The Jewish Pope

Pope John Paul was Half Jewish...

 

From the Manchester Metro News:

 

A Manchester historian has claimed that Pope John Paul II was Jewish.

Yaakov Wise says his study into the the maternal ancestry of Karol Josez Wojtyla (John Paul II's real name) has revealed startling conclusions.

Mr Wise, a researcher in orthodox Jewish history and philosophy, said the late Pope's mother, grandmother and great-grandmother were all probably Jewish and came from a small town not far from Krakow.
 

St. Felix of Nicosia

From Father Benedict Groeschel:

Why pick this humble soul, who had been beatified over a century ago, for sudden notoriety and papal recognition? The answer is that he was profoundly devoted to the Blessed Sacrament, as were the other four people who were canonized with him at the end of the year of the Eucharist. I suspect there are other reasons as well. We live in a time that considers itself quite sophisticated. Everyone has an opinion, and all sorts of people have opinions that fall far outside the view of generally accepted Catholicism, or even of orthodox Catholic faith. One of those awaiting beatification at this time is Cardinal Newman, perhaps the greatest literary genius of the nineteenth century. A number of other extremely intelligent and intellectual people are in line as well. Why choose the humble Felix, whose vocation was that of an efficient beggar and friend of the sick, the poor, and the humble souls of his fairly humble city?

I think the answer is God’s Providence. God is telling us something. He is reminding us that the meek are blessed, that they shall inherit the earth, and that the poor in spirit enter the kingdom of heaven. Most of us have never even met a peasant brother or, in fact, any peasant. A peasant makes his living directly from the soil or the sea. No one today is identified as a peasant, although thousands of migrant workers might very well receive this noble classification. And yet, about ninety-eight percent of the people who read this message are descendents of European peasants. They were a great army of people who put the Catholic Church on the map during the immigration.

My Irish great-grandmother, Susie Murphy, who was only one generation from being a peasant herself, used to say, “Put a beggar on horseback, and he’ll ride himself to hell.” Catholicism in America is a rather dismal scene now with the collapse of most religious orders, apostasy among a great many Catholic colleges and universities, scandals in the priesthood and lack of faith and acceptance of some of the principal moral and dogmatic teachings of the Church. If we ask where we are headed, we may come to the conclusion that my great-grandmother was right in her homespun assessment of human nature.

The canonization of Saint Felix of Nicosia isn’t going to make a great splash. It wasn’t carried in any of the major newspapers. Unfortunately, little is probably known among the poor immigrants in the United States who would rejoice and be glad if they knew of this man and realized that “one of their own” received the Church’s highest honors. Just as Pope Pius XI used the beatification of Saint Conrad of Parzham to remind the Germans during Hitler’s time that they were not the master race, so this canonization may remind us all that it is the poor in spirit and the humble who enter the kingdom of heaven. If we want to get there ourselves, we had better — one way or another — get in line.

Ancient Christian Church Found in Israel

Dates back to the third century, at the Biblical site of Armageddon! Here is a picture of the inscription found:

From Yahoo News:

MEGIDDO PRISON, Israel - Israeli prisoner Ramil Razilo was removing rubble from the planned site of a new prison ward when his shovel uncovered the edge of an elaborate mosaic, unveiling what Israeli archaeologists said Sunday may be the Holy Land's oldest church.

The discovery of the church in the northern Israeli town of Megiddo, near the biblical Armageddon, was hailed by experts as an important discovery that could reveal details about the development of the early church in the region. Archaeologists said the church dated from the third century, decades before Constantine legalized Christianity across the Byzantine Empire.

Tornado Hits Parts of Indiana and Kentucky

Wind roared here last night too, although we are a long, long ways from Evansville (about six hours by car). Our power was out for eleven hours.

I'm always amazed when locals talk about how safe it is here compared to Florida, Louisana or California, USA Today recently rated our area as one of the ten most dangerous (largely because one of the deadliest tornados ever touched down between here and South Bend and destroyed several towns that no longer exist.

From the New York Times:

At least 22 people were reported killed and more than 200 were injured today when a tornado hit parts of Indiana and Kentucky in the dead of night.

The tornado formed along a line of severe thunderstorms after midnight and roared east of Evansville through Henderson County, Ky., touching down around 2 a.m., the authorities said.

November-Momento Mori

This is the month in the church's calendar when we remember those who have "fallen asleep" and at the same time remember our own mortality and the judgment that awaits us. This Sunday's reading combines both themes.

Pope Benedict praying before the tomb of John Paul II:

Nude Ad in Catholic Weekly?

From ANSA.IT:

Italy's best-selling weekly, the Catholic-oriented Famiglia Cristiana, is being looked at in a new light this week after it published its first ever picture of a naked female bottom .

The magazine's unprecedented move did not go unnoticed in Italy, partly thanks to national newspapers, most of which carried an article on it on Thursday. One daily even put the news on its front page .

The picture, part of an advertisement for bathroom ventilators, showed the steamed up glass of a shower cubicle through which the central part of a woman's body could be seen from behind .

A Great Quote

From a fan of When Did We See You, Lord? by Bishop Robert Baker and Father Benedict Groeschel who got turned on to Jean Pierre de Caussade as a result of a quote in that book. He found another quote that he likes and now I do too:

At every event we should exclaim: "It is the Lord." (John 21:7).