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Close one! Good one. Looking forward to the next one.

Father Larry Richards' Nuggets of Wisdom from "Be a Man!"

Father Larry Richards' Nuggets of Wisdom from Be a Man!

From Chapter 1: Be a Man Who Stays Focused on the Final Goal

You are going to die!. 

Nice way to start a book, huh? I know, but I want you to let this thought sink in: You are going to die. This is the truest reality there is. This is what makes us all the same. It doesn't matter how rich we are, or how popular we are, or how powerful we are: we are all going to "kick the bucket" one day. Isn't that a nice thought?

Okay, you may say, so what? After we come to accept this basic reality, we have to make sure we do everything with our end in mind. God tells us in the Book of Sirach, "Call no man happy before his death, for by how he ends, a man is known" (11:28 [RNAB]). The world is filled with examples of men who began well and ended badly! We need to make sure we are not one of them!

From Chapter 2: Be a Man Who Lives as a Beloved Son

The thing is, mere creation doesn't make you a son or daughter of the Father. That makes you a creature of God. God is your creator. That's why when this hogwash goes around and we hear, "Oh, don't call God 'Father'; call Him 'Creator'", that's garbage! The reason it is garbage for Christians is it takes out the relationship aspect. If I create a car, I'm the creator of the car, but I don't have a relationship with the car. If God is just our creator, it's not enough. So what? He also created my dog, Rudy, but my dog is not a son of the Father. Rudy is a creature of the Creator. Big difference. When we start playing these games with God and say, "God, you are the creator of all things", we are missing the point. We never enter into a relationship with God. The way we know who we are is through the sacrament of baptism. The teaching of the Church is clear. The day you and I got baptized, we were adopted by God. When we were baptized, the sky opened up just like it did upon Jesus, and spiritually, God the Father, the Creator of the universe, looked at you and me and said, "You are My beloved son." Whether you got baptized at one month old or whether you were fifty, God looked at you and said, "You are My beloved son." You stopped being a creation of the Father and you became a son of the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Read nuggets from all ten chapters of Be A Man!

Also see (and hear):

Panic and Ideological Passion

Those aren't two characteristics most people readily associate with scientists. But Stephen M. Barr, a professor of physics at the Bartol Research Institute at the University of Delaware, does in a post on the First Thoughts blog about global warming and skeptics thereof:

What is going on then? Why are scientists who are skeptics vilified and the attempt made to marginalize them? Something has obviously gone terribly awry. The tremendous hurry some people are in to achieve a “scientific consensus” is driven, I believe, by two factors. One is panic. I think that some people feel that we cannot afford to wait until the evidence is more solid; we have to do something now or it might be too late. The other factor is ideological passion. The climate change issue has been mixed up with people’s political views and their sense of what it means to be progressive and enlightened. The ideological passion is, to me, more disturbing. Panic, after all, usually subsides in time; but the politicization of science might have longer term consequences if it corrupts the attitudes of scientists toward their craft.

The pirated e-mails are indeed revealing in this regard. It is notoriously easy to slant one’s data analysis unconsciously. And it is quite common for scientists to emphasize the data that support their theories and to downplay or find contrived explanations for the data that doesn’t. That is normal. But I think it is the rare scientist who would admit to himself, let alone to a colleague, that he was actually trying to “hide” some important information and who would even use that word.

Ideologues who would trample down legitimate scientific questions raised by their entirely qualified colleagues are risking terrible damage to science in the long run. If it turns out, as it might, that the global warming fears are overblown or ill-founded, the credibility of the scientific establishment will suffer a grievous blow from which it will be hard to recover. It will open the door for all the real kooks and purveyors of pseudoscience, who will be that much harder to resist in the future. And what if at some point in the future an environmental catastrophe looms about which there really is a solid consensus in the scientific community? And what if at that point it really is only kooks who deny it? Won’t non-scientists be disposed to say, “We’ve heard that all before?” We believed you the last time and you led us astray?

Read the entire post. And, of course, scientists aren't the only ones who stand to lose their reputations as objective guardians of truth and facts.

Here is a 2006 Ignatius Insight interview with Dr. Barr:

Fr. Robert Barron brilliantly defends Eucharistic adoration...

... over against typically arrogant and ridiculous comments made by Fr. Richard McBrien, who recently wrote: "Eucharistic adoration, perpetual or not, is a doctrinal, theological, and spiritual step backward, not forward."



Recall that Pope Benedict XVI, in the Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis, wrote:

"With the Synod Assembly, therefore, I heartily recommend to the Church's pastors and to the People of God the practice of eucharistic adoration, both individually and in community" (par 67). And, "besides encouraging individual believers to make time for personal prayer before the Sacrament of the Altar, I feel obliged to urge parishes and other church groups to set aside times for collective adoration" (par 68).

Also see Fr. Barron's DVD on the Eucharist.

Related IgnatiusInsight.com articles and columns:

• Eucharistic Adoration: Reviving An Ancient Tradition | Valerie Schmalz
• Benedict and the Eucharist: On the Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis | Carl E. Olson
• Eucharistic Adoration: The Hour That Makes My Day | Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
• The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Christian Spirituality | Mark Brumley
• The Meaning and Purpose of the Year of the Eucharist | Carl E. Olson
• The Doctrine (and the Defense) of the Eucharist | Carl E. Olson
• Our Daily, Everlasting Bread | Carl E. Olson
• Forgive, For Eucharist's Sake | Carl E. Olson
• Reflections On Saying Mass (And Saying It Correctly) | James V. Schall, S. J.
• The Biblical Roots of the Mass | An Interview with Thomas J. Nash

Fr. Twomey: All bishops named in Dublin diocesan report "should resign immediately..."

"... from their current pastoral positions”

From The Irish Times:

The former professor of moral theology at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, said “the longer they delay in doing so, the greater the damage they will do to all faithful Catholics, and in particular to the survivors of abuse who are still paying the price for the sins of their priests and bishops”.

In a letter published in The Irish Times today, he says “my instinct is to defend the church from unfounded attacks. But the revelations of the Murphy report are something else. The actions, or rather for the most part, the inactions of the bishops named there are simply indefensible.”

Here is the entire letter (link):

Madam, – My instinct is to defend the church from unfounded attacks. But the revelations of the Murphy report are something else. The actions, or rather, for the most part, the inactions of the bishops named there are simply indefensible.

At the very least, it would seem, all were guilty of negligence – some, such as Bishop Donal Murray of Limerick, whose behaviour was described as “inexcusable”, more than others. But all were deemed guilty of inaction, of failing to listen to their conscience, as Mary Raftery put it on radio and television.

They were deemed guilty of putting the interests of the institution above the safety and welfare of children. Their failure to act when necessary, whatever the motivation, caused profound emotional damage to the victims of clerical sexual abuse and their families, and facilitated even more abuse. Their failure to act decisively has also, as Fr Tom Doyle, the American canon lawyer, said on Prime Time, caused untold spiritual damage to those entrusted to their pastoral care. To begin with, all bishops mentioned in the report should resign immediately from their current pastoral positions. The longer they delay in doing so, the greater the damage they will do to all faithful Catholics, and in particular to the survivors of abuse who are still paying the price for the sins of their priests and bishops. – Yours, etc,

Rev Dr D VINCENT TWOMEY SVD,

Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology,

Divine Word Missionaries,

Maynooth, Co Kildare.

Fr. Twomey is the author of Pope Benedict XVI: The Conscience of Our Age (A Theological Portrait) and The End of Irish Catholicism?

A Selection From "Set All Afire: A Novel about Saint Francis Xavier"

A Selection From Book Four of Set All Afire: A Novel about Saint Francis Xavier | Louis de Wohl | Ignatius Insight

A ship, a small merchantman, built at Goa, and serving the coastal route. The pepper ship, they called it, because it brought pepper from Cochin to Goa, pepper, that most precious article. The whole of the Portuguese Empire of the Indies was built on pepper. There were other spices, of course, and there was silk from the faraway, unapproachable land called  China—unapproachable because every foreigner trying to land there was instantly killed, ac­cording to the standing orders of the Emperor. But pepper was the main thing.

Francis and his three Tamil students were the only passengers. He almost wept as Goa vanished in the mists of the morning sun. Somehow the rumor of his departure had got around and a huge crowd had come to see him off, Father Almeida and Father Campo and other priests, Violante Ferreira with her nice young daughter, both in tears, Father Diogo de Borba of course, with all his students, and hundreds and hundreds of others; they upset the entire traffic near the port. And as the ship left, they had sung the Credo, rhymed as he had taught it to the children. How they loved singing, these joyful people. They sang when they plowed their fields, sang when they worked on the wharves. And there were the children, his children, tossing hibiscus flowers at the ship, bobbing up and down ....

Leaving them was a kind of dying. And now started the voyage to purgatory.

Father de Borba had told him a good deal about the Paravas, and no one could have given him better information. Eight years ago Father de Borba had been there himself, in the course of the War of the Ear.

Every girl child on the Pearl Fisher Coast had the lobes of her tiny ears pierced. Little leaden weights were inserted into the ears and these weights were gradually increased, till at last they were large enough for the enormous earrings that would be put in on the day of the girl's marriage. They were the sign of the married state and a Parava woman's pride and badge of rank and dignity.

An uncouth, greedy Moslem trader—one of the many who cheated the poor pearl fishers out of their goods, won by so much effort and under constant danger from sharks and stin­grays—tore such a ring off the ear of a young Parava woman, tearing her earlobe at the same time. Outraged, the Paravas killed him and everyone of his kind they could lay their hands on. Then came the armed feluccas to burn down the Parava villages and the pearl fishers asked for Portuguese protection.

And Dom Martini de Sousa, Gran Capitan of the Seas, arrived with his fleet. Francis had heard the story from Marcello, but Father de Borba had a few things to add. He and a few Franciscans had gone ashore with the troops, and the priests—numbering no more than six— had baptized twenty thousand natives. They tried to instruct them, too, but the fleet had to go on and priests were needed on board ....

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"... I was particularly moved by his homilies given for the Advent of 1941."

Fr. J. C. Maximilian, parochial vicar of St. Theresa’s parish in Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, is using Fr. Alfred Delp's Advent of the Heart (Ignatius Press, 2006), as the basis for his Advent sermons. From his sermon last Sunday:

Last year, one of you, gave me a book to read for Advent. It was a collection of homilies and letters of Fr. Alfred Delp, a Jesuit priest who lived in Germany during the Second World War. The name of the
book is Advent of the Heart. Like so many devout persons at the time, Fr. Delp recognized in the Nazi government the presence of evil, and he was very concerned about helping people see the presence of Christ Jesus as a contradiction to the evil of the Nazis. Fr. Delp worked with the German Resistance, helping those in danger from the Nazis, mostly Jews, to escape to safety. Most importantly he worked to help prepare people for rebuilding the Kingdom of God from the ashes of the Nazi regime.
        
Although he had nothing to do with the assassination attempt of Hitler, Fr. Delp was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned as a conspirator. Eventually he was convicted of treason and hung by the Nazis; his body being burned and the ashes scattered. He died a martyr’s death.
        
Fr. Delp had a great love for the season of Advent, and I was particularly moved by his homilies given for the Advent of 1941. I was so impressed by his reflections, that I knew that I wanted to share them with all of you, but by the time I finished reading them, Advent was over. So I had to wait for this year. Fr. Delps focus that Advent, and mine this Advent, is on the ways in which Advent “calls” us to an encounter with God.
        
This as been a difficult year. While some have been effected more than others, no one has been unaffected by the economic crisis. Such a crisis often begets other difficulties – perhaps medical difficulties, or substance abuse, or interpersonal conflicts. Of course even with as bad as things have been this year, it pales in comparison with the horror that Fr. Delp and his parishioners witnessed in 1941 – a world at war. Yet despite the troubles, Fr. Delp reminds us that on the First Sunday of Advent the Church gives voice to the ancient prayer heard in today’s Responsorial Psalm, “To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.”

Read the entire homily.

• Two for Advent (Nov. 19, 2009)
• "Be Vigilant At All Times" | A Reflection on the First Sunday of Advent | Carl E. Olson
• The Mystery Made Present To Us | Fr. Alfred Delp, S.J.
• "All of life is Advent": On the life and death of Alfred Delp, S.J. | Abtei St. Walburg
• Remembering Father Alfred Delp, S.J., Priest and Martyr | A Conversation with Father Karl Adolf Kreuser, S.J.
• Remembering a Priest and Martyr: On the Ordination Anniversary of Alfred Delp, S.J. | Abtei St. Walburg
• Faithful Even Unto Death: The Witness of Alfred Delp, S.J. | Fr. Albert Münch

Is the city of San Fran targeting ...

... the Archdiocese of San Fran? From the California Catholic Daily:

The San Francisco Transfer Tax Appeals Board voted unanimously on Monday, Nov. 30, to uphold an estimated $14.4 million in property-transfer taxes levied against the Archdiocese of San Francisco by Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting, but the archdiocese has vowed the fight is far from over.

The levy, described by the assessor’s office as “the second largest transfer tax event in our city’s history,” stems from the internal transfer within the archdiocese in 2008 of 232 pieces of property. Ting determined that the transfers were the equivalent of “sales” and therefore subject to property taxes. The archdiocese appealed the decision, and the appeals board voted 3-0 on Monday to side with Ting.

“In view of the fact that the law pertaining to this intra-church property transfer matter is overwhelmingly in favor of the Archdiocese we are obviously disappointed that the City’s Transfer Tax Appeals Board did not follow the law,” said the archdiocese in a statement released following the vote. “The Board members, all of whom are City Hall administrators rather than members of the judiciary, apparently faced a tremendous amount of pressure in view of the City’s desperate need for revenue.”

The archdiocese’s statement continued, “More than 19 months have gone by since we first presented a straightforward transaction for recordation by City Recorder Phil Ting’s office and were met with inexcusable delays, and at times, arrogance. Therefore, we are glad that having exhausted the required administrative process we can finally proceed to a formal, neutral civil court forum. We trust that the civil court will carefully consider the applicable law, devoid of the sensationalism and politics that the Archdiocese thus far has faced.”

In June, Ting told the San Francisco Chronicle that the archdiocese made the transfers to shield Church-owned properties from being seized and sold to pay off lawsuits, an assertion archdiocesan spokesman Maurice Healy flatly rejected at the time, saying the allegation "shames the city of San Francisco."

Read the entire piece. The article also notes that, according to the archdiocesan newspaper, "the archdiocese had made the same kind of property transfers in Marin and San Mateo counties more than a year ago and that neither county sought to impose transfer taxes." There are plenty of unanswered questions and unknowns in this situation, but it could end up being an important test of how far city (as well as state and federal) governments are willing to go. Shame, of course, is not something that normally concerns the city of San Fran; it seems to revel in it. Stay tuned.

Benedict XVI on William of St. Thierry, "Cantor of Love"

From Vatican Information Service:

WILLIAM OF ST. THIERRY: CANTOR OF LOVE

VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC 2009 (VIS) - William of St. Thierry was the subject of the Holy Father's catechesis during his general audience, celebrated this morning in St. Peter's Square.

 William, a friend and admirer of Bernard of Clairvaux, was born in Liege between the years 1075 and 1080. A member of a noble family, he was educated in the most famous schools of the time and later entered the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Nicaise in Reims. He subsequently became abbot of the monastery of Saint-Thierry where, however, he was unable to reform the community as he wished and abandoned the Benedictines to enter the Cistercian abbey of Signy. There he wrote a number of important works of monastic theology.

 "De natura et dignitate amoris" (The nature and the dignity of love) contains, the Pope explained, one of William's fundamental ideas, which also holds true for us today: "The principal force that moves the human soul is love. ... The truth is that only one task is entrusted to each human being: learning to love sincerely, authentically and freely. But only at the school of God can this task be achieved and can man attain the end for which he was created".

 "Learning to love is a long and arduous path", said the Holy Father. "In this journey people must impose an effective asceticism upon themselves ... in order to eliminate any disordered affections ... and unify their lives with God - source, goal and power of love - until reaching the summit of spiritual life, which William defined as 'wisdom'. At the end of this ascetic itinerary, we experience great serenity and sweetness".

 William likewise attributes considerable importance "to the emotional dimension" because "our heart is made of flesh and when we love God, Who is Love, how can we not express our human feelings in this relationship with the Lord? ... The Lord Himself, becoming man, chose to love us with a heart of flesh".

 For this Cistercian monk, love "illuminates the mind and enables a better and more profound understanding of God and, in God, of people and events". Love "produces attraction and communion to the point of effecting a transformation, an assimilation, between the lover and the loved. ... And this holds true, above all, for knowledge of God and of His mysteries, which surpass our mind's capacity to understand. God is known if he is loved", Benedict XVI affirmed.

 He concluded by quoting from the "Epistola aurea" addressed to the Cistercians of Mont-Dieu, a summary of William of St. Thierry's ideas on the subject of love: "The image of God present in man impels him towards resemblance; that is, towards an ever fuller identification between his will and the divine will. This perfection, which William calls 'unity of spirit', cannot be achieved through individual effort, ... but by the action of the Holy Spirit which ... purifies and ... transforms into charity all the desire for love present in the human being. ...In this way ... man becomes by grace what God is by nature".

Man becomes by grace what God is by nature: theosis and divinization, the heart of Christian soteriology.

• Theosis: The Reason for the Season | Carl E. Olson
• The Dignity of the Human Person: Pope John Paul II's Teaching on Divinization in the Trinitarian Encyclicals | Carl E. Olson
• The Liturgy Lived: The Divinization of Man | Jean Corbon, O.P.

Bringing Back Latin

Bringing Back Latin | Dr. Mark J. Clark | Homiletic & Pastoral Review | December 2009

The virtual disappearance of Latin is not what was intended by Vatican II

During the debates of the Second Vatican Council one prelate after another addressed the Fathers of the Council in fluent Latin. That they did so is hardly surprising, for Latin remained the living language of the Roman Catholic Church. What may be surprising, however, is their collective level of fluency. The European prelates in particular displayed in their speeches and lively discussions a near-native mastery of Latin that would have been the envy of Renaissance humanists living five hundred years previously. Among the issues the Council Fathers debated in Latin was the introduction of vernacular languages into the Mass. When they ultimately decided to endorse the use of the vernacular in the Mass it doubtless never occurred to them that the facility in Latin that they took for granted—Latin, after all, was an integral part of their own intellectual patrimony and would remain the official language of the Church—would largely disappear within half a century.

Yet disappear it did, and quickly. How and why merits our attention, as does the question of what can be done to revivify the tradition of living Latin within the Church. For if living Latin dies, the consequences for the Church are grave. What is significant about the fact that the Fathers of the Council spoke readily in Latin is that they thought in Latin, which gave them easy access to the length and breadth of the Catholic tradition. The Church’s treasury of writings spanning the centuries is like a large chest in the attic, to which Latin is the key. Unfortunately, we stand in danger of losing the key, for few now live who can actually think in Latin. This is especially true within the Church herself. A sign of this is that even at the Vatican documents are no longer composed in Latin and then translated into vernacular languages but are first thought in the vernacular and then translated into Latin. We are in fact in danger of becoming strangers to our own tradition, for few can read the thoughts of our Catholic tradition in the language in which they were thought.

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Robert P. George on The Manhattan Declaration and civil disobedience

From a National Review Online interview by Kathryn Jean Lopez with Robert P. George about The Manhattan Declaration:

LOPEZ: Is this declaration comparable to the “end of democracy” debate of the late Nineties?

GEORGE: The “End of Democracy” debate was focused on the consequences for political legitimacy of the judicial usurpation of democratic authority. That remains an important constitutional issue, but it is not a central focus of the Manhattan Declaration.

LOPEZ: When will it be time for civil disobedience? When will people know? How should they express it?

GEORGE: We believe in law and the rule of law. We recognize an obligation to comply with laws, whether we like them or not. That obligation is defeasible, however. Gravely unjust laws, and especially laws that seek to compel people to do things that are unjust, do not bind in conscience. Certainly, one must never perform a gravely unjust act, even when “following orders” or compelled by law. Christians believe — and they are far from alone in this — that one must be prepared to pay a price, sometimes a very high price indeed, for refusing to do what one’s conscience tells one is wrong. Socrates, as presented by his disciple Plato, stunned his interlocutors by saying that if one is faced with the options of doing a wrong or suffering one, it is better to suffer a wrong. That’s the teaching of Christianity, too. So if legislation is enacted that compels obstetricians and gynecologists to participate in abortions or refer for them, Christians and other pro-life men and women who practice in those fields of medicine will find themselves faced with the options of doing what they judge in conscience to be gravely unjust or abandoning their careers. Their obligation will be to abandon their careers. By the same token, if legislation is enacted to compel Catholic hospitals and clinics, for example, to provide abortion services or refer for abortions, those institutions could face the options of doing what the Church teaches is profoundly wrong or going out of business. Their obligation will be to go out of business. Of course, this would be a tragedy, especially since these institutions do such wonderful work in providing health care to the poor. But the legal imposition will leave them no choice.  

Read the entire interview.

• "...no power on earth ... will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence." (Nov. 24, 2009)
• Europe and the Manhattan Declaration (Nov. 25, 2009)

"The 13th Day" DVD is now available

Pre-orders and new orders are shipping, and now is a great time to order to make sure you have a copy in time for Christmas. Plus, when you order online you save 10%. The 13th Day (DVD) — $24.95 10% off: $22.45

Catholic film critic Steve Greydanus calls The 13th Day 'the best film ever made about Fatima'. A lovely, poignant film about Our Lady appearing to three children, her message to them, and the amazing Miracle of the Sun. Includes:

     *   24-page companion booklet with interviews, articles, pictures & more!
     *   Film with Fr. Andrew Apostoli titled "Fatima: Message of Hope for Today"
     *   Optional Spanish subtitles.

BONUS! DVDs also include actual Rosary and lovely color Rosary prayer leaflet!

Order online today, or visit www.the13thdaymovie.com for clips and more!

"The 13th Day is the best film ever made about Fatima — the most beautiful and effective, as well as one of the most historically accurate. Sister Lucia's memories are imbued with an aura of reverie and contemplation by striking visuals, an effective score and a stark, simple narrative. A fact-based film that succeeds in being both artful and reverent is a rare thing. The 13th Day succeeds."  —Steve Greydanus, National Catholic Register

"The 13th Day lives up to the hype we heard all summer. It leaves older film versions in the dust in terms of cinematic artistry and special effects. Directors Ian and Dominic Higgins were illustrators before they were film makers, and it shows. Each shot looks like something one could frame and hang on a wall. The miracle of the sun is depicted perfectly: it matches eyewitness descriptions more accurately than any other movie version... I have a feeling that this film will be a "Catholic classic" for many years to come."  —Daria Sockey, Faith and Family

"Pope Benedict XVI has said, 'Learn the message of Fatima! Live the message of Fatima! Spread the message of Fatima!' This film is a powerful presentation of the events surrounding Our Lady's apparitions. It especially shows the sufferings that the three little shepherd children endured as God's messengers of Our Lady's peace plan from Heaven. It combines a certain dramatic intensity with an attractive and innovative artistic presentation. The result is a moving appeal to heed Mary's message which is so important for our times. I believe this film will assist the cause of the world's peace and the salvation of souls."  —Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR

"This is a triumph of a film. And I don’t think I’ve ever used that word for a film before. This is a highly stylized film. Ultra-dramatic blocking, soft focus, chiaroscuro, use of surreal, almost-colorized color. The choice of a kind of serious, spooky, supernatural thriller tone is rigidly adhered to. And why not? We’re talking grave spiritual warfare here: World War I, World War II, Hell - what matters could be more weighty? And real? However, the film doesn’t feel stiff. It is luminous.”  —Sister Helena Burns, FSP John Paul II Film Festival

"Catholic and non-Catholic viewers alike will be captivated by the dramatic and artistic retelling of the Fatima apparitions during a new film, The 13th Day. The lighting, careful positioning of characters within a scene and innovative cinematic effects add to the film's appeal. The directors, Ian and Dominic Higgins, use digital effects to help viewers realize the profound and powerful nature of both the apparitions and the miracle.”  —Laura Wright, Catholic Standard

"A remarkable re-telling of the story of Fatima, told from the perspective of Sister Lucia’s memories. A moving presentation that vividly portrays the courage of the children and the great demands made not only on them but on their families. I believe that many will be deeply touched by the film."  —Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, UK

Into the Deep Sea of History

Into the Deep Sea of History | Editorial | George Neumayr | Catholic World Report

The release of Anglicanorum Coetibus According to his critics, Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy would alienate, not attract, be rigid, not flexible. But as he presides over an imaginative papacy of growing Christian unity, their predictions fall away. Unable to compute that disaffected Anglicans had approached Pope Benedict and asked for entry into the Church, they cast his apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus as an act of aggressive evangelization.    “Vatican Fishing for Disgruntled Anglicans,” declared the Washington Post. The New York Times described it as “an extraordinary bid to lure traditionalist Anglicans en masse.” The coverage contained an implicit assumption: that the Catholic Church is a man-made sect which steals members from other man-made sects. Were that assumption true, were the Catholic Church a grasping human organization among others, the negative spin on Anglicanorum Coetibus might be understandable. But the assumption is false. The Church comes from Jesus Christ, and the Pope and her bishops are called to be “fishers of men,” as he told the disciples. True, Pope Benedict’s accommodation of disaffected Anglicans in Anglicanorum Coetibus is not “ecumenical,” as defined by modern liberals. But it is apostolic, and that’s what matters. He is not, after all, the world’s ecumenical coordinator but the Vicar of Christ.

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New from Ignatius Press: "Maria: Benedict XVI on the Mother of God"

Now available:

Maria: Pope Benedict XVI on the Mother of God

This glorious volume is a lavishly illustrated coffee-table book with dozens of inspirational and famous color paintings, sculptures and artwork of the Blessed Virgin Mary from all over the world.

The beautiful pictures are accompanied by the profound writings and homilies of Pope Benedict XVI on the person of Mary, and her unique role in human history and in the plan of God for salvation history.

The gorgeous paintings and artwork are from many different centuries, some very famous and others less well-known. Many of these artworks are located at popular Marian shrines that Pope Benedict has visited and honored with special events, prayers and homilies, depicted throughout this volume. Some of the famous Marian images include Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Czestochowa (the “Black Madonna”), Queen of the Holy Rosary, Our Lady of Loreto, Queen of Carmel, and many others.

Pope Benedict offers in-depth, inspirational reflections on the unique spiritual role Mary has as the Mother of the Savior, showing her to be the universal “woman” that Jesus calls her in the Gospels, his mother that God made the spiritual mother of all mankind.

Using Biblical references of Mary as “full of grace” and the “woman clothed with the sun”, Pope Benedict emphasizes that Mary’s main role is to lead us to union with Jesus, to help us know and love him much better and to be his true followers.

A lovely gift book as well as one to use for inspiring spiritual reading, meditation and reflection.

Sample images from the book:

Benedict XVI: Advent "invites us to remain silent as we come to appreciate a presence."

From Vatican Information Service:

ADVENT INVITES US TO PERCEIVE THE PRESENCE OF GOD

VATICAN CITY, 28 NOV 2009 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica this evening, Benedict XVI presided at first Vespers for the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new liturgical year for the Church.

 In his homily the Pope reflected upon the meaning of the word Advent which "Christians used", he said, "to express their relationship with Jesus. ... The meaning of the expression advent also includes that of 'vistatio', ... a visit, which in this case means a visit from God: He enters my life and wishes to address Himself to me".

 "In daily life we all know the experience of having little time for the Lord, and little time for ourselves. We end up becoming absorbed by 'doing'. Is it not often true that it is activity itself that possesses us, society with its multiple distractions that monopolises our attention? Is it not true that we dedicate a lot of time to entertainment and leisure activities of various kinds?"

 "Advent, this potent liturgical period we are entering, invites us to remain silent as we come to appreciate a presence. It is an invitation to understand that the individual events of the day are signs God addresses to us, signs of the care He has for each of us. How often does God make us aware of some aspect of His love! To maintain what we might call an 'inner diary' of this love would be a beautiful and rewarding task in our lives. Advent invites us and encourages us to contemplate the living Lord. Should not the certainty of His presence help us to see the world with different eyes?"

 The Holy Father went on: "Another fundamental aspect of Advent is that of waiting: a wait that is, at the same time, a hope. ... Hope marks the journey of humankind, but for Christians it is enlivened by a certainty: the Lord is present in the events of our lives, He accompanies us and will one day dry our tears. One not-far-distant day everything will reach fulfilment in the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of justice and peace.

 "Yet", he added, "there are many different ways to wait. If the present time is not filled with meaning, the wait risks becoming unbearable. If we await something, but at this moment have nothing - in other words, if the present is empty - then every passing instant seems exaggeratedly long and the wait becomes an over-heavy burden because the future remains too uncertain. When, on the other hand, time has meaning and at every instant we perceive something specific and valid, then the joy of waiting makes the present richer".

 The Holy Father encouraged the faithful "intensely to live the present, where we already obtain the gifts of the Lord. Let us live projected towards the future, a future charged with hope". The Messiah, "coming among us, brought us and continues to bring us the gift of His love and His salvation. He is present among us and speaks to us in many ways: in Sacred Scripture, in the liturgical year, in the saints, in the events of daily life, in all creation, which changes its appearance depending upon whether [we see Him] behind it or whether [we see it] shrouded in the fog of an uncertain origin and uncertain future".

 "We in our turn", Pope Benedict concluded, "can address Him, present Him the sufferings that afflict us, the impatience and the questions that arise in our hearts. We are certain that He always listens to us! And if Jesus is present, then there can be no meaningless or empty time. If He is present we can continue to hope, even when others can no longer offer us their support, even when the present becomes burdensome".

• Two for Advent (Nov. 19, 2009
• "Be Vigilant At All Times" | A Reflection on the First Sunday of Advent | Carl E. Olson
• • The Mystery Made Present To Us | Fr. Alfred Delp, S.J.
• "All of life is Advent": On the life and death of Alfred Delp, S.J. | Abtei St. Walburg

The "Hood" Over Our Eyes: Are We Doomed As a Country?

The "Hood" Over Our Eyes: Are We Doomed As a Country? | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | November 30, 2009 | Ignatius Insight

The day after the killings at Fort Hood, a friend wrote, with some prophetic import: "What could have been the shooter's motive? The FBI is still searching, I know. It's just traumatic stress disorder, even though the man had not been to Iraq, or Afghanistan, even though he shouted 'Allah Akbar' while opening fire. We're doomed as a country."

This action is intelligible to any reasonable person in terms of the killer's statements and deeds. It does not take a genius to understand him. But it does take a genius to come up with a theory that excuses him from responsibility. Our land, even in the highest places, and not only ours, is populated with not a few such geniuses with their exonerating speculations.

This latter phrase—"We are doomed as a country"—is what interests me here. Are we?

It is possible we have crossed a mental line beyond which we are no longer able to understand the very word "enemy"—even when he acts as one? This line is not military, but one of mind with the theories that swirl through it. Thus, the phrase—"We are doomed—was "haunting." It gets to the real problem. The issue is not Fort Hood as such, or even why this killer was not detected or stopped.

Rather, the problem is the cultural "hood" over our eyes. It prevents us from seeing a quite intelligible thing for what it is.

To change the metaphor, our "minds" are tied behind our backs. Our own philosophy, as it is used to explain such violence, is now itself a useful instrument of the terrorists, as they are inaccurately called. The actions of those who commit these "crimes" we explain in terms of victimhood, sociological categories, economic or psychological depravities. Yet, they are not "crimes" but acts of war. Those who carry out these attacks, at least, are not confused about what they are doing.

Read the entire essay...

Apparently this sentence made sense...

... to the reporter who penned it:

Well known for his staunch Catholicism, Mr Abbott said he had never let his religion interfere with his policy decisions and pledged he never would as either leader of the Liberal Party or as prime minister.

I know nothing about Mr. Abbott or Aussie politics. Doesn't matter. The sentence above is laughable, but hardly funny. It merely reveals the artificial divide between belief and action, faith and public life, doctrine and politics. The divide is further accentuated by the use of a most revealing word: "interfere." Funny, but you don't see sentences like this:

Well known for his staunch Marxism, Mr Bumbles said he had never let his Marxist views interfere with his policy decisions and pledged he never would as either leader of the Liberal Party or as prime minister.

Or, quite timely:

Well known for his staunch belief in global warming, Mr Jeep said he had never let his love for monitoring carbon footprints interfere with his policy decisions and pledged he never would as either leader of the Liberal Party or as prime minister.

Put another way, how about this:

Well known for his staunch Catholicism, Mr Kanedee said he had never let his religion interfere with his marital decisions and pledged he never would as either leader of his family or as mentor to other husbands and fathers.

No, no, no! Of course not. It's always a one-way street, and the vehicle is always going the wrong way, with politics driving ethics and informing morality, and eventually misdirecting and perverting religious beliefs. If, in fact, one's religious beliefs could "interfere" with "policy decisions," there are only two conclusions to be reached:

1). The religious beliefs are false and/or useless. In which case they should be abandoned. If not abandoned, they are simply window-dressing, a cover, a cynical ploy. Or, better: political currency.

2). The policy decisions are in conflict with one's religious beliefs, in which case the politician is either willing to compromise his religious beliefs or he believes policy takes precedence over his religious beliefs (whether true or not), thus destroying his "staunch Catholic" status.

The reporter doesn't see this, I'm quite certain, not because he is stupid or anti-Catholic, but because this is simply the prevailing, accepted, thoughtless "wisdom." But modern liberalism—which, in its various forms, dominates the political realm in the West—is itself a form of religious faith. In the words of James Kalb, recently interviewed for Ignatius Insight:

Liberalism is a stealth religion. It becomes established and authoritative by claiming that it is not a religion but only the setting other religions need to cooperate peacefully.

The claim doesn't make much sense, since religion has to do with ultimate issues. The religion of a society is simply the ultimate authoritative way the society grasps reality. As such it can't be subordinate to anything else.

Liberalism has been successful at obfuscating its status as a religion, and that's been key to its success. People believe they are keeping their own religion when they give first place to liberalism. What happens though is that their original religion gets assimilated and becomes a sort of poeticized version of liberalism.

Read the entire interview.

Surreal. And wonderful.

"We're going to have a prayer now," said a man in front of a choir of children and adults that had been singing before the large assembly for about thirty minutes. The prayer was short, but direct, with particular emphasis on the birth and person of Jesus Christ. As the prayer concluded, the crowd joined in a hearty, "Amen!"

My wife and I looked at each other in rather stunned disbelief. What had just happened? No, we weren't at our parish (which doesn't have a choir and doesn't announce prayers), nor were we moonlighting at an Evangelical gathering. But it certainly had something of an Evangelical feel to it. Very much so.

Which is why it was so surreal.

We were at the annual Christmas tree lighting in north Eugene, right next to Borders and Starbucks, not far from the Nike store.

I've seen a lot of strange and wild things in Eugene, which has a well-deserved reputation for wackiness (anarchy conventions), weirdness (the "Eugene celebration"; the "Country Fair"), smelliness (the Saturday Market), crudeness (topless women drummers and dancers; UO football fans), and even lewdness (nudist bicycle rides). But, honestly, this was quite stunning: unapologetic, direct Christian language—and prayer!—at a fairly substantial public event in the middle of a large shopping complex parking lot. I half expected a SWAT team to arrive within moments of the prayer.

We attended last year's tree lighting ceremony and it was pleasant and agreeable and mildly bland, with plenty of "holiday music," hot chocolate and cider, and a pen of real reindeer. There was no prayer. Believe me, if there had been, I'd remember; I would have posted about it, just as I'm posting this now. I'm not even sure there was much use of the word "Christmas" at last year's event. After all, Eugene has a history of shutting down anything Christmas when it comes to government buildings and a rather open disdain for anything smacking of real Christianity (that is, actual belief in the birth and person of Jesus Christ) when it comes to The Holidays.

A few years ago the city manager refused to allow Christmas trees in government buildings; there was even talk of city employees not being allowed to have green and red decorations in their work cubicles. Too offensive. Too Christmas-y. Too religious. Why, there are some citizens of this fair community who think Christmas songs in a grocery store desecrate the sacred (for secularists) separation of church and state. Well, sure, they probably teach at the University of Oregon and think ill of anything they deem Euro-centric, traditional, and Christian. But they also seem to have had a stranglehold on much of the public life in this town for many years now.

Has the tide turned? Even just a little bit? Are people finally sick enough of politically-correct silliness, elitist bullies, brain-dead technocrats, and faux tolerance to do things—however small or seemingly minor—to take back bits and pieces of the public square? I'm not sure. But I sense that Christmas in Eugene, Oregon, is going to be a wee bit more exhilarating and enjoyable than usual this year. 

"Be Vigilant At All Times" | A Reflection on the First Sunday of Advent

"Be Vigilant At All Times" | A Reflection on the First Sunday of Advent | Carl E. Olson | November 29, 2009

Readings:

Jer. 33:14-16
Psa. 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
1 Thess. 3:12—4:2
Lk. 21:25-28, 34-36


An advent is a coming; it literally means "to come to." Advent anticipates the coming—or comings—of the Son of Man: in his Incarnation two thousand years ago, in his future return in glory, and in the mystery of the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Saviour's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming" (par. 524). This summarizes well the themes of today's readings.

The prophet Jeremiah lived during one of the most difficult and troubled times of the ancient Near East and of Judah, from c. 629-587 B.C. Facing numerous discouragements and trials, he continually proclaimed the true nature of God and warned Judah and her leaders of the defeats that would come as punishment for failing to obey and worship God. He also spoke of the restoration of Jerusalem, the holy city—a restoration that would come at the hand of "a just shoot" of King David. Jeremiah referred back to the great covenant made with David (2 Sam. 7), in which God promises the king, "I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. It is he who shall build a house for my name."

It was Jesus, of course, who perfectly fulfilled this promise to David and the prophecy of Jeremiah. Jesus established the Church, which is the "household of God" (1 Tim. 3:15) and the seed and beginning of His kingdom. And it was his death and resurrection that established the foundation for the New Jerusalem, "the city of my God" (Rev. 3:12). Baruch, likewise, foresaw a new Jerusalem and a restored Temple.

Continue reading...

"A Revolutionary of the Christian Type"

"A Revolutionary of the Christian Type" | Peter Seewald | The Preface to Benedict XVI: An Intimate Portrait

What is it like to sit opposite a man like Joseph Ratzinger for many hours, alone in a monastery, and discuss things with him, asking a thousand questions?

  We were high up in our monastery, often in reality above the clouds, and there was always something that gave you the feeling there was a good spirit there. At any rate, I came to know Joseph Ratzinger as a great man for patience, as a spiritual master who can give answers. Here was someone who simply understood people, who had retained the liveliness of youth. Someone who did not burn out quickly but in some way remained whole--and most impressive in his attitude of humility, with which he makes small things seem great.

Joseph Ratzinger is a born teacher, but he did not want to become pope. Even after the conclave, on the loggia of Saint Peter's, his face showed the traces of an inner struggle. And he probably felt like crying, so disturbingly moved was he by the condescension of the great God who entrusted him, at the end of his path, with the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

The man from Bavaria--contrary to all the projections dumped onto his shoulders--is a revolutionary of the Christian type. Seeking out what was lost and saving it is the constant element in his life. An inconvenient man who can seize on the spirit of the times, who warns people against the aberrations of modern life. Anyone who really wants change, he cries out, needs a change in his consciousness and his personal behavior--anything else is insufficient. Now, as Benedict XVI, the most powerful German at the beginning of the new millennium may offer a new opportunity for Europe and, especially, for his homeland. And Peter's successor has given his own people an exciting motto for this: "We are not working to defend a position of power", he says. "In truth we are working so that the streets of the world may be open for Christ." That would mean, then, something like a "Benedictinizing" of the Catholic Church, a healthy revitalization of mercy, of the origin of the mystery.

Continue reading...

Wishing You a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing You a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving! | Ignatius Insight

Dear Readers:

Thanksgiving is a time-honored and cherished American tradition, rooted in the Christian belief that God is the source of all life and goodness, deserving our humble thanks and praise.

Here is a selection of thoughts and prayers from  some Ignatius Press books and authors about thanksgiving and gratitude. They have helped me to reflect more deeply on the importance and necessity of thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy them.

Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!

Carl E. Olson
Editor, Ignatius Insight

Continue reading...

20% Off in preparation for Advent and Christmas

Offer ends Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 at 12:00 midnight EST.
These prices are available online only through Ignatius.com

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent, the special season that prepares us to celebrate the birth of Our Lord at Christmas. Ignatius Press has compiled here an extensive list of some new and most popular backlist books, films and music that will help you prepare for this joyous occasion, and also will make great gifts for your loved ones at Christmas - all at a 20% discount !

These titles include inspiring new books from the Pope and other great Ignatius authors, films on St. Joseph and St. Teresa of the Andes and more, as well as the four top new selling music albums of the season by Andrea Bocelli, The Priests, Pope Benedict & the Vatican Choir, and Susan Boyle. Be sure to click on the links to see all the great titles offered in this big "Christmas giving sale", a list that surely includes something for everyone!

Maria
Pope Benedict XVI on the Mother of God
Pope Benedict XVI

This glorious volume is a lavishly illustrated coffee-table book with dozens of inspirational and famous color paintings, sculptures and artwork of the Blessed Virgin Mary from all over the world. The beautiful pictures are accompanied by the profound writings and homilies of Pope Benedict XVI on the person of Mary, and her unique role in human history and in the plan of God for salvation history.

Max and Benedict
A Bird's Eye View of the Pope's Daily Life
Jeanne Perego
This lovely illustrated book for children (of all ages!) is a sequel to Joseph and Chico, the international best-seller that told the story of the life of Pope Benedict XVI from his youth through his election as the Pope. With the same award-winning author and illustrator, this lavishly illustrated book is aimed at children but in a way that even adults will enjoy. It takes up the story of Benedict’s XVIs new life as the Pope.

Be A Man!
Becoming the Man God Created You to Be
Fr. Larry Richards
In Be a Man!, Fr. Richards recounts his struggles to learn true manhood, as well as the inspiring stories of others he has served in his decades as a priest. He tells men how to focus on the right goal, how to live as a beloved son of God, of the need to acknowledge one’s faults and to live according to the Holy Spirit, to be a man of true love and of wisdom, to appreciate properly the differences between men and women, to pursue holiness, and to make a difference in the world.

Chosen
How Christ Sent Twenty-three Surprised Converts to Replant His Vineyard
Donna Steichen (editor)
The twenty-three men and women who tell their conversion stories in these pages were not drawn to the Church by sound evangelization programs, beautiful buildings and liturgies, or saintly witnesses among the clergy. On the contrary, many of them were attracted to Catholicism in spite of a now decades-long stretch of deficient catechesis, mediocre Masses, and uninspiring leadership.

The Scarlet and the Black
The True Story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, Hero of the Vatican Underground
J. P. Gallagher
The Scarlet and the Black tells the astonishing and heroic true story of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, the man dubbed "The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican" during World War II.

Charity in Truth
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI has something for everyone in Charity in Truth—from praising profit to defending the environment, from calling for a role for government in the economy to insisting on the necessity of moral transformation and “gratuitousness” in economic life, from the issue of immigration to the importance of technology.

Advent of the Heart
Seasonal Sermons and Prison Writings - 1941-1944
Alfred Delp
Fr. Alfred Delp,S.J., was a heroic German Jesuit priest who was imprisoned and martyred by the Nazis in a Nazi death camp in 1945. At the time of his arrest, he was the Rector of St. Georg Church in Munich, and had a reputation for being a gripping, dynamic preacher, and one who was an outspoken critic of the Nazi regime. He was an important figure in the Resistance movement against Nazism.

The monks Hugh and Richard

From Vatican Information Service:

HUGH AND RICHARD OF ST. VICTOR: DIVINE CONTEMPLATION

VATICAN CITY, 25 NOV 2009 (VIS) - During today's general audience, which was celebrated in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father spoke about Hugh and Richard of St. Victor, two monks who lived and exercised their magisterium in the abbey of St. Victor in Paris which, from the twelfth century, was home to an important school of monastic and scholastic theology.

 Little is known, said the Pope, of the origins of Hugh of St. Victor. He was born "perhaps in Saxony or in Flanders" and died in the year 1141. "He acquired considerable fame and respect, to the point of being called a 'second St. Augustine'" for his dedication to "the profane and theological sciences".

 "Hugh of St. Victor is a typical representative of monastic theology, which is founded entirely on biblical exegesis". He maintained that, "before discovering the symbolic value and moral teaching of Bible stories, it is necessary to know and study the meaning of the history narrated in Scripture. Otherwise - he said using an effective metaphor - we run the risk of being like students of grammar who do not know the alphabet. For those who know the meaning of the history recounted in the Bible, human events appear marked by Divine Providence, in accordance with a well-ordered plan, ... though always preserving man's freedom and responsibility".

 Benedict XVI then recalled how in the treatise "De Scaramentis christianae fidei" Hugh identified three elements that define a Sacrament: "institution by Christ, communication of grace, and analogy between the visible element (the matter) and the invisible element (the divine gifts)".

 "Today too", he went on, "it is important that liturgical animators, especially priests, use pastoral wisdom in employing the signs specific to sacramental rites, paying especial attention to catechesis, so that each celebration of the Sacraments may be experienced by all the faithful with spiritual devotion, intensity and joy".

 Turning his attention to Richard of St. Victor, the Pope explained that he was a native of Scotland and "prior of the abbey of St. Victor from 1162 to 1172, the year in which he died". In his study of the Bible, "unlike his master [Hugh], he favoured the allegorical significance, the symbolic meaning of Scripture".

 In his teachings he invited the faithful "to exercise the virtues, and to learn how to use reason in order to discipline and control their inner sentiments and feelings. ... Only when man has achieved balance and human maturity in this field is he ready to move on to contemplation".

 "Hugh and Richard of St. Victor raise our souls to the contemplation of heavenly reality, ... to admiration and praise of the Blessed Trinity" as a model "of perfect communion", the Holy Father concluded. "How our world would change if in families, parishes and all other communities, relationships were always lived following the example of the three divine Persons, in which each lives not only with the other, but for the other and in the other!"

 Having concluded his catechesis, the Pope greeted directors and staff of the Lebanese television station "Tele Lumiere - Noursat", encouraging them "to continue generously their mission of service to the Gospel, and to peace and reconciliation in Lebanon and throughout the region".

• Benedict XVI reflects on "some of the most exalted artistic creations of all civilisation" (Nov. 18, 2009)
• Benedict XVI: "Cluny's success was assured above all by its exalted spirituality." (Nov. 11, 2009)

Europe and the Manhattan Declaration

From Sandro Magister of Chiesa:

The issuing of the "Manhattan Declaration" has received extensive coverage in the media in the United States, without anyone protesting against this political "interference" by the Churches.

But that's just the way it is in the United States. There has always been a rigorous separation between religion and the state there. There are no concordats, and they're not even conceivable. But this is exactly why the Churches are seen as having the freedom to speak and act in the public sphere.

In Europe, the landscape is very different. Here "secularism" is understood and applied in conflict, either latent or explicit, with the Churches.

This may be another reason for the silence that in Europe, in Italy, in Rome, greeted the "Manhattan Declaration." It is held to be a typically American phenomenon, foreign to the European way of thinking.

A similar difference in approach concerns the denial of Eucharistic communion for pro-abortion Catholic politicians. In the United States, this controversy is extremely heated, while on the other side of the Atlantic it isn't. This difference in sensibilities also divides the hierarchy of the Catholic Church: in Europe and in Rome the question is practically ignored, left to the individual conscience.

But it most be noted out that something is changing on this point, even on the Old Continent. And not only because there is a pope like Benedict XVI, who has stated that he prefers the American model of relations between Church and state.

A sign of this came a few days ago from Spain, where the Catholic Church is grappling with an ideologically hostile government, that of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, which is preparing a law that would liberalize abortion even more than it is now.

According to reports from sources including "L'Osservatore Romano," the secretary general of the Spanish bishops' conference, Bishop Juan Antonio Martínez Camino, did not hesitate to advise Catholic politicians that, if they vote in favor of the law, they will not be admitted to Eucharistic communion, because they will have placed themselves in an objective situation of "public sin."

Not only that. Bishop Martínez Camino added that those who maintain that it is morally legitimate to kill an unborn child put themselves in contradiction with the Catholic Church, and thus risk falling into heresy and into "latae sententiae,' or automatic, excommunication.

It is the first time that words so "American" have been heard from the leadership of a bishops' conference in Europe.

Read the entire piece.

The Manhattan Declaration has, of this posting, has nearly 119,000 signatures.

iFinally have my iMac!

The official history:

11/18/2009: Your iMac (20-inch Early 2008) was checked in at our Eugene location.
11/18/2009: Diagnosis was performed by our technician.
11/19/2009: We ordered parts for your system from the manufacturer.
11/21/2009: We received parts for your system.
11/23/2009: We ordered parts for your system from the manufacturer.
11/24/2009: We received parts for your system.
11/24/2009: Work was completed on your system.
Your repair is complete and is ready to pick up from our Eugene location.

New hard drive. New glass cover (must have been broken when they put in the new drive). Transferring data now from back-up drive. 18 hours to go. Or less...