
Confiteor (I confess)I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. Posted Sun, Feb 01, 2009 under /helps category [permanent link] |
Papal postureI was recently privileged to be at a papal event, and to see Pope Benedict XVI from not too far a distance. One thing I noticed about the pontiff, is that he is a simple, humble man. Although there were great crowds gathered to greet him, he did not exhibit the persona of a rock star, and always made sure his comportment was pointing to Christ. I had the impression that here was a man who walked with God, not by some superhuman ability, but by a practice that is open to all of us: prayer. Deep prayer which unites one with God. And he called us all to prayer: silent prayer, personal prayer, liturgical prayer. For, he said, it is through prayer that we hear the Spirit leading us, that we receive direction and the courage to follow that direction, that a fresh wind fills us. So that then we can walk in the Spirit, with the Spirit, and be a light to the world. "Take me for your model, as I take Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1 (TJB) Posted Fri, Sep 19, 2008 under /follow category [permanent link] |
Virtual violenceFrom an address given by Pope Benedict XVI at the welcoming celebration of World Youth Day in Sydney, July 17, 2008: "I ask myself, could anyone standing face to face with people who actually do suffer violence and sexual exploitation 'explain' that these tragedies, portrayed in virtual form, are considered merely 'entertainment'?" Posted Sun, Aug 03, 2008 under /culture category [permanent link] |
Lord, I am broken, fix meLord, I am broken, fix me. Posted Mon, Apr 28, 2008 under /helps category [permanent link] |
The faith of the ApostlesFrom the homily of Pope Benedict XVI during Mass at Nationals Park in Washington, DC April 17, 2008: "In the exercise of my ministry as the Successor of Peter, I have come to America to confirm you, my brothers and sisters, in the faith of the Apostles (cf. Lk 22:32). I have come to proclaim anew, as Peter proclaimed on the day of Pentecost, that Jesus Christ is Lord and Messiah, risen from the dead, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father, and established as judge of the living and the dead (cf. Acts 2:14ff.). I have come to repeat the Apostle's urgent call to conversion and the forgiveness of sins, and to implore from the Lord a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church in this country. As we have heard throughout this Easter season, the Church was born of the Spirit's gift of repentance and faith in the risen Lord. In every age she is impelled by the same Spirit to bring to men and women of every race, language and people (cf. Rev 5:9) the good news of our reconciliation with God in Christ." Posted Sat, Apr 19, 2008 under /message category [permanent link] |
Homosexuality & Marriage LawFrom a letter to legislators:
Posted Sun, Apr 13, 2008 under /culture category [permanent link] |
The Truth about SinRecognize sin for what it really is: a way to strip you of grace, goodness, and happiness. It may come in different packages, it may carry various promises, it may appear a delight to the eyes and good for food, but it's simply a means to deprive you of life and wholeness. The measure we use to give, is the measure with which we receive--you cannot receive the fullness of God, without a full gift of self. To the extent we withhold, we cannot receive, because we withdraw ourselves from God through a conscious decision. This is sin, and its attachment. The whole of Love invites us in, but our sharing in communion is in proportion to the degree we give ourselves completely. If we only knew the suffering it caused God, our Beloved--the passion--we would not sin. Posted Tue, Feb 26, 2008 under /follow category [permanent link] |
Abortion IroniesDon't all laws 'tell someone what to do with their body'? How does a mother have a right to kill her child, simply because it's her child? How can the reproductive act between a man and a woman produce anything other than a human? If an embryo is not truly a human person, what reason is there for an abortion? Why do some folk say they don't know how human life starts? Did they not get the 'birds and the bees' talk? Why do we have laws to protect unhatched bald eagles, but not unborn humans? Why is the scientific fact that DNA uniquely identifies every human person, suddenly forgotten when we talk about humans in the embryonic stage? How are zygote, blastocyst, embryo, newborn, infant, toddler, child, teenager, young adult, adult, and senior different? How can personal choice trump an innocent baby's life? Last modified: 2007-11-20 Posted Thu, Nov 15, 2007 under /culture category [permanent link] |
