13 October, 2009
Recent weeks have seen my life change considerably and, with regret, I have decided to close this blog. I’ve enjoyed interacting with people from all over the globe and have come to value the friendship of many.
Thank you, all, for your interest and comments. I leave you with ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’, doing what he did best.
May God bless you all!
21 September, 2009
So wrote S. Augustine of Hippo, who started out as one of the world’s most prolific sinners and ended his life as one of its greatest saints.
The Prodigal Son returns to his loving Father
In this Sunday’s Gospel we find Jesus and his disciples journeying towards Jerusalem where He will suffer and die out of love for us. The disciples are so insensitive to the sufferings of Jesus because they are arguing amongst themselves as to which of them was the greatest.
Our divided heart is similarly the cause of our disharmony and insensitivity to the things of God and the sufferings of others. Being caught up in our own selfish concerns blinds us to the needs of others.
St James, in today’s second reading, also speaks of disharmony within ourselves:
Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? … in the desires fighting inside your own selves.
These battles needs quelling, and the disharmony needs healing and harmonising – not only within ourselves but, more importantly, between ourselves and God. The Sacrament of Penance brings about this healing and harmony by God’s love and mercy.
Jesus Christ gave his power to forgive sins to his apostles and, through them, to their successors, the bishops and priests of the Catholic Church. While the form of the sacrament has varied over the centuries, the requirement for priestly absolution and (except when the penitent is incapable) verbal confession has remained constant.
Regular Confession stops us from letting our sins fester and deepen their hold on us; it helps to develop a mature conscience; gives us grace to resist temptation, and bestows healing and release from the burden of sin.
20 September, 2009
Ed West reports that atheists are becoming a dying breed. Imagine, atheists as dead as the dodo. Apparently, the dodo was a particularly stupid bird – the end of Richard Dawkins and Polly Toynbee: the similarities between dodos and atheists are quite astonishing.
This is very bad news for atheist pin-up boy, Mr. Dawkins, as he and his chums have just spent a fortune on tee shirts claiming atheists ‘never dun nuffin’ wrong’, unlike people of faith who cause wars and other nasty things. Hard to believe this Oxford don hasn’t heard of the atheistic murderers: Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, et alia!! Still, one wonders whether the tiresome bighead might evolve… into a Christian, perhaps, in order to survive? At least with so many spare tee shirts, he’ll have plenty of dusters.
Survival of witless: Dawkins, seeing the light?
20 September, 2009
Listening is a good start.
Isn’t it time for a level playing field to be introduced? From this report in the Telegraph (see also, here), it appears that a Muslim can claim that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God; but, dare to suggest that Mohammed had his faults, and the ‘Old Bill’ will be knocking on your door.
In any debate, there must be rules and there must be boundaries. It seems to me that any discussion about Christianity and Islam will involve ‘hot topics’. However, in mature debate, these can be handled with integrity, respect and honesty – isn’t that what we’re taught at school – to respect difference, but cherish our own traditions? Hmm! I wonder whether this gentleman will be receiving a visit from the Police? Probably not.
19 September, 2009
From America needs Fatima:
Please ask Father Jenkins at Notre Dame to drop the charges against 88 pro-life advocates who face up to one year in jail and thousands of dollars in fines.
Sign the “Drop the Charges” petition.
The 88 outspoken pro-lifers peacefully walked onto Notre Dame’s campus in May to be the voice of the unborn — when pro-abortion president Obama was honoured there – and were arrested for trespassing.
Among those arrested were Fr. Norman Weslin, several nuns, Norma McCorvey, the “Jane Roe” of Roe v. Wade, and Ambassador Alan Keyes.
Lifesitenews.com reports:
“While witnesses say pro-Obama protesters were allowed to roam free, the arrested individuals were singled out for displaying any pro-life message — including slogans on the sanctity of life, photographs of aborted children, a large wooden cross, and images of Mary.”The double standard is rather shocking, isn’t it?
You see, the University of Notre Dame, as the original complainant, has the choice to drop the charges pending against the 88 pro-lifers.
So kindly ask Notre Dame to drop the charges – sign here
Your signature is very important right now because, according to reports, the president of the University of Notre Dame “has repeatedly refused to seek such leniency or even answer the pro-lifers’ requests for dialogue.” (Lifesitenews.com: 09-04-09)
Until next time, thank you very much for joining this urgent petition and feel free to pass it along, post it on Facebook, on blogs, and help get the word out.
You may also respectfully contact Fr. John Jenkins, president of Notre Dame:
Office of the President
400 Main Building
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: 574-631-3903
Email: president@nd.edu
19 September, 2009
… just had to share it. Death on the Nile (1978). Angela Lansbury as Salome Otterbourne: hilarious! Brilliant! Bette Davis and Maggie Smith were pretty marvellous, too. The 1978 film deviates quite a bit from the original 1930s book, but with acting this good, all is forgiven!
"... I've had a bet with my daughter, here, that you must be Hercules Porridge, the famous French sleuth." (sic). The great Angela Lansbury as Salome Otterbourne, (with Bette Davis looking on).
19 September, 2009
How gauche! My piano teacher would have said he looks like a "silly ass". Mr Parris: the gay atheist (an oxymoron, don't you think? There's nothing jolly about trying to prove a negative, as any decent scientist or philosopher will tell you!).
Matthew Parris’ clarion call to bigotry should be our call to prayer. A man with so many chips on his shoulder, Harry Ramsden would be jealous. Read his article about the relics, here.
A prayer of S. Therese:
“My Lord and my God I have realized that whoever undertakes to do anything for the sake of earthly things or to earn the praise of others deceives himself.
Today one thing pleases the world, tomorrow another.
What is praised on one occasion is denounced on another.
Blessed be You, my Lord and my God, for You are unchangeable for all eternity.
Whoever serves You faithfully to the end will enjoy life without end in eternity. Amen.”
15 September, 2009
New, this year: S. Edmund Campion's 'Brag' and 'Ten Reasons'. A book no English Catholic should be without!
11 September, 2009
Heavenly Father,
we come before You today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance.
We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbour’s possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honoured values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!
5 September, 2009
I'm updating links little-by-little, so please don't be upset if I haven't yet listed your site. It will happen (and if it doesn't, nag me without mercy!).
|
h2onews – YourGoodNewsSource
