Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Holy Father’s Vigil Sermon
Fr. John Zuhlsdorf wrote:"One of the most devastating changes after the Council was the widespread abandonment of ad orientem worship. Authors like Klaus Gamber, for whom Papa Ratzinger has such great respect, thought that changing our altars around was perhaps the most damaging change in the post-Conciliar reform. Sadly, the destruction of ad orientem worship was based on misuse of scholarship, surely, but most on ideological choices rooted in a hermeneutic of rupture and a ecclesiology which was little in harmony with our Catholic faith. The results for Catholic worship were viciously corrosive.
Pope Benedict has long written of the meaning and need for ad orientem worship. In practical terms he knows that we cannot force abrupt changes. We must be gentle in reintroducing it.
However, as we have been watching him during the last year or so reintroducing many traditional elements our Roman Rite into the full view of the world, including ad orientem worship in the Sistine Chapel, I think we can say that he thinks the time has come for more decisive moves.
Let’s turn to the Holy Father’s sermon for the Vigil of Easter..."
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Mikhail Gorbachev Admits He is a Christian
From the Telegraph via RORATE CÆLI:
"Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Communist leader of the Soviet Union, has acknowledged his Christian faith for the first time, paying a surprise visit to pray at the tomb of St Francis of Assisi.
"Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Communist leader of the Soviet Union, has acknowledged his Christian faith for the first time, paying a surprise visit to pray at the tomb of St Francis of Assisi.Accompanied by his daughter Irina, Mr Gorbachev spent half an hour on his knees in silent prayer at the tomb.
His arrival in Assisi was described as 'spiritual perestroika' by La Stampa, the Italian newspaper.
'St Francis is, for me, the alter Christus, the other Christ,' said Mr Gorbachev. 'His story fascinates me and has played a fundamental role in my life,' he added.
Mr Gorbachev's surprise visit confirmed decades of rumours that, although he was forced to publicly pronounce himself an atheist, he was in fact a Christian, and casts a meeting with Pope John Paul II in 1989 in a new light..."Christianophobia
Damian Thompson wrote:
"A clergyman in East London has been kicked in the head by Asian youths, one of whom screamed the words “f------- priest” at him. Police are treating the attack on Canon Michael Ainsworth, vicar of Hawksmoor’s magnificent St George-in-the-East, Wapping, as a “faith hate” crime. But was it?
"A clergyman in East London has been kicked in the head by Asian youths, one of whom screamed the words “f------- priest” at him. Police are treating the attack on Canon Michael Ainsworth, vicar of Hawksmoor’s magnificent St George-in-the-East, Wapping, as a “faith hate” crime. But was it?
How many churches are there in Saudi Arabia?
A lot hangs on the answer. Does the use of a single word automatically turn a savage but common assault into a new (and essentially artificial) category of crime, or has the tide of Islamic anti-Christian persecution reached these shores?
According to one Asian member of the parish, local youths have been heard shouting: “This should not be a church, this should be a mosque. You should not be here.” Perhaps we should not attach too much weight to that remark; but the fact remains that Tower Hamlets houses Muslim ghettos whose fundamentalist leaders are offended by the mere presence of a Christian place of worship in their community."
Fr. Erik Richtsteig's Name Meme - Part III
V 2.0"My third middle name is Athanasius. This is my confirmation name. If I ever entered religious life, this would be my preferred name. (Malachi would be a close second.) Also, if I were ever elected Pope, this would be my 'pope name'. (Yes, I know that there has never been one, but face it, it would scare the crap out of the heretics.)
A-AB+, my blood type.
T-(St.) Thomas Aquinas, my favorite theologian.
H-Hohenzollern, the Prussian royal family that needs to be restored.
A- (St.) Anthony of Padua, patron of my last parish.
N- Nerd, no explanation necessary.
A- AR-15, a fun rifle.
S- Sam, my secretary's youngest son. (OK, I am hitting the bottom of the barrel.)
I- Igor, not a character in the original Frankenstein movie.
U- Utah, where I was born and where I live. Also, home of America's most powerful weirdos.
S- Saturn, the brand of car I drive.
And now I am done with this #$#%#ing meme!!"
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Easter Triduum Renews in us Great Hope, Says Holy Father
.- Today is known as Spy Wednesday, which, according to the tradition of the Church, commemorates Judas' betrayal of Jesus on the eve of the last supper. Greeting thousands of young pilgrims in Rome for Holy Week, Pope Benedict XVI gave a catechesis on the Easter Triduum, three days that are celebrated as a single event that form the heart to the Church and of the liturgical year. "We have arrived at the eve of the Easter Triduum," he said. "The next three days are commonly called holy because we are reliving a central event of our redemption that leads us back to the core fact of the Christian faith: the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ."
Lent, the Pope said, prepares us to enter these days in the same spirit that Jesus entered Jerusalem. In that spirit, he said we awaken the memory of the suffering that Christ bore for our sake so that we might celebrate with joy next Sunday, "the real Easter, which the Blood of Christ covered with glory, Easter when the Church celebrates the true origin of all feasts."
Speaking first of Holy Thursday, the Holy Father said the Church recalls the Last Supper during which, on the eve of his passion and death, established the Sacrament of the Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood. On that same night, he said, "Jesus left us the new commandment, the commandment of fraternal love."
Before entering the Holy Triduum, every diocese celebrates the Chrism Mass, during which the bishop and priests renew their promises, the promises they made at ordination. During that Mass, oils are also blessed for the celebration of the sacraments: oil of catechumens, the oil of the sick and holy chrism.
The Holy Father said the Chrism Mass is very important in the life of every diocesan community, which gathers around its pastor’s fidelity to Christ. Following this moment, the Last Supper, recalls the time when "Christ is given to all of us as nourishment of salvation, as the immortal remedy. The mystery of the Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life."
"In this sacrament of salvation the Lord gave for all those who believe in Him the most intimate possible union between our and his life."
In concrete gesture of washing the feet of the apostles, the Lord also expresses the primacy of love that is both a service and gift of oneself to another. At the same time, it anticipates the supreme sacrifice of his life on Calvary.
The Pope said that according to a beautiful Holy Thursday tradition, the faithful hold a vigil of prayer and adoration to experience more intimately the agony of Jesus in Gethsemane.
Holy Friday is that day that recalls the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus when Christians gather to meditate on the great mystery of evil and sin that oppress humanity. With the Light of the Word of God and aided by moving liturgical gestures, the community meditates on the Passion event, and prays for all the needs of the Church and the world, venerates the Cross and receives the Eucharist, consuming species retained by the Mass of the Lord's Supper the day before.
Other expressions of piety, such as the way of the Cross, have developed across centuries and cultures to help the faithful recall the painful journey that led the Jesus to the Cross, a mount of love to the end.
Holy Saturday, Pope Benedict said, is marked by a profound silence. The Churches are bare and there are no special liturgies. The faithful, while awaiting the big event of the Resurrection, persevere with Mary in praying and meditating.
"We actually need a day of silence to meditate on the reality of human life, the forces of evil and great force for good stemming from the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord. Great importance is given on this day of participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which is an essential way to purify the heart and prepare to celebrate Easter with renewed hearts. We need this inner purification of renewal at least once annually," Pope Benedict said.
Saturday's silence, meditation, forgiveness, and reconciliation leads into the Easter Vigil, which introduces the most important Sunday of history, the Sunday of Easter of Christ.
"With his death, Christ defeated evil forever and has given to all men of the very life of God."
According to ancient tradition, catechumens receive Baptism during the Easter Vigil to emphasize the participation of Christians in the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ. From the bright night of Passover, the joy, the light and peace of Christ in the life span of the faithful of all Christian communities and reach every point of space and time.
In the end, the Holy Father encouraged all present to embrace the Triduum as an opportunity to realize more fully the depth and value of our Christian vocation, and to make generous gifts of ourselves.
In the current events of history, he added, dramatic events afflict so many of our brothers and sisters in every part of the world.
"We know that hatred, divisions, and violence never have the last word in the events of history. These days renew in us great hope: Christ crucified and risen won the world. Love is stronger than hatred…So we must start afresh from Christ and work in communion with him for a world based on peace, justice and on love. But…let us be guided by Mary, who has accompanied the Son of God on the path of the passion and of the cross and took part, with the strength of faith, in realizing of his plan of salvation."President Bush to Greet Pope Upon Arrival at Air Force Base
.- President and Mrs. George Bush will greet Pope Benedict XVI, April 15, when he arrives at Andrews Air Force Base for a six-day visit to the United States that will take him to Washington and New York City. A news release from the USCCB states that the Pope is expected to arrive at four in the afternoon on an Alitalia flight dubbed “Shepherd One.” Accompanying him in the plane will be several Vatican officials and more that 60 members of the Vatican Press Corps.
Upon arrival Pope Benedict also will be greeted by several Church officials including Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Vatican nuncio to the United States; Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington and Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services USA.
Several hundred guests will also be on hand. Among them there will be military families and young people from several Catholic high schools. Before the arrival, the United States Air Force Band will provide entertainment for the public.
When the Pope arrives, the color guard will offer its customary greeting for a head of state. The ceremony will be brief and without speeches. Formal greetings will be offered the next morning when Pope Benedict visits President Bush at the White House.
Other information regarding the itinerary of the Holy Father’s 2008 apostolic journey to the United States and the United Nations can be found at www.uspapalvisit.org.
Blow Out
Congratulations to Father Z and the other winners!
WDTPRS:
Best Apologetic Blog – 1st
Best Blog by Clergy/Religious/Seminarian – 1st
Best Designed Catholic Blog – 3rd
Best Group Blog – N/A
Best Individual Catholic Blog – 1st
Best Insider News Catholic Blog – 1st
Best New Catholic Blog – N/A
Best Overall Catholic Blog – 1st
Best Political/Social Commentary Catholic Blog – 2nd
Best Written Catholic Blog – 1st
Funniest Catholic Blog – 2nd
Most Spiritual Blog – 1st
Smartest Catholic Blog – 1st
WDTPRS:Best Apologetic Blog – 1st
Best Blog by Clergy/Religious/Seminarian – 1st
Best Designed Catholic Blog – 3rd
Best Group Blog – N/A
Best Individual Catholic Blog – 1st
Best Insider News Catholic Blog – 1st
Best New Catholic Blog – N/A
Best Overall Catholic Blog – 1st
Best Political/Social Commentary Catholic Blog – 2nd
Best Written Catholic Blog – 1st
Funniest Catholic Blog – 2nd
Most Spiritual Blog – 1st
Smartest Catholic Blog – 1st
Hong Kong Cardinal: Way of the Cross Gives Voice to Living Martyrs
By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI wanted the voice of today's living martyrs, especially Catholics in China, to be heard at the Way of the Cross, said the author of this year's meditations.
The pope asked Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong to write the commentary and prayers for the March 21 Good Friday evening service at Rome's Colosseum.
The cardinal, who long has been outspoken on the lack of full religious freedom in mainland China, said this was the pope's way of bringing attention to Asia and involving "the faithful of China, for whom the 'Via Crucis' is a devotion" many hold close to their hearts.
"The pope wanted me to bring to the Colosseum the voice of those faraway sisters and brothers," he wrote in the introduction to the mediations and prayers released by the Vatican in Italian March 18. The 64-page booklet was illustrated with 20th-century Chinese Christian art from the Society of Divine Word's archives.
While Christ's suffering and passion are the focus of the service, "behind him there are many people, past and present," such as all the living martyrs of the 21st century, he wrote.
Cardinal Zen said he accepted the pope's invitation with "little hesitation," but soon discovered, much to his surprise, that his early drafts did not reflect a very Christian attitude.
He said he had to step back and purify himself of the "less than charitable feelings" he had toward those who made Jesus suffer and who "are making our brothers and sisters suffer in today's world."
In "thinking about persecution," he wrote, "let us also (think) about the persecutors" and how even they are being called to salvation by God.
The 2008 stations are drawn directly from the Gospel of Mark and do not follow the traditional Catholic set that includes events not in the Bible, such as St. Veronica wiping Jesus' face.
In his meditation for the first station -- "Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane" -- Cardinal Zen drew from Pope Benedict's June letter to Chinese Catholics to remind people that in many parts of the world, the church "is going through the dark times of persecution."
While these victims of repression, oppression and humiliation may be wondering why they must endure such hardships, the cardinal asked the Lord to help those who suffer to no longer be afraid, but to trust in him and his divine plan.
In his meditation for the fourth station -- "Jesus is denied by Peter" -- Cardinal Zen said Christ's decision to entrust "weak and vulnerable men" to continue his mission of salvation is a sign of his wisdom and strength.
He prayed the Lord would protect those he has chosen and that the gates of hell do not prevail over his servants.
Cardinal Zen prayed in his meditation for the fifth station -- "Jesus is judged by Pilate" -- that God would give leaders "the courage to respect religious freedom."
Pilate may have seemed powerful, he wrote, but he was really "weak, vile and servile," and was afraid of the emperor, the populous and the high priests.
Pilate is a symbol of all those who wield authority "as an instrument of power" and not as a vehicle for carrying out true justice, he said.
Cardinal Zen prayed the Lord would awaken the consciences of the many people in power so that they "recognize the innocence of (Christ's) followers. Give them courage to respect religious freedom."
The cardinal decried the use of psychological and physical torture and wrote that Christ is able to bring meaning to and make all suffering holy.
He said even though the suffering of Christian martyrs makes it seem like the church has lost that battle their deaths "will bring about true victory to your church."
In his eighth station -- "Jesus is helped by Simon the Cyrenian to carry the cross" -- Cardinal Zen praised nonbelievers for "generously alleviating" the suffering of Christ's brothers and sisters.
"When we help brothers and sisters of the persecuted church, help us remember that, in reality, we are the ones who will be helped even more by them," he said.
In his meditation for the 11th station -- "Jesus promises his kingdom to the good thief" -- the cardinal wrote that the thief was a wrongdoer like "all of us."
But Jesus is close to everyone, he said. He prayed that the Lord would remember all people: "our friends, our enemies and the persecutors of our friends. Salvation for everyone is the true victory of the Lord."
In his meditation for the 14th, and last, station -- "Jesus is placed in the tomb" -- the cardinal recalled the long wait between Jesus' burial and his resurrection three days later. Even his strongest disciples grew weary in waiting, he wrote.
He asked, "Are we not right in being in a hurry" and wanting to see an immediate victory of Christ over evil?
Cardinal Zen said perhaps "it is our victory we are eager to witness" and prayed for perseverance and patience, reminding the faithful that God promised to be with his children to the end of time.
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI wanted the voice of today's living martyrs, especially Catholics in China, to be heard at the Way of the Cross, said the author of this year's meditations.The pope asked Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong to write the commentary and prayers for the March 21 Good Friday evening service at Rome's Colosseum.
The cardinal, who long has been outspoken on the lack of full religious freedom in mainland China, said this was the pope's way of bringing attention to Asia and involving "the faithful of China, for whom the 'Via Crucis' is a devotion" many hold close to their hearts.
"The pope wanted me to bring to the Colosseum the voice of those faraway sisters and brothers," he wrote in the introduction to the mediations and prayers released by the Vatican in Italian March 18. The 64-page booklet was illustrated with 20th-century Chinese Christian art from the Society of Divine Word's archives.
While Christ's suffering and passion are the focus of the service, "behind him there are many people, past and present," such as all the living martyrs of the 21st century, he wrote.
Cardinal Zen said he accepted the pope's invitation with "little hesitation," but soon discovered, much to his surprise, that his early drafts did not reflect a very Christian attitude.
He said he had to step back and purify himself of the "less than charitable feelings" he had toward those who made Jesus suffer and who "are making our brothers and sisters suffer in today's world."
In "thinking about persecution," he wrote, "let us also (think) about the persecutors" and how even they are being called to salvation by God.
The 2008 stations are drawn directly from the Gospel of Mark and do not follow the traditional Catholic set that includes events not in the Bible, such as St. Veronica wiping Jesus' face.
In his meditation for the first station -- "Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane" -- Cardinal Zen drew from Pope Benedict's June letter to Chinese Catholics to remind people that in many parts of the world, the church "is going through the dark times of persecution."
While these victims of repression, oppression and humiliation may be wondering why they must endure such hardships, the cardinal asked the Lord to help those who suffer to no longer be afraid, but to trust in him and his divine plan.
In his meditation for the fourth station -- "Jesus is denied by Peter" -- Cardinal Zen said Christ's decision to entrust "weak and vulnerable men" to continue his mission of salvation is a sign of his wisdom and strength.
He prayed the Lord would protect those he has chosen and that the gates of hell do not prevail over his servants.
Cardinal Zen prayed in his meditation for the fifth station -- "Jesus is judged by Pilate" -- that God would give leaders "the courage to respect religious freedom."
Pilate may have seemed powerful, he wrote, but he was really "weak, vile and servile," and was afraid of the emperor, the populous and the high priests.
Pilate is a symbol of all those who wield authority "as an instrument of power" and not as a vehicle for carrying out true justice, he said.
Cardinal Zen prayed the Lord would awaken the consciences of the many people in power so that they "recognize the innocence of (Christ's) followers. Give them courage to respect religious freedom."
The cardinal decried the use of psychological and physical torture and wrote that Christ is able to bring meaning to and make all suffering holy.
He said even though the suffering of Christian martyrs makes it seem like the church has lost that battle their deaths "will bring about true victory to your church."
In his eighth station -- "Jesus is helped by Simon the Cyrenian to carry the cross" -- Cardinal Zen praised nonbelievers for "generously alleviating" the suffering of Christ's brothers and sisters.
"When we help brothers and sisters of the persecuted church, help us remember that, in reality, we are the ones who will be helped even more by them," he said.
In his meditation for the 11th station -- "Jesus promises his kingdom to the good thief" -- the cardinal wrote that the thief was a wrongdoer like "all of us."
But Jesus is close to everyone, he said. He prayed that the Lord would remember all people: "our friends, our enemies and the persecutors of our friends. Salvation for everyone is the true victory of the Lord."
In his meditation for the 14th, and last, station -- "Jesus is placed in the tomb" -- the cardinal recalled the long wait between Jesus' burial and his resurrection three days later. Even his strongest disciples grew weary in waiting, he wrote.
He asked, "Are we not right in being in a hurry" and wanting to see an immediate victory of Christ over evil?
Cardinal Zen said perhaps "it is our victory we are eager to witness" and prayed for perseverance and patience, reminding the faithful that God promised to be with his children to the end of time.
Hot Fuzz
Police arrest an anti-war protester outside of the Internal Revenue Building in Washington, DC. Protesters on Wednesday launched sit-ins and marches across the United States as they marked five years of war in Iraq, demanding an immediate withdrawal of US soldiers.Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Vatican's Official Program for Papal Trip to U.S. Shares More Details
Cardinal Tettamanzi Responds to Questions About the Faith on YouTube
ROME, Mar 18, 2008 / 12:24 pm (CNA).- The Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi is responding to questions about the faith each week by posting videos on YouTube.According to AFP, Father Davide Milani, a spokesman for the cardinal, said the first video was posted four weeks ago and has been seen over 65,000 times, mostly by Italian users. “We decided to launch the YouTube initiative in order to reach a wider public with the teachings of Tettamanzi,” the priest explained.
He said Cardinal Tettamanzi has received more than 400 questions on such topics as, “Why are the baptized considered children of God? Aren’t we all children of God?” and “Did baptism exist before the time of Jesus?”
The ten minute videos, which are in Italian, can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/itleditore
Patriarch of Jerusalem Stepping Down at 75
Jerusalem, Mar. 18, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Archbishop Michel Sabbah, who steps down this week after 20 years as the Latin-rite Patriarch of Jerusalem, has issued a final appeal for peace.In his Easter message, Patriarch Sabbah speaks of the Holy Land as a "land of Revelation, Redemption, and reconciliation" that has been troubled by "inhumane and futile violence."
"Unfortunately this land remains a land of bloodshed, ignoring its own voacation," the Palestinian prelate writes. "It is high time to learn the lessons of history and engage in the path of God; it is high time for every people and individual to accept the vocation entrusted by God to them, which is to build societies and not demolish them."
Patriarch Sabbah, a native of Nazareth, was appointed in 1988 to be the first Palestinian to head the Jerusalem patriarchate since the era of the Crusades. Having guided the Latin-rite Church through years of turmoil and controversy, he will resign on March 19 as he marks his 75th birthday.
The new Patriarch of Jerusalem will be Archbishop Fouad Twal, a seasoned Vatican diplomat who was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) in September 2005 to be coadjutor archbishop.
Today there are about 75,000 Catholic faithful within the patriarchate, which includes Israel and the Palestinian territories as well as Jordan and Cyprus. The Patriarch of Jerusalem is also, by virtue of his office, the grand prior of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, the president of the assembly of Catholic bishops of the Holy Land, and the president of the Latin-rite bishops' conference of the Arabic region.
Do They Know It's Easter Time at All?
Swissmiss wrote:
but say a prayer
Pray for the other ones
At Eastertime it's hard
But when you're having fun
There's a world outside your window
And it's a world of secularism
Where the only water flowing
Is under the Zamboni resurfacer...
Monday, March 17, 2008
St. Patrick's Day
Prayer to Saint Patrick
many centuries ago you converted Ireland to Christ.
Receive my grateful and heartfelt prayers today
and intercede for me and for those I love.
turning confidently to God through the ages.
May I begin anew at this moment to love God with all my heart
and serve him with all my strength.
which inspired you to work for the gospel.
Open my heart to charity for all the poor
that they may find joy and relief
and give glory to God with all the saints.
Upcoming Book Links Parishioners' Politics With Their Priests' Views
By Patricia Zapor
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A small study to be reported in an upcoming book on the political influence of parish priests found huge differences in the types of political messages being emphasized from one parish to another, which may come as no surprise to anyone.
But whichever subjects their priests address, said author Gregory Smith, a fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, people clearly are being influenced in their political thinking by what they hear from the pulpit and read in their parish bulletins...
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A small study to be reported in an upcoming book on the political influence of parish priests found huge differences in the types of political messages being emphasized from one parish to another, which may come as no surprise to anyone.
But whichever subjects their priests address, said author Gregory Smith, a fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, people clearly are being influenced in their political thinking by what they hear from the pulpit and read in their parish bulletins...
Abba Drummer Found Dead in Spain
MADRID (Reuters) - A former drummer for 1970s Swedish pop group ABBA, Ola Brunkert, has been found dead after an apparent accident in his house in Mallorca, Spanish police said on Monday.
Brunkert bled to death from a throat wound which police suspect was caused after he accidentally smashed a pane of glass, a spokeswoman for the Civil Guard police said, adding that authorities were awaiting the result of an autopsy.
The official Web site of the band said Brunkert was possibly the only instrumental musician to appear on all the albums released by the band.
Abba's two male and two female vocalists were among the world's best-known faces in the 1970s with hits including "Waterloo" and "Dancing Queen."
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