Keep
your eyes open!...
February
24, 2009
(Ecc
3:1-7) All things have their season, and in their times all things pass
under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant, and
a time to pluck up that which is planted. A time to kill, and a time to
heal. A time to destroy, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a
time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to scatter
stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far
from embraces. A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a
time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep
silence, and a time to speak.
VATICAN:
Pope
Benedict's 2009 Message for Lent
ON FASTING: Self
restraint in order to leave room for God
MEDITATION:
A season of
hope - Lent - awaits us, offering full life by Bishop Robert
Vasa
LENTEN SABBATICAL
The TRIB
TIMES will not
be updated again this year
during the Lenten season, extending to the first week after
Easter. My computer time will be limited to 30
minutes
each morning and evening during Lent. I will read all emails I receive,
and will answer all that I can, time permitting. I may also
occasionally
email non-reformatted news articles to Trib Times subscribers that I
find
to be of particular interest. But barring a major event, the Trib
Times
web page itself will not be updated.
I
apologize to all who have recently subscribed but
will keep your email information for use after my return. God
willing,
the next issue of the Trib Times should be shortly after Divine Mercy
Sunday, April 19, 2009. Please keep me in your
prayers, and be
assured that
I will do the same.
I recommend the
following links to keep up
with unfolding events:
Catholic
News
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/headlines.asp
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/
http://cathnews.com/
http://zenit.org/english/
Signs of the Times
http://www.spiritdaily.com/
http://www.lifesite.net/
http://www.lifenews.com/
Readings & Meditations for Lent &
Holy
Week
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/index.html
http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/lent.htm
Newer
subscribers may also be interested in a meditation
that first appeared in the Trib Times in 2004, The
Pain of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 15- "On incorruptible purity
and chastity"
19.
Certain learned men have well defined renunciation,
by saying that it is hostility to the body and a fight against the
stomach.
February
20, 2009
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN NEXT
WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).
(Php
4:6-7) Be
nothing solicitous: but in every thing, by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus.
COMMENTARY:
The
Crucial Test for the Pontificate of Benedict XVI
PETITION:
International
letter of support for the Pope Benedict XVI
VATICAN
INFORMATION SERVICE: NEW FRONTIERS OF GENETICS AND
THE DANGERS OF EUGENICS
A press
conference was held to present a forthcoming academic congress
entitled: "New frontiers of genetics and the dangers of eugenics". The
congress, promoted by the Pontifical Academy for Life for the occasion
of its twenty- fifth general assembly, is due to take place in the
Vatican's New Synod Hall on 20 and 21 February.
Participating in
today's presentation were Archbishop Rino Fisichella and Msgr. Ignacio
Carrasco de Paula, respectively president and chancellor of the
Pontifical Academy for Life, and Bruno Dallapiccola, professor of
genetic medicine at Rome's "La Sapienza" University.
"The
congress will be attended", Archbishop Fisichella explained, "by
scientists from a number of universities, who will examine the question
from various points of view: from the strictly biomedical to the legal;
from the philosophical and theological to the sociological".
"Thanks
to the great work undertaken over the last ten years, above all that of
Francis Collins on the Human Genome Project, it is possible to map
thousands of genes and thus achieve an understanding of various types
of disease; this often offers a real possibility of overcoming heredity
ailments".
"The aim of this congress is to verify whether, in
the field genetic experimentation, there are aspects that tend towards
- or effectively implement - eugenic practices", said the archbishop.
Such practices "find expression in various scientific, biological,
medical, social and political projects, all of them more or less
interrelated. These projects require an ethical judgement, especially
when it is sought to suggest that eugenic practices are being
undertaken in the name of a 'normality' of life to offer to
individuals".
"Such a mentality, which is certainly reductive
but does exist, tends to consider that some people are less valuable
than others, either because of the conditions in which they live, such
as poverty or lack of education, or because of their physical state,
for example the disabled, the mentally ill, people in a 'vegetative
state', or the elderly who suffer serious disease".
"Not always
do the requirements of medical science meet with the approval
philosophers or theologians", said the president of the Pontifical
Academy for Life. "If, on the one hand, certain people frequently
succumb to the temptation to consider the body in purely material
terms, on the other, a concern to ensure the fundamental unity of each
individual ... is something that must not be marginalised or
overlooked".
RELATED HEADLINES
Vatican
condemns embryo stem cell research, cloning
Vatican warns
of ethical risks with gene progress
Stem
Cell Therapy Boy Develops Tumors
Obama
to lift ban on stem cell research soon
First
Extinct-Animal Clone Created
Human
Clones: One Step Closer
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 15- "On incorruptible purity
and chastity"
18.
Do not trust that because of abstinence you
will not fall. One who had never eaten was cast from Heaven.
February 19, 2009
(Eph 6:11-13) Put you on the
armour
of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil.
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against
principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this
darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.
Therefore, take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to
resist in the evil day and to stand in all things perfect.
VATICAN STATEMENT ON POPE
BENEDICT XVI- PELOSI AUDIENCE:
His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the
requirements of
the natural moral law and the Church's consistent teaching on the
dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all
Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible
for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and
women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of
protecting human life at all stages of its development.
RONALD E SMITH
REPORT: Witchcraft
& Wicca
ST. LOUIS
BISHOP: Lax
Catholics, Satan behind pro-abortion officials
HEADLINE:
Exorcist:
Devil Influences Abortion Industry
An
exorcist authorized to perform exorcisms in several dioceses spoke at a
religious ministry luncheon recently, explaining the basics of exorcism
and its connection with abortion.
Fr. Thomas Euteneuer,
president of Human Life International and an exorcist, spoke at a
luncheon hosted by In His Sign Network (IHS). He is an exorcist
authorized to perform exorcisms in several states, and highlighted the
connection between the abortion industry and demonic influence.
"Abortion
is a demonic industry," he told The Bulletin. "Abortion is blood
sacrifice of innocent blood to the devil. The clinics are like temples,
the doctors are like priests, the medical table is like their altar.
It's a ritualized sacrifice. They have a dogma called choice, a
hierarchy called Planned Parenthood, and guardian angels in the form of
police guards that will arrest you if you try to stop them."
He
said that there have been abortionists who have called abortion "their
sacrament." Fr. Euteneuer advocates prayer as a necessary step to
successfully fighting abortion.
"Abortion is a spiritual evil,"
he said. "If we are to beat it, we can't just fight it in the political
realm. It derives its power from below. To confront a force this
strong, you need a massive amount of prayer. That's why I like the 40
Days For Life group, because they bring us what we need where we need
it."
FROM THE
MAILBAG
VIA
Dennis: BREAKING NEWS "PARABLE"-
Chicago,
Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington DC
have been completely destroyed by Atomic Weapons. Witnesses have gone
into all these cities and have not found one survivor. It is estimated
that around 50 million have been terminated by this legal process.
Apparently, overnight the US government made it legal to use these
weapons of mass destruction on all these innocent people in these seven
cities without their permission. Officials stated that because of the
new law which was approved by the Supreme Court just last night, makes
it legal for the government to decide at its convenience which cities
in the US will survive if not needed. They also stated that none of the
cities were really cities, but were just large collections of cells,
and that there was no pain as the destruction came quickly, completely
and with almost clinical skill. Some officials thought that perhaps
this was not really a good thing to do, but it was legal, and so after
choosing the cities that seemed to contribute the least to the economy
and no longer needed were terminated for the good and convenience of
all the other cities. Most people contacted by TDN (The Devils News)
stated that it was something they would personally not choose. On the
other hand, most felt that the government should have the right to make
these choices if they wished; after all, it was the law and everyone
should be pro-choice, especial when it came to laws and legal things.
Abortion
is a weapon of mass destruction. The populations of the above seven
cities is approximately 50 million. Over 50 million innocent unborn
babies have been terminated (legally) in the USA after Roe VS Wade and
will never walk this earth, learn to love from their parents or even
play with a toy. They will never go to school, and will never be there
when their parents may need them later in life. God will not be mocked,
and soon will expect payment for all this legal carnage. It is easy to
understand why people don't value life any more. After all, it's just a
collection of cells!
Don't we have wonderful laws?
Pray for the USA – it needs it even more now than ever before.
HEARTBREAKING:
A
botched abortion in mother's own words
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 15- "On incorruptible purity
and chastity"
17.
Throughout your life, do not trust your body,
and do not rely on it till you stand before Christ.
February 18, 2009
(Rev
19:3-6) And
again they said: Alleluia. And her smoke ascendeth for ever and ever.
And the four and twenty ancients and the four living creatures fell
down and adored God that sitteth upon the throne, saying: Amen.
Alleluia. And a voice came out from the throne, saying: Give praise to
our God, all ye his servants: and you that fear him, little and great.
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice
of many waters, and as the voice of great thunders, saying: Alleluia:
for the Lord our God, the Almighty, hath reigned.
Q: WHY IS ALLELUIA NOT SUNG
DURING LENT?
A: The
following discussion is derived from an explanation of Septuagesima
Sunday,
an observance dropped from the calendar as revised by the Second
Vatican Council but still in use in the traditional
calendars. Previously it was on Septuagesima Sunday on which
the
canticle of the Lord, Alleluja, ceased to be said. Since 1970
the omission of "Alleluia" in the liturgy does not start until Ash
Wednesday.
VIA
Dom
Gueranger though Olrl.org:
Our holy mother the Church knows how necessary it is for her to rouse
our hearts from their lethargy, and give them an active tendency
towards the things of God. On this day, the eve of Septuagesima, she
uses a powerful means for infusing her own spirit into the minds of her
children. She takes the song of heaven away from us: she forbids our
further uttering that Alleluia, which is so dear to us, as giving us a
fellowship with the choirs of angels, who are for ever repeating it.
How is it that we poor mortals, sinners, and exiles on earth, have
dared to become so familiar with this hymn of a better land? It is
true, our Emmanuel, who established peace between God and men, brought
it us from heaven on the glad night of His Birth; and we have had the
courage to repeat it after the angels, and shall chant it with renewed
enthusiasm when we reach our Easter. But to sing the Alleluia worthily,
we must have our hearts set on the country whence it came. It is not a
mere word, nor a profane unmeaning melody; it is the song that recalls
the land we are banished from, it is the sweet sigh of the soul longing
to be at home.
The word Alleluia signifies praise God: but it
says much more than this, and says it as no other word or words could.
The Church is not going to interrupt her giving praise to God during
these nine weeks. She will replace this heaven-lent word by a formula
also expressive of praise: Laus tibi, Domine, Rex aeternae gloria!
Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory! But this is the
language of earth; whereas Alleluia was sent us from heaven. '
Alleluia,' says the devout Abbot Rupert, ' is like stranger amidst our
other words. Its mysterious beauty is as though a drop of heaven's
overflowing joy had fallen down on our earth. The patriarchs and
prophets relished it, and then the Holy Ghost put it on the lips of the
apostles, from whom it flowed even to us. It signifies the eternal
feast of the angels and saints, which consists in their endless praise
of God on whose face they are to gaze for everlasting ages. This mortal
life of ours can in no wise attain such bliss as this. But, to know
where it is to be found, and to have a foretaste of it by the happiness
of hope, and to hunger and thirst for what we thus taste, this is the
perfection of saints here below. For this reason, the word Alleluia has
not been translated; it has been left in its original Hebrew, as a
stranger to tell us that there is a joy in his native land, which could
not dwell in ours: he has come among us to signify, rather than to
express that joy.'
During this season of Septuagesima, we have
to gain a clear knowledge of the miseries of our banishment, under pain
of being left for ever in this tyrant Babylon. It was, therefore,
necessary that we should be put on our guard against the allurements of
our place of exile. It is with this view that the Church, taking pity
on our blindness and our dangers, gives us this solemn warning. By
taking from us our Alleluia, she virtually tells us that our lips must
first be cleansed, before they again be permitted to utter this word of
angels and saints; and that our hearts, defiled as they are by sin and
attachment to earthly things, must be purified by repentance. She is
going to put before our eyes the sad spectacle of the fall of our first
parents, that dire event whence came all our woes, and our need of
Redemption. This tender mother weeps over us, and would have us weep
with her.
CONSERVATIVE CATHOLICISM
IN THE NEWS
Traditionalist
bishop sees problems in setting aside doctrinal differences with Pope
Linz
auxiliary bishop-designate Gerhard Maria Wagner has asked Pope Benedict
XVI to withdraw him from nomination for promotion
Schönborn
claims Pope had given nod to Wagner withdrawal
Interview
with Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, SSPX
LINK:
SSPX Bishop Richard Williamson Blog: The
"Re-incommunication"
INDULGENCES
IN THE NEWS
Catholic
tradition revived
WHAT?
Catholics are curious about how indulgences work
Granting
of special indulgences part of Catholic tradition of purification,
helping others
RELATED
BOOKLET: Church
of Saint Paul the Apostle
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 15- "On incorruptible purity
and chastity"
16.
A fox pretends to be asleep, and the body and
demons pretend to be chaste; the former in order to deceive a bird, and
the latter in order to destroy a soul.
February 17, 2009
(Psa
103:12-14) As
far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our iniquities
from us. As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord
compassion on them that fear him: For he knoweth our frame. He
remembereth that we are dust:
POPE
BENEDICT XVI: Confessing
our sins restores us to communion with the Father
EXCERPT
COMMENTARY: Feeling
guilty? Maybe there's a reason by Fr. Vincent Hawkswell
To
be objectively guilty of wrongdoing means to have done something which
is wrong in a sense which is independent of the wrongdoer: wrong
whether or not we know it, admit it, or feel it. To be subjectively
guilty of wrongdoing means to have done something wrong through our own
fault, at least partly.
The bad news is that we have all sinned, both objectively and
subjectively. The good news is that we can all be forgiven.
Many
people think that when God forgives us our wrongdoing He excuses or
overlooks it. They think that God forgives us because what we have done
is excusable, or only slightly wrong.
No; God freely forgives
the inexcusable wrong we have done, no matter how great it is. He knows
what excuses there are: how much we were tempted, how afraid we were to
do what was right, how much we resisted, how thoroughly we knew what we
were doing, how fully we consented. He excuses whatever can be excused.
What
He forgives is the deliberate, inexcusable offence that remains after
all the excuses. He does not ignore it or overlook it, no matter how
trivial we think it.
To reconcile us with Himself, God "made
Christ to be sin," St. Paul said. When Christ took on our sins, God
certainly did not ignore them or overlook them: He allowed His own Son
to suffer what they deserved.
Some years ago, when I wrote an
article about sin, a woman wrote back saying that surely the Church
wants us to focus not on obeying the Ten Commandments, but on building
a loving personal relationship with God. I replied that sin is
precisely what damages or even breaks off a loving personal
relationship with God. To restore that relationship, we first have to
examine our consciences with respect to sin.
Many of us use a
standard list of sins to help us determine our objective guilt. As we
read it, we might wonder how we can possibly avoid committing sins when
there are so many.
However, we must not give way to
scrupulosity, always wondering and worrying whether we have committed a
sin. This is a real temptation for some people. It is the devil's way
of getting us to focus on our sins instead of on God.
On the
other hand, we might find that we commit very few of the sins listed,
or that we do not commit them very often. However, we must never
presume we are good enough. We cannot enter heaven clinging to even one
sin; we must repent and reject every one.
As Pope John Paul II
said in Veritatis Splendor, with every freely committed sin, we offend
God as the giver of the law, and as a result become guilty with regard
to the entire law.
An examination of conscience should neither
scare us nor reassure us, but help us repent, go to confession, make
amends, and make the necessary changes in our lives. We should all go
to confession frequently, but especially during the penitential season
of Lent, now fast approaching.
If we commit mortal sins, we are
required by Church law to confess them to a priest at least once a
year, and we may never receive Holy Communion until we have done so.
In
the sacrament of penance, God brushes away our offences "like a cloud,"
our sins "like the morning mist," as the Prophet Isaiah says.
After
confession, we can say with the glad confidence of the psalmist, "Then
I acknowledged my sin to You; my guilt I covered not. I said, `I
confess my faults to the Lord,' and You took away the guilt of my sin."
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 15- "On incorruptible purity
and chastity"
12.
He who drives away this dog by prayer is like
is like someone fighting with a lion; he who subdues it by resistance
is
someone still pursuing his enemy; but he who has once for all reduced
its
assault to nothing, even though he is still in the flesh, is as one who
has already risen from his coffin.
February 13, 2009
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN NEXT
WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).
(Luke
22:19-20) And
taking bread, he gave thanks and brake and gave to them, saying: This
is my body, which is given for you. Do this for a commemoration of me.
In like manner, the chalice also, after he had supped, saying: This is
the chalice, the new testament in my blood, which shall be shed for you.
FROM
THE MAILBAG
VIA
Christian
Witness: The
Holy Souls Will Repay us a Thousand Times Over
VIA Cabio:
The Power of the Mass
At the hour of death the Holy Masses you have heard devoutly will be
your greatest consolation.
Every Mass will go with you to Judgement and will plead for pardon for
you.
By every Mass you can diminish the temporal punishment due to your
sins, more or less, according to your fervour.
By devoutly assisting at Holy Mass you render the greatest homage
possible to the Sacred Humanity of Our Lord.
Through the Holy Sacrifice, Our Lord Jesus Christ supplies for many of
your negligences and omissions.
He
forgives you all the venial sins which you are determined to avoid. He
forgives you all your unknown sins which you never confessed. The power
of Satan over you is diminished.
By piously hearing Holy Mass you afford the Souls in Purgatory the
greatest possible relief.
Through
Holy Mass you are preserved from many dangers and misfortunes which
would otherwise have befallen you. You shorten your Purgatory by every
Mass.
Through the Holy Mass you are blessed in your temporal goods and
affairs.
When
you hear Holy Mass devoutly, offering it to Almighty God in honour of
any particular Saint or Angel, thanking God for the favours bestowed on
him, etc., you afford that Saint or Angel a new degree of honour, joy
and happiness, and draw his special love and protection on yourself.
Every time you assist at Holy Mass, besides other intentions, you
should offer it in honor of the Saint of the day.
Quotations
Regarding the Mass
"The Mass is the most perfect form of prayer!" -
Pope Paul VI
For each Mass we hear with devotion, Our Lord sends a
saint to comfort us at death. (revelation of Christ to St. Gertrude the
great).
A great doctor of the Church, St. Anself, declares that
a single Mass offered for oneself during life may be worth more than a
thousand celebrated for the same intention after death.
St. Leonard of
Port Maurice supports this statement by saying that one Mass before
death may be more profitable than many after it.
"The Holy Mass
would be of greater profit if people had it offered in their lifetime,
rather than having it celebrated for the relief of their souls after
death" - Pope Benedict XV
Once, St. Teresa was overwhelmed with God's
Goodness and asked Our Lord "How can I thank you?" Our Lord replied,
"ATTEND ONE MASS."
The Blessed Virgin Mary once told Her
faithful servant Alain: "My Son so loves those who assist at the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass that, if it were necessary He would die for them
as many times as they've heard Masses."
"When we receive Holy
Communion, we experience something extraordinary - a joy, a fragrance,
a well being that thrills the whole body and causes it to exalt."
"If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy."
"There
is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more
precious, He would have given it to us."
When we have been to Holy Communion, the balm of love envelops the soul
as the flower envelops the bee." - Saint Jean Vianney
"The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable as the death of Jesus on
the cross." - Saint Thomas Aquinas
"It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do
without Holy Mass." - Saint Pio
"The heavens open and multitudes of angels come to assist in the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass." - Saint Gregory
"The angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating Mass."
- Saint Augustine
"When
Mass is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled with countless angels
who adore the divine victim immolated on the altar." - Saint John
Crysostom
VIA
Dave:
This is an excellent video and it is FREE to watch. Archbishop Fulton J
Sheen gives an excellent presentation on the meaning of the Mass to a
young audience. You
may find this video helpful if you need to explain the Mass to your
children or grandchildren.
Link: http://www.keepthefaith.org/
video_feature. htm#A_Family_ Retreat_
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 15- "On incorruptible purity
and chastity"
7.
Let no one thoroughly trained in purity attribute
its attainment to himself. For it is impossible for anyone to conquer
his
own nature. When nature is defeated, it should be recognized that this
is due to the presence of Him who is above nature. For beyond all
dispute,
the weaker gives way to the stronger.
February 12, 2009
(Rom
11:25-27) For
I would not have you ignorant, brethren, of this mystery (lest you
should be wise in your own conceits) that blindness in part has
happened in Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles should come in.
And so all Israel should be saved, as it is written: There shall come
out of Sion, he that shall deliver and shall turn away ungodliness from
Jacob. And this is to them my covenant: when I shall take away their
sins.
JEWISH-CATHOLIC
RELATIONS IN THE NEWS
Pope
to address Jews after bishop denies Holocaust
Society
of Saint Pius X Distances Itself from Holocaust Denial
Latest
Interview With Bishop Richard Williamson
Is
the End of the Williamson Furor in Sight?
VIA INSIDE
THE VATICAN: The
Rest of the Story -- Lefebvre's Father
But
in this brief newsflash, we thought it right to make a point which has
not received sufficient attention in the midst of the tumult.
That
point is that the man at the remote origin of this entire controversy,
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, .who in 1988 consecrated Williamson a
bishop, along with the three others, in order to ensure the
continuation of his Pius X Society after his death (he died in 1991),
experienced "in his own flesh," as it were, the same cruelty millions
of Jews experienced prior to and during the Second World War: his own
father died in a Nazi concentration camp.
COMMENTARY:
Benedict's
tragedy, and Israel's
SUPPORTING
POPE BENEDICT XVI: Second
International Declaration in Support of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
ELECTION IN ISRAEL
EU
Presidency statement on the election result in Israel
The European Union considers Israel one of its important partners and
looks forward to further developing this relationship. In particular,
it looks forward to working with the new Israeli administration to
achieve the most important goal of all – a peaceful resolution of
the Israeli Palestinian conflict. We hope that the new Israeli
government will honour the obligations taken by Israel under the
Roadmap and at Annapolis and refrain from measures rendering a
two-state solution impossible.
The Presidency encourages the incoming Israeli government to pursue all
efforts leading towards the creation of an independent, democratic,
contiguous and viable Palestinian State living side by side with Israel
in peace and security.
The European Union, in close cooperation with its partners in the
Quartet and in the region, stands ready to offer all its support in
this process and to promote security and peace for Israelis and
Palestinians alike.
MORE ISRAELI
ELECTION NEWS HEADLINES
Election
comes at pivotal moment in Israeli history
Israel
faces gridlock, peace prospects dim
Palestinian
Figure Fears Israeli Election Hinders Peace Efforts
Europe
fearful about impact of Israeli elections
Israel's
Election Dashes Hopes for Peace
Extremist
leader will emerge as kingmaker
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 15- "On incorruptible purity
and chastity"
6.
The rule and limit of absolute and perfect purity
is to be equally disposed towards animate and inanimate bodies,
rational
and irrational.
February 11, 2009
(John
2:3-5) And
the wine failing, the mother of Jesus saith to him: They have no wine.
And Jesus saith to her: Woman, what is that to me and to thee? My hour
is not yet come. His mother saith to the waiters: Whatsoever he shall
say to you, do ye.
POPE
BENEDICT XVI: Pope:
Let us pray for the sick, especially those completely dependent on care
of others
MORE: Absence
of God Man's Worst Sickness
LINK:
Place
your petition at the Grotto of Lourdes
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA
A
Moment with Mary: Charlemagne,
Mary's Son (II)
In
778, Charlemagne was ready to surrender, wearied by the obstinate
resistance of the Saracen Lord Mirat in the citadel of Mirambel (the
current site of Lourdes). He was on the very point of raising the
siege, when his companion Turpin, bishop of Puy-en-Velay, had an
inspiration and obtained the authorization to negotiate with the
besieged. Turpin proposed to Mirat to surrender, not to the sovereign,
but to the Queen of Heaven.
The proposal actually pleased the
Moor chief who laid down his weapons at the feet of the Black Madonna
of the Puy and asked to be baptized. The day of his baptism, Mirat took
the name of Lorus which, transmitted to the city, became Lourdes at a
later date. One thousand years before Saint Bernadette, the Blessed
Virgin had already taken official possession of the place where she
would one day appear.
VIA
Manilla Bulletin Online: Feast of
Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of the Sick
We
celebrate today the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. It was on February
11, 1858, that the Blessed Mother first appeared to a 14-year-old girl
named Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France.
It
was a week before Ash Wednesday when the mother of Bernadette noticed
that they had run out of firewood in the house. Bernadette and her
sister Toinette volunteered to go and pick up branches at the
riverside. At first, the mother expressed her disapproval because of
the bad weather. Jeane Abadie, their neighbor, offered to go with the
two children and the mother consented. They decided to go southward to
Merlasse.
When
they reached the end of the Monsieur de la Fittes field, nearly
opposite the grotto of Massabieille, her companions left Bernadette
behind because she was reluctant to cross the cold river due to her
constant poor health. Soon afterwards, she heard a rustling noise and
caught sight of a beautiful lady in a hollow of the Massabieille rock.
Bernadette fell to her knees and prayed the Rosary. The lady identified
herself as the "Immaculate Conception'' and requested that a church be
built on that site. The apparition was followed by 17 more until July
16, 1858.
It
was on February 25 that the young Bernadette was told by the lady to
scratch at the ground. The lady then asked her to drink and wash in a
spring that came up. In a matter of days, the spring began to be the
source of many miraculous occurrences.
The
water still flows today, and continues to be a source of God's healing
through the Blessed Mother's intercession for many people. This is why
Pope John Paul II pronounced that February 11, the day the Blessed
Mother first appeared to Bernadette in 1858, be specially designated as
the World Day of the Sick. The apparition was finally approved by the
Church in 1862 and a church in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary was
dedicated in 1901. The grotto of Lourdes in France is now one of the
most visited pilgrim sites in the whole world.
In
the Litany of Loreto, one of the titles attributed to the Blessed
Mother is "Health of the Sick.'' It is not Mary who heals the sick. It
is her Son Jesus Christ who brings about healing to many people. Mary
just allows herself to be used as an instrument of God's grace of
healing.
On
this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of
Lourdes, may we receive the healing grace of God through her. Moreover,
like Mary, let us allow God to use us as his instruments of healing to
all those in need of this grace. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
LINK: Prayer
to Our Lady of Lourdes
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 15- "On incorruptible purity
and chastity"
5.
He is chaste who has continually acquired perfect
insensibility to difference in bodies.
February 10, 2009
(Rev
6:5-6) And
when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature
saying: Come and see. And behold a black horse. And he that sat on him
had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard, as it were a voice in
the midst of the four living creatures, saying: Two pounds of wheat for
a penny, and thrice two pounds of barley for a penny: and see thou hurt
not the wine and the oil.
COMMENTARY: Our
economic depression: Sowing and reaping
In
this economic crisis, is there a word from God, and if there is what is
it? There were economic depression crises experienced in the Old
Testament and the New Testament by God's nation and God's church.
Sometimes it was a judgment of God upon his nation and included a call
from God for true repentance with the assurance that God would respond
and intervene (see 2 Chronicles 7:13-14). Sometimes it was the
opportunity for the more fortunate to respond with concern and
sacrifice towards persons in great financial need (Acts 11:27-30).
In
Psalm 11:3 the question is asked, "If the foundations be destroyed,
what can the righteous do?" Now and in the future of this crisis many
will feel that the foundations they have been relying upon are
crumbling beneath them. I will emphasize now only one response I am
sure we all need to make. Let's allow this crisis to bring us to our
knees in prayer. You may say, "That's too simple!" The Bible says about
the Disciple Peter, "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and,
beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' " (Matthew 14:30).
Prayer is our first way of involving God and God's first way of
involving us in a crisis. We may do more than pray after we have
prayed. But we cannot do anything more important than pray. What is
more practical and simple than Jesus teaching us to pray, "Give us this
day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11)?
Yes,
we must pray for ourselves and our needs when our foundations are being
destroyed. We must intercede for others whose foundations are being
destroyed. But, also, we must pray diligently for the "decision makers"
in our National Government who are responsible for economic leadership
(1 Timothy 2:1-3). This includes our new President, but probably even
more so for the President's National Economic Council, the treasurer,
the responsible committees, the House of Representatives and the
Senate. This is serious business. Some admit that they do not have the
answers. Do not consider that your prayers are not important. They are
and they are important now!
CATHOLIC COMMENTARIES
The
deeper one's faith, the greater one's generosity, cardinal says
Time
to reassess our values: Pell
Fr.
Hesburgh remembers tough times during Great Depression
HEADLINE:
IMF
Says Advanced Economies Already in Depression
Advanced economies are already in a "depression" and the financial
crisis may deepen unless the banking system is fixed, International
Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said.
"The worst cannot be ruled out," Strauss-Kahn said in Kuala Lumpur,
where he was attending a gathering of central bankers from Southeast
Asia. "There's a lot of downside risk."
Ten days ago, the IMF cut its world-growth estimate for this year to
0.5 percent, the weakest pace since World War II. Stimulus packages
alone won't succeed in dragging the global economy out of recession
unless confidence is restored in the banking system, Strauss-Kahn said
today.
"All this will work if, and only if, the different countries are likely
to do what they have to do in terms of restructuring the banking
sector," he said. "And today it's not done."
The U.S. economy has lost 3.57 million jobs since a recession started
in December 2007, its biggest employment slump of any economic
contraction in the postwar period as companies from Macy's Inc. to
Caterpillar Inc. cut costs. The U.K. economy will shrink this year by
the most since 1946, the IMF forecasts.
"There is hope that the fiscal and monetary stimulus measures being
implemented around the world can help turn things around," said David
Cohen, Singapore-based director of Asian economic forecasting at Action
Economics. "But there is still the risk it can be short-circuited by
further financial turmoil."
RELATED
ECONOMIC COMMENTARIES
Depression
Survivors Lend Perspective on Economic Crisis
Instead
of stimulus, do nothing – seriously
Stocks
to fall AT LEAST another 40%! Here's why …
Obama's
Wealth Destruction
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 15- "On incorruptible purity
and chastity"
4.
He is chaste who, even during sleep, feels no
movement or change of any kind in his constitution.
February 5, 2009
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN NEXT
WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).
(Mat
11:28-30) Come
to me all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take
up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of
heart: And you shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is sweet and
my burden light.
OVERCOMING:
Where
faith has been constantly put to test
To
the tourists, Son La is a beautiful, alluring mountainous site situated
deep in the primeval forest of Northeast corner of North Vietnam. To
the Catholic Church, Son La is a place where faith has been constantly
put to test by the government whose determination to abolish Christian
faith in the heart and mind of the locals always seems to be at highest
level compared to the rest of the country. Yet they are unable to
achieve their goal despite all effort to separate Catholic faithful
from their God, thanks to the un-yielding belief of the mountaineers
whose lives is a true story of good conquering evil.
PERSPECTIVES:
An
Atheist Returns to Christ
MORE:
Priest:
Journey is what's important
FROM THE
MAILBAG
VIA
Abbas Anthony:
MOTIVATION ~ The Holy Rosary of our Lady
The
more I live in this fallen world, the more I am seeing the value and
neediness that our Lady has revealed to us with respect to the Rosary.
The more I sense the internal spiritual need we have for a true Mother,
as we have a true Father God; as was also seen in the early Church (and
has been reflected in the Church through the ages). The Mother we have
is not a "goddess," but she is the woman filled with the fulness of
Grace, as spoken of by St. Luke.
My sense is that this devotion
we propose to God through the Prayers of the Rosary is God's "tool" in
the hands of the Holy Spirit in bringing us closer to our Beloved Lord
and as it produces the fruits of the Holy Spirit within our hearts
through a true devotedness to JESUS, as expressed in the Immaculate
Heart of Mary toward the Most Sacred Heart of JESUS... I am also
sensing the words of St. Louis de Montfort here as well.
“Mary
is the fruitful Virgin, and in all the souls in which she comes to
dwell she causes to flourish purity of heart and body, rightness of
intention and abundance of good works. Do not imagine that Mary, the
most fruitful of creatures who gave birth to a God, remains barren in a
faithful soul. It will be she who makes the soul live incessantly for
Jesus Christ, and will make Jesus live in the soul” (True Devotion to
the Blessed Virgin).
This is the blessed Mother's "pondering" of
these things (as spoken of by St. Luke, chapter 1) in her heart and,
therefore, within our hearts as we are "knit with the heart of our
Mother", whose Immaculate Heart was uniquely flooded with God's Grace.
I
would encourage us, then, to memorize this Holy Prayer and begin
therefore to FOCUS upon JESUS in the manner proposed by Our Lady, as we
see the days grow darker as we walk in the Light as He is in the Light
having fellowship with one another so much the more as we see the Day
approaching (Cf. I John 1:7ff).
Keep in mind, my beloved, always
keep in mind (the Mind of Christ) that this focus is that which focuses
upon CHRIST JESUS OUR RISEN LORD... and it was never meant by our Lady
to be a focus upon Mary herself, but upon the Heart of Mary speaking to
us toward her most holy Love for her Son... thus, it becomes the Prayer
of the Church as is also the Divine Office and all Lectio Divina.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 15- "On incorruptible purity
and chastity"
3.
Chastity is the name which is common to all
the virtues.
February
4, 2009
REVIEW:
Vatican-Israeli
relations- From Rome to Jerusalem
HEADLINE:
EU
to Israel: remove obstacles to entry of Gaza aid
The European Union has complained
to Israel that it was obstructing the entry of needed supplies into the
Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, despite assurances the restrictions would be
eased after the 22-day offensive.
In a February 2 letter obtained by
Reuters Wednesday, the EU presidency expressed "grave concern regarding
the current humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the obstacles
that we face in the delivery of aid."
"Addressing the plight of ordinary
people in Gaza and supporting the PA in its relief efforts are our
priorities and, as we understand, also yours," EU leaders wrote,
referring to President Mahmoud Abbas's Western-backed Palestinian
Authority.
"Your government gave us assurances
regarding access of humanitarian aid and aid workers to the Gaza
Strip... Since then we have not witnessed much improvement of the
overall restrictions," they wrote.
While Israel has opened Gaza's
border crossings to larger amounts of food and medicine since last
month's war, it has balked at letting in construction materials,
including glass, steel and cement, needed to rebuild the thousands of
Palestinian homes, roads and buildings destroyed or damaged.
Israel has also blocked Abbas'
government from transferring cash to the Gaza Strip to pay its workers,
undercutting its reconstruction efforts, Palestinian and Western
officials said.
Israeli officials say building materials and cash could be used by
Hamas to build rockets, bunkers and smuggling tunnels.
EU leaders said the nearly 200
truckloads of aid currently entering Gaza each day were "far below the
minimal requirements to answer the humanitarian and commercial needs"
of Gaza's 1.5 million residents.
RELATED:
Aid
ship heads to Gaza from Lebanon
COMMENTARY:
Arab-Israeli
Conflict Must be Judged by Facts on the Ground not by Sensational
Stories
WARS AND
RUMORS OF WARS
Iran
satellite move sparks fears
Iran's
first spy satellite launch Tuesday signifies nuclear-capable rocket in
hand
Israel
Readies Iran Takeout
Netanyahu
says Iran will not get hands on nukes
FACTBOX
-Global
financial crisis sparks unrest
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 15- "On incorruptible purity
and chastity"
1.
Purity means that we put on the angelic nature.
Purity is the longed-for house of Christ and the earthly heaven of the
heart. Purity is a supernatural denial of nature, which means
that
a mortal and corruptible body is rivalling the celestial spirits in a
truly
marvelous way.
February
3, 2009
POPE
BENEDICT XVI:
"Euthanasia is a false solution to the drama of suffering, a solution
that is not worthy of man. The real answer cannot be, in fact, to give
death, as 'gentle' as this may be, but to testify to the love that
helps us to face pain and agony in a humane way. We can be certain of
this: no tear, neither of those who suffer, nor of those close to them,
will be lost before God."
HEADLINE:
Vatican
calls right-to-die decision 'murder'
VIA WASHINGTON STATE:
Health-care
facilities scrambling to deal with Death with Dignity Act
CELEBRATING
LIFE: Four
Chaplains who gave up lives memorialized in Stony Pt. service
EXCERPT:
Christ, the
Defender of Human Life By Fr. Frank Caggiano
How
can we as Christians hope to reverse this culture of death? How can we
restore the dignity and respect that human life deserves? It seems to
me that the Christian struggle to protect life must begin by answering
the question, "Who do you say that I am?"
The Christian
commitment to protect and respect human life comes directly from the
identity of Jesus Christ. We defend human life because we believe Jesus
Christ to be true God who took on a true humanity. Jesus is the divine
Son who assumed a sinless human life so that what he assumed might be
saved from the effects of sin and death. Christ as true God changed
every human life by becoming a man like us in all things but sin. In
other words, every man, woman, child and fetus is of infinite value
because the divine Son assumed a human life in the Incarnation.
The
Incarnation has changed humanity in two ways. First, Christ has
restored the divine image of our creation. To be made in the image and
likeness of God means that all our human abilities and talents reflect
the qualities of God. Our reason, freedom and love reflect the infinite
wisdom, absolute freedom and perfect love of God. Sin deformed the
divine image within us, robbing our natural gifts and abilities of
their power and beauty. Since we are not able to heal ourselves from
sin, it was necessary that humanity receive a new start. This new start
came when the Son assumed a human life. He restored us to our original
glory as the image of God in the world. As such, each human being is of
inestimable value because each of us has been restored as a living
mirror into the life of God.
A second way in which Christ has
changed human life comes from the gift of salvation which he offers to
all. We do not believe that Christ simply restored what humanity lost
through sin. Rather, we are "recreated" in Christ. This means that we
have received gifts that Adam never enjoyed. Through baptism, we have
become children of God and temples of the Holy Spirit, allowing God to
dwell within us. The Holy Spirit also sanctifies us and makes us worthy
to possess divine life. We are more fully human and perfect because we
have been recreated in Christ. If God finds human life to be so
precious that he considers it to be a worthy dwelling place, then every
human life is priceless.
"And you, who do you say that I am?"
Our Christian commitment to human life begins with this question. We
respect human life because it is created in the divine image and has
been re-created and made holy in Christ. The meaning and value of life
cannot be measured apart from Jesus Christ. All human life must be
respected, defended and promoted because it is worthy to receive God's
own life.
USCCB:
Assisted
Suicide: What is at Stake?
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: step 14- "On that clamorous
mistress, the
stomach"
21.
He who cherishes his stomach and hopes to overcome
the spirit of fornication, is like one who tries to put out a fire with
oil.
Links 
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