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May 27, 2005
Swimming with Scapulars
Speaking of Matthew Lickona, I just came across a review of his book by Kathy Shaidle for the Catholic Regsiter.
Find out for yourself. Pick up a copy of Swimming with Scapulars.
Oh, and I finally found his blog: Godsbody. Check it out.
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Matthew Lickona Interview
Lately I've really been enjoying the e-zine Godspy. They have an intriguing interview with GenX Catholic Matthew Lickona, the author of Swimming with Scapulars. (In fact, as soon as I finish this post I'm purchasing the book so I can read it myself.) Here's a snippet of the interview:
Yes, there's some debate about whether the "New Faithful" Catholic revival is real or not, and whether there are hard numbers that confirm the trend. What do you think?I don't know if there are hard numbers to confirm the trend. It seems to me like it could be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If enough stories run about how people are returning to Eucharistic Adoration, people might start to pay more attention, they might ask what it's about, and they might find the answer appealing. I've used the image of poking around in the Church's dusty basement, picking things up, examining them, and wondering why they're down there. Why did Eucharistic Adoration go away? It's time with Jesus Incarnate. What was wrong with mortification of the flesh through fasting? It's all over Scripture, and still held up by the Church as one of the three pillars—together with prayer and almsgiving—of the spiritual life. Why did the sacrament of Confession go out of style? I don't think you have to be obsessed with guilt to love the sacrament. You just have to acknowledge the reality of sin, something any Christian should be comfortable doing, since sin is the reason for the Incarnation and the Resurrection. Where there's sin, there's guilt, and hallelujah whaddya know, confession removes that stain from your soul.
Personally, if I were not a member of the New Faithful—if by that you mean a person interested in connecting with tradition and conforming to the truths proclaimed by the Church—I can't see why I would be a Catholic. If I didn't think the Church had the power to teach authoritatively in matters of faith and morals, if I didn't think those teachings were ordered to my spiritual well being and, ultimately, my salvation, I don't know why I would stay. But as it is, I think that the Catholic Church has the best grasp of the fullness of truth, so I'm all in, even if some of the teachings prove difficult to understand or obey. And perhaps most importantly, the Church has the Eucharist...
Read the full interview here.
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Eucharistic Adoration Coloring Book
Since we'll be celebrating Corpus Christi on Sunday, here's an appropriate book for the little ones - "Coloring Book: Eucharistic Adoration.
This inspiring coloring book for children presents beautifully detailed pictures, ranging from symbols of the Eucharist to images of the saints who contributed to our understanding and devotion to the Eucharist. Written and illustrated by artist Katherine Sotnik, this book teaches as it entertains, showing the vessels for the liturgy as well as explaining the different names and terms that the Eucharist has.
Posted by bobbi at 12:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 13, 2005
Small World
Hmmm, that's a lot of posts in one day for me. It's nice luxury when I actually have a full 30 minutes to myself to read the news and check out a few blogs. I was running late this morning (that's a shocker) and debated whether I should skip 7AM Mass and go to 12PM instead. I decided to hussle it to 7AM so I could start off this beautiful Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima with Mass. Now, for another reason, I'm glad I did. Sitting in front of me was an old friend I haven't seen in nine years! She still lives in So Cal but was in Carmel visiting a friend and stopped at the Mission for Mass. It's strange, too, since I was just thinking about her the other day and wondering how she was doing. Funny how those things work!
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Letters from Rome
(Thanks to Tim Drake's Young & Catholic Blog for the heads up.)
From GODSPY:
Father Peter Mitchell—a young priest from Nebraska studying in Rome—found himself immersed in the events surrounding the death and burial of Pope John Paul II. In a series of intimate email letters he sent to friends and family, he gave testimony to the Pope’s influence on his life, and captured the details and emotions of that extraordinary week, when the world stopped to mourn the passing of a saint...
Read Lettes from Rome.
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John Paul on Sainthood "Fast Track"
Posted by bobbi at 8:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Catholic Bloggers
I was browsing IgnatiusInsight Blog and came across this great piece Invasion of the Catholic Bloggers.
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May 11, 2005
Q&A - Unbaptized Children
Zenit has an updated Q&A section on the topic of Unbaptized Children and Blessing for Non-communicants. Answers provided by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University.
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May 9, 2005
Catholics Struggling with Porn
To accompany the last post, here is an excellent resource page for people, Catholics in particular, struggling with pornography.
Help for Those Struggling with Pornography
Posted by bobbi at 8:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Christians & Porn
I may not agree with all their methods but I do believe porn use among Chrisitans/Catholics needs to be better addressed. Exposing Faith Through the XXX Church
CBN.com – HOLLYWOOD - Two young California pastors say the church isn't facing up to one of the nastiest temptations facing most believers these days, which is pornography. So these men have started up a controversial ministry to take on porn.Pornography's gone big time. Thirty million people are now logging on to some 300,000 porn Web sites daily.
Craig Gross of xxxchurch.com (Triple X Church) said, "We've talked to people who've lost jobs because they've been looking at it at work. We've talked to people who've gone bankrupt. We've talked to people whose marriages have been destroyed."
With pornography becoming more of a radical problem in society, at least a couple of southern California pastors have decided it needs to be dealt with...radically."
So Mike Foster and Gross started up a web ministry that calls itself "The number one Christian porn site." And they set up booths at America's biggest porn conventions. The purpose? To help people break free from porn...
Read whole article here.
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May 6, 2005
"He has a beautiful personality"
The National Catholic Register has an interview with Father Augustine DiNoiaan, American priest who previously worked with Pope Benedict and knows him well.
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Inside "The Monastery"
There are certain reality shows that are inane and others that Brian and I find interesting, such as the BBC/PBS that have people living in another time period. The upcoming BBC reality show "The Monastery" is one we're definitely interested in watching once it finally gets to the states.
Five men, ranging from an atheist in the pornography trade to a former Protestant paramilitary, have found their lives unexpectedly transformed in the latest incarnation of reality television - the monastery.More Oh Brother! than Big Brother, the five underwent a spiritual makeover by spending 40 days and 40 nights living with Roman Catholic monks in Worth Abbey, West Sussex.
The experiment, which will be shown on BBC 2 this month, was designed to test whether the monastic tradition begun by St Benedict 1,500 years ago still has any relevance to the modern world....
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May 2, 2005
Unfit to Live?
Dutch Euthanasia Doctor Admits to Killing 4 Newborns With Lethal Injections
GRONINGEN, April 27, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The UK news magazine, the Evening Standard, reports an extraordinary confession today by a Dutch doctor who admits to having euthanized disabled newborns. Dutch paediatrician Eduard Verhagen is in the forefront of a push to have the euthanasia of infants made legal in order to protect doctors who are already doing it. He admitted that he had given lethal injections to four babies born with spina bifida, a condition that is sometimes correctable by pre-natal surgery.... (Read the whole story.)Posted by bobbi at 8:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
On the Election of Pope Benedict
Here's some thoughts on the election of Benedict XVI from Brian:
On April 2, 2005, the world said goodbye to Pope John Paul II. Seventeen days later the world greeted a new Pope, Benedict XVI.
I must admit that I was surprised when I saw Cardinal Ratzinger on the balcony of St. Peter's waving to the crowds. The Holy Spirit moves in mysterious and hidden ways.
My surprise slowly turned into happiness and joy. How blessed we are to have a man seated on the chair of St. Peter who is a defender of the faith. Just like his predecessor, John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI understands the cosmic war we are engaged in and has great insight into the signs of the times.
I know there are many people, including homosexual groups, feminist organizations and liberal Catholics, who are upset about Cardinal Ratzinger being elected Pope. One week has not even passed since his election and already newspapers, television networks and journals are attacking him.
Of course, this is very sad, but I am sure many of you are not surprised by it. Just as John Paul II had to carry the cross of sickness in the final days of his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI must carry the cross of rejection. However, I believe Pope Benedict will pick up where John Paul left off and continue to cultivate the new evangelization.
By taking the name Benedict, the Pope will focus on three things. First, educate the Catholic population in the truths of the faith. Second, help the faithful deepen their relationship with Christ. Third, continue to restore the Catholic culture.
As John Paul led Eastern Europe out of the darkness of communism, Pope Benedict will lead the European continent out of the darkness of spiritual indifference and secularism. I believe Pope Benedict will not only surprise us, but will guide us, through his witness and example, closer to Our Lord Jesus Christ.
God bless.
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Papal Coat of Arms
There's plenty to discover in Pope Benedict's Papal Coat of Arms.
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