Monday, December 19, 2011

BBC News - Bangladeshi woman's husband 'chopped off her fingers'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16239784

Please pray for all women who are abused everywhere! This is an outrage! Pray for men to man up and defend their wives, to protect them, not mutilate them!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Leading exorcist laments apathy to Medjugorje apparitions | MEDJUGORJE TODAY

http://www.medjugorjetoday.tv/3036/top-exorcist-laments-apathy-to-medjugorje/

Pope Benedict XVI on volunteer work and charity


Pope Benedict XVI:

"For Christians, volunteer work is not merely an expression of good will. It is based on a personal experience of Christ", Whose "grace helps us to discover within ourselves a human desire for solidarity and a fundamental vocation to love. ... We also become visible instruments of His love in a world that still profoundly yearns for that love amid the poverty, loneliness, marginalisation and ignorance that we see all around us.

 

  "Of course", he added, "Catholic volunteer work cannot respond to all these needs, but that does not discourage us. ... The little that we manage to do to relieve human needs can be seen as a good seed that will grow and bear much fruit; it is a sign of Christ's presence and love. ... This is the nature of the witness which you, in all humility and conviction, offer to civil society. While it is the duty of public authority to acknowledge and to appreciate this contribution without distorting it, your role as Christians is to take an active part in the life of society, seeking to make it ever more humane, ever more marked by authentic freedom, justice and solidarity".

 

  Benedict XVI went on: "Our meeting today takes place on the liturgical memorial of St. Martin of Tours. Often portrayed sharing his mantle with a poor man, Martin became a model of charity throughout Europe and indeed the whole world. Nowadays, volunteer work as a service of charity has become a universally recognised element of our modern culture. Nonetheless, its origins can still be seen in the particularly Christian concern for safeguarding, without discrimination, the dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of God. If these spiritual roots are denied or obscured and the criteria of our collaboration become purely utilitarian, what is most distinctive about the service you provide risks being lost, to the detriment of society as a whole".

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Do you know your State's Preamble?


 
Do you know your State's Preamble?

Be sure to 
read the message in red at the very bottom! 

Alabama 1901, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of Alabama, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution...

Alaska 1956, Preamble -- We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land...

Arizona 1911, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution... 

Arkansas 1874, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of Arkansas , grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...

California 1879, Preamble -- We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom... 

Colorado 1876, Preamble -- We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe... 

Connecticut 1818, Preamble --  The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the goodProvidence of God in permitting them to enjoy... 

Delaware 1897, Preamble -- Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences... 

Florida 1885, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of Florida, grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution... 

Georgia 1777, Preamble -- We, the people of Georgia, relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution... 

Hawaii 1959, Preamble -- We, the people of Hawaii , Grateful for Divine Guidance ... Establish this Constitution... 

Idaho 1889, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings... 

Illinois 1870, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil , political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors... 

Indiana 1851, Preamble -- We, the People of the State of Indiana, grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to choose our form of government... 

Iowa 1857, Preamble  -- We, the People of the State of Iowa, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings, establish this Constitution... 

Kansas 1859, Preamble -- We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution... 

Kentucky 1891, Preamble -- We, the people of the Commonwealth are grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties... 

Louisiana 1921, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of Louisiana, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy...

Maine 1820,  Preamble -- We, the People of  Maine, acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the  Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity, And imploring His aid and direction... 

Maryland 1776, Preamble -- We, the people of the state of Maryland, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty... 

Massachusetts 1780, Preamble -- We, the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe In the course of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction... 

Michigan 1908, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, establish this Constitution... 

Minnesota, 1857, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings: 

Mississippi 1890, Preamble -- We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work... 

Missouri 1845, Preamble -- We, the people of Missouri, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness, Establish this Constitution... 

Montana 1889, Preamble  --  We, the people of Montana, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty establish this Constitution...

Nebraska 1875, Preamble  -- We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom . Establish this Constitution. 

Nevada 1864, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of Nevada, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, establish this Constitution... 

New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V -- Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience... 

New Jersey 1844, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors... 

New Mexico 1911, Preamble -- We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty... 

New York 1846, Preamble We, the people of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings... 

North Carolina 1868, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those... 

North Dakota 1889, Preamble -- We, the people of North Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain... 

Ohio 1852, Preamble -- We, the people of the state of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common... 

Oklahoma 1907, Preamble -- Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty, establish this.... 

Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I Section 2 --  All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences... 

Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble -- We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance...

Rhode Island 1842, Preamble --  We, the People of the State of Rhode Island, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing.... 

South Carolina , 1778, Preamble -- We, the people of he State of South Carolina, grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution. 

South Dakota 1889, Preamble -- We, the people of South Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties .. 

Tennessee 1796, Art. XI..III. -- That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience... 

Texas 1845, Preamble -- We, Utah 1896, Preamble -- Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution... 

Vermont 1777, Preamble -- Whereas all government ought to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man... 

Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI -- Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other... 

Washington 1889, Preamble -- We, the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution... 

West Virginia 1872, Preamble -- Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God...

Wisconsin 1848, Preamble -- We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility.... 

Wyoming 1890, Preamble -- We, the people of the State of Wyoming, grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties, establish this Constitution...

After reviewing acknowledgments of God from all 50 state constitutions, one is faced with the prospect that maybe, the ACLU and the out-of-control federal courts are wrong! If you found this to be 'Food for thought' send to as many as you think will be enlightened as I hope you were. 

(Please note that at no time is anyone told that they MUST worship God.) 
Let us bring God back into America !
GOD BLESS AMERICA !
 






Saturday, October 8, 2011

List of Marian Apparitions of the 20th Century

http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/resources/aprtable.html

ZENIT - Marian Prayers Before the Blessed Sacrament; Praying the Rosary in proper purpose and perspective



Best excerpt from this article:


It is sometimes forgotten that the rosary's vocal elements, such as the repetition of the Hail Mary, are above all geared toward helping the soul to enter into the contemplation of the mystery. The mysteries themselves are largely salient episodes in the Savior's life with a few also touching on Mary's role in the plan of salvation.

Therefore, genuinely praying the rosary in any circumstance should always bring us closer to Christ and will never give more importance to Mary than to him. If that were to happen, then it would mean that we have still to learn how to pray it as the Church, and indeed the Blessed Mother herself, desire it to be prayed.

How an AP reporter found religion « GetReligion

http://www.getreligion.org/2011/09/how-an-ap-reporter-found-religion/

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Cardinal Bertone on Catholic Education vs secular education

  In his homily Cardinal Bertone highlighted the present-day validity of the new blessed's educational ideas, which remind us of the vital need for schools in which the religious dimension "can be revealed in all its positive potential for full human development. This aspect is also very important for our time", he said. "Too often it seems that people are afraid to leave space for the religious dimension of life, which is inherent to the human heart, and would like to hide it in the private world of the individual. Such an attitude greatly impoverishes educational activity".

Monday, October 3, 2011

Medjugorje Message Oct 2, 2011

October 02, 2011 Message to Mirjana

"Dear children; Also today my motherly heart calls you to prayer, to your personal relationship with God the Father, to the joy of prayer in Him. God the Father is not far away from you and He is not unknown to you. He revealed Himself to you through my Son and gave you Life that is my Son. Therefore, my children, do not give into temptations that want to separate you from God the Father. Pray! Do not attempt to have families and societies without Him. Pray! Pray that your hearts may be flooded with the goodness which comes only from my Son, Who is sincere goodness. Only hearts filled with goodness can comprehend and accept God the Father. I will continue to lead you. In a special way I implore you not to judge your shepherds. My children, are you forgetting that God the Father called them? Pray! Thank you."

Mirjana said: I have never said anything before, but are you aware, brothers and sisters, that the Mother of God was with us? Each of us should ask himself: "Are you worthy of this?" I am saying this because it is difficult for me to see Her (Our Lady) in pain, because each of us is seeking a miracle, but does not want to work a miracle in himself.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Supreme Court says “No” to Mexican Roe v. Wade, State Personhood Amendment Upheld



Personhood USA

Supreme Court says "No" to Mexican Roe v. Wade, State Personhood Amendment Upheld

Mexico City, Mexico — The Supreme Court of Mexico ruled on Wednesday to uphold the state constitutional personhood amendment of Baja California. A similar decision in the San Luis Potosi case is expected. The Court's most recent appointee, Justice Jorge Mario Pardo Rebolledo, sided with three members of the Court to reject an Action for Unconstitutionality submitted against the measures. Pardo Rebolledo was appointed last February and had yet to rule in an abortion case. His vote ensures that the Court will not reach the supermajority necessary to overturn the amendment.

"Pardo Rebolledo, as well as Justices Salvador Aguirre, Margarita Luna, and Guillermo Ortiz have our gratitude," said Personhood USA Legal Analyst Gualberto Garcia Jones, J.D. "Thousands of Mexican girls and boys will, one day, be able to thank them personally for defending their very right to exist."

In total, eighteen states have passed measures enshrining into law full personhood protections for preborn children. The amendments were passed in reaction to the legalization of abortion in Mexico City in 2009. The state measures received the support of 88% of the members of state legislatures including members of every major political party such as PAN, PRI, and PRD.

On September 19th, 50 nonprofit organizations took out a full-page ad in the largest newspaper in Mexico, El Universal, expressing their concern and opposition to any actions which would overturn the personhood amendments. On September 22nd, three dozen state and federal legislators took out a similar ad in El Universal urging the Mexican Supreme Court to respect the democratic process. Personhood USA joined the organizations, legislators, and millions of Mexican citizens in support of the amendments.

The executive branch of Mexico also weighed in on the developments this week. President Felipe Calderon submitted to the Senate a withdrawal of reservation to the first paragraph of Article 4 of the American Convention on Human Rights. Mexico entered into the treaty in 1981, but interpreted the provision the same year so that it would not oblige the country to protect life from conception.

"Mexico has recognized human rights enshrined in international treaties such as the American Convention of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among them the right to life, which is protected by our legislation, both federal and local," read Calderon's statement. "Mexico endorses a commitment to the right to life as protected by Mexican law."

First Lady Margarita Zavala wrote an editorial this week endorsing the personhood measures. "I am a woman and a lawyer who has fought for the rights of women, and I am convinced that the rights of women do not override other rights and therefore need not be the cause of invalidating the state reforms," she said.

"Today, the rule of law was victorious in Mexico. Unlike the United States, Mexican states are free from judicial tyranny and the people retain the right of self-determination," continued Garcia Jones. "The Mexican people recognize that every human being is a person, and that all persons are inherently possessed of the right to life. We commit to work towards the day when this truth is realized for all children in Mexico, the United States, and around the globe."

Personhood USA is a grassroots Christian organization founded to establish personhood efforts across America to create protection for every child by love and by law. Personhood USA is committed to assisting and supporting Personhood Legislation and Constitutional Amendments and building local pro-life organizations through raising awareness of the personhood of the pre-born.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Bringing the Budget Numbers Down to Size - By Carrie Lukas - The Corner - National Review Online

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/277873/bringing-budget-numbers-down-size-carrie-lukas#

Archbishop Dolan to President Obama on marriage

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/marriage/promotion-and-defense-of-marriage/upload/dolan-to-obama-doma-letter-sept-20-2011.pdf

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Do I evangelize with joy? Am I a good and faithful servant in the vineyard or do I just get by, not working smart, not working to improve my soul

http://www.zenit.org/article-33483?l=english

This is an excellent homily that really makes me wonder how I evangelize. Do I have a joyful disposition all the time? Even a bad day or work problems shouldn't bring me down. Problems happen and they have to be taken care of but attitude and perspective of their importance is key. Every Christian should be joyful, even when suffering, but that seems really hard sometimes. Why should I let the devil convince me to be bitter? I have Jesus, or rather, Jesus has me. Praise God! I can laugh through the pain, and tomorrow is another opportunity to get it right.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Seven Days in Utopia - Video


http://www.sevendaysinutopia.com/video

Catholic Bishops Weigh Into Budget Debate



Catholic Bishops Weigh Into Budget Debate
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Population Research Institute

Weekly Briefing
15 September 2011


Catholic Bishops Weigh Into Budget Debate

by Colin Mason

As Congress struggles to balance our out-of-control federal budget, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has officially put its oar into the debate. In an open letter to congress, the USCCB (along with Catholic Relief Services), told federal budget-crunchers exactly what programs they thought should be sliced from the budget. And, (surprise surprise) they are the same programs that we at PRI recommend cutting.

The letter was specifically addressed to the ponderously-titled Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, which is essentially the group of lawmakers who decide how to spend our foreign aid dollars. In the letter, the USCCB gave a ringing endorsement to the Mexico City Policy, the Helms Amendment, and the Kemp-Kasten amendment, saying:

As you consider appropriations language, we strongly support restoring the Mexico City Policy against funding groups that perform or promote abortion, and denying funding to the U.N. Population Fund which supports a program of coerced abortion and involuntary sterilization in China.

It is also important to preserve the Helms Amendment, prohibiting U.S. funding for abortion, and the Kemp-Kasten provision, prohibiting support of organizations involved in programs of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.

Why does the Catholic leadership recommend these policy adjustments so forthrightly? Aren't policy matters supposed to be prudential concerns, decided by the state and left alone by the Church?

Yes and no. Obviously, the Catholic Bishops Conference has no legislative authority. But when it comes to issues like abortion, the Church has always taken an unequivocal stance against the practice and has strongly opposed spending public money on it. And as such, it is well within the Church's rights to make public recommendations based on these views.

Which is exactly what they did, by unequivocally supporting legislation that restricts or prohibits the use of federal money to fund abortion. By doing this, the Church made it abundantly clear that, while it supports many of the activities that federal foreign aid dollars go toward, it will never, ever bend on the issue of abortion.

That being said, the letter makes positive recommendations as well. According to the USCCB, when not being lavished on abortion and other destructive measures, American foreign aid funds are actually a very good thing. As such, the budget shouldn't simply be haphazardly sliced, but should be trimmed in such a way that its positive programs can continue to do their important work.

"We welcome appropriate efforts to reduce our nation's deficit and debt," the letter says, "but we urge the Subcommittee to work with other members of Congress to be fiscally responsible in morally appropriate ways."

And what, according to the Bishops, count as a "morally appropriate" way to control the budget? By prioritizing the dollars the way the Church has always requested they be prioritized: placing the poorest, the most vulnerable, and the weakest at the head of the line. The letter charges the Committee to "give priority to those who are poor and vulnerable at home and abroad" and to "cut with great care, eliminating only those expenses unrelated to basic human needs and development."

This is a stinging blow in the face of all of those who claim that the Catholic Church is willing to cut an indiscriminate swathe through American aid services, so long as abortion is kept out of the picture. The very opposite is the case. The Church recognizes that its commitment to taking a stand against abortion comes with a very positive responsibility: a responsibility to provide real aid and succor to the poor and needy. This is why the Church supports many legitimate American aid projects.

And this is why the Church supports policies like the Mexico City Policy and others that protect life from conception. We couldn't agree more. Stand with us, and the Catholic Bishops. Sign our petition to bring back the Mexico City policy.

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Colin Mason is the Director of Media Production at Population Research Institute.

 

Media Contact: Colin Mason
(540) 622-5240, ext. 209
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The pro-life Population Research Institute is dedicated to ending human rights abuses committed in the name of "family planning," and to ending counter-productive social and economic paradigms premised on the myth of "overpopulation." Find us at pop.org.




Father Capodanno: Beyond the Call of Duty


http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/politically-incorrect/hall-of-heroes/father-capodanno-beyond-the-call-of-duty.html?utm_source=sm&utm_medium=email&utm_content=SAE0081&utm_campaign=MainNewsletter

Friday, September 9, 2011

Cardinal Bauttista on Eucharist

The Eucharist "is an invitation to solidarity and commitment to the poor, the suffering, the little ones, the marginalized," the cardinal reflected. "It is light to recognize the face of Christ in the face of our brothers. To acknowledge Christ in the Holy Host, in fact, leads to being able to see him also in our brothers and it opens our hearts to go out to meet every poverty."

--Cardinal Bauttista, Sept. 18

Monday, September 5, 2011

Saint Bridget of Sweden 5.20: Fasting, Works, Presumption, Mercy … devil persuades the imperfect man to fast beyond his strength, to promise to do …

St. Agnes's lesson to the daughter about not relapsing and not advancing properly, and about the right way to begin or continue with abstinence, and about what kind of continence is pleasing to God.
Chapter 20
Agnes speaks: "Daughter, stand firm and do not relapse, for a serpent lies at your heels ready to bite. Yet, do not rush unduly ahead either, for the tip of a sharp lance is in front of you, and if you advance at the wrong speed, you will be wounded. What does a relapse mean if not letting trials lead to regrets about having taken on a more austere and wholesome way of life and to a desire of returning to old habits and delighting the mind with dirty thoughts? Such thoughts, even if they give some pleasure to the mind, only obscure every good thing and by degrees lead away from all goodness. Nor should you rush unduly ahead, that is, punish yourself beyond your strength or imitate the good works of others beyond your capacity. God has ordained from eternity that heaven should be opened to sinners through works of love and humility, yet by preserving moderation and discretion in every way. Now, then, the envious devil persuades the imperfect man to fast beyond his strength, to promise to do unaccustomed things that he cannot manage, to desire to imitate more perfect models without considering his own strengths and weaknesses. The devil does this either in order that, when the man's strength fails him, he should continue with his badly begun vows out of human embarrassment rather than for the sake of God, or in order that he should quickly give up the struggle because of his indiscretion and weakness.
For this reason, use as your measure your own self, that is, your strengths and weaknesses, since some people are stronger by nature, others weaker, some more fervent by the grace of God, others keener due to good habits. Hence, regulate your life in agreement with the advice of God-fearing men, so that the serpent does not sting you due to your thoughtlessness, and so that the poisonous tip of the sword, that is, the poisonous suggestion of the devil, does not delude your mind so as to make you want to seem more than you are or long to become something beyond your strength and powers.
There are, indeed, some people who believe they can reach heaven by their own merits, and God spares them from the devil's temptations due to his hidden plan. There are others who think they can make reparation to God for their transgressions with their own works. The error of all of these is altogether damning, for even if a person were to kill his body a hundred times over, he could not make up a thousandth of the account he owes to God, because it is God who gives us the ability and the will, seasons and health, who fills us with a desire for the good, who gives us riches and honor, who kills and gives life, raises up and lays low. All things are in his hand. Hence to him alone should all honor be given, and no one deserves to be counted for anything before God.
Since you are wondering about the lady who came for indulgences but was corrupted, I answer you: There are some women who have the virtue of continence but do not love it. They experience neither a great longing for pleasure nor violent temptation. If honorable proposals of marriage were made to them, they would accept. However, since no great offers are made to them, they look down on lesser offers. In this way, continence sometimes gives rise to pride and presumption, which, by divine permission, leads to a fall, such as you have now heard. If a woman were so minded as not to want to be stained even once, not even if the whole world were offered her, it would be impossible for such a woman to be left to shame. If, however, in his secret justice, God permitted such a one to fall, it would rather lead to her reward than to sin, provided that she fell against her will.
Know, then, that God is like an eagle that from on high views everything down below. If an eagle should see anything rising up from the ground, it immediately swoops down and snatches it. If it catches sight of something poisonous coming against it, it would pierce it like an arrow. If something unclean is dropped on it from above, it gets rid of it with a great shake just like a goose does. God acts like that as well. If he sees human hearts rising against him due to the weakness of the flesh or the devil's temptations against the will of the spirit, he immediately swoops down through an inspiration of contrition and penance and brings it to naught, making the person return to God and come to himself again. If the poison of carnal desire or greed enters the heart, God quickly pierces the mind with the arrow of his love, so that the person does not persevere in sin and get separated from God. If some impurity of pride or the dirt of lust defiles the spirit, he shakes it quickly off, just like a goose, through constant faith and hope, so that the spirit does not become hardened in vice or the soul that is joined to God become stained unto damnation. Therefore, my daughter, in all your feelings and actions, consider God's justice and mercy, and always keep the end in sight."

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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

When difficulties come thick and fast...Saint Josemaria Escriva on Fortitude

The person with fortitude is one who perseveres in doing what his conscience tells him he ought to do. He does not measure the value of a task exclusively by the benefit he receives from it, but rather by the service he renders to others. The strong man will at times suffer, but he stands firm; he may be driven to tears, but he will brush them aside. When difficulties come thick and fast, he does not bend before them. Remember the example given us in the book of the Machabees: an old man, Eleazar, prefers to die rather than break God's law. 'By manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws.'

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Magis Reflection on laborers in God's vineyard

Reflection

  • Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
  • From today's gospel (Mt 20:1-16):

    The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner

    who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.

    After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,

    he sent them into his vineyard.

    A nugget of wisdom that we Jesuit scholastics (seminarians) often hear is 'compare and despair'. In the long process of formation, scholastics are sent to different work experiments and have unique summer opportunities - some that are more appealing than others. Like any group of people that work closely with one another, one inevitably compares himself to others in the group. I work harder than he does. She's more affable and talented than I am. He dresses like a slob! She talks too much and doesn't pull her weight. Why does he get the special attention and promotions? These comparisons lead to an unhealthy fixation on deficiencies (others' or one's own), and causes despair and uncharitable thoughts.

    So too, in the life of faith. I can't seem to pray as well as she does. He is a living saint...and then there's the rest o f us. I can't believe she calls herself a Christian. He is a lazy free-loader. Certainly there is room for fraternal correction done in charity when we see things that need attention, especially if they give scandal. But our Gospel reminds us today that Christ calls us to labor in His vineyard -- not to supervise it.

    The challenge that dedicated believers face is not whether we are willing to work for the Kingdom of God. The subtle caveat is that we are willing to work for God conditionally-i.e., on our terms, making sure that we're getting an equitable reward. Prayer time in, grace out; devotion to God in, special favors out. Who cannot relate to the day laborers who began early and stayed to the end, only to get the same daily wage as those who straggled in toward the end? The stout human heart is far more calculating than God's generous one; how quickly we forget graces received when we compare our relationship to God with another's. We do well to recall that He has been generous and patient with us - especially at times when we were the late stragglers who received an umerited grace from God.

    'My friend, I am not cheating you.

    Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?

    Take what is yours and go.

    What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?

    Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?

    Are you envious because I am generous?'

    Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

    May the grace today be to labor joyfully in the vineyard, free from idle comparing and despairing.

    Mr. Joseph Simmons, SJ

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Pope Benedict XVI on the heart and conscience, Solomon's Prayer



Pope Benedict XVI Prayer for a good conscience:
"May the Virgin Mary help us, with God's grace, to make out own consciences open to truth and sensitive to justice, in order to serve the Kingdom of God".

Quality of life depends on sound Conscience:
  "An erroneous mentality suggests that we should ask God for favours or favourable conditions. Yet the truth is that the real quality of our lives, and of social life in general, depends on the sound conscience of each individual, on the capacity of each person to recognise what is good, distinguish it from evil and patiently seek to put it into effect".
--Pope Benedict XVI, July 24, 2011

On duty to form your conscience and its role in societal success or failure
"Truly, the great achievements of the modern age - the recognition and guarantee of freedom of conscience, of human rights, of the freedom of science and hence of a free society - should be confirmed and developed while keeping reason and freedom open to their transcendent foundation, so as to ensure that these achievements are not undone, as unfortunately happens in not a few cases. The quality of social and civil life and the quality of democracy depend in large measure on this 'critical' point - conscience, on the way it is understood and the way it is informed. If, in keeping with the prevailing modern idea, conscience is reduced to the subjective field to which religion and morality have been banished, then the crisis of the West has no remedy and Europe is destined to collapse in on itself. If, on the other hand, conscience is rediscovered as the place in which to listen to truth and good, the place of responsibility before God and before fellow human beings - in other words, the bulwark against all forms of tyranny - then there is hope for the future".  --Benedict XVI
Forming conscience is Church's most valuable contribution to society
Benedict XVI, speaking to Croatians on 4 June 2011 spoke of conscience as "the keystone on which to base a culture and build up the common good. It is by forming consciences that the Church makes her most specific and valuable contribution to society. It is a contribution that begins in the family and is strongly reinforced in the parish, where infants, children and young people learn to deepen their knowledge of the sacred Scriptures, the 'great codex' of European culture; at the same time they learn what it means for a community to be built upon gift, not upon economic interests or ideology, but upon love, 'the principal driving force behind the authentic development of every person and of all humanity'".

MORAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THOSE IN GOVERNMENT
VATICAN CITY, 24 JUL 2011 (VIS) -
Pope Benedict XVI explained the meaning of Solomon's prayer
"We know that 'heart' in the Bible indicates not just a part of the body but the core of the individual, the seat of his intentions and judgments; in other words, his conscience. An 'understanding heart' means, then, a conscience capable of listening, sensitive to the voice of truth and thus able to distinguish good from evil. In Solomon's case the request is motivated by his responsibility for guiding a nation, Israel, the people whom God chose to reveal His plan of salvation to the world. The king of Israel must, then, seek constant harmony with God and listen to His Word, in order to guide the people along the ways of the Lord, the way of justice and peace.
  "However", the Holy Father added, "the example of Solomon applies to us all. Each of us has a conscience which makes us, in a certain sense, 'king'; in other words, which enables us to exercise the supreme human dignity of acting according to right conscience, doing good and avoiding evil. Moral conscience presupposes a capacity to listen to the voice of truth, humbly to follow its guidance. People called to play a role in government naturally have a further responsibility and, as Solomon teaches, have even greater need of God's help.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Pope Benedict XVI on conscience of each individual and those in government


 

VATICAN CITY, 24 JUL 2011 (VIS) - In his remarks before praying the Angelus this morning, Benedict XVI commented on the first reading from today's liturgy, a passage from the Book of Kings in which Solomon, ascending the throne, asks God for an understanding heart to serve His people with justice and to distinguish between good and evil.

 

  Addressing the faithful gathered in the inner courtyard of the Apostolic Palaceat Castelgandolfo, the Pope explained the meaning of Solomon's prayer. "We know that 'heart' in the Bible indicates not just a part of the body but the core of the individual, the seat of his intentions and judgments; in other words, his conscience. An 'understanding heart' means, then, a conscience capable of listening, sensitive to the voice of truth and thus able to distinguish good from evil. In Solomon's case the request is motivated by his responsibility for guiding a nation, Israel, the people whom God chose to reveal His plan of salvation to the world. The king of Israel must, then, seek constant harmony with God and listen to His Word, in order to guide the people along the ways of the Lord, the way of justice and peace.

 

  "However", the Holy Father added, "the example of Solomon applies to us all. Each of us has a conscience which makes us, in a certain sense, 'king'; in other words, which enables us to exercise the supreme human dignity of acting according to right conscience, doing good and avoiding evil. Moral conscience presupposes a capacity to listen to the voice of truth, humbly to follow its guidance. People called to play a role in government naturally have a further responsibility and, as Solomon teaches, have even greater need of God's help.

 

  "But everyone has their part to play in their own particular situation. An erroneous mentality suggests that we should ask God for favours or favourable conditions. Yet the truth is that the real quality of our lives, and of social life in general, depends on the sound conscience of each individual, on the capacity of each person to recognise what is good, distinguish it from evil and patiently seek to put it into effect".

 

  Pope Benedict concluded: "May the Virgin Mary help us, with God's grace, to make out own consciences open to truth and sensitive to justice, in order to serve the Kingdom of God".

ANG/                                                                                                VIS 20110725 (410)

HINTS ON MEDJUGORJE SECRETS

http://www.spiritdaily.com/mirjanainterview.htm

Monday, July 25, 2011

Our Lady of Medugorje message July 25, 2011

Message, 25. July 2011

"Dear children! May this time be for you a time of prayer and silence. Rest your body and spirit, may they be in God's love. Permit me, little children, to lead you, open your hearts to the Holy Spirit so that all the good that is in you may blossom and bear fruit one hundred fold. Begin and end the day with prayer with the heart. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Living a life of Christ

From a homily by a spiritual writer of the fourth century
May you be filled to the complete fullness of Christ

Those who have been considered worthy to go forth as the sons of God and to be born again of the Holy Spirit from on high, and who hold within them the Christ who renews them and fills them with light, are directed by the Spirit in varied and different ways and in their spiritual repose they are led invisibly in their hearts by grace.

At times, they are like men who mourn and lament over their fellow men, and pouring forth prayers for the whole human race, they plunge into tears and lamentation, on fire with spiritual love for mankind.

At other times they are enkindled by the Spirit with love and exultation that, were it possible, they would clasp in their embrace all mankind, without discrimination, good and bad alike.

Sometimes they are cast down below all mankind in lowliness of spirit, so that they reckon theirs to be the lowest and most abject of conditions.

And sometimes they are held by the Spirit in ineffable joy.

At one time they are like a brave man who puts on the king's full armor and goes down into battle; he fights bravely against the enemy and defeats them. In like manner, the spiritual man takes up the heavenly arms of the Spirit and marches against the enemy and engaging in battle tramples the foe beneath his feet.

At another time the soul is at rest in deepest silence, tranquility and peace, existing in sheer spiritual pleasure and in ineffable repose and a perfect state.

Again, the soul is instructed by grace in a certain understanding in the ineffable wisdom and the inscrutable knowledge of the Spirit on matters which neither tongue nor lips can utter.

Then again, the soul becomes like any ordinary man.

In such varied ways does grace work within them and many are the means by which it leads the soul, renewing it according to God's will and training it in different ways so that it may be set before the heavenly Father pure and whole and blameless.

We, too, therefore must make our prayer to God and entreat in love and in great hope that he may bestow upon us the heavenly grace of the gift of the Spirit. We pray that we, too, may be guided by that Spirit and that he may lead us into the fullness of divine will and refresh us with the varied kinds of his repose, that by the help of this guidance, exercise of grace and spiritual advancement, we may be considered worthy to attain to the perfection of the fullness of Christ, as the Apostle says: that you may be filled to the complete fullness of Christ.

Friday, July 22, 2011

MSGR. GEORG RATZINGER WRITES A BOOK ABOUT HIS BROTHER


 

VATICAN CITY, 22 JUL 2011 (VIS) - Benedict XVI's elder brother Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, who until 1994 was director of the famous cathedral choir ofRegensburg, has completed a book entitled "Mein Bruder, der Papst" (My Brother the Pope), written in collaboration with the German journalist Michael Hesemann.

 

  The 256-page volume, illustrated with forty photographs, contains the memories of the Holy Father's brother, as recounted to Hesemann inRegensburg earlier this year. It has been published by the German publishing house Herbig and will go on sale in bookshops on 12 September, the eve of Benedict XVI's visit to Germany.

 

  The culminating moment of the narrative is the sixtieth anniversary of the priestly ordination of Georg and Joseph Ratzinger. The two brothers were ordained in Freising on 29 June 1951 and this year celebrated their anniversary together in St. Peter's Basilica. The memories of Msgr. Ratzinger, the Holy Father's closest relative, go back to the brothers' childhood as he narrates, among other things, the flowering of Joseph's priestly vocation in the bosom of the family and his subsequent years of service to the Church before being elected to the Papacy.

.../                                                                                                      VIS 20110722 (200)

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Pope Benedict XVI on the Christian Family and Evangelization

If you only read a little, then read the last paragraph.


CHRISTIAN FAMILY CALLED TO EVANGELIZATION

 

VATICAN CITY, 5 JUN 2011 (VIS) - At 9:00am the Holy Father travelled from the apostolic nunciature to the Zagreb Hippodrome, which is eight kilometers distant and located on the banks of the Sava River. The hippodrome has a capacity of 300,000 persons.

 

  Upon arriving, the Pope encircled the grounds in the hippodrome by Popemobile, traveling through the crowd to reach the altar to celebrate Holy Mass for the National Day of Croatian Catholic Families. The stage had the form of two hands: one protecting the source of eternal life, that is, the altar, the point of human-divine encounter in Christ, while the other hand, which forms the canopy, symbolizes the pneumatological action and the presence of the Spirit of God in the Church.

 

  "We have recently celebrated the Ascension of the Lord and we prepare ourselves to receive the great gift of the Holy Spirit", the Pope said in his homily. "In the first reading, we saw how the apostolic community was united in prayer in the Upper Room with Mary, the mother of Jesus. This is a picture of the Church with deep roots in the paschal event. ... Remaining together was the condition given by Jesus for them to experience the coming of the Paraclete, and prolonged prayer served to maintain them in harmony with one another. We find here a formidable lesson for every Christian community. Sometimes it is thought that missionary efficacy depends primarily upon careful planning and its intelligent implementation by means of specific action. Certainly, the Lord asks for our cooperation, but his initiative has to come first, before any response from us: his Spirit is the true protagonist of the Church, to be invoked and welcomed".

 

  Benedict XVI then thanked the Croatian Bishops for their invitation to visit the country on the occasion of the first National Day of Croatian Catholic Families. He spoke of his great appreciation "for this attention and commitment to the family, not only because today this basic human reality, in your nation as elsewhere, has to face difficulties and threats, and thus has special need of evangelization and support, but also because Christian families are a decisive resource for education in the faith, for the up-building of the Church as a communion and for her missionary presence in the most diverse situations in life".

 

  "Everyone knows that the Christian family is a special sign of the presence and love of Christ and that it is called to give a specific and irreplaceable contribution to evangelization. ... The Christian family has always been the first way of transmitting the faith and still today retains great possibilities for evangelization in many areas. Dear parents, commit yourselves always to teach your children to pray, and pray with them; draw them close to the Sacraments, especially to the Eucharist, ... introduce them to the life of the Church; in the intimacy of the home do not be afraid to read the sacred Scriptures, illuminating family life with the light of faith and praising God as Father. Be like a little Upper Room, like that of Mary and the disciples, in which to live unity, communion and prayer!".

 

  "By the grace of God, many Christian families today are acquiring an ever deeper awareness of their missionary vocation, and are devoting themselves seriously to bearing witness to Christ the Lord. ... In today's society the presence of exemplary Christian families is more necessary and urgent than ever. Unfortunately, we are forced to acknowledge the spread of a secularization which leads to the exclusion of God from life and the increasing disintegration of the family, especially in Europe. Freedom without commitment to the truth is made into an absolute, and individual well-being through the consumption of material goods and transient experiences is cultivated as an ideal, obscuring the quality of interpersonal relations and deeper human values; love is reduced to sentimental emotion and to the gratification of instinctive impulses, without a commitment to build lasting bonds of reciprocal belonging and without openness to life. We are called to oppose such a mentality! Alongside what the Church says, the testimony and commitment of the Christian family - your concrete testimony - is very important, especially when you affirm the inviolability of human life from conception until natural death, the singular and irreplaceable value of the family founded upon matrimony and the need for legislation which supports families in the task of giving birth to children and educating them".

 

  "Dear families, be courageous!", the pontiff exclaimed. "Do not give in to that secularized mentality which proposes living together as a preparation, or even a substitute for marriage! Show by the witness of your lives that it is possible, like Christ, to love without reserve, and do not be afraid to make a commitment to another person! Dear families, rejoice in fatherhood and motherhood! Openness to life is a sign of openness to the future, confidence in the future, just as respect for the natural moral law frees people, rather than demeaning them! The good of the family is also the good of the Church. I would like to repeat something I have said in the past: 'the edification of each individual Christian family fits into the context of the larger family of the Church which supports it and carries it with her ...  And the Church is reciprocally built up by the family, a "small domestic church"'. Let us  pray to the Lord, that families may come more and more to be small churches and that ecclesial communities may take on more and more the quality of a family!".

PV-CROATIA/                                                                                 VIS 20110604 (920)