Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The original name of this blog, that first came out in 1997 was The Graven Image Journal...taken from the great Jewish Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the greatest spiritual writers of the last century...who said in one of his writings that God broke His own commandment when He created man and woman in His own image...just that thought alone is enough to give you an insight into the remarkable thought of this great figure of the last century.

From USA Today:

This year at the centennial of Heschel's birth, Jews and gentiles alike are remembering him as more than one of the most influential theologians of the 20th
century. For people of varied backgrounds, he also is an enduring role
model.
For the centennial, academics will debate Heschel's significance at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., on March 11-12. Another conference is Sept. 7-9 at the Thomas Merton Center at Ballarmine University in Louisville. Yale University Press will release Volume 2 of his biography.
Scholars will have plenty to discuss. Heschel's classic titles, including The Prophets and God in Search of Man, have made him a staple of undergraduate courses on religion.
Yet unlike his colleagues at New York's Jewish Theological Seminary, who
commonly regarded God as a set of abstract principles, Heschel wrote passionately about the Sabbath and the quest for a personal God in ways that earned him a broad appeal.
"Heschel's central idea … was a God of pathos, a God of emotions, a God who cares about human history and what human beings do, even individuals," says biographer Edward Kaplan of Brandeis. "It's a kind of astounding doctrine."

Pope: "Discord and Controversies Arise"

Even among the saints...from the Wednesday Audience:

Barnabas "was one of the first to embrace Christianity," the Pope explained, "and it was he who guaranteed the sincerity of Paul's conversion before the Christian community of Jerusalem, which still distrusted its one-time persecutor". The Holy Father also recalled how Barnabas had participated in the Council of Jerusalem, at which it was decided "to distinguish the practice of circumcision from Christian identity." However, Paul and Barnabas "fell into disagreement at the beginning of the second missionary journey because Barnabas wanted to bring along the young John Mark, and Paul did not."

"Even among saints differences, discord and controversies arise," commented the Holy Father. "And I find this a consolation because we see that saints have not 'come down from heaven.' They are people like us, with problems, even complicated
problems. Sanctity does not consist in never having made mistakes or sinned,.
Sanctity grows in the capacity for conversion and penance, of willingness to
start again and, above all, in the capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness."

Silas, also known as Silvanus, communicated the decisions of the Council of Jerusalem to the Christians of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. "Evidently he was
held to be capable of mediating between ... Jewish Christians and Christians of
pagan origin, thus serving the unity of the Church in the diversity of her rites
and origins."

Apollos was a "cultured man well-versed in the Scriptures," the Pope continued. He preached in Ephesus and also in Corinth where, however, his success "had problematic overtones because some members of the Church there, fascinated by his oratory, in his name set themselves against the others."

"Paul ... expresses appreciation for Apollos activities but reprimands the Corinthians for being divided. ... He draws an important lesson from the whole affair: Both I and Apollos, he writes, are no more ... than simple ministers, through whom you have come to the faith. ... All have different tasks in the field of the Lord."

The Holy Father concluded: "These words are still valid for everyone today, for Popes, for cardinals, bishops, priests and lay people. We are all humble ministers of Jesus. We serve the Gospel to the extent that we can, according to our gifts, and we pray to God that He may make His Gospel and His Church grow today."

Behind Every Private Audience with the Pope

There is someone in the hierarchy who got you there...

The strange case of Terry McAuliffe as interviewed by Hugh Hewitt:

TM: In fact, I’m up to be on the Knights of Malta right now. They’ve just asked me to join the Knights of Malta.
HH: Oh, we’d better put out a word.
TM: Are you one of those?
HH: I’ve got friends in the Knights of Malta, yeah. You might not come back from your first trip to Rome.
TM: You need to go into the Knights of Malta.
HH: Huh?
TM: And as you know, the
Holy Father himself, John Paul II, blessed my wife’s engagement ring when I
wound up being at a private Mass for us in his private chapel.
HH: Nice picture. I know. Did he know about your supporting late term abortions?
TM: Sure, he knew he was.
HH: Is that teaching optional, Terry McAuliffe?
TM: Is what teaching optional?
HH: The Church’s teaching on the sanctity of life?

TM: Hey, listen, I have my views on my religious beliefs, Hugh, you’ve got yours.
HH: But I’m asking, do you think it’s…
TM: And you know, if you want to do a show on religious teaching, that’s fine. I’m talking about my book.
HH: Well, it’s in the book all the time.
TM: I make my statements, you write your book.
HH: No, but it’s in the book all the time about how Catholic you are.
TM: It’s not how Catholic I am. I’m an Irish Catholic kid from Syracuse. It’s probably mentioned five times, Hugh, so please don’t incorrectly characterize my book to your listeners.
HH: Well, it’s in here a lot…
TM: If you want to talk about the book, talk about the facts as they exist. I know you’re a right wing whacko, but don’t make things up.
HH: All right, let’s got to Page 113. Oh, I just quoted to you the page that that was
on.
TM: That’s one page. That’s through the whole book? You just said it’s through the whole book, you don’t even remember what you just said. What did you? Go have a martini at lunch or something?

Now, who do you think got him that audience with John Paul? How serious are some bishops about the sanctity of life? Why is there such a disparity among the hierarchy in defending this teaching? Look below at Father Drinan's funeral arrangenments--who will show up in Washington and Boston to sing the praises of a priest who voted pro-choice across the board? Will anyone pray for his soul because of this?

Rev. Robert Drinan Dies

Roman Catholic priest elected as voting member of Congress dead . Amy and I were talking about him yesterday and then last night I heard that he had died.

One cannot understand the Democrat Catholics who hold views contrary to the what the Church teaches without understanding that behind everyone of them stands a priest. Fr. Drinan is a great example of that--the Paulist Center in Boston is another example when it comes to John Kerry. It is for that reason that I think that if the U.S. Bishops want to get a handle on Catholic politicians they will have to first get a handle on priests. As an old Latin sayings says, I give you the English equivalent, "Every heresy comes from the altar."

There isn't a good faithful priest out there who doesn't have to spend a good deal of his time undoing the damage done by those who are less sure about their Catholic identity.

Pray for all of them.

Update: Funeral details:

At Georgetown University:

Wake: Wednesday, January 31, 2-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Wolfington Hall Jesuit Residence Funeral Mass: Thursday, February 1, 9 a.m. St. Aloysius Church, 19 Eye Street, NW

In Boston:

Wake: Friday, February 2, 7-9 p.m. St. Mary’s Hall, Boston College -- Lying in State: Saturday, February 3, 9-11 a.m. St. Ignatius Church, Chestnut Hill, MA -- Funeral Mass: Saturday, February 3, 12 p.m. St. Ignatius Church, Chestnut Hill, MA (followed by burial at Campion Center, Weston, MA)

New Bishop for Youngstown

Who happens to be the current bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands...mmm Northern Ohio from the VI, not sure this is a promotion.

Pope Benedict XVI appoints Bishop George V. Murry, S.J. as Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown

Please Remember in Your Prayers

Gaurav Shroff's father Economist Manu Shroff passes away

And my godfather Clarence Grover

#1 Catholic Bestseller on Amazon

Thanks to the readers of Amy's blog and this one.

The Gift of Faith

Ranked 454 out of the millions of books that Amazon sells! You have displaced Gary Wills' What Paul Really Meant as the #1 Catholic title....a real service to those who don't know much and will now encounter a very solid and life changing book, rather than an opinionated version of what St. Paul would have meant if he were Gary Wills.