Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Well Said
St. Justin Martyr
Monday, October 26, 2009
Blessing and Honor, Strength and.....Glory and Power Be............To You The Only Wise King....
One request.....
Turn. It. Up.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Beyond the Rhetoric: Why Not Mary?
“Well, of course we don’t worship Mary since that would be a terrible sin. Worship belongs to God alone. We DO honor her though. Afterall, she is Jesus’ mother. But let me ask you a question. Why in your church, do you NOT honor Mary at all? Doesn’t scripture say Every generation will call [Mary] blessed because God who is mighty has done great things for [her]? (Luke 1:48-49) It seems to me that we Catholics are fulfilling scripture but that in your denomination you are not fulfilling or following it. So why don’t you honor her at all? Why don’t you call her blessed as the Bible says?”
Now stop there and wait for an answer. Don’t keep going. Just stop and wait. Have them answer for a change. We Catholics are always on the defensive, always in answer mode. But we ought to ask a few questions too. And try to avoid a merely rhetorical or hostile tone. Try to allow this question to be genuine, respectful, one meant to provoke thought. It is possible that many Protestants have never been asked this question or pondered an answer. Now it is also possible that your interlocutor will try to change the subject or evade an answer by piling on about Catholics but just repeat the question respectfully and ask for an answer. Remember your point is not to argue, be hostile or win an argument. Your point is to provoke thought and get a real answer. And even if the conversation ends badly or with no answer, you’ve planted a seed, a question that they will ponder even if they don’t admit it. Jesus often asked questions to proke thought and conversion. I will be doing a post on this next week.
A final thought on Mary. Another way to explain out devotion and love for Mary is that we are imitating Jesus. We love, honor, respect and entrust ourselves to her care because Jesus did all these things and we want to be just like Jesus. Consider that the very Son of God, dwelled in Mary’s womb, nursed at her breasts, was held in her arms, sat on her lap and entrusted himself to her care. Our Lord could have chosen to enter our world in other ways. Perhaps He could simply have entered the world as a full grown man. The fact is that He freely chose Mary to be his mother and he was truly her Son. As her son he loved and honored her as any good son must and as her son he entrusted himself to her care. All of this serves to highlight Mary’s dignity and to show us how devotion to her is in perfect imitation of Jesus himself.
What more need we say: Jesus our Lord and God honors and loves Mary, and his very scriptures sing her praises; so too His Angel Gabriel and countless saints. When we honor Mary we imitate the very Son of God and fulfill Holy Scripture. Certainly our Lord is pleased that we love and honor his mother.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Holy Spirit Grand Slam
UPDATED: 13 out of 15. One guy didn't show up on Wednesday night, and one had to bow out due to health problems, though he wanted to. He's doing his ministry elsewhere (we go where we are called). Still...HUGE!!!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Heaven or Hell? A Cautionary Tale......
While walking down the street one day, tragically, a US Senator is struck and killed instantly by a bus.
The senator's soul arrives at the entrance to heaven, where he is met by St. Peter.
“Welcome to heaven,” says St. Peter. “But before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we’re not sure what to do with you.”
“No problem, just let me in,” says the man.
“Well, I’d like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we’ll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.”
“Really, I’ve made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,” says the senator.
“I’m sorry, but we have our rules.”
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.
Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.
Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.
Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises…
The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St Peter is waiting for him.
“Now it’s time to visit heaven.”
So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns. “Well, then, you’ve spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.”
The senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: “Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell.”
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.
Now the doors of the elevator open and he’s in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.
He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.
The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder.
“I don’t understand,” stammers the senator. “Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there’s just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable.
What happened?”
The devil looks at him, smiles and says, “Yesterday, we were campaigning. Today, you voted.”
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Dr. Scott Hahn and more good Catholic Stuff
The following are two links which are transcripts of two talks given by Dr. Scott Hahn. The first one deals with Papal Authority and Apostolic Succession. The second is on Mary. This is good stuff to know for why we submit to the authority of the Pope, the Bishops, and our Priests, and also why Mary deserves our honor and love. Enjoy.
http://www.catholic-pages.com/pope/hahn.asp
http://www.catholic-pages.com/bvm/hahn.asp
Scripture in the order of the Mass
http://www.wctc.net/~mudndirt/Scripture%20in%20mass.htm
Nearly everything we say at mass has its roots in Sacred Scripture. This guide will help you if anyone you know is in doubt about that. Catholics quote scripture all the time, and their actions are deeply scriptural. After all, scripture flowed out of the early Church. The Church came first, the New Testament and the canon of scripture second.
Greeting
Priest: In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 28:19)
People: Amen (1 Chr 16:36)
Priest: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Cor 13:13)
People: And also with you.
Liturgy of the Word
Penitential Rite
All: I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault. (Jas. 5:16) In my thoughts and in my words, (Rom. 12:16) In what I have done and what I have failed to do; (Jas 3:6) and I ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, all the angel and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. (1 Thess 5:25)
Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. (1 John 1:9)
People: Amen (1 Chr 16:36)All: Lord have mercy. (Tb 8:4) Christ have mercy. (1 Tim 1:2) Lord have mercy.
Gloria
All: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. (Luke 2:14)Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, (Rev 19:6)we worship you, (Rev. 22:9) we give you thanks, (Eph. 5:20)we praise you for your glory. (Rev 7:12)Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, (2 John 3)Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:have mercy on us; (John 1:29)You are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer. (Rom 8:34)For you alone are the Holy One, (Luke 4:34)You alone are Lord, You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ. (Luke 1:32)with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. (John 14:26)
[The Liturgy of the Word consists of four readings from Scripture: the first is typically from the Old Testament, the second a psalm, followed by a reading from one of the epistles. Finally, the Gospel is proclaimed during which the people stand out of respect for the Word. The chosen readings change daily.]
A Sermon on the readings follows.
(2 Tim 4:1-2) Profession of Faith
All: We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, (Gen 14:19) of all that is seen and unseen. (Col 1:16) We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, (Luke 1:35) eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten not made, one in being with the Father. (Heb 1:3) Through him all things were made. (John 1:2-3) For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: (John 3:13) by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, (Matt 1:18) and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, (John 19:16) he suffered, died and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures. (1 Cor 15:3-4) He ascended into heaven (Luke 24:51) and is seated at the right hand of the Father. (Col 3:1) He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead (2 Tim 4:1) and his kingdom will have no end. (Luke 1:33) We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of Life, (Acts 2:17) who proceeds from the Father and the Son. (John 14:16) With the Father and Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. (1 Peter 1:10-11) We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church. (Rom 12:5) We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. (Acts 2:38) We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. (Rom 6:5) Amen
Liturgy of the Eucharist
[The gifts are brought to the altar. These include the bread and wine and the offering collected from the people.] (Malachi 3:10)
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made. (Eccl. 3:13) It will become for us the bread of life. (John 6:35)
People: Blessed be God forever. (Ps 68:36)P
riest: Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine and work of human hands. It will become our spiritual drink. (Luke 22:17-18)People: Blessed be God forever. (Ps 68:36)
Priest: Pray, brethren, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father. (Heb. 12:28)
People: May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our sake and the good of all his Church. (Ps 50:23)
Eucharistic Prayers
Priest: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord. (Lam 3:41)
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord Our God. (Col 3:17)
People: It is right to give him thanks and praise. (Col 1:3)
Preface Acclamation
All: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. (Is 6:3) Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. (Mark 11:9-10)
Eucharistic prayer
[There are four of these, based on ancient prayers of the Church. Eucharistic Prayer Two follows as an example:]
Priest: Lord, you are holy indeed, the fountain of all holiness. (2 Macc. 14:36) Let your spirit come upon these gifts (water and wine) to make them holy, so that they may become the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Before he was given up to death, (Phil 2:8) a death he freely accepted, (John 10:17-18) he took bread and gave you thanks. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: Take this all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you. When supper was ended, he took the cup. Again he gave thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples, and said: Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this is memory of me. (Mark 14:22-25) Let us proclaim the mystery of faith.All: Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life, Lord Jesus, come in glory. (Heb 2:14-15) Priest: In memory of his death and resurrection, we offer you, Father, this life-giving bread, this saving cup. (John 6:51) We thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you. May all of us who share in the body and blood of Christ be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor.10:17) Lord, remember your Church throughout the world; make us grow in love together with our Pope and our bishop, and all the clergy. Remember our brothers and sisters who have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again: bring them and all the departed into the light of your presence. (2 Macc 12:45-46) Have mercy on us all; make us worthy to share eternal life with Mary, the virgin Mother of God, with the apostles and with all the saints who have done your will throughout the ages. May we praise you in union with them, and give you glory though your Son, Jesus Christ. (2 Thes 1:4-5) Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.
All: Amen. (Rom 11:36)
Communion Rite
The Lord's Prayer:
All: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (Matt 6:9-13)
Priest: Deliver us, Lord, from every evil and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ. (John 17:15)
All: For the kingdom the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen
Priest: Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles; I leave you peace, my peace I give to you. (John 14:27) Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom where you live forever and ever.
Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always! (John 20:19)
People: And also with you!
[The priest then directs the people to exchange a sign, such as a handshake or a kiss, or a word of God's peace to one another.]
Breaking of the Bread
All: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace. (John 1:29) (sometimes sung/spoken in Latin)
Communion
Priest: This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper. (Rev. 19:9)
People: Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed. (Matt 8:8)
[Communion is distributed to the faithful at the altar by the priest and lay ministers.]
Dismissal
Priest: Blessed be the name of the Lord. Now and forever. (Dan 2:20) May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Luke 24:51) Go in peace (Luke 7:50) to love and serve the Lord. (2 Chr 35:3)
[During the blessing the people make the Sign of the Cross, the traditional sign of the baptized and a public sign of their belief in the power of God.]
People: Thanks be to God. (2 Cor 9:15)
Your Honor...The state rests.
Monday, September 28, 2009
The 12 Most Important Things To Know About Angels
The Twelve Most Important Things to Know About Them
1. They really exist. Not just in our minds, or our myths, or our symbols, or our culture. They are as real as your dog, or your sister, or electricity.
2. They’re present, right here, right now, right next to you, reading these words with you.
3. They’re not cute, cuddly, comfortable, chummy, or “cool”. They are fearsome and formidable. They are huge. They are warriors.
4. They are the real “extra-terrestrials”, the real “Super-men”, the ultimate aliens. Their powers are far beyond those of all fictional creatures.
5. They are more brilliant minds than Einstein.
6. They can literally move the heavens and the earth if God permits them.
7. There are also evil angels, fallen angels, demons, or devils. These too are not myths. Demon possessions, and exorcisms, are real.
8. Angels are aware of you, even though you can’t usually see or hear them. But you can communicate with them. You can talk to them without even speaking.
9. You really do have your very own “guardian angel”. Everybody does.
10. Angels often come disguised. “Do not neglect hospitality, for some have entertained angels unawares”—that’s a warning from life’s oldest and best instruction manual.
11. We are on a protected part of a great battlefield between angels and devils, extending to eternity.
12. Angels are sentinels standing at the crossroads where life meets death. They work especially at moments of crisis, at the brink of disaster—for bodies, for souls, and for nations.
Why do people think it's stupid to believe in angels?
One reason is a mistake about themselves: the failure to distinguish between (1) sense perception or imagination (which is a kind of inner sensing) and (2) reason, or intelligence, or understanding. We don't see pure spirits, and we can't imagine them. That doesn't mean we can't know or understand them. We can see and imagine the difference between a five-sided figure (a pentagon) and a six-sided figure (a hexagon), and we can also intellectually understand that difference. We cannot, however, sense or imagine the difference between a 105-sided figure and a 106-sided figure. Both look to us simply like circles. But we can understand the difference and even measure it exactly. So we can understand some things we can't see. We can't see qualities like good and evil either. What color or shape or size is evil? Yet we can understand them. We can imagine our brains, but not our minds, our personalities. But we can know them.
Many who deny angels deny or are uaware of the spiritual half of themselves. Angels are a touchstone of "know thyself". So are animals.
Aren't angels irrelevant today? This is the age of man, isn't it?
Yes, this is the age of man, of self-consciousness, of psychology. And therefore it is crucial to "know thyself" accurately today. The major heresies of our day are not about God but about man.
The two most destructive of these heresies—and the two most popular—are angelism, confusing man with an angel by denying his likeness to animals, and animalism, confusing man with an animal by denying his likeness to angels.
Man is the only being that is both angel and animal, both spirit and body. He is the lowest spirit and the highest body, the stupidest angel and the smartest animal, the low point of the hierarchy of minds and the high point of the hierarchy of bodies.
More accurately stated, man is not both angel and animal because he is neither angel nor animal; he is between angels and animals, a unique rung on the cosmic ladder.
But whichever way you say it, man must know angels to know himself, just as he must know animals to know himself, for he must know what he is, and he must know what he is not.
A free 80-minute lecture,"Aquinas and the Angels," by Peter Kreeft can be accessed here: http://www.peterkreeft.com/audio/10_aquinas-angels.htm
Monday, September 21, 2009
Bono and the Pope: an encore?
And a report indicates may meet with John Paul's successor later this year:
Bono has been invited to meet with Pope Benedict XVI, along with more than 500 other artists and performers. This group will include members of the theater, art, literature and music communities and they will meet with the Pope at the Sistine Chapel on November 21.
The meeting is part of a concerted effort by the Roman Catholic Church to reestablish the relationship between the Church and art.
Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said in a news conference at the Vatican that the meeting is intended to build on the "special historical relationship between faith and art."
According to the bostonpilot.com, along with the U2 frontman, other artists planning on attending include Italian film score composer Ennio Morricone, avant-garde theater director Bob Wilson, and architect Daniel Libeskind.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Stuff Priests Are Made of...........
It was taken in Puerto Cabello Naval Base, Venezuela, the city of 80,000 beside the nation’s largest naval base 75 miles west of the capital Caracas . In June 1962, Puerto Cabello was the scene of one of the bitterest fighting in modern Venezuelan history, now known as the Porteñazo.. The bloody struggle between government forces and guerrilla rebels in the naval base who had the support of the residents of Puerto Cabello. Official casualty figures for the military were 47 dead, 89 wounded. But unofficial estimates put the toll, including civilians, at more than 300.
I am struck by the sense of absolute calm in that image of the priest. There is something grounded there, and unflappable, and even daring.
This makes one think of the “Grunt Padre”, aka, Fr. Vincent Capodanno, who was killed in Vietnam:
Father Capodanno went among the wounded and dying, giving last rites and taking care of his beloved Marines. Always watching out for them, as they watched out for him. Wounded in the face and suffering a severe shrapnel wound that nearly severed his hand, during the epic battle of Dong Son in September 1967, Father Vince moved to help a wounded Marine only yards from an enemy machine gun. Father Capodanno died from a machine gun blast taking care of this young Marine. When his body was recovered, he had 27 bullet wounds.
Capadanno
A priest with weary eyes. Fr. Capodanno reminds many of Army Chaplain Fr. Tim Vakoc, who recently died of injuries sustained in Iraq.
Fr. Vakoc stirs ones synapses to recall St. Maximilian Kolbe, the brilliant Franciscan priest who died at Auschwitz, after volunteering to take the place of a man with a family:
In July 1941 a man from Kolbe’s barracks vanished, prompting SS-Hauptsturmführer Karl Fritzsch, the deputy camp commander, to pick 10 men from the same barracks to be starved to death in Block 13 (notorious for torture), in order to deter further escape attempts. (The man who had disappeared was later found drowned in the camp latrine.) One of the selected men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, lamenting his family, and Kolbe volunteered to take his place.
During the time in the cell he led the men in songs and prayer. After three weeks of dehydration and starvation, only Kolbe and three others were still alive. Finally he was murdered with an injection of carbolic acid.
Kolbe’s murder puts in the mind of Bishop Oscar Romero, who was assassinated at the altar in the midst of political upheaval.
Speaking of Romero, let's look at Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin Mei, who spent thirty years behind bars, in China, much of it in solitary confinement.
Cardinal Ignatius Kung Mim Mei, in exile.Cardinal Kung, of course, reminds us of the pope who lived under the jackboots of both nazism and communism and who understood that the answer to flawed, imperfect capitalism or unjust societies was not the crushing of human liberty:
John Paul, naturally, reminds us of this gentle shepherd, the last great man of the 20th century to stride into the 21st with strong effect:
Where do we get such men? Their parents raise them, but as Archbishop Timothy Dolan -himself a man of clear, unambiguous, joyful and powerful faith- tells us, their priesthoods, their willingness to put themselves out there and at risk for the gospel, and for ministry, is a pure gift from God…
The following H/T from The Anchoress:
I especially love the words of Archbishop Timothy Dolan, “This is a pure gift from God, and not an earned trophy. . .His grace lifts up our nature.”
A simple-sounding yet profound mystery. And what he says about the priestly vocation is true for all of our vocations, including the vocation of marriage, the vocation of the single life, even the vocation of the “necessary other,” called to live in an altogether different way than most, with a great deal of sacrificial suffering that -one trusts- may lead to gladness. Our lives are not accidents; we are all of us born for a specific purpose, we are called to particular lives, any and all of which, to be honest, involve service to others before ourselves. We are born who we are. His grace lifts up our nature, and makes living out the lives we are called to live both possible and fruitful, if we let him. If we trust.
Trust is huge. We all think we do it; that we “trust” God. In truth “trust” is difficult and unnatural and something we need to work on, ponder, surrender to, every single day – sometimes every five minutes.
Dolan says, “you will have the very Character of Christ, the High Priest, the Good Shepherd, branded on your heart, as your very identity” and we Catholics understand this to be peculiarly so for our priests. But truly, if we accept our individual callings to live out the vocation unique to each of us – whether that be as a spouse or parent, as a consecrated person or a layperson whose life might even seem to be kissed from the cross with loneliness – and live them out in trust, in faith, and hope and gratitude – but mostly in challenging, difficult, absolute trust, then we will be the people we were meant to be.
And as Catherine of Siena told us, “if you are who you are meant to be, you will set the world on fire.”
This was actually the message of the Second Vatican Council, but it got rather lost in the translation -instead of people understanding just how serious is the call to vocation for each of us, it got mistaught “in the spirit of Vatican II” until it was understood that the priesthood and the consecrated life were “nothing special, no better than being a layperson, or married or anything else.” In fact, what we were supposed to learn was that marriage and the single life were every bit as much pure gift, pure vocation, pure calling, as the priesthood and religious life. Somehow, instead of all being lifted up, together, in the powerful notion of call-and-response, adventure, gift and destiny, the message got garbled until there was instead, diminishment, in everything.
May God, who has begun this good work in all of us, now bring it to fulfillment. And may be pray for each other, and for all of our priests, as we journey.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
You've Never Seen Anything Like This.....
The explanation:
The video tells the story of life during World War II or The Great Patriotic War, as it’s known in the Ukraine.
It is no doubt the reason for the emotional reactions of some of the audience.
The Ukraine was one of the most devastated countries of WWII, with 1 in 4 Ukrainians killed and nearly 20% of all people killed in the war being from the Ukraine!
The final frame of the animation shows the ghost of a fallen sailor and text that reads: “You are always nearby”.
It is very moving.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Our Lady of Guadalupe
This August 8th at the Jobing.com arena in Glendale, AZ...... the Guadalupe Festival promises a day of Marian celebration and prayer......... for some reason I can't provide the direct link, but.....go here, www.guadalupefestival.org
Be sure to check out all the links. There is some fantastic information in those places.
The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on Tepayac hill near Mexico City on the 9th of December 1531 to ask for the construction of a church there in her honour. After the miraculous cure of his uncle, Bernardo, this Indian peasant brought to his Bishop some roses that he received from Our Lady as a sign of her request. As the flowers fell from his cloak to the ground before the astonished Prelate, the image of the blessed virgin, which is venerated in the Basilica of Guadalupe to this day, was miraculously impressed on the simple garment before their eyes.
In Conversation With God Vol 7: Feast Days, July-December
What has always fascinated me is the symbolism of the image that was on the cloak. TSO says:
One of the interesting things about the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is its teaching potential. Though she looks glorified, with stars and rays of sun coming from her as was predicted in Rev. 12, she is no goddess. Her hands are folded in supplication, her posture indicating that she is interceding for us at the throne of the God.
Indeed, he is right. There is so much in that image that speaks to Catholic hearts through symbolism.
However, there is much more to Our Lady of Guadalupe's image than that. As with all good Catholic images there is abundant symbolism that was specifically designed to speak to the hearts of the people to whom she brought her message ... the Aztecs. I remember when our priest put out a flyer about this and I was just knocked out at how meaningful every single thing in the image is. I really like this explanation.
The miraculous image produced on the apron or tilma of Blessed Juan Diego is rich in symbolism. The aureole or luminous light surrounding the Lady is reminiscent of the "woman clothed with the sun" of Rev. 12:1. The light is also a sign of the power of God who has sanctified and blessed the one who appears. The rays of the sun would also be recognized by the native people as a symbol of their highest god, Huitzilopochtli. Thus, the lady comes forth hiding but not extinguishing the power of the sun. She is now going to announce the God who is greater than their sun god.
The Lady is standing upon the moon. Again, the symbolism is that of the woman of Rev. 12:1 who has the "moon under her feet". The moon for the Meso-Americans was the god of the night. By standing on the moon, she shows that she is more powerful than the god of darkness. However, in Christian iconography the crescent moon under the Madonna's feet is usually a symbol of her perpetual virginity, and sometimes it can refer to her Immaculate Conception or Assumption.
The eyes of Our lady of Guadalupe are looking down with humility and compassion. This was a sign to the native people that she was not a god since in their iconography the gods stare straight ahead with their eyes wide open. We can only imagine how tenderly her eyes looked upon Blessed Juan Diego when she said: " Do not be troubled or weighed down with grief -- Am I not here who am your Mother?"
The angel supporting the Lady testifies to her royalty. To the Meso-American Indians only kings, queens and other dignitaries would be carried on the shoulders of someone. The angel is transporting the Lady to the people as a sign that a new age has come.
The mantle of the Lady is blue-green or turquoise. To the native people, this was the color of the gods and of royalty. It was also the color of the natural forces of life and fecundity. In Christian art, blue is symbolic of eternity and immortality. In Judaism, it was the color of the robe of the high priest. The limbus or gold border of her mantle is another sign of nobility.
The stars on the Lady's mantle shows that she comes from heaven. She comes as the Queen of Heaven but with the eyes of a humble and loving mother. The stars also are a sign of the supernatural character of the image. The research of Fr. Mario Rojas Sanchez and Dr. Juan Homero Hernandez Illescas of Mexico (published in 1983) shows that the stars on the Lady's mantle in the image are exactly as the stars of the winter solstice appeared before dawn on the morning of December 12, 1531.
The color of the Madonna's dress is rose or pale-red. Some have interpreted this as the color of dawn symbolizing the beginning of a new era. Others point to the red as a sign of martyrdom for the faith and divine love.
The gold-encircled cross brooch under the neck of the Lady's robe is a symbol of sanctity.
The girdle or bow around her waist is a sign of her virginity, but it also has several other meanings. The bow appears as a four-petaled flower. To the native Indians this was the nahui ollin, the flower of the sun, a symbol of plenitude. The cross-shaped flower was also connected with the cross-sticks which produce fire. For them, this was the symbol of fecundity and new life. The high position of the bow and the slight swelling of the abdomen show that the Lady is "with child". According to Dr. Carlos Fernandez Del Castillo, a leading Mexican obstetrician, the Lady appears almost ready to give birth with the infant head down resting vertically. This would further solidify her identification with the woman of Rev. 12 who is about to give birth.
The link for the above excerpt is now dead. However, you can read about this apparition of Our Lady in more depth here.
Here is yet another point about the symbolism in this article by Bishop Olmsted. I have never seen mentioned anywhere else.
Nine heart-shaped flower blossoms decorate the tunic worn by Our Lady of Guadalupe, surrounding her hands, which are gently folded in prayer. This artistic technique told the Native peoples that the Virgin Mary was holding hearts in her maternal hands, protecting them from harm. This image mesmerized them as they gazed with awe and wonder at the sight. It filled them with new hope at a time when they teetered on the edge of despair. Why?
Hearts, they had thought, were what you offered to the gods in order to restore harmony in the world. In their own practice of human sacrifice, hearts were torn out of victims, usually enemies captured in battle, and then offered as a peace offering. But that effort to win peace with their “gods” had failed to save them from defeat by the Conquistadors. Worse, after the conquest, they no longer knew how to pray or even to whom to pray.
But then, Our Lady of Guadalupe came to them, gently holding their hearts in her hands. Harmony, they realized, was again possible! Her hands held their hearts just above the divine Child in her womb, the One whose Sacred Heart conquers violence and restores peace to the world.
Some more about conditions in Mexico at the time Our Lady appeared as well as a prayer for abortion victims can be read at Ave Maria.
The Curt Jester has some myth-busters about this apparition, which he hastens to assure us he does regard as a miraculous event. However, it is a good reminder that it is just too tempting sometimes to make a miraculous thing even better by embellishing ... tch, tch, tch.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Oldest Known Image of St. Paul Discovered in Catacombs of Rome
The oldest known image of St. Paul was discovered recently on the walls of a catacomb in Rome.
Reuters reported:
Vatican archaeologists using laser technology have discovered what they believe
is the oldest image in existence of St Paul the Apostle, dating from the late
4th century, on the walls of catacomb beneath Rome.
Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano, revealing the find on Sunday, published a picture of a
frescoed image of the face of a man with a pointed black beard on a red background, inside a bright yellow halo. The high forehead is furrowed.
Experts of the Ponitifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology made the discovery on June 19 in the Catacomb of Santa Tecla in Rome and describe it as the "oldest icon in history dedicated to the cult of the Apostle," according to the Vatican newspaper.
The discovery, which involved removing layers of
clay and limestone using lasers, was announced a day before Rome observes a
religious holiday for the Feasts of St Peter and St Paul.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan
Now, in Reagan’s Secret War: The Untold Story of His Fight to Save the World from Nuclear Disaster (Crown), husband-and-wife team Martin and Annelise Anderson shed new light on the Reagan-John Paul II relationship by using previously classified U.S. government files.
Read the rest from Catholic Exchange.......
Drawing Their Fish In The Sand
"We've found different ways of expressing it, and recognized the power of the
media to manipulate such signs. Maybe we just have to sort of draw our fish in
the sand." -- Lead singer Bono on faith, quoted in U2 at the End of the World
U2 is one of my favorite bands. This may or may not come as a surprise to many.....they are all Christians and are not afraid to mention Jesus, faith, etc. in their songs. So, I like seeing this list of all the biblical references found in their songs.
Not just a handful of songs..........they've penned nearly 80 songs with biblical references.
Here are examples of some of my fave's...................
From "The Unforgettable Fire" - "Pride"
"One man betrayed with a kiss" -- "Jesus said to him, 'Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?'"
"One man washed on an empty beach" -- Possibly a reference to Jonah 2:10: "Then the LORD ordered the fish to spit up Jonah on the beach, and it did." (Thanks to Brian)
"One man come he to justify" is from Isaiah 53:11, probably the best- known Old Testament prophecy describing the purpose of Jesus' coming: "my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities." "Justify" is a key verb in Christian theology referring to how the grace of Jesus makes believers right with God. (submitted by Rev. Beth)
The song..."The Unforgettable Fire"
"And if the mountains should crumble or disappear into the sea..." Psalm 46:2: "Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea."
"A dry and waterless place" -- Deut 8:15 "He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that dry and waterless land." (submitted by Rev. Beth)
From "WAR" - "Drowning Man"
"Rise up, rise up/With wings like eagles/You'll run, you'll run/You'll run and not grow weary" -- Isaiah 40:31: "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
From "The Joshua Tree"
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
"I have spoken with the tongue of angels" -- 1 Corinthians 13:1: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."
"With or Without You"
"See the thorn twist in your side" -- 2 Corinthians 12:7: "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me."
"Bullet the Blue Sky"
"Jacob wrestled the angel/And the angel was overcome" -- Genesis 32:25: "Jacob was left there alone. Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn."
Check them all out here........
Friday, May 15, 2009
Want To Feel Inspired? Watch This.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Who Is He?
He is an intellectual who is unbeholden to the shibboleths of the professoriat and who has a deep appreciation for untutored popular piety.
He is an accomplished philospher recognized as such by his peers throughout the world, but he never took a serious course in the subject.
He is a mystic who was a vigorous sportsmen for almost seventy years.
He is a celibate with a remarkable insight into human sexuality, especially as viewed from the perspective and experience of women.
He lived from age nineteen until age fifty eight under totalitarian regimes and has written cogently about the cultural factors that make democracy's possible.
He has had a considerable impact on world affairs and the life of the Church while evincing not the slightest interest in management theory or in the conventions of politics.
He has been a notably successful statesman without extensive preparation for the job.
He was blessed with great mentors as a young man, but he is primarily an autodidact who learns quickly from experience.
He has penetrating insight into those he meets, such that one wants to entrust him with one's decisions, but his signature phrase as a confessor and spiritual counselor has always been "You must decide."
He has demonstrated the ability to rouse the passions of some of the largest crowds in human history, but he has never played the demagogue.
He is a disciple known for the intensity of his love, like the apostle John, who has been called to exercise an office of authority and jurisdiction in the Church, like the apostle Peter.
Who is he? Click here to find out.
All information taken from page 13 in this great book.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Imagine the Potential: Kinship
Powerful:
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Today Is May 5th......What's This Day's Significance?
Nah.
Ecclesia Militans Awake....Feast Day for.........this Saint, who was featured on a post a few days ago....3 posts down.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Money Quote of the Day
"If the Pope himself would give you a special invitation to visit him in
the Vatican, this honor would be nothing in comparison to the honor and dignity that Jesus Himself bestows upon you with the invitation of spending one hour with Him in the Blessed Sacrament. "The Divine Eucharist bestows upon the Christian people the incomparable dignity." (Pope Paul VI, Mysterium
Fidei)
This is right out of our weekly bulletin from April 26 titled "Come To Adoration",
Twelve Reasons From The Teachings Of The Church For Wanting To Spend One
Hour With Jesus In The Blessed Sacrament.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
A Call To Action, A Call For Evangelization
I think it is imperative that the demographics of the world are understood. If you have the time, then Mark Steyn’s America Alone is the definitive book to read, but the following little You Tube video is a great cliff notes presentation on the issue. A blogging pal of mine somewhat jokingly said that Christ is going to have to return within the next generation. Otherwise, Israel as a nation will no longer exist for Him to return to.
Response is in comments section
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Pope St. Pius V, The Battle of Lepanto And The Rosary
Culminating the RCIA program at the Saturday Night Vigil, the night when converts are accepted into the Catholic church, one needs to choose a famous biblical name, preferably a saint, to be confirmed under. I chose Pope St. Pius V.
I chose Pope St. Pius V because of his leadership in the fight against the Ottoman Empire, which helped prevent Christians from becoming Muslim slaves in the great Battle of Lepanto in the 16th century. He created the Holy League which was an alliance formed in Europe to prevent the spread of the Protestant movement, but more importantly, the spread of Islam by the Turks and the Ottoman Empire.
The Battle of Lepanto was the greatest naval battle in history at the time, defeating the Ottoman Empire and severly crippling the Turks' strength in a future war that saw the crushing defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the Gates of Vienna in 1683.
Pope Pius V, in the last year of his papacy in 1571, tried to rally the nations of Europe to join in a Holy League to stop and roll back the Muslim enemy which threatened the entire continent. Spain, whose King Philip II was also King of Austria, responded favorably. The Muslims were then engaged in the conquest of Cyprus, an island belonging to the Republic of Venice.
Leading Venetian officials would have preferred to have worked out some peaceful-coexistence agreement with the Sultan, but under the crusading influence of Saint Pius V, they decided to join the Holy League along with the republics of Genoa and Lucca and the dukes of Savory, Parma, Ferrara and Urbino.
The Papal fleet was of course part of the Holy Alliance. Pius V asked Philip to appoint Don Juan of Austria, the 25-year old son of Emperor Charles V, as commander-in-chief of a planned expedition against the Muslims. After receiving the banner of the Holy League from the Pope, through Cardinal Granvalla, Don Juan's fleet set sail from Genoa for Naples on June 26, 1571.
Few historians mention that just before the departure, Philip II presented Don Juan with a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe which she had caused to be miraculously imprinted on the cloak of the Indian peasant Juan Diego in Mexico 40 years before. Don Juan placed the picture in the chapel of the admiral-vessel, the Genoese John Andrew Doria, asking for Mary's protection of his expedition.
On September 16, the Christian fleet put to sea. Don Juan anchored off of Corfu where he learned that the Muslims had leveled entire towns and villages and then retreated to the coast of Lepanto in the Gulf of Corinth.
At dawn on October 7, at the entrance to the Gulf of Patras, the Christian and Muslim fleets finally came face to face for the battle of Lepanto.
The wind and all military factors favored the Muslims, but Don Juan was confident. He boarded a fast ship for a final review of his fleet. He shouted encouraging words to the men and they shouted back. After Don Juan returned to his own position, the wind mysteriously changed to the advantage of the Christian fleet. First-hand witnesses wrote about this moment as a most dramatic turn-of-events resulting from an "unknown factor".
At that very moment, at dawn on October 7, 1571-- as Vatican Archives later revealed--Pope Pius V, accompanied by many faithful, was praying the Rosary in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. From dawn to dusk the prayers continued in Rome as the Christians and the Muslims battled at Lepanto. When it was all over the Muslims had been defeated. Of some 270 Muslim ships, at least 200 were destroyed. The Turks also lost 30,000 men while Christian casualties numbered between 4,000 and 5,000.
The Rosary had won a great military victory. Like all truly great military leaders who hate war and love peace, Don Juan retired after his victory at Lepanto. He died a few years later at the age of 31. Another who took part in the great battle of Lepanto, Miguel de Cervantes, lived longer to write his famous tribute to Christian chivalry, Don Quixote.
Also among St. Pope Pius V's contributions that were the most important works to the church were his restoration of the Roman Missal to the ancient rite usage in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and promotion of St. Dominic’s devotion to the Rosary with the pious recitation of the fifteen mysteries as well as living his life serving and helping the poverty stricken and the ill/severly ill.
Read more about the Battle of Lepanto here.......
Friday, April 24, 2009
Weekend Funnies
Fortunately, she’s just in time for dinner and was treated to the best fish and chips she had ever tasted.
After dinner, she went into the kitchen to thank the chefs. She was met by two of the brothers.
The first one says, “Hello, I am Brother Michael, and this is Brother Charles.”
“I’m very pleased to meet you,” replies the nun. “I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful dinner. The fish and chips were the best I’ve ever had. Out of curiosity, who cooked what?”
Brother Charles replied, “Well, I’m the fish friar.”
She turned to the other Brother and said, “Then you must be…?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so — I am the chip monk.”
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Looking For The Seven Sacraments in the "Our Father"
The 1st Station, the Station of Deliverance:
The petition is, "Deliver us from evil."
The sacrament of the 1st Station is Baptism, which delivers us from evil.
The 2nd Station, the Station of Trial:
The petition is, "Lead us not into temptation."
The sacrament of the 2nd Station is Confirmation, which strengthens us for trial.
The 3rd Station, the Station of Mercy:
The petition is, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
The sacrament of the 3rd Station is Reconciliation, which brings us mercy.
The 4th Station, the Station of Consecration at the Altar:
The petition is, "Give us this day our daily bread."
The sacrament of the 4th Station is Eucharist, which brings us the Bread of Life.
The 5th Station, the Station of Consecration in Suffering:
The petition is, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
The sacrament of the 5th Station is the Anointing of the Sick, which unites our suffering to the suffering of Christ, who did the Father's will on earth as in heaven.
The 6th Station, the Station of Ecclesial Communion:
The petition is, "Thy kingdom come."
The sacrament of the 6th Station is Holy Orders, which gives the priesthood of the kingdom begun here on earth.
The 7th Station, the Station of Personal Communion:
The petition is, "Hallowed be thy name."
The sacrament of the 7th Station is Matrimony, which makes of two persons, one, as the Holy Name is the Name of Three Persons in One.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Christ The King's Chapel for cancer patients of all faiths
When the 8-foot golden cross was placed atop the dome of the new St. Peregrine Chapel at Christ the King Catholic Church in Mesa on Good Friday, the church took one step closer to its goal of becoming a beacon of hope for people of all faiths who are suffering from cancer.
The church's pastor, the Rev. Steven Kunkel, was thrilled with the fact that construction workers just happened to choose Good Friday to install the cross atop the chapel dome.
When the chapel opens sometime this summer, it will be a place for people to find prayer, peace, compassionate counseling and even free wigs.
The only facility of its type in Arizona, the chapel is not based on any model elsewhere.
Friday, April 17, 2009
The Basic Principle Of Catholic Ethics Of Human Life and Christ And The Fifth Commandment
Persons are not things, objects of manipulation and control and design, to be judged by some other, higher standard than persons. There is no higher standard – God himself is personal (“I AM”). Persons are subjects, I’s. They are subjects of rights.They are not to be judged as worth more or less on some abstract, impersonal scale of health, intelligence,physical power, or length of life. Each life, each individual, each human being is unique, and each is equally and infinitely precious. That is the root of Catholic morality on all issues of human life.
Christ and the fifth Commandment
Instead of shrinking the fifth Commandment, as the modern “quality of life” ethic does, Christ expanded it. “In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord recalls the commandment ‘You shall not kill,’ (Mt 5:21.) and adds to it the proscription against anger, hatred, and vengeance [Mt 5:21-22]. Going further, Christ asks his disciples to turn the other cheek, to love their enemies. (Cf. Mt 5:22-39; 5:44) He did not defend himself and told Peter to leave his sword in its sheath” (Cf. Mt 26:52.).
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Men of CTK, Feel Free To Post Or Comment
A note from Deacon Tom:
Dear brothers,
Here is the schedule for the fall retreats:
Christ Renews-Men
October 17-18
Christ Renews-Women
October 24-25
I want to thank all of you for your continuing commitment to Christ Renews His Parish. You are a great group of men and your commitment to Christ and one another is very evident!
I would like to share with you a scripture passage from St. Paul that always gives me encouragement:
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed…
(2 Corinthians 4:8-9 - RSV)
In Christ,
Deacon Tom Bishop
Benedict at 82; The Last 20th Century Man
Yesterday Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his 82nd birthday. Time flies so quickly; it seems like yesterday he was visiting Ground Zero and greeting the youth of New York!
In honor of his birthday, I am reposting this from last April:
h/t The Anchoress
BENEDICT XVI; THE LAST 20th CENTURY MAN
It seems almost silly to say I am bringing coverage of Benedict XVI’s extraordinary sojourn in America to a close (actually, my final final thoughts are here) because the truth is I will likely be reading all of his addresses more closely and bringing them up in coming weeks, but the wall-to-wall writing will end here. I do want, though, to end with a thought that blipped through my head when Benedict was in DC, and again as he addressed the United Nations.
Benedict XVI is the last man of the 20th century to walk the global stage. He saw tyranny overtake his country and the minds and imaginations of his countrymen, as well as his own liberty. He watched the cold war play out and worked closely with one of the destructors of that system. That he viewed all of these things through the lens of faith and mystery means that his perspective is not only singular, it is supernatural, as well.
Before we knew him as Benedict, while he was still Joseph Ratzinger, he was telling us what he knew, but between his “rottweiler” caricature and all the religious wrappings, we missed it:
“…the population of an entirely planned and controlled world are going to be inexpressibly lonely … and they will then discover the little community of believers as something quite new. As a hope that is there for them, as the answer they have secretly always been asking for.” [emphasis mine - admin] — (from God and the World)
He knows. Listen to this 20th century man who sees what comes ahead because he vividly remembers all that came before - all that we want to believe we’ve left behind. He recognizes the tyrant because he has seen it, has felt its breath on his very neck. And in that statement, he acknowledges for us that the tyrant this time will eat up liberty so thoroughly that only in the spirit will freedom be found, nourished and strengthened. A totalitarian world without a spiritual defense will be unsurvivable.
Someone asked me why I did not write about Bill Maher’s standard-issue hate words about Benedict - timed to coincide with his visit and thus garner Maher the most attention.
I did not comment on Maher because it seemed pointless to; every word he speaks about Benedict proclaims himself, and his own lonely creed of atheism.
Bill Maher is a 21st century man; a fervent atheist, as fierce in his secular faith as the holiest of rollers. When I consider that line by then-Cardinal Ratzinger…”the population of an entirely planned and controlled world are going to be inexpressibly lonely…” I think Maher is already living there in that cold place, where one may lunch with the cool kids who hold court in the lunchroom, but then go home to a solitary room, hoping in nothing beyond their still-deigning to like you tomorrow.
Atheism may be the burgeoning movement, but that’s only because atheism is so easy. It requires nothing more of you than your willingness to cultivate cynicism, which is the laziest thing to grow. It lives of a piece with Benedict’s “dictatorship of relativism” and his counsel that
“relativism…does not recognize anything as definitive [its] ultimate goal consists solely of one’s own ego and desires.
…An “adult” faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty; a mature adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ. It is this friendship that opens us up to all that is good and gives us a criterion by which to distinguish the true from the false, and deceipt from truth.
Relativism is a growth-stunter. When nothing matters and you answer for nothing, you’re living the life of a child, and a nation of children cannot survive for very long. Relativism-embracing Europe is dying for that reason, because growing up and parenting others is not just difficult, it is selfless; in relationships one is answerable to another.
In Christ we have a relationship, and Jesus calls us on it. We are answerable to Him, and (insofar as he has promised it) he to us.
Benedict knows this, just as he knew that sex scandals and bishops - including himself - must be called on and made answerable by and to the faithful, who in turn have their own responsibilities and relationships to maintain. This is hard stuff, not easy; it requires the cultivation of faith and trust, not cynicism. It requires the difficult, painful work of looking at things one would rather not, and asking forgiveness and trying to heal and rebuild. If we do that work, we can - eventually - look each other in the face, standing free and independent, living honorably together, in truth, and with no need to hide. We’ll be able to withstand the vagaries of life with hope, and joy and real peace.
Relativism is a game of hide-and-seek. Benedict XVI is calling out, “olly-olly-ox-in-free.” He’s saying “let’s get everyone out from the shadows” including the church itself.
That is the work of adult faith and if we now continue in this vein, we will be strengthened; we will grow; we will survive and be ready to face that cold, lonely “planned and controlled” world, and to ultimately defeat it. We begin again, as we mean to continue.
UPDATE: Just finishing my thought: Benedict is only a man - with all that coverage you might wonder if I have forgotten that, but I have not. He is a man, trying to shepherd the 21st Century, with the wisdom gleaned in the last century, the most deadly century. Actually, he is the last active soldier of the greatest generation, still standing, still fighting, and he will, I think, cast a giant shadow
Linking to this piece, Brian Saint-Paul at Inside Catholic makes a very insightful observation:
21st century man has skipped the last 100 years entirely. That’s why he can continue to parrot the parlour atheism of the 19th century without the 20th century’s sad lesson on where such things lead.
Beautifully said.