The "Jewish" Pope

Rabbi sings the praises of Pope John Paul II...and wonders about his successor.



From A Pope after the Jews' own heart:



"Pope John Paul II hails from Poland, ground zero of the Shoah, yet he became the greatest friend the Jewish people ever had in the Vatican. As we move ever closer to his final days, it is worth asking will his legacy outlast him, or will Pope John Paul II be an outstanding anomaly?"

Pope May Undergo Dialysis

I recently learned that Paul VI was undergoing dialysis for several years before his death in 1978.



From Yahoo! News - Report: Pope May Undergo Kidney Dialysis:



"A Vatican official said the AGI news agency report 'seemed correct,' but would offer no further details. Later, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls denied to the ANSA news agency that the pope was currently undergoing dialysis.



The AGI news report said doctors were considering dialysis not because the pope's health has worsened, but to prevent his kidneys from being overloaded by medicine. The agency said John Paul's health has actually improved since he skipped a weekly general audience Sept. 24 due to an intestinal problem. "

Pope John Paul II--"The scandalous behavior of a few has undermined the credibility of many."

The code word in the Pope's address below is "ideal", something that those in the know would immediately pick up on that often celibacy is treated by those in the church as an "ideal" that one should strive to live for but not get too concerned if they fail to live up to the "ideal." This is how many fallen priests live with the apparent inconsistency between what they have chosen and what they are living. The Pope is saying this must not be the case. He also attacks the "secular" view of priesthood which has done much to undermine the office and has just about gutted every female religious order that has bought into the notion.



From Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome:



Today's clergy must be careful not to adopt the secular view of the priesthood as a "profession," a "career" and a means of earning a living. Rather, the clergy must see the priesthood as a vocation to selfless, loving service, embracing wholeheartedly the "esteemed gift of celibacy" and all that this involves. Here I wish to emphasize that celibacy is to be regarded as an integral part of the priest's exterior and interior life, and not just as a long-standing ideal which is to be respected (cf. "Presbyterorum Ordinis," 16). Sadly, the lifestyle of some clergy has been a countersign to the spirit of the evangelical counsels which should be a part of the spirituality of every priest. The scandalous behavior of a few has undermined the credibility of many. I wish you to know that I am aware of the sensitive way in which you have attempted to address this issue, and I encourage you not to lose hope. True discipleship calls for love, compassion and at times strict discipline in order to serve the common good. [It should] always be just and always be merciful.

"Inconsistent Ethic of Life"

The "seamless garment" rent assunder...Martin Sheen Interviewed



Judging isn't our perogative on any level but speaking out for the defense of human life isn't judgment it's a command of God. Sheen can do this on virtually every issue but this one...making his witness and courage to truly be for "life" a sad joke. He believes in life but doesn't want to "offend" anyone? I'm not going to judge him because sadly I think he has been influenced by liberals in the church who have preached to him an "inconsistent ethic of life"--one that values every but the unborn.



I must say though that I do find his answer rather racist.



From Martin Sheen Interview | David Kupfer | July 2003 Issue:



"Q: What are your views on abortion?



Sheen: I cannot make a choice for a women, particularly a black or brown or poor pregnant woman. I would not make a judgment in the case. As a father and a grandfather, I have had experience with children who don't always come when they are planned, and I have experienced the great joy of God's presence in my children, so I'm inclined to be against abortion of any life. But I am equally against the death penalty or war-- anywhere people are sacrificed for some end justifying a means. I don't think abortion is a good idea. I personally am opposed to abortion, but I will not judge anybody else's right in that regard because I am not a woman and I could never face the actual reality of it."

The Silent Holocaust in Israel



Rabbi weighs in on the real terrorist threat that continues to destroy innocent human life.



From Abortion in the State of Israel:



"“He who destroys his own children…who wrecks the handiwork of G-D…brings hunger, plague, and the sword upon the world.”

—Zohar, Shemos (Exodus)"



Should we be surprised that the sword has been unleashed against our people in the Holy Land?



Our continued silence on this issue makes us vulnerable, chas vesholom, to the punishments of hunger, plague, and the sword prophesized in the Zohar Hakodosh.



Now that Rosh Hashana (the New Year) is here, it is time for us to do Teshuva (repent) on this horrible crime in G-D’s Holy Land. If we truly want to end the sacrifice of Jewish blood of our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land of Israel, we must cry out to the heavens, loudly and clearly, against this shedding of innocent blood.



Interesting how "G-D" is handled. So sacred that we dare not speak His name! What a difference and what a sense of awe in the majesty of the Almighty!

Haunting???



Amy alluded to an event that happened over a week ago while I was staying in Charleston, SC. I was on the third floor of an older residence when in the middle of the night around 3:00 A.M I felt someone sit on the bed I was lying on. It wasn't just the feeling of weight that startled me, but it was also the sense that you feel when someone is in the room... a feeling of "presence" that is very real. What is more it did not feel like a "good" presence. I prayed a simple prayer telling whatever it was that was there to be gone "in the name of Jesus!" then slowly turned to find nothing there.



The next day I recounted the story to the owner and they began asking a series of questions..."was the door locked?"...etc. After a number of questions they told me that almost everyone who has been a guest in that room has had similar experiences, some experiencing a banging noise, some finding the door unlocked, etc. Speculation is that the place is haunted by a former slave "Little Joe" who has been seen by some guests.



Nothing else happened on the nights I stayed there...actually after that first night a Bishop blessed the room with holy water...



Anyway the timing of the event caught my interest when I read the following from Michael Brown today:



From Spirit Daily - Daily spiritual news from around the world:



"We warned that it's the serious time of the year, and now, from Washington, New Jersey, comes word that a fire has broken out at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. It happened last week at this place operated by what is known as the Blue Army and dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima. From the candles, or an electrical malfunction? So far the blaze is of unknown origin. We're told it erupted around 3 a.m. last Friday, and this is always peculiar to us. We're constantly running into significant events occurring at this hour. The events are both good and bad. There are bad events like the fire and attacks by the devil at the same time that others report holy experiences during this stroke of the clock.



We've heard many explanations for why this happens. Obviously, three a.m. is the inverse of 3 p.m. -- the hour of mercy, the Jesus expired. Some believe it is thus an hour to plead Divine Mercy. Others believe that 3 a.m. bears potency because it's the hour that Christ resurrected. Still others point to the period of midnight to three a.m. as the time during which occultism takes place -- that at three a.m. evil spirits are released as rituals of witchcraft and satanism culminate.



Our own take is that that for some reason three a.m. is a moment at which the veil between here and the hereafter, between ours and other worlds, is thinnest, allowing for an interaction with forces that are both light and dark. "

Advice from St. Paul to Timothy on How to Handle Priests...



Paul's letter to Timothy has been the focus of the Office of Readings (from the Liturgy of the Hours) this week. Reading through it I can't help but think that revisiting this letter might be a good idea for the Church to examine its disciplines. Let me quote some passages--but realize that I'm quoting passages--read the whole letter for the context.



Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching; for the scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain”, and, “The labourer deserves his wages”.



Elder or Presbyter is the Greek word for what we today call "priest." I like this passage because it talks about rewarding those who work hard in the church. I recently told a bishop that the first thing he should do in his diocese is rid it of all the lazy priests--they make more work for the good priests. The way the church is currently organized the priesthood is a socialist organization and the lazy and hardworking priest are paid and treated the same (in this life anyways).





Never admit any charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without favour, doing nothing from partiality.



Obviously a reference to their already being major problems in the early church in the priesthood. So this is nothing new. But what is clear is that when someone has a charge proven against them that it should be treated publicly and rebuked. Paul is emphatic about this and invokes the presence of all of Heaven that this be done with justice. Leaders in the church may be quick to quote the first part of the passage but largely have ignored the rest of it. The dangers to the faith are only compounded when these sins are buried.





Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor participate in another man’s sins; keep yourself pure.



Reading this in the context of the whole of Timothy, one would be struck by Paul's practicality. Paul's talk on the treatment of widows is mindful that young widows should remarry, not allowing lust to move them to rejecting commitments they might make. Timothy is young but we might presume married given the context of the letter where Paul tells him that bishops should be married only once. So I wonder if in the context of the letter we might not interpret this counsel of Paul's given our current situation of ordaining only celibate men--as a counsel to only ordain "older" men who are past the age where they might flea to marry?



Again if you read all of Paul letter you'll see it has a practicality about it that rings true to life. He warns against anyone prohibiting "marriage" or requiring abstinence from certian meats (referring the Judaizers).



Plenty of fodder here for thought.