The Few-er - Part Six

Our study of the possibility that the Catholic Church may be on its way toward becoming a Remnant Church -- smaller and less powerful -- continues. In Part Five, we examined a "prophecy" from 1975 concerning the Church's future: 

“[A] time when supports that you depend on would no longer be there, things you’ve depended on, resources, buildings, people, and finances, all that kind of thing, will be taken from you. And then a time of evangelism will follow such as the world has never seen.” http://whoislikeuntogod.com/2010/04/09/a-prophecy-from-cardinal-ratzinger-a-k-a-benedict-xvi/ 

But there had been an earlier prophecy, from the year 1969...

In a series of radio lectures broadcast in Bavaria in 1969, Father Joseph Ratzinger spoke the following words, which some Catholics today refer to as “Ratzinger’s prophecy”:

“From today’s crisis, a Church will emerge tomorrow that will have lost a great deal. She will be small and, to a large extent, will have to start from the beginning. She will no longer be able to fill many of the buildings created in her period of great splendor. Because of the smaller number of her followers, she will lose many of her privileges in society. Contrary to what has happened until now, she will present herself much more as a community of volunteers ....   As a small community, she will demand much more from the initiative of each of her members and she will certainly also acknowledge new forms of ministry and will raise up to the priesthood proven Christians who have other jobs. In many smaller communities, respectively in social groups with some affinity, the normal care of souls will take place in this way ....  There will be an interiorized Church, which neither takes advantage of its political mandate nor flirts with the left or the right. This will be achieved with effort because the process of crystallization and clarification will demand great exertion. It will make her poor and a Church of the little people .... All this will require time. The process will be slow and painful ....  From this interiorized and simplified Church, a great force will pour out. The men of an [artificially] planned world will feel unspeakably isolated. When God will seem to have totally disappeared for them, they will experience a complete and horrible poverty. And then they will discover the small community of those who believe as something entirely new ....  Her [the Church’s] real crisis has hardly started. We still have to go through some great storms .... Certainly she will never again be the dominant force in society to the degree that she was until recently.” 

[His 1969 broadcasts were originally collected and published in German as Glaube und Zukunft (Gebundene Ausgabe) by Joseph Ratzinger.   They have been translated into English in Faith And The Future by Joseph Ratzinger.]

Feeling frightened by this projection? 
Are you disturbed by this "prophecy"?

Well, dear Academicians, let's remain calm.

Let's take a cue from history -- salvation history.

To Be Continued . . .

The Few-er - Part Five

If the Lord Jesus Christ is allowing the Church to become a less numerous yet deeply faithful Remnant — then we better remember Christ’s prerequisites for entering God’s Kingdom: “Reform! Believe!”
We all must be constant and fearless in examining our personal sinfulness and betrayals of Christ. If we do not, we will not enter into the Kingdom Of God. 
This leads to the question: Is Our Lord really reforming His Church into that holy, faithful Remnant?  
Okay, Academicians, let's   continue!

Here is part of a fascinating post from our brethren over at WhoIsLikeUntoGod.com. This entry was posted on Friday, April 9th, 2010:

The Roman Catholic Church is in no danger of collapse (it is the Rock) but the hierarchy may see some change. Never since the onset of mass media has there been so much open and harsh criticism of the Vatican along with local cardinals and bishops nor quite the anger among the flock yet the shepherds too will come through the storm, if guided with humility ... This is not a Church on the ropes but one that is beginning a breakdown and purification — a simplification, which will also be experienced by other segments of society and which should be welcomed, as the spirits of institutionalism and bureaucracy give way to the Spirit of Jesus.  Anyone who believes that newspapers or nations or armies can harm the Church do not know its history nor its Savior. It has endured worst. This is a major historic scandal. It happens every few centuries. Every time it does, there is the call to simplicity (and the charisms of Jesus). There are persecutions. There is purification ... In Rome in 1975 at a huge charismatic gathering were several prophecies that “dealt with a time of darkness coming,” recalled one participant, “a time when supports that you depend on would no longer be there, things you’ve depended on, resources, buildings, people, and finances, all that kind of thing, will be taken from you. And then a time of evangelism will follow such as the world has never seen [see more here].” The prophecies were given at the high altar in St. Peter’s Basilica …  When he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Pope once remarked that he was most concerned about a pure Church and not so much a large Church and that it may even be better if it gets smaller — contracting into what others might think of as a “remnant.” It is not yet clear if it will shrink into a remnant or see a transformation of its structure (or both).... http://whoislikeuntogod.com/2010/04/09/a-prophecy-from-cardinal-ratzinger-a-k-a-benedict-xvi/

That 1975 "prophecy" was not the first of its kind during that period of the Church's history.  (By the way, prophecy is in quotation marks because it is alleged: We will not know if it's true until it comes to pass!) It was preceded by a "prophecy" issued in 1969.  

Scandalized by his encounter with radical ideology and the subordination of religion to Marxist political ideology at the University of Tübingen during 1968 and 1969,  Father Joseph Ratzinger moves back to Bavaria to take a teaching position at the University of Regensburg. He wrote, "There was an instrumentalization by ideologies that were tyrannical, brutal, and cruel. That experience made it clear to me that the abuse of faith had to be resisted precisely if one wanted to uphold the will of the [Second Vatican] Council." [From Salt of the Earth by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 1997]
He eventually becomes dean and vice president of the University of Regensburg, and later, theological advisor to the German bishops. 
In a series of radio lectures broadcast in Bavaria in 1969, Father Joseph Ratzinger spoke the following words, which some Catholics today refer to as “Ratzinger’s prophecy.”

To Be Continued . . . 

Sunday Shopping Linked With Less Happiness

So reports the New York Times today on its health blog.  Tara Parker-Pope refers to a joint study between DePaul University and Ben Gurion University that found the following to be true:

"The researchers found that allowing stores to open on Sundays was linked with a decline in church attendance among white women, which led to a subsequent decline in happiness. Among black women, the repeal of the blue laws had no measurable effect, although that may be because the sample size was too small to draw any statistically meaningful conclusions.
Notably, the finding was true only for women. For men, the repeal of blue laws didn’t seem to influence church attendance or levels of happiness."

 I can't say this surprises me.  God gave us the ten commandments for our own good...the Sabbath is the day of rest.  When the temptation of shopping hangs out there like a giant lure, Sunday can become like any other day; a day to pick up groceries, make those last minute purchases, or just hang out in the mall.  It may affect women more than men because shopping is more of a draw for women. 

In our  culture of constant busyness, the 24/7 mentality makes us like those hamsters in a wheel, constantly on the move.  The blue laws at least forced us to slow down.  Now we have to make a conscious decision to block out the activities that compete with the Sabbath and to create our own down time.  And when we do, we're going against the tide and can get flack for it.  It takes a lot of determination to resist the popular culture.  But, it's funny how making time for God never seems to give you less time in your day.  In fact, keeping God at the forefront usually has the effect of putting order and tranquility into the day.


Just remember, when God said "Keep holy the Sabbath", he didn't add "..unless there's a good sale at Macy's."

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Enjoy the last weekend of Summer before its back to the books!

The Few-er - Part Four

Is Our Lord Jesus Christ  purifying His Church and streamlining it to a faithful, holy Remnant?  
If this is true, then each of us must become personally pure and increasingly holy if we are to be admitted to and remain in that holy Remnant.  Let’s continue examining the required qualifications …

An admonition is a mild but earnest rebuke, and advice for or against doing something.

The Lord Jesus' proclamation of God’s Kingdom, if we desire to enter it, requires our obedience to two simple and direct admonitions:

(1) "REFORM" — face up to the evil tendencies in our lives and to do something about purifying ourselves of them. 

(2) "BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL” — Believe in the good news that God Our Father sent Jesus,  who is God’s only-begotten Son, to SAVE YOU, me, ALL of us from our habitual, destructive evils. 

To reform for Jesus Christ and to believe in Jesus Christ mean:

• Seeking Him out personally in the Sacrament Of Penance;  
• Confessing our failures, to receive healing and forgiveness  from Him, and 
• To be absolved and reconciled to Our Lord Jesus and His People, the Church. 

In that healing Sacrament of confession and reconciliation, we admit that we have failed to both reform and believe; we admit that we have chosen to disregard our Baptismal vows to turn away from selfishness and evil.  Confession and reconciliation is how we, who are already Baptized, may re-commit ourselves: may AGAIN personally accept Jesus as our Savior,  the ONLY Savior.

Father Kilian McDonnell, OSB, President of the Collegeville Ecumenical Institute in Minnesota, once commented on a phenomenon that puzzled many Catholic theologians. 
Some Evangelical preachers are highly successful in producing conversions –- including converts from Catholicism. Why? Father Kilian McDonnell says it is because Evangelicals get people to ADMIT that they ARE sinners who need to turn to Jesus Christ for salvation.  People do not recognize Christ if they do not recognize themselves as sinners. If you are not a sinner, then you have no need of Christ.  One cannot celebrate the mystery of the joy of redemption in Jesus Christ if one will not first recognize that he or she IS a sinner.

Our Lord Jesus emerged from forty days of fasting and praying in the desert as THE EXPERT on uprooting evil in human hearts:  “This is the time of fulfillment.  The reign of God is at hand!  Reform your lives and believe in the Gospel!"

To Be Continued...

Surprise! You're Not the Center of the Universe

That's the title of Monsignor Dennis Clark's homily of the day on Catholic Exchange.   Here's an excerpt, but be sure to go over and read the whole thing.

"It all seems pretty silly until we think about the self-important competition that at times we all get caught up in. St. Paul is warning us about that in today’s epistle. Some of the Corinthians were boasting about who instructed or who baptized them, as if, for example, baptism by Paul should give them greater prestige in the community and perhaps even a better connection with the Lord!
Before we roll our eyes or laugh, we should take a quick scan across just the past week. What weird competitions we all fall into! What importance we award to ourselves in subtle ways. What a waste of time!"

"What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"

Psalm 8:4

Hurricane Earl from Space

Here's a picture of Hurricane Earl taken by Astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock from the International Space Station and posted on his Twitter feed:

If you are so inclined, you can follow Colonel Wheelock's tweets from outer space at Astro_Wheels.


He posts some interesting observations and amazing pictures such as this one of New York City at night:

And this one of him riding the robotic arm of the space station:

Pictures from space always keep me in awe of the grandeur of God's creation and how He humbled himself to come down and walk on our little planet.

Here's one final photo.  As Astronaut Wheelock describes it:

A peaceful view of the Holy Land, without any borders. Israel – Jordan – Lebanon – Syria – Palestine …all framing this shot of the port city of Haifa and east to the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. In the center of the photo, the city of Nazareth.

 

The Few-er - Part Three

We have been exploring the notion that the Lord is purifying the Church and trimming it down to a faithful, holy Remnant.  
If that is true, and we desire to be part of that Remnant,  what are the requirements or qualifications?  Hmmm…

In our sincere and good-intentioned efforts to purify and renew ourselves, the overwhelming reality is that we often do not go deep enough. To paraphrase Henry David Thoreau: There are thousands of people hacking at the branches of evil, to the one person who is digging up the sins by their roots.

We must strike at the roots of our sins and not just give the branches a light trim.  Never take for granted that Our Lord Jesus emerged from forty days in the desert, having battled temptations directed at His human nature, to proclaim God's Kingdom and to give us the Way to uproot the evil in ourselves and in our world. 
Upon returning from the desert, His proclamation of the membership requirements for entering the Kingdom of God was, "REFORM YOUR LIVES AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL."

The Lord Jesus' proclamation contains TWO POINTS. The first is to "reform" our lives. The second is to "believe in the Gospel."
To "reform" means to recognize the evil in our lives and to turn away from it.
To "reform" means to face up to the sins we allow into our lives and to decide to do something about it.
For example:

• We may be aware of our selfishness putting OUR COMFORT ahead of others' needs;
• We may be aware of PRIDE that keeps us from admitting our faults, or from apologizing for the hurt or embarrassment we caused someone;
• We may be aware of our laziness keeping us from praying, or fasting, or helping others. 
• We may be aware that we degrade our human sexuality by internet pornography, filthy video entertainment, or magazines. or thoughts, or through inappropriate behavior or deeply sinful relationships;
• We may be aware that we abuse alcohol or food or tobacco; we may be involved with drugs or with gambling. 

Reforming means facing up to our sinful, selfish, and evil tendencies and finally doing something about destroying them, before they destroy us!



But along with reforming our lives, Our Lord Jesus' proclamation also contained that second requirement.

To Be Continued…

Mamas Movin' With Mary

Via Faith and Family Live:  A group of Catholic moms in Ohio began walking together every week while praying the Rosary.  As they put it:

"Each week we prayed a rosary together and as our devotion to the Blessed Mother grew our hearts became filled with peace and we felt a closer connection to our Lord.  We began to fully appreciate and understand the phrase 'To Jesus through Mary'.  With increased endurance and enriched faith we completed the Columbus Half Marathon and called ourselves 'Mamas Movin’ With Mary'.

It is now our goal to inspire others to take time for themselves and 'Get Movin’ With Mary'."

They are selling t-shirts to support their enterprise and  a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Brian Muha Foundation.  Brian, who was murdered in 1999, was a Franciscan University student with a great devotion to the Blessed Mother,

Here are the very attractive t-shirts:

The shirts can be ordered here at the Mama's Movin With Mary website.

Surfer Nuns

The New York Post reports that every year the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Stone Harbor, NJ, host a surfing competition.  This year the " Nun's Beach Surf Invitational" will be held on September 11th.  Proceeds from the event go to support the nun's retreat house, Villa Maria by the Sea.

New Jersey is blessed with some beautiful retreat houses on or near the ocean.  In addition to the Sister Servants in Stone Harbor, the Sisters of St. Joseph have St Mary by the Sea  in Cape May, the Vincentian Fathers used to have a place in Cape May (not sure if they still do) , and the Redemptorists have  San Alfonso retreat house  in Long Branch. 

While Sister James (pictured above) said that the closest she gets to surfing is standing on the board for a picture, it occurred to me that perhaps the priests of the  Marians of the Immaculate Conception could host a surfing fundraiser and actually have one of their own, Father Donald Calloway, compete.  Now that would be like totally awesome.

If you haven't read Father Calloway's incredible conversion story, go to his website:  www.fathercalloway.com and learn how he caught the wave of his life.

What Good Is It For A Man to Gain the Empire State Building...

"...but lose his soul."  Those were the words of Detective Steven McDonald at the Catholic League demonstration last week.  As you know, the reason for the rally was to protest the fact that the owner of the building wouldn't turn on the lights for Mother Teresa as he has done for so many religious and secular figures in the past.  Some of those who had the lights turned on in their honor include the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Simpsons.

While some of the speakers from the secular world were a bit vitriolic in their speech against the owner of the building, Detective McDonald captured the true spirit of the day in expressing the sorrow of those who love and honor Mother Teresa that she would not be recognized.  As you may know, Detective McDonald was shot in Central Park about 20 years in the line of duty.  He was paralyzed in the incident and has been a tireless advocate ever since for peace and forgiveness.  In spite of his reliance on a motorized wheelchair and a respirator, this tireless hero goes to parishes and schools to speak of the importance of forgiveness.

Below is a short clip of the evening's events, including Steven McDonald's speech.  The young people in attendance are from Chaminade, Kellenberg and Sacred Heart high schools on Long Island.  These schools maintain student chapters of the Catholic League and are quite an inspiration and encouragement to the rest of us.

(The video is a little bouncy. Sorry about that...first time with a new Flip camera. But it captures the feel of the event.)

"There Are Things That Are Shared, and Others That Are Not"

That was the statement last week of  Bishop Demetrio Fernandez, the bishop of Cordoba, Spain, concerning the demand of local Muslims to worship in the Cordoba Cathedral.  The cathedral had been built in the 13th century on the site of  the former Great Mosque of Cordoba when King Ferdinand III recaptured the area in 1236.  The mosque was erected after the Moorish conquest in the 8th century, prior to which the site had been occupied by the church of St. Vincent. 

The Christian Post reported Bishop Fernandez as saying that Catholic-Muslim relations in Cordoba have been good and that he "...wants to collaborate with Muslims in search of "peace, justice and coexistence between peoples.  But that is one thing.  It's another, very different, to want to share the same temple for worship, which is neither possible for Muslims nor for Catholics."  The bishop also said that sharing the cathedral would be "like a man sharing his wife with another man."

The bishops of Cordoba have been resisting the overtures of Muslim groups to share the worship space for some time now.  Back in 2004 Catholic Culture blog reported that Mansur Escudero, secretary general of the Spanish Islamic Council, applied to the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, requesting the ability to worship in the cathedral.  While the bishop of Cordoba remained circumspect, Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald of the Pontifical Council was more pointed when he "... advised Cordoba’s Muslims to 'accept history,' rather than seeking to regain the building they had long ago lost, or 'take revenge' on the Church. The archbishop observed that Christians have not sought to reclaim former Christian church buildings in the Middle East that have fallen under Islamic jurisdiction."
 

In spite of the bishops' unwavering rejection of the shared worship space concept, groups continue to push the issue.  In addition, some local politicians also support the idea of making the site available for Muslim worship.  This struggle in Spain also sheds some light on current events in New York City.  When one understands the history of the conflict in the region, the rationale behind naming the proposed mosque at Ground Zero as "the Cordoba Project" takes on a more ominous significance.

Last week, Escudero, was quoted as saying that the shared worship space would be “a beautiful paradigm of tolerance, knowledge, culture.”  Unfortunately, he is ignoring the fact that it is no longer a mosque, but a cathedral. What a trampling of religious rights it would be if Catholics were forced to open up their cathedrals and churches for use by other religions because of centuries old historical claims.  Unfortunately, in the world we live in things that would have seemed ridiculous in the not so distant past, are now distinct possibilities.

The Few-er - Part Two

We are exploring the notion that God is purifying His Church and trimming it down to a faithful, holy Remnant.  Let’s resume... 

As I stated in the first post of this series, it is my personal, theological observation that Our Lord Jesus Christ is allowing certain Catholics to desert.   
He is letting the Grapevine “prune” itself by permitting the deadwood, the fruitless, and the diseased branches to have things their own way, and to arrive where they want to be.

And, so, my faithful sisters and brothers, welcome to the Remnant of the Church.

“Wow, Father Reynolds: Big whoop!” Okay, okay: I know I’m not breaking new ground here. Lord knows, if you Google this topic, you can find pages and pages of debates, interpretations, and condemnations connected to this image of the Church as a “Faithful Remnant.”  How about doing a little homework: Analyzing the requirements to be part of a Faithful Remnant.

When Our Lord Jesus Christ emerged from forty days in the desert, He confronted people to make a radical decision: To what lengths are you prepared to go, to change what is evil in yourself and renew God’s gift of life within you?

Can you remember last Lent? Or Lent two, three, even five years ago? Can you remember some concrete and tangible sins you conquered during ANY Lent in your recent past? Predictably, the forty days of Lent come -- and pass. And even during that forty day period focusing on penance for our sins and truthful introspection to eliminate the causes of those sins, many of us quite easily coast through Lent into Easter with no true and substantial conversion, no obvious change in our sinful and evil thoughts, attitudes, words, or actions.

The reason why so many of us fail?  Lack of desire and lack of courage:

• We lack the desire and courage to penetrate through the surface of our past and present behavior;
• We lack the desire and courage to understand the malignant forces that we allow to drive us;
• And we lack the desire and courage to DO something concretely and rapidly about eliminating them! 

And at the end of 40 days of Lent, many of us are nibbling on chocolate bunnies, not even right back at square one: we’ve never moved off square one!

The drama of Christ in the desert, struggling in His humanity against Satan's temptations, should stir something up in us. The idea of Jesus, the Sinless One, fasting and praying in the desert -- in order to be able to say NO to Satan and YES to God His Father -- should unnerve and even frighten us. Because He is challenging us to look at our lives and to correct what needs to be corrected. 
And so, Lent comes, and Lent passes us by, and we know that nothing has really changed in us. We are the same persons, with the same defective attitudes, burdened with the same weaknesses, excuses, bad habits, and sins.   The overwhelming reality is, that our efforts to purify ourselves and renew ourselves -- while sincere and good-intentioned -- just do not go deep enough.

To Be Continued...

The Few-er - Part One

I was born in the mid-1950s.
"It" first came into my mind roughly thirty-years ago in the mid-1970s, while I was in the Seminary.  

• I have felt “it.”
• I have known “it” is real.
• I somehow have sensed “it,” spiritually. 
• For thirty years, I’ve been unconsciously and consciously discerning “it” – solidifying and deepening in "its" reality.
• "It" has since escalated, especially throughout the past ten years.  

Desiring to warn and protect us, the Holy Spirit has been and is subliminally broadcasting "it" to certain of His Faithful.  I’ve been a Priest for twenty-six years.  I've heard the warning coming to me:

• While at prayer, 
• After I try to teach the Faith, and  
• During my personal studies of the Faith.  

I sense "it" deeply whenever I try to open people’s hearts and minds to the Truths of the Catholic Faith and to our self-sacrificing culture of life.

“It” is this: 

Our Lord Jesus Christ is allowing Catholics to defect from Him.  

He is “thinning out” His Church.  

Not by vigorously and forcefully cutting and pruning the branches off the Grapevine which is His Church.  Instead, He is letting the Grapevine “prune” itself.  He is permitting the deadwood, the fruitless, and the diseased branches to simply have things their own way, and arrive where they have wanted to be.  

Specifically:

• “Cafeteria” Catholics: I’ll-Pick-And-Choose-What-I-Want-In My-Catholicism Catholics.
• “CAPE” Catholics:  “Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday”  Catholics.
• "Whitewashed Tomb” Catholics:  Whose faith and/or morals are apathetic, merely token, or blatantly opposed to Christ’s Example and Teachings as communicated through the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church. 

These branches are pruning themselves off His Vine. And Our Lord sadly, but courteously  stands aside, respecting their free-will choices, allowing them to have things their way, not His Way. 

They are freely choosing to sever their lifeline to Him and His Church -- while feeling powerful, self-indulgent, and even satisfied about it.  

Frighteningly – to me, at least – they successfully proceed in erasing parts of their souls.  They spitefully disown the vertical, transcendent axis of Faith and robustly embrace what rapidly becomes their horizontal-only existence.

To those who, daily, are firmly adhering to Christ, the Vine: 
Welcome, my faithful sisters and brothers, to the Remnant of the Church.

To Be Continued...

Atheist Doctors More Likely to Kill You

Or, as the guys at Creative Minority Report put it, "Ask your doctor if they believe in God."  The U.K.'s Guardian newspaper is reporting on a British study that determined the following:

"Independently of specialty, doctors who described themselves as non-religious were more likely than others to report having given continuous deep sedation until death, having taken decisions they expected or partly intended to end life, and to have discussed these decisions with patients judged to have the capacity to participate in discussions."

Fr. Timothy Finigan of the Hermeneutic of Continuity blog in England, discusses the underlying bias of the report against believers.   According to Fr. Finigan, "The spin given to the reporting of Clive Searle's research is a clear hint that "religious" doctors should be controlled and prevented from having so much influence in the palliative care of the dying." 

But, it has been my experience in the U.S., as well, that those of us who fight for ordinary care for the dying or seriously ill, are definitely swimming against the tide.  Unfortunately, some of the resistance comes from clergy or others in a position of spiritual authority, not just from medical personnel.  I once had a priest tell me that it would be better to remove a particular patient's feeding tube and let him "go home."  Now, mind you, this person was not suffering from a terminal illness, but from advanced dementia.  When I related to him Pope John Paul II's teaching on food and water as ordinary care, he told me that the pope wasn't always right.

St. Luke pray for us!

The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes

                                                                 Photo:  NY Daily News

Or at least maybe the Russian Orthodox Patriarch does.  CNA reports that the pope's cobbler (how great a job is that?), after shipping two pairs of shoes to the Holy Father, also sent a pair out to the Russian Orthodox Patriarch.

Adriano Stefanelli, first began making shoes for the pope when he saw Pope John Paul II on television in 2003 and asked himself what he could do to alleviate the Holy Father's pain.  He handcrafted four pairs of shoes for him and has been supplying footwear to the popes ever since. Each pair takes approximately one month to craft and along with shoes, he has made Benedict XVI hiking boots and slippers, as well.

In addition to popes, Stefanelli also provides shoes to the Orthodox patriarchs.  He considers it, "...a little sign to reinforce the desire for the unity of Christians."

[Based on my own experience, if women were admitted to holy orders, the ecclesiastical cobbler could potentially become a full time job!  ]

Look In The Mirror After You View And Read This

The following is taken from Nick Vujicic's website,  Life Without Limbs: From No Limbs To No Limits

Imagine being born without arms. No arms to wrap around a friend ; no hands to hold the ones you love; no fingers to experience touch ; no way to lift or carry things. How much more difficult would life be if you were living without arms and hands? Or what about legs? Imagine if instead of no arms, you had no legs. No ability to dance, walk, run, or even stand. Now put both of those scenarios together… no arms and no legs. What would you do? How would that affect your everyday life?
Meet Nick Vujicic, pronounced 'Vooy-cheech'. Born in 1982 in Brisbane, Australia, without any medical explanation or warning, Nicholas Vujicic came into the world with neither arms nor legs. Imagine the shock his parents felt when they saw their first-born brand new baby boy for the first time, only to find he was what the world would consider imperfect and abnormal. A limbless son was not what nurse Dushka Vujicic, and her husband Pastor Boris Vujicic had been expecting. How would their son live a normal happy life? What could he ever do or become when living with such a massive disability? Little did they or anyone else know that this beautiful limbless baby would one day be someone who would inspire and motivate people from all walks of life. God uses Nick to touch lives and bring the hope of Jesus Christ to people across the globe.
Throughout his childhood, Nick dealt not only with the typical challenges of school and adolescence such as bullying and self-esteem issues; but also struggled with depression and loneliness.  He constantly questioned why he was different than all the other kids surrounding him; why he was the one born without arms and legs. He wondered what the purpose behind his life was, or if he even had a purpose. According to Nick, the victory over his struggles throughout his journey, as well as the strength and passion he has for life can be credited to his faith in God. His family, friends and the many people he has encountered along the way have also encouraged him.
After school, Nick went on with further study and obtained a double Bachelor’s degree, majoring in Accounting and Financial Planning from Griffith University in Logan, Australia. By the age of 19, Nick started to fulfill his dream of being able to encourage other people and bring them the gospel of Jesus through motivational speaking and sharing his testimony about how God changed his life and gave him a future and a hope. “I found the purpose of my existence, and also the purpose of my circumstance. There’s a purpose for why you’re in the fire.” Nick wholeheartedly believes that there is a purpose in each of the struggles we each encounter in our lives, and that our attitude towards those struggles, along with our faith and trust in the Lord can be the keys to overcoming the challenges we face.
Now at 27 years old, this limbless young man has accomplished more than most people accomplish in a lifetime. Nick recently made the massive move from Brisbane, Australia to California, USA, where he is the President of an international non-profit organization; Life Without Limbs, and also has his own motivational speaking company; Attitude Is Altitude. Since his first speaking engagement back when he was 19, Nick has traveled around the world, sharing his story with millions of people, speaking to a range of different groups such as students, teachers, youth, businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, and church congregations of all sizes. He has also told his story and been interviewed on various televised programs worldwide. “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!”

Humility and Mother Teresa

                                                     Photo:  TheHindu.com

Interestingly, one of the frequently raised objections to the Catholic League's demonstration at the Empire State Building yesterday was that "Mother Teresa would not have wanted this recognition."  I found this to be a somewhat topsy turvy analysis.  Thank God that Mother Teresa would not have wanted all of the hoopla in her honor!  What sort of moral, religious or spiritual leader would want that kind of recognition for themselves?  If they would, they wouldn't be much of an example, would they?

The point of the demonstration at the Empire State Building was not to satisfy any long held desire by Mother Teresa for attention, but rather to continue to hold her up as an example and a beacon of goodness for the world.  And, in addition, to defend her from the slings and arrows that have been coming her way from some misguided and mean spirited commentators who are intent on maligning her reputation.

Mother Teresa probably did not want the notoriety or acclaim that she received when she was awarded the Nobel Peace prize some years ago, either.  However, she was able to use that opportunity to speak out on behalf of the weakest among us; the unborn, the poor and the marginalized.

So, although Mother Teresa would not have wanted all of the attention, just like any other saint or holy person, it is good for us to honor her and to keep her good works in the public eye as a light to the world.

Mother Teresa's 100th Birthday Will Still Be Celebrated!

Today would have been Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s 100th birthday. Mother Teresa, a.k.a “servant to the poor of Calcutta” - was the only Nobel Prize recipient to forego a celebratory luncheon, and she insisted the money be given to charity instead. Mother Teresa offered all of herself in service. She gave hope that we could make the world better.

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, requested for the Empire State Building to illuminate the tower in blue and white - the colors of Mother Teresa’s  sari - to mark the centenary of her birth. Anthony E. Malkin, an owner of the building, refused Donohue’s request.

It’s an outrage that they would not agree. After-all, since 1964, the top floors of the skyscraper have been regularly lit in different colors to celebrate holidays and special occasions. In recent years it has been lighted at the deaths of New York Cardinal John O'Connor and Pope John Paul II, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and that it routinely changes its colors for Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid al Fitr (the Muslim holiday that ends Ramadan) and other religious holidays.

So... while the Empire State Building refuses to ‘light up’ in the blue and white colors in honor of Mother Teresa , there are many other ways that her 100th birthday is being honored. Just to mention a few:

•    First, Donohue will hold a rally outside the Empire State Building on behalf of Mother Teresa on August 26. He expects several thousand protesters to join him Thursday evening.
•    The Peace Bridge, on the Niagara River in New York, and the Hutchinson Metro Center’s two office buildings in the Bronx will be lit blue and white.
•    Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas is not only lighting several campus buildings in blue, but is also naming its new nursing program building in honor of Mother Teresa.
•    Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California marked the day with a memorial Mass at 11:30 a.m. and by publishing videos from her visit and Commencement Address at the school in 1982.
•    The Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, CT is hosting the American premiere exhibit of Mother Teresa: Life, Spirituality and Message.
•    And, the Mother Teresa International Film Festival is being held Aug. 26-29 in Kolkata, India.

To quote Sr. M. Prema M.C., Superior General:
“Her life and work continue to be an inspiration for young and old, rich and poor from all walks of life, religions and nations,”

To read more on Mother Teresa visit:

 http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20031019_madre-teresa_en.html

Happy Birthday Mother Teresa

Russia Establishing Center Dedicated to Mother Teresa

Now, this is interesting. The Russian news agency Pravda has announced that a center is being established in Borovsk in the Kaluga region of Russia honoring Mother Teresa.  It's not entirely clear from the article what the center will entail, but it does say that it will be divided into 52 ethnic areas showing the customs and traditions of different countries.

What was most interesting to me was the following paragraph from the article:

She cared especially for those who were often treated as outsiders in their own communities - the starving, the crippled, the impoverished, the diseased and the dying, from the old woman with a brain tumor in Calcutta to the young man with AIDS in New York City. Her special focus was the care of mothers and their children. This included mothers who felt pressured to sacrifice their unborn children by want, neglect, despair, and philosophies and government policies that promote the dehumanization of inconvenient human life.

For those of us who grew up during the Cold War era, this is astonishing language coming from Pravda which had been the mouthpiece for the Communist government.  Maybe this would qualify as the miracle needed for Mother Teresa's canonization?