found on She's A Crafty Pumpkin:If we want to adore God with praise and thanksgiving we are going to have to learn to stop seeing everything as a "problem" or "interruption" and begin to be open to seeing God's goodness and interventions even in the most unlikely of places.
- from How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist, by Michael Dubruiel
Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday encouraged the display of religious symbols in public buildings including schools, courthouses, hospitals and prisons, saying that God needs to be present in community life.
The pontiff, in a speech to participants of a national convention organized by the Union of Italian Catholic Jurists, said that at its origin, "lay status" referred merely to a person of Christian faith who was not a member of the clergy or a part of the religious state.
However, in modern times it has come to mean the opposite, Benedict said.
Nowadays, "a lay status entails the exclusion of religious symbols from public places," Benedict said. "The basis of such a concept is an a-religious vision of life, of thought and of morality; that is a vision where there is no room for God, for a mystery that transcends pure reason, for a moral law that has an absolute value."
"It is the job then, of all believers ... to help elaborate a concept of laicism that on the one hand gives God and His moral laws, Christ and His church the place it deserves in life ... and on the other affirms and respects the legitimate autonomy of terrestrial realities," the pope said
...a great read--obviously about the virtues, but likely unlike any book about the virtues you've ever read before. Very entertaining read, Father has a way of approaching the virtues that is refreshing. It would make a great Christmas gift!
The pope said: “Not only did Mary not commit any sin, she was also protected from the common legacy of mankind that is original sin. And this because of the mission for which she was always destined by God: to be the Mother of the Redeemer. All this is contained in the truth of faith of the ‘Immaculate Conception’. The biblical foundation of this dogma is found in the words that the Angel spoke to the maiden of Nazareth: ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ (Lk 1:28). ‘Full of grace’ – in the original Greek kecharitoméne – is the most beautiful name of Mary, the one that God Himself gave her, to indicate that she has always been and will always be the beloved, elected, the one chosen to welcome the most precious gift, Jesus, ‘love incarnate of God’ (Enc. Deus Caritas East, 12).”
The privilege of Mary, of being protected from evil, has always prompted discussion among theologians and made the secularized world smile. Benedict XVI asked: “Why did God choose Mary of Nazareth of all women?” The answer of the pope goes back to the Bible, but also to poetry, citing Dante Alighieri who in his “Paradise” dedicated to the Virgin one of the most beautiful hymns of world literature: “The answer is hidden in the unfathomable mystery of divine will. However there is the reason highlighted by the Gospel: her humility. Dante Alighieri put it well in the last canto of Paradise: ‘Thou Virgin Mother, daughter of thy Son/ Humble and high beyond all other creature/The limit fixed of eternal counsel’ (Par. XXXIII, 1-3). The Virgin herself, in the ‘Magnificat’, her canticle of praise, says: ‘My soul magnifies the Lord... for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.’ (Lk 1:46,48). Yes, God was attracted by the humility of Mary, who found favour in his eyes (cfr Lk 1:30). And thus she became the Mother of God, image and model of the Church, elected from among all peoples to receive the blessing of the Lord and to spread it across the entire human family. This ‘blessing’ is none other than Jesus Christ himself. He is the Source of grace, with which Mary was filled right from the first moment of her existence. She welcomed Jesus with faith and with love she gave him to the world. This is also our vocation and our mission, the vocation and mission of the Church: welcoming Christ in our life and giving him to the world, ‘that the world might be saved through him’ (Jn 3:17).”
The pope recalled that Mary is a model for all Christians who in Advent await Christ with the same humility and dedication as the Mother of God did: “Dear brothers and sisters, today’s feast of the Immaculate Conception illuminates the period of Advent like a lighthouse, a time of vigilant and faithful anticipation of the Saviour. As we prepare to greet God who is coming, we look to Mary who ‘shines as a sign of sure hope and solace to the people of God during its sojourn on earth’ (Lumen gentium, 68). With this knowledge, I invite you to join me when, this afternoon, I will renew the traditional act of homage in Piazza di Spagna [Spanish steps] to this sweet Mother for grace and of grace.”
Pat walks on an artificial knee. A recovering alcoholic, he's into a 15th year without a drink. Pat's liver became diseased, so in 2004 one of the best-liked sportscasters ever needed a transplant. With those unmistakable pipes, Summerall speaks of the experience with high humility and deep appreciation.
"My new liver came from a 13-year-old African-American boy," Pat said. "A young man from Pine Bluff, Ark., who suffered an aneurism in phys ed class. I later met his mother and it was hugely emotional for both of us.
"She hugged me real tight, saying 'I feel as though I am holding part of my child,' What a powerful, heart-tugging feeling; knowing somebody had to die far too young for an old guy to keep on breathing."""
While the company will honor all existing contracts with previously
acquired authors, future contracts will require authors—even those writing in
non-religion categories like business—to signal their agreement with both the
Nicene Creed (recognized by most Protestant and Catholic, and some Orthodox,
Christians) and Philippians 4:8 from the New Testament.
Nelson's decision is not just about belief, but about the bottom line. Hyatt noted that as part of the company's preparation for this decision, it evaluated the marketplace success of recent Nelson titles that would have either passed or failed the new editorial standards. "In that study, we discovered that projects that didn't meet up to our new standards accounted for only 2% of our total 12-month revenue," he said. "Worse, titles that would not have met our standards sold, on average, 47% fewer copies than titles that met our standards."
Hyatt asserts that even with the heightened theological filter, no topic will be unpublishable for Nelson's authors. "We want to encourage them to write across a broad spectrum of categories," he said. "Some books will be explicitly Christian; some implicitly Christian. But all will be written from a broad Christian perspective. That's the unique contribution we feel called to make."
