New York, NY (November 17, 2014). Most people don't realize that abortion, abandonment of newborns and infanticide are not just modern problems. They were also common in the Middle Ages. Lack of care for the poor and the elderly was also common back then.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary was a medieval saint who cared for poor pregnant women and their babies. The daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary, and wife of a German prince, Ludwig, Landgraf of Thuringia,built a hospital for the poor near Wartburg castle in her husband's domains. She was a true "mother" to sick children, and devoted to the physical and spiritual care of pregnant mothers. After her husband's death on crusade in 1227, she built a similar hospital in Marburg in Hesse, where she worked after taking the Franciscan habit and serving the poorest of the poor with several other women, who were perhaps the first Third Order Sisters in the world, until her death.
Dr. Lori Pieper, OFS, a medieval historian and a secular Franciscan, has detailed Elizabeth's work for the poor and its significance in her biography of the saint, "The Greatest of These is Love: The Life of St Elizabeth of Hungary." The new revised edition is now available from Tau Cross Books and Media, as well as on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other outlets.
Dr. Pieper says: "Elizabeth was very sensitive to poor women and the circumstances that might pressure them to abort or abandon their children. Once in Hesse, she cared for a poor pregnant woman who was alone, and continued to care for her after her child was born. As the woman got ready to leave Elizabeth gave her some food and clothing for herself and the child. The woman's husband, who may have originally abandoned her while pregnant, now returned -- and the two ran off, leaving the child behind. They eventually returned for the baby and asked forgiveness. The people who witnessed this tended to condemn this woman and told Elizabeth she should not receive any further aid, and should even have what was given to her taken away. But Elizabeth continued to have compassion on her and her child. We see this so often today. People often condemn women in difficulty, but compassion is still the true pro-life attitude."
The book tells the whole story of Elizabeth's life from her birth in 1207 until her death. It is based on the truth that love or charity is the greatest of the virtues. Elizabeth practiced this virtue as a vocation in her love for her husband and children. She was a young wife and mother of barely 18 when she met the first Franciscans who came to Germany and through them discovered her second vocation to the poor. She died beloved throughout Europe, and already considered a saint, on November 17, 1231 -- still only 24 years old -- and was canonized in 1235.
Since then she has inspired a multitude of men and women who have imitated her life of service in religious orders and other communities and charities named for her. One of them was Fr. Ludovico da Casoria, a 19th-century Franciscan friar who founded the Suore Elisabettine in Italy, and who will be canonized on November 23, 2014.
Also inspired by St. Elizabeth was a courageous Jesuit priest, Fr. Alfred Delp, who in a sermon in 1941 in Sankt Georg church in Bavaria, denounced, though in veiled terms, the Nazi regime's program of euthanasia for the mentally and physically handicapped and other seemed "unfit to live." But St. Elizabeth, he said, teaches us "the true meaning of human life . . . This quiet woman bears a grave and urgent message for our land, for our people, for each of us: everywhere, wherever we find ourselves, wherever we may be called upon to bear witness, we must protect life, we must guard human beings from everything that can crush them underfoot. Woe to those who inflict suffering! And woe to those who have destroyed a human life, who have desecrated an image of God, even when it was already breathing its last, even when it seemed to represent only a vestige of humanity."
There is more of Fr. Delp's sermon, and other reflections on St. Elizabeth and the "culture of death" in this inspiring book. They make it clear that she is not just a distant medieval figure but a woman for today.
Using Electronic Devices in the Liturgy
Recently, the bishops in New Zealand issued a letter stating that iPads and other electronic tablets are not to be used to replace the Roman Missal in the celebration of the Mass. Over the last couple days, it’s received some attention from blogs like Thomas McDonald’s God and the Machine and Deacon Greg Kandra’s The Deacon’s Bench.
Now, it’s very clear for those who know me or have read my blog for some time that I’m a computer geek. I make no attempt to hide this fact. I have an iPad and an Android smartphone, as well as several computers (including a classic Commodore 64). I follow trends in the tech world, and try to figure out how to use them to the Church’s advantage.
With my geek cred established, it might come as a surprise that I agree with the New Zealand bishops. Electronic devices, like iPads and smartphones have their place within the Church, and should receive wide use by people at all levels for the work of the Church, but the celebration of the Mass is one place where we should be reticent about bringing these forms of technology into play.
The written word is an important aspect of our worship, so much so that the books used for the celebration of the Mass should be high-quality, durable, and beautiful. There should be a permanence to the books used at the altar and ambo, because the words we speak at Mass are truly the Word of God. Words have power, and the Word of God spoken during the Mass have the power to make Christ present in the proclamation of the Scriptures and in His Real Presence through the Words of Institution.
The Word of God is permanent, existing for all eternity, and became incarnate through Our Lord taking on human flesh through the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this reason, it is fitting that the texts used for the celebration of the Mass be permanent and tangible through the use of books dedicated for the celebration of the Mass, and not transitory and intangible data on an iPad screen. So, for the purposes of celebrating Mass, I agree that electronic devices should not replace the Roman Missal.
I do believe there are places for electronic devices outside of the actual celebration of the liturgy. For at least 2 years now, I have used an iPad to display my homiletic notes while I preach the weekend homilies. I’ve found this to be a good use for the iPad, especially since it is a lot less wasteful than printing up the notes on paper – I’d estimate that I’ve saved well over 100 pieces of paper in that time. It also allows me to occasionally record the homily for later publication over the blog (as I did last weekend).
I also agree with Thomas McDonald that e-ink devices could easily replace the throw-away missals that nearly every parish uses. (Catholic publishers, like Our Sunday Visitor,Word Among Us or Magnificat, are you listening?) Instead, the parish buys a dedicated “plug server” and the required number of dedicated e-ink readers (think non-Fire Kindles). The server is connected to the Internet, and communicates with the readers over a dedicated wi-fi link.
When a parishioner picks up the e-ink reader, it connects to the server and grabs the entire text of the Mass. I especially like Thomas’ idea of having the hymns right in line. No more page flipping or announcing, “Please join in hymn #XXX.” Think of a custom-made worship aid at every Mass without the hassle. Just tell the server what hymns to add for the day, and it does the rest, including downloading the daily readings directly from the publisher. It would also eliminate the confusion that comes with the necessary separation of the ordinary and propers of the Mass in current missals.
So, Catholic publishers who might be willing to take this on, I’ll take 150 e-ink readers and a couple of the servers, but I’ll keep the Roman Missal and Lectionaries in the sanctuary.
Today's Homily
You may have noticed over the past couple of weeks that the readings are clearly focused on the end of time. John has taken great pains to describe visions that he is seen about the next life in the next world. In the midst of all of this, perhaps the most important observation that John makes is the vision of a new heavens and a new earth. The reason I think that this is so important for us, is that all too often in our lives there are too many instances where we see things that are falling apart. I am not talking simply about physical things, although certainly watching someone age, and experience the inevitable hardships that come with growing older, is certainly quite important.
No, I am referring in so many ways to what we encounter time and time again in our world, throughout all ages of history. It’s not difficult to become overwhelmed by those things that we see occurring in our world. It’s sad in so many ways, that the things that human beings have been struggling with in terms of sin are still in our midst. People still do not get along, we still not learn to share, there are times are we treat people differently for very superficial reasons like the color of their skin, and the world is increasingly becoming a place of great disparity financially and otherwise.
If this is all there is, then indeed we are the saddest of peoples. About is not to suggest that life is miserable. I feel like I’m a pretty happy person. Perhaps you do too. But these events should remind us to focus our attention on the person of God who calls us to this new and extraordinary life. In the Psalms, God tells us that he is doing something new. In today’s reading John sees a vision of a new heavens and a new earth. And certainly the resurrection of Jesus changed everything about what it meant to be a follower of God. There was something far more important to hope for and to hope in because Jesus extends to each of us this tremendous gift of unending and eternal life.
It is important to remember that this newness occurs whether we see it or not. And so, it should be some comfort and consolation to those who may not feel that there is much new, or who may not see much new in their lives, to know that God continues to do these things, even when we are unaware.
source: http://www.deporres.net/category/daily-homily/
No, I am referring in so many ways to what we encounter time and time again in our world, throughout all ages of history. It’s not difficult to become overwhelmed by those things that we see occurring in our world. It’s sad in so many ways, that the things that human beings have been struggling with in terms of sin are still in our midst. People still do not get along, we still not learn to share, there are times are we treat people differently for very superficial reasons like the color of their skin, and the world is increasingly becoming a place of great disparity financially and otherwise.
If this is all there is, then indeed we are the saddest of peoples. About is not to suggest that life is miserable. I feel like I’m a pretty happy person. Perhaps you do too. But these events should remind us to focus our attention on the person of God who calls us to this new and extraordinary life. In the Psalms, God tells us that he is doing something new. In today’s reading John sees a vision of a new heavens and a new earth. And certainly the resurrection of Jesus changed everything about what it meant to be a follower of God. There was something far more important to hope for and to hope in because Jesus extends to each of us this tremendous gift of unending and eternal life.
It is important to remember that this newness occurs whether we see it or not. And so, it should be some comfort and consolation to those who may not feel that there is much new, or who may not see much new in their lives, to know that God continues to do these things, even when we are unaware.
source: http://www.deporres.net/category/daily-homily/
PRACTICAL THEOLOGY: New from Ignatius Press
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (November 18, 2014) St. Thomas Aquinas' theoretical and philosophical brilliance were evident in his writings, particularly his masterpiece, the Summa Theologiae. Aquinas also provided personal and practical wisdom in his highly acclaimed work. In his new book, PRACTICAL THEOLOGY: Spiritual Direction From St. Thomas Aquinas, Dr. Peter Kreeft provides 359 pieces of wisdom from the Summa Theologiae, which, Kreeft says, "are literally more valuable than all the kingdoms of this world because they will help you to attain "the one thing needful," or "the greatest good," the ultimate end and purpose and meaning of life.
Kreeft's book is unlike any other on Aquinas in that it provides the most practical analysis of the Summa Theologiae ever written. Aquinas had a reputation as an absent-minded professor, but he provided practical, personal and functional advice that helped his followers, including Kreeft, in their quest for sanity, happiness and union with God.
The 359 gold nuggets Kreeft selected helped him in the struggles of real life, to live in the real world and to grow closer to the Lord. He hopes they do the same for his readers. After each passage directly from Aquinas, Kreeft provides brief spiritual commentary to help explain it and apply it practical, personal, existential, "livable" thoughts.
Kreeft, who is an expert on Aquinas, has framed these readings as answers to questions that people actually ask their spiritual directors. Each answer is taken word for word from Aquinas.
Among the many topics Aquinas and Kreeft cover in PRACTICAL THEOLOGY include:
- The problem of evil
- Interpreting the Bible
- Love vs. knowledge
- Reconciling justice and mercy
- Human freedom and divine grace
- Angels and demons
- The need for theology
- Predestination and free will
- Three kinds of goods
"Peter Kreeft's writings fall into the category of true genius, and this work, PRACTICAL THEOLOGY, may be his opus," says Dan Burke, executive director, of the National Catholic Register. "Not only does Dr. Kreeft make Aquinas" thought more accessible, but he does so in what I believe to be Aquinas" most important gift to the Church, the revelation of truth illumining the path to union with God. If this path isn't quite clear to you, this is the book for you."
More Catholic books.
Stay Grateful, Stay in the Light
I do not know if you have noticed on Facebook, but there is an increasing number of people who are being challenged to be grateful. I have seen three day challenges, seven day challenges and even thirty day challenges. The idea is that for three, seven or thirty consecutive days a person who accepts the challenge is supposed to publicly post on Facebook what they are
grateful for, so that these things are not taken for granted.
I have heard that people who are grateful for things are healthier, and I know that when things are not going so well I do try to identify those things for which I am very grateful. It tends to turn my attention away from my troubles toward blessings I have in my life.
Taking the time to reflect upon those things for which we are grateful is a profitable exercise. It keeps us from taking things for granted. It keeps us from wallowing too much in the negative in life, to focus on what we have, rather than upon what we do not have.
It is interesting that not having what we want or wanting what we do not have is a tremendous cause of suffering in Buddhism. and is something we should strive to overcome. I have even tried to identify how negative things in my life can be things for which I am grateful. A setback at work can be turned into something positive when we express gratitude for having a job. Negative experiences can become positive simply in the way they can help us realize that even in our darkest hour we can find the positive light that gives us hope.
source: http://www.deporres.net/category/daily-homily/
grateful for, so that these things are not taken for granted.
I have heard that people who are grateful for things are healthier, and I know that when things are not going so well I do try to identify those things for which I am very grateful. It tends to turn my attention away from my troubles toward blessings I have in my life.
Taking the time to reflect upon those things for which we are grateful is a profitable exercise. It keeps us from taking things for granted. It keeps us from wallowing too much in the negative in life, to focus on what we have, rather than upon what we do not have.
It is interesting that not having what we want or wanting what we do not have is a tremendous cause of suffering in Buddhism. and is something we should strive to overcome. I have even tried to identify how negative things in my life can be things for which I am grateful. A setback at work can be turned into something positive when we express gratitude for having a job. Negative experiences can become positive simply in the way they can help us realize that even in our darkest hour we can find the positive light that gives us hope.
source: http://www.deporres.net/category/daily-homily/
Catholic Treasury of Prayers and Devotions: Kindle Edition
This treasury of prayers, now released on Kindle, will help you go to the Lord with courage and pray to receive God's grace.
Sometimes, the Pope said of prayers and devotions, one goes to the Lord "to ask something for someone;" one asks for a favor and then goes away. "But that," he warned, "is not prayer," because if "you want the Lord to bestow a grace, you have to go with courage and do what Abraham did, with that sort of tenacity."
This comprehensive treasury of Catholic prayer includes everyday prayers, devotionals, how to pray the rosary, litanies, the Stations of the Cross, Eucharistic prayers, prayers to prepare for confession, prayers to the saints, Marian prayers, family prayers, and more.
From Saint Benedict Press: Prepare the Way
Celebrating the Return of a Timeless Classic: The Beloved Queen of Apostles Prayer Book
Pauline Books & Media and the Daughters of St. Paul are pleased to announce the return of Queen of Apostles Prayer Book, a beloved classic in a soft leatherette gift edition. A favorite for more than fifty years, this treasured prayer companion with time-honored devotions including the Angelus, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Rosary, and now Mary, Untier of Knots is a comprehensive resource for daily prayer and meditation. 
Come home again to the richness of traditional Catholic prayers offered in this warm honey-brown gift edition. The handsome treasury reunites you with classic prayers accented with lovely religious art from the masters—a beautiful family heirloom to enjoy and hand down through generations. The updated version of this perennial favorite includes:
* Daily Prayers
* Prayers to the Holy Trinity
* Eucharistic Devotions
* Prayers to Our Lady
* Prayers to the Saints
* Seasonal Prayers
"It is my hope that the Queen of Apostles Prayer Book will inspire all who use it with a deep trust in the power of prayer, and that they will find encouragement and consolation in times of difficulty," says Pauline Books & Media Publisher Mary Mark Wickenhiser, FSP, compiler and editor of Queen of Apostles Prayer Book.
Queen Of Apostles Prayerbook
The Pope App: Check It out Today
Be sure to check out the Pope App, powered by news.va, which is run by the Pontifical Council for Social Communication.
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Pope Francis is bringing openness and humility to the Vatican | The Australian
It was 8.22pm on March 13, 2013 and in the square, the phones and tablets flashed in the dark like twinkling stars. The Francis era of the Roman Catholic Church began with a buona sera (“good evening”), spoken shyly but firmly into the microphone. In fluent Italian, Pope Francis joked that “my brother cardinals have gone to the ends of the Earth” in order to “give Rome a bishop”, asked for prayers for “our Bishop Emeritus Benedict XVI” and led the world in reciting an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be.
Read more.
Read more.
Abide, a New Prayer App That Wants to Connect You With God - Aleteia
It's probably safe to say that far more Catholics nowadays carry a smart phone around with them than a prayer book. And although there are many ways to access prayer websites on your phone, it's also safe to say that for many people, new technology has provided so much distraction that prayer time suffers.
There's a new app being launched today that promises to teach people to pray better, facilitate group prayer among people connecting with one another through digital devices, and spur people to spend more and better time in prayer, yes, without their cell phones around.
Read more.
There's a new app being launched today that promises to teach people to pray better, facilitate group prayer among people connecting with one another through digital devices, and spur people to spend more and better time in prayer, yes, without their cell phones around.
Read more.
Vatican astronomer, Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno wins Carl Sagan Medal
Michigan-bred Vatican astronomer and Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno will become the first clergyman awarded one of planetary science's most prestigious awards, when on Thursday in Arizona he receives the Carl Sagan Medal.
And then Consolmagno, for two decades the curator of the Vatican's meteorite collection, plans to head to metro Detroit where he grew up. He has a bittersweet assignment here: to retrieve and return to the Vatican three meteorites he loaned the Cranbrook Institute of Science in 2002.
And then Consolmagno, for two decades the curator of the Vatican's meteorite collection, plans to head to metro Detroit where he grew up. He has a bittersweet assignment here: to retrieve and return to the Vatican three meteorites he loaned the Cranbrook Institute of Science in 2002.
Pope Francis Hails John Paul II Role in Fall of Berlin Wall
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis has hailed St. Pope John Paul II's role in the fall of the Berlin Wall and urged people to build bridges by opening hearts.
Francis marked the 25th anniversary Sunday of the destruction of the wall symbolizing the Cold War by appealing to all those of good will to foster a "culture of coming together" to bring down all barriers still dividing the world.
Greeting people in St. Peter's Square, he paid tribute to those who worked for the Berlin Wall's end, including those paying with their lives. John Paul II's championing of the Solidarity union in his native Poland is credited with helping bring the demise of Soviet bloc communism.
Pope Francis Hails John Paul II Role in Fall of Berlin Wall
Francis marked the 25th anniversary Sunday of the destruction of the wall symbolizing the Cold War by appealing to all those of good will to foster a "culture of coming together" to bring down all barriers still dividing the world.
Greeting people in St. Peter's Square, he paid tribute to those who worked for the Berlin Wall's end, including those paying with their lives. John Paul II's championing of the Solidarity union in his native Poland is credited with helping bring the demise of Soviet bloc communism.
Pope Francis Hails John Paul II Role in Fall of Berlin Wall
Pope mulls removing Catholic church charges for marriage annulments | CTV News
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis on Wednesday denounced the hardships Catholics can face when seeking marriage annulments, revealing he once fired an official who tried to charge thousands of dollars for one.
Francis told participants at a Vatican course for officials dealing with annulments that as bishop of Buenos Aires, he was dismayed to learn that some faithful needed to travel hundreds of kilometres (miles) and lose days of work to reach church tribunals.
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/pope-mulls-removing-catholic-church-charges-for-marriage-annulments-1.2088123#ixzz3IUQYL2qF
Raleigh seminarian’s letter to Brittany Maynard
Last week I came across the heartbreaking story of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer one year after her wedding. When doctors suggested that she might only have six months to live, she and her family moved from California to Oregon in order to obtain the prescriptions necessary for doctor-assisted euthanasia. She is devoting her last days to fundraising and lobbying for an organization dedicated to expanding the legality of assisted suicide to other States.
Brittany’s story really hit home, as I was diagnosed with a very similar incurable brain cancer in 2008 at the age of twenty-four. After years of terrible headaches and misdiagnosis, my Grade III brain cancer (Anaplastic Astrocytoma) proved to be inoperable due to its location. Most studies state that the median survival time for this type of cancer is eighteen months, even with aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. I was beginning an exciting career as a naval officer with my entire life ahead of me. I had so many hopes and dreams, and in an instant they all seemed to be crushed. As Brittany said in her online video, “being told you have that kind of timeline still feels like you’re going to die tomorrow.”
I was diagnosed during my second Navy deployment to the Northern Arabian Gulf. After many seizures, the ship’s doctor sent me to the naval hospital on the Persian Gulf island nation of Bahrain, where my brain tumor was discovered. I remember the moment I saw the computer images of the brain scans – I went to the Catholic chapel on base and fell to the floor in tears. I asked God, “why me?” The next day, I flew home to the United States to begin urgent treatment. A few months after radiation and chemotherapy, I was discharged from the Navy and began formation for the Roman Catholic priesthood, a vocation to which I have felt called since I was nineteen years old. Despite all of the hardships and delays in my training and formation over the past six years, I hope to be ordained to the transitional diaconate this Spring and to the priesthood one year later.
Read more.
Brittany’s story really hit home, as I was diagnosed with a very similar incurable brain cancer in 2008 at the age of twenty-four. After years of terrible headaches and misdiagnosis, my Grade III brain cancer (Anaplastic Astrocytoma) proved to be inoperable due to its location. Most studies state that the median survival time for this type of cancer is eighteen months, even with aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. I was beginning an exciting career as a naval officer with my entire life ahead of me. I had so many hopes and dreams, and in an instant they all seemed to be crushed. As Brittany said in her online video, “being told you have that kind of timeline still feels like you’re going to die tomorrow.”
I was diagnosed during my second Navy deployment to the Northern Arabian Gulf. After many seizures, the ship’s doctor sent me to the naval hospital on the Persian Gulf island nation of Bahrain, where my brain tumor was discovered. I remember the moment I saw the computer images of the brain scans – I went to the Catholic chapel on base and fell to the floor in tears. I asked God, “why me?” The next day, I flew home to the United States to begin urgent treatment. A few months after radiation and chemotherapy, I was discharged from the Navy and began formation for the Roman Catholic priesthood, a vocation to which I have felt called since I was nineteen years old. Despite all of the hardships and delays in my training and formation over the past six years, I hope to be ordained to the transitional diaconate this Spring and to the priesthood one year later.
Read more.
How Would Bilbo Vote?
The midterm elections and the final installment of The Hobbit film trilogy are just around the corner. It's past time somebody asked the burning question: How would Bilbo Baggins vote? For the uninitiated, Bilbo is the title character of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel behind the films, and most people's introduction to The Lord of the Rings, the grand sequel to The Hobbit.
To understand Bilbo, we need look no further than his creator, J.R.R. Tolkien. The clues are not only in Tolkien's collected letters, but also in the novels themselves.
Bilbo's nephew, Frodo, is a proponent of nonviolence near the end of The Lord of the Rings. Plus, Tolkien loved trees and detested the ugly side of industrialism. Surely if the Oxford don were alive today, the thinking goes, he would be a Prius-driving, organic smoothie-drinking, COEXIST bumper sticker-sporting liberal. Wouldn't he?
But wait. What of all the stuff in his work about honor, chivalry, family, battlefield courage and moral absolutes? Focusing on this, some on the left have concluded that, no, Tolkien must have been an old-fashioned dead white male conservative.
Both views can't be right. Is the truth somewhere in the middle? Was Tolkien a soft-edged moderate? Tolkien was a moderate beer drinker. He was a moderately good rugby player as a boy. But there was nothing moderate about his political views.
In the recently released The Hobbit Party: The Vision of Freedom That Tolkien Got, and the West Forgot
coauthors Dr. Jay Richards, a Catholic, and Dr. Jonathan Witt, an Evangelical Christian, show how Tolkien's Middle-Earth novels championed liberty, trade and limited government, key issues in the upcoming midterm elections. They believe Tolkien's novels of Middle-Earth draw us a map to freedom and liberty, and that perhaps brushing up on our Tolkien lore can help us prepare for this midterm election vote.
For more information, contact CarmelCommunications.com.
To understand Bilbo, we need look no further than his creator, J.R.R. Tolkien. The clues are not only in Tolkien's collected letters, but also in the novels themselves.
Bilbo's nephew, Frodo, is a proponent of nonviolence near the end of The Lord of the Rings. Plus, Tolkien loved trees and detested the ugly side of industrialism. Surely if the Oxford don were alive today, the thinking goes, he would be a Prius-driving, organic smoothie-drinking, COEXIST bumper sticker-sporting liberal. Wouldn't he?
But wait. What of all the stuff in his work about honor, chivalry, family, battlefield courage and moral absolutes? Focusing on this, some on the left have concluded that, no, Tolkien must have been an old-fashioned dead white male conservative.
Both views can't be right. Is the truth somewhere in the middle? Was Tolkien a soft-edged moderate? Tolkien was a moderate beer drinker. He was a moderately good rugby player as a boy. But there was nothing moderate about his political views.
In the recently released The Hobbit Party: The Vision of Freedom That Tolkien Got, and the West Forgot
coauthors Dr. Jay Richards, a Catholic, and Dr. Jonathan Witt, an Evangelical Christian, show how Tolkien's Middle-Earth novels championed liberty, trade and limited government, key issues in the upcoming midterm elections. They believe Tolkien's novels of Middle-Earth draw us a map to freedom and liberty, and that perhaps brushing up on our Tolkien lore can help us prepare for this midterm election vote. For more information, contact CarmelCommunications.com.
The Tectonic Plates of World Catholicism Shift
By Massimo Faggioli, University of St. Thomas
An extraordinary two weeks in Rome ended Saturday with a standing ovation. Pope Francis had invited 191 bishops and clergy to the Synod on the family to speak their minds on issues such as divorce, premarital cohabitation and homosexuality and they did.
Pope Francis’s invitation to bishops was to “speak clearly. No one must say, ‘this can’t be done.’” This was a big gamble. But the result is a victory for him. True, the final report is markedly less open to the aforementioned “irregular” situations that many had hoped for. But it is also clear that a stable majority of the bishops in Rome is on his side if we look at the vote tally of October 18.
Bishops are aware of the challenges to the so-called traditional model of the Catholic family and acutely aware that these challenges are not going to disappear. In this sense, the Catholic church of 2014 seems very far from that of Francis’s predecessors. What we are witnessing is an acceleration of Church history – something similar to the Second Vatican Council 50 years ago.
What took place over the two weeks of the Synod was a genuine debate between competing ideas of what the church’s relationship ought to be with modern culture, the sexual revolution, and gender identity. But above all what these two weeks have revealed, for the first time, is a tectonic shift – a movement in the plates that make up the map of the Catholic world.
These are new alliances. Until the Second Vatican Council – the most important church reform since the 16th century – it was the European churches and their theological traditions that had the leading role. The churches built by missionaries may have been important participants but they were not able to build a strong opposition to the Europeans. Not anymore.
This October the strongest objections to the German bishops' proposed welcome to gay and divorced Catholics came from the representatives of English-speaking Catholics from the United States, Africa, and Australia. Their opposition was carefully planned even before the Synod as one can see from the long paper trail of interviews, op-eds and books laid down by Cardinal Raymond Burke (USA) and Cardinal George Pell (Australia). Once in Rome they argued with the Europeans in a way that has created a new sense of self-awareness in their churches back home.
Until Vatican II, American Catholicism was on the progressive side of history, in a church still filled with cultural optimism. The church and Christianity were then part of mainstream culture. Then came the 60s, the new legislation on abortion, divorce, and more recently same-sex marriage. The Catholic church felt pushed to take a countercultural stance. The legacy of the Second Vatican Council became a contested narrative and captive of the “cultural wars” of these past 30 years.
All this is part of a much bigger change in what can be called the neo-conservative turn of a number of prominent lay leaders of English-speaking Catholicism. Taking part in the public debate through such publications as First Things (founded in 1990), they have voiced growing criticism of the welfare state in domestic politics; have endorsed the 2003 war in Iraq; and have been fiercely opposed to legislation regulating abortion and same-sex marriage.
The election to the papacy of a Latin-American bishop like Jorge Mario Bergoglio who does not adhere to any one political ideology has set different experiences of Catholicism in different parts of the world on a collision course.
When the Pope speaks about economic and social justice and the international financial system, Africa and America are on opposite sides of the argument. But on the issue of family values, Africa and America have built an alliance, and there is no doubt that, in the contemporary role of churches in the social and political debate, marriage and family play a particular role.
Unlike their neighbors to the north, Latin American Catholics have left behind the dream of building a “Christian nation” and have become convinced, like European Catholics, that it is time to adapt to changed social conditions.
It is interesting to see how a deeply traditional Catholic such as Pope Francis has unsettled the culture of important sectors of Anglo-Saxon Catholicism – in the US in particular. After 35 years of pro-American popes such as John Paul II and Benedict XVI, the Vatican and the US need to rebuild a lost harmony.
This now is the “American problem” of Pope Francis: the first pope after World War II with virtually no contact with the USA and its cultural empire, partly because of the difficult relationship between the US and its Latin American backyard and partly because of the personal background of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Francis has never been to the US. His English is not as fluent as that of his predecessors. This is going to be a crucial challenge for Francis and the future of Christianity.
America and the so-called global south are placed at the intersection of two worlds. In one corner there is the Christian West, where there has been a loss of faith in God and loss of trust in the power of human reason or what the Italian philosopher Gianni Vattimo calls “weak thought.” In the rest of the world there is a resurgence of religious belief or as French political scientist Gilles Kepel has dubbed it, “the revenge of God.” In this sense, the 2014 Synod is the dawn of a new era in the history of the Catholic church.
Massimo Faggioli does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
An extraordinary two weeks in Rome ended Saturday with a standing ovation. Pope Francis had invited 191 bishops and clergy to the Synod on the family to speak their minds on issues such as divorce, premarital cohabitation and homosexuality and they did.
Bishops are aware of the challenges to the so-called traditional model of the Catholic family and acutely aware that these challenges are not going to disappear. In this sense, the Catholic church of 2014 seems very far from that of Francis’s predecessors. What we are witnessing is an acceleration of Church history – something similar to the Second Vatican Council 50 years ago.
What took place over the two weeks of the Synod was a genuine debate between competing ideas of what the church’s relationship ought to be with modern culture, the sexual revolution, and gender identity. But above all what these two weeks have revealed, for the first time, is a tectonic shift – a movement in the plates that make up the map of the Catholic world.
A new map of the Catholic world
In this new map Europe and Latin America are at the forefront of the new openness. On the other hand, North America, Africa, and in general English-speaking Catholics are more inclined to hone to a firm countercultural line, refusing to evolve the doctrine and pastoral practice of the church with regard to marriage and family. Asia presents a more complex picture, although the Cardinal from Manila, Luis Antonio Tagle, for example, was one of the leaders of Francis’s majority.These are new alliances. Until the Second Vatican Council – the most important church reform since the 16th century – it was the European churches and their theological traditions that had the leading role. The churches built by missionaries may have been important participants but they were not able to build a strong opposition to the Europeans. Not anymore.
This October the strongest objections to the German bishops' proposed welcome to gay and divorced Catholics came from the representatives of English-speaking Catholics from the United States, Africa, and Australia. Their opposition was carefully planned even before the Synod as one can see from the long paper trail of interviews, op-eds and books laid down by Cardinal Raymond Burke (USA) and Cardinal George Pell (Australia). Once in Rome they argued with the Europeans in a way that has created a new sense of self-awareness in their churches back home.
The ‘exceptional’ American church
There are different reasons for the creation of these new alliances. In Africa opposition to a post-modern understanding of sexuality is rooted in deep cultural differences with Europe. For the US in particular, marriage and family have an iconic role shaped by the history of the American frontier.Until Vatican II, American Catholicism was on the progressive side of history, in a church still filled with cultural optimism. The church and Christianity were then part of mainstream culture. Then came the 60s, the new legislation on abortion, divorce, and more recently same-sex marriage. The Catholic church felt pushed to take a countercultural stance. The legacy of the Second Vatican Council became a contested narrative and captive of the “cultural wars” of these past 30 years.
All this is part of a much bigger change in what can be called the neo-conservative turn of a number of prominent lay leaders of English-speaking Catholicism. Taking part in the public debate through such publications as First Things (founded in 1990), they have voiced growing criticism of the welfare state in domestic politics; have endorsed the 2003 war in Iraq; and have been fiercely opposed to legislation regulating abortion and same-sex marriage.
The election to the papacy of a Latin-American bishop like Jorge Mario Bergoglio who does not adhere to any one political ideology has set different experiences of Catholicism in different parts of the world on a collision course.
When the Pope speaks about economic and social justice and the international financial system, Africa and America are on opposite sides of the argument. But on the issue of family values, Africa and America have built an alliance, and there is no doubt that, in the contemporary role of churches in the social and political debate, marriage and family play a particular role.
Unlike their neighbors to the north, Latin American Catholics have left behind the dream of building a “Christian nation” and have become convinced, like European Catholics, that it is time to adapt to changed social conditions.
It is interesting to see how a deeply traditional Catholic such as Pope Francis has unsettled the culture of important sectors of Anglo-Saxon Catholicism – in the US in particular. After 35 years of pro-American popes such as John Paul II and Benedict XVI, the Vatican and the US need to rebuild a lost harmony.
This now is the “American problem” of Pope Francis: the first pope after World War II with virtually no contact with the USA and its cultural empire, partly because of the difficult relationship between the US and its Latin American backyard and partly because of the personal background of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Francis has never been to the US. His English is not as fluent as that of his predecessors. This is going to be a crucial challenge for Francis and the future of Christianity.
America and the so-called global south are placed at the intersection of two worlds. In one corner there is the Christian West, where there has been a loss of faith in God and loss of trust in the power of human reason or what the Italian philosopher Gianni Vattimo calls “weak thought.” In the rest of the world there is a resurgence of religious belief or as French political scientist Gilles Kepel has dubbed it, “the revenge of God.” In this sense, the 2014 Synod is the dawn of a new era in the history of the Catholic church.
Massimo Faggioli does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Lessons from the Charterhouse
Due to the kindness of a benefactor, the Brothers recently came into possession of the book, The Prayer of Love and Silence [1], which Father David Phillipson had recommended from our pulpit some weeks previously. Its author is “A Carthusian,” so named due to a custom of the Carthusian Order1 [2] that guards the monks’ hiddenness and silence.
It would be difficult to do such a work justice in a review. My intention herein is to give the reader a taste of a work at once so simple and so deep that it defies summary.
With the exception of the section entitled “The Blessed Trinity and the Spiritual Life,” which is the last one third of the book, reading it was easy. It was like drinking good water: nothing to prevent the effortless imbibing of the material — and refreshing! After a few draughts, though, I realized that I was drinking strong stuff, so I had to slow down and read sections over again — even though the words and the syntax were quite simple. The thought occurred to me that the life of the Carthusians is productive of such an experience. In their slow, silent, hidden existence, they distill the complexities of the ancient liturgy, the great spiritual writers they read, and the manual labor they carry out, all into a life of great simplicity.
This makes their writing itself highly distilled, rather like the liquor they make [4]. Yes, this strong stuff is spiritual Chartreuse!
Read more
The volume is a translation of two works that originally appeared in 1951 and 1948 respectively. Its subjects are varied, but all pertain to the interior life. Two parts of the book, “An Introduction to the Interior Life” and “The Blessed Trinity and the Spiritual Life,”are systematic in their approach. A third section — in the middle of the work — is a series of “Sermons in Chapter” given by the Abbot to his monks in their chapter meeting [3] on feast days.
It would be difficult to do such a work justice in a review. My intention herein is to give the reader a taste of a work at once so simple and so deep that it defies summary.
With the exception of the section entitled “The Blessed Trinity and the Spiritual Life,” which is the last one third of the book, reading it was easy. It was like drinking good water: nothing to prevent the effortless imbibing of the material — and refreshing! After a few draughts, though, I realized that I was drinking strong stuff, so I had to slow down and read sections over again — even though the words and the syntax were quite simple. The thought occurred to me that the life of the Carthusians is productive of such an experience. In their slow, silent, hidden existence, they distill the complexities of the ancient liturgy, the great spiritual writers they read, and the manual labor they carry out, all into a life of great simplicity.
This makes their writing itself highly distilled, rather like the liquor they make [4]. Yes, this strong stuff is spiritual Chartreuse!
. . .
Read more
An Appreciation for Church History
Brother Francis has a tremendous appreciation for the history of the Church. He likes to call Church history “the laboratory of wisdom.” Why? Because the history of the Church is the history of human salvation, and choosing the best means to save one’s soul is the highest prudence. And prudence, says St. Thomas Aquinas, is wisdom in action.
History is the laboratory of wisdom, but the application today of the lessons learned from history is prudence.
How, for example, are we to understand what St. Pius X meant when he said that “modernism is the synthesis of all heresies,” if we are ignorant of the history of the Church’s battles against heresy? How are we to evaluate the causes of what Pope Benedict referred to a “crisis of Faith,” if we unfamiliar with any of the twenty ecumenical councils that preceded Vatican II?
There are twenty-two books of the Bible that are history books: the first nineteen of the Old Testament, the two books of Machabees, which end the Old Testament, and the Acts of the Apostles in the New.
A knowledge of Church History is a knowledge of the life of the Body of Christ extended in time throughout the past twenty centuries. It is a glorious history, with its martyrs, confessors, saints of the desert, great doctors and popes, apostles of nations, proliferation of contemplative orders, active orders, teaching orders, advances in science, medicine, the arts, missionary life, and victories over the enemies of true religion, who engaged her by pen and sword.
Without a knowledge of history, of its facts, dates, and events, a Catholic is ill-prepared to defend the Church against those who would gainsay her by misrepresentation, misinformation, or deliberate disinformation. Nor can we forget that we all have an obligation to instruct the ignorant who have been misled by error and who, in their hearts, nurture an affinity for the truth.
source: catholicism.org
History is the laboratory of wisdom, but the application today of the lessons learned from history is prudence.
How, for example, are we to understand what St. Pius X meant when he said that “modernism is the synthesis of all heresies,” if we are ignorant of the history of the Church’s battles against heresy? How are we to evaluate the causes of what Pope Benedict referred to a “crisis of Faith,” if we unfamiliar with any of the twenty ecumenical councils that preceded Vatican II?
There are twenty-two books of the Bible that are history books: the first nineteen of the Old Testament, the two books of Machabees, which end the Old Testament, and the Acts of the Apostles in the New.
A knowledge of Church History is a knowledge of the life of the Body of Christ extended in time throughout the past twenty centuries. It is a glorious history, with its martyrs, confessors, saints of the desert, great doctors and popes, apostles of nations, proliferation of contemplative orders, active orders, teaching orders, advances in science, medicine, the arts, missionary life, and victories over the enemies of true religion, who engaged her by pen and sword.
Without a knowledge of history, of its facts, dates, and events, a Catholic is ill-prepared to defend the Church against those who would gainsay her by misrepresentation, misinformation, or deliberate disinformation. Nor can we forget that we all have an obligation to instruct the ignorant who have been misled by error and who, in their hearts, nurture an affinity for the truth.
source: catholicism.org
The Underrated Virtue of Forgiveness (via wordonfire.org)
In the recently released film Calvary, we witness the transformative
power of the virtue of forgiveness, especially the Christlike
forgiveness that calls for self-sacrifice in love.
from wordonfire.org
from wordonfire.org
Pre-papal Writings of Pope John Paul I
A year after its first release, the collection of the pre-papal writings of Pope John Paul I, A Passionate Adventure: Living the Catholic Faith Today, edited and translated by Lori Pieper, is about to be reissued in a new edition with a preface by Justin Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia.
Dr. Pieper, writes: These works show the many sides of Pope John Paul I. He was known as the smiling Pope and with his warmth he was as appealing to people as Pope Francis is. He showed how it was possible to live the faith as an adventure, out of a passionate love of God. But more than that, as a bishop, Albino Luciani was really a prophet for our time in regard to many areas of present concern in the Church, including the importance of the universal call to holiness and the apostolate of the laity, the hermeneutic of reform in continuity, bioethics and in-vitro fertilization, and above all the New Evangelization which he anticipated and put into practice in his pastoral work as a bishop.
The book contains, along with a short biography of the Pope, 38 sermons, articles, essays, synod interventions, talks and interviews, dating from 1959 to 1978, when Luciani was Bishop of Vittorio Veneto and Patriarch of Venice. Dr. Pieper did the translations over the course of many years as part of the team publishing the English-language edition of Humilitas, the quarterly publication on John Paul I.
Dr. Pieper says, "I'm happy that the publication of the book will concide with the consigment of the last part of the Positio for the cause of John Paul I's canonization to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in October, during the Synod of Bishops on the Family and around the time of the beatification of Pope Paul VI. This is fitting, because Luciani was a great proponent of Catholic teaching on the family and the transmission of life. The book includes his pastoral letter in 1968 supporting Paul VI on Humane Vitae. He was prophetic in regard to IVH as Paul was to contraception. He foresaw the dehumanization of the 'baby-manufacturing' industry that IVH has brought into being. What he wrote about this has been misunderstood and distorted because the interview he gave on the first 'test-tube baby' in July 1978 has not been available in its entirety. That complete interview too is included in the book."
As a bishop, Luciani took on the challenges that secularism presented to the faith of Catholics in the period immediately before, during and after the Second Vatican Council; most of them are still with us today. In a vivid and original style, he offers his reflections on the first Year of Faith in 1967-68, and the mysteries of Catholic belief such as the Incarnation and Redemption, the Eucharist, the Cross, death and eternal life. He also speaks of evangelization and catechesis, birth control and abortion, faith and science, the meaning of the Church, the papal Magisterium, pluralism, ecumenism, prayer, devotion to Our Lady, and above all, becoming saints.
The book is available in paperback and ebook formats from Tau Cross Books and Media and will go on sale September 28. It will be available at taucrossbooks.com, on Amazon and other outlets.
Dr. Pieper, writes: These works show the many sides of Pope John Paul I. He was known as the smiling Pope and with his warmth he was as appealing to people as Pope Francis is. He showed how it was possible to live the faith as an adventure, out of a passionate love of God. But more than that, as a bishop, Albino Luciani was really a prophet for our time in regard to many areas of present concern in the Church, including the importance of the universal call to holiness and the apostolate of the laity, the hermeneutic of reform in continuity, bioethics and in-vitro fertilization, and above all the New Evangelization which he anticipated and put into practice in his pastoral work as a bishop.
The book contains, along with a short biography of the Pope, 38 sermons, articles, essays, synod interventions, talks and interviews, dating from 1959 to 1978, when Luciani was Bishop of Vittorio Veneto and Patriarch of Venice. Dr. Pieper did the translations over the course of many years as part of the team publishing the English-language edition of Humilitas, the quarterly publication on John Paul I.
Dr. Pieper says, "I'm happy that the publication of the book will concide with the consigment of the last part of the Positio for the cause of John Paul I's canonization to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in October, during the Synod of Bishops on the Family and around the time of the beatification of Pope Paul VI. This is fitting, because Luciani was a great proponent of Catholic teaching on the family and the transmission of life. The book includes his pastoral letter in 1968 supporting Paul VI on Humane Vitae. He was prophetic in regard to IVH as Paul was to contraception. He foresaw the dehumanization of the 'baby-manufacturing' industry that IVH has brought into being. What he wrote about this has been misunderstood and distorted because the interview he gave on the first 'test-tube baby' in July 1978 has not been available in its entirety. That complete interview too is included in the book."
As a bishop, Luciani took on the challenges that secularism presented to the faith of Catholics in the period immediately before, during and after the Second Vatican Council; most of them are still with us today. In a vivid and original style, he offers his reflections on the first Year of Faith in 1967-68, and the mysteries of Catholic belief such as the Incarnation and Redemption, the Eucharist, the Cross, death and eternal life. He also speaks of evangelization and catechesis, birth control and abortion, faith and science, the meaning of the Church, the papal Magisterium, pluralism, ecumenism, prayer, devotion to Our Lady, and above all, becoming saints.
The book is available in paperback and ebook formats from Tau Cross Books and Media and will go on sale September 28. It will be available at taucrossbooks.com, on Amazon and other outlets.
A Fresh Look at Fatima
Saint Augustine once said that an event must not be considered miraculous if a natural explanation is available. A new book by author Bernard F. Kohout takes this challenge to heart. “Fatima the Spectacular: A New and Very Different Version of the Sun Dance at Fatima in 1917” critically examines the events of October 13, 1917, on which date tens of thousands of eyewitnesses in Fatima, Portugal, saw the sun dance in the sky.
The event was also the climax of what three children reported to be visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Using science and logic, author Kohout provides a brief overview of the events and then an insightful analysis. Result: the events were truly spectacular. The author avoids drawing spiritual or prophetic conclusions to his findings, leaving that to others. “Fatima the Spectacular” is a critical new look at an almost century-old phenomenon that dramatically changed the Church and is very much affecting it today.
Due to a special grant, bookstores, libraries, and colleges may acquire a copy of this important new book completely free, postage-paid, with no future obligation. Simply contact the publisher at info@leoninepublishers.com to reserve your copy. “Fatima the Spectacular” is available from Leonine Publishers and is priced at $6.95 US. Softcover, 98 pages, ISBN 978-0-9860552-8-7. Orders may be placed at leoninepublishers.com or by telephone at 602-795-3539.
The event was also the climax of what three children reported to be visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Using science and logic, author Kohout provides a brief overview of the events and then an insightful analysis. Result: the events were truly spectacular. The author avoids drawing spiritual or prophetic conclusions to his findings, leaving that to others. “Fatima the Spectacular” is a critical new look at an almost century-old phenomenon that dramatically changed the Church and is very much affecting it today.
Due to a special grant, bookstores, libraries, and colleges may acquire a copy of this important new book completely free, postage-paid, with no future obligation. Simply contact the publisher at info@leoninepublishers.com to reserve your copy. “Fatima the Spectacular” is available from Leonine Publishers and is priced at $6.95 US. Softcover, 98 pages, ISBN 978-0-9860552-8-7. Orders may be placed at leoninepublishers.com or by telephone at 602-795-3539.
SON OF GOD Movie: Recommended for Lent and Easter by Catholic Leaders
Catholic cardinals and archbishops across the country are recommending that Catholics use the hit movie about Jesus’ life called SON OF GOD and its free Catholic catechetical companion study guide and video series as tools for reflection during the Lenten Season in preparation for Holy Week and Easter Sunday.
“Personally, I would recommend to individuals, but particularly to families, this wonderful story of the Son of God, in order to be inspired all over again with the story of God’s love for us,” said Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Archbishop of Washington DC, an early supporter of SON OF GOD.
“In SON OF GOD, through a cinematic recreation of events, we get to witness the sacrifices Jesus endured for our sins. The scenes of the movie, particularly of Our Lord’s Passion, bear a striking resemblance to the Stations of the Cross, and can be used as a way to meditate and reflect on His self-giving loving sacrifice for us during this season of Lent,” Archbishop Louis Kurtz from the Archdiocese of Louisville, KY and President of the US Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB).
“The movie SON OF GOD is a very important film, because it gives us the opportunity, especially now as Lent begins – to realize God’s daily presence in our own lives, just as the apostles experienced it in the person of Jesus,” said Archbishop Jose Gomez from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, CA.
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More Catholic bishop endorsements, resources and the companion study guide and video series can be found on www.seesonofgod.com, SON OF GOD’s official Catholic website.
Monsignor J. Brian Bransfield, Associate General Secretary of the USCCB and the Archdiocese of Washington DC worked together in creating the guide and video series, in order to help deepen Catholics’ faith and for further meditation on important truths the film conveys.
According to Bransfield, himself an accomplished Catholic author, it’s helpful if one uses the tools after viewing the entire SON OF GOD movie. This is crucial, since it can serve as a type of meditation on the identified and highlighted Scriptural verse.
Available in English and Spanish, SON OF GOD’s study guide and video series (Spanish one contains sub-titles and uses the film’s Spanish-language version, with For Greater Glory and Bella actor Eduardo Verastegui as the voice of Jesus), draws on sacred scripture to discuss six movie scenes – creation of the world, the Incarnation, call of Saint Peter, walking on water, the Last Supper and the confrontation between Jesus and Pilate.
Released by Twentieth Century Fox on February 28, 2014 – five days before Ash Wednesday, SON OF GOD claimed that weekend’s number two box office spot with $25 million worth of tickets sold and total revenues to date of $51 million. Included in that number, and for the first time, were multi-city theater buyouts in Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia and Washington DC, thanks to generous Catholic benefactors who purchased and then donated tickets to various Catholic dioceses in those cities.
SON OF GOD also made Hollywood history, representing the second-biggest opening ever at the box office for a Jesus movie, the first being the Passion of The Christ. Clearly, movie-goers were impressed, receiving it with great warmth, affection and enthusiasm, according to two industry standard movie-pollster companies, CinemaScore and PostTrak, and the popular fan-rated website Fandango.
On opening weekend, audiences gave SON OF GOD a 90% positive response and a 5-star rating for likability, tying it with 3D-animated Lego on PostTrak. Their movie “grade” was equally high, with CinemaScore reporting an A-, compared to an A for this year’s Academy-Award Best Picture film 12 Years a Slave. Fandango fans rated it as number one.
SON OF GOD was produced by actress Roma Downey, a Catholic, known for her work in the TV series “Touched by an Angel” Downey also appears in SON OF GOD as Mary, the mother of Jesus. Her husband and SON OF GOD co-producer is Mark Burnett, the reality-TV mega producer of shows “Survivor,” “The Voice,” “Shark Tank” and “The Bible.”
Told with the scope and scale of an action-packed epic, the film features excellent performances, exotic locales, dazzling visual effects and a rich orchestral score from Oscar®-winner Hans Zimmer. Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado beautifully portrays the role of Jesus as the film spans from His humble birth through his teachings, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven.
SON OF GOD can be seen in theaters throughout the US. Check www.sonofgodmovie.com for movie times and locations.
Here is the full list of Catholic religious leaders who endorsed SON OF GOD – Cardinal and Archbishop of Washington DC, Donald Wuerl; Archbishop Louis Kurtz from the Archdiocese of Louisville, KY and President of the USCCB; Archbishop Jose Gomez from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, CA; Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, Diocese of San Antonio, TX; Archbishop Jerome Listecki, Archdiocese of Milwaukee, WI; Bishop William F. Murphy, Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY; Bishop Kevin Vann, Diocese of Orange County, CA; Bishop David Zubik Diocese of Pittsburgh and Bishop David Ricken, Diocese of Green Bay, WI.
http://www.sonofgodmovie.com/
“Personally, I would recommend to individuals, but particularly to families, this wonderful story of the Son of God, in order to be inspired all over again with the story of God’s love for us,” said Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Archbishop of Washington DC, an early supporter of SON OF GOD.
“In SON OF GOD, through a cinematic recreation of events, we get to witness the sacrifices Jesus endured for our sins. The scenes of the movie, particularly of Our Lord’s Passion, bear a striking resemblance to the Stations of the Cross, and can be used as a way to meditate and reflect on His self-giving loving sacrifice for us during this season of Lent,” Archbishop Louis Kurtz from the Archdiocese of Louisville, KY and President of the US Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB).
“The movie SON OF GOD is a very important film, because it gives us the opportunity, especially now as Lent begins – to realize God’s daily presence in our own lives, just as the apostles experienced it in the person of Jesus,” said Archbishop Jose Gomez from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, CA.
More Catholic bishop endorsements, resources and the companion study guide and video series can be found on www.seesonofgod.com, SON OF GOD’s official Catholic website.
Monsignor J. Brian Bransfield, Associate General Secretary of the USCCB and the Archdiocese of Washington DC worked together in creating the guide and video series, in order to help deepen Catholics’ faith and for further meditation on important truths the film conveys.
According to Bransfield, himself an accomplished Catholic author, it’s helpful if one uses the tools after viewing the entire SON OF GOD movie. This is crucial, since it can serve as a type of meditation on the identified and highlighted Scriptural verse.
Available in English and Spanish, SON OF GOD’s study guide and video series (Spanish one contains sub-titles and uses the film’s Spanish-language version, with For Greater Glory and Bella actor Eduardo Verastegui as the voice of Jesus), draws on sacred scripture to discuss six movie scenes – creation of the world, the Incarnation, call of Saint Peter, walking on water, the Last Supper and the confrontation between Jesus and Pilate.
Released by Twentieth Century Fox on February 28, 2014 – five days before Ash Wednesday, SON OF GOD claimed that weekend’s number two box office spot with $25 million worth of tickets sold and total revenues to date of $51 million. Included in that number, and for the first time, were multi-city theater buyouts in Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia and Washington DC, thanks to generous Catholic benefactors who purchased and then donated tickets to various Catholic dioceses in those cities.
SON OF GOD also made Hollywood history, representing the second-biggest opening ever at the box office for a Jesus movie, the first being the Passion of The Christ. Clearly, movie-goers were impressed, receiving it with great warmth, affection and enthusiasm, according to two industry standard movie-pollster companies, CinemaScore and PostTrak, and the popular fan-rated website Fandango.
On opening weekend, audiences gave SON OF GOD a 90% positive response and a 5-star rating for likability, tying it with 3D-animated Lego on PostTrak. Their movie “grade” was equally high, with CinemaScore reporting an A-, compared to an A for this year’s Academy-Award Best Picture film 12 Years a Slave. Fandango fans rated it as number one.
SON OF GOD was produced by actress Roma Downey, a Catholic, known for her work in the TV series “Touched by an Angel” Downey also appears in SON OF GOD as Mary, the mother of Jesus. Her husband and SON OF GOD co-producer is Mark Burnett, the reality-TV mega producer of shows “Survivor,” “The Voice,” “Shark Tank” and “The Bible.”
Told with the scope and scale of an action-packed epic, the film features excellent performances, exotic locales, dazzling visual effects and a rich orchestral score from Oscar®-winner Hans Zimmer. Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado beautifully portrays the role of Jesus as the film spans from His humble birth through his teachings, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven.
SON OF GOD can be seen in theaters throughout the US. Check www.sonofgodmovie.com for movie times and locations.
Here is the full list of Catholic religious leaders who endorsed SON OF GOD – Cardinal and Archbishop of Washington DC, Donald Wuerl; Archbishop Louis Kurtz from the Archdiocese of Louisville, KY and President of the USCCB; Archbishop Jose Gomez from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, CA; Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, Diocese of San Antonio, TX; Archbishop Jerome Listecki, Archdiocese of Milwaukee, WI; Bishop William F. Murphy, Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY; Bishop Kevin Vann, Diocese of Orange County, CA; Bishop David Zubik Diocese of Pittsburgh and Bishop David Ricken, Diocese of Green Bay, WI.
http://www.sonofgodmovie.com/
CatholicTV Network to Air Lenten Retreat Guides
The CatholicTV Network will air Retreat Guides from Regnum Christi Spirituality Center with Father John Bartunek.
The Regnum Christi Spirituality Center creates and produces life changing Catholic formation materials in many different media formats. The RC Spirituality Center serves clergy and laity, individuals, groups, and parishes. More information can be found at www.rcspirituality.org.
Fr. John Bartunek, LC, S.Th.D, received his BA in History from Stanford University in 1990. He comes from an evangelical Christian background and became a member of the Catholic Church in 1991. After college he worked as a high school history teacher, drama director, and baseball coach. He then spent a year as a professional actor in Chicago before entering the religious Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ in 1993. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2003 and earned his doctorate in moral theology in 2010. He provided spiritual support on the set of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ while researching the 2005 Catholic best seller, Inside the Passion, the only authorized, behind-the-scene explanation of the film.
The RC Spirituality Center Retreat Guides with Father John Bartunek will air during Lent on Mondays at 10:30PM ET and Thursdays at 5PM ET on CatholicTV and CatholicTV.com.
The Regnum Christi Spirituality Center creates and produces life changing Catholic formation materials in many different media formats. The RC Spirituality Center serves clergy and laity, individuals, groups, and parishes. More information can be found at www.rcspirituality.org.
Fr. John Bartunek, LC, S.Th.D, received his BA in History from Stanford University in 1990. He comes from an evangelical Christian background and became a member of the Catholic Church in 1991. After college he worked as a high school history teacher, drama director, and baseball coach. He then spent a year as a professional actor in Chicago before entering the religious Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ in 1993. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2003 and earned his doctorate in moral theology in 2010. He provided spiritual support on the set of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ while researching the 2005 Catholic best seller, Inside the Passion, the only authorized, behind-the-scene explanation of the film.
The RC Spirituality Center Retreat Guides with Father John Bartunek will air during Lent on Mondays at 10:30PM ET and Thursdays at 5PM ET on CatholicTV and CatholicTV.com.
Lenten Scripture Challenge by EWTN
EWTN is launching a brand new app to help you prepare for Lent –
and it’s available now! If you download our free app and take our “Daily Lenten
Scripture Reading Challenge,” at the end of Lent, you will able to say that you
read all four Gospels! It’s easier than you think!
You can download EWTN’s free app at www.ewtnapps.com/challenge
or get it directly from iTunes, Google Play or Amazon apps for Kindle
Fire. If you already have the EWTN app, the Scripture Challenge is included with
the update.
To access the Challenge, simply open the app and click on the Bible
icon, which will take you to your free RSV-CE Bible. From inside the Bible,
click or tap on the menu (the three white bars on the top left hand corner of
the screen), and from the resulting drop down menu, choose “Playlists” and then
“The Four Gospels During Lent” to begin your Challenge.
In addition to the daily reading challenge, we’ve included a free
audio version of the Gospel of Mark, which is read by world-renowned actors and
contains realistic sound effects! (To find it, go to the menu, as above, click
on “contents,” then “New Testament,” and then “Mark”, where you will be able to
click on “download.") If you choose, you can purchase audio for the entire Bible
for $19.99. This will not only enhance your experience, but help support your
favorite Network!
Note: If this is your first time inside the EWTN app, don’t miss
all the other great features. With this one app, you will be able to watch
what’s on EWTN anywhere in the world, view all our program schedules,
enjoy video or audio on demand, and stay up-to-date with EWTN
News.
Insider secret! By the way, look for another new app featuring
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, coming soon! EWTN traveled to the New York office of
Cardinal Dolan to tape a series of one-minute reflections, which will air on the
Network every day during Lent. You do not want to miss these fabulous bits of
inspiration and encouragement – and, with our soon-to-be-released app – “EWTN
Daily Lenten Reflections with Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan” – you will be able to
get them directly on your iOS or Android device! You’ll even get a reminder to
watch them! Keep checking EWTN’s home page, www.ewtn.com, for the
announcement!
These are just two more (free!) ways EWTN is planning to help make
2014 your best Lent ever! Please spread the word!
EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 33rd year, is
available in over 230 million television households in more
than 140 countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite
television and radio services, AM & FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave
radio station, Internet website www.ewtn.com, electronic and print news
services, and publishing arm, EWTN is the largest religious media network in the
world.
Lent at Ephesus: No. 1 on Billboard’s Classical Overall Music Chart
Lent at Ephesus
from the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles debuted at No. 1 on Billboard magazine’s Classical Overall Music Chart and Classical Traditional Music Chart this week. The album also earned the No. 49 spot on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart, the No. 2 spot on the Contemporary Christian Chart and the No. 3 spot on the Christian Gospel and Internet charts.
The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles bested albums from prominent classical music articles such as Andrea Bocelli, the Piano Guys and Il Divo, among others.
The Sisters’ second album, ANGELS AND SAINTS AT EPHESUS, skyrocketed back up the Billboard charts, earning the No. 4 spot on the Classical Overall Chart, the No. 23 spot on the Contemporary Christian and Christian Gospel charts, and the No. 35 spot on the Internet chart.
“We are amazed and humbled by the undeniable role of Divine Providence in the success story behind the ethereal music from the monastic Benedictines of Mary,” said Monica Fitzgibbons, co-founder of De Montfort Music. “Even more remarkable is the sentiment which resounds throughout their faithful life which is this: It is wonderful to do great things for God but even more wonderful to be something great for God. We congratulate the Sisters on their collective FIAT and extend our gratitude to all who have made possible this uplifting chart-topping success!”
LENT AT EPHESUS is a stunning compilation of poignant chants, elaborate harmonies and inspiring hymns of glory and redemption produced by Grammy Award-winning classical producer Blanton Alspaugh.
Founded in 1995, The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles are a young, monastic order of Sisters. The Sisters sing together eight times a day as they chant the Divine Office in Latin.
‘Heaven is for Real’ Comes to Film Soon
Many Catholics have long wondered, “What is Heaven like? Is it peaceful? Whom will I see?” Now Catholics have an opportunity to see a captivating story from someone who has claimed they have experienced heaven. From the international bestseller, and with an impressive Hollywood creative team and cast, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL — the spellbinding story of 4-year-old Colton Burpo’s trip to Heaven . . . and back — comes to theaters April 16, 2014.
Based on the No. 1 New York Times bestselling book of the same name, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL brings to the screen the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son’s extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world.
Kathie Lee Gifford, co-host of the Today Show, says HEAVEN IS FOR REAL is “a perfect family movie.”
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-ewaCVARtM.
Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® winner Greg Kinnear (AS GOOD AS IT
GETS, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, WE WERE SOLDIERS) stars as Todd Burpo.
“What appealed to me most at the end of the day is that Randy (director and co-writer Randall Wallace) had tackled this very human story and the eternal question everyone has about what comes after,” said Kinnear. “Whatever your feelings on the afterlife—even in your current life, right here, right now — there is this beauty all around you that’s been nicely captured for this film through the eyes of a little boy. If you don’t have any personal inspiration, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL will give you some.”
“What do you do when your 4-year-old son looks at you and says, ‘I went to Heaven and this is what it’s like,’ . . . and you’re a pastor? That, for me, is the stuff of drama,” said Director/Co-writer Randall Wallace. Alongside producers Joe Roth and T.D. Jakes, Wallace considers heaven from a boy’s-eye view, and from the here and now.
“Todd grounds the story in day-to-day reality, the way it really unfolded,” Wallace said. “Colton doesn’t just blurt it all out. It comes out in little bits and pieces in the course of everyday life.”
Wallace and Christopher Parker adapted their screenplay from HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, written by Colton’s father, Todd Burpo, with Lynn Vincent, which spent 64 weeks at No. 1 on the New York Times best sellers list. The book remains on the Times’ best-seller list after more than three years, with nearly 8 million copies sold, and has been translated into 25 languages.
Wallace is the Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter of BRAVEHEART; among others, he directed WE WERE SOLDIERS and SECRETARIAT. Roth is a TV and film veteran whose 60 movies and television programs include MALEFICENT, Anger Management, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL and SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN. Jakes–pastor, author, entrepreneur, producer–is known to movie audiences for WOMAN, THOU ART LOOSED, SPARKLE, JUMPING THE BROOM, and BLACK NATIVITY.
In addition to Kinnear, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL’s top cast includes Kelly Reilly (SHERLOCK HOLMES, FLIGHT) as Colton’s mom, Sonja and newcomer Connor Corum as Colton Burpo. The film also features Emmy® winner Margo Martindale (Justified) and Academy Award® nominee Thomas Haden Church (SIDEWAYS, Wings).
“A lot of things in this story appealed to me, and one was Todd’s conflict. Should he stir up the townspeople with his son’s story or put it aside?” Roth said. “And he did the unsafe thing. He backed his son’s vision, though it could cost him his job and make him quite unpopular in town.”
“The great gift of HEAVEN IS FOR REAL is the possibility of the impossible, the touchability of the abstract — so powerful that we feel as if we are one with something we just can't touch,” Jakes said. “That’s what faith is.”
“But the faith in this film is far from simplistic,” Jakes adds. “It's no quick solution, nothing magical. It's a struggling, stumbling, groping, grasping faith, reaching through dark fear and confusion to solidify the abstractions of life. And it's appropriate that a little child teaches adults how to believe again, how to trust again.”
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL is directed by Randall Wallace. The screenplay is by Randall Wallace and Christopher Parker based on the book by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent. The movie is produced by Joe Roth and T.D. Jakes.
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL was filmed in Winnipeg, Canada, and is being released and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing.
Based on the No. 1 New York Times bestselling book of the same name, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL brings to the screen the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son’s extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world.
Kathie Lee Gifford, co-host of the Today Show, says HEAVEN IS FOR REAL is “a perfect family movie.”
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-ewaCVARtM.
Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® winner Greg Kinnear (AS GOOD AS IT
GETS, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, WE WERE SOLDIERS) stars as Todd Burpo.
“What appealed to me most at the end of the day is that Randy (director and co-writer Randall Wallace) had tackled this very human story and the eternal question everyone has about what comes after,” said Kinnear. “Whatever your feelings on the afterlife—even in your current life, right here, right now — there is this beauty all around you that’s been nicely captured for this film through the eyes of a little boy. If you don’t have any personal inspiration, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL will give you some.”
“What do you do when your 4-year-old son looks at you and says, ‘I went to Heaven and this is what it’s like,’ . . . and you’re a pastor? That, for me, is the stuff of drama,” said Director/Co-writer Randall Wallace. Alongside producers Joe Roth and T.D. Jakes, Wallace considers heaven from a boy’s-eye view, and from the here and now.
“Todd grounds the story in day-to-day reality, the way it really unfolded,” Wallace said. “Colton doesn’t just blurt it all out. It comes out in little bits and pieces in the course of everyday life.”
Wallace and Christopher Parker adapted their screenplay from HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, written by Colton’s father, Todd Burpo, with Lynn Vincent, which spent 64 weeks at No. 1 on the New York Times best sellers list. The book remains on the Times’ best-seller list after more than three years, with nearly 8 million copies sold, and has been translated into 25 languages.
Wallace is the Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter of BRAVEHEART; among others, he directed WE WERE SOLDIERS and SECRETARIAT. Roth is a TV and film veteran whose 60 movies and television programs include MALEFICENT, Anger Management, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL and SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN. Jakes–pastor, author, entrepreneur, producer–is known to movie audiences for WOMAN, THOU ART LOOSED, SPARKLE, JUMPING THE BROOM, and BLACK NATIVITY.
In addition to Kinnear, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL’s top cast includes Kelly Reilly (SHERLOCK HOLMES, FLIGHT) as Colton’s mom, Sonja and newcomer Connor Corum as Colton Burpo. The film also features Emmy® winner Margo Martindale (Justified) and Academy Award® nominee Thomas Haden Church (SIDEWAYS, Wings).
“A lot of things in this story appealed to me, and one was Todd’s conflict. Should he stir up the townspeople with his son’s story or put it aside?” Roth said. “And he did the unsafe thing. He backed his son’s vision, though it could cost him his job and make him quite unpopular in town.”
“The great gift of HEAVEN IS FOR REAL is the possibility of the impossible, the touchability of the abstract — so powerful that we feel as if we are one with something we just can't touch,” Jakes said. “That’s what faith is.”
“But the faith in this film is far from simplistic,” Jakes adds. “It's no quick solution, nothing magical. It's a struggling, stumbling, groping, grasping faith, reaching through dark fear and confusion to solidify the abstractions of life. And it's appropriate that a little child teaches adults how to believe again, how to trust again.”
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL is directed by Randall Wallace. The screenplay is by Randall Wallace and Christopher Parker based on the book by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent. The movie is produced by Joe Roth and T.D. Jakes.
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL was filmed in Winnipeg, Canada, and is being released and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing.
New Film 'Son of God': Behind the Scenes
“Son of God” will explode on
screens nationwide February 27. EWTN viewers have two exclusive opportunities to
get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this extraordinary film.
First, tune in to “The World Over” with Host Raymond Arroyo for an
exclusive interview at the Malibu home of Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, the
couple behind the film. (Airs 8 p.m. ET, Thursday, Feb. 20 on EWTN, www.ewtn.com/channelfinder.)
Then, tune in to “Faithful Reflections on Son of God,” a half-hour
documentary, which is also hosted by Arroyo. (Airs 9 p.m. ET, Sunday, Feb. 23; 2
a.m. ET, Tuesday, Feb. 25; and 2:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Feb. 26 on EWTN.)
This exclusive program features interviews with Rwandan Genocide
Survivor Immaculee Llibagiza, Father Barron’s “Word on Fire Ministries” (which
produced the wildly popular series “Catholicism,” which aired on EWTN and PBS),
Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Los Angeles Archbishop José Gómez, Pittsburgh
Bishop David Zubik, Catholic Bloggers Lisa Hendey and Brandon Vogt, and many
others who reflect on how they were personally moved by scenes from the film,
which are included in the documentary. (Click here, bit.ly/1m75Qtq,
for a video preview of this documentary.)
“Son of God” brings the story of Jesus’ life to audiences through
compelling cinematic storytelling. It is told with the scope and scale of an
action epic and features powerful performances, exotic locales, dazzling visual
effects, and a rich orchestral score. Some Christian leaders are already saying
they plan to rent out every screen in numerous cities for the film’s
long-awaited premiere.
You won’t want to miss this behind-the-scenes look at the first
major release on the life of Jesus in a decade!
EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 33rd year, is available
in over 230 million television households in more than 140
countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite television and
radio services, AM & FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave radio station,
Internet website www.ewtn.com, electronic and print news
services, and publishing arm, EWTN is the largest religious media network in the
world.
Tree of Healing "a compelling tale"
A spiritual work of Catholic fiction, filled with quotes from Scripture, color illustrations, and poetry, has been released by Diana Gonzalez Tabbaa. It is the author’s hope that the work will help young people especially to develop a closer relationship to Jesus Christ, to have a better understanding of the Catholic faith, and to increase their appreciation of Scripture.
Rose spends much of her time dwelling on her troubles. She lives in a state of worry and loneliness as her mother has been harsh and distant since the death of her father when she was an infant. One golden summer, as she leaves her childhood years, her grandmother and a heaven-sent friend teach her to bring everything in her life to God in prayer and to bring His Life into her own. She comes to know and trust Him deeply, especially when she discovers a carving made by her father in a great tree that forms the crucifix of a Rosary Garden. Hidden in its depths and unfolding in layers of mystery and beauty, signs of God's Love are continuously revealed to her. A Mary’s Garden that she plants reflects her own growth in a living faith that brings a garden of souls with her to God, including her mother.
Suitable for all ages, this timeless story of forgiveness and hope shows how suffering is transformed through union with Christ. Enriched with spiritual art, poetry, and quotes from Scripture, The Tree of Healing tells of the healing of one young girl and of all wounded humanity by the Sacrifice of Jesus on a new Tree of Life.
The print version is available from CreateSpace: www.createspace.com/3727662
Ebook versions:
Kindle Edition: http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Healing-Diana-Gonzalez-Tabbaa-ebook/dp/B00I9BT76U/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1392556193
Smashwords Edition for Apple iOS devices, Nook and Kobo: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/406571
PDF file: http://www.lulu.com/shop/diana-tabbaa/the-tree-of-healing/ebook/product-21383645.html
New Lenten Book by Father Paul Jerome Keller
Popular Dominican priest Paul Jerome Keller offers a new book to guide readers through Lent: A Lenten Journey with Jesus Christ and St. Thomas Aquinas.
Father Keller gives a short biography of St. Thomas Aquinas, a brief history of the Order of Preachers and St. Thomas Aquinas’s wisdom on prayer and Lent, in addition to the daily Gospel readings, reflections and prayers to guide the reader through this special season.
“The invitation to contemplate God comes to each one of us daily, in a multiplicity of ways. Yet, Lent is set aside by the Church as a privileged season. It is a time to open ourselves to the deeper workings of divine grace. God awaits our answer to his invitation, our assent, as we pour over these passage from St. Thomas Aquinas.” -- from A Lenten Journey with Jesus Christ and St. Thomas Aquinas
Father Keller was ordained to the priesthood in 1993. He acquired a Bachelor and Licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and a Doctorate with a specialization in sacramental theology at Sant’ Anselmo in Rome. He is currently an assistant professor of sacramental theology at Mount St. Mary’s of the West Seminary in Cincinnati. Father Keller has made appearances on Relevant Radio, Sirius Radio’s Catholic Channel, Vatican Radio, and Catholic Answers Live. He is also the author of 101 Questions & Answers on the Sacraments of Healing: Penance and Anointing.
Father Keller gives a short biography of St. Thomas Aquinas, a brief history of the Order of Preachers and St. Thomas Aquinas’s wisdom on prayer and Lent, in addition to the daily Gospel readings, reflections and prayers to guide the reader through this special season.
“The invitation to contemplate God comes to each one of us daily, in a multiplicity of ways. Yet, Lent is set aside by the Church as a privileged season. It is a time to open ourselves to the deeper workings of divine grace. God awaits our answer to his invitation, our assent, as we pour over these passage from St. Thomas Aquinas.” -- from A Lenten Journey with Jesus Christ and St. Thomas Aquinas
Father Keller was ordained to the priesthood in 1993. He acquired a Bachelor and Licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and a Doctorate with a specialization in sacramental theology at Sant’ Anselmo in Rome. He is currently an assistant professor of sacramental theology at Mount St. Mary’s of the West Seminary in Cincinnati. Father Keller has made appearances on Relevant Radio, Sirius Radio’s Catholic Channel, Vatican Radio, and Catholic Answers Live. He is also the author of 101 Questions & Answers on the Sacraments of Healing: Penance and Anointing.
Taking Over Twitter with the Little Way of St. Therese
On Feb. 4, Catholics everywhere are invited to join an unprecedented movement on Twitter and Vine called the Day of the Little Way. Keeping in mind the message of St. Therese of Lisieux, the Day of the Little Way asks Catholics to embrace the New Evangelization by living out the faith in 140 little - but powerful - characters all day long.
The Day of the Little Way was inspired by the late Bishop Patrick Ahern’s forthcoming and, final book, Three Gifts of Therese of Lisieux (Image Books, Feb. 4, 2014). In his book, Bishop Ahern says that St. Therese left the world with three invaluable gifts: her Universal Appeal, her Conviction, and of course, her Little Way. In celebration of the release of his book, the Day of the Little Way is meant to encourage Catholics everywhere to embrace these three gifts in their own lives – starting with their social media accounts.
The Day of the Little Way encourages Catholics to use the hashtag #LittleWay all day long on Twitter and Vine as a way to share their small stories of faith, prayers, quotes, inspiration and encouragement online. By uniting under one hashtag, Catholics not only demonstrate solidarity in their faith, they also open the door for dialog with people online in a new way.
Want to join the movement?
• Visit the Little Way Resources Page and pin/post/tweet any (or all!) of the promotional images you find there (http://www.imagecatholicbooks.com/LittleWay/)
• Post this video of Fr. Barron’s invitation to the #LittleWay movement on your blog or Facebook (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV4aCglFfHE&list=UUUo-BnCAkN5rgUpGwT8RmTQ&feature=c4-overview)
• Tweet this video of Lisa Hendey of CatholicMom.com inviting people to join the movement (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOsvLoNLeG0&list=UUUo-BnCAkN5rgUpGwT8RmTQ&feature=c4-overview)
• Share this article from the Catholic News Agency that offers details about the Day of the Little Way with your friends and family (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/st-therese-devotees-to-launch-little-way-social-media-campaign/)
• Start tweeting now! Follow @ImageCatholic on Twitter and start tweeting about the Day of the Little Way between now and Tuesday, Feb. 4!
For more information visit www.ImageCatholicBooks.com/littleway
The Day of the Little Way was inspired by the late Bishop Patrick Ahern’s forthcoming and, final book, Three Gifts of Therese of Lisieux (Image Books, Feb. 4, 2014). In his book, Bishop Ahern says that St. Therese left the world with three invaluable gifts: her Universal Appeal, her Conviction, and of course, her Little Way. In celebration of the release of his book, the Day of the Little Way is meant to encourage Catholics everywhere to embrace these three gifts in their own lives – starting with their social media accounts.
The Day of the Little Way encourages Catholics to use the hashtag #LittleWay all day long on Twitter and Vine as a way to share their small stories of faith, prayers, quotes, inspiration and encouragement online. By uniting under one hashtag, Catholics not only demonstrate solidarity in their faith, they also open the door for dialog with people online in a new way.
Want to join the movement?
• Visit the Little Way Resources Page and pin/post/tweet any (or all!) of the promotional images you find there (http://www.imagecatholicbooks.com/LittleWay/)
• Post this video of Fr. Barron’s invitation to the #LittleWay movement on your blog or Facebook (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV4aCglFfHE&list=UUUo-BnCAkN5rgUpGwT8RmTQ&feature=c4-overview)
• Tweet this video of Lisa Hendey of CatholicMom.com inviting people to join the movement (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOsvLoNLeG0&list=UUUo-BnCAkN5rgUpGwT8RmTQ&feature=c4-overview)
• Share this article from the Catholic News Agency that offers details about the Day of the Little Way with your friends and family (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/st-therese-devotees-to-launch-little-way-social-media-campaign/)
• Start tweeting now! Follow @ImageCatholic on Twitter and start tweeting about the Day of the Little Way between now and Tuesday, Feb. 4!
For more information visit www.ImageCatholicBooks.com/littleway
Gimme Shelter Now in Theaters
Pro-life champion Kathy DiFiore has had a remarkable life filled with redemption and hope. A suburban wife and mother, she escaped an abusive marriage only to find herself homeless and on the street. She focused on saying the prayer of St. Francis and eventually was able to reclaim her life. DiFiore went on to found Several Sources Shelters, which provides a home and safety net for pregnant women, who are often desperate, alone and homeless, and worked hand-in-hand with Mother Teresa to change shelter laws in New Jersey. Her compelling life is the inspiration behind the gritty pro-life movie GIMME SHELTER, which comes out tomorrow.
The film has been endorsed by an impressive group of prominent Catholics, including His Excellency, Bishop Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life; Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York; Kevin Ryan, president and CEO of Covenant House; and Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life.
“The remarkable narrative of GIMME SHELTER expresses a powerful reality and the heroic love of a mother for her unborn child,” said His Excellency, Bishop Ignacio Carrasco de Paula. “Exploring the hard questions regarding the meaning of life, family, love and suffering, our heroine, ‘Apple,’ fights against all odds and finds hope in the kindness of some key people, including a hospital chaplain who expresses the true nature of a priestly soul of service, guidance, and the deep Love of God for every single man, woman and child from the moment of conception. Out of rejection shines the courageous beauty of a mother’s love, and out of tragedy, shines hope!”
Forced to flee her abusive mother (Rosario Dawson), and turned away by her Wall Street father (Brendan Fraser), “Apple Bailey” (Vanessa Hudgens) finds herself on a desperate and isolated journey of survival. In the depths of despair, she meets a compassionate priest (James Earl Jones), who ultimately leads her to redemption and unprecedented support in a suburban shelter for homeless teenagers. With gained confidence, and the warmth of her new home, Apple breaks from her inhibiting past, embracing the future with clarity and hope.
Hudgens immersed herself in the character and delivers a transformative and stunning performance. To prepare for her role, she lived for weeks in the Several Sources pregnancy shelter, interacting with the young, homeless mothers who also appear in the film, completely altering her appearance unrecognizable.
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE42YdC70E8.
Download resources for churches and ministries: http://gimmeshelter.ministryresources.org.
The film has been endorsed by an impressive group of prominent Catholics, including His Excellency, Bishop Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life; Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York; Kevin Ryan, president and CEO of Covenant House; and Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life.
“The remarkable narrative of GIMME SHELTER expresses a powerful reality and the heroic love of a mother for her unborn child,” said His Excellency, Bishop Ignacio Carrasco de Paula. “Exploring the hard questions regarding the meaning of life, family, love and suffering, our heroine, ‘Apple,’ fights against all odds and finds hope in the kindness of some key people, including a hospital chaplain who expresses the true nature of a priestly soul of service, guidance, and the deep Love of God for every single man, woman and child from the moment of conception. Out of rejection shines the courageous beauty of a mother’s love, and out of tragedy, shines hope!”
Forced to flee her abusive mother (Rosario Dawson), and turned away by her Wall Street father (Brendan Fraser), “Apple Bailey” (Vanessa Hudgens) finds herself on a desperate and isolated journey of survival. In the depths of despair, she meets a compassionate priest (James Earl Jones), who ultimately leads her to redemption and unprecedented support in a suburban shelter for homeless teenagers. With gained confidence, and the warmth of her new home, Apple breaks from her inhibiting past, embracing the future with clarity and hope.
Hudgens immersed herself in the character and delivers a transformative and stunning performance. To prepare for her role, she lived for weeks in the Several Sources pregnancy shelter, interacting with the young, homeless mothers who also appear in the film, completely altering her appearance unrecognizable.
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE42YdC70E8.
Download resources for churches and ministries: http://gimmeshelter.ministryresources.org.
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