From Saint Meinrad :: News:
"The Right Reverend Justin DuVall, OSB, was elected archabbot of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, IN, by the Benedictine monks of the community on Friday, December 31, 2004. He becomes the ninth abbot and sixth archabbot in the community's 150-year history, succeeding Archabbot Lambert Reilly, OSB, who announced in the spring that he would resign the position on December 15.
Archabbot Justin, 53, is a native of Toledo, Ohio. He came to Saint Meinrad as a college seminary student in 1969. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in French in 1973 and a Master of Divinity degree in 1978."
Friday, December 31, 2004
End the Year on a Good Note
Buy a book by Michael Dubruiel!
The Gospel of Luke begins and ends with a "vision of angels." First there is the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to Zechariah and Mary. When Mary later visits Zechariah and Elizabeth she proclaims that God "has shown the might of his arm dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty,"(Luke 1:51-53) Zechariah at the birth of John prophesies "by which the daybreak from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death's shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace" (Luke 1:78,79).
There is a common theme hinted at in both of these canticles, the lowly understand a message that those in power totally miss, hunger is filled, and those who sit in darkness are given light. These precede another vision of angels; in Luke 2: 8 immediately following the birth of Jesus we read about shepherds keeping "night watch" over their flocks, the shepherds are literally a people "sitting in darkness" who have an experience of light: "the glory of the lord shone around them.".
What is the message given to the shepherds? " "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger" (Luke 2: 10-12).
We may be overly familiar with this Christmas story to notice what it might be telling us. What exactly is a sign? It is not an end in and of itself but rather points to a greater reality. What is the sign the shepherds are told they will witness? They are told that they will find an "infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." A manger is a feeding box for animals. We are told that it is a "sign", what they witness points to something beyond the experience of the birth of Christ to something else.
When the angels leave, the shepherds say, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." The key phrase here is "Bethlehem" which literally means "house of bread". "Let us go to the House of Bread to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
All of this is how the Gospel of Luke begins, but how does it end? Here the Risen Christ has joined two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They do not recognize him and here they tell him about a "vision of angels" that the women who came to the tomb have reported to them. In response to this He opens the Scriptures to them. They invite Him to stay with them. He takes bread, says the blessing, breaks it, gives it to them, then physically vanishes from their site. Luke tells us quite blatantly, for the really dense reader, that they recognized Him in the "breaking of the bread".
Where are we to find Jesus this day? In the bread that is broken in the Eucharist! So at Mass we sing the Gloria, the message of the angels. It is both a reminder and an invitation for us to encounter the Lord here.
I have good news for you! This Christ Mass you too can get up and see what the Lord has made known to us--He is waiting for you.
I recommend also two books that I've written as the perfect Christ Mass gift to give, to remind and to inspire what we wish everyone to have a Merry one.
My How-To Book of the Mass for those who want to understand the Mass better and How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist for those who understand but our bothered by the way they actually experience the Mass in their parish. Both will help you and your loved ones trek that trial of the shepherds this Christ-Mass.
There is a common theme hinted at in both of these canticles, the lowly understand a message that those in power totally miss, hunger is filled, and those who sit in darkness are given light. These precede another vision of angels; in Luke 2: 8 immediately following the birth of Jesus we read about shepherds keeping "night watch" over their flocks, the shepherds are literally a people "sitting in darkness" who have an experience of light: "the glory of the lord shone around them.".
What is the message given to the shepherds? " "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger" (Luke 2: 10-12).
We may be overly familiar with this Christmas story to notice what it might be telling us. What exactly is a sign? It is not an end in and of itself but rather points to a greater reality. What is the sign the shepherds are told they will witness? They are told that they will find an "infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." A manger is a feeding box for animals. We are told that it is a "sign", what they witness points to something beyond the experience of the birth of Christ to something else.
When the angels leave, the shepherds say, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." The key phrase here is "Bethlehem" which literally means "house of bread". "Let us go to the House of Bread to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
All of this is how the Gospel of Luke begins, but how does it end? Here the Risen Christ has joined two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They do not recognize him and here they tell him about a "vision of angels" that the women who came to the tomb have reported to them. In response to this He opens the Scriptures to them. They invite Him to stay with them. He takes bread, says the blessing, breaks it, gives it to them, then physically vanishes from their site. Luke tells us quite blatantly, for the really dense reader, that they recognized Him in the "breaking of the bread".
Where are we to find Jesus this day? In the bread that is broken in the Eucharist! So at Mass we sing the Gloria, the message of the angels. It is both a reminder and an invitation for us to encounter the Lord here.
I have good news for you! This Christ Mass you too can get up and see what the Lord has made known to us--He is waiting for you.
I recommend also two books that I've written as the perfect Christ Mass gift to give, to remind and to inspire what we wish everyone to have a Merry one.
My How-To Book of the Mass for those who want to understand the Mass better and How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist for those who understand but our bothered by the way they actually experience the Mass in their parish. Both will help you and your loved ones trek that trial of the shepherds this Christ-Mass.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Freddy Jesus Named Bishop of Los Teques
From the Vatican:
The Holy Father appointed Bishop Freddy Jesus Fuenmayor Suarez of Cabimas, Venezuela, as bishop of Los Teques (area 2,295, population 1,261,000, Catholics 1,061,000, priests 61, permanent deacons 15, religious 245), Venezuela. He succeeds Bishop Ramon Ovidio Perez Morales whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese was accepted in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
The Holy Father appointed Bishop Freddy Jesus Fuenmayor Suarez of Cabimas, Venezuela, as bishop of Los Teques (area 2,295, population 1,261,000, Catholics 1,061,000, priests 61, permanent deacons 15, religious 245), Venezuela. He succeeds Bishop Ramon Ovidio Perez Morales whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese was accepted in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
Controversial Theologian Dies
From Catholic World News : Controversial theologian Jacques Dupuis dies at 81:
"Father Jacques Dupuis, the controversial Jesuit theologian whose work drew a rebuke from the Vatican in 2001, has died at the age of 81.
Father Dupuis had been editor of the theological journal Gregorianum , and a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Interfaith Dialogue. He had lived in India and taught in Delhi from 1958 through 1984, and his theological work, with its emphasis on the shared insights of major world religions, has been heavily influential in the discussion of 'inculturation' in Asia. The Belgian theologian died in a hospital in Rome on December 28, reportedly of a cerebral hemorrhage. In February 2001, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a formal note cautioning against the arguments found in one of Dupuis's works, Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism , which had been published in 1997. In a 4-page document, the Vatican pointed to serious 'ambiguities' and 'difficulties' in the theologian's thought, particularly his failure to affirm the unique and necessary role of Jesus Christ and his Church in the work of salvation. "
"Father Jacques Dupuis, the controversial Jesuit theologian whose work drew a rebuke from the Vatican in 2001, has died at the age of 81.
Father Dupuis had been editor of the theological journal Gregorianum , and a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Interfaith Dialogue. He had lived in India and taught in Delhi from 1958 through 1984, and his theological work, with its emphasis on the shared insights of major world religions, has been heavily influential in the discussion of 'inculturation' in Asia. The Belgian theologian died in a hospital in Rome on December 28, reportedly of a cerebral hemorrhage. In February 2001, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a formal note cautioning against the arguments found in one of Dupuis's works, Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism , which had been published in 1997. In a 4-page document, the Vatican pointed to serious 'ambiguities' and 'difficulties' in the theologian's thought, particularly his failure to affirm the unique and necessary role of Jesus Christ and his Church in the work of salvation. "
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Monks to Elect New Abbot on New Year's Eve
From Jubilee Criterion Page:
"On Dec. 31, the Benedictine monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey will elect a new archabbot, only the ninth monk to hold the office in the 150-year history of the monastery.
Benedictine Archabbot Lambert Reilly, elected by the community nearly 10 years ago, announced his resignation on April 30. The resignation took effect on Dec. 15.
Abbots of the Benedictine monasteries in the Swiss-American Congregation, of which Saint Meinrad Archabbey is a member, do not have set terms but may serve in that office until death or they choose to resign."
"On Dec. 31, the Benedictine monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey will elect a new archabbot, only the ninth monk to hold the office in the 150-year history of the monastery.
Benedictine Archabbot Lambert Reilly, elected by the community nearly 10 years ago, announced his resignation on April 30. The resignation took effect on Dec. 15.
Abbots of the Benedictine monasteries in the Swiss-American Congregation, of which Saint Meinrad Archabbey is a member, do not have set terms but may serve in that office until death or they choose to resign."
Disaster mystery: No dead animals
I have a theory about this when it comes to humans. I think we share this same instinct but it is dulled because of all that we distract ourselves with in life. I base this theory on numerous experiences I've had in life where I felt I was being warned right before something happened. Often because I was in a hurry or felt something else was more important I've ignored these "feelings" and ended up suffering the consequences. The importance of the spiritual life (and I realize that much of what is touted as 'spiritual' is anything but) is that it helps us as Jesus said to "watch".
FromWorldNetDaily: Disaster mystery: No dead animals:
"According to reports out of Colombo, Sri Lankan wildlife officials are said to be stunned.
'The strange thing is we haven't recorded any dead animals,' H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of the national Wildlife Department, told Reuters. 'No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit.'
'I think animals can sense disaster,' he added. 'They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening.' "
FromWorldNetDaily: Disaster mystery: No dead animals:
"According to reports out of Colombo, Sri Lankan wildlife officials are said to be stunned.
'The strange thing is we haven't recorded any dead animals,' H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of the national Wildlife Department, told Reuters. 'No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit.'
'I think animals can sense disaster,' he added. 'They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening.' "
Song that Played as We Drove to Ft. Wayne Yesterday
From Artist Biography - Red Foley:
"A great friend of Hank Williams Sr., he was ironically headlining a touring Opry show that included the young Hank Williams, Jr., when, after playing the matinee and evening shows, Foley suffered a heart attack and died in his sleep at Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA on 19 September 1968. This prompted Hank Jr., seemingly the last person to speak to him, to write and record, as Luke The Drifter, Jr., the tribute narration I Was With Red Foley (The Night He Passed Away), which charted for him in November 1968. In the song, Hank Jr. relates, that after reminiscing about the problems faced by a country singer, such as himself and Hank Sr., Red's final words were 'I'm awful tired now, Hank, I've got to go to bed'. "
"A great friend of Hank Williams Sr., he was ironically headlining a touring Opry show that included the young Hank Williams, Jr., when, after playing the matinee and evening shows, Foley suffered a heart attack and died in his sleep at Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA on 19 September 1968. This prompted Hank Jr., seemingly the last person to speak to him, to write and record, as Luke The Drifter, Jr., the tribute narration I Was With Red Foley (The Night He Passed Away), which charted for him in November 1968. In the song, Hank Jr. relates, that after reminiscing about the problems faced by a country singer, such as himself and Hank Sr., Red's final words were 'I'm awful tired now, Hank, I've got to go to bed'. "
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