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August 31, 2000

WORLD'S ELITE DESCENDS ON NEW YORK NEXT WEEK

With a promise to New Yorkers of gridlock, more than 160 kings, presidents and prime ministers speak and meet in three compact days next week to chart a course for the United Nations in the 21st century.

The session, from Sept. 6 to 8, is billed as the largest- ever gathering of world leaders, even bigger than the world body"s 50th anniversary celebrations five years ago, which drew some 118 heads of state and government.

MORE: Religious Leaders Start Signing Peace Declaration

FROM THE MAILBAG

VIA SPUC Information Office:

The Russian Orthodox Church has condemned abortion, as well as experimentation on human embryos and all human cloning. In a document entitled The Church and the Nation, which has taken several years to draw up and which addresses a number of social issues, the ruling synod of the Church equates abortion with murder and rules out any attempt to clone humans for whatever purpose. [The Tablet, 26 August]

It has been estimated that 70 percent of all pregnancies in Russia since 1994 have ended in abortion. Abortion is provided free on demand during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The Soviet Union was the first country in the world to legalise abortion in 1920, and now only Romania has a greater number of abortions per live births. The Russian population is said to be shrinking by 2,500 every day. [ABC News, 18 May 2000; Daily Telegraph, 24 January 1999]

VIA Catholic Community Forum:

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The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

172. Woe to what is within from what is without! For the inner self suffers great distress from the outer senses, and when it suffers in this way it scourges the outer senses. He who has experienced this knows already what it means.

August 30, 2000

POPE SEEKS TO LAY DOWN MORAL GUIDELINES FOR 21ST-CENTURY ADVANCES

Pope John Paul II sought Tuesday to lay down moral guidelines for medical research in the 21st century, endorsing organ donation and adult stem cell study but condemning human cloning and embryo experiments. John Paul"s address to an international conference of 5,000 transplant specialists appeared to be an attempt to set moral limits on such life-and-death issues as organ transplants and related research.

John Paul spelled out the church"s position on transplant-related matters, condemning the sale of organs, insisting on informed consent on both sides of the exchange and singling out the complete end of brain activity as an acceptable way to determine that death has occurred. Calling organ donation "a genuine act of love," he said, "Accordingly, any procedure which tends to commercialize human organs or to consider them as items of exchange or trade must be considered morally unacceptable."

In the church"s view, cloning is irreconcilable with its position that sex between married couples is the only acceptable way to create human life. "Methods that fail to respect the dignity and value of the person must always be avoided," John Paul told the medical workers. "I am thinking in particular of attempts at human cloning with a view to obtaining organs for transplants: These techniques, insofar as they involve the manipulation and destruction of human embryos, are not morally acceptable, even when their proposed goal is good in itself." John Paul ruled out use of embryonic cells as well, pointing scientists in the direction of adult stem cells as the acceptable route for research.

ANNAN SAYS NO ROOM FOR RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told world religious leaders on Tuesday there was no room for bigotry and intolerance in the 21st century, saying they had not always spoken out forcefully against such evils. "Religion has often been yoked to nationalism, s the flames of violent conflict and setting group against group," Annan told the participants at a four-day religious conference gathered in the U.N. General Assembly chamber.

"Religious leaders have not always spoken out when their voices could have helped combat hatred and persecution, or could have roused people from indifference," Annan said. Religion itself was not to blame, Annan added. "The problem is usually not with the faith, but with the faithful."

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

170. The guarding of the intellect may appropriately be called 'light-producing', 'lightning-producing', 'light-giving' and 'fire-bearing', for truly it surpasses endless virtues, bodily and other. Those who are seized by love for this virtue, from being worthless sinners, ignorant, profane, uncomprehending and unjust, are enabled to become just, responsive, pure, hoy, and wise through Jesus Christ.

August 29, 2000

(Zec 12:3) On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

ARAFAT SAYS 'NO CONCESSIONS' ON JERUSALEM

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said on Monday no concessions could be made on the future status of Jerusalem, which he described as the "key for peace and war" in the Middle East. Arafat accused Israel of refusing to comply with its previous commitments to withdrawal from Palestinian land and of continuing a campaign to "Judaise" Jerusalem.

"Jerusalem is in danger and there is no time to waste... There is a need for the world community to multiply efforts to free Jerusalem from Israeli colonization and for coming out with a unified Arab, Islamic and Christian position. "We will defend the return of al-Quds to its legitimate owners, and there will be no peace and no stability in the Middle East region if it does not return to its legitimate owners. This is a red line which can"t be crossed," Arafat warned.

FROM THE MAILBAG

VIA Jim Bramlett: As received from Mission America:

My name is Josh Davis, I'm born-again and I happen to be captain of the USA men's Olympic Swim Team. I would like to ask ya'll to pray for me as I represent Christ and country at the Sydney Olympic Games from Sept. 15 to Oct. 1.

My prayer is that I would race my best and enjoy God's presence, peace and power amidst all that pressure and share the Gospel boldly to many while I'm there.

And if you wouldn't mind saying a prayer for my wife, Shantel Davis. She is doing an Olympic feat of her own, she is giving birth to our 3rd child in 3 years on about Sept. 4th right before I leave for the Olympics.

Thank you very much and tune into to NBC to watch the Olympics!

God bless you for your faithfulness and obedience to our King!

Because of His Grace,

Josh Davis
(1 Cor. 15:10)
http://www.joshdavis.com

(1 Pet 4:11) If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

169. Stones form the foundation of a house; but the foundation of sanctity- and its roof- is the holy and venerable name of our Lord Jesus Christ. A foolish captain can easily wreck his ship during a storm, dismissing the sailors, throwing the sails and oars into the sea, and going to sleep himself; but the soul can be sent to the bottom even more swiftly by the demons if it neglects watchfulness and does not call upon the name of Jesus Christ when they begin their provocations.

August 28, 2000

POPE ISSUES WARNING ON MEDICAL RESEARCH

Pope John Paul praised progress made by medical researchers on Saturday but warned that clinical experiments should not overstep the boundary of respect for human dignity. The Pope also deplored the gap between rich and poor countries in terms of access to medical treatment, saying it was the duty of each member of the international community to promote equal access to health care.

"It is necessary that clinical research be always carried out in the absolute respect of the person and with a clear awareness of its risks and, therefore, limits," the Pope said. "Despite praising the efforts that have been made, we cannot ignore that not all human beings enjoy equal opportunities. "The equal distribution of goods...is an urgent imperative also in the health care sector. The persistent injustice that takes away indispensable cures from most of the population, especially in poor countries, must finally come to an end."

WORLD RELIGIOUS LEADERS GATHER AMID CONTROVERSY

More than 1,000 religious leaders gather Monday at the United Nations for the Millennium World Peace Summit to discuss solutions to conflicts _ including those that threaten to divide their meeting. Participants say they hope the summit, which runs through Thursday, will result in resolutions on peace, poverty and the environment, and the formation of a permanent council of religious leaders to advise the United Nations on preventing and settling disputes.

The United Nations is not an official summit sponsor, which has received funding from Ted Turner"s U.N. Foundation, Better World Fund and others. Turner, who once said that Christianity was "for losers," will give the keynote address. Still, organizers say the meeting was a response to a call from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is scheduled to speak Tuesday.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

168. A ship does not go far without water; and there is no progress whatsoever in the guarding of the intellect without wathchfulness, humility and the Jesus Prayer.

August 27, 2000

(Luke 12:33-34) Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

BANKROLLED BY PIZZA MOGUL, NEW CATHOLIC LAW SCHOOL TO BEGIN CLASSES

Assembling auto parts in Tennessee, Elizabeth Hopkins considered herself in a rut. Then she read about a Roman Catholic law school planned by the Domino's Pizza founder, and her life was changed. "I really believe it's providence to do this," says the 25-year-old Catholic from Franklin, Tennessee, a Loyola University fine arts graduate who will be one of Ave Maria School of Law's first students when classes begin Monday.

Ave Maria is among various conservative Catholic causes bankrolled by Tom Monaghan, who sold his controlling share in Domino's in 1998 and has pledged to spend his hundreds of millions promoting his faith. He is devoting $50 million to the law school, hoping to meld legal theory with staunch Catholic theology while addressing his concerns that Catholic education has been watered down. Other reasons he has cited: "The lack of God in our society, the breakup of families, the low legitimacy rate, abortion -- the list goes on."

MORE ON LAW AND RELIGION:
Judge says Siamese twin should die to save sister
Trooper's work, religion clash over riverboat casino duty
Florida man gets wish as execution takes place

INDIAN CHRISTIANS PROTEST ATTACKS, PRAY FOR PEACE

Christians in India"s eastern city of Calcutta observed the birthday of the late Mother Teresa on Saturday with solemn prayers and strong protests against a spate of attacks against their faith. "The attacks are a real disgrace for the country," Sister Nirmala, superior general of Mother Teresa"s order of nuns, told Reuters.

A series of church bombings and murders of missionaries and priests since last year have rattled Indian Christians, many of whom say they feel vulnerable under the rule of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led federal coalition.

Police said on Saturday a Christian priest was beaten and stripped earlier this week for distributing religious material at a Hindu festival in the western state of Gujarat. The Statesman newspaper had reported the priest was paraded naked.

(Mat 5:10-12) Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

166. While we are being strengthened in Christ Jesus and beginning to move forward in steadfast watchfulness, He at first appears in our intellect like a torch which, carried in the hand of the intellect, guides us along the tracks of the mind; then He appears like a full moon, circling the heart's firmament; then He appears to us like the sun, radiating justice, clearly revealing Himself in the full light of spiritual vision.

August 26, 2000

HOLY SEE SAYS IT IS URGENT TO REDISCOVER RICHES OF LITURGY

Letter Written by Cardinal Angelo Sodano in John Paul II's Name

The Cardinal stated that the week's theme, "Celebration and Salvation," highlights "are two moments of the unique mystery of Christ, in which the Father's love continues to be revealed to humanity," He affirmed the need and urgent appropriateness "to undertake intensive education again to discover the riches contained in the Liturgy." In fact, the decline in interest in liturgical education persists and, consequently, imposes the duty of a greater commitment to help communities appreciate increasingly its wonderful contents.

The message affirms that the Holy Father hopes that, through the opportune formation of the faithful, "each liturgical celebration will be an encounter with the saving mystery of Christ and, consequently, an experience of grace and salvation."

FROM THE MAILBAG

VIA Janice Cummings: Could you please post information about the Catholic discussion list, catholic-sd, that I moderate? I am well aware of the multitude of email lists/boards/groups online, but I personally believe the Lord is helping us with this forum. Many people have stated that they have derived great spiritual benefits through interaction or merely listening in. Here is the Egroups introduction:

"This is for serious minded individuals who desire to help one another toward union with God. Posts may include writings or sayings of past/present saints and other holy persons for ongoing discussions. It's all for the purpose of applying this information to our present day walk toward perfection. Feel free to quote your favorite writers, but if the info is lengthy it's best to refer to a web site, etc. to read an entire text. It's a place to share experiences and blessings from the Lord and a place to ask questions, knowing we are all called to perfect union with God, even as we are each unique and our paths are different. Please do not send info such as political or religious news, stories or other info that DOES NOT HELP US GROW IN KNOWLEGE OF GOD AND OF SELF. Just another stepping stone to the "pearl of great price" --within-- this is a place where we can offer back to the Lord, through others, what he mercifully gives to us."

Editor's note: As an example of the type of material discussed on the list, I am going to pass along to Trib Times subscribers via email a copy of "Being True To Self", an introduction to the spiritual journey written by Janice Cummings. For non-subscribers please click here to request a copy.

To subscribe to the discussion list visit Egroups at http://www.egroups.com to register and then subscribe to "catholic-sd". Or as an alternative simply send an email to: [email protected].

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

165. The fruit starts in the flower; and the guarding of the intellect begins with self-control in food and drink, the rejection of all evil thoughts and abstention from them, and stillness of heart.

August 25, 2000

(Job 12:24-25) He (God) deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he sends them wandering through a trackless waste. They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards.

CLINTON TOUTS STEM CELL STUDY RULES

President Clinton on Wednesday touted new federal guidelines allowing scientists to conduct federally funded research on human embryos, saying they offer "potentially staggering benefits.''

Under the guidelines, federal research may be conducted only on cells taken from frozen embryos from fertility clinics - already destined to be discarded. Also, federal funds could not be used to destroy the embryos to obtain the cells - privately funded researchers will have to pass them on to federally supported scientists. They outlaw payments to embryo donors and keep donors from specifying who should receive their embryo's stem cells. These provisions aim to discourage a market for stem cells and block a woman from creating embryos just to provide treatment for a sick relative.

The guidelines for the research are vehemently opposed by anti-abortion groups. "We're talking about dismembering a living being, according to our interpretation,'' said Rep. Jay Dickey, R-Ark., who has introduced legislation banning the destruction of human embryos.

FROM THE MAILBAG

VIA Roy Tenn : There are incidents occurring frequently to disrupt our work on behalf of our Lord and His mother, such as stoppages while printing email we have written on our computer, especially of a spiritual nature. Of late, the light in our computer room goes off and on to disturb us when we are writing. Padre Pio and St. John Vianney have had to do battle with principalities and powers. However, they never allowed fear to take hold of them to the point of despair. What we are fighting is the final battle for souls. The struggle will be great and at times discouraging, but always remember that God is with us. The heavenly hosts of angels and saints in heaven who are under the direction of Jesus and His mother through the power of the Holy Spirit, and victory will be theirs.

Be aware of destructive mail with viruses, unwanted telephone calls that are irritating, people who are discourteous in business and on the road, and on the phone. Its all part of satan's plan to disrupt us. Fasting and prayer and Holy Mass are the remedies to counter these affronts. Pray when you awake, pray silently while at work, pray before meals, pray before going to sleep, pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, pray with your family on a daily basis. Be on guard at all times, employing the use of sacramentals such as Holy Water and the Scapular.

(Eph 6:10-12) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

163. Impassioned thoughts follow hard upon thoughts that appear to be innocent and dispassionate: the latter open the way for the former. This we have found through years of experience and observation.

August 24, 2000

FROM THE MAILBAG

VIA Richard Hubbell: Two days ago I wrote and told you how I was shocked/stunned/dumbfounded that during the Prayer of the Faithful, under the general petitions, one of the petitions was to the effect "that a New World Order become reality and that all people will support and pray for this end." ...paraphrasing but this was the gist - and the words that hit me like a ton of bricks were of course "New World Order" - which were very clearly said by the lector who was reading the prepared petitions. It was *not* a slip of the tongue as at least one person was hoping because I was in the second row of pews having just sat down after reading the first reading as lector myself - and I know exactly what I heard being said by the person reading the prepared petitons. You might like to know that this occured in southern Rhode Island at Sunday Mass on August 20th.

In the last two days many people have written back concerning whether this prayer petition had ever been offered in a Catholic Church which they were personally attending. These people identified themselves as being from Canada, Australia, Eastern Europe and from many states in the US. I wish to thank each of you who took the time to write. I would ask you to understand that I can't respond individually to each of you- so please let this post suffice.

Summarizing from all the posts I received, no one else has had this happen to them. Thanks be to God. That is the Good News. But at the same time we must be on the watch as we do live in treacherous times when there are many strange teachings going around - even in church. Many people wrote with other things that they have been hearing - especially lately - and especially from priests who are increasingly openly teaching that the Eucharist is only a sacred meal - and are downplaying or minimizing by simply not talking about the *fact* that the Holy Eucharist is *truly* the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus who is the one-and-only eternal sacrifice for our sins, and who has opened the gates of heaven for us to humbly enter, totally freed from all stain of sin. We can do this because we are eating this sacred food with belief and reverence in His *actual* Body and His *actual* Blood - we are not just sitting around eating some lame watered-down "sacred meal". May God have mercy!!

Many others wrote about how the Millenium Summit is coming up at the UN in the next few weeks - and how this was a concerted effort to establish a one world religion and to establish a New World Order by eliminating national sovereignty (this means we would not be the USA anymore - we would just be another district in the Global Government - and we would live under their laws not our own). I don't know if that is an imminent threat - but there are powerful groups working daily to try and make it a reality. A related link sent in by a respondent: Former Soviet states praise globalization.

Here is a link sent in by another respondent: Dismantling the doctrine of the infallible pope.

Lastly, another person sent this next link - it is about (liberal) Cardinal Martini - and some of his recently published comments which may have "inspired" that abominable petition which is the subject of this email: Italian cardinal advocates ‘planetary’ government.

Once again - thank you all - and may God have mercy on us - and on the whole world.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

162. 'Woe to those who have lost their heart; what will they do at the visitation of the Lord?' (cf. Ecclus. 2:14. LXX). Therefore, brethren, we should labour in earnest.

August 23, 2000

(Rom 11:25) I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

FROM THE MAILBAG

VIA READER: Why do so many of your updates concern the nation of Israel?

EDITOR'S REPLY: The reason to watch Israel closely is that the conversion of Israel is a critical cog in the end time sequence of events. Desmond Birch has alluded to this repeatedly in his book , Trial, Tribulation and Triumph, as it is a prominent theme in Catholic and Biblical prophecy. A reading of Romans Chapter 11 leaves no doubt that this conversion will occur before the end of this era.

In watching Middle East events carefully we are looking for the "catalyst" for this conversion. Current events involving Israel may indeed be setting the stage, as for example, the proposed apostacy to a secular life reported yesterday. This grave insult to God, after His miraculously restoring the Israelis to their homeland, is occurring in the face of increasing evidence of Arab hostility and the rapidly approaching Sept. 13th deadline.

If the Palestinians declare a state September 13, as threatened, an Arab-Israeli war is very possible. Should this occur how will America respond? What will an Arab oil embargo do to our lives? Or terrorism? Or perhaps war?

(Luke 21:28) When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

VIA The M+G+R Foundation: The last document which we have posted on http://www.mgr.org/board.html is a testimonial that you may want to add to your Testimonial Board.

It is time that people start realizing the gravity of the Warning and start preparing in earnest for it.

HOPEFULLY A SICK JOKE OR ANOTHER INTERNET HOAX

The Second Coming project, http://www.clonejesus.com/index.html, announces an initiative to use available relics of our Lord to attempt to clone Him and thus "no longer need to rely on hope and prayer" for the second coming to occur.

MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON US ALL!!!

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

160. Human life extends cyclically through years, months, weeks, days and nights, hours and minutes. Through these periods we should extend our ascetic labours- our watchfulness, our prayer, our sweetness of heart, our diligent stillness- until our departure from this life.

August 22, 2000

(Deu 8:7-11) For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land--a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.

ISRAEL'S BARAK CONJURES UP PLAN TO STAY IN POWER

Perhaps sensing his political demise is not far off, Barak told his cabinet on Saturday he planned to institute sweeping religious and civil reforms. He caught many of his own ministers by surprise. "Now is the time to raise the flag. We have a democratic, modern, advanced society which must integrate with the most progressive societies in the world...Otherwise we will have a society divided into ghettos," Barak told Israel Radio. The Yedioth Ahronot daily quoted him as saying: "I always wanted to do this. But I had a coalition formed to promote the peace process, the kind of coalition that could not support these ideas. Today I am exempt from these coalition dictates."

The plan features wholesale changes that could force an eruption along the familiar fault line between the secular and religious communities in Israel. It would eliminate the Religious Affairs Ministry, require haredi yeshiva students to learn citizenship, English, and mathematics, enact a constitution, allow civil marriages, and require national service by draft-age yeshiva students and Israeli Arabs. The Israeli media has dubbed Barak's proposal as "a secular revolution".

ENDLESS DISASTERS HITTING RUSSIA

The loss of a Russian nuclear submarine is just one more catastrophe in a nation that has been transformed by years of decline and stagnation from a superpower into a technological junkyard.

Disasters ranging from crashing airplanes to industrial accidents have become commonplace in Russia, an increasingly poor country that can't afford to purchase new equipment or maintain aging Soviet-era machinery. In industry and the military, the problem has been compounded by carelessness, lack of training and pilfering.

Theft is endemic in the military, with servicemen stripping ships and planes of parts and metal to sell for food and other necessities. Earlier this year, four Russian sailors and a retired officer were arrested on charges of stealing radioactive fuel from a nuclear submarine. And an officer on another nuclear submarine stripped the vessel of a filtration unit that controlled the air supply. The crew would have suffocated if the theft hadn't been discovered in time.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

159. A true monk is one who has achieved watchfulness; and he who is truly watchful is a monk in his heart.

August 21, 2000

FROM THE MAILBAG

VIA Richard Hubbell: Today at Mass I was shocked/stunned/dumbfounded that during the Prayer of the Faithful, under the general petitions, one of the petitions was to the effect "that a New World Order become reality and that all people will support and pray for this end." ...paraphrasing but that was the gist - and the words that hit me like a ton of bricks were of course "New World Order" - which were very clearly said by the lector who was reading the prepared petitions. If I hadn't heard it with my own ears I would frankly have had a lot of difficulty believing such a prayer could have ever been publicly and formally offered in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Please write me (click here) and tell me if this happened to you at church on Sunday also. (August 20th - the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

We can determine by your responses if this was strictly a local phenomenom or if it was a widespread occurence. If you can, please let me know if it has happened in your Church - regardless of when it may have happened.

List members and any Catholics from countries outside the US, your responses are of great interest also.

NATURE'S FURY CONTINUES

Fires rage out of control in southern France
Gusty winds hamper overnight firefighting efforts
Moderate quake rocks Taiwan
Moderate quake rocks eastern Turkey; nine injured in panic
Debby Prompts Storm Warnings in Eastern Caribbean

(Rom 8:19-22) The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the . We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

157. Every monk will be uncertain about his spiritual work until he has achieved watchfulness of intellect. Either he will be ignorant of the beauty of this watchfulness or, if he is aware of it, he will fail to achieve it because of his negligence. He will resolve his uncertainty only when he has learnt to guard his intellect. This guarding is rightly called mental philosophy or the practical wisdom of the intellect. Through it one finds the way of Him who said, 'I am the way, the resurrection and the life' (cf. John 11:25; 14:6).

August 20, 2000

CROWD AT PAPAL EVENT BIGGEST IN ROME

Pope John Paul urged more than two million young people from around the world on Saturday to go against the tide and not be "swallowed up by mediocrity." City officials said it was largest crowd in Rome in living memory. It was believed to be the second-largest crowd at a Papal event after a 1995 World youth Day in the Philippines capital Manila when more than four million people turned out.

After listening to a programme of lively music from around the world -- keeping time by thumping his hand on his throne -- he told them he realised it was not easy for young people to be true to their Christian faith today. "I am thinking of how difficult it is in today"s world for engaged couples to be faithful to purity before marriage. I think of how the mutual fidelity of young married couples is put to the test," he said, speaking as nightfall brought a welcome breeze.

"I think too of those who work for peace and who see new outbreaks of war erupt and grow worse in different parts of the world. I think of those who work for human freedom and see people still slaves of themselves and of one another," he said. Apparently referring to Nazi and Communist youth rallies in the 20th century, he said young people in the past had been summoned "to huge gatherings to learn the ways of hatred."

He told them: "Today, you have come together to declare that in the new century you will not let yourselves be made into tools of violence and destruction. You will defend peace, paying the price in your person if need be."

FROM THE MAILBAG VIA Jorge: We have just UPDATED the YOUTH 2000NY web site for you! Check it out at http://youth2000ny.com/. Please write back and let me know what you think.

MIDDLE EAST HEADLINES OF NOTE

From holy sites to traffic accidents: Preparing Jerusalem for peace
Israel, Palestinians Blame Each Other for Impasse
Jewish settlers, Palestinians clash in Hebron

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

156. A heart that has been completely emptied of mental images gives birth to divine, mysterious intellections that sport within it like fish and dolphins in a calm sea. The sea is fanned by a soft wind, the heart's depth by the Holy Spirit. 'And because you are sons God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: "Abba, Father"' (Gal. 4:6).

August 19, 2000

Excerpt from the Third Secret of Fatima: "After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!'."

EXISTING WILDFIRES EXPAND AND MORE IGNITE ACROSS U.S.

The Maudlow/Toston blaze (Montana) was among 92 fires that have burned 1,099,426 acres (1,718 square miles) in 12 states, most of them in the West, the federal government's National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported Friday. In addition to Idaho and Montana, large wildland fires also were reported in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Southern states alone reported hundreds of new fire starts, the NIFC said Friday on its Web site, where it listed fire activity from the previous day. While most of those fires were relatively small, "it remains very busy, from coast-to-coast, north to south," the agency reported.

Nationally, 68,316 wildfires this year have burned 5,225,025 acres (8,164 square miles). By comparison, the land area of New Jersey is 7,418 square miles; Massachusetts is 7,838 square miles in size; and New Hampshire is 8,969 square miles.

The NIFC said there is no break in hot, dry, windy weather on the horizon to aid firefighters.

NOTABLE QUOTES:

"The sky to the east is just glowing red for miles," Mike Koehnke, disaster and emergency services chief in Montana's Broadwater County, said early Friday- http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/08/18/wildfires.03/index.html
`It's very much like battling a beast or fighting a war,'' said E. Lynn Burkett of the National Fire Information Center. ''The breath of the dragon is taking its toll.''- http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000817/ts/environment_wildfires_dc_2.html
"Yesterday, we had tons of ashes in our eyes," said one rafter, as she left the water. "You can't breathe, tell what time of day it is," said another man. "The sun is a bronze color."- http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/08/18/wildfires/index.html

AMERICA IS BURNING!- A Christian watchman's view of the fires across America

FIRE A SIGN FROM GOD?- A Spirit Daily Commentary

(Mal 4:1) "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

155. Whenever possible, we should always remember death, for this displaces all cares and vanities, allowing us to guard our intellect and giving us unceasing prayer, detachment from our body and hatred of sin. Indeed, it is a source of almost every virtue. We should therefore, if possible, use it as we use our own breathing.

August 18, 2000

VATICAN SAYS HUMAN EMBRYO CLONING STAINS INNOCENTS

The Vatican on Thursday condemned Britain"s proposal to allow the cloning of human embryos, calling it a gross violation that would sully the blood of innocents. "The decision can only provoke indignation among those who respect the value and the fundamental right to life of a human being," Father Gino Concetti, a moral theologian, wrote in the Vatican"s newspaper L"Osservatore Romano. "(This) therapy does not conform to any rights or justice and will end up staining innocent blood," said Concetti, whose writing is known to reflect the thinking of Pope John Paul.

The Roman Catholic Church opposes tampering with embryos, teaching that life begins at the moment of conception. Concetti said it was absurd to consider that one could bring an embryo to life for research and then terminate its existence shortly afterwards as if the life had never existed. "An embryo is not divisible into two periods, as if it were a game of football," he said. "In the life of a human being, any division between "before" and "after" is artificial and manipulative. "Science has shown over a long period of time that any new life exists as part of an indivisible continuum: a human being before two weeks of age is still a human being after two weeks have passed and remains a human being until his natural death."

PREGNANCY PROTESTS IN AUSTRALIA

A dozen angry protesters accused the government of sex bias Thursday over legislation aimed at barring single women and lesbians from using in vitro fertilization to become pregnant.

Although the lower house of Australia's Parliament is expected to pass the bill, the upper house may reject it. The opposition Labor Party and the Democrats - who usually vote with the government in the Senate - said Thursday they would vote against it.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

154. Most of us do not realize that all evil thoughts are but images of material and worldly things. Yet if we persist in watchful prayer, this will rid our mind of all such images; it will also make it conscious both of the devices of our enemies and of the great benefit of prayer and watchfulness. 'With your eyes you will see how spiritual sinners are recompensed; you yourself will see spiritually and understand', says David the divine poet (cf. Ps. 91:8).

August 17, 2000

BRITISH BOVERNMENT PANEL RECOMMENDS HUMAN CLONING FOR CELL RESEARCH

A panel of experts urged the government to allow human cloning for scientific study of transplants, a recommendation that, if approved, would make Britain the first country in the world to authorize human cloning for any purpose. In calling for Britain to amend its ban on human cloning, the government-commissioned panel said scientists should be allowed to create cloned embryos to study the manufacture of cells and tissues for transplant. The government accepted the panel"s recommendation, led by Britain"s chief medical officer, and said it would initiate legislation to implement it as soon as possible.

Opponents were quick to denounce the report"s recommendations. "It is a further trivialization of human life. It exploits human beings at the most vulnerable stage of their lives," said a statement for the group Life, which opposes abortion and cloning. "We do not need human cloning. We are on the brink of a major revolution in medicine using adult stem cells."

RESEARCHERS CLONE PIGS

Separate groups of researchers have reported success cloning pigs -- work that could eventually help scientists develop ways to use pig organs for transplant in humans. Researchers working together in Japan and New York reported in Wednesday's issue of the journal Science that they had cloned a pig named Xena.

The researchers who cloned Dolly the sheep introduced five cloned pigs in the journal Nature as well. The pigs were born in Blacksburg, Virginia in March. They were cloned using a double nuclear transfer method similar to the technique used to get Dolly.

Also in Wednesday's edition of Nature, Dr. Daniel Salomon of the Scripps Institute reported that certain viruses unique to pigs can infect human cells. He said while scientific technology may make it possible to transplant animal organs into humans, significant safety concerns still exist.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

153. It is the task of unceasing watchfulness and one of great benefit and help to the soul to see the mental images of evil thoughts as soon as they are formed in the intellect. The task of rebuttal is to counter and expose such thoughts when they attempt to infiltrate our intellect in the form of an image of some material thing. What instantly extinguishes and destroys every demonic concept, thought, fantasy, illusion and idol is the invocation of the Lord. And in our intellect we ourselves can observe how our great God, Jesus, triumphs over them all, and how He avenges us, poor, base and useless as we are.

August 16, 2000

(Mat 5:9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

TEARS AND WHISPERS OF LOVE AS KOREAN FAMILIES REUNITE AFTER 50 YEARS

Tears streamed down cheeks and cries filled a cavernous convention center in Seoul on Tuesday as 100 North Koreans embraced South Korean relatives they hadn"t seen for five decades. The live broadcast of the two-hour reunions opened a rare window on the anguish and hopes of millions of Koreans who were separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

Rapprochement between the communist North and the democratic South accelerated after their leaders held a summit in June and pledged to work toward eventual reunification. Events like the family reunions _ the first since 1985 _ are likely to help dissipate some of the animosity that has flourished since the war. Both sides said more reunions would follow those held this week.

PEOPLE PRAY FOR SUB CREW IN RUSSIA'S FAR NORTH

People in this cold and foggy town in Russia"s Far North were praying Tuesday for the crew in the stricken submarine Kursk, as attempts to rescue them continued.

The rescuers of the Kursk crew may be facing bad weather but at least they knew that summer in the north means long hours of daylight when night barely falls. Russian church officials have ordered prayers to be said for the crew of the stranded submarine and people in Murmansk added their voices.

(Phil 4:6-7) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

MORE FIRES IN WEST

Fifteen new large fires are being reported throughout the United States today as gusty winds and dry conditions are expected to pose problems for crews battling blazes in several scorched Western states. The National Interagency Fire Center said 85 major wildfires are burning nearly 965,000 acres in 13 states from Florida to Washington state. The total number of acres burned this year — more than 1 million — is more than twice the 10-year average, the center reports.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

152. We will travel the road of repentance correctly if, as we begin to give attention to the intellect, we combine humilty with watchfulness, and prayer with the power to rebut evil thoughts. In this way we will adorn the chamber of our heart with the holy and venerable name of Jesus Christ as with a lighted lamp, and will sweep our heart clean of wickedness, purifying and embellishing it. But if we trust only in our own watchfulness and attentiveness, we shall quickly be pushed aside by our enemies. We shall be overturned and cast down by their extreme craftiness. We will become ever more fully entangled in their nets of evil thought, and will be slaughtered by them, lacking as we do the powerful sword of the name of Jesus Christ. For only this sword, swiftly turning in the undivided heart, is able to cut them down, to burn and obliterate them as fire the reed.

August 15, 2000

SOLEMNITY OF ASSUMPTION OF BLESSED MARY THE VIRGIN- A HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION

"The immaculate mother of God," announced Pope Pius XII in his Munificentissimus Deus in 1950, "when the course of her earthly life was run, was assumed in body and soul to heavenly glory." The proclamation of the Assumption of Mary as "divinely revealed dogma," while a modern event, was consistent with beliefs that date back at least to the 3rd century, and perhaps even before.

RELATED:
EWTN Q + A ON THE ASSUMPTION
DOWNLOAD THE VIRTUAL ROSARY!!: CLICK HERE

MUST SEE: Northern lights join meteors in dazzling sky display

RUSSIA'S LAST TSAR DECLARED A SAINT BY BISHOPS

Russia"s Orthodox Church declared the country"s last tsar, Nicholas II, and his family, saints on Monday, 82 years after their murder by an atheist Bolshevik firing squad in April 1918.The question of canonizing Nicholas would never have arisen during Soviet times, when the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 was portrayed as an unalloyed triumph. Eight decades later many Russians still have fond memories of communist rule.

MOSLEM MINISTERS TO MEET IN RABAT ON JERUSALEM

Foreign ministers from 15 Moslem countries and the Palestinian Authority will meet in Morocco on August 28 to discuss the fate of Jerusalem, the official MAP news agency reported on Monday. The meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Conference"s (OIC) Jerusalem Committee was requested by its chairman King Mohammed of Morocco to "discuss developments concerning the final status of Holy al-Qods (Jerusalem)" after the Camp David summit.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

151 (cont.). For the great gnostic Fathers in some of their writings call the demons 'men' because demons too are endowed with intelligence. For example, in the gospel passage the Lord says: 'An evil man has done this, and mixed tares among the wheat' (cf. Matt. 13:24-20). Those who commit evil lack the power swiftly to rebut their evil thoughts. Hence they are consumed and destroyed by them.

August 14, 2000

FROM THE MAILBAG

VIA Roy Tenn : In my very first letter to you, I made mention of Lori G's three volumes of messages which were laboriously edited by Dr. John Sause, a professor at Barry College.

These three volumes contain messages given to Lori, a Jewish convert to the faith, by Jesus and Mother Mary. I also made mention that these three volumes were submitted to our local Archdiocese for the imprimatur and also the NIHIL obstat. On examination, these messages were found to be free of any obstacles to the Catholic Faith on moral, religious and ethical grounds and were approved for the NIHIL obstat by our Archbishop.

Lori's spiritual advisor was the Rev. Fr. Roman Schaffer, assistant pastor of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Davie. He is also the spiritual director of the movement to which Lori and her husband, John, belonged - The Disciples of Mercy - of which Dr. Sause is director. Before leaving for Albany, New York, two days ago, Dr. Sause requested prayers for the spiritual promotion of these books which Fr. Schaffer will be promoting this weekend in Irondale, Alabama.

I will be collaborating with Dr. Sause to bring Michael Brown to Florida in January of next year, and if the Holy Spirit allows, for Bishop Danylak and Josyp Terelya's return. In compliance with our Lady's request, we implore all our friends and well wishers to pray fervently for these proposed events to materialize, with the blessings of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and Mary Immaculate.

WORLDWIDE TERROR HEADLINES (PAST 48 HOURS)

Philippines Bomb Kills Four
Bogota car bomb caps weekend of rebel attacks
Pakistan Bomb Injures 16
Car bomb blasts Corsican agency
Landmine blast kills 5 soldiers, injures 33 in Kashmir
Nation mourns as Russia bomb toll rises
Violence continues as rally pays tribute to ETA dead

(Ezek 7:25 -27) When terror comes, they will seek peace, but there will be none. Calamity upon calamity will come, and rumor upon rumor. They will try to get a vision from the prophet; the teaching of the law by the priest will be lost, as will the counsel of the elders. The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the LORD."

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

151.David's words, 'He will delight himself in the abundance of peace' (cf. Ps. 37:11), apply to him who is not taken in by the appearance of man and who judges injustice in his heart. That is to say, they apply to one who is not taken in by the forms of the demons and who is not led to meditate sin because of these forms, judging unjustly in the land of his heart and giving over to sin what is righteous.

August 13, 2000

VATICAN PREDICTS MORE THAN 1 MILLION IN ROME FOR YOUTH DAY

A few lucky ones from as far as Tahiti will stay in Pope John Paul II"s summer villa and many others will sleep under the stars as least 1.2 million young people come to Rome next week for several days in prayer and reflection. Key event of the Catholic church"s World Youth Day is a vigil service under the stars Aug. 19 on the sprawling grounds of a university campus on the outskirts of Rome. At least 1.2 million participants, "perhaps even 1.5 million," will be in Rome by vigil time, predicted Monsignor Cesare Nosiglia, who is helping to organize the events.

EGYPT FEARS JERUSALEM VIOLENCE

President Hosni Mubarak warned Saturday that a compromise over Jerusalem would lead to uncontrollable violence in the Middle East, and said no Arab or Muslim can relinquish rights to east Jerusalem and its holy sites.

"No single person in the Arab or Islamic world can squander east Jerusalem or Al Aqsa mosque,'' Mubarak said. "In this context, even Arafat himself will not dare to sign a deal to give up these Muslim sanctities.'' "But,'' he added, "we will not dictate to him any decision that he does not accept and that is not compatible with his Palestinian people's demands.''

MORE MIDDLE EAST HEADLINES

Mideast peace talks to resume at end of August, says Palestinian official
Palestinian negotiator warns of possible violence
Arafat hopscotches from Tehran to Moscow
Arafat Warned Over Declaration of State
Pope's Jerusalem solution may be key-Egypt analysts
Vatican reaffirms stand on Palestinians, Jerusalem

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

150.(cont.) Therefore, as Paul counsels, let us ceaselessly exercise our intellect in devotion (cf. 1 Tim. 4: 7). For devotion uproots the seeds sown by the devil, and is the path of the intelligence.

August 12, 2000

DAILY ERUPTIONS, EARTHQUAKES GIVE JAPAN THE JITTERS

Will Japan survive the summer? For more than a month, daily earthquake bulletins have flashed across TV screens, sometimes every half hour. Several quakes have been so strong that national broadcaster NHK has thrown out normal programming and switched to emergency warning mode. Moreover, three volcanoes have belched large eruptions in the past four months. Although Japan is one of the world"s most earthquake- and eruption-prone countries, a flurry of extraordinary activity lately is fraying the nation"s nerves.

Over the past two months, seismographs on Miyakejima and other islands in the Izu chain have recorded tens of thousands of earthquakes believed to be the result of shifts in huge underground pools of magma. Most experts agree that, based on historical cycles, Tokyo is now overdue for another big quake.

SCIENTISTS BUILD ATOMS OF ANTIMATTER

European scientists searching for answers to some of science"s most basic questions announced plans Thursday to build atoms of antimatter and then "cage" them for use in experiments. It would be the first time that antiatoms have been slowed down enough to be caught and studied, intensifying global competition between scientists trying to decode the mystery of antimatter. Physicists believe that antimatter is the mirror image of conventional matter in the universe.

MORE SCIENCE "NON-FICTION" HEADLINES

Scientist plans to zap tornadoes with microwaves
US scientists work on turbocharging immune system
U.S. scientists unveil cancer-stopping clue
Researchers build DNA motor that may lead to faster computer chips
'Cyborg' technology designed to make U.S. soldiers more effective

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

150. As you sail across the sea of the intellet, put your trust in Jesus, for secretly in your heart He says: 'Fear not, my child Jacob, the least of Israel; fear not, you worm Israel, I will protect you' (cf. Isa. 41: 13-14). If God is for us, what evil one is against us (cf. Rom. 8: 31)? . For He has blessed the pure of heart and given the commandments; and so Jesus, who alone is truly pure, in a divine way readily enteres into hearts that are pure and dwells in them.

August 11, 2000

(2 Tim 3:1-5) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

U.S. HAS MORE THAN 2 MILLION PEOPLE INCARCERATED

The number of people held in U.S. prisons, jails and juvenile or other facilities surpassed 2 million at the end of 1999, according to a U.S. Justice Department report.The nation"s prison population has swelled by 77 percent since 1990, an increase of nearly 600,000 inmates, the 16-page report found.

One in every 110 men in the United States has been sentenced to at least a year"s confinement. The female prisoner population more than doubled since 1990.

TRADITIONALISTS CELEBRATE DEFIANT HOLY YEAR MASS

Thousands of arch-conservative Roman Catholics conducted their own defiant Holy Year pilgrimage Wednesday, celebrating Mass in Latin and urging the church to return to that and other traditions it largely abandoned 35 years ago. The surprise Mass unfolded under the trees of a dusty Rome hilltop _ across the Tiber River from far-off St. Peter"s, where followers of the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebrve said the Latin liturgy truly belongs. Adherence to the old Latin-language Mass contributed to Pope John Paul II"s excommunication of Lefebrve in 1988, and to the church"s first major schism in 130 years.

FAMINE/DROUGHT IN THE NEWS

Locust Invasion: The Destruction of Russia’s Grain Fields
Drought Imperils 20M in Africa
Food agency pulls out of south Sudan following bombing
New Drought Plagues N. Korea
Alabama Drought Raises Worries
UN Says Iran Faces Critical Situation From Drought

(Luke 21:11) There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

149. If the soul has Christ with it, it will not be disgraced by enemies even at death, when it rises to heaven' entrance; but then as now, it will boldly confront them. But let it not tire in calling upon the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, day and night until the time of its departure from this mortal life, and He will speedily avenge it in accordance with the promise which He Himself made when speaking of the unjust judge (cf. Luke 18:1-8). Indeed, He will avenge it both in this present life and after its departure from its body.

August 10, 2000

(Lam 1:7) In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old. When her people fell into enemy hands, there was no one to help her. Her enemies looked at her and laughed at her destruction.

JEWS MARK DESTRUCTION OF BIBLICAL TEMPLES AT HOLY SITE

This year, the Jewish fast day, Tisha B'Av, began at sundown Wednesday, August 9th, and continues until after sundown on Thursday, August 10th, 2000. Historically this date has been a date of great tragedy for the Jewish nation. Each of the following events occurred precisely on this date on the Jewish calender:

1)The twelve spies return with their report-Israel loses faith and is condemned to die in the wilderness.
2)The destruction of Solomon's temple by the Babylonians in 587 BC.
3)The destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in AD 70.
4)The Roman army plowed Jerusalem with salt in AD 71.
5)The destruction of Simeon Bar Cochba's army in 135 AD.
6)England expelled all of the Jews in 1290 AD.
7)Spain expelled all the Jews in 1492 AD.
8)World War 1 was declared on the 9th day of Ab ,1914,Russia mobilized for WW1 and launched persecutions against the Jews in Eastern Russia.
9)Deportations from Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka concentration camp begin in 1942.

Please join me in praying for the spiritual and physical well being of our Jewish brothers and sisters. May the Lord's promise that this fast day will someday become a feast day be soon fulfilled.

(Zec 8:19) This is what the LORD Almighty says: "The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace."

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

148 (cont.). Because of Jesus' beauty and sweetness he will not desire what is merely mortal. Nor will he be disgraced by his enemies, the wicked demons that walk on every side; for he confronts them at the entrance to his heart and, with Jesus' help, drives them away.

August 9, 2000

CHRISTIAN ASTRONOMERS MEND RIFT BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RELIGION

In 1633, Roman Catholic astronomer Galileo Galileo was punished for suggesting that Earth revolves around the sun, a scientific theory that threatened the Church’s place in the universe. Since then, scientists and theologians alike have jealously guarded their domains like a mother protects her child from infection.

Today, the Christian Association of Stellar Explorers (CASE) is mending the rift between science and religion. This amateur astronomy club in the mostly Christian town of Siloam Springs, Arkansas is teaching Christians that they don’t have to be afraid of science.

"We believe God created everything in the universe, by whatever means or method," says founding member and club president Patrick C. Carr. "After that, science is a perfectly acceptable way of learning how the universe works."

KILLER ASTEROID HUNT REACHES A MILESTONE

According to NASA scientists, the hunt for large asteroids that might collide with Earth has reached a milestone -- it is estimated that about half of these giant space rocks have now been found.

NASA's goal is to find 90 percent of "Near Earth Asteroids" larger than 1000 yards (1 kilometer) by 2009. In recent years the discovery rate has improved dramatically. In figures just released by NASA, the LINEAR system in New Mexico still dominates the discovery statistics.

But it would likely take a major international effort to find a good proportion of the remaining threatening objects. Scientists are concerned about a lack of a major international program to follow-up on discoveries and to ensure they are not lost. In the words of astronomer Duncan Steel, "It is like throwing the needles back into the haystack."

PESTILENCES IN THE NEWS
Meningitis outbreaks reported in Far East, southern Russia
British cases of human mad cow disease rise to 79
Dengue fever kills 28 in Bangladesh, hundreds sick
First cases of sheep disease scrapie found in Spain
Deadly West Nile Virus May Be in Canada

(Luke 21:11) There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

148 (cont.). But he who through unceasing prayer holds the Lord Jesus within his breast will not tire in following Him, as the Prophet says (cf. Jer. 17:16.LXX).

August 8, 2000

(Mat 7:21) "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

DEATH AND THE VIRGIN MARY IN MEDELLIN GANG WARS

A young man bows his shaven head to an effigy of the Virgin Mary, makes the sign of the cross over his chest and kisses his trigger finger. The young guns locked in bloody turf wars are heirs to the armies of hired assassins, or sicarios, created 20 years ago by the late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.

Most are devout believers in the protective powers of Mary Auxiliatrix, commonly known here as the Virgin of the Sicarios. "If you pick up a gun it's because you're ready to die. Destiny will decide what age I die. I'd like to die of old age but I'm sure I'll go down in a hail of bullets," said Alex, 21, nicknamed Satan, a member of a gang called the Shaven Heads. Every Tuesday he makes the 20-minute trip to the whitewashed church at Sabaneta, a town on the southern outskirts of Medellin, to pray to the Virgin of the Assassins.

Many gang members in the church or back in Medellin"s gritty neighborhoods sport tattoos of the Virgin Mary and some have even built street shrines to their patron saint.

SMALL EARTHQUAKE HITS NORTHEASTERN OHIO COMMUNITY

A minor earthquake shook northeastern Ohio, in an area where no quake had been felt in more than a century.

THIS WEEK'S EARTHQUAKE HEADLINES
Aftershocks Shake Russian Island
Earthquake Shakes Japan Islands
Earthquake Hits Russian Island
Earthquake Jolts Solomon Islands
Quakes Shake Islands South of Tokyo
Strong Quake Shakes Central Taiwan
Quake Shakes Northern Philippines
Quake Shakes Indonesia's Capital

(Luke 21:11) There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

148. To human beings it seems hard and difficult to still the mind so that it rests from all thought. Indeed, to enclose what is bodiless within the limits of the body does demand toil and struggle, not only from the uninitiated but also from those experienced in inner immaterial warfare.

August 7, 2000

CHRISTIAN REFUGEES IN INDONESIAN HILLS FACING STARVATION

Forced to flee their homes by rampaging Muslim militants, hundreds of Christian refugees seeking shelter in remote mountains in the Malukus islands are facing starvation, international aid workers said Saturday.

"We have a high emergency situation here,'' said Maria Teresa Vilhena of the emergency relief agency, Vilhena, from Switzerland. "Some people are already dying in the jungle.''

GERMAN CATHOLICS LIKELY TO GIVE TO HOLOCAUST FUND

Germany's Roman Catholic Church said on Sunday it would probably pay into a compensation fund for Nazi victims after acknowledging last month it might have used forced labourers during the Third Reich. The Catholic Church said last month there may have been individual cases of local parish priests using forced labour for tasks such as grave-digging.

The Protestant Church, Germany's other main denomination, has formally acknowledged that it used forced labour under Hitler, when both churches were subject to severe oppression. It pledged to pay 10 million marks into the fund.

MESSAGE TO SADIE JARAMILLO AUGUST 1, 2000

To obtain the above message via email click here and send. It is also available online at http://www.yellowstoneinfo.com/.

PRIOR STATEMENT FROM SADIE'S SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

147. The life of attentiveness, brought to fruition in Christ Jesus, is the father of contemplation and spiritual knowledge. Linked to humility, it engenders divine exaltation and thoughts of the wisest kind. As the prophet Isaiah says: 'They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings and soar aloft through the power of the Lord' (cf. Isa. 40:31).

August 6, 2000

ORTHODOX ADOPT HUNGARY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC KING SAINT

Hungary"s new President Ferenc Madl announced Friday that the Orthodox Church had adopted a Roman Catholic saint, Hungary"s King Stephen I. Madl said in his inauguration speech the move was unprecedented in the history of the two churches, which split in the Great Schism in 1054.

King Stephen, who founded the Hungarian state in 1000 in the geographical center of today"s Europe, converting his nomadic tribes to Christianity, received sainthood from the Roman Catholic Church in 1083. Madl said the patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul), a main Orthodox leader, had informed him about the move, which may be an indication of warmer relations between the Vatican and the Orthodox Church.

WORLD EVANGELICALS HARDLINE PLATFORM DEFENDING CHRIST'S UNIQUENESS

A conference of world"s evangelical Protestants, organized by the Rev. Billy Graham, is concluding with an uncompromising platform statement that insists "Christ is the one and only Savior of the world" and rejects liberal trends in Christianity. The paper, called "The Amsterdam Declaration: A Charter for Evangelism in the 21st Century," was developed from special discussions this week among 1,000 of the 10,300 participants from 209 countries and territories.

HEADLINES: WOES OF NATURE

Floods make a million homeless in India's Assam state
Floods Devastate Russia's Far East
Floods to cut Vietnam's 2000 rice output
Georgia orders emergency measures to fight drought
Marines join battle against Western fires

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

146. Contemplation and spiritual knowledge are indeed the guides and agents of the ascetic life; for when the mind is raised up by them it becomes indifferent to sensual pleasures and to other material attractions, regarding them as worthless.

August 5, 2000

(Psa 122:6) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be secure.

MIDDLE EAST HEADLINES OF NOTE

Rabbis to hold hearing on plan to build synagogue on Temple Mount
Israelis, Palestinians reject Vatican call to internationalize Jerusalem holy sites
POLL: Palestinians favour violence if peace deal fails
UAE warns U.S. against embassy move to Jerusalem

FROM THE MAILBAG

(Jer 18:6) "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

TWO DREAMS

I looked down at my hand and was surprised to see that it contained six fingers. I cut one of the fingers off, next to the pinky, and held it in my other hand. It caused no pain and no loss of blood to do so. After some time I determined to replace the finger. I sutured it back, without anethesia, yet was amazed that this too was painless. The hand was now whole again and functioning perfectly well. The place where the digit was restored was indistinguishible, as if it had never been removed.

This was quickly followed by a second dream. A Jewish woman refused to accept that Jesus was the Messiah. All arguments failed to convince her. Then my father walked into the room and looked at us both. Suddenly her attitude changed. She listened. She accepted a book written by a Jewish believer and eagerly leafed through it. She believed.

(Rom 11:24 -27) After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

145. The intellect, being good-natured and innocent, readily goes in pursuit of lawless fantasies; and it can be restained only on condition that its intelligence, the ruler of the passions, always bridles it and holds it back.

August 4, 2000

FROM THE MAILBAG

(Rom 16:19 -20) Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

READER: "I was wondering if perhaps I missed your notice of Christina Gallagher's message on July 16, 2000. I happened to be surfing the net and came across this by accident just yesterday.

Let me know what you think. I'm struggling much and fighting a spiritual battle you wouldn't believe. Somedays I don't think I'll make it, but my guardian angel must be working overtime."

REPLY: "Believe me that EVERYBODY who loves the Lord is going through tremendous spiritual battles. We are in the final stages of the greatest war of all time. But keep your head up! We will win! It is guaranteed in writing! And God signed the Book!!!

I do not know enough about Christina Gallagher to be certain about her status as a visionary. A previous rather spectacular incident in which she was involved was chronicled on the Trib Times on August 2, 1999.

But all around me I see the "awful attacks of evil" she is describing in her most recent message. That God's hand of judgment is close, I have no doubt. Hang in there! The Lord loves you and died for you!"

(Rom 8:31) What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

143 (cont.). And if our intellect is experienced, well-trained and used to guarding itself and to examining clearly and openly the seductive fantasies and deceits of the demons, it will instantly 'quench the fiery darts of the devil (cf. Eph. 6:16), counter-attacking by means of its power of rebuttal and the Jesus Prayer. It will not allow the impassioned fantasy to consort with it or allow our thoughts passionately to conform themselves to the fantasy, or to become intimate with it, or be distracted by it, or give assent to it. If anything like this happens, then evil actions will follow as surely as night follows day.

August 3, 2000

(2 Chr 7:14) if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

MILLION COSTA RICANS ASK VIRGIN FOR END TO VIOLENCE

A million people gathered in Costa Rica"s holy city of Cartago Wednesday to ask the Virgin Mary for an end to a crime wave that has traumatized the normally peaceful Central American nation. A long line of pilgrims, many wearing white ribbons on their lapels as a symbol of peace, trekked 19 miles from the capital to a shrine in Cartago in an endless column to commemorate the 365th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin de los Angeles, Costa Rica"s patron saint.

"I hope all of us will use this celebration of the Virgin to pray for peace in Costa Rica, an end to the violence, and that each one of us learns to live up to his responsibilities," President Miguel Angel Rodriguez said as he walked with the throng.

At the shrine in Cartago, the head of Costa Rica"s Roman Catholic Church called on the people to heed the word of God. "Then we"ll see the kidnappings and violence vanish like magic," said Monsignor Roman Arrieta.

LIGHNING SPARKS MORE WESTERN FIRES

As dozens of wildfires burned Wednesday in ten Western states, the weather was helping and hindering firefighters. A bit of moisture in California allowed fire crews to make headway against a persistent blaze in the Sequoia National Forest, but scores of lightning strikes elsewhere ignited more fires.

More than 40 "wildland" fires were burning in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, according to the federal government's National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

(Amos 7:4) This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: The Sovereign LORD was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

143. Rebuttal bridles evil thoughts, but the invocation of Jesus Christ drives them from the heart. Now when the provocation has taken the form of a mental image of a sensory object, the evil thought behind it can be identified. For instance, if the image is of the face of someone who has angered us, or of a beautiful woman, or of gold or silver, it can at once be shewn that it is the thought of rancour, or of unchastity, or of avarice that fills our heart with fantasies.

August 2, 2000

HUGE NEW TELESCOPE TO SCAN SKIES FOR ET

With millions of dollars in funding pledged by two of the men behind software giant Microsoft, the search for intelligent life on other planets got a big boost Tuesday as officials unveiled plans for a massive new telescope to scan the skies.

The Allen Telescope Array -- named for Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen, who put up $11.5 million for the project -- will be "the world's most powerful instrument designed to seek out signals from civilizations elsewhere in our galaxy," the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute said

PIONEERING ASTRONAUT SEES UFO COVER-UP

One of America's first astronauts claims that the government has withheld information that alien spacecraft have visited Earth. Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper Jr. says the government has "swept under the rug" the truth about unidentified flying objects or UFOs.

"There certainly have been too many people, very qualified people and qualified groups of people, that have had interface of one type or another with extraterrestrial craft or beings," Cooper said. "To really deny that something is going on and deny that they definitely exist…we need a little more explanation."

Are UFOs and aliens an end-times deception?

UFOs, Aliens & Antichrist: The Angelic Conspiracy & End Times Deception
Wonders in the Heavens
Aliens in the Bible

(2 Th 2:11-12) For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

142. Just as it is impossible to cross the sea without a boat, so it is impossible to repulse the provocation of an evil thought without invoking Jesus Christ.

August 1, 2000

(1 Cor 1:23-24) but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

JOHN PAUL II CALLS TO PROCLAIM THE TRUTH OF CHRIST WITH COURAGE

The Holy Father stated that the Church tirelessly proclaims, specially in this Jubilee Year, that “only in Christ can the human being find its authentic and full meaning of existence… Christianity, therefore,” explained the Pope, “cannot be reduced to a doctrine, nor to mere principles, because Christ, the center of Christianity, is alive and his presence constitutes the event that constantly renews human creatures and the cosmos. This truth of Christ must be proclaimed with the same force with which it bas been courageously defended during the XX century by witnesses of faith and by great Christian thinkers.”

ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY ENDORSES EVANGELICALS' OLD-TIME RELIGION

The Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking Monday to an international conference of evangelical Protestants, endorsed their belief that "the Christian faith is as relevant today as it has ever been, and the need for a Savior is as urgent as ever." Carey also echoed the evangelicals" insistence that Jesus Christ was not just a visionary teacher "but the only Lord and only Savior."

For more on this conference see: http://www.amsterdam2000.org/

OOPS!! SORRY! CORRECTION: VIA Rafael Lopez: My Garabandal webcam is not ready yet. I´m finishing and "polishing" several details. It will be ready in 15 days, and I will transmit 24 hours per day. I will send you an email when ready. At this moment, the image which appears on the website is only a photo, while the project is finishing.

The Philokalia excerpt: St. Hesychios "On Watchfulness and Holiness"

140. Aaron, the brother of Moses, is an ikon of the outer self. On this account we too should bring angry accusations against our outer self as Moses did against Aaron when he sinned: 'In what way did Israel do you wrong, that you should hasten to turn them from the living God and Ruler of all?' (cf. Exod. 32:21).

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