Keep your eyes open!...





 


May 30, 2008    

THE TRIB TIMES WILL HOPEFULLY (COMPUTER ISSUES) RETURN NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: O most holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore You, I love You, and with a lively sorrow for my sins, I offer You this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to Your will. Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in You and for You. Protect me in the midst of danger; comfort me in my afflictions; give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, Your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death.

ZENIT.ORG: Message for Day of Prayer for Priests

COLLECTION: Padre Pio Words of Faith

INTERVIEW: Saint Father Pio – a sign and challenge

Q: You direct Prayer Groups of Father Pio. Could you tell the readers of 'Niedziela' something more about it?

A: Generally speaking, Father Pio left two works that were characteristic to him as John Paul II said once: the House for the Relief in Suffering, a monumental hospital with over 1,300 beds, which is constantly developed, and the centre of Father Pio Prayer Groups, located in the building. The idea of prayer groups originated after the appeal of Pius XII in 1942. It was the time of the terrible war and the Holy Father appealed to all faithful to create prayer communities to save the world. Towards the end of the war the restoration had to begin with prayers and not with constructions, which were important but not the most important things. Father Pio answered in a very concrete way, creating prayer groups. People were to pray and meditate together, to gather for services, Masses, rosaries and talks on prayer delivered by priests. 

In San Giovanni Rotondo Father Pio himself gave short talks; he gave prayer intentions. Not all his talks were written down but it was an exceptional matter. The year 1947 is regarded as the beginning of the prayer groups. The Statutes were written and they contained several prayer calls formed by Father Pio and the words of the Gospel: Jesus says, 'Pray continually and never lose heart' (cf. Luke 18:1-8). After the Statutes had been written Fr Pio's prayer groups were formed. Each group, having the permission of the local bishop, was to be led by a priest as its spiritual director. But some bishops, including the Italian ones, opposed those groups. Father Pio did not want to act against the bishops and asked people to pray individually in such cases. It was a beautiful attitude, expressing humility and obedience towards spiritual authority. In the Statutes Father Pio wrote that prayers should not take the forms of formulas or discussions about sensational events, e.g. miracles, apparitions, graces, the smell of violets, etc. So the Prayer Groups originated very quickly. 

Currently, over 3,000 groups are in Italy and about 200 in Poland. On 3 May 1986, the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Agostino Casaroli approved the Statutes of 'Father Pio Prayer Groups' as obligatory to all members of the movement. The Statutes say that prayers should be said with the Church, in the Church and for the Church. Moreover, these should be prayers of reparation in the spirit of Saint Paul. This was a special idea of Father Pio as St Paul writes to the Colossians, 'in my own body to do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church' (cf. 1: 24).

IN THE NEWS: Crowd of a thousand honors St. Padre Pio's memory

INTERVIEW: The Polemics of Padre Pio

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 6- "On remembrance of death"

10. Never, when mourning for your sins, accept that cure which suggests to you that God is tender-hearted (this thought is useful only when you see yourself being dragged down to deep despair). For the aim of the enemy is to thrust from you your mourning and fearless fear.


May 29, 2008    

(Eph 6:12-13) 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.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Yoga and horoscopes can lead to possession by Devil, claims Cardinal's exorcist

It is a physical workout enjoyed by millions and its devotees include Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sting.

But yoga enthusiasts have been warned by a leading Roman Catholic clergyman that they are in danger of being possessed by the Devil.

Father Jeremy Davies, exorcist for Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, says that activities such as yoga, massage therapy, reiki or even reading horoscopes could put people at risk from evil spirits.

In a new book, he also argues that people with promiscuous lifestyles could find themselves afflicted by demons.

And he says that the occult is closely linked to the scourges of 'drugs, demonic music and pornography' which are 'destroying millions of young people in our time'.

The 73-year-old Catholic priest, who was appointed exorcist of the Archdiocese of Westminster in 1986, was a medical doctor before being ordained in 1974.

He has carried out thousands of exorcisms in London and in 1993 he set up the International Association of Exorcists with Fr Gabriel Amorth, the Pope's top exorcist.

In Exorcism: Understanding Exorcism In Scripture And Practice, which is published by the Catholic Truth Society, Fr Davies compares militant atheists to rational Satanists, and blames them for a rise in demonic activity.

He adds that 'perversions' such as homosexuality, pornography and promiscuity are contributing to a growing sense of moral unease.

He writes: 'Even heterosexual promiscuity is a perversion; and intercourse, which belongs in the sanctuary of married love, can become a pathway not only for disease but also for evil spirits...young people especially are vulnerable and we must do what we can to protect them.

'The thin end of the wedge (soft drugs, yoga for relaxation, horoscopes just for fun and so on) is more dangerous than the thick end because it is more deceptive – an evil spirit tries to make his entry as unobtrusively as possible.

'Beware of any claim to mediate beneficial energies (eg reiki), any courses that promise the peace that Christ promises (eg enneagrams), any alternative therapy with its roots in eastern religion (eg acupuncture).' Fr Davies argues that occult practices such as magic, fortune-telling and holding seances to contact the spirits of the dead are 'direct invitations to the Devil which he readily accepts'.

But the Oxford-educated priest, who is based in Luton, Bedfordshire, says there are different degrees of demonic influence, and the most extreme forms occur rarely.

RELATED

Spectre of false exorcism still haunts the Catholic Church
D.C.: The devil's city?
Inside the Church of Satan: New Controversial Footage Captured

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 6- "On remembrance of death"

9. Some inquire and wonder: 'Why, when the remembrance of death is so beneficial for us, has God hidden from us the knowledge of the hour of death?' - not knowing that in this way God wonderfully accomplishes our salvation. For no one who foreknew his death would at once proceed to baptism or the monastic life; but everyone would spend all his days in iniquities, and only on the day of his death would he approach baptism and repentance. From long habit, he would become confirmed in vice, and would remain utterly incorrigible.


May 28, 2008    

POPE BENEDICT XVI: "I entrust to the merciful love of God all of your fellow citizens who have died in recent days as a consequence of the earthquake that struck a vast area of your country," the pope told the group. "I renew my personal closeness to those who are living through hours of agony and tribulation."

BREAKING!: Aftershocks in China Topple More Than 420,000 Houses

China's Catholics visit shrine under watchful eyes

Bells clanged, children played and police kept watch as pilgrims clutching rosary beads flocked to one of China's most revered Catholic shrines on Saturday, the day Pope Benedict XVI designated World Day of Prayer for China.

"There are fewer people than last year," said a 30-year-old seminary student surnamed Wu as he welcomed worshippers into the 150-year-old Sheshan Cathedral, which sits atop a scenic hill about a 45 minute drive from downtown Shanghai.

"The government made sure to keep order this year," Wu added.

May is the month Chinese Catholics celebrate the Virgin Mary, and it is the peak season for the country's faithful to visit Sheshan.

But the authorities restricted attendance this year, fearing social unrest after March's protests in Tibet and ahead of Beijing's August Olympic games, Catholic media reports said.

Tensions were heightened this year after Benedict penned a prayer that asks Chinese be allowed to freely express their faith and allegiance to him in their officially atheist country.

"Sustain all those in China, who, amid their daily trials continue to believe, to hope, to love," the prayer says. "May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world ..."

Last year, around 11,000 of China's 12 million estimated Catholics visited the shrine in early May, but this year that dwindled to 5,000, the reports said, blaming roadblocks that were erected to prevent any large gatherings.

OF INTEREST: Catholic Church Reports Biggest Growth in Africa

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 6- "On remembrance of death"

8. Not every desire for death is good. Some, constantly sinning from force of habit, pray for death with humility. And some, who do not want to repent, invoke death out of despair. And some out of self-esteem consider themselves dispassionate, and for a while have no fear of death. And some (if such can now be found), through the action of the Holy Spirit, ask for their departure.


May 23, 2008    

THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).

POPE BENEDICT XVI: "St. Paul speaks of a kind of prayer which arises from the depths of our hearts in sighs too deep for words, in "groanings" (Rom 8:26) inspired by the Spirit. This is a prayer which yearns in the midst of chastisement for the fulfillment of God's promises. It is a prayer of unfailing hope, but also one of patient endurance and, often, accompanied by suffering for the truth. Through this prayer, we share in the mystery of Christ's own weakness and suffering, while trusting firmly in the victory of his cross." 

LINK: Mystery and Miracle at Medjugorje

EXCERPT Mark Mallet Blog: ANATOMY OF THE STORM 

Based on the Early Church Fathers and ecclesiastical writers, and illumined by authentic private revelation and the words of our contemporary Popes, there are four distinct periods to the Storm which has arrived. How long these phases last is something we cannot be certain of, or even if they will be completed within this generation. However, events are unfolding very rapidly and I feel the Lord telling me that time is very, very short, and that it is urgent that we continue to stay awake and pray. 

Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets… I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away… ((Amos 3:7; John 16:1)

FIRST PHASE The First Phase is part of history already: the time of forewarning. Particularly since 1917, Our Lady of Fatima forecast that this Storm would come if there were not sufficient repentance by earth's inhabitants. St. Faustina further wrote, based on words Jesus gave her, that He was "prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of sinners" and that this was a "sign for the end times." God has continued to send our Lady, who has either spoken to us directly, or through chosen individuals: mystics, seers, and other souls exercising the ordinary prophetic office, who have warned of an approaching Storm which will conclude a time of grace.

The world is now experiencing collectively the first winds of this Great Hurricane. Jesus called these the "labor pains" (Luke 21:10-11). They do not signal the end of time, but rather the approaching end of an era. This part of the Storm will grow in ferocity before the Eye of the Storm reaches humanity. Nature is going to shake us, and worldly comfort and security will fall to the ground like figs from a tree (Jeremiah 24:1-10).

SECOND PHASE With calamity having struck many regions of the world, the Eye of the Storm will suddenly appear overhead. The winds will cease, silence will cover the earth, and a great light will shine into our hearts. In an instant, everyone will see themselves as God sees their souls. This is the great Day of Mercy which will offer the world an opportunity to repent and receive the unconditional love and mercy of God. The response of the world at this time will determine the severity of the Third Phase.

THIRD PHASE This period will bring about the decisive end of this era and the purification of the world. The Eye of the Storm will have passed, and the great winds will begin again in a fury. An Antichrist will arise during this phase, and for a brief time he will eclipse the Sun, bringing a great darkness over the earth. But Christ will break through the clouds of evil and put the lawless one to death, destroying his earthly dominion, and establishing a reign of peace.

But when this Antichrist shall have devastated all things in this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the temple at Jerusalem; and then the Lord will come… sending this man and those who follow him into the lake of fire; but bring in for the righteous the times of the kingdom, that is, the rest, the hallowed seventh day. —St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Fragments, Book V, Ch. 28, 2; from The Early Church Fathers and Other Works, published in 1867.

FOURTH PHASE The Storm will have purified the earth of evil and, for an extended period of time, the Church will enter into a time of rest, unprecedented unity, and peace (Rev 20:4). Civilization will be simplified and man will be at peace with himself, with nature, and above all with God. Prophecy will be fulfilled, and the Church will be prepared to receive her Bridegroom at a time appointed and known only by the Father.

When the tempest passes, the wicked man is no more; but the just man is established forever. (Prov 10:25)

TIME OF PREPARATION IS ENDING Brothers and sisters, the Great Storm is here. We must be ready for what is coming. Simply, that means living in a state of grace, doing the Lord's will moment by moment as if today were our last day on earth. God has arranged, for those who have responded in this time of grace, places of refuge and spiritual protection which, I believe, will also become great centers of evangelization as well. Again, this time of preparation is not a self-help manual for self-preservation but is to prepare us for proclaiming the Name of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, something the Church is called to do at all times, in every age, and in every place. Two very clear goals remain ahead of us: The first is to gather as many souls as possible into the Ark before the Third Phase; the second is to completely surrender with childlike trust to God, who watches over and cares for His Church as a Groom for His Bride. BE NOT AFRAID.

For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. (Hos 8:7)

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 6- "On remembrance of death"

7. He who with undoubting trust daily expects death is virtuous; but he who hourly yields himself to it is a saint.


May 22, 2008    

(Mar 11:25) And when you shall stand to pray, forgive, if you have aught against any man: that your Father also, who is in heaven, may forgive you your sins.

PLEASE JOIN ME IN PRAYING FOR TED KENNEDY'S HEALTH AND HIS FULL CONVERSION TOWARDS LIFE!

HEADLINE: Diagnosed With Tumor, Kennedy Leaves Hospital

Minister Once Shoved by Kennedy Urges Prayer for Senator

Following news of Massachusetts senator Edward Kennedy's diagnosis with a brain tumor, conservative evangelical minister Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK), who was once angrily shoved by the Senator, today urged all Christians to pray for the man with whom he has had many disagreements.

Schenck, who heads a ministry to top government officials in Washington, has met Kennedy several times. During one encounter Schenck gently admonished Kennedy to return to the deep Christian faith of his mother. Kennedy responded by shoving Schenck aside with a hand to his chest.

"I've always extended every courtesy and all due respect to Senator Kennedy," said Schenck. "But we have had a few unpleasant moments over the years including one when he physically shoved me. Still, God loves Ted Kennedy and it's my obligation as a Christian to do the same. My thoughts and prayers are with the Senator and the entire Kennedy family. I urge all Christians to pray for him."

CAL THOMAS: God bless Ted Kennedy

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 6- "On remembrance of death"

6. A true sign of those who are mindful of death in the depth of their being is a voluntary detachment from every creature and complete renunciation of their own will.


May 21, 2008    

(Luke 18:7-8) And will not God revenge his elect who cry to him day and night? And will he have patience in their regard? I say to you that he will quickly revenge them. But yet the Son of man, when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth?

ZENIT.ORG: "Mission is a duty about which one must say 'Woe to me if I do not evangelize' (1 Corinthians 9:16)," Benedict XVI said, citing the words of the Apostle Paul, who personally experienced that "redemption and mission are acts of love," because "those who proclaim the Gospel participate in the charity of Christ."

"It is love that must move us to proclaim to all men with frankness and courage the truth that saves," he explained. "A love that must radiate everywhere and reach the heart of every man. Indeed, men await Christ."

Cardinal says Britain must not be a 'God-free zone'

British public life cannot be a "God-free zone", the head of the Catholic church in England and Wales recently warned.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said he was unhappy about attempts to "eliminate the Christian voice" from the public forum. He urged Catholics to prevent the country from becoming a "world devoid of religious faith" through a deeper engagement with God by praying, studying and performing charitable acts.

Speaking in a lecture at Westminster Cathedral, he said there was "considerable spiritual homelessness", and even if people wanted to believe they felt faith was not an option.

"Many people have a sense of being in a sort of exile from faith-guided experience. This is the effect of the privatisation of religion today: religion comes to be treated as a personal need. You cannot banish religion to the church premises. There are social currents that want to isolate religion from other forms of knowledge and experience in order to marginalise it."

COMMENTARY: Europe: The Dark Continent

SPERO NEWS: One of 10 Americans is ex-Catholic, says poll

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 6- "On remembrance of death"

5. As tin is distinct from silver, although it resembles it in appearance, so for the discerning there is a clear and obvious difference between the natural and contranatural fear of death.


May 20, 2008  

(Lev 19:19) Keep ye my laws. Thou shalt not make thy cattle to gender with beasts of any other kind. Thou shalt not sow thy field with different seeds. Thou shalt not wear a garment that is woven of two sorts.

UK parliament backs human-animal embryo research

Britain's parliament voted on Monday to allow the creation of human-animal embryos which some scientists say are vital to research cures for diseases but critics argue pervert the course of nature.

In a separate vote, parliament also decided to allow parents of children suffering serious diseases to use in-vitro fertilisation to select "savior siblings" who can act as donors for transplants to save their sick brothers and sisters.

Parliament defeated an amendment to ban inter-species research -- in which human DNA is injected into cells derived from animals -- by 336 to 176 after hours of impassioned debate on ethics versus science.

The vote means Britain retains its status as a world leader in stem cell research. Human-animal embryo research is banned in some countries including Australia, France, Germany and Italy.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown supports the creation of human-animal or "admixed" embryos but some Roman Catholic members of his government oppose the research. Brown allowed members of parliament to vote by conscience rather than on party lines.

"If we want to sustain stem cell research and bring new cures and treatments to millions of people, I believe admixed embryos are necessary," Brown argued in a newspaper article.

MORE: Hybrid embryos: What do the votes mean?

Cardinal Rigali: ban 'human-animal' experiments

"The alleged promise of embryonic stem cells has already been used in attempts to justify destroying human embryos, and even to justify creating them solely for destructive research," Cardinal Rigali said.

"Now, the same utilitarian argument is being used to justify an especially troubling form of genetic manipulation, to create partly human creatures as mere objects for research or commercial use."

The cardinal added that the human-animal hybrid procedure not only "radically undermines human dignity" but makes it "impossible to determine what is human and what is not."

MORE MAD SCIENCE

'Now we have the technology that can make a cloned child'
Scientist team creates first GM human embryo
Method to spot viable IVF embryos

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 6- "On remembrance of death"

4. As of all foods, bread is the most essential, so the thought of death is the most necessary of all works. The remembrace of death amongst those in the midst of society gives birth to distress and meditation, and even more, to despondency. But amongst those who are free from noise, it produces the putting aside of cares and constant prayer and guarding of the mind. But these same virtues both produce the remembrance of death, and are also produced by it.

May 16, 2008  

THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).

(John 17:20-21) And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in me. That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

BLOG: Why Episcopalian Bishop John Lipscomb Became a Catholic

RELATED: Conversion to Catholicism

LINK TO CATHOLIC TESTIMONIES: http://www.hereiamlord.com/testimonies.html

FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA Dennis DeLaurier: Jesus has reserved you a ticket

The payment for this ticked was paid for by Christ on the cross. Surely you must see how wonderful you are to God by His holy efforts to brig you back to Him? What sort of friend would send their beloved son to die for you? What sort of friend would follow you through your whole life offering you help and his spirit? What sort of god would place you in his heart and speak your name with loving tender words? That God is the Holy Trinity. You are Their focal point. You are a son or daughter of the most high Father who made all things. Your Brother and Savior is God the Son who became man and offers this paid up ticket into His most loving and forgiving heart. The ticket is waiting right now, but all of these tickets have an expiration date. Go and look at yours and you will notice that on that ticket is the date that you will die. As you look, you will see that it cannot be read by anyone except the giver. The good thing about the ticket is that it is still good if you are reading this. Go and quickly take this ticket as there may not be much time left. Tell others that they also have tickets there and that they may miss out on this most wonderful invitation. By taking your ticket, you can be placed into the heart of the Divine Mercy who will forgive your sins and call you brother or sister. You then will become a most loved and treasured member of the family of the Trinity. In fact, you will have found your eternal home. Don’t let the words “Cancelled” be stamped on your ticket, run now and get yours.

VIA Christian-Witness: Be ready to go and meet the Lord, for he is coming

Be ready to go and meet the Lord, O Israel, for he is coming. You too must be ready, for at a time when you do not expect it the Son of Man will come. Nothing is more certain than that he is coming, nothing more uncertain than when he is coming. So far is it from being our province to know the times and seasons which the father has appointed by his own authority, that not even to the angels who stand in his presence is it granted to know that day and hour.

As for our own last day, it is most sure that this will come upon us, but most unsure when, or where, or from what quarter it will come. All we know is that, as the traditional saying has it, what is knocking at the door of the elderly lies in ambush for the young.

Death which lurks in ambush is the more to be feared in that it can the less be seen and guarded against. There is only one security, and that is never to feel secure. Thus our fear, prompting us to watch ourselves carefully, keeps us always prepared until fear gives way to security, not security to fear.

~ Guerric of Igny, Abbot 1070 - 1157

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 6- "On remembrance of death"

2. The remembrance of death is a daily death; and the remembrance of our departure is an hourly sighing or groaning.

May 15, 2008  

(Luke 12:5) But I will shew you whom you shall fear: Fear ye him who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you: Fear him.

MORE ON OUR LADY OF LAUS

On Sunday, May 4, 2008, during a Mass celebrated in the town of Laus in the French Alps, Bishop Jean-Michel de Falco of Gap, accompanied by numerous cardinals and archbishops from around the world, announced the official approval of the Church of the Marian apparitions to Benôite (Benedicta) Rencurel between 1664 and 1718.

During the Mass, attended by Roman Curia officials including Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, Bishop de Falco noted these are the first Marian apparitions to be approved in the 21st century by the Vatican and the Church in France. He called it the most singular event to take place in France since the apparitions of Lourdes in 1862.

"I recognize the supernatural origin of the apparitions and the events and words experienced and narrated by Benedicta Rencurel. I encourage all of the faithful to come and pray and seek spiritual renewal at this shrine. Nobody is obliged to believe in apparitions," he continued, "even in those officially recognized, but if they help us in our faith and our daily lives, why should we reject them?" the bishop asked.

The shrine of Our Lady of Laus attracts some 120,000 pilgrims each year. The Catholic philosopher Jean Guitton called it "one of the most hidden and powerful shrines of Europe."

EXCERPT Michael Matt: Sanctuary in the Alps

"Most of us, however, had never before even heard of the message or apparitions of Notre Dame Du Laus. Even most Catholics in France have not heard of Notre Dame Du Laus. Why? Because our Lady's message to Benoite, aside from being filled with great hope, also had another aspect to it—an aspect that is anything but popular to the Church in the modern world. The message placed a tremendous amount of emphasis on the dangers of sin, the importance of repentance, the absolute "essential to salvation" nature of the Sacrament of Penance, and the necessity of receiving that Sacrament frequently. During the lifetime of Benoite, and for centuries after her death, Laus was a place of great spiritual healing through the Sacrament of Penance. An incredible number of Catholics from every class (peasantry, gentry, and nobility) over the centuries since 1647 found their way back onto the road that leads to salvation, as a direct consequence of the message of Notre Dame Du Laus and the sanctity of the seer Benoite, who proclaimed that message to the world."

SPIRITDAILY: Spokesman Says Apparition Was Okayed Because of Seer's Beatification Process  

OVERVIEW: Our Lady of Laus- Refuge of Sinners

CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY: Expert explains Church's criteria for confirming Marian apparitions

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 6- "On remembrance of death"

1. Every word is preceded by thought. And the remembrance of death and sins precedes weeping and mourning. Therefore, this subject comes in its proper place in this chapter.

May 14, 2008  

(Psa 122:6-8) Pray ye for the things that are for the peace of Jerusalem: and abundance for them that love thee. Let peace be in thy strength: and abundance in thy towers. For the sake of my brethren, and of my neighbours, I spoke peace of thee.

Pope asks Israel to help keep Catholics in Holy Land

Pope Benedict appealed to Israel on Monday to help stem a sharp decline in the country's minority Christian population, saying Catholics had grown particularly vulnerable to Middle East conflicts.

He also called for Israel to allow greater mobility for Palestinians, including travel to places of worship, "so that they too can enjoy greater peace and security".

"I know that you share my concern over the alarming decline in the Christian population in the Middle East, including Israel, through emigration," the pontiff said.

"I pray that ... ways will be found of reassuring the Christian community, so that they can experience the hope of a secure and peaceful future in their ancestral homelands."

The pontiff made the comments in an address to receive Israel's new ambassador to the Holy See, Mordechay Lewy, who became the fifth envoy since the Vatican and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1994.

The Vatican supports Israel's right to exist within secure borders and also supports an independent Palestinian state.

The pope said Palestinians had an equal right to prosperity and asked Israel "to make every effort to alleviate the hardship suffered by the Palestinian community".

COMMENTARY: Father Raymond J. de Souza: Why Christians should care about Israel

RELATED: Group tries to stop flow of Christian emigration from Holy Land

OPINION: It's time to be enraged at the persecution of Christians

HEADLINES

Christian leaders sign on for peace in Israel
Churches in Jerusalem to Pray for Peace
Israel celebrates its 60th anniversary

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 5- "On painstaking and true repentance"

39. In the case of cowardly and slothful people, the falls that occur after our call are hard to bear; they crush the hope of dispassion and persuade us to regard our having barely risen form the pit of sin as a state of blessedness. Look, look! For certainly we do not return by the way we went astray, but by another shorter route.

May 13, 2008  

LINK: The Message of Fatima

Msgr. William McGrath: "When all is said and done, our primary responsibility is not the conversion of Russia or the prevention of world wars, but the salvation of that little world within ourselves over which, with God's help, we must exercise control, and for which we shall one day have to render an account to God in judgment. What will it profit us, even if Russia is converted and an era of peace be granted to humanity, if we have failed in the great task for which we were created, the salvation of our own immortal souls."

Fatima - With its origins deep in history, it was during the Arabian occupation that this settlement developed and was named. According to legend, during the Christian Reconquest, the Templar knight Goncalo Hermingues, also known as Bringer-of-Moors, fell in love with Fatima, a Moor captured in the course of an ambush. Reciprocating the love, the young woman converted to Christianity and adopted the name Oureana.

In the sixteenth century, the settlement became a parish in the collegiate church of Ourem within the Diocese of Leiria.

Its subsequent development dates from the events known as the Apparitions of Fatima, in the early part of the twentieth century. It has become one of the key centres for the Cult of the Virgin Mary in Portugal and has been recognised world-wide by the Catholic Church.

The first apparition took place in 1917, in Cova da Iria, at the site of the current Sanctuary. The most important celebrations are held on 13th May (including the Candlelit Procession on the night of the 12th and the Farewell Procession closing the event on the 13th) and 13th October. Furthermore, the 13th of every month between these two dates is also a day of devotion.

For those interested in the historical context of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, visits can be made to the houses of the shepherd witnesses in the village of Aljustrel.

In the gardens of Casa de Lucia, there is a monument commemorating the second apparition of the Angel of Peace and the end of the Via Sacra which begins in the Sanctuary.

Along this route, there are 14 chapels donated by Hungarian Catholic refugees in the West. Of particular note is Valinhos, 400 metres from the village where monuments commemorate the fourth apparition in 1917 as well as the place chosen by the angel. Here, in 1916, the shepherds saw the Angel of Peace for the first and third times.

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 5- "On painstaking and true repentance"

38. Nothing equals or excels God's mercies. Therefore, he who despairs is committing suicide. A sign of true repentance is the acknowledgment that we deserve all the afflictions, visible and invisible, that come upon us, and even greater ones. Moses, after seeing God in the bush, returned again to Egypt, that is, to darkness and to the brick-making of Pharaoh, who was symbolical of the spiritual Pharaoh. But he went back again to the bush, and not only to the bush, but also up the mountain. Whoever has known divine vision will never despair of himself. Job became a beggar, but he became twice as rich again.

May 9, 2008  

THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).

POPE JOHN PAUL II: "In contemplating Mary's powerful intercession as she waits for the Holy Spirit, Christians of every age have frequently had recourse to her intercession on the long and tiring journey to salvation, in order to receive the gifts of the Paraclete in greater abundance".

Praying with Mary our Mother for the Spirit (Acts 1:14)

And so after Jesus was taken up from them into heaven, the Apostles, leaving Mount Olivet still somewhat confused but yet hopeful, returned to Jerusalem, and went to the upper room, where they now waited patiently together with Mary for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and they all joined in continuous prayer for the gift of the Spirit during the ensuing nine days till the morning of Pentecost (Acts 1:2,9,11-14).

They must have recalled to mind Jesus' own example of constant and effective prayer, which had intrigued the disciple who then asked him to teach them to pray (Lk 11:1-2). They must have remembered Jesus' own teaching on prayer, as he elaborated on both what they should pray for and how they should pray, ending with the assurance: "How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Lk 11:9-13). They would thus not easily forget Jesus' promise to them at the last supper: "Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you, for the Father himself loves you" (Jn 15:16; 16:23-24,26-27).

Furthermore, the Apostles had Mary to inspire them, both by her testimony (Lk 1:46-55), and her example (Lk 8:21; 11:28). For it was in having opened herself in prayer, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word" (1:38), that the promise made by the angel, "the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you," was fulfilled (1:35).

Consequently, because the Father's greatest gift to his children is the Holy Spirit, whom he is always ready to give immediately, freely and joyfully, so, firstly, the main object, in a way the only object, of our prayer should be to be given and to receive the Holy Spirit; and, secondly, all that we, as his children, need to do is to ask for it from the Father with expectant faith, confident that we will receive (Lk 11:9-12).

ZENIT.ORG: On Mary's Maternal Presence at Pentecost

Letter of Pope Paul VI: The Holy Spirit and Mary

Iconography via the National Library of the Netherlands: http://www.kb.nl/manuscripts/highlights/index.html

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 5- "On painstaking and true repentance"

37. We must carefully consider whether our conscience has ceased to accuse us, not as a result of purity, but because it is immersed in evil. A sign of deliverance from our falls is the continual reckoning of ourselves as debtors.

May 8, 2008  

POPE BENEDICT XVI: "The Church is always, so to say, in a state of Pentecost. Gathered in the Cenacle, she prays incessantly to obtain ever new effusions of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, ... and is not afraid to announce the Gospel to the furthest confines of the earth. This is why, faced with difficulties and divisions, Christians cannot resign themselves or give way to discouragement.

FROM THE MAILBAG
REFLECTION by Father Ted – My dearest Lord Jesus, before You returned home to be with Your Father in heaven, You exhorted Your disciples to prepare themselves for the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

Already on Easter Sunday night You had given them some of the power of the Holy Spirit when You bestowed upon them the ability to forgive the sins of others – which power rightly belongs to You and to the Father.

On Pentecost You wanted them to receive the Holy Spirit in another way – which would enable them to love others just as You love them – this being the fulfillment of Your new commandment of Holy Thursday evening.

With such love, they would not be afraid to proclaim Your Gospel.

With such love, they would not be intimidated to be silent about the truth – about You.

With such love, they would not be hesitant to endure hardships – even suffering, even death.

To help them to get ready You exhorted them to prepare themselves under the maternal guidance of Your Mother, who on Good Friday afternoon became their mother as well.

She got them ready for the receiving of the Holy Spirit – through prayer.

And so on Pentecost morning – while they were praying with Mary, they received the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

What a difference He made in them.

Thank You for giving to them Your Holy Spirit.

Jesus, that same Holy Spirit, You want me to receive - in like manner.

Yes, I know that I received Him when I was baptized.

Yes, I know that I received Him when I was confirmed.

I know that I received Him when I was ordained a priest.

Through these great sacraments, I have received Your Holy Spirit.

Yet, I need to receive Him in a new way – so that I can finally begin to love others as You have commanded me.

Help me to be open to receive Him in this new way – with all of the spiritual gifts that He desires to bestow upon me so that I can truly and effectively love others as You have commanded.

Come Holy Spirit; fill my heart with the fire of Your Divine Love! Come Holy Spirit! Come!

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 5- "On painstaking and true repentance"

35. Those living in the world, and they only, are strangers to these two assurances, and especially the first. But through almsgiving, some so run the race that they know at their departure what their gain has been.

May 7, 2008  

PRO-LIFE NEWS HEADLINES

Italian Mother "Lays Down Her Life" for Her Unborn Child
Alaska governor balances newborn's needs, official duties
Catholic Beliefs Cast Shadow Over Italian Abortions
"We are praying for an end to abortion"

"SILENT NO MORE"- Women give gripping testimonies on abortion

EDITORIAL: The Inevitable Triumph of the Pro-Life Position

FROM THE MAILBAG

Update from Dawn: If anyone really wants to know...here's what I know about my breast cancer.

Stage: 2B

This Friday, May 2nd, *tomorrow* I will have a PET scan.

Next Tuesday, May 6th, I begin chemotherapy. I will have 4 "treatments" (is that what they're called?), each are 3 weeks apart. So, I figure, if all goes as planned: May 6, May 27, June 17, and July 8. The doctor said this was the plan, but depending on how I do, she may add a 5th and maybe a 6th treatment.

I then start 7 weeks of radiation.

Then, I will take Femara & Armidex for 5 years.

One more thing...They looked at my veins, and I don't need a port, so I'm not having one put in.

Maybe it's too much info. I never knew anyone with breast cancer before. I'm a sidewalk counselor for the Coalition for Life at our local Planned Parenthood. I tell these young women, through the fence, that with an abortion, especially if it is their first pregnancy, and in the first trimester, their chances for breast cancer goes up.

I never had an abortion. Nobody in my family has ever had any kind of cancer (that I know of). This was a total surprise. I thank all for the prayers. I could feel them carrying me through this time. I'm going to make it. The Good Lord Willing!

Of course, I'm offering it up! All of you, and your intentions are in my intentions. Always and forever. God Bless.

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 5- "On painstaking and true repentance"

34. Let no one who laments expect assurance at his departure. For the unknown is not sure. Spare me, through assurance, that I be refreshed before I go hence unassured (of salvation). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, the bond is loosed. Where there is profound humility, the bond is loosed. But let those who are without these two assurances make no mistake: they are bound.

May 6, 2008  

Roman Catholic Church recognizes 17th century apparitions of Virgin Mary to French shepherdess

A Roman Catholic bishop said Sunday that the church has officially recognized that the Virgin Mary appeared to a teenage shepherd girl in the French Alps starting in the mid-1600s.

The announcement marks the first time the church has recognized apparitions of the Virgin Mary in France since those in southwestern Lourdes 150 years ago, the diocese of Gap and Embrun said.

Speaking at Mass in Laus in remarks broadcast nationally on France-2 television, Monsignor Jean-Michel di Falco Leandri said he recognized the "supernatural origin" of the apparitions to 17-year-old shepherd girl Benoite Rencurel starting in 1664 and running through 1718.

The bishop, in an interview on France-Info radio, said the decision meant the church "has committed itself in an official way to say to pilgrims 'you can come here in total confidence.'" The recognition process involved a panel of experts including two theologians and an investigating judge, he said.

Radio Vatican's Web site said some 30 cardinals and bishops from around the world were expected for the Mass in Laus, to attend the "celebration" of the recognition.

FIRST MARIAN APPARITIONS

Our Lady of the Pillar - First apparition of Mary before the Assumption
Apparation to Gregory the Wonderworker- First known apparition of Mary after the Assumption

STILL UNAPPROVED VIA The Workers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: “Our Lady of Garabandal has sustained my priestly life all these years. With joy and gratitude I present my testimony…”

These are the words of Fr. Richard W. Gilsdorf taken from an article written for GARABANDAL Magazine in July 1990. Fr. Gilsdorf, who passed away in 2005, spent a life of priestly service to the people of the Diocese of Green Bay Wisconsin. He was a supremely well educated scripture scholar holding degrees from Columbia University and the Sorbonne and actively involved in the debate on the course of the Catholic Church in America.

As a published author his articles appeared in the Homiletic and Pastoral Review and The Wanderer and have been collected in a recently released work The Signs of the Times: Understanding the Church since Vatican II. He was the founder and first president of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy. Like Father John Hardon, he was also a firm believer in the Garabandal events, spreading the tenets of Our Lady’s Message through his priestly ministry.

We are most fortunate to have the certainty that many of the initial impressions of the Garabandal events were recorded and interpreted by holy priests. We preserve on our website the published writings of Fathers Pelletier, Turner, Benac, Laffineur and de Pesquera as the primary historical documents which chronicle the apparitions and maintain their interpretations of the prophecies.

Among these priests, we would highlight this work by Fr. Gilsdorf for its emphasis on the dignity of the priesthood which is derived from the central role of the Eucharist in the Church and also for the comparison of the Garabandal prophecies to the revelations of St. Faustina Kowalska. In the wake of Our Holy Father’s successful visit to America, we echo Fr. Gilsdorf’s plea to renew the priestly life and the life of the Church throughout the world by drawing nearer to Our Lady and living her Message more fully in our daily lives.

Fr. Gilsdorf's article: http://ww2.emailfusion.net/tools/home.aspx?gcode=y&ci=11D86B819CB3&cni=10DB658A

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 5- "On painstaking and true repentance"

33. He who really keeps account of his actions considers as lost every day in which he does not mourn, whatever good he may have done in it.

May 2, 2008  

THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).

(Rev 3:17-19) Because thou sayest: I am rich and made wealthy and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold, fire tried, that thou mayest be made rich and mayest be clothed in white garments: and that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear. And anoint thy eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. Such as I love, I rebuke and chastise. Be zealous therefore and do penance.

OPINION: The Global Imperative of Regaining Our Catholic Identity

COMMENTARY: Secular world forces a choice: Mystic or unbeliever?

IN THE NEWS: Many leave Catholic Church, but converts help sustain it

EXCERPT Father Corapi, April 2008- The Holy Father and those faithful to him and to the Church Jesus built upon the Rock—which is Christ, with Peter (Rock) grafted into Himself—represent a sure and solid sign of the constancy and solidity of what we love and believe—the Truth! Often this world is like a desert with a sandstorm howling. Everything is blown about by the winds of mere personal opinions and false philosophies and ideologies.

The Pope, as the visible Head of the Church, is indeed a rock grafted into the Rock who is Christ himself. This is solid. This is constant and unchanging. Humanity craves the certitude of faith, not a torrent of doubts and fears. This is what the Holy Father brings wherever he goes. Let the storms blow and rage. Our house is built on solid Rock, and will stand fast throughout the changing times until Jesus our Hope comes again in glory.

COMMUNION OF SAINTS

'Miracle' hastens Cardinal John Henry Newman's beatification
Vatican declares Knights of Columbus founder Father McGivney venerable'
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha's Cause Going To The Vatican
Venezuelans celebrate beatification of Mother Candelaria de San Jose
Next step taken on the path to sainthood for Father Damien who ministered to Hawaii's lepers

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 5- "On painstaking and true repentance"

32. After your fall, do not believe him who says to you of small shortcomings: 'If only you had not done that great fault! But this is nothing in comparison'. Often small gifts appease the great anger of the Judge.

May 1, 2008    

(Act 1:10-11) And while they were beholding him going up to heaven, behold two men stood by them in white garments. Who also said: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen him going into heaven.

TIMELY LINK:  Signs of the Second Coming
RELATED: Are We Living in the Last Days?

KEYSOFPETER.ORG: The twentieth century will have been an era of massive attacks on life, an endless series of wars and a continual taking of innocent human life. False prophets and false teachers have had the greatest success.

 - John Paul II, Christ Alone Gives Life, August 14, 1993

Venerable John Henry Newman and St. Maximus of Turin explain the significance of the Ascension

Venerable John Henry Newman:

"Moses brought out of Egypt a timid nation, and in the space of forty years trained it to be full of valor for the task of conquering the promised land; Christ in forty days trains his apostles to be bold and patient instead of cowards. They mourned and wept at the beginning of the season, but at the end they are full of courage for the good fight; their spirits mount high with their Lord, and when he is received out of their sight, and their own trial begins, they return to Jerusalem with great joy, and are continually in the temple, praising and blessing God."

St. Maximus of Turin compares Christ to an eagle that swoops down to wrest the prey from another:

"As the prophet says, Ascending on high he led captivity captive; he gave gifts to men.. The undoubted meaning of these words is this: that since the devil led the human race captive, our Lord, by wresting it from him, took it captive himself, and as the prophet tells us, led that very captivity to the heights of heaven. Both captivities do indeed bear the same name, but they differ one from the other. The devil's captivity means enslavement; Christ's, on the contrary, means restoration to freedom."

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 5- "On painstaking and true repentance"

31. Before our fall, the demons say that God is a friend of man; but after the fall, that He is inexorable.
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