Thursday, April 12, 2007

Johnnette Benkovic's Husband has Died

Heidi Hess Saxton has the news. In the "strange" department, I was thinking of Anthony Benkovic last night, right after dinner and went up to my office and spent several moments checking out Johnnette's web sites to see if there were any updates. I found none and didn't find any news from this month about him on the blogs either, but then I thought Heidi Saxton would know, so I searched for her blog and alas no news there either. This morning I had a note from Heidi saying that he had died last night around 7:00 p.m.--right about the time I had been searching her blog for information about his status.

I'd been praying, as others have for the intercession of Archbishop Fulton Sheen for Anthony's healing, but alas he has received the final healing--the one we celebrate this week--the Octave of Easter. Eternal Rest Grant onto him, O Lord and let perpetual light shing upon him, Amen.

Please pray for Johnnette and her daughters as they grieve their great loss.

Jesus Tomb Film Scholars Backtrack

From the Jerusalem Post:

Several prominent scholars who were interviewed in a bitterly contested documentary that suggests that Jesus and his family members were buried in a nondescript ancient Jerusalem burial cave have now revised their conclusions, including the statistician who claimed that the odds were 600:1 in favor of the tomb being the family burial cave of Jesus of Nazareth, a new study on the fallout from the popular documentary shows.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

The Latest Motu Proprio Date

This has become some kind of joke...with these endless dates being proposed, but in case you are wondering, the Italian press is reporting yet another date...this upcoming Monday, from Father Z:

The Italian daily Il Tempo has published an unsigned article claiming in the headline that the Motu Proprio will be issued next Monday, 16 April, after the celebration for the Holy Father’s 80th Birthday.

Pope's Wednesday Audience

From the Vatican:

In this Easter Octave, the liturgy speaks to us of the appearances of the Risen Lord to the disciples. The Fathers of the Church give us many valuable insights into these stories, which help us to understand more profoundly the great truth of the Resurrection. When Peter and John go running to the tomb, each trying to arrive there first, they show us the one form of competition that is legitimate between believers: zeal in the search for Christ. The disciples on the road to Emmaus recognize the Lord because they see him at table with them. We recognize him, because we are granted an even more intimate encounter with him: we see him in our hearts. To Mary Magdalen, the Lord says: Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. This is surprising, since to Thomas, he actually says: "Put your finger here, place your hand in my side." But there is an important difference here. Mary Magdalen wanted to embrace the Lord as if nothing had happened, as if he had returned to the same life that he had lived before. No, he has passed through death to a new life, and the wounds of his Passion are the sign of that definitive victory over death.

I greet all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, including the groups from Britain and Ireland, Sweden, Australia and the United States. I extend a special welcome the newly ordained deacons and the Golden Jubilarians from Ireland. I pray that the Risen Lord will fill your hearts with joy and that he will inspire you to proclaim to the world the good news of the Lord’s Resurrection! Happy Easter to you all!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Cardinal Geoge Back at Work


Joking after fall, from the Chicago Sun Times:

Cardinal Francis George was back working Monday after a weekend mishap, joking "I feel good except when it hurts.''

The 70-year-old George, who fell Saturday at a Northwest Side church, said he expects to recover from a fractured femur in about six to eight weeks.

The spiritual leader of Chicago Roman Catholics worked Monday from his residence on North State Pkwy., said Archdiocese of Chicago spokesman James Accurso.

In a radio interview, George lamented that the fall caused him to miss Easter mass at the cathedral for the first time in 10 years. He was blessing children's Easter baskets at St. Ferdinand parish when "I got some water on the marble floor and I slipped,'' he told WGN-AM.

Monday, April 9, 2007

New Book is Now Available

For those who want to learn more about the Mass, but don't have a whole lot of time....
For those who want to learn the Bibliical basis for the prayers we say at Mass...
For those who want to know why we stand, sit, and kneel at Mass...

ANSWERS!

Pope's Regina Caeli Message

From Asia News Italy:

Addressing a visibly enthusiastic crowd in the courtyard of Castel Gandolfo’s Apostolic Palace where he arrived for a brief period of rest, the Pope said that “like the women who stayed with Jesus during the Passion, the Risen One says to us not to be afraid, making us messengers who announce His Resurrection.”

“Whoever encounters and gives himself over to the Risen Jesus has nothing to fear,” he said. “Such is the message Christians are asked to bring to the farthest corners of the world. The Christian faith is born not in a doctrine’s acceptance but in an encounter with a Person, the dead and risen Christ. In our day-to-day existence, dear friends, there are so many opportunities to pass on our faith to others in a simple and convincing manner. It is something urgent for the men and women of our times to know and encounter Jesus so that, thanks to His example, they can let themselves be won over by Him.”

Together with the mission to the farthest corners of the earth, Benedict XVI underlined another characteristic of this liturgical period, namely joy or “spiritual elation.” In joking with the festive and noisy crowd of pilgrims, the Pope said “that one day” for Easter “was not enough for so much joy.” Hence, “the liturgy does not set aside just one day for this mystery . . . but instead dedicates 50 days, i.e. the whole Easter period up to Pentecost.” The Pope further explained that “with Easter Monday, today’s feast day, Easter Sunday is an absolutely special day, lasting this whole week till next Sunday, which is the Octave of Easter.”
The Pontiff brought his short reflection to a conclusion by highlighting the Easter joy of Mary, Mother of Jesus, who is a pillar for Christians and their mission.

“The Gospel,” Benedict XVI noted, “says nothing about Mary, but according to the Christian tradition She was happier than anyone else when she was able to embrace her divine Son again, the same one She held when he was taken down from the Cross. Now, after the resurrection, the Redeemer’s Mother rejoices with Jesus’ ‘friends’ who are the nascent Church. As I renew my heartfelt Easter greetings to all of you, I call upon Her, the Regina Caeli, to keep alive our faith in the Resurrection and make us messengers of hope and of the love of the Risen Christ.”