A Catholic Blog for Lovers

2004-11-15T09:17:00.000-05:00

Updates

Leaving shortly for a few days in Lancaster county, PA. home of the "Pennsylvannia Dutch". I lived in Lancaster for a few years and liked much of it (and disliked some of it).

My twin sister, Peg, and her husband, Richard, are joining us. Eager to share some good and fun time together and to feast on the high comfort food of the Amish and Mennonites.

No word yet on my precious left behind items on Carnival. No idea even if they were recovered it not. It's not that I haven't tried, believe me. I grow less and less hopeful that I will ever see these items again.

And for those concerned about my physical condition lately (thanks, Susan, for your warm and encouging email, which I won't have time to reply to today), I will be seeing my main doctor this Thursday, God willing. Let's hope for the best.

2004-11-15T08:11:00.000-05:00

THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PRAYER

PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
SECTION ONE: PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

CHAPTER ONE: THE REVELATION OF PRAYER

ARTICLE 2: IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME cont'd

2603 The evangelists have preserved two more explicit prayers offered by Christ during his public ministry. Each begins with thanksgiving. In the first, Jesus confesses the Father, acknowledges, and blesses him because he has hidden the mysteries of the Kingdom from those who think themselves learned and has revealed them to infants, the poor of the Beatitudes.[48] His exclamation, "Yes, Father!" expresses the depth of his heart, his adherence to the Father's "good pleasure," echoing his mother's Fiat at the time of his conception and prefiguring what he will say to the Father in his agony. The whole prayer of Jesus is contained in this loving adherence of his human heart, to the mystery of the will of the Father.[49]

2604 The second prayer, before the raising of Lazarus, is recorded by St. John.[50] Thanksgiving precedes the event: "Father, I thank you for having heard me," which implies that the Father always hears his petitions. Jesus immediately adds: "I know that you always hear me," which implies that Jesus, on his part, constantly made such petitions. Jesus' prayer, characterized by thanksgiving, reveals to us how to ask: before the gift is given, Jesus commits himself to the One who in giving gives himself. The Giver is more precious than the gift; he is the "treasure"; in him abides his Son's heart, ; the gift is given "as well."[51]

The priestly prayer of Jesus holds a unique place in the economy of salvation.[52] A meditation on it will conclude Section One. It reveals the ever present prayer of our High Priest and, at the same time, contains what he teaches us about our prayer to our Father, which will be developed in Section Two.

2605 When the hour had come for him to fulfill the Father's plan of love, Jesus allows a glimpse of the boundless depth of his filial prayer, not only before he freely delivered himself up ("Abba . . . not my will, but yours."),[53] but even in his last words on the Cross, where prayer and the gift of self are but one: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do";[54] "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise", "Woman, behold your son" - "Behold your mother";[56] "I thirst.";[57] "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?";[58] "It is finished";[59] "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!"[60] until the "loud cry" as he expires, giving up his spirit.[61]

2606 All the troubles, for all time, of humanity enslaved by sin and death, all the petitions and intercessions of salvation history are summed up in this cry of the incarnate Word. Here the Father accepts them and, beyond all hope, answers them by raising his Son. Thus is fulfilled and brought to completion the drama of prayer in the economy of creation and salvation. The Psalter gives us the key to prayer in Christ. In the "today" of the Resurrection the Father says: "You are my Son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession."[62]

The Letter to the Hebrews expresses in dramatic terms how the prayer of Jesus accomplished the victory of salvation: "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered, and being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him."[63]

2004-11-15T07:43:00.000-05:00

Mini clash of civilizations

"The Netherlands has long been Europe's most permissive society — everything from window-shopping in Amsterdam for scantily clad hookers (50 to 80 Euros for 15 to 30 minutes) to hashish aroma in marijuana smoke-filled cafes. The government and the sex workers union protect some 30,000 women. The pimps are landlords and the aging prostitutes are quickly replaced with a steady influx from the former Soviet republics and East European countries.

A Dutch brothel chain is suing the government for failing to green-light the "Yum Yum Caviar Club" at Schiphol Airport "to cater to stressed travelers in transit." The government responded that plans for an airport bordello were on hold pending new building and space in the departure areas.

It was such Dutch tolerance, pragmatism and guilt about the country's colonial past that allowed hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Muslim Indonesia (a Dutch colony from the 17th century until World War II) to flood into tiny Holland. Today, Muslims are a majority among children under 14 in the Netherlands' four largest cities..."

2004-11-15T06:45:00.000-05:00

Today in Christian history

November 15, 1280: German theologian Albertus Magnus, teacher of Thomas Aquinas and defender of his theology (as well as a brilliant writer and spiritual master), dies at age 87. Declared a doctor of the Church in 1931 by Pope Pius XI, Pope Pius XII proclaimed him the patron of natural scientists in 1941.

November 15, 1397: Thomas Parentuchelli, who would later take the name Nicholas V and is considered the best of the Renaissance popes, is born. As pope he led a blameless personal life, loved the new studies in arts and sciences, restored many ruined churches, and founded the Vatican Library.

November 15, 1791: Georgetown - the first Catholic men's university in the US, opens in Washington D.C.

November 15, 1885: Mwanga, ruler of Buganda (now part of Uganda), beheads recent Anglican convert and royal family member Joseph Mukasa. Mukasa opposed the massacring of Anglican missionary bishop James Hannington and his colleagues in October. The bloodbath continued through January 1887 as the ruler killed Mukasa's Christian pages and other Anglican and Catholic leaders.

2004-11-14T09:42:00.000-05:00

Anguished O'Malley explains fiscal crisis

In a dramatic plea for understanding, Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley yesterday described his effort to close parishes as "personally repulsive to me," but he also urged Catholics to understand that the sweeping reorganization of the Boston Archdiocese is necessary because of the shrinking number of priests and a financial crisis he described as "much worse than most people realize."

Facing unprecedented unrest from local Catholics upset by his plan to close 83 of the 357 parishes in the beleaguered archdiocese, O'Malley drafted a 1,500-word letter of explanation and sent it yesterday to all parishes and to the news media. The letter is part of an intensified effort by O'Malley to secure support for the parish closings, which have already resulted in the shuttering of 47 churches this year but have also led to the takeover of eight parishes by angry laypeople, the arrest of one parishioner for trespassing, two civil lawsuits, and multiple canon law challenges..."

FULL TEXT OF ARCHBISHOP SEAN'S LETTER

"I am appealing to all Catholics to be Catholics first. I know that we all have a great love for our parish and parish church, but our first love must be for Christ and the Body of Christ which is the Church. Closing parishes is the hardest thing I have ever had to do in forty years of religious life. I joined the monastery knowing that I would have to do difficult things for the rest of my life, but I never imagined I would have to be involved in anything so painful or so personally repulsive to me as this. At times I ask God to call me home and let someone else finish this job, but I keep waking up in the morning to face another day of reconfiguration. So when people ask why I am doing this, I can only say it is because I love the Church and want to give my life to the service of the Church. If difficult decisions are not made now, the mission of the Church will be seriously compromised in the future..."

2004-11-14T07:11:00.000-05:00

Today in Christian history

November 14, 565: Roman Emperor Justinian dies at 82. During his reign, he reunited the Eastern and Western empires politically and religiously, erected several new basilicas in Constantinople, including the "Great Church" of Hagia Sophia, and created the Justinian Code, which greatly influenced the development of canon law in the Middle Ages.

November 14, 1180: Death of Saint Lawrence O'Toole, Archbishop of Dublin who brought peace among the Ostmen and the Irish factions in medieval times.

November 14,1550 - Pope Julius III, following in his predecessor's shoes, reopens the Council of Trent, taking a seat on this landmark Council.

November 14, 1990: British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge dies at 87. After editorial stints at the Manchester Guardian and Punch and years as a BBC commentator, the cynical and licentious Muggeridge quietly converted to Christianity. It was his reporting on Mother Teresa that first brought her to the public's attention. He and his wife Kitty were received into the Catholic Church in 1982.

November 14, 1996 - Death of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, advocate of "The Common Ground" project. Bernadin was controversial: praised by some, harshly criticized by some. But almost all agree that he faced his own death with dignity, courage, and faith.

2004-11-13T07:42:00.000-05:00

Today in Christian history

November 13, 354: Augustine of Hippo, convert, bishop, and Christian thinker, was born in Thagaste in North Africa. Of his many writings, two are still read widely: "Confessions" describes the circumstances leading to his conversion to the Christian faith, and "The City of God" was written as a Christian view of the sacking of Rome by the Visigoths in the year 410.

November 13, 867: Pope Nicholas I, one of the strongest proponents for Rome's primacy in the Church, dies. He is referred to, along with Popes Leo I and Gregory I, as "the Great."

November 13, 1618: The Dutch Reformed Church convenes the Synod of Dort to "discuss" the Arminian controversy. Of course, the synod's condemnation of Arminianism was a forgone conclusion—Arminians weren't even invited for another month. By April, 200 Arminian ministers (known as Remonstrants) were deposed by the Calvinist Synod, 15 were arrested, and one was beheaded for high treason.

November 13, 1938: The Catholic Church canonizes Francis Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the first saint who was an American citizen.

November 13, 1962: The name of Saint Joseph was added to the Roman Canon. It constituted the first alteration made to this canon since the seventh century.

2004-11-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

Remembering our dead

The Reformation cut off the living from the dead. But Catholic prayers for the departed are not about fear, or appeasement. They form part of a web of love

2004-11-12T10:40:00.000-05:00

Prayer request

It seems like several regulars of St Blog's are "under the weather" these days. I'm not exactly sure what's going on with me but sense I am not running at my usual and relative "one hundred percent." Some ominous signs (if they continue and get worse). I have a moved up appointment with my wonderful doctor this coming Thursday. I am planning a 2 night trip to Lancaster Pa. with my twin sister Peg and her husband and Father Michael - and seeing some friends, too, 2 sets of which just happen to be in Pennsylvannia Dutch country the same time as I happen to be passing through. And hopefully a few fun meals at places like "Good and Plenty" with its Amish style meals, plentiful indeed!

Things have been somewhat out of whack since returning from Paris. Since then something changed. Before that I used to envy those who could fall asleep at their desks and in cars and planes, etc. I couldn't. Now I have a hard time staying awake at my own desk!!! That's no big deal of itself, but combined with some water retention, congestion, and swelling in the akles - a matter of some concern. I don't write this to panic anyone. I am doing OK right now. But I am asking your prayers. And the fact that I have heard absolutely nothing from Carnival about my lost and priceless left behind items has not helped much either.

2004-11-12T06:21:00.000-05:00

THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PRAYER

PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
SECTION ONE: PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

CHAPTER ONE: THE REVELATION OF PRAYER

ARTICLE 2: IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME

2598 The drama of prayer is fully revealed to us in the Word who became flesh and dwells among us. To seek to understand his prayer through what his witnesses proclaim to us in the Gospel is to approach the holy Lord Jesus as Moses approached the burning bush: first to contemplate him in prayer, then to hear how he teaches us to pray, in order to know how he hears our prayer.

Jesus prays

2599 The Son of God who became Son of the Virgin also learned to pray according to his human heart. He learns the formulas of prayer from his mother, who kept in her heart and meditated upon all the "great things" done by the Almighty.[41] He learns to pray in the words and rhythms of the prayer of his people, in the synagogue at Nazareth and the Temple at Jerusalem. But his prayer springs from an otherwise secret source, as he intimates at the age of twelve: "I must be in my Father's house."[42] Here the newness of prayer in the fullness of time begins to be revealed: his filial prayer, which the Father awaits from his children, is finally going to be lived out by the only Son in his humanity, with and for men.

2600 The Gospel according to St. Luke emphasizes the action of the Holy Spirit and the meaning of prayer in Christ's ministry. Jesus prays before the decisive moments of his mission: before his Father's witness to him during his baptism and Transfiguration, and before his own fulfillment of the Father's plan of love by his Passion.[43] He also prays before the decisive moments involving the mission of his apostles: at his election and call of the Twelve, before Peter's confession of him as "the Christ of God," and again that the faith of the chief of the Apostles may not fail when tempted.[44] Jesus' prayer before the events of salvation that the Father has asked him to fulfill is a humble and trusting commitment of his human will to the loving will of the Father.

2601 "He was praying in a certain place and when he had ceased, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray."'[45] In seeing the Master at prayer the disciple of Christ also wants to pray. By contemplating and hearing the Son, the master of prayer, the children learn to pray to the Father.

2602 Jesus often draws apart to pray in solitude, on a mountain, preferably at night.[46] He includes all men in his prayer, for he has taken on humanity in his incarnation, and he offers them to the Father when he offers himself. Jesus, the Word who has become flesh, shares by his human prayer in all that "his brethren" experience; he sympathizes with their weaknesses in order to free them.[47] It was for this that the Father sent him. His words and works are the visible manifestation of his prayer in secret...

41 Cf. Lk 1:49; 2:19; 2:51.
42 Lk 2:49.
43 Cf. Lk 3:21; 9:28; 22:41-44.
44 Cf. Lk 6:12; 9:18-20; 22:32.
45 Lk 11:1.
46 Cf. Mk 1:35; 6:46; Lk 5:16.

2004-11-12T06:13:00.000-05:00

Today in Christian history

November 12, 1651: Mexican poet, nun, and "feminist" Juana Ines de La Cruz was born.

2004-11-11T08:06:00.000-05:00

THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PRAYER

Summing up the first article in bite-size pieces, some perhaps appropriate for memorization:

IN BRIEF

2590 "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God" (St. John Damascene, De fide orth. 3, 24:PG 94, 1089C).

2591 God tirelessly calls each person to this mysterious encounter with Himself. Prayer unfolds throughout the whole history of salvation as a reciprocal call between God and man.

2592 The prayer of Abraham and Jacob is presented as a battle of faith marked by trust in God's faithfulness and by certitude in the victory promised to perseverance.

2593 The prayer of Moses responds to the living God's initiative for the salvation of his people. It foreshadows the prayer of intercession of the unique mediator, Christ Jesus.

2594 The prayer of the People of God flourished in the shadow of the dwelling place of God's presence on earth, the ark of the covenant and the Temple, under the guidance of their shepherds, especially King David, and of the prophets.

2595 The prophets summoned the people to conversion of heart and, while zealously seeking the face of God, like Elijah, they interceded for the people.

2596 The Psalms constitute the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament. They present two inseparable qualities: the personal, and the communal. They extend to all dimensions of history, recalling God's promises already fulfilled and looking for the coming of the Messiah.

2597 Prayed and fulfilled in Christ, the Psalms are an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church. They are suitable for men of every condition and time.

2004-11-11T08:02:00.000-05:00

Today in Christian history

November 11, 397 (traditional date): Martin of Tours, a bishop responsible for the evangelization of Gaul, dies. He is France's patron saint.

November 11, 1215: The Fourth Lateran Council opens. It officially confirmed the doctrine of transubstantiation—that the substance of Eucharistic bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, with only the accidents (appearances of bread and wine) remaining. The council also prescribed annual confession for all Christians.

November 11, 1620: Forty-one Puritan separatists arrive in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They had hoped to settle further south, but as William Bradford wrote in his journal on December 19, "We could not now take much time for further search . . . our victuals being much spent, especially our beer".

November 11, 1855: Danish Christian philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, regarded as the founder of existentialism, dies at age 42. Trying to "reintroduce Christianity to Christendom," he believed that Christianity was far more radical and difficult than did his Danish contemporaries.

November 11, 1992: The Church of England voted to ordain women as priests.

2004-11-10T09:24:00.000-05:00

PRAYER REQUEST FOR KAREN MARIE KNAPP

Received this a few moments ago:

"Gerard,
This is Chris, Karen Marie's sister from Pittsburgh, and I wanted to make you aware that Karen is in need of prayers as she is in the hosptial.

..Now she has pneumonia, cellulitis because of an infection in her leg. She is at St.Mary's hospital in Milwaukee, I would appreciate if you could put up a request for prayers on your blog for my sister..."

Karen's wonderful blog, From the Anchor Hold. O LORD, heal your servant and bring her home to us. Let her cling to Christ even as Christ clings to her. Thy will be done!

2004-11-10T08:41:00.000-05:00

Nada

Still nothing on the status of the (precious) items left behind in my cabin after the 2 night cruise. Wish I didn't have the fears that sometimes emerge! Things should be relatively easily recoverable. But life has a way at times....

Carnival has a strict procedure in place. It strikes me as less than customer friendly. But I do get a sense that the staff so far involved with me are hoping for a full recovery and quick return. Prayers still very much appreciated.

2004-11-10T08:34:00.000-05:00

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PRAYER

SECTION ONE: PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
CHAPTER ONE: THE REVELATION OF PRAYER

ARTICLE 1 cont'd
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT cont'd

Elijah, the prophets and conversion of heart

2581 For the People of God, the Temple was to be the place of their education in prayer: pilgrimages, feasts and sacrifices, the evening offering, the incense, and the bread of the Presence ("shewbread") - all these signs of the holiness and glory of God Most High and Most Near were appeals to and ways of prayer. But ritualism often encouraged an excessively external worship. The people needed education in faith and conversion of heart; this was the mission of the prophets, both before and after the Exile.

2582 Elijah is the "father" of the prophets, "the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob."[30] Elijah's name, "The Lord is my God," foretells the people's cry in response to his prayer on Mount Carmel.[31] St. James refers to Elijah in order to encourage us to pray: "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective."[32]

2583 After Elijah had learned mercy during his retreat at the Wadi Cherith, he teaches the widow of Zarephath to believe in The Word of God and confirms her faith by his urgent prayer: God brings the widow's child back to life.[33]

The sacrifice on Mount Carmel is a decisive test for the faith of the People of God. In response to Elijah's plea, "Answer me, O LORD, answer me," the Lord's fire consumes the holocaust, at the time of the evening oblation. The Eastern liturgies repeat Elijah's plea in the Eucharistic epiclesis.

Finally, taking the desert road that leads to the place where the living and true God reveals himself to his people, Elijah, like Moses before him, hides "in a cleft of he rock" until the mysterious presence of God has passed by.[34] But only on the mountain of the Transfiguration will Moses and Elijah behold the unveiled face of him whom they sought; "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God [shines] in the face of Christ," crucified and risen.[35]

2584 In their "one to one" encounters with God, the prophets draw light and strength for their mission. Their prayer is not flight from this unfaithful world, but rather attentiveness to The Word of God. At times their prayer is an argument or a complaint, but it is always an intercession that awaits and prepares for the intervention of the Savior God, the Lord of history.[36]

32 Jas 5:16b-18.
33 Cf. 1 Kings 17:7-24.
34 Cf. 1 Kings 19:1-14; cf. Ex 33:19-23.
35 2 Cor 4:6; cf. Lk 9:30-35.
36 Cf. Am 7:2, 5; Isa 6:5,8,11; 1:6; 15:15-18; 20:7-18.

2004-11-10T08:33:00.000-05:00

Today in Christian history

November 10, 1483: Controversial German religous figure Martin Luther is born in Eisleben, Germany.

November 10, 1899: Southern Fugitive poet and critic Allen Tate was born. He once observed that it was a shame that Southerners were so anti-Catholic because they loved ceremonials everywhere except in church and every Southern mother was a mater mediatrix.

November 10, 1908: Ten years after Samuel Hill and John Nicholson met in Boscobel, Wisconsin, to begin what would become Gideons International, the organization places its first Bible in a room at the Superior Hotel in Iron Mountains, Montana. Those "Gideon Bibles" are still everywhere to be found (and perhaps even used).

2004-11-09T08:50:00.000-05:00

Bridgebuilder par excellence

Second from left, Bishop Seraphim (Sigrist) at St Benedict's Rectory, beautifully decorated by pastor Paschal Morlino, OSB, for after discussion "dessert"
Our local ecumenical group met this past Sunday and our guest speaker was Bishop Seraphim (Sigrist) of the OCA, former Bishop in Japan. This was +Seraphim's third visit to our group these past years and he never disappoints. Now here is a true bridgebuilder! I don't know if I've ever known anyone who is so consistently open minded and open hearted and who knows how to reach for commonalities rather than divisions. At times it can drive me crazy! But the longer I live the more I admire and revere this quality, so lacking in so many quarters today. Yes, Bishop Seraphim is to me like a breath of fresh air. You can check it our for yourself by reading his entres and comments in his Live Journal. I think you well see quickly what I mean. His journal can be accessed at:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/seraphimsigrist

2004-11-09T07:23:00.000-05:00

The Basilica of Saint John Lateran: The Mother of all Churches

Inscription on its facade:

SACROSANCTA LATERANENSIS ECCLESIA OMNIUM URBIS ET ORBIS ECCLESIARUM MATER ET CAPUT

"The Most Holy Lateran Church, Mother and Mistress of all churches of the City and the World"

Today is the Solemnity of the Dedication of this great church, which is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome. Theologically and ecclesiologically perhaps the most important church in the Catholic world - if not the most popular or most used by the Popes. But it retains a special place and its Feast even superceded a Sunday 2 years ago. I prefer it myself to Saint Peter's as I do the other major Roman Basilica's of Saint Mary Major and Saint Paul's Outside the Walls.

2004-11-08T17:03:00.000-05:00

Church struggles with change

A provocative piece in USA Today online regarding the state of the Catholic Church in the United States.

Not terribly hopeful...

2004-11-08T07:37:00.000-05:00

Memorial of Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity of the Carmel in Dijon
A contemporary of her better known sister in Carmel, St Therese of Lisieux, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity seems also to have been given to us by God to announce the Good News of His Love, entrusted with what Hans Urs von Balthasar calls a "theological mission."

Like St Therese, Elizabeth died at a young age, and left behind a rather slim corpus of writings. But how rich they are! Filled out with many letters written to family and friends, Elizabeth opens for us especially the riches of Saint Paul and Saint John the Beloved Disciple.

Her most sustained writings are contained in notes she kept during two Retreats - and in these reflections we are given a glimpse into a heart completely given to the Praise of Glory - heaven on earth, the heaven of the soul.

Receiving on earth her new name in heaven, Laudem Gloriae, The Praise of Glory, Elizabeth points us to the Mystery of Christ in our own midst, and the indwelling of the Most Blessed Trinity.

May she intercede for all of us that we, too, may live for the praise of God's Glory - which is His Love that stoops so low to raise us so high. I choose her as a special patron of my website, "A Catholic for Lovers", since she expresses so magnificently the hopes I have for these pages and for all who visit - to the praise of God's Glory (thus its very address: praiseofglory.com).

Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, Praise of Glory, pray for us and teach us the way of love, the way of praise of God's Glory... Amen!

A prayer of Elizabeth of the Trinity

O MY GOD, TRINITY WHOM I ADORE

J.M. + J.T.

O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely that I may be established in You as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing trouble my peace or make me leave You, 0 my Unchanging One, but may each minute carry me further into the depths of Your Mystery. Give peace to my soul; make it Your heaven, Your beloved dwelling and Your resting place. May I never leave You there alone but be wholly present, my faith wholly vigilant, wholly adoring, and wholly surrendered to Your creative Action.

0 my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I wish to be a bride for Your Heart; I wish to cover You with glory; I wish to love You ... even unto death! But I feel my weakness, and I ask You to "clothe me with Yourself," to identify my soul with all the movements of Your Soul, to overwhelm me, to possess me, to substitute Yourself for me that my life may be but a radiance of Your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Restorer, as Savior. 0 Eternal Word, Word of my God, 1 want to spend my life in listening to You, to become wholly teachable that I may learn all from You. Then, through all nights, all voids, all helplessness, I want to gaze on You always and remain in Your great light. 0 my beloved Star, so fascinate me that I may not withdraw from Your radiance.

0 consuming Fire, Spirit of Love, "come upon me," and create in my soul a kind of incarnation of the Word: that I may be another humanity for Him in which He can renew His whole Mystery. And You, 0 Father, bend lovingly over Your poor little creature; "cover her with Your shadow," seeing in her only the "Beloved in whom You are well pleased."

0 My Three, my All, my Beatitude, infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself, I surrender myself to You as Your prey. Bury Yourself in me that I may bury myself in You until I depart to contemplate in Your light the abyss of Your greatness.

Two Sisters in the Spirit
by Hans Urs von Balthasar

In this great book, the theologian of theologians, Hans urs von Balthasar, learns at the feet of two "sisters in the Spirit", the little Therese and Elizabeth of the Trinity, the rich doctrine of Christ and of St Paul. Both of these Carmelites, von Balthasar believes, were given to the Church with a special "theological mission" to open up the treasures of God's Word to ordinary believers like you and me. Here we can take a short cut into the riches of von Balthasar's heart as well - unlike so many other theologians, he seems most at home with the saints. This is the book that endeared me, beyond any ability to articulate, to St Therese of Lisieux and revealed why she would become a Doctor of the Church and Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, whose name in heaven, given her on earth, is Laudem Gloriae, Praise of Glory - one of the patronesses of my own website which is for "the praise of glory!"

You can order it from Amazon here: Two Sisters in the Spirit

2004-11-08T07:35:00.000-05:00

Today in Christian history

November 8, 1308: John Duns Scotus, the Scottish theologian who brillianlty posited Mary's immaculate conception (that she herself was born without original sin), dies in Cologne, Germany. Mary's immaculate conception was declared dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854.

November 8, 1674: English poet John Milton, author of "Paradise Lost"(1667), "Paradise Regained"(1671), and many other works, dies at age 65.

2004-11-07T09:11:00.000-05:00

Today in Christian history

November 7, 739 (traditional date): Willibrord, a missionary monk who was trained in Ireland and traveled over northwestern Europe, dies. Called the "Apostle of Frisia," he was highly instrumental in the conversions of Germany and Scandinavia.

November 7, 1637: Anne Hutchinson is convicted of spreading heresy and banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her idea that believers are so united with the Holy Spirit that human categories (like moral law) are irrelevant, and her claim of direct revelation from the Holy Spirit rather than Scripture, caused many of her supporters (including influential minister John Cotton) to back off. Hutchinson was later killed in New York in an American Indian raid.

November 7, 1793: During the French Revolution, "Christianity" was abolished on this date. Reason was deified, and as many as 2,000 churches were afterward destroyed throughout France.

November 7, 1837: Presbyterian minister and abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy is murdered in Alton, Illinois. A newspaper editor whose press was destroyed by vandals three times, he was accused of inciting slaves to revolt when he defended a black man burned at the stake by a mob. When another mob tried to burn down his warehouse, Lovejoy was shot trying to save it. His death helped to galvanize the abolitionist movement.

November 7, 1918: Evangelist William ("Billy") Franklin Graham, Jr., is born in Charlotte, North Carolina.

2004-11-06T10:57:00.000-05:00

Jesuit Named Chairman Of Patristic Institute At Holy Cross, Orthodox Professors Passed Over

By Theodore Kalmoukos
Special to The National Herald

BOSTON - A Roman Catholic Jesuit priest has been named chairman of the newly established Orthodox Patristic Institute of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.

Rev. Robert J. Daly, professor emeritus of Theology at Boston College, was chosen by Holy Cross to organize the Institute. Archbishop Demetrios of America, Chairman of the School, and Holy Cross President Rev. Nicholas Triantafilou signed off on the decision.

The Stephen & Catherine Pappas Patristic Institute is named after its founders. The Pappas family has donated close to two million dollars.

The donation was made 13 years ago, when Metropolitan (then Bishop) Methodios of Boston was President of the School. Stephen Pappas has since passed away, but his wife Catherine continues to support the Institute.

The purpose of the Institute is "to promote and advance the study of the Fathers of the Church," Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Clapsis, Dean of Holy Cross, told the National Herald.

Roman Catholics and Protestants, along with Orthodox members, have been appointed to serve on the Administrative Board of the Institute, while Dr. George Bebis, professor of Orthodox Patristic Studies who taught at Holy Cross for more than 40 years, was completely ignored.

Among the Orthodox members of the Board are Rev. Dr. Theodore Stylianopoulos, professor of New Testament Studies, and Rev. Pavlos Koumatianos, who was appointed professor of Liturgical Theology this past May. Rev. Koumatianos has suddenly departed from Holy Cross (and from the U.S., as well), however, for unspecified reasons, thus far.

"The delay of establishing the Pappas Patristic Institute is due to a series of problems that the School faced which did not give Holy Cross a chance to develop all its programs and potentialities," Rev. Clapsis said.

On October 15-16, the Pappas Patristic Institute organized "Apocalyptic Themes in Early Christianity," its first conference, to which neither Dr. Bebis nor Rev. Dr. George Dragas, both well respected professors of Patrology, were invited to speak.

Rev. Stylianopoulos presented on Orthodox Patristic Theology and Thought.

"We invited all the experts that deal with Patristic Studies in New England," Rev. Clapsis said.

In response to the Herald's question how and why a Jesuit priest has been placed at the helm of an Orthodox Institute, Rev. Clapsis said that Rev. Daly "has experience in Institutes. He is one of the founders of the Boston Theological Institute, as well as the first Director of the Jesuit Institute at Boston College," adding that "we appointed a Roman Catholic to help us so our Institute is not a small grocery store, but to have a serious structure. We (the Orthodox) are only a handful, and sometimes there are personal sensitivities and animosities."

In reference to the passing over of Dr. Bebis, Rev. Clapsis told the Herald that "he was my professor. I respect him, and I support him, as he supports me, but some choices had to be made."

Rev. Clapsis said he is assuming "personal responsibility for those choices, which were approved by the Archbishop and Father Triantafilou."

As far as the speakers of the Institute's inaugural conference, Rev. Clapsis said, "we are not looking how many are Protestants and how many Orthodox. We tried to find the best Patrologists who deal with that topic."

Dr. Bebis, on the other hand, in interview with the Herald, protested all that has transpired with the Pappas Patristic Institute at Holy Cross, so far:

Speaking about the appointment of Rev. Robert Daly as chairman of the Institute, Dr. Bebis said "for me, he does not represent the spirit of the Greek Fathers of the Church."

Dr. Bebis considers his virtually total jostling from the Institute and its recent Conference as "discrimination against me," he said. "I was surprised not to see my name on the Administrative Board. I see individuals who have contributed nothing special to the Patristic Studies at our Theological School and in the study of the Fathers."

As to why a Jesuit was appointed chairman of an Orthodox Institute at Holy Cross School, Dr. Bebis said, "I do not have any disfavor against Fr. Daly, but for me, he does not express the spirit of the Greek Fathers of the Church. I know he has written books related to Origen, but beyond that, I am not aware of any other contribution towards the study of the Fathers."

Dr. Bebis also disclosed that he has both verbally and in writing complained to the Archbishop, but nothing came of it: "His response to my verbal complaint was, yes you are right Dr. George, and he smiled. He never replied to my written complaint."

Asked if there is any Orthodox Theologian appointed as chairman in any Roman Catholic Institute, Dr. Bebis said that, "from whatever I know, there is none."

Professor Bebis refused to attend the Institute's inaugural conference last week.

2004-11-06T09:06:00.000-05:00

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PRAYER

SECTION ONE: PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
CHAPTER ONE: THE REVELATION OF PRAYER

ARTICLE 1 cont'd
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT cont'd

David and the prayer of the king

2578 The prayer of the People of God flourishes in the shadow of God's dwelling place, first the ark of the covenant and later the Temple. At first the leaders of the people - the shepherds and the prophets - teach them to pray. The infant Samuel must have learned from his mother Hannah how "to stand before the LORD" and from the priest Eli how to listen to his word: "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."[26] Later, he will also know the cost and consequence of intercession: "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; and I will instruct you in the good and the right way."[27]

2579 David is par excellence the king "after God's own heart," the shepherd who prays for his people and prays in their name. His submission to the will of God, his praise, and his repentance, will be a model for the prayer of the people. His prayer, the prayer of God's Anointed, is a faithful adherence to the divine promise and expresses a loving and joyful trust in God, the only King and Lord.[28] In the Psalms David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the first prophet of Jewish and Christian prayer. The prayer of Christ, the true Messiah and Son of David, will reveal and fulfill the meaning of this prayer.

2580 The Temple of Jerusalem, the house of prayer that David wanted to build, will be the work of his son, Solomon. The prayer at the dedication of the Temple relies on God's promise and covenant, on the active presence of his name among his People, recalling his mighty deeds at the Exodus.[29] The king lifts his hands toward heaven and begs the Lord, on his own behalf, on behalf of the entire people, and of the generations yet to come, for the forgiveness of their sins and for their daily needs, so that the nations may know that He is the only God and that the heart of his people may belong wholly and entirely to him.

26 1 Sam 3:9-10; cf. 1:9-18.
27 1 Sam 12:23.
28 Cf. 2 Sam 7:18-29.

2004-11-06T09:02:00.000-05:00

Today in Christian history

November 6, 1315: Poet Dante Alighieri is sentenced to death, in absentia, by the magistrates of Florence. Dante, who was at the time working on his Divine Comedy in Venice, avoided the penalty by never returning to Florence, from which he had been exiled for political reasons.

November 6, 1789: The election of the Rt. Rev. John Carroll by Pope Pius VI to be the first Catholic bishop in the United States (the diocese of Baltimore), was confirmed. He was consecrated in England in 1790, and became an archbishop in 1808.

November 6, 1935: American revivalist Billy Sunday, a baseball player who became one of America's most famous evangelists before Billy Graham, dies at age 73. More than 100 million people heard him speak at his evangelistic crusades.

2004-11-05T20:31:00.000-05:00

Bush Benefits From Efforts to Build a Coalition of the Faithful

If a White House photographer with a keen eye for American religious trends were documenting President Bush's moves the past four years, here are some snapshots that would show up in a retrospective album:

The president framed by a nun and a cardinal on a visit to an urban Roman Catholic school; the president screening a Holocaust film in the White House one evening with a small group of Jewish leaders he had invited over; the president bowing his head before addressing an evangelical congregation.

For the past four years, Mr. Bush has been deliberately assembling the building blocks of a formidable faith coalition. Pastor by pastor, rabbi by rabbi, and often face to face, Mr. Bush has built relationships with a diverse range of religious leaders.."

2004-11-05T15:41:00.000-05:00

2 more parishes plan church sit-ins

"Two more parishes plan to stage sit-ins to block closing of their churches, which could bring to 10 the number of occupied churches, despite efforts by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston to respond to the growing rebellion.

The resistance has snowballed, with eight churches occupied in around-the-clock protests, six of them within the last month, and 13 parishes participating in a council that aims to support the church members sleeping in choir lofts and on folding chairs.

Anger is rising even as the archdiocese has temporarily put off some closings that had been announced, most recently by postponing last Sunday's scheduled closure of St. James in Stoughton, where members had not scheduled a vigil and were planning to attend a neighboring church..."

2004-11-05T13:16:00.000-05:00

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PRAYER

SECTION ONE: PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
CHAPTER ONE: THE REVELATION OF PRAYER

ARTICLE 1 cont'd
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT cont'd

Moses and the prayer of the mediator

2574 Once the promise begins to be fulfilled (Passover, the Exodus, the gift of the Law, and the ratification of the covenant), the prayer of Moses becomes the most striking example of intercessory prayer, which will be fulfilled in "the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."[19]

2575 Here again the initiative is God's. From the midst of the burning bush he calls Moses.[20] This event will remain one of the primordial images of prayer in the spiritual tradition of Jews and Christians alike. When "the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob" calls Moses to be his servant, it is because he is the living God who wants men to live. God reveals himself in order to save them, though he does not do this alone or despite them: he calls Moses to be his messenger, an associate in his compassion, his work of salvation. There is something of a divine plea in this mission, and only after long debate does Moses attune his own will to that of the Savior God. But in the dialogue in which God confides in him, Moses also learns how to pray: he balks, makes excuses, above all questions: and it is in response to his question that the Lord confides his ineffable name, which will be revealed through his mighty deeds.

2576 "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend."[21] Moses' prayer is characteristic of contemplative prayer by which God's servant remains faithful to his mission. Moses converses with God often and at length, climbing the mountain to hear and entreat him and coming down to the people to repeat the words of his God for their guidance. Moses "is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly, not in riddles," for "Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth."[22]

2577 From this intimacy with the faithful God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,[23] Moses drew strength and determination for his intercession. He does not pray for himself but for the people whom God made his own. Moses already intercedes for them during the battle with the Amalekites and prays to obtain healing for Miriam.[24] But it is chiefly after their apostasy that Moses "stands in the breach" before God in order to save the people.[25] The arguments of his prayer - for intercession is also a mysterious battle - will inspire the boldness of the great intercessors among the Jewish people and in the Church: God is love; he is therefore righteous and faithful; he cannot contradict himself; he must remember his marvelous deeds, since his glory is at stake, and he cannot forsake this people that bears his name.

19 1 Tim 2:5.
20 Ex 3:1-10.
21 Ex 33:11.
22 Num 12:3,7-8.
23 Cf. Ex 34:6.
24 Cf. Ex 17:8-12; Num 12:13-14.
25 Ps 106:23; cf. Ex 32:1-34:9.

2004-11-05T13:13:00.000-05:00

Today in Christian history

November 5, 1414: The Council of Constance opens to end the Great Schism.

November 5, 1625: a reputed plot was discovered by which Guy Fawkes was to have blown up the English parliament and ushered in a Catholic reclaiming of the throne.

2004-11-04T19:58:00.000-05:00

Numb

Feeling rather numb these days. I can't say how much I miss my calendar and phone numbers! And not a word yet.... so I deal with this frustration (and fear that it won't be found and recovered) with a dose of numbness. I do this and that; but there's no spirit in it. I nod off at my desk. I hope and pray that soon I will get word and soon have my precious items returned. (I am eager to see the photos I took on this brief cruise).

I think I have nothing to fear: the room steward was a fine young man from Bulgaria. I can't imagine that the tote bag wasn't turned in to "Lost and Found." But, as I said, deep down there is a fear and worry.

I wish I were freer! I wish I was totally detached and could pray with the Psalmist that "you are my portion, you are my heritage." Or "My God and my ALL!" with Saint Francis. But I am far from such freedom and detachment!

KYRIE ELEISON!

P.S. The election result has eased the pain to some extent.

2004-11-04T18:09:00.000-05:00

Muslim Tackle at home in Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Like many students at Notre Dame, offensive tackle Ryan Harris finds time everyday to pray, thanking God for his many blessings.

Unlike most other students at Notre Dame, though, Harris prays facing Mecca..."

2004-11-04T08:22:00.000-05:00

Saint Charles Borromeo: Reforming Bishop

Born in 1538 to a wealthy, noble family, he was the nephew of Pope Pius IV. Civil and canon lawyer at age 21, cardinal at 22, archbishop of Milan at 24. Suffered with a speech impediment. Spent his life and fortune in the service of the people of his diocese. Directed and fervently enforced the decrees of the Council of Trent, and fought tirelessly for peace in the wake of the storm caused by Martin Luther. Founded schools for the poor, seminaries for clerics, hospitals for the sick; conducted synods. Instituted children's Sunday school. Teacher, confessor and parish priest to Saint Aloysius Gonzaga. Did great public and private penance, and worked among the sick and dying during the plague. He died the night of November 3, 1584.

N.B. The Church selects a passage from one of Saint Charles Borromeo's sermons for the Office of Readings (Roman Rite) on the First Sunday of Advent. Saint Charles opens the new liturgical year! And he is still inspiring others today in the path of authentic reform and renewal.

2004-11-04T08:14:00.000-05:00

FROM THE CATHECISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PRAYER

SECTION ONE: PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
CHAPTER ONE: THE REVELATION OF PRAYER

ARTICLE 1 cont'd
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT cont'd

God's promise and the prayer of Faith

2570 When God calls him, Abraham goes forth "as the Lord had told him"; [8] Abraham's heart is entirely submissive to the Word and so he obeys. Such attentiveness of the heart, whose decisions are made according to God's will, is essential to prayer, while the words used count only in relation to it. Abraham's prayer is expressed first by deeds: a man of silence, he constructs an altar to the Lord at each stage of his journey. Only later does Abraham's first prayer in words appear: a veiled complaint reminding God of his promises which seem unfulfilled. [9] Thus one aspect of the drama of prayer appears from the beginning: the test of faith in the fidelity of God.

2571 Because Abraham believed in God and walked in his presence and in covenant with him, [10] the patriarch is ready to welcome a mysterious Guest into his tent. Abraham's remarkable hospitality at Mamre foreshadows the annunciation of the true Son of the promise. [11] After that, once God had confided his plan, Abraham's heart, is attuned to his Lord's compassion for men and he dares to intercede for them with bold confidence. [12]

2572 As a final stage in the purification of his faith, Abraham, "who had received the promises," [13] is asked to sacrifice the son God had given him. Abraham's faith does not weaken ("God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering."), for he "considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead." [14] And so the father of believers is conformed to the likeness of the Father who will not spare his own Son but will deliver him up for us all. [15] Prayer restores man to God's likeness and enables him to share in the power of God's love that saves the multitude. [16]

2573 God renews his promise to Jacob, the ancestor of the twelve tribes of Israel.[17] Before confronting his elder brother Esau, Jacob wrestles all night with a mysterious figure who refuses to reveal his name, but he blesses him before leaving him at dawn. From this account, the spiritual tradition of the Church has retained the symbol of prayer as a battle of faith and as the triumph of perseverance. [18]

8 Gen 12:4.
9 Cf. Gen 15:2 f.
10 Cf. Gen 15:6; 17:1 f.
11 Cf. Gen 18:1-15; Lk 1:26-38.
12 Cf. Gen 18:16-33.
13 Heb 11:17.
14 Gen 22:8; Heb 11:19
15 Rom 8:32.
16 Cf. Rom 8:16-21.
17 Cf. Gen 28:10-22.
18 Cf. Gen 32:24-30; Lk 18:1-8.

2004-11-04T08:09:00.000-05:00

Raissa Maritain: Poet and Mystic: died November 4, 1960

“It is an error to isolate oneself from men... If God does not call one to solitude, one must live with God in the multitude, make him known there and make him loved.”

The life of Raissa Maritain was inextricably intertwined with that of her husband, Jacques, tbe renowned Catholic philosopher. In their long life together they were united not only by bonds of matrimony but friendship, a union in which God remained an intimate third partner.

Raissa and Jacques met as students at the Sorbonne. Raissa born in Russia. Her parents, Orthodox Jews, had moved to France to seek better educational opportunities for their gifted daughters. RaIssa advanced so quickly in her studies, despite having to learn a new language, that she was admitted to the university at the age of sixteen.

She met Jacques Maritain when he solicited her signature protesting the treatment of socialist students in tsarist Russia. The attraction between them was immediate, and they were soon inseparable. They were married in 1904. Raissa and Jacques shared a passion for poetry, art, and social justice. But they soon found another bond - a common obsession with the question of truth and a need to discover the meaning of life. Though neither had much religious training, they found it intolerable to imagine that existence might be absurd. They, made a vow that if they had not, within a year, found an answer to their quest they would end their lives.

Soon after this they began to attend the lectures of the philosopher, Henri Bergson. From him they acquired a sense of the Absolute. Thye were led in turn to the novelist, Leon Bloy (see yesterday's blog about Bloy). He was not only a devout Catholic but a prophet, whose writings celebrated God's prediliction for the poor and excoriating the sins of bourgeois Christianity. From their friendship with Bloy the Maritains were introduced to the world of Catholicism but also to Holy Scripture. Raissa was particularly moved by on the Jews, chosen by God for a special role in the history. Within a year of their first meeting with Bloy the Maritains were baptized in 1906. Bloy was their godfather.

On their way to the Church, Raissa and Jacques ever after conceived of their lives in religious terms. They took vows as Oblates of St. Benedict and soon after made a vow of perpetual celibacy. Despite this private commitment, they felt strongly that they were not meant for monastic life, but were called to live out their faith in the midst of the intellectual and artistic circles in which they were immersed.

The first volume of her memoirs, We Have Been Friends Together, described the early years of their marriage almost entirely in terms of ther relationships with such figures as Bloy, the artist Georges Roualt, the poet Charles Peguy. Throughout their life together the Maritains' salon was the center of an extraordinary Catholic intellectual revival . Jacques became the most eminent Catholic philosopher of the twentieth century. Raissa was also recognized through the publication of of poetry and prose. But otherwise she remained more in the background, the intimate collaborator in her husband’s work. He later said her aid and inspiration had penetrated everything he wrote: "Everthing comes from God. But as an intermediary on earth everything good has come to me from her.”

Raissa died on November 4, 1960. It was only then that Jacques discovered the private journals and so realized the depth of spirituality that had remained hidden even from him. Later published, the journals reflected Raissa's intense life of prayer and her understanding of her vocation as a comtemplative “on the roads of the world.” Indeed, on the basis of these later writings, Thomas Merton called her “perhaps one of the great contemplatives of our time.”

In one of her entries she had written: "I have the feeling that what is asked of us in to live in the whirlwind, without keeping back any of our substance, without keeping back anything for ourselves, neither rest nor friendships nor health nor leisure - to pray incessantly... in fact to let ourselves pitch in nd toss in the waves of the divine will till the day when it will say: 'That’s enough.'"

This article is from ALL SAINTS by Robert Ellsberg

This article is a good introduction to Raissa Maritain (as are all the entries in ALL SAINTS by Ellsberg), but he does not mention the decisive influence of Saint Thomas Aquinas on both Raissa and her husband Jacques.

May God give us more like the Maritains!

2004-11-04T07:54:00.000-05:00

Today in Christian history

November 4, 1958: Angelo Roncalli becomes Pope John XXIII. Though his papacy was expected to be uneventful, his convening of the Second Vatican Council and his changing of the Church's attitudes toward non-Catholics were milestones for the Catholic Church.

November 4, 1960: Raissa Maritain, convert and wife of Jacques Maritain, mystic, poet, writer, died.

2004-11-03T07:07:00.000-05:00

FROM THE CATHECISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PRAYER

SECTION ONE: PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
CHAPTER ONE: THE REVELATION OF PRAYER

ARTICLE 1
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

2568 In the Old Testament, the revelation of prayer comes between the fall and the restoration of man, that is, between God's sorrowful call to his first children: "Where are you? . . . What is this that you have done?" [3] and the response of God's only Son on coming into the world: "Lo, I have come to do your will, O God." [4] Prayer is bound up with human history, for it is the relationship with God in historical events.

Creation - source of prayer

2569 Prayer is lived in the first place beginning with the realities of creation. The first nine chapters of Genesis describe this relationship with God as an offering of the first-born of Abel's flock, as the invocation of the divine name at the time of Enosh, and as "walking with God. [5] Noah's offering is pleasing to God, who blesses him and through him all creation, because his heart was upright and undivided; Noah, like Enoch before him, "walks with God." [6] This kind of prayer is lived by many righteous people in all religions.

In his indefectible covenant with every living creature, [7] God has always called people to prayer. But it is above all beginning with our father Abraham that prayer is revealed in the Old Testament...

3 Ps 130:1.
4 Cf. Lk 18:9-14.
5 Rom 8:26.
6 St. Augustine, Sermo 56,6,9:PL 38,381.
7 Jn 4:10.

2004-11-03T07:05:00.000-05:00

Today in Christian history

November 3, 753 (traditional date): St. Pirminius, first abbot of the Benedictine monastery at Reichenau (located in modern Germany), died. His name endures today as author of a book entitled Scarapsus, which is the earliest known writing to contain the Apostles' Creed as it is worded in its present form.

November 3, 1534: The British Parliament passes the Supremacy Act, officially making England Protestant and putting the English monarch at the head of the nation's church.

November 3, 1966: John Lennon tells reporters that his band, the Beatles, is "more popular than Jesus," touching off a firestorm of controversy.

2004-11-02T19:38:00.000-05:00

Left behind in nowhere

Back from a brief but excellent 2 night cruise "to nowhere." Carnival cruise line surprised me: outstanding service, exquisite food, friendly and helpful staff. But a fly in the oinment: left behind in nowhere - on the cruiseship - is a tote bag of mine in which I stored some precious and irreplaceable materials, such as my calendar and phone book, my camera, my pocket Bible, my Magnificat and my handicap placard. Devasting to find out that I left this behind. And frustrating that there seems no way I can find out if these items have been found and are safe. I will be rather "concerned" until I get some word. How I pray they are found and that I get them back - and soon. I can't believe I did this! I live and learn - often enough learning that I didn't yet learn....

Join my in a prayer that these lost items are recovered from nowhere. Thanks.

2004-10-31T06:35:00.000-05:00

Miracle

This afternoon I will be boarding the new Carnival Miracle right here in Baltimore and sailing off for a 2 night cruise to nowhere. The "miracles" continue, this time right on The Miracle itself. It's a quickie and a nice feature is that good friends are joining us, and this is their first taste of a cruise. The Miracle is a new ship and from what I have read a truly beautiful vessel, and without the gaudiness often found on Carnival ships. At any rate, I look forward to being at sea again, even if for so brief a time. Got to get home in time to vote (for guess who?).

Your prayers appreciated.

2004-10-31T00:16:00.000-04:00

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PRAYER

PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
SECTION ONE: PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

CHAPTER ONE: THE REVELATION OF PRAYER

THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAYER

2566 Man is in search of God. In the act of creation, God calls every being from nothingness into existence. "Crowned with glory and honor," man is, after the angels, capable of acknowledging "how majestic is the name of the Lord in all the earth." [1] Even after losing through his sin his likeness to God, man remains an image of his Creator, and retains the desire for the one who calls him into existence. All religions bear witness to men's essential search for God. [2]

2567 God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer. In prayer, the faithful God's initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response. As God gradually reveals himself and reveals man to himself, prayer appears as a reciprocal call, a covenant drama. Through words and actions, this drama engages the heart . It unfolds throughout the whole history of salvation.

1 Ps 8:5; 8:1.
2 Cf. Acts 17:27.

2004-10-31T00:05:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 31, 1517: Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses in Wittenberg.

October 31, 1825: George Muller, who founded orphanages that would house more than 10,000 orphans by his death in 1898, converts to Christianity at a Moravian mission.

October 31, 1982: Pope John Paul II became the first pope to visit Spain.

October 31, 1992: Pope John Paul II formally admits the Roman Catholic Church's error in condemning Galileo Galilei in 1633 for believing the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe.

2004-10-30T00:10:00.000-04:00

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PRAYER

Prayer as communion

2565 In the New Covenant, prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is "the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity . . . with the whole human spirit." [12] Thus, the life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him. This communion of life is always possible because, through Baptism, we have already been united with Christ. [13] Prayer is Christian insofar as it is communion with Christ and extends throughout the Church, which is his Body. Its dimensions are those of Christ's love. [14]

12 St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio, 16,9:PG 35,945.
13 Cf. Rom 6:5.
14 Cf. Eph 3:18-21.

2004-10-30T00:05:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 30, 1451: Christopher Columbus, who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, in part, to spread the gospel, is born.

October 30, 1536: Thirteen years after Lutheran ministers came to bring "spiritual renewal" to its people, Denmark adopted Lutheranism as its official state religion.

October 30, 1821: Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoievski, whose works (including "Crime and Punishment" and "The Brothers Karamozov") reflect his deep Russian Orthodox faith, is born.

2004-10-29T10:02:00.000-04:00

John Allen's Word from Rome weekly column

As usual a nice hodge podge of news and opinions; I am still amazed to see John's mellowing over the years.

And it is nice to read of his own interest in Amy Welborn's Open Book and the comment section. Amy usually refers to sections of John's weekly column.

2004-10-29T09:58:00.000-04:00

A voice from the bush

"Les Murray is Australia's leading poet - a man who delights in confounding the urban cultural elite with his unfashionable themes and Catholic faith

"..Characteristically, Murray is infuriated by the media's "unashamed bias" against Christianity. He was received into the Catholic Church, embracing the "stone opposite" of his parents' religion, when he married his Catholic wife Valerie in 1962. But trying to draw from Murray something of why he was drawn to the Church is difficult. From such a fluent, trenchant, confrontational wordsmith, this is curious. Finally, he says: "I joined the Catholic Church because it is the best poem." And later he adds: "You can never exhaust it. It was the mysticism, the mystery that appealed to me..."

2004-10-29T09:31:00.000-04:00

Church bids farewell to Cardinal Hickey

2004-10-29T08:22:00.000-04:00

Saint Bernard: the Dogs and Monks

A cute piece of fluff. And speaking of fluff, check out the St Bernard pup on page 2 of the article. Adorable!

2004-10-29T08:14:00.000-04:00

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PRAYER

Prayer as covenant

2562 Where does prayer come from? Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times). According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain.

2563 The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live; according to the Semitic or Biblical expression, the heart is the place "to which I withdraw." The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant.

2564 Christian prayer is a covenant relationship between God and man in Christ. It is the action of God and of man, springing forth from both the Holy Spirit and ourselves, wholly directed to the Father, in union with the human will of the Son of God made man.

2004-10-28T17:36:00.000-04:00

Requiescat in pace

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Jay Moore. Jay died suddenly today; passed out at work and was dead before getting to the hospital. No details yet. Jay's a beautiful soul, one of the pioneer members of Holy Cross Orthodox church, where Father Gregory Mathewes-Green is pastor and his wife Frederica perhaps the best known member. Jay has a lovely wife, Heidi, and any number of children, including one who is autistic. A while back, they lost a house to fire and just got back for a housewarming within the past few weeks. They've known their share of troubles. But faith and hope and love abided always.

I am so sorry to get this news. I ask you to pray for the repose of his soul and for God's richest blessings on Heidi and the family at this dark time. Let Jay's faith, hope, and love inspire us all. MEMORY ETERNAL!

2004-10-28T16:13:00.000-04:00

Ecumenical Patriarch to Travel to Vatican

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I will travel to the Vatican next month to retrieve the relics of two saints seized by Crusaders 800 years ago, a move seen by Orthodox Church officials as a historic step toward reconciliation between the two churches.

The decision to travel to the Vatican was made by Bartholomew's Holy Synod, or governing council, during a meeting Wednesday, a Patriarchate official said on condition of anonymity.

Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, will travel to Rome on Nov. 26 and Pope John Paul II will hand over the relics of patriarchs Saints John Chrysostom and Gregory Nazianzen at a ceremony the following day in St. Peter's Basilica, officials at the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate said. Vatican officials are expected to accompany the relics during their return to Istanbul, the Patriarchate officials added.

The relics disappeared from Constantinople, today's Istanbul, when Crusaders sacked the city in 1204. They have been kept in St. Peter's Basilica until Vatican officials recently announced that they would be returned to the Orthodox Church.

"This is a high point of friendship between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches," the Patriarchate official said. "This is truly historic."....

2004-10-28T13:11:00.000-04:00

Everett church is 6th to have parishioner sit-in

EVERETT -- Angry parishioners at St. Therese Catholic Church yesterday became the sixth group in the Archdiocese of Boston to stage a round-the-clock sit-in to protest the closing of their parish.

The archdiocese officially closed the church yesterday, but an all-night prayer vigil started by four parishioners after the closing Mass on Tuesday night quickly gained momentum. More than a dozen parishioners refused to leave the church and parish hall when the archdiocese tried to change the locks shortly before 1 p.m. yesterday..."

2004-10-28T01:14:00.000-04:00

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PRAYER

Prayer as God's gift

2559 "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God."[2] But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart? [3] He who humbles himself will be exalted; [4] humility is the foundation of prayer, Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought," [5] are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God." [6]

2560 "If you knew the gift of God!" [7] The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God's desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him. [8]

2561 "You would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." [9] Paradoxically our prayer of petition is a response to the plea of the living God: "They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water!" [10] Prayer is the response of faith to the free promise of salvation and also a response of love to the thirst of the only Son of God. [11]

2 St. John Damascene, De fide orth. 3,24:PG 94,1089C.
3 Ps 130:1.
4 Cf. Lk 18:9-14.
5 Rom 8:26.
6 St. Augustine, Sermo 56,6,9:PL 38,381.
7 Jn 4:10.
8 Cf. St. Augustine, De diversis quaestionibus octoginta tribus 64,4:PL 40,56.
9 Jn 4:10.
10 Jer 2:13.
11 Cf. Jn 7:37-39; 19:28; Isa 12:3; 51:1; Zech 12:10; 13:1.

2004-10-28T00:05:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 28, 312: According to tradition, on this date the 32-year-old Roman emperor Constantine defeated Maxentius at Milvian Bridge. Before the battle, Constantine had seen the symbol of Jesus, chi-rho, in a vision, accompanied with the words "By this sign conquer." He is considered Rome's first Christian emperor.

October 28, 1949: Jim Elliot, missionary to Ecuador's Auca Indians, writes in his journal the most famous of his sayings: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

October 28, 1958: The Roman Catholic patriarch of Venice, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, is unexpectedly elected pope, taking the name John XXIII. Expected to be a mere caretaker in office, he became one of the Catholic Church's most activist popes, convening the Second Vatican Council in 1962. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II.

2004-10-27T13:48:00.000-04:00

Welcome to St Blog's!

Notes - Leo Wong
Bloglines - Mike Hurkum
Living Catholicism - Jay
Voice from Eden
On the Road to Emmaus - Daniel Fearn
Ticonderoga Sailor - Jonathan Carpenter
Insight Scoop - Ignatius Press authors and staff
Jamesaubrey - James Aubrey
Pat's Online Journal - Pat Mulcahy (a student at Munderlein Seminary, Chicago) reactivated
CatholicLand! - SWP
The Seventh Age - semaas
Moniales - Dominican Nun
A Penitent Blogger
Purcell's Chicken Voluntary - LYL (Louise)
Progressive American - Don Swift

2004-10-27T08:47:00.000-04:00

An All's Well moment

For me, when I awake, say a prayer or two, make coffee, wash up a bit, and finally sit at my desk with my freshly brewed coffee - to wrap both hands around the mug and feel the warmth and smell the coffee - well, all is well. Something about that that makes me feel good and even forget any troubles or pains for the moment, however brief.

I suspect some of you may feel that too?

2004-10-27T07:49:00.000-04:00

PRAYER

Perhaps the most important section of The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the last part on PRAYER. I will begin posting sections of this on a daily basis. I am doing it, in part, for myself, sensing I am in great need of a renewed prayer life. Maybe some will find it helpful too.

PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER

SECTION ONE: PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

2558 "Great is the mystery of the faith!" The Church professes this mystery in the Apostles' Creed (Part One) and celebrates it in the sacramental liturgy (Part Two), so that the life of the faithful may be conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father (Part Three). This mystery, then, requires that the faithful believe in it, that they celebrate it, and that they live from it in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is prayer.

WHAT IS PRAYER?

For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. - St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Manuscrits autobiographiques, C 25r.

2004-10-26T13:22:00.000-04:00

Sorrow and Joy

Yesterday I discovered two realities: one sad the other joyful. I was so saddened to hear of the death of a fellow webmaster, David Melling. David had worked for years on a wonderful, spiritually rich website, aramathea. We made contact years ago and we hit it off very well and considered each other as a dear brother in Christ. David was a convert to Orthodoxy - and a very open-minded and open-hearted Orthodoxy. David was just about my own age and having come close myself three years ago I am not totally surprised, of course. But I am saddened and pray for the repose of this gentle, kind, good, God-intoxicated soul. Memory eternal!

Then I read about a former pastor of a large and dynamic congregation, The Bishop Cummins Memorial Reformed Episcopal Church, in Catonsville (the home parish of the well known paraplegic artist, Joni Eareckson Tada). Paul Schenck was pastor there (it is no longer a Reformed Episcopal Church as far as I can tell from signs outside the building), and was very active in the Pro-Life movement. Paul has since become Catholic to my surprise and delight. Another convert instructed by Father J McClosky in Washington DC. Ad multos annos!

As with life itself, the discoveries a mix of sorrow and joy. And even with the sorrow of David's passing there is the hope of the resurrection and the joyful anticipation of the final reunion, God willing.

2004-10-26T08:04:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 26, 1466: According to some accounts, Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus was born on this date. The first editor of the Greek New Testament, he also wrote "In Praise of Folly" (a satire of monastic and ecclesiastical corruption) and many other works.

October 26, 1529: Thomas More becomes Lord Chancellor of England. Though he defended religious freedom in his book "Utopia," he strongly opposed the Reformation and wrote against Luther, Tyndale, and others. Because he also opposed Henry VIII's claim to be the supreme head of the English church, as well as the king's divorce, he was executed.

October 26, 1950: Mother Teresa founds the first Mission of Charity in Calcutta, India.

October 26, 1966: The first World Congress on Evangelism opens in West Berlin, attracting approximately 600 delegates from about 100 countries.

2004-10-25T13:52:00.000-04:00

Cardinal James Hickey dies

"Cardinal James Aloysius Hickey, 84, a champion of orthodoxy in church dogma and passionate provider of services to the poor during his 20 years as head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, died yesterday at a Northeast nursing home after several years of declining health.."

2004-10-25T08:52:00.000-04:00

Another Sign of Hope

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne

"An American community, founded on December 8, 1900. We live in community, strive to grow in a deep prayer life, and rely on and radically trust in God's providence.

Our apostolate is to nurse and shelter incurable cancer patients who cannot afford care elsewhere. All care is free. No payments are accepted either from patients or their families, nor from Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance.

Traditions of the Dominican Order ... love of the Church and the Holy Father, wearing the habit, devotion to the Passion of Christ and Our Blessed Mother ... are a major focus of the community's life."

God bless this wonderful community founded by Nathaniel Hawthorne's daughter, Rose.

2004-10-25T00:05:00.001-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 25, 431: The Council of Ephesus replaces Nestorius with a new patriarch of Constantinople. Nestorius was anathematized for holding the belief that two separate persons indwelled the incarnate Christ.

October 25, 1147: Because of bickering and ineffective leadership, the German armies of the Second Crusade (1147-49) are destroyed by the Saracens at Dorylaeum in modern Turkey.

October 25, 1400: English poet Geoffrey Chaucer dies in London, having abruptly stopped writing his famous Canterbury Tales some time before. Though not a religious writer, his characters aptly illustrate the best and worst of the church in his day. Chaucer was buried in Westminster Abbey, a high honor for a commoner, and became the first of those entombed in what is now called Poets' Corner.

2004-10-24T11:51:00.000-04:00

Today's Gospel

Two Went Up Into The Temple To Pray

Two went to pray? Oh rather say,
One went to brag, the other to pray.
One stands up close, and treads on high,
Where the other dares not lend his eye.
One nearer to God's altar trod;
The other to the altar's God.

- Richard Crashaw

2004-10-24T00:05:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 24, 1260: Under Pope Alexander IV, Chartres Cathedral in France was consecrated. Completed in less than 30 years, the structure represents high Gothic architecture at its purest.

October 24, 1790: English founder of Methodism, Anglican priest John Wesley, 87, made the last entry in his 55-year-long journal, written after preaching a sermon: “I hope many even then resolved to choose the better part.” (Wesley died the following March.)

2004-10-23T11:23:00.000-04:00

Fall Foliage Trip

Put together a photo album of latest venture to Boston. Lots of photos; let me know if there's a problem downloading them.

ENJOY!

2004-10-23T07:28:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 23, 1239: The main cathedral at Wells in England (begun c.1186) was consecrated. The most striking interior feature of the cathedral are the inverted arches (14th century) by which the piers of the tower are strengthened.

October 23, 1385: In Germany, the University of Heidelberg was founded under Pope Urban VI as a college of the Cistercian order. (Among its faculties today are theology, law, medicine and philosophy.)

2004-10-22T17:50:00.000-04:00

Some Thoughts on Prayer

A topic always relevant! Amy Welborn not only says it well but has something well worth saying. A touching testimony. Thanks, Amy.

2004-10-22T13:01:00.000-04:00

Faith and Patriotism

Plain words of wisdom from Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver. One of my favorite bishops!

2004-10-22T01:12:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 22, 4004 BC: According to James Ussher, the well-respected and scholarly Anglican primate of the Irish Church in the early seventeenth century, God created the universe on this date at 9:00 a.m. GMT.

October 22, 451: During the Fifth Session of the Council of Chalcedon, the final form of the Chalcedonian Creed was drafted. It became the Early Church’s highest and most enduring “definition” of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

October 22, 1811: Pianist Franz Liszt, known for his Romantic orchestras and songs, but also the author of more than 60 religious works (including the song known today as "Fairest Lord Jesus"), is born in Raiding, Hungary.

October 22, 1844: Between 50,000 and 100,000 followers of Baptist lay preacher William Miller prepared for "The Day of Atonement"—the day Jesus would return. Jesus didn't, and though Miller retained his faith in Christ's imminent return until his death, he blamed human mistakes in Bible chronologies for "The Great Disappointment." Over 100,000 disillusioned followers returned to their former churches, or abandoned the Christian faith altogether. Several groups arose from Miller's following, including the Seventh-Day Adventists.

2004-10-21T14:45:00.000-04:00

The Big Question

Was I praying that day in Boston last week that "the Curse" might be lifted?????

2004-10-21T11:15:00.000-04:00

More New England Autumnal Splendor

I hope you, too, are experiencing something of the splendors of autumn. My local area has not yet peaked and so I look forward to some more "leaf viewing". What a wonderful world!

2004-10-21T08:31:00.000-04:00

Gay Episcopal Bishop Sees Glint of Hope in Church Report

"The Episcopal bishop at the center of the Anglican Communion's global battle over homosexuality said that at first he was stunned by a church report issued on Monday recommending a moratorium on gay bishops and on blessings of same-sex couples.

The report "took my breath away," Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the Anglican Communion's first openly gay bishop, said in an interview yesterday in New York. "Partly because it made me feel lonely. I had hoped not to be the only person on the hot seat for too long."

By yesterday, however, Bishop Robinson said he was feeling hopeful. After parsing the fine print in the Windsor Report, the conclusion of a yearlong search for reconciliation in the worldwide Anglican Communion, he and some Episcopal bishops are concluding that they can accept its recommendations.

The careful wording in the report leaves "wiggle room" to continue blessing same-sex couples, the bishop said. And he said that the report asked the Episcopal Church USA to express regret for the turmoil caused by his elevation to bishop - not regret for the decision itself..."

2004-10-20T15:15:00.000-04:00

A deal from Deal

Deal Hudson steps down from Crisis magazine, but not without making a good offer. If interested you can subscribe to Crisis for only $10 for a year's subscription.

Here's Deal's own words:

"..You probably remember that I used to offer a special $10 subscription deal a couple times a year. Well, I'm going to do it again right now. There's nothing that would make me happier than to see as many people as possible take advantage of this.

Here it is:

If you don't subscribe to Crisis, you can get a new 1-year subscription for $10.

If you're already a reader (God bless you!), you can renew your subscription for 1 year for $10.

And if you know someone else who you think might enjoy and benefit from Crisis, you can give them a gift subscription for $10.

You can do all this by clicking on this link:
https://www.ezsubscription.com/cri/sub.htm

This is the perfect time to give a Crisis subscription as a Christmas gift. Would your parish library or your pastor benefit from Crisis? What about a child, battling dissent and liberalism as a college student?

Please, take advantage of this opportunity. The offer is only good until Monday, Noon EST..."

2004-10-20T10:35:00.000-04:00

More Hope!

On our recent visit to the Boston area we took a few side trips to some monasteries. One that inspired me deeply is the Trappistine community of Mt St Mary's Abbey in Wrentham Massachussetts (very close to Rhode Island). The community is large and growing: at this point they have about 47 or so nuns and novices, etc. And they make and sell the world's most delicious chocolates! Incredible! I didn't take this small photo but it shows the good size of this monastic community.

Unfortunately we were not able to attend any of the Offices sung by the nuns. But then it's always good, a mentor of mine used to say, to save something for the next visit.

Another sign of hope!

2004-10-20T07:50:00.000-04:00

La Madre and Beautiful Places

"For Teresa open country, running water, flowers are a 'book' in which she reads God. She wants convents to be, where possible, by the side of rivers. On one occasion she writes: 'The position of a convent is so important that it would be madness to worry about the cost. For a river and view I would be very glad elsewhere to give far more than this convent cost.' And again: 'I have a hermitage from which one can see the river, and a cell in which even from my bed I can observe what for me is such an agreeable sight.'"

- Hans Urs von Balthasar

2004-10-20T00:05:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 20, 751: Pepin the Short, son of Frankish hero Charles Martel and father of Charlemagne, deposes the last of the Merovingian kings and becomes the first king of the Carolingian dynasty. He was crowned by Pope Stephen II, who later asked for his help when threatened by Lombards of northern Italy. Pepin defeated the Lombards, then ceded the territory he captured back to the pope, laying the foundation for the papal states.

October 20, 1932: William Christopher, who played Father Francis Mulcahy on MASH, was born. (Couldn't resist posting that one!)

2004-10-19T10:37:00.001-04:00

A home away from home in Boston

At the shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Boston's Mission Church, "Lourdes in the land of the Puritans"

2004-10-18T14:30:00.000-04:00

Bishops at a Turning Point

Richard John Neuhaus on some of the latest unfoldings in the American episcopate.

And here, too, is his latest online "Public Square."

I find RJN one of the finest voices among us today.

2004-10-18T09:04:00.000-04:00

Church wants gay bishop apology

The Anglican church has urged US church leaders to apologise for ordaining a gay priest as bishop.

The call was made by the Lambeth Commission, set up after the ordination of Gene Robinson threatened to split the worldwide Anglican church.

Commission chairman Irish Anglican leader Robin Eames concluded: "There remains a very real danger that we will not choose to walk together."

The report also called for a moratorium on the consecration of gay candidates.

It demanded an explanation from the Anglican church in the US, known as Episcopalian, about 'how a person living in a same gender union may be considered eligible to lead the flock of Christ'..."

2004-10-18T08:58:00.000-04:00

New England cemeteries in Autumn

2004-10-17T18:23:00.000-04:00

Pope Thanks Well-Wishers on the Anniversary of His Election

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope John Paul II thanked well-wishers Sunday for their prayers and messages as he celebrated the 26th anniversary of his election as pontiff..

..Later Sunday, the pope presided over a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica to mark the opening of the Church's Year of the Eucharist. Catholics believe that Christ is present in flesh and blood in the sacrament.

Though he spent most of Mass in his wheeled throne, John Paul knelt three times during the two-hour service..."

2004-10-17T08:40:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 17, 108: According to tradition, Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, was martyred on this date. The Apostolic Father closest in thought to the New Testament writers, Ignatius wrote seven letters under armed guard on his way to Rome—some asking that the church not interfere with his "true sacrifice".

October 17. 1483, Pope Sixtus IV launched the Spanish Inquisition, placing it under joint direction of the Church and state. Tomás de Torquemada, 63, was appointed Grand Inquisitor.

October 17, 1979: October 17, 1979: Mother Teresa of Calcutta is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

2004-10-16T11:50:00.001-04:00

Name Day

Today is my name day: I was named after Saint Gerard Majella, whose feast is commemorated today in the Redemptorist liturgical calendar.

And it is also, as I recently discovered to great delight, my twin sister's name day as well (a happy coincidence and not something planned): today is the memorial of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.

No, there's no sister - or brother - named after Saint Hedwig (another saint remembered today)!

Saints Gerard, Margaret Mary, Hedwig, pray for us, pray for all.

2004-10-16T09:10:00.000-04:00

Home

Good to be home after wonderful days in New England, with its splendiforous autumnal scenes, and with good family and friends to visit and enjoy and whose very presence radiated warmth. Once again, the weather was perfect.

Catching up now but here are two of my favorite shots from this trip.

"The world is charged with the grandeur of God; it will flame out..." (Gerard Manley Hopkins)

The unsurpassable artistry of creation!

2004-10-11T05:01:00.000-04:00

Disabled / Enabled

Still amazing me is the discovery that by being disabled I have been enabled to travel more than ever before and unexpectedly at that! It's a mystery, of course, and there are many strands at work - but God's Providence once more both surprises and surpasses.

In a bit I will be leaving for yet another adventure of travel. This time to the New England area to catch some of the glories of the Fall Foliage. I spent a good number of autumns in New England (Suffield, CT) and upstate New York (below Kingston in Esopus NY). The autumns were spectacular! So I have yearned to see this splendor again before I die. And here I go..... alleluia!

I hope to renew contact with some family and friends as well. And maybe even visit a monastery or two..... I hope the weather is OK (the current reports are not the best from my perspective at least). I hope, too, you might remember me and say a prayer for me and Father Michael. I hope to have some photos and "tales" to bring home.

P.S. Speaking of renewing contact, thanks to the internet and even this blog, an old buddy who I had not seen since 1969 tracked me down and this past Saturday we spent happy hours together. And hopefully there will be more. God is good!

2004-10-11T04:55:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 11, 1521: Leo X conferred the title Fidei Defensor (Defender of the Faith) upon England's Henry VIII for his tract "The Assertion of the Seven Sacraments," written against Martin Luther. Three popes and 13 years later, Henry severed all ties with Rome, making the Church of England a separate church body.

October 11, 1531: Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli dies in the Battle of Kappel.

October 11, 1551: The 13th Session of the Council of Trent opens to discuss the Eucharist. The Counter-Reformation Council affirmed the doctrine of transubstantiation and repudiated Lutheran, Calvinist, and Zwinglian eucharistic doctrines.

2004-10-10T15:39:00.000-04:00

Whose rite is it anyway?

Liturgical vandals have trivialised worship in Anglican and Catholic churches. Now, says William Oddie, Rome is trying to do something about it

Thanks to Serge for tip on this piece in the Spectator (you may need to register; I got on easily but maybe registered a while back). I fear, too, that the forces of resistance may be strong yet and that we will not get that faithful and beautiful translation many of us have yearned for for decades. Veni, Sancte Spiritus!

2004-10-10T15:17:00.000-04:00

Welcome to St Blog's

Yurodivi: Der Gottesnarr - Yurodivi
Why Fret? - iClaudius
Trinitas in Unitate - Joshua
Whispers in the Wasteland - Bob - reactivated

2004-10-10T09:22:00.000-04:00

O'Malley revisits church closings

"Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley intensified his effort to win public support for the controversial parish closings process yesterday, saying he is reconsidering ''a couple" of his decisions..."

2004-10-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 10, 732: The Franks under Charles Martel stopped the Moorish incursion into Western Europe at the Battle of Tours.

October 10, 1560: Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius, the founder of a theology that challenged Reformed assumptions, is born in Oudewater, Netherlands.

October 10, 1821: Law student Charles Finney, 29, goes into the woods near his home to settle the question of his soul's salvation. That night, he experienced a dramatic conversion, full of what seemed "waves of liquid love throughout his body." Finney later became American history's greatest revivalist and purportedly converted around 500,000 people.

2004-10-09T15:49:00.000-04:00

Greek Orthodox leader postpones Vatican trip after Holy Synod's objections

ATHENS, Greece (AP)

The leader of the Greek Orthodox Church postponed a planned visit to the Vatican after a majority of senior clerics in its governing body voted against the trip, the church said Saturday.

Archbishop Christodoulos was seeking formal approval from the Holy Synod before moving ahead with plans to meet Pope John Paul II in a visit meant to reciprocate the pontiff's groundbreaking pilgrimage to Greece in 2001.

The proposed trip had angered conservative factions in the Greek Orthodox Church, Greece's state religion.

"On the issue of the invitation for a visit to the Vatican by Archbishop Christodoulos there was a vote and the Holy Synod in its majority voted in favor of postponing the trip for a more suitable time," the church said in a statement.

Some 42 senior clerics of the 80-member Holy Synod voted against the trip, expressing the will of opposition from Greek religious conservatives who strongly oppose overtures to heal the nearly 1,000-year schism between the two ancient branches of Christianity.

John Paul - the first pope to visit Greece in nearly 13 centuries - helped overcome Greek Orthodox suspicions by noting "sins of action and omission" by Roman Catholics against Orthodox Christians, including such "painful memories" as the 1204 sacking by crusaders of Constantinople, the ancient center of Greek Byzantium.

A possible visit by Christodoulos to the Vatican could have strengthened the ties between the two churches.

Nearly 97 percent of native-born Greeks are baptized into the Orthodox Church, which also has considerable influence over political affairs. The Greek church - although not among the largest of the various Orthodox congregations - carries added clout because of its links to early Christianity.

2004-10-09T07:38:00.000-04:00

Life with fewer possessions is finding more followers

Less can often be more.

2004-10-09T00:05:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian History

October 9, 1000: Leif "the Lucky" Eriksson, who later evangelized Greenland, is reported to have been the first European to reach North America on this date. But while he was certainly a member of an early Viking voyage to "Vinland" (probably Nova Scotia), it's doubtful he led the initial expedition.

October 9, 1747: David Brainerd, pioneer missionary to Native Americans in New England, dies of tuberculosis at age 29. His journal, published by Jonathan Edwards, inspired hundreds to become missionaries, including the "father of modern Protestant missions," William Carey.

October 9, 1845: One of the founders of the Oxford Movement in England, churchman John Henry Newman made his celebrated conversion from Anglicanism to Catholicism. From 1845-1862, nearly 250 other English clergy followed Newman into the Catholic Church.

October 9, 1890: Pentecostal evangelist and national sensation Aimee Semple McPherson is born in Ontario, Canada. McPherson founded the pentecostal Church of the Foursquare Gospel.

October 9, 1958: Pope Pius XII dies.

2004-10-08T13:02:00.000-04:00

The Ecstatic Heresy

Seeking a superficial unity, some denominational leaders opt for feelings over facts.

"The conflict in the mainline churches is ostensibly about sexuality—specifically, homosexuality. But more than sexuality is at stake. The faith itself, the Christian faith, is being invaded by false teaching. Theologically, this heresy is rarely articulated. Rather, it works by feeling, an ecstatic sense that transcends petty verbal differences.."

Christianity Today online's piece has relevance to Catholics as well as mainliners.

2004-10-08T08:38:00.000-04:00

Today in Christian history

October 8, 451: The Council of Chalcedon opens to deal with the Eutychians, who believed Jesus could not have two natures. His divinity, they believed, swallowed up his humanity "like a drop of wine in the sea." The council condemned the teaching as heresy and created a confession of faith which has since been regarded as the highest word in Christology.

October 8, 1085: St Mark’s Cathedral in Venice was consecrated. (One of my "dreams" is to someday visit San Marco's in Venice).

2004-10-07T15:31:00.000-04:00

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

My two favorite rosaries
The Rosary is a part of my life. I wish even more than it is. But, thank God, it is an unusal day that I don't at least pray a decade of this truly comforting prayer - and just touching the beads can seemingly evoke a whole world of prayer!

In the photo above are my two favorite rosaries. On the right, the rosary made from roses (a gift of Saint Therese) - thanks, Susan! On the left, the rosary made by fellow blogger, Karen Marie Knapp. Both are beautiful and have that "touch" as well. It is a nice "plus" to know that the rosaries I use for my prayer are gifts from readers of this blog. Connected like beads of a rosary.....

2004-10-07T08:54:00.001-04:00

Blessed!

I am blessed in so many ways. Not the least: a priest-friend drops by on and off, unannounced, and hears my confession and sometimes even has the Eucharist for me as well. I consider this a real gift and good fortune. I would have a hard time getting to confession. He never lets it go for too long so I am now able to say I go to confession regularly; sadly, something I couldn't say for too long periods of my life. I am still very dry; I still pray: LORD, I believe; help my unbelief. But I sense that deep down the grace of the sacraments sustain and nourish me and keeps me, at least on the deepest level, abiding in Christ and His Love.

Yesterday Father Walter appeared for Confession and Communion. It was a good day!

2004-10-07T01:15:00.000-04:00

Fall Foliage

Are the leaves changing to autumnal colors in your area yet? Any photos? (If they are OK I would be happy to post them on this blog). I love this time of year. And, God willing, I will fulfill another "dream come true" - planning on a trip to New England next week (11th-15th) to experience once more the heavenly beauty of autumn. We will be staying in Bellerica, Massachusetts and doing day trips to Provincetown, perhaps the Mohawk Trail, perhaps the rounds of Cambridge and Lexington (with a stop at Author's Ridge in one of the cemeteries - I think I can find it from memory), and perhaps a trip to New Hamsphire to visit a place I thought was fictional but have recently discovered is real: Lake Winnipesaukee - made famous in that hilarious comedy with Bob Wiley (Bill Murray) and Dr Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfus), "What About Bob?".

Suggestions, as always, welcomed. Any monasteries, shrines, etc. we should try to visit during our five days in God's country? I do hope and pray I can spend some time in the glorious Mission Church in Roxbury, especially before the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

So far it looks like we will be there during near peak foliage change according to the reports of The Foliage Network. Can hardly wait to see it again (autumn in Maryland can be beautiful but it seems to me to be almost qualitatively different than autumn in New England or upstate New York).

2004-10-07T00:05:00.001-04:00

Today in Christian history

The naval Battle of Lepanto was fought in the Mediterranean on this day in 1571 between Austrian Imperial and Turkish fleets. The Spanish novelist Cervantes was a young sailor in the battle and lost the use of his left hand. He was called “el manco de Lepanto,” the one-handed man from Lepanto. Today's feast of the Holy Rosary indicates the role attributed to the rosary in this victory.

2004-10-07T00:05:00.000-04:00

Church and State Clash, Noisily, in Spain

EL PUERTO DE SANTA MARÍA, Spain, Oct. 3 - Missionaries used to leave this southern Spanish port for the Americas to preach Christianity, and now, centuries later, the Sunday morning Roman Catholic Mass can still draw a crowd here.

On Sunday, men and women, dodging the Andalusian sun, came in their finery. Some of the fine baroque churches here were filled with exuberant music and white lace as young people gathered for weddings.

From one pulpit, though, a priest urged obedience, telling his flock again and again to submit to church teachings and accept the will of God. "We must resign ourselves and think of the hereafter," he said.

The message delivered here on the Bay of Cádiz and the Sunday scene were classic, but obedience and submission seem to have little appeal for many modern Spaniards..."