Keep your eyes open!...





 


May 31, 2007

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

(John 14:27)  Peace I leave with you: my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled: nor let it be afraid.

LINK: He Could No Longer Explain Why He Wasn’t Catholic


FROM THE MAILBAG VIA Sue:  

How To Achieve Peace of Soul!
By the late Father Kilian McGowan, C.P.

More books, pamphlets and columns on peace of soul have probably been written in the last decade than in all the time since the birth of Christ. No generation has sought peace more desperately than our own. Yet, this desirable state of mind and heart seems to be more elusive than ever.

Why should this be? God promised us peace in the words of Isaias:
"Lord, thou wilt give us peace." At the birth of our Blessed Lord the angels promised peace to men of good will. It was one of the last things promised by our Lord before His death, and the first after His Resurrection: "Peace be to you." (Luke 24:36)

The booming psychiatric trade indicates much is to be desired in the lives of individuals. Divorce and juvenile delinquency attest to lack of peace in the home. And the "Cold War" is sufficient proof of the lack of peace on the international scene.

The fact that our human hearts instinctively desire and seek peace of soul is evident. Could it be that we're looking of it in the wrong place? Or that we're not willing to pay the price for it?

True peace of soul will ever be the product of warfare and victory. In the spiritual realm it comes to those who wage a total warfare against sin and selfishness. It is a gift given to everyone who surrender to the demands of the Risen Savior telling us "to seek the things that are above."

1) We must surrender our minds to our Lord by living according to His law: "Much peace have they that love thy law, " Psalm 118 guarantees. The Gospel, containing revealed information on where to find peace, is the "Peace Plan" of God.

Obviously, it would be presumptuous to hope for peace without even consulting the Gospel. Yet, there are those who never do. The Creator, Who designed your human nature, reveals a way of life productive to peace. It must be studied and applied.

2) We must surrender our wills to our Lord by making the love of God the supreme goal of our life on earth: "Submit thyself to Him and thou shalt have peace." Charity is the perfect way of surrendering our hearts to God, and one of its first effects of peace.

A lot of people lack peace of soul because their desires are in conflict with the will of God - and thus with their human nature.

Once they make the "great decision" - that is, the resolution to make God's will the norm of their actions - they will find peace. Of this, you can be sure.

3) Finally, we must surrender our hearts to the Presence of God. God did not design the human heart to be separated from Him. Without Him there's an unsettling restlessness that nags us and leaves us without peace. As St. Paul writes: "He is our peace." (Eph. 2:14)

We must never forget that our model for peace is a battle-scarred warrior who won a total victory over sin and death by unconditional surrender to His Father's Will. Only thus, did He merit the glorious peace and victory of the Resurrection. It's ours also to share. But we must be willing to pay the price!


The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Humility

5. Some demons once came near Arsenius in his cell, and they were troubling him.  The same brothers who usually ministered to him arrived.  As they stood outside the cell, they heard him crying aloud to the Lord, 'Lord do not leave me, though I have done nothing good in your sight.  Grant me, Lord, by your loving kindness, to make at least the first beginnings of good.'



May 30, 2007

LINK: The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

FROM THE MAILBAG
Via [email protected]: Latest news from Garabandal

In April, Conchita sent Joey Lomangino a copy of a letter dated February 12, 2007 from Archbishop Carlos Sierra of Oviedo, the acting Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Santander in Spain to a prominent Garabandal supporter in that country. We are encouraged by the tone of the Archbishop's letter which seems to indicate a warm familiarity with the apparitions and points to a new openness of the Hierarchy of the Church to the events at Garabandal. He also reasserts authorization for priests to go to Garabandal on pilgrimage and say Mass and hear confessions. With Conchita's permission we reprint an excerpt; "I want you to know that I am open to receiving and considering all information about Garabandal , and would like to continue-as long as our Holy Father wishes me to serve as Apostolic Administrator-the work that my brothers at the Bishopric have already done in reference to this subject. What I have just done is authorize the priests to go to Garabandal and hold Holy Mass at the Parish, at any desired time, and to administer the Sacrament of Reconciliation to anyone that wishes to receive it.

I am sure the next Bishop will promote further studies to examine in depth the Garabandal events and will send the findings to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome.

I respect apparitions and have known of authentic conversions. How can we not always feel the need to open our heart to our Mother Mary to tell her that we need her protection, her help, her courage, her hope, her faith and her love when faced with these events! I encourage you to keep maintaining such devotion toward our Mother."

-Carlos, Archbishop of Oviedo

FROM THE MAILBAG
Via Garabandal Centre - Brisbane: I can confirm that the information you sent is correct. The extract of Archbishop Carlos's letter was sent by Conchita to the New York Centre run by the Lomanginos. It is very positive news and the first time the Spanish hierarchy have been so supportive of the Garabandal apparitions.

Tony Kissane, National Director
http://www.garabandal.com/

Garabandal: The Warning,  the Miracle, and the Chastisement

From the EWTN Experts Site:

"It seems, therefore, that notwithstanding the decisions of two commissions accepted by the bishops of Santander, that there are reasonable grounds for individual Catholics to find Garabandal credible. The children themselves predicted that the message of Garabandal would be approved with difficulty, but in sufficient time to spread it. Perhaps this means that the 'warning' (a clearly supernatural event) must occur first for approval to be given. Given the seriousness of the times we do well to heed the message of conversion, whether proposed by Fátima or some other source such as Garabandal, Medjugorje or another, without fear, that is, with complete confidence in God's providence for us and the world. The future will take care of itself if we remain spiritually prepared for anything. This has always been the advice of the saints, anyway."

More on Garabandal's "status": http://www.marysyellowstone.com/news/garabandal.htm

GARABANDAL LINKS

Workers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel de Garabandal
Garabandal- The Workers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Garabandal Pines will enlighten the world

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Humility

3. Antony also said, 'I saw the devil's snares set all over the earth, and I groaned and said, "What can pass through them?"  I heard a voice saying "Humility."'



May 29, 2007

(Zec 12:10) And I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of prayers: and they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced: and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for an only son, and they shall grieve over him, as the manner is to grieve for the death of the firstborn.

RABBI REVEALS NAME OF THE MESSIAH

A few months before he died, one of the nation’s most prominent rabbis, Yitzhak Kaduri, supposedly wrote the name of the Messiah on a small note which he requested would remain sealed until now. When the note was unsealed, it revealed what many have known for centuries: Yehoshua, or Yeshua (Jesus), is the Messiah.

With the biblical name of Jesus, the Rabbi and kabbalist described the Messiah using six words and hinting that the initial letters form the name of the Messiah. The secret note said:

Concerning the letter abbreviation of the Messiah’s name, He will lift the people and prove that his word and law are valid.

This is I have signed in the month of mercy, Yitzhak Kaduri

The Hebrew sentence (translated above in bold) with the hidden name of the Messiah reads: Yarim Ha’Am Veyokhiakh Shedvaro Vetorato Omdim The initials spell the Hebrew name of Jesus, Yehoshua. Yehoshua and Yeshua are effectively the same name, derived from the same Hebrew root of the word “salvation” as documented in Zechariah 6:11 and Ezra 3:2. 

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF RABBI KADURI: http://judaism.about.com/od/kabbalah/p/kaduri.htm

NEWS REPORT OF HIS FUNERAL IN 2006: Over 300,000 at Funeral of World's Senior Kabbalist Rabbi

INFAMOUS NEWS REPORT IN 2005: Kabbalist Urges Jews to Israel Ahead of Upcoming Disasters

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Humility

2. Antony said to Poemen, 'Our great work is to lay the blame for our sins upon ourselves before God, and to expect to be tempted to our last breath.'



May 24, 2007

(John 16:13-14) But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth. For he shall not speak of himself: but what things soever he shall hear, he shall speak. And the things that are to come, he shall shew you. He shall glorify me: because he shall receive of mine and shall shew it to you.

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

LINK: Renewing the face of the earth by Archbishop John Vlazny

FROM THE MAILBAG

Reflection by Father Ted – May 22, 2007:

My dearest Lord Jesus, all this week You have been asking us to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. You want us to be filled with the Holy Spirit – just as You are.

We need Him so desperately at this time.

There is so little love around us.

So many people are so self-centered. For they have been taught for many years to think about themselves and their wants - first of all.

They have bought the lies of our secular society.

They do not know what to do and they do not know how to behave.

You, dearest Jesus, tell us what to do and how to behave.

You urge us to become like You – who so loved the world that You offered up Yourself as the perfect sacrifice.

You who were anointed in a unique way at the beginning of Your Public Life by the Holy Spirit now urge us to ask Your Father, who is our Father, for that same Holy Spirit.

He is the One who can free us from the slavery that has bound us as a result of our embracing the lies of our secular society.

Although we tend to deny this – most of us are enslaved to many addictions or addictive behaviors.

To work; to pleasure; to sports; to TV; to music; to shopping; to drugs; to alcohol, to sex.

In themselves each can be ok.

But how often do we misuse these activities.

Only You can straighten us out – so that we can place everything in its proper role.

You made us to know You, first of all.

The Holy Spirit will enable us to know You, first of all.

You made us to love You.

The Holy Spirit will enable us to love You.

You made us to serve You – as well as our brothers and sisters.

The Holy Spirit will enable us to serve You and our brothers and sister – as we ought.

You made us to be with You forever.

The Holy Spirit will enable us to be with You forever as we do all that He empowers us to do.

Come, Holy Spirit, come; fill the hearts of us all; enkindle within us the fire of Your Love. Help us to love as Jesus does.


The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Humility

1. Antony was confused as he meditated upon the depths of God's judgments, and he asked God, 'Lord, how is it that some die young and others grow old and sick?  Why are there some poor and some rich?  Why are there those who are bad and rich and oppress the good poor?'  He heard a voice saying to him, 'Antony, worry about yourself; these other matters are up to God, and it will not do you any good to know them.'



May 23, 2007

(Lev 19:19) "You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; nor shall there come upon you a garment of cloth made of two kinds of stuff.

HEADLINE: British Bill Gives Green Light to Chimera Stem Cell Research

HYBRID AND CHIMERA EMBRYOS UNETHICAL AND UNNECESSARY SAYS CMF

Christian Medical Fellowship has called on the UK Government to think again on the creation of hybrid and chimera embryos.

CMF, Britain's largest group of Christian doctors, was responding to today's publication of the Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill where, in response to April's House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report, the Government has completely dropped its previous opposition to the creation of animal-human hybrids and chimeras. A pre-legislative scrutiny committee is about to examine the draft bill, which is to be introduced into Parliament later this year.

'By caving into pressure from the biotechnology industry the Government has failed to recognise the limitations of science and has patronisingly dismissed major moral and ethical concerns' said CMF General Secretary Dr Peter Saunders. 'Questions like whether to create animal-human embryonic combinations require much more than just scientific knowledge and expertise. Science cannot just embrace new technologies without any consideration of the wider issues involved; it must operate within ethical boundaries.' '

We fully understand and support the desire to find new treatments for serious medical conditions, but all the clinically relevant advances in stem cell treatments have come from ethically non-controversial adult stem cells. This new technology has been sold to vulnerable patient groups without any real evidence that it will yield results.'

'Creating such hybrids is unnecessary and unethical. It would diminish human dignity, blur moral boundaries, and cross the fundamental line that has always separated humans from animals' said Dr Andrew Fergusson, CMF Head of Communications. 'The possible ends do not justify the means.'

MORE: Church Decries Plan for Human-Animal Hybrid

RECENT NEWS STORYSCIENTISTS CREATE A SHEEP THAT'S 15% HUMAN

Scientists have created the world's first human-sheep chimera - which has the body of a sheep and half-human organs.

The sheep have 15 per cent human cells and 85 per cent animal cells - and their evolution brings the prospect of animal organs being transplanted into humans one step closer.

RELATED: Australia's first cloned sheep's death sparks scientific row

Leon Kass: "Cloning is not something to be fretted about for a while, but finally to be given our seal of approval . . . the future of our humanity hangs in the balance".

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Obedience

15. The hermits used to say, 'From those who have not long been converted to monastic life, God demands nothing so much as sincere obedience.'



May 22, 2007

PRAY FOR SUFFERING MIDDLE EASTERN CHRISTIANS!

POPE CALLS FOR END TO 'TRAGIC VIOLENCE' IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Following the most recent flare-up of bloody fighting between rival Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip, Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday issued his most striking appeal to the Palestinian Authority. The leadership had to promote "the difficult path to unity through dialogue and determination," the head of the Catholic Church said during the traditional Angelus prayer in St Peter's Square in Rome.

He also called on the Israeli government to exercise "moderation" with reference to the airstrikes being carried out by the Israel Air Force.

"I also appeal to the international community to step up their efforts to (bring about) new talks," the German pontiff said.

"In the name of God, I pray that this tragic violence stops."

Benedict expressed his solidarity and closeness with the "sorely tested" Palestinian and Israeli people.

DEBKA: Palestinian radical groups warn Israeli locations north of Sderot, including Ashkelon, to prepare for missile attacks. Hamas activates West Bank cells for suicide operations


EDITORIAL: Threading the needle

LEBANESE VIOLENCE IN THE HEADLINES

Catholic patriarch calls for calm after Lebanon violence kills dozens
No end in sight to fighting in Lebanon
Huge explosion in Lebanon rocks Christian area of Beirut

IRAQI CHRISTIANS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE

Iraq Christians Search for Kidnapped Priest As Market Blast Kills 25
Islamists Threaten Christian Converts in Iraq
Iraqi Christians demand protection from Al-Qaeda

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Obedience

13. The hermits used to say, 'God demand this of Christians: to obey the inspired Scriptures, which contain the pattern of what they must say and do, and agree with the teaching of the orthodox bishops and teachers.'



May 18, 2007

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

LINK: Understanding the Mass

VIA SPIRITDAILY
: Potency Of Mass: It Sheds The Blood Of Protection And Holds Back Chastisement

THE INFINITE VALUE OF THE HOLY MASS

The Holy Mass is the highest form of worship. It is the sacrifice of Calvary renewed. One Mass gives God more praise and thanksgiving and makes more atonement for sin and pleads more eloquently than does the combined eternal worship of all the souls in heaven, on earth and in purgatory. In the Holy Mass, it is Jesus Christ, God, as well as Man, who is our Intercessor, our Priest and our Victim. Being God - as well as Man - His prayers, merits and His offerings are infinite in value.

The Mass is the best means we have:

1. To render God the highest form of worship.

2. To thank Him for all His blessings.

3. To obtain reparation for all our sins.

4. To obtain all the blessings we desire.

5. To release souls from purgatory and to shorten our own time there.

6. To preserve us from all dangers to soul and body.

7. To be consoled at the hour of death, for at that moment their memory will be our greatest consolation.

8. To intercede for us at the Judgment Seat of God.

9. To bring down God's blessings; therefore try to assist at Mass every day, or as often as possible, and twice on Sundays.

10. To better understand the sublimity of the Passion of Christ, and therefore, to increase our love for Him.

METHOD OF ASSISTING AT HOLY MASS It is a common practice to limit our prayers to petition. This is a mistake. We owe God, first of all, adoration; secondly, gratitude. We can never thank Him sufficiently, though we were to employ eternity in so doing, for the innumerable gifts, material and spiritual, temporal and eternal, which He has bestowed upon us. Life, redemption, our Catholic Faith, preservation from grave sin, the grace of conversion, health, relatives and friends - these are but a few of God's gifts. Let us rejoice, therefore, to thank God by means of the Holy Mass. After adoration and thanksgiving comes atonement. Prostrate at the foot of Calvary's cross, down which the most precious blood of Jesus Christ flows from His gaping wounds, we should beg pardon for our sins which have thus nailed Christ to the cross. Let us as Him to pour His precious blood over our souls that they may be cleansed from their polluting stains. Prayer of petition should not be forgotten. In it we beg of God for the !
favors of which we stand in need.

SAY THE FOLLOWING PRAYERS DAILY MORNING OFFERING O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer Thee my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Thy Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all our associates, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life and for the poor souls in purgatory.

Glory be to the Father, etc. (three times).

DAILY OFFERING O My Jesus, I include myself in all the Holy Masses which are celebrated this day throughout the world, and offering them to Thee in union with the intentions of Thy Sacred Heart. I implore Thee to reserve for me, from each Holy Mass, one drop of Thy most precious blood to atone for my sins and their punishment.

Grant me also the grace of obtaining through the merits of every holy sacrifice, the release of one poor soul from the pains of Purgatory, the conversion of one sinner, and also that one soul in the agony of death may obtain mercy, and that one mortal sin, which is so painful to Thy Sacred Heart, may be prevented. Amen

OFFERING TO THE ETERNAL FATHER Eternal Father, we offer Thee the blood, the passion and the death of Jesus Christ: the sorrows of Mary most holy, and of St. Joseph, in satisfaction for our sins, in aid of the holy souls in Purgatory, for the needs of holy Mother Church and for the conversion of sinners.
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For more on the Holy Sacrifice of Mass read "Wonders of the Holy Mass" by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan O.P. (http://olrl.org/books/wonders_mass.shtml) available from OLRL for 65 cents each (http://olrl.org/library/oform.shtml).

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Obedience

11. Hyperichius said, 'The monk's service is obedience. He who has this shall have his prayers answered, and shall stand by the Crucified in confident faith. For that was how the Lord went to his cross, being made obedient even unto death' (cf. Phil 2:8).



May 17, 2007


(John 13:34-35) A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.

LINK: We Are God’s Dwelling Place By Bishop Paul S. Loverde

FROM THE MAILBAG

Reflection by Father Ted – May 7, 2007:

My dearest Lord Jesus, in yesterday’s gospel, You reminded us, what You told Your beloved disciples, the eleven Apostles, the night before You offered Yourself to the Father as the perfect sacrifice of love.

You told them that You give them a brand new commandment, different from the ones that Your Father gave to the Israelite people through Moses on Mount Sinai.

You told them – “Love one another” as You love each one of them.

But isn’t that impossible?

How could they, how can we love one another as You love each one of us?

You explain how – through Your Holy Spirit.

As You declared later on in Your Final Exhortation to them that night – Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth and of Love – He will teach you.

He will teach us too.

When You came to Your Apostles on Easter Sunday night, You gave to them Your Holy Spirit – You gave to them His power to forgive, which power is a manifestation of true love.

Then, after they had been with Your Mother, whom You gave to them to become their Mother, for a period of nine days, after Your Ascension; after they had prayed with Your Mother, their Mother, for those nine days, they were ready to receive the fullness of Your Holy Spirit, so that they could begin to “love one another” just as You love them.

That they did, beginning on that awesome Pentecost morning.

And through the power of the Holy Spirit, they were able to keep all the commandments that Your Father gave to their ancestors centuries before.

As we get ready to celebrate Your return to the Father on Ascension Thursday, as we get ready to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, You tell us to get ready to “love one another” just as You love us.

You want us to love as You love.

You want us to love one another – even our enemies as You love us, as You love them.

So, earlier, during Your Public Life, You also exhorted us to “Ask for the Holy Spirit” and that as we ask, so shall we receive.

So Jesus, I ask You again this night, “Send Your Spirit upon me and upon my brothers and sister! Enkindle within us the fire of Your love!” Enable us, dearest Jesus, to fulfill that new commandment of Yours – to love one another. By this all men shall know that we are Your disciples. Alleluia.

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Obedience

10. She also said, 'We ought to behave always with discretion and remain in the community, not following our own will, nor seeking our own good. Like exiles we have benn separated from the things of the world and have given ourselves in faith to the one Father. We need nothing of what we have left behind. There we had reputation and plenty to eat; here we have little to eat an not much of anything else.'


May 16, 2007

(Psa 122:6) Pray ye for the things that are for the peace of Jerusalem: and abundance for them that love thee.

ISRAEL MARKS 40-YEAR RULE OF ARAB EAST JERUSALEM

Israel Monday began marking 40 years since it conquered and annexed Arab East Jerusalem, but the ceremonies were boycotted by European and US diplomats.

"The last 40 years were only the beginning," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a special parliamentary session marking the anniversary according to the Hebrew calendar.

"I believe, I hope, and I pray that we will continue to work together to reinforce Jerusalem in order to extend its boundaries."

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem June 7, 1967, the third day of the Six-Day War, and unilaterally annexed the sector in a move not recognized by the international community.

Israel in 1980 passed a law declaring Jerusalem "the unified and eternal capital of Israel," but the Palestinians want occupied East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future sovereign state.

Israel's unilateral moves in Jerusalem have been condemned by UN Security Council resolutions, including one in 1980 that resulted in 13 Jerusalem-based foreign embassies being moved to Tel Aviv.

US and EU ambassadors have refused to attend Monday's parliamentary session as well as ceremonies due to be held on Jerusalem Day Wednesday.

They say Jerusalem's fate must be decided as part of final status negotiations to end the Middle East conflict and that, in the meantime, the status quo should be preserved in accordance with international law.

A statement from a group of Israeli left-wing groups issued a statement deploring the "deliberate marginalization of Palestinian districts in Jerusalem by the Israeli authorities since 40 years."

RELATED: Israel To Strengthen "Reunified" Jerusalem With Controversial Measures

REVIEW: Forty years on, the ghost of the Six-Day War haunts Middle East

HEADLINE: Messianic Jews march in Jerusalem Day parade

EYEWITNESS REPORT: Abir Nassi, 57, owns an art gallery in the Jewish Quarter and says he was among the first to move back there with his family after the June 1967 war. He was 18 at the time and found much of it in ruins, including its synagogues.

His father, a Jew of Uzbek descent, was born and raised in the Jewish Quarter, but escaped to West Jerusalem when it fell to the Jordanians in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. All its Jewish residents either fled or were taken into captivity to Jordan, he says.

"As a boy, my father would take me to Mount Zion and we would look from there at the Old City and my father would stand there and cry," recounts Nassi.

He also recalls how as a child, he would use binoculars to watch Jordanian snipers, "with their red keffiyehs," patrol the wall that cut off the Old City from his West Jerusalem neighbourhood.

"I was there the day they took down the wall. It was like the Berlin Wall," recalls Nassi. Palestinians use the same comparison to describe today's wall.

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Obedience

9. Syncletica said, 'It seems to me that for those who live in monasteries obedience is a higher virtue than chastity, however perfect. Chastity is in danger of pride, obedience has the promise of humility.'



May 15, 2007

POPE LIKELY TO ALLOW RETURN OF LATIN MASS IN CONTESTED MOVE

The Pope is going ahead with plans to bring back the traditional Latin Mass in spite of objections from German bishops, according to Vatican sources.

Pope Benedict XVI is understood to have signed an "indult", or permission, that would allow Roman Catholics worldwide to celebrate the Tridentine Rite whenever they wished. At present, the old rite can be said only with special permission from a diocesan bishop.

The return of the Tridentine Rite would represent a triumph for traditionalists and be an indication of the Pope's determination to reinforce conservative Catholic doctrine as one of his most powerful weapons in the fight against secularism.

In a private audience with one leading traditionalist, Alice von Hildebrand, Pope Benedict said that he intended to publish the permission to celebrate the 16th-century rite this month.

Mrs Von Hildebrand (83), an author and lecturer who lives in the US, relates: "I saw the Pope in a private audience on March 26. I know that the Pope favours the Tridentine Mass very, very much. I asked him if there was any chance that the permission would be given. He said it would be given in May."

Mrs Von Hildebrand, whose late husband was the theologian Dietrich von Hildebrand, continued: "You should prohibit what is evil. But to prohibit holy tradition - that is something that goes against the tradition of the Catholic Church."

MORE: Rite Turn- Can the Latin Mass make a comeback?

LINK: An Opportunity to Support Priest Training for the Traditional Latin Mass

POPE AND ABORTION IN THE HEADLINES

The Pope Gives Many Something To Consider
Vatican backtracks on pope's abortion comments
Pope's Words on Abortion Nudge, But Don't Shake U.S. Political Races
House Democrats Respond to Pope's Comments About Politicians Who Support Abortion Rights

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Hospitality  

8. A hermit who was very holy lived near to a community of monks. Some visitors to the community happened to go to see him and made him eat, though it was not the proper time. Later the monks of the community said to him, 'Weren't you upset, abba? He answered, "I am upset when I do my own will.'



May 11, 2007

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

The Importance of the Message of Our Lady of Fatima
Pope Praises Rosary as Fatima Anniversary Nears
VIA SPIRITDAILY: ADDITIONAL APPARITION OF MARY AT FAMOUS FATIMA SITE OCCURRED BETWEEN 1921, 1922

ARCHIVES- HOMILY BY FATHER ALTIER: May 13, 2005 Our Lady of Fatima

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. We recall the great events that took place in Fatima, Portugal back in 1917 as Our Lady appeared to these three little children. She revealed to them several secrets, including, of course, the Second World War and some of the events that would take place as we have only in the last few years had revealed as part of that Third Secret – the things that would take place with the shooting of the Holy Father and the martyrdom of many others.

So as these events that Our Lady spoke of continue to unfold, we have to look even further at what it is that she asked for. She asked that there would be reparation on the First Saturdays for all of the crimes against her Immaculate Heart. She asked that we would do penance and that we would pray the Rosary. It is precisely these things that are needed more than anything in our world today. Of all the things that we can get ourselves involved in, there is nothing more important than prayer and penance. It is only this that is going to bring about a change.

I think Pope John Paul II had demonstrated this very clearly toward the end of his life when he accepted the intense sufferings that God sent him. He showed all of us the dignity of a suffering human being. Sister Lucia did something that was very similar as she just suffered in silence for so many years, showing us once again what it means when Our Lord looks at each one of us as He did at Peter in the Gospel reading today and said, Do you love Me? Then when we say, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love You,” the question is what we are going to do with that. Love, as we know, is demonstrated only in suffering; it is only when we are willing to accept the Cross.

As it said at the end of the Gospel reading when Jesus explained to Peter what was going to happen to him when he got older, Saint John says: This was to signify the kind of death by which he was to glorify God. Now we would look at it and say, “How can that glorify God? It is such an unjust thing!” But it is precisely because he accepted it and he embraced it and he gave it all to God, and the Lord was glorified in that. So too now for us, to be able to look at this and remember that in that Third Secret as the angel stood with his sword and cried out to the earth, Penance! Penance! Penance! those are the only words that are in that part of the Third Secret that has been revealed. Penance! Penance! Penance! This is what the world needs: People who are willing to accept their share of the Cross, and by this means to glorify God; people who are willing to offer to God their suffering, to be able to unite that with Our Lord’s suffering, and in this way to demonstrate their love.

This is what we see Saint Paul doing in the first reading, having to go through all of these injustices and all of the trials and things that he had to endure until finally he would be put to death. So too, when we look at it all, it is unjust if we look at it on the natural level. And there is cause, if we look at it just on that level, to be angry. But what good does it do? What we have to do is look at it from God’s perspective and realize that if we are being given an opportunity to share in the sufferings of Christ through things that are unjust, it is by these means that we glorify God, and it is by these means that we show God we love Him. That is what is being offered to us.

As Our Lady calls us to prayer and penance, she is asking us also to be able to be like her Son, to suffer even unjustly, to forgive the people who cause the suffering, to be willing to offer it all to God, to give Him glory. And so today Our Lord looks at each one of us – and even though it hurts us sometimes that He would even ask, Do you love Me? – the reason He keeps asking is because most of us give Him lip service and we say, “Yes, Lord, of course I love You,” but we have not demonstrated it very well, if at all. So He looks at us again today and asks the same question. Then, in response, when we tell Him, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You,” if that be the case then we need to show Him that we love Him and not just tell Him. To show Him that we love Him is to accept the Cross so that by those very means we will glorify God.


The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Hospitality  

7. A brother came to a hermit: and as he was taking his leave, he said, 'Forgive me, abba, for preventing you from keeping your rule.' The hermit answered, 'My rule is to welcome you with hospitality, and to send you on your way in peace.'



May 9, 2007


(Mar 13:22-23) For there will rise up false Christs and false prophets: and they shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce (if it were possible) even the elect. Take you heed therefore: behold, I have foretold you all things.

FALSE CHRIST: Crowd Packs Amphitheater For Man Claiming He's Jesus Christ Reincarnated

FALSE PROPHET: Faithful Need Word of Reason

DEPENDENCE ON VISIONARY MESSAGES
by Ron Smith:

“The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries. Throughout the ages, there have been so-called ‘private’ revelations, some which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of the faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ’s definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church. Christian faith cannot accept ‘revelations’ that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such ‘revelations’.” What I just quoted is from The Catechism of the Catholic Church. This entire book is doctrinal teaching, which every Catholic is required to accept and believe.

The Church does not tell us that we cannot study or believe in private revelation. What it says is that new private revelation cannot be something that is new doctrine or dogma and not revealed before and the private revelation must be just an aid to help us apply original revelation that we do not fully understand to our current times. As an example, Holy Scriptures (public revelation) frequently tells us how dependent we are upon God’s mercy and that we should seek it. In the early part of the last century our Lord appeared to a religious, Blessed Faustina Kowalska, for several years and had her write about his Divine Mercy. These teachings (private revelation) only enhanced what we already knew about our Lord’s mercy and prepared us for the times in which we currently live. The Church decided that these private revelations are worthy of belief. These teachings include the Divine Mercy Novena, Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Divine Mercy Sunday following Easter Sunday.

Holy Church does give us guidance regarding private revelation. “Declarations: Since the abolition of Canons 1399 and 2318 of the former Canonical Code, publications about new appearances, revelations, prophecies, miracles, etc., have been allowed to be distributed and read by the faithful without the express permission of the Church, providing they contain nothing which contravenes faith and morals. This means no imprimatur is necessary when distributing information on new apparitions not yet judged by the Church. The authors wish to manifest unconditional submission to the final judgment of the Magisterium of the Church regarding any events presently under investigation.”

“The Roman Pontiff and the bishops, in view of their office and importance of the matter, by fitting means diligently strive to inquire properly into that revelation and to give apt expression to its contents; but a new public revelation they do not accept as pertaining to the divine deposit of faith.” “The Christian dispensation, therefore, as the new and definitive covenant, will never pass away and we now await no further new revelation before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “But the task of authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on, has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ.”

References available by request at [email protected].

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Hospitality

5. A brother came to Poemen in the second week of Lent and told him his thoughts, and found peace of mind from his answer. Then he said, 'I almost didn't come to see you today.' Poemen asked him why. He said, 'I was afraid that the door wouldn't be opened as it is Lent.' Poemen answered him, 'It is not wooden doors we were taught to shut; the door we need to keep shut is the mouth.'


May 8, 2007

POPE BENEDICT XVI: "To the Holy Virgin, Mother of the Church," the Pope added, "I wish to entrust the apostolic trip I will make to Brazil from May 9 to 14."

POPE BENEDICT XVI TO DEFEND LIFE DURING BRAZIL TRIP

Pope Benedict XVI will speak out against poverty, social inequality and abortion during his looming trip to Brazil, the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said Monday.

Feminists, gay-rights groups and liberals have vowed to protest against his May 9-14 visit over his conservative stances on women's rights, contraception and abortion.

Speaking to reporters in Rome, Bertone said the pontiff also planned to send out "strong messages" against the rise of protestant sects, which have been eroding the Catholic Church's support in the Latin American country.

Benedict will be departing for Brazil on Wednesday and will be returning to the Vatican on Monday.

FR. THOMAS ROSICA: New challenges await Pope in Brazil

FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT: Pope to promote divinity of Christ

MORE: Charismatic Renewal attracting Catholics in Brazil

THE MIRACLE PILLS OF FRIAR GALVAO, BRAZIL'S SOON TO BE SAINT

Day after day, cloistered Catholic nuns at a Sao Paulo monastery roll up thousands of tiny prayer scrolls credited with the miraculous powers of an 18th century monk the pope will elevate to sainthood in this Brazilian city on Friday.

Outside the Monastery of Light, supplicants line up under a scorching sun convinced the "Galvao pills" will cure them of disease, infertility or abject poverty. Thousands of Brazilians believe they have been cured of diseases doctors often thought incurable, thanks to the intervention of Antonio de Sant'Ana Galvao.

When he is canonized by Pope Benedict the XVI at a mass in Sao Paulo, Galvao will become first native-born saint in Brazil, the world's largest Roman Catholic country.

Galvao, who lived from 1739 to 1822, founded monasteries and convents throughout Brazil, including the Monastery of Light.

He was beatified -- the step before canonization -- by Pope John Paul II in 1998. During the beatification homily, John Paul II said Galvao "fulfilled his religious consecration by dedicating himself with love and devotion to the afflicted, the suffering and the slaves of his era in Brazil."

But to the faithful, the 18th century priest is best known for what many believe are his healing powers.

Records at the monastery of Light, show 8,057 cases in which supplicants' prayers to Galvao were answered since the priest was beatified.

"Devotion increased since he was beatified," said Sister Claudia. "And now that he will be declared a saint the number of followers will grow, and not just because of the pills," she said.

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Unceasing Prayer

13. One of the hermits said, 'No one can see his face reflected in muddy water; so the soul cannot pray to God with contemplation unless it is first cleansed of harmful thoughts.'


May 4, 2007

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

(1Pe 3:15-16) But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you. But with modesty and fear, having a good conscience: that whereas they speak evil of you, they may be ashamed who falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

EXHORTATION: Reach out to fallen away Catholics, says Vatican cardinal

Post your Catholic Testimony Today! http://www.hereiamlord.com

NEWSWIRE: Apostolic Preacher to Help Priests at Prominent Pilgrim Centre

FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA READER:
I live in Orange County just 5 minutes from St Boniface and yes, the Vietnamese priests and the holy Vietnamese people have kept many of our parishes alive and growing. They are a beautiful people who have been steeled in their faith by their experiences. I know many first and second generation families with amazing stories of how they traveled to freedom from Vietnam.

My hair stylist who at the age of 9 went with her aunt thinking she was off to the movies one night but, in the shadow of darkness boarded a boat to escape the country. She was not even allowed to say goodbye to her parents and family(they have all since joined her here).

A Norbertine priest who was 7, when he raced across the runway of the airport with his family to board an Air Force transport that usually carried large vehicles. They ran into the belly of the plane while bullets flew by their heads. Once inside they sat on mattress and clung to ropes strung across the plane as it took off with the Vietnamese army chasing them.

This is a really good article and it is nice to see the Vietnamese recognized in such a positive light.....there was a so much difficulty for many to accept the large amount of Vietnamese that settled in our area. For many the change was very hard, but it has truly have been a blessing to our Catholic communities.

VIA Dawn: Images of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus have been revered by Christians from ancient times. The reverence for the image is directed to the persons represented. Crowing a statue of the Lord's Mother is symbolic of the honor we give her as the one chosen by God to bear His Son, our Salvation.

During the Month of May -- a month both named for and dedicated to Mary -- Catholics have long honored her by placing a crown on her image. The tradition in the United States and many other countries has been for school children to have a "May Crowning" ceremony, with a procession, pretty dresses and a wreath of fresh flowers that one child gets to place on the statue. A song for these festivals, "Bring Flowers of the Fairest", with its refrain "O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May..." has been a familiar favorite for generations.

You may read more here: http://www.wf-f.org/MayCrowning.html


VIA George & MaryAnn McGehrin: Please join us at St. Antoninus in Newark NJ this upcoming weekend (May 4, 5, & 6) with Fr. John Hampsch who will sharing with us on the theme of "Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit". He will be at St. Antoninus on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. Hope & Pray that we see you at least one of the days!

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Unceasing Prayer

12. A hermit used to say, 'Ceaseless prayer soon heals the mind.'



May 3, 2007


(John 14:6) Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.

MUST READ: Religion and the Common Good By Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.


FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA Father Ted: My dearest Lord Jesus, once again You have reminded me about how You gradually teach us important truths which we need to learn in order to do the Will of the Father.

When I was a young adolescent, You had me sent away to boarding school back East in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. I did not know why You did that then. But now I do.

You wanted me to become aware of the important teaching that the Benedictines had received from their founder – which teaching was expressed in their motto – “To pray and to work”.

I would not learn the value of this teaching until much later in my life – after I had experienced the diabolical effects of the revisions of that motto – which entered into the life of many Church followers during the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

While I was in that Benedictine high school and while I was in the minor and major seminaries, the first alteration of that motto of Saint Benedict began to be disseminated throughout the world.

That alteration seemed insignificant then. But now I realize how deadly it was. For during teenage years his motto became “To work and to pray”.

What that meant, of course, was that “work” was more important than “prayer”. Yet for Saint Benedict “prayer” was more important than “work” – although both were very important in the spiritual life of the followers of Saint Benedict.

During the 60’s the next revision was put forth – while I was teaching at the Catholic high school in San Mateo. This new teaching, which many of us accepted as the truth, was “Work is prayer”.

What that meant to us was that our class work, including our preparations for classes was prayer. We interpreted this to mean that now we were excused from the obligation and responsibility to pray the Divine Office – which prayer of the Church we accepted when we received our 1st Major Order as Sub-deacons.

So we ceased praying the Divine Office. As a result we began to become spiritually blind – unable to recognize the truths that the Church taught. This became very evident when in 1968 our Holy Father Pope Paul VI put forth his encyclical “Humanae Vitae”.

We did not accept his teaching as the truth.

Moreover, as our prayer life diminished, so did our ability to resist the temptations that the evil one sent to us.

How many of my brothers gave into his enticements.

Also, as our prayer life diminished, we began to perceive the flaws within the Church blown up way out of proportion. We believed that we needed to leave the priesthood because of this.

We were deceived.

Fortunately, for me, You prevented me from leaving. You ultimately taught me that I had bought these lies of the evil one.

The truth is and always has been – Prayer is much more important than work. Prayer is the foundation of our spiritual life.

Thank You Jesus for teaching me Your truths.

Help me to become, first of all, a man of prayer who does Your work according to the Will of the Father.

LINK:
Spiritual Warfare Prayers

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Unceasing Prayer

11. They said of Sisois that unless he soon lowered his hands when he stood up to pray, his mind was caught up to heaven. So if he happened to be praying with another brother, he quickly lowered his hands and ended his prayer, so that his mind should not be rapt or cause him to go on praying too long for his brother.'



May 1, 2007

OPENING PRAYER (COLLECT) APRIL 26: Father, in this holy season we come to know the full depth of your love. You have freed us from the darkness of error and sin.  Help us to cling to your truths with fidelity. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen

TRIBULATION TIMES SPECIAL REPORT 

A LOOK BACK AT A THEOLOGICALLY EVENTFUL WEEK

Pope draws a tougher line on teachings
Commentary: After a quiet and cautious start, major reforms are on their way
Pope hasn't rocked boat, but wave of change may be near

EDITOR'S NOTE: After a week which began with headlines heralding a stricter stance on the part of Pope Benedict, the Pope spearheaded a new approach to two age old issues in the Catholic Church: Limbo and the controversial theologian Origen.

LIMBO

The Pope ends state of limbo after 800 years

Babies who die before being baptised will no longer be trapped in limbo following a decision by the Pope to abolish the concept from Roman Catholic teaching. The decision was taken after Benedict XVI was presented with Vatican studies that said there were "serious" grounds that such souls could go to heaven, rather than exist between heaven and hell as they have done for almost 800 years.

The 41-page report by the Vatican's Theological Commission, which was compiled following a three-year study, said the concept was an "unduly restrictive view of salvation". However, it added that baptism was the only way to remove the stain of original sin - which according to the Catholic faith all are born with - and urged parents to continue to baptise their children.

"There is greater theological awareness today that God is merciful and wants all human beings to be saved. Grace has priority over sin, and the exclusion of innocent babies from heaven does not seem to reflect Christ's special love for the little ones," the report says.

"Our conclusion is that the many factors that we have considered... give serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptised infants who die will be saved and enjoy the beatific vision. We emphasise that these are reasons for prayerful hope, rather than grounds for sure knowledge."

EXCERPT: Critiquing limbo: Vatican responds to changes in theological thought

One reason the Second Vatican Council rejected attempts to strengthen teaching against the salvation of unbaptized infants was that bishops felt it was "not the faith of their people," the document said.

It referred to an important teaching of Vatican II, which said that the whole body of the faithful shares in Christ's prophetic office and "cannot err in matters of belief."

To support its conclusions on limbo, the theological commission's document also cited the need for the church to read the "signs of the times" in order to better understand the gospel.

ORIGEN

EXCERPT VIA ZENIT: On Origen of Alexandria "He Was a True Teacher"

Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. The reflection focused on Origen of Alexandria.

"Dear Brothers and Sisters, In our meditations on the great figures of the ancient Church, today we will get to know one of the most outstanding. Origen of Alexandria is one of the key people for the development of Christian thought. He draws on the teachings he inherited from Clement of Alexandria, whom we reflected upon last Wednesday, and brings them forward in a totally innovative way, creating an irreversible turn in Christian thought.

He was a true teacher; this is how his students nostalgically remembered him: not only as a brilliant theologian, but as an exemplary witness of the doctrine he taught. "He taught," wrote Eusebius of Caesarea, his enthusiastic biographer, "that one's conduct must correspond to the word, and it was for this reason above all that, helped by God's grace, he led many to imitate him" (Hist. Eccl. 6,3,7).

I invite you to welcome the teachings of this great teacher of the faith into your hearts. He reminds us that in the prayerful reading of Scripture and in a coherent way of life, the Church is renewed and rejuvenated."

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Pope's glowing comments with regards to Origen contrast with the long held opinion of many within the Church that various of Origen's teachings were condemned as heresy after his death.  Most controversial perhaps, is the tenet of the universality of the redemption and the final restoration (Apocatastasis).  This name is given in the history of theology to the doctrine which teaches that a time will come when all free creatures will share in the grace of salvation; in a special way, the devils and lost souls.

Given Origen's belief in universal salvation it is certain that he would be in complete agreement with the Vatican Theological Commission's conclusions wtih regards to Limbo.

VIA CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Origen and Origenism

Were Origen and Origenism anathematized? Many learned writers believe so; an equal number deny that they were condemned; most modern authorities are either undecided or reply with reservations. 

VIA ORTHODOX WEBSITE: Origen: the Final Restoration ... a Question of Heresy?

The ingenuity of Origen is to be admired and respected, as is his devotion to the Church for which he fought. Yet in the end, the condemnation of certain of his teachings as heretical—including the apokatastasis—seems more than appropriate.  

SEE ALSO: Fifth General Council of Constantinople II (553)

FROM THE MAILBAG VIA PHILIP: The perfection of His Church is in its founder – nowhere else. From the beginning the apostles were weak, there were many heresies, yet the promise of continuity has been fulfilled. His Church has persevered for almost 2000 years by His guidance, not the actions of its members, and will continue to the end of time.

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Unceasing Prayer

10. Some brothers asked Macarius, 'How should we pray?' He said, 'There is no need to talk much in prayer. Reach out your hands often, and say, "Lord have mercy on me, as you will and as you know." But if conflict troubles you, say, "Lord , help me." He knows what is best for us, and has mercy.'
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