The Truth Will Make You Free

2012-01-26T10:36:00.000-05:00

Lot’s Wife: Turning Back on Self – Empty Pillar of SaltBenedict XVU: Christmas Greetings to the Roman Curia 12-22 2011.From this derives a new way of living our humanity, our Christianity. For me, one of the most important experiences of those days was the meeting with the World Youth Day volunteers: about 20,000 young people, all of whom devoted weeks or months of their lives to working on the

Culture War Victory - Implementation of Benedict XVI's Mind: Maggie Gallagher

2012-01-25T21:18:00.001-05:00

Culture War Victory – Maggie Gallagher[This looks like the kind of cultural and apostolic initiative the Pope is looking for].Dear Friend of Marriage, Life, and Religious Liberty:Can we achieve victory in America's "culture wars"? Can we stand—successfully—for life, for marriage, and for religious liberty?I think so.If you are reading this letter, you think so too. Each week, with your permission

Robert Moynihan Commenting On Benedict's Example of Living the "Year of Faith"

2012-01-25T17:19:00.000-05:00

Is it really true that we cannot speak of God as the source of meaning and good in the world of nature?The Pope goes to the Bundestag (the law making body of Germany). Robert Moynihan comments: “The essence of the Pope’s thinking is that the West, and the world generally, have lost contact with that deep Christian culture in which the faith and its anthropological presupposition were simply

Archbishop Dolan: "Religious Freedom and Obamacare"

2012-01-25T12:32:00.000-05:00

Wall Street Journal Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - op ed.Religious Freedom and Obamacare By TIMOTHY M. DOLAN Religious freedom is the lifeblood of the American people, the cornerstone of American government. When the Founding Fathers determined that the innate rights of men and women should be enshrined in our Constitution, they so esteemed religious liberty that they made it the first freedom in

Christie's Incoherence on Values and the Family

2012-01-23T20:33:00.000-05:00

Gov. Chris Christie today nominated an openly gay African-American Republican mayor and a Korean-American assistant attorney general to the state’s highest court.Two nominees are Phil Kwon, 44, who worked under Christie when he was U.S. attorney for New Jersey, and Bruce Harris, 61, who was elected mayor of Chatham Borough in November.Kwon, of Bergen County, would be the first Asian-American to

Ad Limina Address by Benedict XVI On the Need of the Church in the U.S. to Speak

2012-01-23T17:45:00.001-05:00

Benedict XVI's Address to US Bishops on 'Ad Limina' Visit"The Legitimate Separation of Church and State Cannot Be Taken to Mean That the Church Must Be Silent"VATICAN CITY, JAN. 19, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the address Benedict XVI gave today to the bishops of Washington, D.C., and surrounding regions, who are at the Vatican for their "ad limina" visit.* * *Dear Brother Bishops,I

Martin Luther King, Jr.

2012-01-15T22:12:00.000-05:00

"Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]"16 April 1963My Dear Fellow Clergymen:While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other

God: Garbage Man

2012-01-15T12:03:00.000-05:00

God’s Mercy:J. Ratzinger – God is Near Us: p. 30..."In the story of the washing of the feet...the whole of Jesus' message, his life, and his Passion are summed up. As if in a vision, we see what this whole really is...In the washing of the disciples feet is represented for us what Jesus does and what he is. He, who is Lord, comes down to us, he lays aside the garments of glory and becomes a

Blog Exchange

2012-01-12T12:42:00.001-05:00

Rev. Connor, I have been frequenting your blog for some days now and first want to thank you so much for your diligent and persistent work in relaying and expounding upon the thoughts of both John Paul II and Benedict XVI. I have been struggling deeply lately with the notion of God as Other, and was hoping you might have some insight into this. I'm not sure if you are familiar with the work of

Class @ OLP - The Year of Faith

2012-01-12T08:43:00.001-05:00

The Reason for the Year of Faith: To Know Christ Jesus in the Terms of Modernity and To Form Modernity on Christ50 Italian Theologians [Not Understanding] Petition Benedict XVI For Clarifications on Vatican IIIn the article “Theologians Petition Benedict for an In-Depth Review of Vatican II,” the staff of “Inside the Vatican” present the friendly petition by 50 Italian theologians and academics

Epiphany 2012

2012-01-08T13:36:00.000-05:00

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 7, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's homily for the solemnity of the Epiphany, delivered Wednesday in St. Peter's Basilica. * * *The key: Humility to see. The greatness of the vision of Isaiah is contained in the poverty of the sensual vision of the child in Bethlehem. Like is known by like. Without humility, one is not able to see the dimensions of

The Hermeneutic of Continuity

2012-01-03T22:51:00.004-05:00

In the article “Theologians Petition Benedict for an In-Depth Review of Vatican II,” (November 2011, 20-23) the staff of “Inside the Vatican” present the friendly petition by 50 Italian theologians and academics to Benedict XVI to effectively show – “scientifically” – the “hermeneutic of continuity” with previous magisterium that that the pope claimed for Vatican II on December 22, 2005. In that

The Hermeneutic of Continuity

2012-01-03T22:51:00.001-05:00

In the article “Theologians Petition Benedict for an In-Depth Review of Vatican II,” the staff of “Inside the Vatican” present the friendly petition by 50 Italian theologians and academics to Benedict XVI to effectively show – “scientifically” – the “hermeneutic of continuity” with previous magisterium that that the pope claimed for Vatican II on December 22, 2005. In that Christmas address to

The Hermeneutic of Continuity

2012-01-03T22:51:00.000-05:00

Benedict XVI on Christ, Alpha and Omega

2012-01-02T10:53:00.000-05:00

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 1, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says it can seem astonishing how "ultimately short and ephemeral life is," but he affirms that what gives meaning to our days is "written on the face of a Child who was born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, and is today the Living One, risen for ever from the dead." The Pope offered that reflection last evening at vespers for today's feast of

Divine Maternity And the Incarnation of the Transcendent God: The Password For the New Year

2012-01-01T10:30:00.003-05:00

The Significance of October 11:- Council of Ephesus- Establishment of the Feast of the Mother of God- The Nihil Obstat granted to Opus Dei (1943) as the revolution in the perception of the Church: lay faithful and ministerial priests as equally called to sanctity: THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO SANCTITY. - The Convocation of Vatican IIThe Feast of the Divine Maternity of October 11 was transposed to

Two Extraordinary Texts of Benedict XVI on The Family

2011-12-29T16:06:00.000-05:00

The Home: Unique Space of Salvation In the Bible, salvation does not take place in the Temple or synagogue. It takes place in the home. The avenging angel in his mission to destroy the first born of man and animal “passed over” the homes of those who had the blood of the paschal lamb sprinkled over the doorposts of their homes. 1) “Israel’s Passover was and is a family celebration. It is

To Whom It May Interest: Philosophic Solution To the Impasse Between Traditional Metaphysics and Modern Consciousness

2011-12-29T12:08:00.003-05:00

Consciousness of truth and formation of Being are one and the same act.The Impasse: Truth and Being are separated. How to resolve freedom of conscience and objectivity of truth? If Christ reveals Himself to be “The Truth” (Jn. 14, 6), can one make the other accept it? Rocco Buttigliogne: “It is evident that for the Christian conscience, as well as for a fully human point of view, it is impossible

First Letter of John Commented by St. Augustine

2011-12-27T17:51:00.001-05:00

From the Tractates on the First Letter of John by St. Augustine“Our message is the Word of life. We announce what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with out own eyes, what we have touched with our own hands. Who could touch the Word with his hands unless the Word was made flesh and lived among us?" Now this Word, whose flesh was so real that he could be touched by

Year of Faith 2012-2013: Faith as Call to Sanctity

2011-12-26T16:31:00.000-05:00

The General Monthly Intention for Opus Dei in the United States will be the reception and execution of the will of Benedict XVI for a year of faith beginning on October 11, 2012 until the Feast of Christ the King on November 24, 2013.I suggest that Benedict XVI is driving toward the one goal of his pontificate: To move the Church to the consciousness and concept that faith and revelation are one

Fatigue of Faith in Europe (Not Africa) - Yet No Fatigue of 20,000 Preparing WYD 2011

2011-12-25T14:46:00.000-05:00

On this point, the encounter with Africa’s joyful passion for faith brought great encouragement. None of the faith fatigue that is so prevalent here, none of the oft-encountered sense of having had enough of Christianity was detectable there. Amid all the problems, sufferings and trials that Africa clearly experiences, one could still sense the people’s joy in being Christian, buoyed up by inner

The Nativity: God Getting Used to Us, and We Getting Used to God: Irenaeus

2011-12-25T14:00:00.001-05:00

Benedict XVI, December 22, 2010 - Last YearThe whole of the Old Testament constitutes one great promise that was to be fulfilled with the coming of a powerful Saviour. The Book of the Prophet Isaiah in particular— testifies to the anguish of history and of the whole of creation oriented to a redemption destined to bring fresh energy and give a new orientation to the entire world. Hence down the

Response to an Email on Heidegger

2011-12-20T11:10:00.004-05:00

To be honest, I think Heidegger is on to the true point: that point is the "forgetfulness" of being (a-letheia = LETHE, Homer's stream/river of oblivion, was one of the rivers of the underworld and its goddess. The others were the Styx, Akheron, Pyriphlegethon and Kokytos. The alpha ("a") is the negative of oblivion or forgetfulness and therefore "remembering." Therefore, Heidegger's whole

The Real War: The Child's Right as Person to Self-Determination

2011-12-20T08:46:00.003-05:00

Wall Street JournalDECEMBER 20, 2011All Rights Are Grounded in the Dignity of the Human Person to Self-Determine [which is the ultimate meaning of freedom]. The human person is "the only earthly being God has willed for itself" [because made in the image of God: Gaudium et spes #24], and therefore the only earthly being that enjoys autonomy.Embryos Spur Legal FightsLaw Remains Unclear About Who

Harvard Freshman Satirizes Life

2011-12-12T12:18:00.000-05:00

“I am personally opposed to killing abortionists. However, inasmuch as my personal opposition to this practice is rooted in a sectarian (Catholic) religious belief in the sanctity of human life, I am unwilling to impose it on others who may, as a matter of conscience, take a different view…. In short, I am moderately pro-choice.”These words, penned by Princeton professor Robert P. George, might

Knowing the Father By Identity with Christ

2011-12-11T17:01:00.000-05:00

ON JESUS' CRY OF EXULTATION"We Too, By the Gift of His Spirit, Can Turn to God in Prayer With the Confidence of Children"VATICAN CITY, DEC. 7, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the Italian-language address Benedict XVI gave during today's general audience. He continued with his reflection on Jesus' prayer.* * *Dear brothers and sisters,The Evangelists Matthew and Luke (cf. Matthew 11:25

Benedict XVI on December 7, 2011

2011-12-09T21:11:00.002-05:00

BENEDICT XVI GENERAL AUDIENCE Paul VI Audience HallWednesday, 7 December 2011 Only those who are out of themselves, empty of self, can become the Son, and therefore know the Father. The way to see the Face of the Father is to keep converting away from self such that you can say "I live; no not I; Christ lives in me" Gal. 2, 20). This is the great achievement of humility that is only

Reform Your Notion of Advent (Parousia): Office of Readings (2nd) (Tues) for Second Week of Advent

2011-12-06T10:23:00.007-05:00

The Latin "Advent" is the Latin translation of the Greek word, "Parousia" that does not mean "expectation" of the end of the world, or even simply "expectation," but "arrival" or "the beginning of a presence." Etymologically, it means the “arrival” of the King who bestows his parousia, on his devotees for a time. However, he is not yet present in all His glory [Cf. Ratzinger, "Dogma and

2011-12-02T10:42:00.000-05:00

Fernando Ocáriz, 67, is the Vicar General of Opus Dei. He's a trained theologian in area of Dogmatics but he's also trained in physics. In 1986 he was appointed a consultor to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and later (1989) made a member of the Pontifical Theological Academy. Msgr. Ocáriz is the author of many books and refereed articles. He's one of the primary authors of Dominus

Ratzinger-Torrance-Newman: "Objectivity - An Absurd Abstraction"

2011-11-30T12:53:00.003-05:00

Joseph Ratzinger on “Objectivity [as] An Absurd Abstraction”[1] Joseph Ratzinger: “Biblical Interpretation in Crisis:”[2] “(A)t the heart of the historical-critical method lies the effort to establish in the field of history a level of methodological precision that would yield conclusions of the same

Russians - Searching For the Transcendent

2011-11-30T09:20:00.001-05:00

MOSCOW — From morning all through the night, tens of thousands of Russians have been lining up since Saturday in the cold with just one aim: to kiss a glass-covered reliquary that they believe holds the Virgin Mary’s belt. They shuffle along, waiting for up to 12 hours without complaint in a line that stretches for miles. Within a few days, the organizers say, the wait could

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T16:19:00.006-05:00

The Creative Act is the Creative Act even of Evolution. Chance and Natural Selection are also created out of nothing by a free act that by definition must have meaning. To act freely is to act with meaning (Logos).1) One gives thanks to a Person, not to a process, for the reception of a gift. Gift is always the result of freedom. Hence, we must clarify that we are not the mere result of an

Ratzinger on Evolution: Sorbonne, November 27, 1999

2011-11-23T18:05:00.001-05:00

The following text, delivered in 1999 as part of a lecture at the Sorbonne in Paris by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (the future Benedict XVI) and subsequently published in the 2004 book "Truth and Tolerance", can give some clue as to the Holy Father's thoughts on the question. The length of the paragraphs was adapted here slightly for easier reading.* * * ”The separation of physics from

Benedict XVI - Creation - Evolution

2011-11-22T16:45:00.006-05:00

Creation and Evolution A Conference with Pope Benedict XVI in Castel Gandolfo[1] Ratzinger Radio Talk 1968: (pp. 11-16) …Creation should be thought of, not according to the model of the craftsman who makes all sorts of objects, but rather in the manner in which thought is creative. And at the same time it becomes evident that

Hear the Word of God and Do It: Become Mothers of Christ - The New Evangelization

2011-11-21T18:07:00.007-05:00

The New Evangelization You give birth to Christ in your very self by receiving the Word of God by the gift of yourself. You go out of yourself to say "Yes!" You receive the Word. Then saturate Him with your humanity as our Lady did. Bring him into each of the daily details you live in ordinary life. You live; no, not you. Christ lives in you. (cf. Gal 2. 20). You are now doing what she did.

Most Recent Piece For Workshop At Arnold Hall 11-11-11

2011-11-10T13:01:00.000-05:00

Faith and Reason I Reason Needs Faith The Person, Experiencing Self Transcending Self, Perceives Reality More Broadly: Sanely[1] “Israel always believed in the Creator God (but) (t)he moment when creation became a dominant theme occurred during the Babylonian Exile. It was then that the account… based, to be sure, on very ancient

Faith and Reason: I - Reason Needs Faith; II - Faith Needs Reason

2011-11-09T22:17:00.004-05:00

The Grounding of Reason on the Experience of the Self-Transcending Self (Ultimately, Christian Faith).

2011-11-07T10:56:00.001-05:00

"The most difficult element to convey in articulating the foundation of morality, is... the sense of ultimate rightness that underpins it. No matter how persuasive we may be in framing arguments, whether based on teleology, irreducible axioms, or natural law, they remain ineffective until we can respond to the Nietzschean question: Why should I regard such principles as right? Arguments

Thoughts On the Recent Pastoral Letter of the Prelate of Opus Dei

2011-11-01T17:18:00.000-04:00

Thoughts On the Recent Pastoral Letter of the Prelate of Opus Dei The Prelate of Opus Dei, Bishop Javier Echevarria, sent an extensive pastoral letter on the anniversary of the founding of Opus Dei, October 2, 2011, to all his sons and daughters in Opus Dei, and all those in any way associated with its apostolates. 1) The topic was the need for formation for the “New Evangelization.”

Benedict at Assisi: In Praise of Agnostics...

2011-10-31T21:17:00.001-04:00

From: Dr. Robert Moynihan Subject: Letter #40: Benedict in AssisiOctober 27, 2011 In Praise of Agnostics... Pope Benedict's talk in Assisi today, on the 25th anniversary of the Day of Prayer for Peace summoned in the same place in 1986 by Pope John Paul II, was paradoxical and in some ways astonishing. (Pope Benedict XVI this morning on a train from the Vatican to Assisi, about 2 hours

Cardinal George Pell: On Global Warming

2011-10-31T21:13:00.000-04:00

One Christian Perspective on Climate Change by Cardinal George Pell Let me begin by thanking the Global Warming Policy Foundation for the invitation to deliver this lecture. It came as a surprise and I truly appreciate the honour. However I am more grateful for the existence of the Foundation and its sane and important contributions in this debate. A word of two about the structure

The Decree From Brooklyn on Gay Marriage

2011-10-31T15:47:00.003-04:00

http://dioceseofbrooklyn.org/default_article.aspx?id=6018&terms=decree+on+same+sex

The Self-Determining Person: the Defining Center of Christian Formation

2011-10-30T17:57:00.002-04:00

Blogger: This is not a contradiction. Christian formation is not to make people do things, but to help them to want to do them. Christian formation is Christian affirmation that develops the identity of the person into becoming “another Christ” by becoming a free gift of oneself to God in the service of others. This formational development takes place around the exercise of ordinary secular

Diocese of Brooklyn: Formal Policy on Same-Sex Marriages

2011-10-30T17:39:00.004-04:00

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio has issued a formal decree outlining the Diocese of Brooklyn’s position on same-sex marriage, which was legalized in New York State on the last day of the last session of the State Legislature.The policy of the diocese says: • No member of the clergy or any person while acting as an employee of the Church, may participate in the civil solemnization or celebration of

Only 10% of Down Children Survive Being Aborted

2011-10-29T22:26:00.002-04:00

October 27, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In the past week a powerful pro-life photo featuring a child with Down syndrome has started circulating around Facebook. The image shows the smiling child holding a sign declaring that he is the “10%” of children with Down syndrome who managed to survive abortion after Roe v. Wade.“I am God’s handiwork and I bear his image,” reads the sign. “I am blessed.”

The Present Greatness of Albert Pujols

2011-10-27T08:43:00.003-04:00

"(Albert) Pujols, true to his code, addressed his free agency when spring training opened and has not revisited it since. Asked about his status the other day, Pujols said: 'Let's talk about something else. Let's talk about baseball.'"George Vecsey in his Thursday, October 27, 2011 column in the NYT B 17 wrote: "Pujols needs to remind himself - if his agents and advisers do not - that money is

Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of Global Public Authority

2011-10-24T11:59:00.011-04:00

Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace 2011Table of ContentsPreface Presupposition Economic Development and Inequalities The Role of Technology and the Ethical Challenge An Authority over Globalization Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary

The Image of Caesar and The Image of God

2011-10-18T22:50:00.001-04:00

Pope's Homily at Mass With New Evangelizers "Proclamation Must Always Be Preceded, Accompanied and Followed by Prayer" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 17, 2011 “(…) A brief reflection also on the central question of the tribute to Caesar. Jesus answers with astonishing political realism, linked to the theo-centrism of the prophetic tradition. The tribute to Caesar is paid, because the image on the

2011-10-18T09:31:00.002-04:00

“Occupy Wall Street:” NYT Tuesday, October 18, 2011 [Front Page Above the Centerfold]. “Countless Grievances, One Thread: We’re Angry. What is the True Thread? The dignity of the working person. What is the problem? The presumption that the problem is in the structure, and that the solution is in the change of the structure. The Catholic Church proposes that the

A Thought About the "Occupy Wall Street Movement"

2011-10-17T17:16:00.003-04:00

1) Capitalist and Communist Culture Are the Same At This Historical Moment:. Consider the following observation of Ratzinger-Benedict XVI on Communism and Capitalism: “The essential problem of our times, for Europe and for the world, is that although the fallacy of the communist economy has been recognized – so much so that former communists have unhesitatingly become economic

Sighting the True Anthropology By A Semiotics of Death

2011-10-16T22:10:00.000-04:00

Brain Death and Disorders of Consciousness, Edited by C. Machado and D. A. Shewmon Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York 2004 THE SEMIOTICS OF DEATH AND ITS MEDICAL IMPLICATIONS D. Alan Shewmon and Elisabeth Seitz Shewmon* Die Grenzen meiner Sprache bedeuten die Grenzen meiner Welt. [The limits of my language signify the limits of my world.] (Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus

Finding the Essential in Silence

2011-10-12T15:26:00.002-04:00

In the late afternoon on Sunday, 9 October, the Holy Father presided at the celebration of Second Vespers in the Church of the Charterhouse at Serra San Bruno. This was the last event of his Pastoral Visit to Calabria. The following is a translation of the Pope’s Homily, which was given in Italian. Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate, Dear Carthusian Brothers, Brothers and Sisters, I

What's Wrong With This Article?

2011-10-11T09:01:00.008-04:00

E. Christian Brugger offers us a renewed interest in embryonic stem cell procurement. The main danger he refers to is the violence and damage to the newly enucleated egg-embryo. The entire process is based on cloning which is a subset of IVF. On my read, I find no reference to the immorality of IVF as the violation of the "inseparable connection, willed by God and unable to be broken by man on

Positivism as Abstraction

2011-10-05T11:25:00.002-04:00

Emile Durkheim (considered one of the founders of positivism), on the reductive objectification of positivism, wrote: "Is not to think scientifically to think objectively, that is to say, to strip our ideas of what is exclusively human in them, in order to make them as adequate as possible in the expression of things? Is it not, in short, to make the human understanding bow before things?"[1] .

Global Cultural Impact of Brain Death as Criterion of Death

2011-10-04T14:44:00.005-04:00

The brain-death question, as you know, is not simply the life and death issue involved in organ transplants and the multibillion dollar industry that drives it. It is the question of the future global culture and the epistemology (and its source) that drives it. Let me quote from Benedict XVI as Joseph Ratzinger in his conversation with Marcello Pera:[1] “There are two opposing diagnoses

"Money is A Matter of Belief, Even Faith"

2011-10-04T12:23:00.002-04:00

The Financial Crisis: The loss of trust in the other as person. Linda Chavez: “‘Money is a matter of belief, even faith: belief in the person issuing the money he uses or the institution that honors his checks or transfers. Money is... trust inscribed.’ And once trust breaks down, the system itself collapses. What is worrisome in today’s troubled economy is that trust seems to be dissolving

The Brain-Death Debacle and Its Consequences

2011-10-04T11:28:00.005-04:00

The brain-death question, as you know, is not simply the life and death issue involved in organ transplants and the multibillion dollar industry that drives it. If the human person is holistically "I" [and experienced as such] and not reducible to the hylomorphic dualism of soul/body, much less to body/brain, then the ramifications of the outcome become large. It would then be the question of

The Foundation of Opus Dei - October 2, 1928

2011-10-03T15:42:00.001-04:00

From “Uncommon Faith” J. Coverdale “A private note taken by Escriva in 1930 records, in almost telegraphic fashion, a weries of ideas that may summarize the content of his October 2 vision: ‘Plain Catholics. The mass of dough being leavened and rising. Our thing is what is ordinary, with naturalness. The means: professional work. Everyone a saint!’ A French author, Francois Gondrand, has

Approach to Christian Faith Experientially

2011-10-03T14:48:00.002-04:00

The Major emphasis of Ratzinger-Benedict XVI is to understand Christian faith as experience of personal sanctification, and not merely as a conceptual achievement (reducible to propositional knowing).Consider this: "(T)he person who receives it (revelation) also is a part of the revelation to a certain degree, for without him it does not exist. You cannot put revelation in your pocket like a

Revelation-Faith

2011-10-03T14:35:00.001-04:00

Josef Ratzinger’s “Milestones, Memoirs 1927- 1977:” “But (Michael Schmaus) also did not like the result of my analyses. I had ascertained that in Bonaventure (as well as in theologians of the thirteenth century) there was nothing corresponding to our conception of `revelation,’ by which we are normally in the habit of referring to all the revealed contents of the faith: it has been become a

Dissenting Statement on the Summary Document: Why the Concept of Brain Death is Valid as a Definition of Death

2011-09-30T11:36:00.004-04:00

D. ALAN SHEWMON and R. SPAEMANNAs a former advocate of the concept of brain death and one who hasstudied the vast literature on this subject in great depth, I understand wellthe reasons for the wide consensus that brain death is death. Nevertheless,an accumulation of clinical evidence and incoherencies in the rationalehave led me to reject this equation. I take respectful issue with a number

Silence: Context To Hear The Word

2011-09-30T11:34:00.001-04:00

"Silence and Word: path of evangelization." "The extraordinarily varied nature of the contribution of modern communications to society highlights the need for a value which, on first consideration, might seem to stand in contra-distinction to it," the Vatican communiqué noted. "In the thought of Pope Benedict XVI, silence is not presented simply as an antidote to the constant and

Brain Death Controversy: John Paul II/Benedict XVI - Shewmon/Spaemann

2011-09-27T22:21:00.000-04:00

Recent Magisterial Remarks on Brain Death: John Paul II and Benedict XVI John Paul II: 2000 ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II TO THE 18th INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF THE TRANSPLANTATION SOCIETY Tuesday 29 August 2000 Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, 1. I am happy to greet all of you at this International Congress, which has brought you together for a reflection on the complex

The “What” of Faith is the Who of the Believer-Become-Christ: Core of the Relation of Faith and Reaso

2011-09-23T12:11:00.003-04:00

Ratzinger: The Catholic World Report, March 1993, 26-27, 58-59. “What does the Church believe? This question includes the others: who believes, and how should one believe? The Catechism has dealt with both fundamental questions: the question of `what’ to believe and of `who’ believes, as one question with an interior unity. In other words, the catechism illustrates the act of the faith and the

JP II's "Fides et Ratio" for Dummies

2011-09-22T16:54:00.001-04:00

Workshop MHP September 12-18, 2011 Introduction: “Know Yourself.” The meaning of this introduction: The self as real being, not mere consciousness, is the content of faith and reason. It is impossible to know the self by reason only, or by faith only. Why? Because reason and faith are two distinct ways of experiencing being. One without the other is like one hand clapping. Source

Why Does Reason Need Faith?

2011-09-22T16:50:00.004-04:00

What is reason? Reason is the consciousness of the ontological tendency that is the human person toward the Absolute. The person, made in the image of the Divine Persons, is yearning for a vision of Absolute Being. The appearance of the Second Person of the Trinity as gift to be known is offered to this tendency, and if the person says “Yes,” Revelation takes place. The veil is removed.

2011-09-22T16:47:00.001-04:00

The Emergence of Philosophic Reason Ionian and Eleatic Philosophy: 6th – 5th Century B.C. “The Axial Age”[1] Ratzinger: “It must be noted that the ancient world itself knew the dilemma between the God of faith and the God of the philosophers in a very pronounced form. Between the mythical gods of the religions and the philosophical knowledge of

Matthew and Work

2011-09-21T10:51:00.001-04:00

St. Matthew, September 21, 2011: Theme – Sanctification by and in Work 1) Matthew was called by the Lord in the exercise of doing his work as a tax collector. 2) He was called “to follow” Christ = to become Christ.. The vocation is not just to be moral or be virtuous, or even to imitate Christ. There is no holiness independent of Christ, since Christ is the God-man. There is no

Get Real on Divorce's Damage to Kids

2011-09-12T11:19:00.002-04:00

Courtesy of Katie MartinsonBlogger's take: The real point of the remarks below is not the damage to kids, but the damage done to parents as people called to intimate relations. The solution is not scientific civility seeking rationalized solutions, but whatever messiness it takes to stay in relation. The kids will then turn out just fine.\

Does "Brain Death" Really Give "Moral Certitude of Death?"

2011-09-06T10:35:00.003-04:00

Remarks of John Paul II in August 2,000:"When can a person be considered dead with complete certainty?In this regard, it is helpful to recall that the death of the person is a single event, consisting in the total disintegration of that unitary and integrated whole that is the personal self. It results from the separation of the life-principle (or soul) from the corporal reality of the person.

2011-09-06T09:05:00.003-04:00

The Reduction of the Person to “Thing”“One Sperm Donor, 150 Offspring”David Ahntholz for The New York Times (Tuesday Sept 6, 2011, D1).Notice the early references to morality. But the morality is only about self-aggrandizement in the just handling and inter-relation of "things."Cynthia Daily and her partner used a sperm donor to conceive a baby seven years ago, and they hoped that one day their

Benedict XVI on Organ Donation

2011-09-05T22:32:00.002-04:00

In the light of the below, it is difficult to say that the criterion of brain death gives moral certitude when in reality there are telling numbers of the "brain dead" who have revived after long periods of time. Benedict XVI remarks below: "In an environment such as this, the minimum suspicion of arbitrariness is not allowed, and where total certainty has not been reached, the principle of

Brain Death Not Sufficient Criterion for Organ Transplantation: Dr. Allan Shewmon Vindicated

2011-09-02T11:02:00.003-04:00

Vital Organ Transplantation–Not Truly Dead by Paul A. Byrne, MD, Fr. Peter Damien Fehlner, FI The August 29, 2000 Address of Blessed John Paul II is often quoted by those in support of obtaining vital organs for transplantation, but other statements by Pope John Paul II and a more recent statement by Pope Benedict XVI are ignored.Blessed John Paul II wrote in Evangelium Vitae: "Nothing and no

Death of Msgr. James M. Sheehan

2011-08-28T21:38:00.001-04:00

Office of the Archbishop DATE: August 28, 2011 It is with great sadness that the Archbishop announces the passing into Eternal Life of Monsignor James Matthew Sheehan, Judicial Vicar and Secretary for Canonical Affairs. He was 39 years of age. Please join us in praying for the peaceful repose of Monsignor Sheehan's soul, and for the consolation of his family. As the effects of Cancer set in,

Faith, Secular Work and Gay Legislation

2011-08-26T11:15:00.002-04:00

If you look at "Laborem Exercens" opening paragraph and #6, you find that only persons work. Work is not mere action, but self given. "Things" don't work. The key is the Christology of Constantinople III: any free action of Christ is the divine "I" obeying the will of the Father. This is not merely an action he performs, but Who He is. The will doesn't will and the body doesn't act. "Actiones

Locution: 8/23/1971

2011-08-24T10:45:00.002-04:00

8/23/1971 Context: Read Obras, February 1979, 16-17; Vazquez de Prada Vol. III 425-430. Time-Line From the Locutions to the End and John Paul II and the Prelature. 5/8/70: Si Deus Nobiscum, quis contra nos?” 8/6/70: Clama ne cesses 8/23/71: Adeamus cum fiducia ad thronum gloriae, ut misericordiam consequamur. Explanation of O.F. in Obras (Feb. 79): "Voy a deciros algo que Dios Nuestro Senor

August 24: St. Bartholomew - Nathanael

2011-08-24T09:38:00.002-04:00

St. Bartholomew – Nathanael 1) The sincerity of Nathanael: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” He says it as he sees it. But then with that openness, Philip says to him: “Come and see.” Benedict XVI makes the point that it is not enough to hear and know about Christ, one must experience Him. So, you have to go and see. This is already gift of self on the part of Nathanael. Then, he

Benedict on Newman

2011-08-23T10:01:00.000-04:00

"His initial attraction to Newman may have been to Newsman's theological writing, but his strongest attachment to him is surely to the man of faith, a man who could say of himself: 'I understood... that the exterior world, physical and historical, was but the manifestation to our senses of realities greater than itself. Nature was a parable, Scripture was an allegory, pagan literature,

Contraception-Becomes-Gay From Cipher-Anthropology

2011-08-22T13:09:00.006-04:00

Interview With Monsignor Livio Melina of the Lateran University ST. PAUL, Minnesota, MARCH 18, 2004 We have now not only the crisis of moral norms or crisis of marriage or families, but we are losing the meaning of the sexual difference -- the importance of sexual difference for the unique identity of each person. Assertion of Sexual Difference as "Hate Crime." Then, the legal

Curing a Culture by Relationality and Gift

2011-08-21T11:54:00.001-04:00

[Courtesy of Osamu Watanabi] “Pope Paul VI noted that ‘the world is in trouble because of the lack of thinking.’ He was making an observation, but also expressing a wish: ‘a new trajectory of thinking is needed in order to arrive at a better understanding of the implications of our being one family. Interaction among the peoples of the world calls us to embark upon this new trajectory, so that

Truth and Falsity of Modernism

2011-08-21T11:10:00.000-04:00

Modernism is true in that it tried to get to the Person of Christ beyond the reductionism of just doctrine. It is false in that it dipped into a subjectivism and lost the reality of Christ in the self as consciousness. Christ was reduced to an internal sentiment and all religion to a psychology of vital immanentism. The distinction is so delicate that Ratzinger at his best in affirming that the

Assumption - 2011 The Reasoning of "Fittingness

2011-08-15T12:03:00.001-04:00

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: The reasoning is from the experience of love and beyond necessary deductive reasoning. Ratzinger makes a critique of St. Anselm: St. Anselm of Canterbury had attempted to give a rational and deductive account of Cur homo Deus? His answer was that God had been offended and the injury to divine justice could only be healed by an infinite God becoming man

Witnessing to the Sanctity of Human Life: The Example of Jerome Lejeune

2011-08-12T09:26:00.002-04:00

by Willam E. May, Ph.D, Senior Research Fellow The August, 2011 issue of Catholic Medical Quarterly, the journal of the Catholic Medical Association of the United Kingdom, begins with an article “Jerome Lejeune: A Doctor for All Seasons.” His example in witnessing to the sanctity of human life from its inception until death was remarkable. Reflecting on it can be of value to all in the

Bishop DiMarzio on Mandated Sex Education - Rebel!

2011-08-11T08:57:00.003-04:00

NYT Thursday, August 11, 2011, A18 "The sex-eductation curriculum - packages of lesson plans titled Health Smart and Reducing the Risk - describes abstinence as the best method to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. It includes lessons on how to use a condom and discussions about the appropriate age for sexual activity... The city will now require that all students take a

Building a New World Order

2011-08-07T11:36:00.002-04:00

Reading the obit today in the NYT (Sunday August 7, 2011, 18) on M.H. Rindskopf, youngest commander of an American fleet submarine during WWII, born in Jamaica, Queens (as myself) 9/27/17 (me: 6/26/35), I was moved. "On his first patrol as commander, the targets were two sampans - small, flat-bottomed wooden boats - that were being used as spy vessels off the islands of Palau. Using a torpedo

Transfiguration: August 7, 2011 80th Anniversary of the Locution + Anniversary of the Ordination of the Prelate

2011-08-07T07:07:00.001-04:00

Exodus 33:12-23 (New International Version)Moses and the Glory of the LORD12 Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this

Minority Rules: Why 10 Percent is All You Need

2011-07-31T11:28:00.001-04:00

via Freakonomics » Blog by Matthew Philips on 7/28/11What does it take for an idea to spread from one to many? For a minority opinion to become the majority belief? According to a new study by scientists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the answer is 10%. Once 10% of a population is committed to an idea, it’s inevitable that it will eventually become the prevailing opinion of the entire

One Can Only Hear in Silence

2011-07-29T10:50:00.000-04:00

Proper Church Etiquette: A Public Witness of FaithBy Bishop Arthur Serratelli *England’s Queen Elizabeth II has reigned for fifty-nine years. During her lifetime, she has seen eleven U.S. presidents come and go. Queen Elizabeth got along especially well with President Reagan. Once, they even went horse-back riding together at Windsor Castle. However, such familiarity did not push aside royal

Selling Homosexuality to America

2011-07-29T10:21:00.008-04:00

Paul E. Rondeau."[I]nstitutional sites from which discourse proceeds must be identified . . . . [D]iscourse is power itself, and the power to control discourse is thus the master power in any society.""Truth is not the issue. The issue is power."I. INTRODUCTION Among America's culture wars, one of today's most intense controversies rages around the issue alternatively identified, depending on

E-mail Re: Preparing the Workshop on Faith and Reason

2011-07-27T18:10:00.002-04:00

Dear...Theologically, read more of the simplicity and authority of Ratzinger. Philosophically, JPII is your man with the short but key article "Subjectivity and the Irreducible in the Human Person" in Person and Community Lang 209-217. I would read this, and reread it, and have Barry read it until one of you has a Eureka moment. He says the same thing in the sentence of #83 of "Fides et ratio:" "

July 25 Santiago

2011-07-27T11:17:00.002-04:00

Feast of St. James (Santiago)As Peter, when his loyalty was unchallenged, would have said “possum” to the question of Christ, “Simon, do you love me more than these” (Jn. 21, 15)?, so also, James and John protest, possumus, that they will be able to drink from the cup that Christ is about to drink.Gregory the Great comments:“The sons of Zebedee press Christ: Promise that one may sit at your right

Russia Without Christ! And Us?

2011-07-27T09:07:00.002-04:00

I couldn't help but think of the White House and grounds as a "mini-amusement part" after reading this.Russia: Musings from The Motherlandby Colin Mason I remember standing in my room in the Cosmos Hotel, sleep-deprived from airports and loaded down with equipment. The room may have once been handsome, but now its current condition is stale and threadbare — its blue carpet has thinned and its

Ratzinger-Newman on the Living Church

2011-06-18T10:53:00.001-04:00

“His (Ratzinger’s) initial attraction to Newman may have been to Newman’s theological writing, but his strongest attachment to him is surely to the man of faith, a man who could say of himself: ‘I understood… that the exterior world, physical and historical, was but the manifestation to our senses of realities greater than itself. Nature was a parable. Scripture was an allegory, pagan literature,

What It Means To Be Christ

2011-06-15T09:16:00.001-04:00

St. Cyprian:[1] “Humility in our daily lives, an unwavering faith, a moral sense of modesty in conversation, justice in acts, mercy in deed, discipline, refusal to harm others, a readiness to suffer harm, peaceableness with our brothers, a wholehearted love of the Lord, loving in hi what is of the Father, fearing him because he is God, preferring nothing to him who preferred nothing to us,

79th Birthday of the Prelate of Opus Dei

2011-06-14T10:06:00.001-04:00

“If I slept, it would mean I don’t love you. It’s my affection that makes me lose sleep”[1]The mission of the prelate of Opus Dei is to continue engendering sons and daughters as did St. Josemaria Escriva. The life of divine filiation is the life of Christ, i.e. to be “another Christ.” The vocation to Opus Dei is the call to activate in deeds that call to divinization, and to communicate it to

79th Birthday of the Prelate of Opus Dei

2011-06-13T21:52:00.001-04:00

IVF - Not Pro-(Human) Life

2011-06-08T21:13:00.002-04:00

What to Think About IVF and The Test Tube Baby? Response: Although IVF seems to be pro-life, it is not pro-human life. Human life is constitutively relational as imaging the three divine Persons of the One God. Therefore, the central principle of engendering human life is double ended: There can be no life without the spousal relation of human love [No Life Without Love (In Vitro)], and no

Borrowed Quotes from Nathan Davis

2011-06-08T17:19:00.003-04:00

1) When the unstoppable bullet hits the impenetrable wall, we find the religious experience. It is precisely here that one will grow...Heroism could be redefined for our time as the ability to stand paradox.[Robert A. Johnson, Owning Your Own Shadow] Like: finding self by giving self away (Gaudium et spes #24)--2) “The Catholic writer, in so far as he has the mind of the Church, will feel life

Monday Update on Tom Mahala, Jr.

2011-06-06T23:32:00.000-04:00

Thomas had his 2nd angiogram this morning to begin treating the AVM. They were able to embolize approx 25- 30% of it. The next 24 hours are critical, and he will be monitored closely for his recovery from today's procedure. Once Thomas is stable, hopefully later this week, they may attempt to remove the catheter which has been in his skull since he was admitted last Thursday. The catheter

Update on Tom Mahala, Jr.

2011-06-06T15:16:00.002-04:00

Thomas had a 2nd angiogram this morning. He is out of surgery and stable.The vascular neurosurgen attacked the posterior of his AVM and cut off(embolize) approximately 25% of the blood flow in the AVM. That is about what they hoped for in the phasing out of this AVM. So the procedure was successful. Thomas is stable, breathing on his own, knows his name, raises his hands, squeezes fingers and