I guess that would mean no more NFL or Sunday night television...
From Yahoo! News - Pope says Sundays for God, not sports:
"Pope John Paul (news - web sites) says Sunday should be a day for God, not for secular diversions like entertainment and sports.
'When Sunday loses its fundamental meaning and becomes subordinate to a secular concept of 'weekend' dominated by such things as entertainment and sport, people stay locked within a horizon so narrow that they can no longer see the heavens,' the pontiff said in a speech to Australian bishops.
John Paul criticised the 'culture of the 'here and now'', urging Church leaders to 'lead men and women from the shadows of moral confusion and ambiguous thinking'. "
Friday, March 26, 2004
Diocese Sued By Devout Catholic
Injured while playing Bingo, threatened with excommunication if she sued...who can make this stuff up?
From Diocese Sued By Devout Catholic - from TBO.com:
"Robert was attending a night bingo session at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pinellas Park on June 11, 2003, when, according to the lawsuit, she was seriously injured by a negligently maintained bathroom stall that collapsed on her as she was leaving the restroom.
About six weeks later, Robert received a telephone call from a man who identified himself as a ``monsignor from the chancery,'' the lawsuit states. The caller warned her not to file a lawsuit or otherwise seek compensation for her injuries, and threatened her with excommunication if she did, the lawsuit states.
``Due to the monsignor's threat of excommunication from her lifelong devotion to the Catholic Church, [Robert] was caused to receive severe emotional distress that has caused angina attacks and a series of minor strokes with a serious concern for a major stroke which may be life threatening,'' the lawsuit states.
Robert is a sensitive woman and a witness to her end of the telephone exchange can verify that it left her very upset, her attorney, Thomas M. Woodruff, said Wednesday. "
From Diocese Sued By Devout Catholic - from TBO.com:
"Robert was attending a night bingo session at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pinellas Park on June 11, 2003, when, according to the lawsuit, she was seriously injured by a negligently maintained bathroom stall that collapsed on her as she was leaving the restroom.
About six weeks later, Robert received a telephone call from a man who identified himself as a ``monsignor from the chancery,'' the lawsuit states. The caller warned her not to file a lawsuit or otherwise seek compensation for her injuries, and threatened her with excommunication if she did, the lawsuit states.
``Due to the monsignor's threat of excommunication from her lifelong devotion to the Catholic Church, [Robert] was caused to receive severe emotional distress that has caused angina attacks and a series of minor strokes with a serious concern for a major stroke which may be life threatening,'' the lawsuit states.
Robert is a sensitive woman and a witness to her end of the telephone exchange can verify that it left her very upset, her attorney, Thomas M. Woodruff, said Wednesday. "
Former Vocation Director of Syracuse Discloses He's Gay
I have a good friend who is a priest in this diocese, Fred Daley was his vocation director-I've met him a few times and I doubt anyone is surprised by this announcement.
From Rev. Daley discloses he's gay:
"The Rev. Fred Daley, longtime pastor at St. Francis DeSales Church on Eagle Street, trusts the community will continue to accept him after his acknowledgment that he is gay.
He made the disclosure during an interview with the Observer-Dispatch Thursday. The interview was in advance of Daley's 'Real Hero' award, which he accepted from the United Way of the Greater Utica Area Thursday evening. The award was in recognition of his social ministry on Hospitality Row, where many of Utica's poor are served.
'I'm the same person today as I was yesterday,' he said. 'My expectation and prayer is that people will continue to love and respect me.'
Daley said he shared this information with the bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse as well as a few close friends and family members.
Celibacy is a 'charism,' or a gift for some people, he said.
'I myself am gay, and I am committed to living a celibate life,' he said.
Despite a tremendous amount of fear and anxiety about coming out publicly, Daley said he feels called by God to do so and is ready to accept whatever 'rejection or misunderstanding surrounding this.' "
From Rev. Daley discloses he's gay:
"The Rev. Fred Daley, longtime pastor at St. Francis DeSales Church on Eagle Street, trusts the community will continue to accept him after his acknowledgment that he is gay.
He made the disclosure during an interview with the Observer-Dispatch Thursday. The interview was in advance of Daley's 'Real Hero' award, which he accepted from the United Way of the Greater Utica Area Thursday evening. The award was in recognition of his social ministry on Hospitality Row, where many of Utica's poor are served.
'I'm the same person today as I was yesterday,' he said. 'My expectation and prayer is that people will continue to love and respect me.'
Daley said he shared this information with the bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse as well as a few close friends and family members.
Celibacy is a 'charism,' or a gift for some people, he said.
'I myself am gay, and I am committed to living a celibate life,' he said.
Despite a tremendous amount of fear and anxiety about coming out publicly, Daley said he feels called by God to do so and is ready to accept whatever 'rejection or misunderstanding surrounding this.' "
Sentencing Today for Bishop O'Brien
From Sentencing is today for Bishop O'Brien in hit-run case:
"Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien learns today whether he will spend time in jail for leaving the scene of a fatal car-pedestrian accident. He was convicted Feb. 17 in the hit-and-run death of Jim L. Reed. He faces up to 45 months in prison and a $150,000 fine.
Prosecutors have asked Judge Stephen A. Gerst of Maricopa County Superior Court to sentence O'Brien to at least six months in county jail, four years of probation and 500 hours of community service. The bishop's attorneys countered by crediting O'Brien with a 'mountain of good works' in years as a priest and bishop. They asked for probation.
If O'Brien is sent to jail, Gerst has discretion to decide whether the bishop is taken away in handcuffs or allowed to return home for a time to prepare for incarceration. Regardless of the punishment, O'Brien will lose his driving privileges."
"Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien learns today whether he will spend time in jail for leaving the scene of a fatal car-pedestrian accident. He was convicted Feb. 17 in the hit-and-run death of Jim L. Reed. He faces up to 45 months in prison and a $150,000 fine.
Prosecutors have asked Judge Stephen A. Gerst of Maricopa County Superior Court to sentence O'Brien to at least six months in county jail, four years of probation and 500 hours of community service. The bishop's attorneys countered by crediting O'Brien with a 'mountain of good works' in years as a priest and bishop. They asked for probation.
If O'Brien is sent to jail, Gerst has discretion to decide whether the bishop is taken away in handcuffs or allowed to return home for a time to prepare for incarceration. Regardless of the punishment, O'Brien will lose his driving privileges."
Thursday, March 25, 2004
The Passion of the Christ Leading Some Back to Church
Something that I've been saying in this blog since its inception is that the renewal of the Catholic Church will not come about from some the institution of any program but from a renewed exposition of Jesus as he is presented in the Gospels.
From USATODAY.com - Renewed passion for faith:
"Though many moviegoers say they were profoundly moved by the graphic scenes of Jesus' torture and crucifixion, for Mohan it was the seemingly small moments in the movie — seeing Jesus with his mother, seeing him forgive Mary Magdalene, the brief resurrection scene at the end — that added up to a big change.
When she emerged from the theater, something in her was shifting.
She realized that her anger over the sexual abuse scandal was directed at 'a small group of men, the bishops and some of the priests — and not really the whole Catholic Church. Because that's really the people.'
She also realized she was holding onto hurts that didn't seem to matter in the bigger picture. The discomfort she felt with relatives after her mother's death was keeping her away from the only place where she truly felt spiritually comfortable.
'I realized that worshiping God is the important thing. I opened myself up to God again.'
Mohan also says she is changed in other ways.
'I find myself being nicer to people. Just smiling more. Not yelling at people in the car. Letting people just go ahead and turn in front of me.'"
From USATODAY.com - Renewed passion for faith:
"Though many moviegoers say they were profoundly moved by the graphic scenes of Jesus' torture and crucifixion, for Mohan it was the seemingly small moments in the movie — seeing Jesus with his mother, seeing him forgive Mary Magdalene, the brief resurrection scene at the end — that added up to a big change.
When she emerged from the theater, something in her was shifting.
She realized that her anger over the sexual abuse scandal was directed at 'a small group of men, the bishops and some of the priests — and not really the whole Catholic Church. Because that's really the people.'
She also realized she was holding onto hurts that didn't seem to matter in the bigger picture. The discomfort she felt with relatives after her mother's death was keeping her away from the only place where she truly felt spiritually comfortable.
'I realized that worshiping God is the important thing. I opened myself up to God again.'
Mohan also says she is changed in other ways.
'I find myself being nicer to people. Just smiling more. Not yelling at people in the car. Letting people just go ahead and turn in front of me.'"
From Saint Augustine...
"Love of self until God is forgotten or love of God until self is forgotten."
From today's Lenten meditation. You can access the full meditation by clicking on the gate to the right.
From today's Lenten meditation. You can access the full meditation by clicking on the gate to the right.
Father Groeschel on Suffering
I spoke with a member of Father's community yesterday and he told me that Father is in non stop pain--saying at one point that it continues to be a miracle that the pain isn't killing him. With this as a backdrop these words of Father Groeschel's today mean all the more:
"If you went to Catholic school in the old days, one of the most powerful spiritual messages that the sisters gave us was to unite our own pains and troubles with the Church. The famous phrase 'offer it up' was an important part of the spirituality of devout Catholics and the students who it was hoped would become devout Catholics.
The idea was never quite clear; in fact it was mysterious how our sufferings and pains would have anything to do with the sufferings of Christ for the salvation of the world. But none the less, like many mysteries, we believed it. As we grew older, the great text in Colossians 1:24 began to mean more to us: 'I am now rejoicing in my suffering for your sake and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the Church'. Therefore those of us who still believe that you can 'offer it up' have a great motive to try to put up with our sufferings. It would be wonderful if we could always do this bravely and with a smile, but that may not be realistic or necessary. The mere fact that we try, that we don't give up, that we go on in the darkness is sufficient indication that we are trying to please God, and surely He must see it this way. "
"If you went to Catholic school in the old days, one of the most powerful spiritual messages that the sisters gave us was to unite our own pains and troubles with the Church. The famous phrase 'offer it up' was an important part of the spirituality of devout Catholics and the students who it was hoped would become devout Catholics.
The idea was never quite clear; in fact it was mysterious how our sufferings and pains would have anything to do with the sufferings of Christ for the salvation of the world. But none the less, like many mysteries, we believed it. As we grew older, the great text in Colossians 1:24 began to mean more to us: 'I am now rejoicing in my suffering for your sake and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the Church'. Therefore those of us who still believe that you can 'offer it up' have a great motive to try to put up with our sufferings. It would be wonderful if we could always do this bravely and with a smile, but that may not be realistic or necessary. The mere fact that we try, that we don't give up, that we go on in the darkness is sufficient indication that we are trying to please God, and surely He must see it this way. "
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