Supports a move to make Latin the official language instead (just joking)...
City=Nashville, TN
Veto does not end English debate
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Pope Benedict's Lenten Message for 2007
From MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR LENT 2007:
On the Cross, it is God Himself who begs the love of His creature: He is thirsty for the love of every one of us. The Apostle Thomas recognized Jesus as “Lord and God” when he put his hand into the wound of His side. Not surprisingly, many of the saints found in the Heart of Jesus the deepest expression of this mystery of love. One could rightly say that the revelation of God’s eros toward man is, in reality, the supreme expression of His agape. In all truth, only the love that unites the free gift of oneself with the impassioned desire for reciprocity instills a joy, which eases the heaviest of burdens. Jesus said: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:32). The response the Lord ardently desires of us is above all that we welcome His love and allow ourselves to be drawn to Him. Accepting His love, however, is not enough. We need to respond to such love and devote ourselves to communicating it to others. Christ “draws me to Himself” in order to unite Himself to me, so that I learn to love the brothers with His own love.
On the Cross, it is God Himself who begs the love of His creature: He is thirsty for the love of every one of us. The Apostle Thomas recognized Jesus as “Lord and God” when he put his hand into the wound of His side. Not surprisingly, many of the saints found in the Heart of Jesus the deepest expression of this mystery of love. One could rightly say that the revelation of God’s eros toward man is, in reality, the supreme expression of His agape. In all truth, only the love that unites the free gift of oneself with the impassioned desire for reciprocity instills a joy, which eases the heaviest of burdens. Jesus said: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:32). The response the Lord ardently desires of us is above all that we welcome His love and allow ourselves to be drawn to Him. Accepting His love, however, is not enough. We need to respond to such love and devote ourselves to communicating it to others. Christ “draws me to Himself” in order to unite Himself to me, so that I learn to love the brothers with His own love.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Pope Slams Italian Civil Unions Bill
From Adnki.com:
As the Italian parliament is preparing to discuss a highly controversial government decree granting legal rights to civil unions, including same-sex couples, Pope Benedict XVI on Monday slammed the planned legislation as weakening the family and harming society. "No legislation can change the law of the Creator without making the future of society precarious with laws which are in stark contrast with natural law," the pontiff said.
"A very concrete application of this principle can be found in relation to the family, which is the intimate communion of life as founded by the Creator, with its own rules," Benedict also said. The family "has its stability under divine laws. The good fortune of spouses and society does not depend on arbitrary acts."
As the Italian parliament is preparing to discuss a highly controversial government decree granting legal rights to civil unions, including same-sex couples, Pope Benedict XVI on Monday slammed the planned legislation as weakening the family and harming society. "No legislation can change the law of the Creator without making the future of society precarious with laws which are in stark contrast with natural law," the pontiff said.
"A very concrete application of this principle can be found in relation to the family, which is the intimate communion of life as founded by the Creator, with its own rules," Benedict also said. The family "has its stability under divine laws. The good fortune of spouses and society does not depend on arbitrary acts."
Faith-related Talks Set for Thursday
From the Palladium-Item:
Writer and teacher Amy Welborn will give two talks Thursday in Richmond (IN) related to faith.
Her discussion at 7 p.m. at St. Andrew Church, 235 S. Fifth St., is free and open to the public. She will focus on prayer and how the history and traditional use of certain prayers are "a treasure worth rediscovering" and "are gifts from the past that can be used to great benefit today."
Writer and teacher Amy Welborn will give two talks Thursday in Richmond (IN) related to faith.
Her discussion at 7 p.m. at St. Andrew Church, 235 S. Fifth St., is free and open to the public. She will focus on prayer and how the history and traditional use of certain prayers are "a treasure worth rediscovering" and "are gifts from the past that can be used to great benefit today."
Witchcraft is Destroying the Church in Africa
So the experts say, from All Africa. com:
Witchcraft is real, and it is destroying the church in Africa, Catholic experts warned this week.
Scholars from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) expressed concern that the church continued to dismiss the dark arts as mere superstition, thereby unwittingly helping the devil advance his reign.
For that reason, Christians who suffer because of witchcraft are often dismissed by priests as being superstitious. Because they do not get adequate help from pastoral agents, they seek the assistance of witchdoctors or join the mushrooming evangelical denominations that offer healing, exorcism and deliverance.
It was said that many African priests fear witchcraft or are ignorant of their own power to confront the devil.
Christians also visit diviners and magicians to seek practical solutions which the church and science apparently do not offer.
Witchcraft is real, and it is destroying the church in Africa, Catholic experts warned this week.
Scholars from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) expressed concern that the church continued to dismiss the dark arts as mere superstition, thereby unwittingly helping the devil advance his reign.
For that reason, Christians who suffer because of witchcraft are often dismissed by priests as being superstitious. Because they do not get adequate help from pastoral agents, they seek the assistance of witchdoctors or join the mushrooming evangelical denominations that offer healing, exorcism and deliverance.
It was said that many African priests fear witchcraft or are ignorant of their own power to confront the devil.
Christians also visit diviners and magicians to seek practical solutions which the church and science apparently do not offer.
The Open Book & Annunciations Blog Bestseller's List
Our own Bestseller's list:
What Books People who Read this Blog and Amy's Open Book blog are Buying
February 2007 (so far)
1. The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You
2. The Power of the Cross: Meditations for the Lenten Season
3. The Gift of Faith
4. Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths
5. The Best American Catholic Short Stories: A Sheed & Ward Collection
FYI, Last Month's Bestsellers:
January 2007
1. The Gift of Faith
2. When Children Became People: The Birth Of Childhood In Early Christianity
3. The Best American Catholic Short Stories: A Sheed & Ward Collection
4. God Alone Suffices
5. Behold, I stand at the Door and Knock
February 2007 (so far)
1. The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You
2. The Power of the Cross: Meditations for the Lenten Season
3. The Gift of Faith
4. Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths
5. The Best American Catholic Short Stories: A Sheed & Ward Collection
FYI, Last Month's Bestsellers:
January 2007
1. The Gift of Faith
2. When Children Became People: The Birth Of Childhood In Early Christianity
3. The Best American Catholic Short Stories: A Sheed & Ward Collection
4. God Alone Suffices
5. Behold, I stand at the Door and Knock
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)