into something of a god, although that term does not fit too well. The statue certainly showed a serious artistic attempt to portray divinity. What saddened me greatly was that the presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist was gone. When the Capuchin friars sold the seminary, the building was supposed to be converted into condominiums. The new owner was not able to do that, however, and resold the property to the Buddhist retreat movement. This is a sad commentary on the fact that in the last thirty or forty years Catholics in the United States have 'dropped the ball,' if I may put it that way. There may be many excuses and reasons, but history will judge that we did not do well with the vibrant faith we received from our forebears. It is time to get on with the Church's work, that is, the work Christ gives us as Catholics. It is time to renew religious education, Catholic life, and the observance of the Gospel. It is time for every Catholic who has his or her wits about them to become as fervent a Christian as possible. "
Sunday, May 1, 2005
Benedict Blesses from Papal Apartment
One Fox news reporter mentioned that it seemed strange to see somone standing at the window (referring to Pope John Paul's ill health over the past few years)...
Happy Easter to the Orthodox!
Happy Feast Day to all workers under the patronage of St. Joseph...
From BBC NEWS | Europe | New Pope delivers first blessing:
"Pope Benedict XVI has given his first traditional Sunday blessing to the faithful from the same apartment window used by his predecessor.
St Peter's square was packed with tens of thousands of pilgrims, who the Pope addressed in Italian and Spanish.
He also wished Orthodox Christians a happy Easter, and mentioned the need to promote Christian unity in the world.
In delivering his blessing on May Day, Benedict XVI also called for worker's rights to be respected.
'I address you, my very dear brothers and sisters, for the first time from this window that the beloved figure of my predecessor made familiar to countless people in the entire world,' he said."
Happy Easter to the Orthodox!
Happy Feast Day to all workers under the patronage of St. Joseph...
From BBC NEWS | Europe | New Pope delivers first blessing:
"Pope Benedict XVI has given his first traditional Sunday blessing to the faithful from the same apartment window used by his predecessor.
St Peter's square was packed with tens of thousands of pilgrims, who the Pope addressed in Italian and Spanish.
He also wished Orthodox Christians a happy Easter, and mentioned the need to promote Christian unity in the world.
In delivering his blessing on May Day, Benedict XVI also called for worker's rights to be respected.
'I address you, my very dear brothers and sisters, for the first time from this window that the beloved figure of my predecessor made familiar to countless people in the entire world,' he said."
Saturday, April 30, 2005
From a Reader of The Power of the Cross
A Reader comments:
"We just finished your bible study :Power of the Cross' - ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!!!!!!. It was soooo Catholic and thank you for speaking the truth. We have a lot of Catholics out there (including myself) who missed these lessons over the last 20 years. We have made Catholicism what we wanted it to be. Not how is really is. I believe it opened the eyes of a lot of the ladies in the group."
"We just finished your bible study :Power of the Cross' - ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!!!!!!. It was soooo Catholic and thank you for speaking the truth. We have a lot of Catholics out there (including myself) who missed these lessons over the last 20 years. We have made Catholicism what we wanted it to be. Not how is really is. I believe it opened the eyes of a lot of the ladies in the group."
Welcoming Pope Benedict XVl
From Welcoming Pope Benedict XVl:
"The press has been quick to characterize Ratzinger as an inflexible and mean-spirited theologian, but I know him to be different. On one visit to him I was accompanied by one of my first grandsons, a boy who is healthy now but who had been born prematurely and had a very rough beginning. I asked Brother Joseph to bless him, and he is now a strapping fourth grader who throws a ball, plays chess, and proudly strums on a guitar. Who knows how much the heartfelt prayer of this old man helped?"
"The press has been quick to characterize Ratzinger as an inflexible and mean-spirited theologian, but I know him to be different. On one visit to him I was accompanied by one of my first grandsons, a boy who is healthy now but who had been born prematurely and had a very rough beginning. I asked Brother Joseph to bless him, and he is now a strapping fourth grader who throws a ball, plays chess, and proudly strums on a guitar. Who knows how much the heartfelt prayer of this old man helped?"
You May See This in Your Paper
It is always interesting how an interviewee chooses what you say to publish. I think he really resonated with the stress part and when he called the stress was at its height. But the book in question is ready to go to the printer and you can have a copy of what is a "beatiful" book in your hands in about three weeks. I provide the link to the book below the story...
From Pope products rushed to market: South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
"Our Sunday Visitor, an Indiana publisher of Catholic literature, bulletin inserts and offering envelopes, drew up a contract with a writer two years ago for a book about the papal succession. We Have a Pope! was expected to go to press this week, less than a month after Pope John Paul II died.
'It's being edited as it's being written. It's very stressful,' said acquisitions editor Michael Dubruiel.
'We're looking to really say, who is this man? And how is he not the caricature of him in the mainstream press?' Dubruiel said. He expects an initial printing of 40,000 copies of We Have a Pope!, about four times more than usual for the publisher."
From Pope products rushed to market: South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
"Our Sunday Visitor, an Indiana publisher of Catholic literature, bulletin inserts and offering envelopes, drew up a contract with a writer two years ago for a book about the papal succession. We Have a Pope! was expected to go to press this week, less than a month after Pope John Paul II died.
'It's being edited as it's being written. It's very stressful,' said acquisitions editor Michael Dubruiel.
'We're looking to really say, who is this man? And how is he not the caricature of him in the mainstream press?' Dubruiel said. He expects an initial printing of 40,000 copies of We Have a Pope!, about four times more than usual for the publisher."
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