There is really not much can be said. Prayer and God in public schools are replaced by evil.

The pro-abortion  groups such as Planned Parenthood claim that this will help to eliminate pregnancies, yet another lie they want us to believe. The only certain way to deal with teenager’s pregnancies is to educate them and discourage promiscuity. By giving the contraceptive we are in fact encouraging promiscuity which will lead to more pregnancies and ever worse more teenage abortions.

Today Internet and the “blogosphere” in particular are filled with 9/11 remembrance post. Leading news stations across the country featuring memorials in NYC, Washington DC and fields of Pennsylvania. Some bloggers tend to speculate how 9/11 had divided us into 9/10 and 9/12 people. Remembering this tragic event helps us to heal, to remind us for what this nation stands stood for in the past. The 9/11 tragedy was enormous and we cannot forget the sacrifice of regular man and women who became heroes in the span of an hour.

But we have…

Forgotten!

One day a year is a heavy burden, yet our nation is bound to morn 356 days year over the lost lives of much bigger magnitude. No one remembers them except God. No one reads their namesa. No one brings flowers….. We prefer not to stand in the way of a “woman’s choice” and tell what she should do with her “own body”. The result? 4,000 lives are lost daily to abortion in this country. Their lives are snatched before they ever can experience the crisp mornings, translucent blue skies or golden-green leaves.

We may fight all wars we can trying to prevent another 9/11. We are losing a battle of major proportions at home. We are loosing it every 2.5 seconds 4000 times each day.

The Pope greeted the bishops recalling how they “come from different countries that have different ethnic groups, cultures and languages,” but how nonetheless their “ecclesial communities are united by the same faith in the Risen Christ handed down to us by the Apostles.”

“The various countries and the various social and religious environments in which your faithful live,” said the Pope, “bring no small number of repercussions to their Christian life.” These include questions such as “marriages between people of different confessions or religions which require … particular spiritual attention and a more harmonious cooperation with other Christian Churches, … the religious education of the new generations,” and “the formation of sacred ministers and their spiritual accompaniment in a multi-confessional environment.”

“It is important to help seminarians” and for priests “to cultivate an intimate relationship with Jesus if they wish to accomplish their mission to the full and not just see themselves as simple ‘employees’ of an ecclesiastical organization. The priest is at the complete service of the Church, a living and spiritual organism that draws her energy not from nationalistic, ethnic or political factors, but from the action of Christ present in her ministers.

“The Lord,” Benedict XVI added, “wished His Church to be open to everyone. … Over the course of the centuries, Tradition maintained [the Church’s] universalistic character unaltered as she slowly spread and came into contact with different languages, races, nationalities and cultures.”

The Holy Father then went on to refer to the difficult mission faced by prelates from this episcopal conference, and encouraged them “to be an evangelical ‘leavening’ that ferments society” and to seek to involve “all members of the People of God, using all available tools of Christian formation, translated into the various languages of the people. Such joint pastoral action cannot but bring beneficial effects,” also in the field of civil society.

“Today, a poorly understood modernity tends to give exaggerated emphasis to the requirements of the individual, to the detriment of the duties that all people have towards God and towards the community to which they belong.” Hence it is important “to highlight a correct conception of civil and public responsibility, because from such a vision arises the commitment to respect the rights of each, and the real integration of one’s own culture with that of others.”

“Providence placed your peoples on a European continent that, over these years, has been undergoing a process of reconstruction. Your Churches also consider themselves as part of this historical process, well knowing that they have their own specific contribution to make. Unfortunately there is no lack of obstacles: the scarcity of means because of the economic situation, and the paucity of Catholic forces. Nor is it easy to forget the difficult heritage of 40 years of,” communism “that gave rise to forms of social behavior not conducive to freedom and personal responsibility. At the same time, it is difficult to resist the temptation of Western materialism.”

“Do not lose heart!” the Holy Father concluded, reminding the prelates that the Lord “has put you in close contact with our Orthodox brethren. As limbs of the one Body, seek all possible forms of collaboration in the service of the one Kingdom of God. Do not be unwilling to collaborate with other Christian confessions and with all people of good will in order to promote everything that may help propagate the values of the Gospel.”

“Deeply saddened by news of the shooting at Virginia Tech, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has asked me to convey the assurance of his heartfelt prayers for the victims, their families and for the entire school community. In the aftermath of this senseless tragedy he asks God our Father to console all those who mourn and to grant them that spiritual strength which triumphs over violence by the power of forgiveness, hope and reconciling love.”

In the evening, in the Paul VI Hall, a concert was held in the Holy Father’s honor, given by the Radio Symphony Orchestra (SWR) of Stuttgart, Germany. The orchestra, directed by the Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, played pieces by Giovanni Gabrieli (1554/57-1612), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904).

At the end of the concert, the Pope thanked the conductor and musicians, expressing his conviction that music “truly is the universal language of beauty, capable of uniting men and women of good will all over the world, bringing them to raise their gaze to the Heights and aspire to absolute Good and Beauty, the ultimate source of which is God Himself.

“In looking back over my own life,” he added, “I thank God for having given me music which, almost as a travelling companion, has always brought me comfort and joy.”

The Holy Father also expressed his gratitude “to the people who, from the earliest years of my infancy, introduced me to this source of inspiration and serenity. I thank those who unite music and prayer in harmonious praise of God and His works. They help us to glorify the Creator and Redeemer of the world.”

“This is my desire,” he concluded: “that the greatness and beauty of music may also give you, dear friends, a new and continual inspiration to build a world of love, solidarity and peace.”

After the concert, those present sang “Happy Birthday” to the Pope in Italian and German.

Concelebrating with the Pope were 60 cardinals, archbishops and bishops of the Roman Curia, as well as auxiliary bishops and a representative of the priests of the diocese of Rome. Also present at the Mass was Metropolitan Ioannis (Zizioulas) of Pergamo, the envoy of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople.

Opening his homily, Benedict XVI recalled how Servant of God John Paul II had wished this Sunday to be dedicated to Divine Mercy. In the word “mercy” said Pope Benedict, John Paul II “saw the entire mystery of the Redemption summarized and newly interpreted for our times. … He had a profound experience of the shadows that threaten the world even in our own time. But he also experienced, and no less strongly, the presence of God Who opposes all these forces with His power that is completely different and divine: with the power of mercy.”

“It is mercy that places a limit to evil. In mercy, all God’s utterly unique power is expressed: His sanctity, the power of truth and of love.”

At his death John Paul II “entered into the light of Divine Mercy, from where … he new speaks to us in a completely new way. ‘Have faith,’ he tells us, ‘in divine Mercy! Day after day, become men and women of God’s mercy!’.”

Pope Benedict then recalled how “precisely during these days particularly illuminated by Divine Mercy,” he was celebrating his own 80th birthday.

“I have always considered it a great gift that birth and rebirth were granted me, so to say, together, on the same day,” said the Holy Father referring to the fact that he had been baptized on the day he was born. “Thus, in the course of one single day, I was born as a member of my own family and of the great family of God.”

The Pope gave thanks to God for having had the chance to experience “the meaning of ‘family,’ … the meaning of paternity, … and for having been able to enjoy a profound experience of the significance of maternal goodness.”

And the Holy Father expressed particular thanks “because, from my first day, I was able to enter and grow in the great community of believers.”

“Birth and rebirth; earthly family and the great family of God,” he said, “this is the great gift of God’s multiple mercies, the foundation upon which we rest.”

Ordained a priest on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in 1951, Benedict XVI recalled his vocation as “a new and demanding gift,” that gave him the opportunity to experience how “the Lord is not only the Lord, but also a friend. He has placed His hand over me and will not abandon me.”

Having become Pope, “with the increased burden of responsibility the Lord has also brought new help to my life. I often note with joy how many are the people who support me with their prayer; who with their faith and love help me to undertake my ministry; who are indulgent with my weakness.”

The Pope concluded by noting how “God’s mercies accompany us each day. All we must do is remain alert to perceive them. We are too inclined to note only the daily struggle, … but if we open our hearts, then we can, though immersed in that struggle, continually note how good God is to us; how He thinks of us in small things thus helping us to achieve great ones.”

The Italian publishing house, Rizzoli, entrusted by the Vatican Publishing House with the sale of the rights of the book throughout the world, today released a press communique stating that “‘Jesus of Nazareth’ is the first part of a two-volume work examining Jesus’ public life from His Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration.”

“On the one hand,” the communique continues, “this is a pastoral narrative … offering an introduction to the principles of Christianity. … On the other, the text is an essay that maintains the strict academic discipline that distinguish the writings and talks of the theologian Joseph Ratzinger.

“The pastoral concerns of the Pope,” it adds, “and his exceptional theological doctrine, come together to focus on the central theme of the work: the conviction that, in order to understand the figure of Jesus Christ, it is necessary to start from His union with the Father.

“A historical-critical methodology is indispensable for serious exegesis.” Such a methodology “has granted access to a great quantity of material and knowledge that enable us to reconstruct the figure of Jesus with a profundity unimaginable a few decades ago. Nonetheless, only faith can lead to the understanding that Jesus is God; and if in the light of this conviction the sacred texts are read with the instruments of modern historical-critical methodology, … they reveal … a figure worthy of faith.

“For Joseph Ratzinger, faith and critical research are complementary, not antagonistic, and the Jesus of the Gospels is the historical Jesus,” the communique concludes.

A synopsis of the new volume, entitled “the Pope’s path towards Jesus,” makes it clear that this book “reflects the personal search by Joseph Ratzinger for the ‘face of Jesus,’ and is not a document of the Magisterium.”

“For Benedict XVI, the biblical text contains all the elements to affirm that the historical figure of Jesus Christ is also in fact the Son of God, Who came to earth to save humankind.”

“Based on the intimate unity between the Old and New Testament, and employing Christological hermeneutics which see in Jesus Christ to the key to the entire Bible, Joseph Ratzinger presents the Jesus of the Gospels as the ‘new Moses’ Who fulfills the ancient expectations of Israel. This new and true Moses must lead the people of God to real and definitive freedom. He does so through successive steps which, nonetheless, always allow God’s plan to be seen in its entirety.”

In this light, “the immersion of Jesus in the waters of the Jordan is the symbol of His death and descent into hell, a reality that accompanied Him throughout His life. In order to save humanity, … He had to overcome the principal temptations that in different forms threaten mankind of all times and, transforming them into obedience, reopen the way towards God, towards the Promised Land which is the Kingdom of God.”

“The theme of the ‘Kingdom of God’ which runs throughout Jesus’ announcement is given deeper consideration in the Pope’s reflection on the Sermon on the Mount, … in which the Beatitudes constitute the main points of the new Law and, at the same time, represent a self-portrait of Jesus.” The Sermon “shows that this Law is not just, as in Moses’ case, the result of a ‘face to face’ meeting with God, but carries in itself the fullness that arises from Jesus’ intimate union with the Father.”

Hence, a “fundamental element” of man’s life is “talking and listening to God. And for this reason Benedict XVI has dedicated an entire chapter to prayer, explaining the Our Father that Jesus Himself taught us.”

The synopsis continues: “The profound contact of men and women with God the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit brings them together in the ‘us’ of a new family which, with the choosing of the Twelve, recalls the origins of Israel. … Even in its highly varied composition, the new family of Jesus, the Church of all times, finds in Him the unifying center and the guidance to live the universal nature of His Gospel.

“In order to make the content of His message more accessible and to turn it into a form of practical guidance, Jesus used parables. … However, there is also a purely theological explanation of the meaning of the parables, and Joseph Ratzinger highlights this in a singularly profound analysis.”

The Holy Father’s book then goes on to consider “the metaphors used by Jesus to explain His mystery.” These are “the great images of St. John,” but “before analyzing them the Pope presents a very interesting summary of the various results of academic research into who John the Evangelist was,” and “opens new horizons for readers, revealing Jesus ever more clearly as the ‘Word of God’.”

“This point of view is broadened further in the last two chapters of the book … where the true mission of the Messiah of God and the destiny of those who follow Him is definitively established.” Finally “an in-depth analysis of the titles which, according to the Gospels, Jesus used for Himself, concludes the Pontiff’s book.”

“Alongside the man of faith, … alongside the highly sophisticated theologian, … what also emerges from this book is the pastor who truly manages to ‘encourage in readers the growth of a living relationship’ with Jesus Christ. … In this light,” the synopsis concludes, “the Pontiff is not afraid to tell the world that, by excluding God and clinging only to visible and material reality, we risk self destruction in the selfish search for a purely material wellbeing,” while renouncing the possibility “of achieving true freedom in the ‘Promised Land,’ the ‘Kingdom of God’.”

Speaking English, the archbishop highlighted how the current session coincided with the 40th anniversary of Paul VI’s Encyclical “Populorum Progressio,” which places emphasis “on the individual and on societies, both as the primary focus of development policies and as protagonists of their own development,” and “even today provides a sure guide for demographic policies to promote a culture respectful of the rights of the least-protected members of our human family, especially before birth and in extreme old age.

“The reports made to the commission this year,” he added, “suggest that dependency ratios are set to soar in some places, where an increasing number of elderly people will lay a heavier burden on the active population. It is to be hoped that States will work to foster respect for human life in all its stages and to find solutions that are right and just, not merely pragmatic. Here in particular, promoting solidarity between generations will be very valuable.”

Focussing on the situation in Africa, which “is set to have the lowest dependency ratio in the world,” Archbishop Migliore pointed out how “this projection should hand that continent an unprecedented advantage in economic terms, as a young and numerous workforce should be available to it until at least 2050, while the demographic dividend in most other regions will have run out. To assure that Africa does not miss this window of opportunity for economic development, it must be helped, inter alia, to invest in its human capital and infrastructure to underpin economic growth. Because many of this future work force are already born and are already of school age, my delegation believes that the most decisive investment to be made here is in education.

“The UN Secretariat estimates that to achieve primary education for all by 2015 would cost nine billion dollars estimated in 1998 dollar value. By any estimate, this can hardly be considered a high price to pay for such a prize,” said the archbishop. “Moreover, education, especially for girls and young women, can have a notable impact on population growth. As women become better educated, they gain greater respect; they become breadwinners; they acquire maturity in parental responsibility and a greater say in family affairs.

“Investing in people in this way,” he concluded, “especially in education, is surely to be preferred to legal imposition of limits, to artificial corrective measures and drastic policies, and to the unacceptable practice of eliminating fetuses, especially females, in order to limit population growth.”

The Holy Father will depart from Rome’s Fiumicino airport at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 9, arriving at the international airport of Sao Paulo / Guarulhos at 4.30 p.m. The welcome ceremony will be followed by an address from the Holy Father after which, at 5.30 p.m., he is due to fly by helicopter to the Campo de Marte airport where he will greet the local authorities. From there he will journey by open-top car to the monastery of Sao Bento where he will bless the faithful and spend the night.

On Thursday, May 10, he is due to celebrate Mass privately in the chapel of the monastery and, at around 10.30 a.m., to travel to the “Palacio dos Bandeirantes” in Sao Paulo to pay a courtesy visit to the president of the republic. Returning to the monastery of Sao Bento, the Holy Father will meet with representatives from other Christian confessions and other religions before lunching with members of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil. At 5.30 p.m., the Pope will travel to the “Paulo Machado de Carvalho” municipal stadium of Pacaembu where, at 6 p.m., he will deliver an address to the young people gathered there.

The following day, May 11, on Sao Paulo’s Campo de Marte field, the Holy Father will preside at a Mass during which he will canonize Blessed Frei Galvao. At 4 p.m. that afternoon, having bid farewell to his hosts at the monastery of Sao Bento, he will address Brazilian bishops in the cathedral of Sao Paulo.

At 6 p.m., the Holy Father is due to depart by helicopter from Campo de Marte airport and fly to Aparecida, arriving at 7 p.m.. Having greeted the local authorities there, he will travel to the Bom Jesus seminary to spend the night.

On Saturday, May 12, having celebrated Mass privately in the seminary chapel, the Pope will travel by car to the Fazenda da Esperanca in Guaratingueta, where he will visit the church and meet the community living there. Returning to the Bom Jesus seminary, the Pope will lunch with representatives of the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean. That afternoon he is due to go by car to the shrine of Aparecida where, having prayed the Rosary in the basilica, he will meet with priests, religious, seminarians and deacons.

On Sunday, May 13, the Pope will be taken in an open-top vehicle from the Bom Jesus seminary to the shrine of Aparecida where he will celebrate Mass to inaugurate the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean, and pray the Regina Coeli. That afternoon he is to pronounce an address during the opening session of the conference. At 6.50 p.m., having bid farewell to the staff and students of the Bom Jesus seminary, he will travel by helicopter from Apaercida to the international airport of Sao Paulo / Guarulhos where he will greet the authorities and deliver a talk before boarding his aircraft for Rome, where he is due to arrive at 12.45 p.m. on May 14.

Cardinals, archbishops and bishops of the Roman Curia, as well as auxiliary bishops and a representative of the priests of the diocese of Rome, will all concelebrate with the Pope.

“The Church in Rome and in the various parts of the world” the communique reads, “is invited to join the Holy Father Benedict XVI in raising to God the Father an intense prayer of thanksgiving for his 80th birthday and for the second anniversary of his election.”

Archbishop Wielgus’ resignation was preceded by highly publicized by polish media, the scandal involving some documents from the communist era. These documents supposedly provided evidence that Archbishop Wielgus collaborated with former communist secret police by spying on his fellow clergymen. But whom a regular catholic, either polish or elsewhere in the world should believe?

While the fact that Holy Father’s personal involvement in accepting Wielgus’ resignation may indicate that the scandal may be indeed damaging the church, this in noway proves the guilt of Archbishop Wielgus. In fact in may very well be the last attempt of dying communist influence to show that they are still viable force in this former communist country.

It is said to see that documents, that were produced and compiled by communists are gaining any form of credibility. Especially knowing that secret services in Poland as well as in other former communist states has often employed deceit, lies and threats in order to produces “collaboration”.

The execution of a capital sentence is always a tragic news, a cause of sadness, even when the person is guilty of terrible crimes. The Position of Catholic Church against the death penalty has often been reiterated. The killing of the guilty is not the way to rebuild justice and reconcile society, rather there is a risk of nourishing the spirit of revenge and inciting fresh violence. At this dark time in the life of Iraqi people , we cannot but put hope that all those in charge truly make every effort to ensure that, in such dramatic situation, hopes for reconciliation and peace are finally opened.

 

For more news from Vatican visit http://www.vatican.va

 

One first day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
a partridge in a pear tree.

 

On the second day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
two turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree.

 

Do you remember the song? Do you know the religious meaning behind it?

 

True Love- God.

Two Turtle Doves- Old and New Testament.

 

Keep coming back for next ten days and learn the rest of the song

 

 

 

Jesus is the reason for the season!

There are many arguments that can be made against or in favor of married priests. The fact of the matter is, that if married priesthood re-introduced back into the Roman Catholic Church, it will without question deeply affect the church and they way “business is done”.

Unlike with celibate clergy, Bishop will be limited on how often can they transfer a married priest from one parish to another. If married priesthood is allowed again for the benefit and wellbeing of priests families, bishops should consider of assigning the priest to one parish for as long time as possible. Today in the Roman Catholic church priest are moved from parish to parish, and it is unlikely to see a priest stay more than 10 years in one parish.

The married priesthood will most certainly be accomplished with some financial hardship on the part of the family of the priest. It is very unlikely that a priest alone can support his family today. His wife will have to contribute financially and even sometimes be what we call “the bread winner”. Currently most of the priests in the United States are covered with a medical insurance that is provided to them by their diocese. The insurance costs will definitely be a factor for many dioceses when considering married priesthood.

Some believe that the married priesthood will also solve the problem with shortage of priest. If allowing married priesthood comes in along with permission for the priests who have left to get married to reenter the ministry, it may provide a short term solution to the shortage, but it is very unlikely to be a long term solution. The orthodox churches in America are also suffer from the shortage of vocations although their priests can get married.

Supporters of married priesthood in the church say that it will eliminate many problems that church recently faced in regard to sexual abuse. Unfortunately pedophiles exists among married men as much, if not more.

It is not to say that married priesthood is something bad. In fact the married priesthood has potential to enhance the church. But in order to succeed in marriage, both the priest and his wife need to feel a special vocation to the life required by the priest. Many say that married priest will have to split his attention between the church and the family. If in marriage both become one, his wife should share with him the desire to work for the benefit of God’s church. This kind of approach can eliminate the need of dividing one’s attention, a both priest and his wife can dedicate themselves completely to the service of the church.

Please joing us to discuss this topic in our forums. We are looking to hear objective opinion in particular from married priests serving in the church today.

In his Gospel, Saint Mathew introducing the Christ relies on the prophecy from Isaiah:

Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel

The time of awaiting before the celebration of Christmas is called “Advent” and it is during this time that we hear the Church signing “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. Saint Matthew in his Gospel also explains the meaning of Emmanuel- “God is with us”. The Christmas therefore commemorating the birth of Jesus at the same time celebrates the mystery of God’s condescension to humanity. The Eastern Catholics along with Orthodox Christians on the eve of Nativity proclaim this mystery in the following manner during the celebration of Great Complines:

“God is with us! Understand all you nations, and submit yourself for God is with us!”

Celebrating the Nativity of Christ, Christians acknowledge and proclaim this truth not only within the frame of their prayers and liturgy, but as witnesses to the entire world. The Good News has certainly arrived. God is with us!

For Catholic and Orthodox Christians every celebration is interconnected and points towards Jesus’ suffering death and resurrection. It is also true of celebration of Nativity of Christ as well. Christ has come into the world to accomplish the will of the Father that “all will be saved”, which was fully fulfilled through his suffering, death and resurrection.

Christ is born, to bear our sins! Christ is born to die for us and to give us a new life!

In The Legend of Saint Nicholas, Demi describes pivotal events in the history and life of the saint, weaving a rich tapestry of luminous imagery into the story of his connection with Christmas and our modern-day Santa Claus. Demi’s gilded artwork brings Nicholas to life in a way sure to mesmerize readers new to the story of this fascinating and important historical figure.

While during the Easter time, most of the attacks are centered and revolved around what catholics believe about Jesus Christ. This Christmas season our Most Holy Mary, the Mother of God is at center of media rage. It may very well be due to the release of movie Nativity. In this article we will attempt to shed a light, from a catholic prospective, against some accusations.

First is very common one. You may hear on the TV that Blessed Mary was not really a virgin, that it was not part of Christian belief until about year 300 A.D., and that it was a “catholic invention”.

Unfortunately the above statements are very shallow and a closer look into the Bible can reveal entirely different picture. In order to do so we must take into account the nativity description from the Gospel of Saint Matthew. Since he was writing his gospel mainly for a Jewish reader, in the verse 23 of the 1st chapter of his Gospel he quotes from the prophet Isiah:

Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel (which means, God with us).

(Isaiah 7:1)

The question is why did Matthew chooses to use this particular prophecy to introduces Jesus to his readers? Is it maybe that, being born of a virgin was an important “identifier” for the Messiah?

There is also tendency to show that the birth of Christ did not really happened as it is described in the bible. This claim is based on seemingly different account of Nativity by  Saint Luke, who provided more descriptive story about Jesus’ birth and events surrounding it. All three gospels of Saints Matthew , Mark and Luke, make up what is known as Synoptic, which from Greek means “with one eye”, Gospels. Therefore these Gospel should be seen and understood as complimenting each other and not contradicting. Are we to claim that we know better what happened 2000 years ago? On what basis? Because we are so advance? It makes better sense to give the benefit of the doubt to the people who where remote from the birth of Christ less than 100 years, rather than to people who are remote from the events more that 2000 years.

Just watch and listen!

You can get the CD at Amazon, click on the image below:

Happy Birthday