Being! Or Nothingness

What's Becoming of John Kerry?

First the Space Odyssey 2001 Outfit, now the orange tan, soon . . . Oomphah, loompah . . .

Parish Closings in Boston

Can't you get ex-communicated for this?

"On Sundays, Hanson said, lay Eucharistic ministers offer Communion for which protesters have secured consecrated hosts they keep hidden in the church."

Why don't they just call the police and have them throw everyone out while the Diocesan officials change the locks?

Seriously, are these people even Catholic anymore? They are certainly dancing with schism, maybe even apostasy . . . there is something seriously wrong with them . . .

Read the Whole Article: Boston Parish Closings

The Cardinal goes on Vacation

Sabbatical is a fancy word for vacation . . .

I would ask who is going to be running the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in his absence, but if Cardinal Mahoney can afford to take a month long sabbatical, he wasn't the one running it in the first place . . .

Therese: The story of a mediocre movie

I will preface all of this with saying that I have not yet seen the movie, so I don't know if it really is bad, but I have talked to some who have and they tell me it's a snoozer . . .

It's not "bad" in as much as its just a devotional movie, that it won't really reach out to those who aren't already in love with Therese. In my opinion this is the most dangerous type of art.

Art is not supposed to be just for those who "get it." This has always been my argument against modern art . . . it's meant for some super elite class of avant guarde know it alls who see the dung on Mary's face and say "ah, yes, this is so powerful, it speaks of . . . "

Art, because it is an appeal to beauty, should be self-evident. I don't take people to the Grand Canyon and hear them say "Ok, so where's this amazing thing we were supposed to see." It's there, they just gasp.

Same with Michaelangelo's David, or the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

And, this is the same thing with a Saints life. In a sense the life of a saint is so appealing, that you just smile and say "wow." Therese's life is this way naturally. If you're going to capture this in a movie, you need to narrow your focus so that this transendence comes across . . .

From what I'm hearing, this is definitely not the case with "Therese, The Movie."

I hope I'll be surprised, but after reading Barbara Nicolosi over at Church of the Masses today, I'm not holding my breath . . .

Read her account: An Expensive Learning Curve

God, I love this Bishop!

Archbishop Chaput is rocking the hizzouse again!

Florida Supreme Court Strikes Down Terri's Law

The Supreme Court of Florida today has decided today that Terri Schiavo will die. She is not a criminal on death row. In fact she is perfectly innocent. Her only crime is to be too sick to make decisions for herself. Since her husband is tired of dealing with her (as evidenced by the fact that he is now living in a non-sacramental marriage with his mistress), he would like to starve her to death. He also will gain quite a bit of money from the insurance settlement.

This is not Nazi Germany, folks, but today, those in power have condemend an innocent woman to death for the convenience of another. It started with Abortion. Then Euthanasia for the elderly in Oregon. Now the sick and convalescent are being murdered.

Who will be next?

EWTN on Padre Pio

San Pio di Pietrelcina

Today is the Feast day of St. Pio of Pietrelcina . . .

Praise God for this Holy Patron!

His Life:

Padre Pio, in the world Francesco Forgione, was born in Pietrelcina near Benevento, on 25 May 1887. He entered as a cleric in the Capuchin Order on 6 January 1903 and was ordained a priest on 10 August 1910, in the Cathedral of Benevento.

On 28 July 1916, he came to San Giovanni Rotondo, on the Gargano, where, except for a brief interruption, he remained until his death on 23 September 1968.

On the morning of Friday, 20 September 1918, praying before the Crucifix in the choir of the old church, he received the gift of the stigmata, that remained in his body, fresh and bleeding, for half a century.

During his life which was dedicated entirely to the fulfilment of his priestly ministry, he founded the "Prayer Groups" and a modern hospital to which he gave the name "The Home for the Relief of Suffering". The diocesan process for his canonization, begun on 20 March 1983, was concluded on 21 January 1990. All the many documents gathered and compiled in 104 volumes were consigned to the Congregation for Causes of Saints.

On 13 June 1997, the Theological Commission, unanimously expressed a favourable opinion on the heroicity of the virtues of the Padre; and the following 21 October, the same favourable opinion, equally unanimous, was issued by the Commission of Cardinals.

The Holy Father John Paul II granted the title of Venerable, with the publication of the "Decretum super virtutibus" on 18 December 1997. From this aforementioned decree we would like to reproduce the introduction: " 'But far be it from me to glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus2 - Gal 6,14.

"Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, like the Apostle Paul, placed the holy Cross, that was his strength, his wisdom and his glory at the apex of his life and his apostolate.

Free from the vanities of the world and enamoured of jesus Christ, he conformed himself to Him, offering up his life for the salvation of the world.

His following and imitation of the divine victim was so generous and perfect that he could say: 'I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me2 - Gal 2,19. Nor did he wish to keep for himself the treasures of grace, which God conceded him in aboundance; so without rest he served those who came to him through his sacred ministry and there grew a great multitude of spiritual children". After the publication of the aforesaid Decree, the Postulation for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Padre Pio presented to the competent Vatican Congregation an occurrence held to be miraculous that took place through the intercession of the Padre.
The miracle was recognized by the Pope, after the approval of the three commissions canonically required. The Medical Consultations of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which met on 30 April 1998, examined the cure of Mrs Consiglia De Martino from "a traumatic rupture of the thoracic duct in the neck", that took place on 3 November 1995, and with a unanimous vote (5 out of 5) judged it "scientifically inexplicable".

The Theological Commission, that consisted of the Promoter General of the Faith and six theological consultants, on 22 June 1998, examined the same extraordinary fact and, after detailed discussion, expressed themselves clearly in the affirmative (7 votes out of 7), qualifying it a third degree miracle or quoad modum. The same favourable opinion was expressed by the Commission of Cardinals in the month of October of the same year.

Finally the Poe officially recognized the miracle with the Decree of 21 December 1998 and fixed the date for the Beatification for Sunday, 2 May 1999.

Millions of faithful exult with joy and make ready to participate in the happy ceremony in Saint Peter's Square.

To all Padre Pio's devotes we would like to repeat that cordial salutation, that he would make when taking leave, every morning, from the faithful who surrounded him.

Lance Loud and the Christian

Lance Loud was an icon of sorts in gay culture. After proudly "coming out" on national television in the 1970's, he lived a life that spiraled in and out of self-destruction and infamy. Drugs, prostitution, Hollywood . . . he lived it all. In 2001, he died of AIDS suffering his last days in a Hospice where Johnathan David Taylor, a young Christian man who wanted to "be a writer and monk, and to work with poor children" first learned the lesson of loving the sinner.

What grace is there in unconditional love! And the redemption of the world comes not through politics and speech making. In the end, it comes through Christians like Jonathan. Miserere nobis . . .

Here is the story from Christianity Today: Smuggling Cats

Beauty and the Church

Fr. Ron Rolheiser takes a page out of Barbara Nicolosi's playbook and writes on the spiritual power of beauty. Let's pray for a renaissance of art, music, and life!