Now here is an interesting thing to ponder. What we have here is a
Baltimore Sun story about a controversy in the Episcopal Diocese of
Maryland that does not appear, at first glance to have anything to do with
evolving sexual ethics or alcohol. The latter, of course, is a reference to
the various charges brought against Bishop Heather Cook, including multiple
charges of drunken driving, after the car that she was driving veered into
a popular bike lane and hit a cyclist, killing a 41-year-old father of two.
No, this story has to do with a shrinking parish and conflict about the
sale of a valuable piece of property that includes a church sanctuary.
Thus, what we have here is a Baltimore-area story linked to a much larger
national and even global trend about what religious leaders can do with
properties held by flocks that are, to be blunt, not producing their fair
share of converts and/or babies.
The issue, of course, is whether the Sun editors know about this
demographics-is-destiny connection and whether they want to cover it. It is
clear, however, that they know their local diocese has major financial
problems (even before the DUI bishop case) and that the parishioners at the
tiny Church of the Ascension allege that their property is being sold,
against their will, because of that. Thus, readers are told:
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Episcopal land wars in Maryland: So is this waterfront property war story truly doctrine-free or not?
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Latest News from Vatican and Pope Francis - Balloons instead of Doves and Muslim-Christian Dialogue
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26-01-2015 - Year XXII - Num. 018 |
Summary |
| - Solemnity of the conversion of St. Paul: “We are all at the service of the one Gospel” |
| - Angelus: God too thirsts for us |
| - New appeal for a cease to the violence in Ukraine |
| - The most effective antidote to violence is accepting difference as richness |
| - Francis: “Unity is achieved by walking together” |
| - Ten years after “Dignitas connubii”: in search of swift solutions |
| - Audiences |
| - Other Pontifical Acts |
| Solemnity of the conversion of St. Paul: “We are all at the service of the one Gospel” Vatican City, 25 January 2015 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon the Pope presided at the second Vespers on the solemnity of the conversion of St. Paul, bringing to a close the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the theme of which this year was “Give me to drink” (John, 4.7). Representatives from other Churches and communities in Rome were present, and the celebration concluded with an apostolic blessing. In his homily, the full text of which is published below, Pope Francis emphasised that Jesus' thirst – which is described in the Gospel passage of the Samaritan woman – goes well beyond physical thirst. “It is also the thirst for an encounter, the wish to establish a dialogue with the woman, thus offering her the possibility of a path of inner conversion”. “On his way from Judea to Galilee, Jesus passes through Samaria”, began the Pope. “He has no problem dealing with Samaritans, who were considered by the Jews to be heretics, schismatics, separate. His attitude tells us that encounter with those who are different from ourselves can make us grow. “Weary from his journey, Jesus does not hesitate to ask the Samaritan woman for something to drink. His thirst, however, is much more than physical: it is also a thirst for encounter, a desire to enter into dialogue with that woman and to invite her to make a journey of interior conversion. Jesus is patient, respectful of the person before him, and gradually reveals himself to her. His example encourages us to seek a serene encounter with others. To understand one another, and to grow in charity and truth, we need to pause, to accept and listen to one another. In this way, we already begin to experience unity. Unity grows along the way; it never stands still. Unity happens when we walk together. “The woman of Sychar asks Jesus about the place where God is truly worshipped. Jesus does not side with the mountain or the temple, but goes to the heart of the matter, breaking down every wall of division. He speaks instead of the meaning of true worship: 'God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth'. So many past controversies between Christians can be overcome when we put aside all polemical or apologetic approaches, and seek instead to grasp more fully what unites us, namely, our call to share in the mystery of the Father’s love revealed to us by the Son through the Holy Spirit. Christian unity, we are convinced, will not be the fruit of subtle theoretical discussions in which each party tries to convince the other of the soundness of their opinions. When the Son of Man comes, he will find us still discussing! We need to realise that, to plumb the depths of the mystery of God, we need one another, we need to encounter one another and to challenge one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who harmonises diversities and overcomes conflicts, reconciles differences”. Gradually, continued the Pope, “the Samaritan woman comes to realise that the one who has asked her for a drink is able to slake her own thirst. Jesus in effect tells her that he is the source of living water which can satisfy her thirst for ever. Our human existence is marked by boundless aspirations: we seek truth, we thirst for love, justice and freedom. These desires can only be partially satisfied, for from the depths of our being we are prompted to seek 'something more', something capable of fully quenching our thirst. The response to these aspirations is given by God in Jesus Christ, in his paschal mystery. From the pierced side of Jesus there flowed blood and water. He is the brimming fount of the water of the Holy Spirit, 'the love of God poured into our hearts on the day of our baptism. By the working of the Holy Spirit, we have become one in Christ, sons in the Son, true worshippers of the Father. This mystery of love is the deepest ground of the unity which binds all Christians and is much greater than their historical divisions. To the extent that we humbly advance towards the Lord, then, we also draw nearer to one another”. Her encounter with Jesus “made the Samaritan women a missionary. Having received a greater and more important gift than mere water from a well, she leaves her jar behind and runs back to tell her townspeople that she has met the Christ. Her encounter with Jesus restored meaning and joy to her life, and she felt the desire to share this with others. Today there are so many men and women around us who are weary and thirsting, and who ask us Christians to give them something to drink. It is a request which we cannot evade. In the call to be evangelisers, all the Churches and Ecclesial Communities discover a privileged setting for closer cooperation. For this to be effective, we need to stop being self-enclosed, exclusive, and bent on imposing a uniformity based on merely human calculations. Our shared commitment to proclaiming the Gospel enables us to overcome proselytism and competition in all their forms. All of us are at the service of the one Gospel”. “In this moment of prayer for unity, I would also like to remember our martyrs, the martyrs of today. They are witnesses to Jesus Christ, and they are persecuted and killed because they are Christians. Those who persecute them make no distinction between the religious communities to which they belong. They are Christians and for that they are persecuted. This, brothers and sisters, is the ecumenism of blood”, emphasised Francis. He continued, “Mindful of this testimony given by our martyrs today, and with this joyful certainty, I offer a cordial and fraternal greeting to His Eminence Metropolitan Gennadios, the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch, His Grace David Moxon, the personal representative in Rome of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and “all the representatives of the various Churches and Ecclesial Communions gathered here to celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul”. He added, “I am also pleased to greet the members of the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, and I offer them my best wishes for the fruitfulness of the plenary session to be held in these coming days. I also greet the students from the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, and the young recipients of study grants from by the Committee for Cultural Collaboration with the Orthodox Churches, centred in the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity”. Also present, he said, “are men and women religious from various Churches and Ecclesial Communities who have taken part in an ecumenical meeting organised by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life, in conjunction with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, to mark the Year for Consecrated Life. Religious life, as prophetic sign of the world to come, is called to offer in our time a witness to that communion in Christ which transcends all differences and finds expression in concrete gestures of acceptance and dialogue. The pursuit of Christian unity cannot be the sole prerogative of individuals or religious communities particularly concerned with this issue. A shared knowledge of the different traditions of consecrated life, and a fruitful exchange of experiences, can prove beneficial for the vitality of all forms of religious life in the different Churches and Ecclesial Communities”. “Dear brothers and sisters”, he concluded, “today all of us who thirst for peace and fraternity trustingly implore from our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ the one priest and mediator, and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostle Paul and all the saints, the gift of full communion between all Christians, so that 'the sacred mystery of the unity of the Church' may shine forth as the sign and instrument of reconciliation for the whole world”. |
| Angelus: God too thirsts for us Vatican City, 25 January 2015 (VIS) – At midday today the Pope appeared at the window of his study to pray the Sunday Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square and commented on today's Gospel reading, which relates the beginning of Jesus' preaching immediately after the arrest of St. John the Baptist. “Jesus' announcement is similar to that of John, with the significant difference that Jesus does not indicate that another is to come: Jesus Himself is the fulfilment of the promise; He is the 'good news' to believe in, to receive and to communicate to men and women of all time, so that they too entrust their existence to Him. Jesus Christ Himself is the living Word and He is active in history: he who listens to and follows Him will enter the Kingdom of God”. “Jesus is the fulfilment of the divine promise because it is He who gives mankind the Holy Spirit, the 'living water' that quenches the thirst of our restless heart for life, love, freedom, peace: our thirst for God”, explained Francis. Jesus' words to the Samaritan woman, 'Give me to drink', were the theme of this year's annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which concludes this afternoon with the second Vespers in the Roman Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls “to pray fervently to the Lord, so that He might strengthen our commitment to the full unity of all Christians”. He added, “it is an ugly thing, that Christians are divided. But Jesus wants us to be united: one body. Our sins and our history have divided us and we must therefore pray for the Spirit to unite us once more”. “God, who made Himself man, had our thirst, not only for water, but above all the thirst for a full life, free from the slavery of evil and death. At the same time, with His incarnation God placed His thirst, because God also thirsts, in the heart of a man: Jesus of Nazareth. God thirsts for us, our hearts, our love, and placed this thirst in Jesus' heart. Therefore, in the heart of Christ, human and divine thirst meets. And the desire for the unity of his disciples belongs to this thirst”. “May Jesus' thirst increasingly become our own”, he concluded. “Let us therefore continue to pray and strive for the full unity of the Disciples of Christ, in the certainty that He Himself is at our side and sustains us with the strength of His Spirit so that this goal can be reached”. |
| New appeal for a cease to the violence in Ukraine Vatican City, 26 January 2015 (VIS) – At the end of today's Angelus prayer, a boy and a girl joined the Pope at the window of his study to read a message of peace on behalf of Catholic Action of the diocese of Rome, which concludes its traditional journey of the “Caravan of Peace” during these days. The young people of Catholic Action present in the square released a balloon containing messages of peace. Beforehand, the Pope recalled “with deep concern the escalation of the clashes in east Ukraine, which continue to claim many victims among the civilian population. While I assure my prayers to those who suffer, I renew my heartfelt appeal for the resumption of attempts at dialogue in order to bring an end to the hostilities”. Francis also mentioned that today is World Leprosy Day, and expressed his closeness to “all those who suffer from this disease, as well as those who care for them and those who fight to eradicate the causes of contagion, that is, living conditions that are not worthy of mankind. Let us renew our commitment to solidarity with these brothers and sisters”. Finally, he addressed the Filipino community of Rome. “The Filipino people are wonderful for their strong and joyful faith. May the Lord also support those of you who live far from your homeland. Many thanks for your witness, and thank you for all the good you do for us, as you sow faith among us and offer a beautiful witness of faith”. |
| The most effective antidote to violence is accepting difference as richness Vatican City, 24 January 2015 (VIS) – “In recent years, despite various misunderstandings and difficulties, strides ahead have been made in interreligious dialogue, even with followers of Islam. Listening is essential for this. It is not only a necessary condition in a process of mutual comprehension and peaceful co-existence, but it is also a pedagogic duty in order to 'acknowledge the values of others, appreciate the concerns underlying their demands and shed light on shared beliefs'”, said Pope Francis this morning, as he received in audience the participants in a meeting organised by the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and lslamic Studies (PISAI), commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation. The meeting was held at the Pontifical Urbanian University from 22 to 24 January on the theme: “Studying and Understanding the Religion of the Other. Towards Mutual Recognition between Religions and Cultures in Today’s World”. Francis emphasised the need for adequate education, “so that, secure in our own identity, we can grow in mutual knowledge. We must take care not to fall prey to a syncretism that is conciliatory but ultimately empty and a harbinger of a totalitarianism without values. A comfortable and accommodating approach, 'which says “yes” to everything in order to avoid problems', ends up being 'a way of deceiving others and denying them the good which we have been given to share generously with others'. This invites us, first of all, to return to the basics”. “At the beginning of dialogue there is encounter”, he continued. “This generates the first knowledge of the other. If, indeed, we start from the presumption of our common human nature, it is possible to overcome prejudice and falsehood, and to begin to understand the other from a new perspective”. Francis remarked that now there is a need, like never before, for an institution dedicated expressly to research and the formation of dialogue with Muslims, since “the most effective antidote to any form of violence is education in the discovery and acceptance of difference as richness and fruitfulness”. This task, affirmed the Pope, is not easy, but “is born of and matures from a strong sense of responsibility”. He continued, “Islamic-Christian dialogue, in a special way, requires patience and humility accompanied by detailed study, as approximation and improvisation can be counterproductive and or even the cause of unease and embarrassment. There is a need for lasting and continuous commitment in order to ensure we do not find ourselves unprepared in various situations and in different contexts. For this reason it demands a specific preparation, that is not limited to sociological analysis but rather has the characteristics of a journey shared by people belonging to religions that, although in different ways, refer to the spiritual fatherhood of Abraham. Culture and education are not secondary to a true process of moving towards each other that respects in every person “his life, his physical integrity, his dignity and the rights deriving from that dignity, his reputation, his property, his ethnic and cultural identity, his ideas and his political choices”. The Pope expressed his wish that this “valuable” Institute, may increasingly become “a point of reference for the formation of Christians who work in the field of interreligious dialogue” and that it may establish a fruitful collaboration with other Pontifical universities and research centres, both Christian and Muslim, throughout the world. He concluded by encouraging the community of the PISAI “never to betray the primary task of listening and dialogue, based on clear identities and the keen, patient and rigorous search for truth and beauty, which are placed in the hearts of every man and woman and truly visible in every authentic religious expression”. |
| Francis: “Unity is achieved by walking together” Vatican City, 24 January 2015 (VIS) – At midday in the Consistory Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace the Holy Father met with the participants in the ecumenical colloquium of men and women religious organised by the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, on the occasion of the Year for Consecrated Life. He highlighted that it is particularly meaningful that the meeting took place during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: “Each year this [week] reminds us that spiritual ecumenism is the soul of the ecumenical movement”. He went on to share with those present some thoughts regarding the importance of consecrated life to Christian unity. “The wish to re-establish unity among all Christians is present naturally in all Churches, and regards both clergy and laypeople”, he began. “But religious life, which is rooted in Christ's will and the common tradition of the undivided Church, has without doubt a particular vocation in the promotion of this unity. … The search for union with God and unity within the fraternal community is proper to religious life, which thus realises in an exemplary fashion the prayer to the Lord that 'that they all may be one'”. Religious life, he continued, “shows us precisely that this unity is not the fruit of our efforts, but is a gift of the Holy Spirit, Who realises unity in diversity. It also shows us that this unity can be achieved only by journeying together, if we take the path of fraternity in love, in service, and in mutual acceptance”. The Pontiff emphasised that there is no unity without conversion, prayer, or holiness of life. He remarked that religious life reminds us that “at the heart of every search for unity, and therefore every ecumenical effort, there is above all the conversion of the heart, that leads to asking for and the granting of forgiveness”, and that the commitment to ecumenism responds, first and foremost, to the prayer of the Lord Jesus and it is based essentially on prayer”. He added that “religious life helps us to become aware of the call addressed to baptised persons: the call to holiness of life, that is the one true path towards unity”. He concluded by expressing his gratitude for the witness to the Gospel given by men and women religious, and for their service in the cause of Christian unity. |
| Ten years after “Dignitas connubii”: in search of swift solutions Vatican City, 24 January 2015 (VIS) – This morning Pope Francis received in audience the participants in the international congress commemorating the tenth anniversary of the publication of the Instruction “Dignitas connubii”. The symposium was organised by the faculty of canon law of the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and with the patronage of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and the “Consociatio internationalis studio iuris canonici promovendo”. The Pope declared that the extensive participation in this meeting indicates the importance of the Instruction “Dignitas connubii”, “which is not directed principally to jurists but rather to those who work in local tribunals, and noted that “experience teaches us that he who knows the path to follow travels more rapidly. The knowledge of and familiarity with this Instruction may in the future also help ministers of the courts to streamline proceedings, often perceived by married couples as long and tiresome. The resources that this Instruction makes available for rapid proceedings, free of any formalism, have not yet been fully explored; similarly, the possibility of future legislation intended for the same purpose cannot be excluded”. Finally, he commented on the importance of the contribution of the defender of the bond in cases of marriage annulment, specifying that “his presence and the faithful fulfilment of his task does not condition the judge, but rather allows and promotes the impartiality of his judgement by setting before him the arguments for and against annulment”. |
| Audiences Vatican City, 26 January 2015 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience: - Cardinal Luis Sistach, archbishop of Barcelona, Spain; - Bishop Gastone Simoni, emeritus of Prato, Italy; - Bishop Francesco Micciche, emeritus of Trapani, Italy; - Rev. Fr. Alejandro Moral Anton, prior general of the Order of St. Augustine (Augustinians). On Saturday 24 January, the Holy Father received in audience: - Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops; - Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa, Italy, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference; - Maria De Los Angeles Marechal, co-president of the Fundacion Leopoldo Marechal, Argentina. |
| Other Pontifical Acts Vatican City, 26 January 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has: - appointed Msgr. Stefan Hesse as archbishop of Hamburg (area 32,493, population 5,797,975, Catholics 397,331, priests 248, permanent deacons 60, religious 221), Germany. The bishop-elect was born in Cologne, Germany in 1966 and was ordained a priest in 1993. He studied theology in Bonn and Regensburg, and holds a doctorate in dogmatic theology from the High School of the Pallottine Fathers in Vallendar. He has served as parish priest in a number of parishes in the archdiocese of Cologne, and is currently canon of the Metropolitan Chapter of Cologne and vicar general. He served as diocesan administrator from March to September 2014. - restored the title of metropolitan archdiocese to Cashel and Emly, Ireland. Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, currently metropolitan archbishop of Cashel and apostolic administrator of Emly, was appointed as metropolitan archbishop of the new ecclesiastical circumscription. On Saturday, 24 January the Holy Father appointed Fr. Ivica Petanjak, O.F.M. Cap., as bishop of Krk (area 1,119, population 40,447, Catholics 35,499, priests 79, religious 110), Croatia. The bishop-elect was born in Drenje, Croatia in 1963, gave his perpetual vows in 1988 and was ordained a priest in 1990. He holds a bachelor's degree in theology from the faculty of theology in Zagreb, Croatia, and a doctorate in church history from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including deputy master of seminarians, parish vicar and hospital chaplain in Split, master of clerics, provincial minister, parish priest of the “Our Lady of Lourdes” parish in Rijeka and master of postulants. He is currently guardian of the Capuchin monastery of Osijek and provincial definitor. He succeeds Bishop Valter Zupan, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father. |
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Battaglia Pens ‘The Politically Incorrect Jesus’
Broadstreet Publishing“Jesus was hardly opened-minded about the truth,” says Joe Battaglia, author of The Politically Incorrect Jesus.” “He calls believers to be salt and light—not chameleons.” This...
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When Responding to Critics Becomes Destructive
Haters gonna hate. Retaliators gonna retaliate. You don't have to do either.
In today’s world, it seems like every idea is immediately met with a counterargument. Whenever someone publicizes their personal opinion about the hot-button issues of our day, it’s instantly met by a dozen rebuttals or counterarguments from people on the opposite side of the issue.
With so many different opinions, it’s natural to pick a side and fervently declare that our truth is the ultimate truth. It’s tempting to feel we need to prove the legitimacy of our opinions to those around us.
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New Prime Minister of Greece Elected - Alexis Tsipras of Syriza Party
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Today's Mass Readings : Monday January 26, 2015
Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops
Lectionary: 520/317
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.
I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears,
so that I may be filled with joy,
as I recall your sincere faith
that first lived in your grandmother Lois
and in your mother Eunice
and that I am confident lives also in you.
For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
for the sake of the faith of God’s chosen ones
and the recognition of religious truth,
in the hope of eternal life
that God, who does not lie, promised before time began,
who indeed at the proper time revealed his word
in the proclamation with which I was entrusted
by the command of God our savior,
to Titus, my true child in our common faith:
grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior.
For this reason I left you in Crete
so that you might set right what remains to be done
and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you.
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.
I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears,
so that I may be filled with joy,
as I recall your sincere faith
that first lived in your grandmother Lois
and in your mother Eunice
and that I am confident lives also in you.
For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
OrTI 1:1-5
Paul, a slave of God and Apostle of Jesus Christfor the sake of the faith of God’s chosen ones
and the recognition of religious truth,
in the hope of eternal life
that God, who does not lie, promised before time began,
who indeed at the proper time revealed his word
in the proclamation with which I was entrusted
by the command of God our savior,
to Titus, my true child in our common faith:
grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior.
For this reason I left you in Crete
so that you might set right what remains to be done
and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you.
Responsorial PsalmPS 96:1-2A, 2B-3, 7-8A, 10
R. (3) Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
AlleluiaSEE 2 TM 1:10
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 3:22-30
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and
“By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
“How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and
“By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
“How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
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Pope Francis “Mothers and grandmothers are the ones who [in primis] transmit the faith.” Homily
Pope Francis at Mass - OSS_ROM
26/01/2015 12:
(Vatican Radio) The primary and indispensable role of women in transmitting the faith to new generations: this was the focus of Pope Francis’ remarks to the faithful following the readings of the day at Mass on Monday morning in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence in the Vatican. On the day when the Church celebrates the memory of Saints Timothy and Titus – bishops and disciples of St Paul the Apostle, Pope Francis commented in particular on the second letter of Paul to Timothy.
Mothers and Grandmothers transmit the faithPaul reminds Timothy of where his “sincere faith” comes from: his faith comes from the Holy Spirit, “through his mother and grandmother.” Pope Francis went on to say, “Mothers and grandmothers are the ones who [in primis] transmit the faith.” The Holy Father went on to say:
It is one thing to pass on the faith, and another to teach the matters of faith. Faith is a gift: it is not possible to study Faith. We study the things of faith, yes, to understand it better, but with study [alone] one never comes to Faith. Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit, which surpasses all [“academic”] formation.
Faith, moreover, is a gift that passes from generation to generation, through the “beautiful work of mothers and grandmothers, the fine work of the women who play those roles,” in a family, “whether they be maids or aunts,” who transmit the faith:
It occurs to me: why is it mainly women, who to pass on the faith? Simply because the one who brought us Jesus is a woman. It is the path chosen by Jesus. He wanted to have a mother: the gift of faith comes to us through women, as Jesus came to us through Mary.
Cherish the gift of faith because you waters down
“We need,” said Pope Francis, “in our own day to consider whether women really are aware of the duty they have to transmit the faith.” Paul invites Timothy to guard the Faith, the deposit of Faith, avoiding “empty pagan chatter, empty chatter of the world.” He went on to say, “We have – all of us – received the gift of faith: we have to keep it, at least in order that it not become watered down, so that it remains strong, with the power of the Holy Spirit who gave it to us.” We keep the faith by cherishing and nurturing it every day:
If we do not have this care, every day, to revive this gift of God which is Faith, but rather let faith weaken, become diluted, Faith ends up being a culture: ‘Yes, but, yes, yes, I am a Christian, yes yes,’ – a mere culture – or a gnosis, [specialized kind of] knowledge: ‘Yes, I know well all the matters of Faith, I know the catechism’. But how do you live your faith? This, then, is the importance of reviving every day this gift: to bring it to life.
Timidity and shame they do not increase the faith
Saint Paul says that there are two things in particular, which contrast with a living Faith: “the spirits of timidity and of shame”:
God has not given us a spirit of timidity. The spirit of timidity goes against the gift of faith: it does not let faith grow, advance, be great. Shame, in turn, is the following sin, [which says]: ‘Yes, I have Faith, but I cover it up, that it not be seen too much’. It’s a little bit here, a little bit there – it is, as our forebears called it, a “rosewater” Faith – because I am ashamed to live it powerfully. No: this is not the Faith: [Faith knows] neither timidity nor shame. What is it, then? It is a spirit of power and of love and of prudence: that is what Faith is This is the faith. "
Faith is not negotiable
Pope Francis explained that the spirit of prudence is knowing that we cannot do everything we want: it means looking for the ways, the path, the manners by which to carry the Faith forward, cautiously. “We ask the Lord’s grace,” he concluded, “that we might have a sincere Faith, a Faith that is not negotiable depending on the opportunities that come, a Faith that every day I try to revive or at least ask the Holy Spirit to revive it, and make it bear much fruit.”
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The fight for religious liberty
Many of those who govern us view religious liberty the same way
they view gun rights: a holdover from the frontier republic and the
buggy days of unenlightened barbarity. So they don’t view these
rights as “counting,” especially when compared to more progressive
rights that we have somehow discovered in the Constitution: the
rights to abortion, same-sex marriage, and every means of sexual
self-expression. They reduce gun rights to hunting privileges, and
they tolerate religion only
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Front Page of Hacker News
Achievement unlocked. Neato.
The post Front Page of Hacker News appeared first on John Saddington.
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Sufjan Stevens: Coming Soon to a City Near You
Sufjan Stevens' first album since 2010's Age of Adz is mere months from a release (not many people have heard it, but The Guardian has, and they call it "The Best Record Sufjan Stevens Has Ever Made.") and where there is a new, epic album, there must be new, epic concerts. Suf is delivering on that with a massive, nationwide tour that'll kick off in Philadelphia on April 10 and cap (tentatively) in Seattle on June 10. Check out the full tour schedule here.
By the way, Ticketmaster will begin a special pre-sale for tickets at 10am local time on Tuesday, January 26 (password: EUGENE) and you can get those tickets here. Don't say we never did nothing nice for you ...
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Dear You Who Doesn’t Want to Do that Hard Thing
Dear Lovely You, who doesn’t want to play the piano, take out the recycling, study for your geometry exam, get on the treadmill, clean up the basement, or do that big thing that feels like an impossible thing— okay, yeah, boy, do I hear you. It doesn’t matter a hill of sprouting beans if you’re […]
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For KING & COUNTRY: harmonics that tickle the ear
In this article Hollie Rose shares about brothers Joel & Luke of the up and fast Contemporary Christian band for KING & COUNTRY.
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Nobody Wants to See Whatever 'Mortdecai' Is.
What is Mortdecai? Yes, we know Johnny Depp IS Mortdecai. The movie's unavoidable marketing campaign has made that breathlessly clear. But is there any reason we should care? Is Mortdecai a person with whom we are supposed to be familiar? According to Wikipedia, Mortdecai is the subject of a series of caper novels written in the '70s. Is this common knowledge? Did the makers of Mortdecai think it was common knowledge? Did they think there was a legion of Mortecai fans eagerly awaiting the film adaptation of their favorite book? If so, they were sorely mistaken.
The weekend was not kind to Johnny Depp or his new movie, which pulled in only $4.1 million. That's a lot of money to people like us, but in Hollywood terms, it's "disastrous." Particularly when American Sniper, Clint Eastwood's Iraq war film, is spinning heads everywhere by pulling in some truly crazy numbers. After just its second weekend in wide release, it's already the second highest-grossing war movie of all time behind Saving Private Ryan, and it's closing in fast. The lesson here: People do like war movies. They do not like Johnny Depp's dumb mustache ...
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Supreme Court considers fairness in housing, healthcare
Fair housing. A Texas group called Inclusive Communities Project
argued last week at the U.S. Supreme Court that Dallas
neighborhoods are segregated because of the way tax credits are
doled out. The group sued under the Fair Housing Act, claiming the
tax credit policy has a disparate impact on minorities. While the
plain text of the Fair Housing Act protects minorities from
discrimination by landlords or home sellers, it doesn’t protect
them from policies that might have a negative
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The Earth Is Yours – 60 Second Song Story (Vineyard Worship from ‘Waterfalls’)
The Earth Is Yours – 60 Second Song Story (Vineyard Worship from ‘Waterfalls’):...
Please visit the original post if the links and video clips are not visible, or if the complete article does not appear.
Please visit the original post if the links and video clips are not visible, or if the complete article does not appear.
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From The Virgin Mary to a Housewife in Queens: Inside The Seer of Bayside
Title: The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle for Catholicism...
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What We Owe Winston Churchill-Liberty Itself
I’m indebted to my good friend Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy for this excellent reminder of the 50th Anniversary of Winston Churchill’s funeral.
Fifty years ago, a great State Funeral was held in London for Winston Churchill. Britain’s Prime Minister in World War II, Churchill was the man who through the 1930s had been a voice crying in the wilderness against the rise of the Nazis (Nozzies). Then, when appeasement failed to stop Hitler, Churchill arose to fight him. President Kennedy would say: “He martialed the English language and sent it into battle.”
Half a century ago, Winston Churchill was laid to rest in a solemn ceremony in St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The subject of Churchill’s faith—or lack thereof—has been discussed for almost as long as Winston himself has been discussed. And that’s a very long time. He first became famous escaping from a South African prison during the Boer War, just weeks before the year 1900 dawned. Young Churchill hated every minute as a POW and contrived to climb out of a bathroom window and escape. As some would say later, he leaped out of the “Loo” and onto the stage of history.
And what a performance. Winston Churchill’s life was the most documented human life ever lived. When I made that claim to some of our FRC interns several years ago, one of the brighter ones challenged me. What about Prince William? We have even seen his ultra-sound picture. Good point. But we don’t know what William thought about matters—from the age of seven. And we do know that about Winston Churchill.
He died at age 90, seventy years to the day after his famous father had died. His father was Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Conservative Party government of Lord Salisbury. Lord Randolph Churchill had married a stunningly beautiful and sensuous American heiress. (Fans of PBS’s Downton Abbey will be familiar with the plan: British noble, down at the heels financially marries wealthy American beauty and, surprisingly, actually falls in love with her.)
Lord Randolph died in his forties. He may have suffered from tuberculosis of the brain, or, as some have suggested, from syphilis. Winston always expected to die young. Perhaps that accounted for his incredible energy.
During World War II, as Prime Minister, he was famous—or notorious—for sending out memos with red stickers saying “Action this Day” on them. He wanted a full report—on one side of a piece of paper, before sundown. Winston himself always worked two shifts. He would sleep late, work in bed before noon. And then every afternoon take a nap of 1-2 hours. By this method, he could go well into the wee hours of the morning.
He had almost no consideration for his staff. No holidays. No vacations. No breaks at all. He would smile mischievously at 10 or 11 pm and say “I shall need two young ladies tonight.” He meant as typists. He wore them out and roared at them if they ever got something wrong, failed to double-space everything, or dared to ask him to repeat something.
Now, he was forever chewing on a fine Havana cigar and he had a speech impediment. He could not properly pronounce the letter “S.” That, and the fact that he drank alcohol from the moment he awoke in the morning until well after midnight sometimes made it hard to make out what he was saying as he paced back and forth, dictating. His drinking led some to conclude, incorrectly, that he was alcoholic. “I’ve taken more out of whiskey than whiskey has taken out of me,” he said.
Those who knew him best knew that his whiskey and water was very weak. And it was probably true that it fueled his lightning imagination. [Don’t try this at home. The Lord makes only one such in a century!]
Standing atop the Air Ministry in London during an especially heavy bombing raid, Winston looked out on the city in flames. Suddenly and somewhat surprisingly, he turned to his young secretary and asked: “You’re not afraid, are you, Miss Holmes?” No sir, the intrepid young woman answered, “I could never be afraid with you, Sir.”
He had that effect on millions of people. His courage was contagious. After the war, a Polish survivor of the concentration camps said: “We didn’t have bread, but we had Churchill.”
That comment hurts me as an American. I want oppressed people around the world to say that of my President. When Ronald Reagan told the National Association of Evangelicals in 1983 they should not turn a blind eye to the “machinations of an evil empire,” those words rang around the world. Reagan never said the Soviet Union is an evil empire. He let the Communists howl in indignation. He let them scream in protest: “Reagan calls USSR ‘Evil Empire.” He hadn’t. But just like the demons, they knew who he was talking about. And they headlined it in Pravda and Izvestia. That’s how Natan Sharansky and other Jews and Christians in the Gulag found out what Reagan had said. Finally, an American president who gets it!
Churchill always got it. He denounced the Nozzie butchers from the first days. After barking at one of his subordinates, and hurting the young man’s feelings, he felt bad. He actually apologized and said: “I’m only fierce toward one.” It was Hitler.
Why do we keep bringing up leaders like Churchill and Reagan? Because they got it. They understood that regimes that started off persecuting Jews would soon come for the British and the Americans. They gave no encouragement to the appeasers of their day.
When I was young, we learned a song in school: Hail Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean. One of the lines in it is: “Thy banners make tyranny tremble.” Do our banners make tyranny tremble today? Or do they make tyranny comfortable?
President Obama heads the most anti-Israel administration in U.S. history. He has virtually ignored the deaths of tens of thousands of Christians while he bows to cruel Muslim rulers.
He is the leading protector of Iran’s Mullahs in the world. Shocking, but true. He shields Iran’s Mullahs from sanctions, even from the threat of sanctions.
Does anyone believe he would use military force to stop the Number One state-sponsor of terrorism from obtaining a nuclear weapon? He won’t even threaten to use economic sanctions. And he has long since given up any diplomatic sanctions.
Churchill’s weak predecessor, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, appeased Hitler only once—disastrously—at Munich. President Obama has appeased the Iranians every day for six years. All of this gravely threatens the cause of liberty throughout the world.
So, today, I thank God for the life and legacy of Winston Churchill. When, at the end of his life, his daughter tried to cheer him up as the weight of age and infirmity quenched his indomitable fire, she said to him: “I owe you what every British man and woman owes you: Liberty itself.”
Millions in Eastern Europe could say that today about the leadership of Ronald Reagan. Who will say that about today’s U.S. leadership?
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Video of the Day: Lie Witness News - Martin Luther King Jr.
While you were sleeping last Monday night, Jimmy Kimmel shared this incredible insight that many people on the street are either unaware of who Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was or at least that he is...
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We’re Open Late: Call Us with Your Logos 6 Questions!
This is your last chance to get introductory savings and discounts on Logos 6—sale ends at 11:59 p.m. February 2! Have questions about Logos 6? Call the Upgrade Express line at 888-875-9491 to speak with a Logos 6 specialist. We’re here to help! If you’re not sure whether to upgrade or where to start, we’re […]
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Rediscovering Community: What's Your Impact?
In the “popular” or “mainstream” side of business you find a number of articles that tout young startup owners, particularly the 30 under 30. But the Kauffman.org data tells a different story and shows the age demographics of startup founders to be roughly split in the 23-27% range of the workforce in 2013 (20-34, 35-44, 45-54, and 55-64 age groups.)
The world tells us to watch the up-and-comers and what they might accomplish in the future. Their fresh faces and new ideas might make the media limelight shine bright, but God says to look to Him first.
Deut 8:17-18 “Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. ”
Never too young. Never too old.
There are so many others who do good, even great work that goes unsung in the world’s media.
We’ve all heard about Steve Jobs (the strategist and “showman”) and Steve Wozniak (the geek) who started Apple, the visible side of computers. The other side are the greybeards (middle-aged men with not quite black or white beards) made famous by the Condescending Unix Computer User in the Dilbert comic strip. Greybeards are mostly renowned computer scientists who have had a sweeping influence among computer geeks. Dennis Ritchie was one such greybeard. He is the father of the C programing language and, combined with the talents of Ken Thompson of Bell Labs, they used C to created the UNIX operating system (see this simplified genealogy of UNIX operating systems).
“The tools that Dennis built — and their direct descendants — run pretty much everything today,” said Brian Kernighan, a computer scientist at Princeton University who worked with Mr. Ritchie at Bell Labs (NYTimes).
While Jobs had the visual impact, Ritchie’s mostly invisible impact had a far greater affect to the marketplace, despite getting much less fame. For a Christian, the invisible impact can be the same.
Use the tools you've been given
A snowstorm in January 1850 cut short 16-year-old Charles Spurgeon’s travel, and he entered a small church where the main preacher was absent because of the same snowstorm. But, a church member accepted a challenge and gave a 10-minute sermon on the text, “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. (Isa 45:22).” Spurgeon became a believer that day. A significant spiritual legacy was started from a small change, all because a snowstorm detoured a young teenager into hearing a lay person’s simple, short sermon. No one would guess how mighty the legacy results were from that lay person’s sermon. Estimates are that in his lifetime, Spurgeon preached to around 10,000,000 people. One’s life does not have to be big in order to go big, take action with where you are with what you have. Have faith, even small actions have a major impacts with others.
Whether you’re a Christian starting a new business, a pastor starting a new church, a person starting a new Bible study, the process is still the same.
Start having an impact
You’ll never know the impact and influence you have on others and their lives. Just as in the parable of the talent, the one lazy slave buried his talent because he was timid and unenterprising and was chastised for it. Jesus tells you and startup entrepreneurs to dig up, brush off, and put to work any and all of your talents. When you do, ensure that you don’t “grieve” and “quench” the Holy Spirit in your life, but just as important, don’t bury or mock your neighbor’s God-given talents and spiritual gift and “grieve” and “quench” the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Rom 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
You never know the next major positive influence and impact you will have on someone else’s life.
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Kevin Cullis is a former Gulf War I USAF Aircraft Maintenance officer. He is currently a business geek, author, speaker, and an entrepreneur. He loves helping kids, startups, entrepreneurs, and small business owners integrate, utilize, and optimize their marketing, sales, operations, and business leadership and mnagement processes for higher profits. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn, Facebook, and his website, where this first appeared.
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Rediscovering Community
Online community is a real thing. Isn’t it? Maybe it depends on whom you talk to. How important is it to spend time with someone face-to-face? Can you build meaningful and lasting relationships online? Where do you find your most significant interactions, and how do you make time for them? Jesus focused on building his deepest relationships with three of his disciples while he walked the earth. What can we learn about community from Christ’s example, and how do we translate his example to the digital age? In this theme, we are Rediscovering Community in old-fashioned and new-fangled ways. We’ll celebrate the gift of relationship while exploring ways to build community in the modern age. Join us!
Photo by Diane Bailey. Design by Jennifer Dukes Lee.
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