Pope's Angelus Message for Today

From AsiaNews.it:

"On this XX Sunday of ordinary time, the liturgy presents us with a singular example of faith: a Canaanite woman asks Jesus to heal her daughter “cruelly tormented by a demon”. As the evangelist Matthew tells us, the Lord resists her insistent pleas and does not seem to give in, even when his own disciples intercede for her. At the end, however, faced with the perseverance and humility of this stranger, Jesus consents: “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish” (cfr Mt 15: 21-28).

“Woman, great is your faith!” This humble woman is singled out by Jesus as an example of indomitable faith. Her insistence in calling for the intervention of Christ is an encouragement for us not to lose heart, not to despair even amid life’s greatest trials. The Lord does not close his eyes to the needs of his children and in times when he seems insensitive to their pleas, this is only to put them to the test and to strengthen their faith. This is the testimony of the saints, especially the witness of martyrs, who are linked in the closest way possible to the redeeming sacrifice of Christ. In recent days, we commemorated many: the popes Ponziano and Sixtus II, the priest Ippolito, the deacon Lawrence, killed with his companions in Rome at the dawn of Christianity. We also recalled a martyr of our times, St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Edith Stein, co-patron of Europe, who died in a concentration camp; and today the liturgy presents us with a martyr of charity, who sealed his witness to the love of Christ in a bunker of starvation in Auschwitz: St Maximilian Maria Kolbe, who sacrificed himself voluntary in the place of a father, a family man.

I invite every baptized Christian and especially youths taking part in World Youth Day to look to these shining examples of gospel heroism. I invoke on all their protection and especially that of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross who spent the last years of her life right in the Carmel of Cologne. On each one let Mary’s maternal love reign, the queen of martyrs who we contemplate tomorrow in her glorious assumption into heaven."

White Wristbands Proclaim Solidarity with Pope for WYD

B16 We Come To Worship Him
JPII Be Not Afraid

The first is an allusion to Cologne being the final resting place of the Magi who followed the Star of Bethlehem to worship the new born King of the Jews...

You can purchase one for yourself at Youth For the World.

Praise the Lord, Football Season is Here!

Time for an excellent diversion from all the trials of life...

Official program of the XX WYD 2005

Official program of the XX WYD 2005

THANK YOU!!!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our 30 day appeal in which we asked the readers of this blog and Amy's Open Book to consider buying one copy of her excellent book Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life.and of my How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist on a number of those days you were able to push both books to the top of Amazon's Catholic bestseller's list!

We appreciate all those who have ordered the books through their local bookstores, or from Our Sunday Visitor directly. The boost in sales has been noted by the publisher.

So far we can only track sales made through Amazon and based on those figures we will sending $269.85 to Food for the Poor. I am still hoping and praying that we can raise that number to $2,000 by the end of September when we will receive royalty payments and a quarterly statement from Amazon. So continue to order books, any books using a link from this or Amy's page and you will be contributing to this effort!

Thanks a billion for all that you have done and we ask for you continued support by recommending the books to your pastor, DRE, RCIA leader, friends (both Catholic and non-Catholic). THANK YOU!

Amy in the News

Sprinkling Holy Water on 'The Da Vinci Code' - New York Times

WANE-TV Coverage You Can Count On: Local Author May Help Shape Future Movie

Good Reading: Award Winning Books The-Tidings.com

HoustonChronicle.com - Da Vinci Code won't translate easily to big screen

'Da Vinci' film: What role for religion? - Arts & Leisure - International Herald Tribune

Remember You are a Sinner

The greatest crisis in the Church today is the loss of consciousness of our own sins. Reform will begin not when we see ourselves as different from the world but accept that we are part of the fallen nature of the world and need Christ to save us!



Then, we will fulfill the law of Christ not to judge...and the sins of others will not give us pause to rejoice but rather to mourn our own sinfulness.



From The Desert Fathers: Selected Sayings:



"At that time a meeting was held at Sketis about a brother who had sinned. The Fathers spoke, but Abba Pior kept silent. Later, he got up and went out. He took a sack and filled it with sand and carried it on his shoulder; then he put a little sand into a small bag that he carried in front of him. When the Fathers asked him what this meant he said, 'In this sack which contains much sand, are my sins which are many; I have put them behind me so that I might not be troubled about them and so that I might not weep. And behold, here are the little sins of my brother which are in front of me, and I spend my time judging them. This is not right. Rather, I ought to carry my sins in front of me and concern myself with them, begging God to forgive me.' The Fathers stood up and said, 'Verily, this is the way of salvation.'"