St Pius V, Pope

This holy pope was born in Italy in 1504. He was baptized Anthony Ghislieri. He wanted to become a priest, but it seemed as though his dream would never come true. His parents were poor. They had no money to send him to school. One day, two Dominicans came to his home and met Anthony. They liked him so much that they offered to educate him. And so at the age of fourteen, Anthony joined the Dominican order. That is when he took the name "Michael." Eventually, he became a priest. Then he became a bishop and cardinal. Courageously he defended the teachings of the Church against those who opposed them. He continued to live a life of penance. When he was sixty-one, he was chosen pope. He took the name Pope Pius V. He had once been a poor shepherd boy. Now he was the head of the whole Catholic Church. Yet he remained as humble as ever. He still wore his white Dominican habit, the same old one he had always worn. And no one could persuade him to change it. As pope, Pius V had many challenges to face. He drew strength from the crucifix. He meditated every day on the sufferings and death of Jesus. At this time, the Turks were trying to conquer the whole Christian world. They had a great navy on the Mediterranean Sea. A Christian force went to battle them at a place called Lepanto, near Greece. From the moment the army set out, the pope prayed the Rosary. He encouraged the people to do the same. Thanks to the help of the Blessed Mother, the Christians won a great victory. In gratitude to Mary, St. Pius V established the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. We celebrate it each year on October 7. Pope Pius V died in Rome on May 1, 1572. His feast is celebrated today because May 1 is the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. Pius V was proclaimed a saint by Pope Clement XI in 1712. We pray today for all the bishops, priests and ministers of the Church.

by El Greco

The Pope of Lepanto and the Rosary, and the Pope who gave his successors the white papal habit :)
Ora pro nobis!

Emily Dickinson

Two poems from Monika:

I had no time to hate, because
The grave would hinder me,
And life was not so ample I
Could finish enmity.

Nor had I time to love, but since
Some industry must be,
The little toil of love, I thought,
Was large enough for me.

- Emily Dickinson

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

- Emily Dickinson

From Wikipedia
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830– May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Thought of as an eccentric by the locals, she became known for her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even leave her room. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence.

Dickinson was a prolific private poet, though fewer than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime. The work that was published during her lifetime was usually altered significantly by the publishers to fit the conventional poetic rules of the time. Dickinson's poems are unique for the era in which she wrote; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often utilize slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation. Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality, two subjects which infused her letters to friends.

Her first collection of poetry was published in 1890 by personal acquaintances Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd, both of whom heavily edited the content. A complete and mostly unaltered collection of her poetry became available for the first time in 1955 when The Poems of Emily Dickinson was published by scholar Thomas H. Johnson. Despite unfavorable reviews and skepticism of her literary prowess during the late 19th and early 20th century, critics now consider Dickinson to be a major American poet.

Archbishop Ranjith to move to Colombo?

Rorate Caeli reports that Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, the Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, would soon be named Archbishop of Colombo. It is seen as an "exile" for being too outspoken a defender of the traditional Latin Mass, and the Holy Father's reform of the liturgy.

Curial politics.

Well, what's obviously a loss to Rome (and to the Universal Church in some sense) will undoubtedly be a gain for my motherland. And, if the speculation turns out to be true, we'll have our second ever cardinal.
That would be wonderful!

See my previous post on Arbishop Ranjith here: Benedict's Man!

The Divine Office: a comedy series

The Sober Sophomore has a priestly comedy series up,. It's called The Divine Office. Go check it out. I loved the Catholic-hating Baptist preacher that shows up at the "commercial".

Do not look at the ignorance and pride of your little children;

And do not look at the ignorance and pride of your little children; but with the enticement of your love and of your benignity, granting them that sweet discipline and benign reprehension which may please your Holiness, render peace to us, your miserable children who have offended you.

I tell you, O sweet Christ on earth, from Christ in heaven, that, doing thus, that is, without quarrel and uproar, they will all see with pain the offense they have done, and will place their heads in their hands.

Saint Catherine of Siena
Letter CXCVI to Gregory XI

Via Rorate Caeli

I love Singlish :)

St Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor of the Church

Born in 1347, this well-known saint is the patroness of Italy, her country. Catherine was the youngest in a family of twenty-five children. Her mother and father wanted her to be happily married. However, Catherine wished only to be a nun. To prove her point, she cut off her long, beautiful hair. She wanted to make herself unattractive. Her parents were very upset and scolded her frequently. They also gave her the heaviest housework to do. But Catherine did not back down. Finally, her parents stopped opposing her. St. Catherine was very honest and straight forward with Jesus. Once she asked him, "Where were you, Lord, when I had such shameful temptations?" And Jesus answered, "Daughter, I was in your heart. I made you win with my grace." One night, many people of Siena were out on the streets celebrating. Jesus appeared to Catherine who was praying alone in her room. With Jesus was his Blessed Mother. She took Catherine's hand and lifted it up to her Son. Jesus put a ring on the saint's finger and she became his bride. In Catherine's time, the Church had many problems. There were fights going on all over Italy. Catherine wrote letters to kings and queens. She even went to beg rulers to make peace with the pope and to avoid wars. Catherine asked the pope to leave Avignon, France, and return to Rome to rule the Church. She told him it was God's will. He listened to St. Catherine and did what she said. Catherine never forgot that Jesus was in her heart. Through her, Jesus helped the sick people she nursed. Through her Jesus comforted the prisoners she visited in jail. This great saint died in Rome in 1380. She was just thirty-three. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius II in 1461. In 1970, Pope Paul VI declared St. Catherine a Doctor of the Church. She received this great honor because she served Jesus' Church heroically during her brief lifetime.

"You are a mystery as deep as the sea; the more I search, the more I find, and the more I find, the more I search for you. But I can never be satisfied; what I receive will ever leave me desiring more. When you fill my soul, I have an even greater hunger, and I grow more famished for your light."

--St. Catherine of Siena

What great symbolism the icon below holds! She's actually carrying the Church, the boat of St Peter!!

And people, don't say we Catholics don't honour our women. They don't serve as priests but they do great things for and within the church and are venerated for it.



O marvelous wonder of the Church, seraphic virgin, Saint Catherine, because of thine extraordinary virtue and the immense good which thou didst accomplish for the Church and society, thou art acclaimed and blessed by all people. O blessed Catherine, turn thy benign countenance towards me, who confident of thy powerful patronage call upon thee with all the ardor of affection and I beg thee to obtain by thy prayers the favors I so ardently desire (mention your request). Thou wast a victim of charity, who in order to benefit thy neighbor obtained from God the most stupendous miracles and became the joy and the hope of all; thou canst not help but hear the prayers of those who fly to thy heart - that heart which thou didst receive from the Divine Redeemer in a celestial ecstasy. O seraphic virgin, show once again proof of thy power and of thy flaming charity, so that thy name shall ever be blessed and exalted; grant that we, having experienced thy most efficacious intercession here on earth, may come one day to thank thee in Heaven and enjoy eternal happiness with thee. Amen.

I love this little segments they show on EWTN called "The Saints Speak"
Here's St Catherine:

The Circle of No-life

My sis was complaining that she has less than a month's break before school reopens while we have three.

I showed her these to comfort her :p



and here's one more :)


I love PHD Comics :D

LOL

From LOLSaints:



Cafeteria Catholicism:

1000

Oooh. My blog has had 1003 visitors since I started counting, on 2 April.

Listing it on St Blog's Parish certainly gave the visits a boost. Also one of the American Papist posts had this blog listed in the "Links to this post".
Now most of my readers are from the US.
Cool :D

5 Recent Scientific Advances (And How They'll Destroy Us All)

Via Saad on Facebook

Science has always been a double-edged sword, with advances like penicillin, electricity and TV balanced by napalm, nuclear weapons and TVs showing Oprah Winfrey. Some inventors, however, juggle that Sword of Science along with the Throwing axe of Technology and the Petrol-powered Chainsaw of Ludicrous Insanity. It's frankly a miracle that we've survived this long.

Hold tight as we look at modern scientific advances and ask "Why aren't we dead yet?"

5. Deadly Fire Ant Virus

To highlight the differences between scientists and 'regular' people, ask yourself: how would you kill an ant?

a) Stamp on it

b) Burn it with a magnifying glass

c) Alter a viral agent for increased lethality and transmissivity, then release it into the American outback.

This 'solution' only confirms what we've suspected for some time- that going to superscience college leaves absolutely no time to watch movies, read non-science books, or just idly sit around thinking "Wow, what a lovely day, I'm sure glad there are no gigantic mutated killer ants terrorizing humanity." We'd love to watch these people in their daily lives.

"Honey, can you take out the trash?"

"No problem- I'll use a plasma blast to set fire to the kitchen, and the emergency services will remove everything the flames miss!"

Check the rest out here

"A tangible sign of the fact that the crucified Lord is risen and does not abandon you"

"I am well aware that, despite the solidarity forthcoming from all sides, there are many daily discomforts involved in living outside your homes, in cars or tents, especially because of the cold and rain. ... My poor presence among you is intended as a tangible sign of the fact that the crucified Lord is risen and does not abandon you. ... He is not deaf to the anguished cries of so many families who have lost everything: houses, savings, work and sometimes even human lives. Of course, His tangible response comes though our solidarity, which cannot be limited to the initial emergency but must become a stable project over time. I encourage everyone, institutions and companies, to ensure that this city and this land may arise again.

"They are alive in God and await from you a testimony of courage and hope. They hope to see the rebirth of their land, which must once more adorn itself with houses and churches, beautiful and solid. ... Love remains, even beyond the river-crossing of this our precarious earthly life, because true Love is God. Those who love overcome death in God, and know that their loved ones are not lost"

- The Pope in Abruzzo, to visit those affected by the recent earthquake.

We entrust our loved ones to you, Lord,
Knowing that you never take the lives of your faithful, but transform them,
And that at the moment the dwelling places of this our earthly exile are destroyed,
You prepare an eternal and immortal one for us in paradise.
Holy Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
Hear the cry of pain and of hope
That rises from this community harshly tied by the earthquake.
It is the silent cry of the blood of mothers, fathers, young people
And also innocent little ones that rises up from this land.
They have been snatched from the affection of their loved ones,
Welcome them all into your peace, Lord, who is God-with-us,
Who is the Love able to give life without end.
We need you and your strength
Because we feel small and fragile in the face of death;
Help us, we pray, because only your support
Can help us get up and, with trust, take each other's hands,
And start out again on the journey of life.
We ask you this through Jesus Christ, our savior,
In whom shines the hope of the blessed resurrection. Amen.

Via Amy Welborn

Pilgrims!

From Orbis Catholicus


Two pilgrims: Evan and Igor. Igor is a humble pilgrim from Slovakia who walked to Rome and Spain and Assisi and shows up in Rome now and then. He travels by foot and begs for offerings on the streets. Just last night in the pouring rain he was in front of Roma Termini asking for an "offerto" (offering). He speaks fine Italian and is very nice. Notice the burlap habit made of jute, hemp or flax!

Awww. Tweeet!

Via: Amp

Scientistis :)

Via Saad, on Facebook
Source: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/the_difference.png

Evolution of Robotic Dance

Via Fr Joe



MechRC stretches its leg in preparation for its launch for the holiday season by attempting Judson Laipply's awsome "The Evolution of Dance".


The second video has a whopping 118,710,319 view on Youtube!!

Three beautiful feast days.

I shall borrow from Carina over at the Legion Blog:

St. Louis Marie de Montfort

Confessor, Marian Devotee, Founder

St. Peter Chanel,

Protomartyr of Oceania

St. Gianna Beretta Molla

Patron Saint of Mothers, Physicians, Preborn Children

Three saints who are a much needed inspiration in today's messed up world.
Ora pro nobis!

The ancient courts of ancient men

'Such is the power of words, of writing, of books. Words can summon up a skyline from the dark; they can bring back the people you loved and always yearn for. They can inspire you with possibilities you otherwise would have never imagined; they can fill your head with misleading fantasies. They can give you back your seemingly seamless past and place it right alongside your chaotic present.

"But that only happens in books," my mother, pretty much immune to the power of the written word, would say.

Exactly. That's why I can't stop reading them.'

- Maureen Corrigan, Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books

Thanks Monika. That sounds like a really good read.

And from Niccolo Machiavelli:

On the coming of evening, I return to my house and enter my study; and at the door I take off the day's clothing, covered with mud and dust, and put on garments regal and courtly; and reclothed appropriately, I enter the ancient courts of ancient men, where, received by them with affection, I feed on that food which only is mine and which I was born for, where I am not ashamed to speak with them and to ask them the reason for their actions; and they in their kindness answer me; and for four hours of time I do not feel boredom, I forget every trouble, I do not dread poverty, I am not frightened by death; entirely I give myself over to them.

- Niccolo Machiavelli, Letter to Francesco Vettori, Dec. 10, 1513

'No, Mr. President, we don't agree'

"It's hard to disagree with him because he'll always tell you he agrees with you," he said. "Maybe that's political. I think he sincerely wants to agree with you. You have to say, again and again, 'No, Mr. President, we don't agree (on abortion).'"

- Francis Cardinal George on his recent conversation with President Obama

Read the rest at AmP

Still on literature,

a romantic saga from Ph.D. comics:

Sea Fever

I must go down to the seas again,
to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship
and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song
and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face
and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again,
for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call
that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day
with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume,
and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again
to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way
where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn
from a laughing fellow rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream
when the long trick's over.

-- John Masefield

From Monika

The Immaculate Conception

An interesting rendition of the Immaculate Conception by Matthew at the Shrine of the Holy Whapping:

The Immaculate Conception, Protectress of the Institute of Christ the King. March 2009. Private Collection, Wisconsin.

Going to the Holy Land

The Holy Father will be visiting the Holy Land next week. Let's pray for this trip. He can achieve a great deal of good there.

Getty Images

This picture released by The Vatican Press Office on April 22, 2009 shows Pope Benedict XVI (L) recieving a keffiah given to him by young Palestinians (R) from Bethleem during the Papal weekly general audience at St Peter's square at the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI will be on a trip to Jordan and Israel from 8 to 15 May.

An interesting letter

April 27, 2009
The Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
President
University of Notre Dame

Dear Father Jenkins,

When you informed me in December 2008 that I had been selected to receive Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal, I was profoundly moved. I treasure the memory of receiving an honorary degree from Notre Dame in 1996, and I have always felt honored that the commencement speech I gave that year was included in the anthology of Notre Dame’s most memorable commencement speeches. So I immediately began working on an acceptance speech that I hoped would be worthy of the occasion, of the honor of the medal, and of your students and faculty.

Last month, when you called to tell me that the commencement speech was to be given by President Obama, I mentioned to you that I would have to rewrite my speech. Over the ensuing weeks, the task that once seemed so delightful has been complicated by a number of factors.

First, as a longtime consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, I could not help but be dismayed by the news that Notre Dame also planned to award the president an honorary degree. This, as you must know, was in disregard of the U.S. bishops’ express request of 2004 that Catholic institutions “should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles” and that such persons “should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” That request, which in no way seeks to control or interfere with an institution’s freedom to invite and engage in serious debate with whomever it wishes, seems to me so reasonable that I am at a loss to understand why a Catholic university should disrespect it.

Then I learned that “talking points” issued by Notre Dame in response to widespread criticism of its decision included two statements implying that my acceptance speech would somehow balance the event:

• “President Obama won’t be doing all the talking. Mary Ann Glendon, the former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, will be speaking as the recipient of the Laetare Medal.”

• “We think having the president come to Notre Dame, see our graduates, meet our leaders, and hear a talk from Mary Ann Glendon is a good thing for the president and for the causes we care about.”

A commencement, however, is supposed to be a joyous day for the graduates and their families. It is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision—in disregard of the settled position of the U.S. bishops—to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice.

Finally, with recent news reports that other Catholic schools are similarly choosing to disregard the bishops’ guidelines, I am concerned that Notre Dame’s example could have an unfortunate ripple effect.

It is with great sadness, therefore, that I have concluded that I cannot accept the Laetare Medal or participate in the May 17 graduation ceremony.

In order to avoid the inevitable speculation about the reasons for my decision, I will release this letter to the press, but I do not plan to make any further comment on the matter at this time.

Yours Very Truly,

Mary Ann Glendon

Mary Ann Glendon is Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. A member of the editorial and advisory board of First Things, she served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican from 2007 to 2009.

From First Things

Mary Ann Glendon
Learned Hand Professor of Law
Harvard Law School

Mary Ann Glendon, J.D., L.LM. is Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. She received a B.A., J.D., and Master of Comparative Law from the University of Chicago. Prior to joining the faculty at the Harvard Law School, she was a professor at the Boston College Law School, and a visiting professor at the University of Chicago Law School and at the Gregorian University in Rome. She was an attorney in private practice at the Chicago firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt from 1963-68. Glendon is a past President of the International Association of Legal Science, a member of the editorial boards of the American Journal of Comparative Law and First Things, and serves on the advisory boards of the Harvard University Human Rights Initiative and the Harvard Law School Human Rights Program. She was head of the Holy See Delegation to the 4th U.N. Women's Conference in 1995, and sits on the board of trustees at St. John's Seminary. Presently she is a member of U.S. President George W. Bush's Council on Bioethics, and in 2004 John Paul II appointed her to Head the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences. Her areas of expertise include bioethics, international human rights, and comparative constitutional law in the United States and Europe. She is the author of many books, including Comparative Legal Traditions in a Nutshell (West, 1999), A Nation Under Lawyers: How the Crisis in the Legal Profession is Transforming American Society (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1994), Rights Talk: The Impoverishment of Political Discourse (Free Press, 1991), The Transformation of Family Law: State, Law and Family in the United States and Western Europe (University of Chicago Press, 1989) and Abortion and Divorce in Western Law (Harvard University Press, 1987). Her most recent book is entitled A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Random House, 2001). The National Law Journal named her one of the "Fifty Most Influential Women Lawyers in America" in 1998.

From the Notre Dame Centre for Ethics and Culture

"May I?"

Carl Olson from Insight Scoop has a good article on Angels and Demons. He also has a fun poster:

I feel like throwing-up...

On his 100th day in office, President Obama will be "crowned" in messianic imagery at New York City's Union Square.

Artist Michael D'Antuono's painting "The Truth" – featuring Obama with his arms outstretched and wearing a crown of thorns upon his head – will be unveiled on April 29 at the Square's South Plaza.

According to a statement released about the portrait, "The 30" x 54" acrylic painting on canvas depicts President Obama appearing much like Jesus Christ on the Cross: atop his head, a crown of thorns; behind him, the dark veil being lifted (or lowered) on the Presidential Seal. But is he revealing or concealing, and is he being crucified or glorified?"

Even the title of the piece, "The Truth," suggests a play on biblical themes, as Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

What a sycophant! Obama has done nothing to prove himself yet. And he's The Truth? Hahahahahahahaha.
Show what happens when people lose God.

Story via CMR. Go there if you want to see a photo of the piece of nonsense in question.

On the Big Bang and more

Jimmy Akin has a very very interesting article on cosmology, the secrets of our universe and our Catholic Faith. Read it O

A real-life thriller story - from the Vatican

That Hitler considered kidnapping the Pope has been documented before, but this is the first time that details have emerged of the Vatican's strategy should the Nazis carry out the plan.

"Pius said 'if they want to arrest me they will have to drag me from the Vatican'," said Peter Gumpel, the German Jesuit priest who is in charge of researching whether Pius should be made a saint, and therefore has access to secret Vatican archives.

Pius, who was Pope throughout the war, told his advisers "the person who would leave the under these conditions would not be Pius XII but Eugenio Pacelli" – his name before he was elected Pontiff – thus giving permission for a new Pope to be elected.

"It would have been disastrous if the Church had been left without an authoritative leader," said Father Gumpel.

"Pius wouldn't leave voluntarily. He had been invited repeatedly to go to Portugal or Spain or the United States but he felt he could not leave his diocese under these severe and tragic circumstances." Vatican documents, which still remain secret, are believed to show that Pius was aware of a plan formulated by Hitler in July 1943 to occupy the Vatican and arrest him and his senior cardinals.

On 6 September 1943 – days after Italy signed the September 3 armistice with the Allies and German troops occupied Rome – Pius told key aides that he believed his arrest was imminent.

General Karl Otto Wolff, an SS general, was told to "occupy as soon as possible the Vatican, secure the archives and art treasures and transfer the Pope, together with the Curia so that they cannot fall into the hands of the Allies and exert a political influence."

Hitler ordered the kidnapping, according to historians, because he feared that Pius would further criticise the Nazis' treatment of the Jews.

He was also afraid that the Pontiff's opposition could inspire resistance to the Germans in Italy and other Catholic countries.

Some historians have claimed that General Wolff tipped off the Vatican about the kidnap plans and that he also managed to talk the Fuhrer out of the plot because he believed it would alienate Catholics worldwide.

The latest revelations will be seen by some observers as a further attempt by the Vatican to bolster the case for Pius XII being declared a saint.

Pius has been accused of being anti-Semitic and of harbouring sympathies for the Nazi regime, most notably in the 1999 book Hitler's Pope, by British author John Cornwell.

But other Catholic and Jewish historians contend that in fact Pius was loathed by the Nazis for speaking out about the Holocaust and for behind-the-scenes efforts to save Italian Jews who otherwise would have been sent to death camps.

From Whispers in the Loggia

We are the Catholic Church

Catholics Come Home are allowing us to embed their videos. So this beautiful video is back on my side bar.

For centuries we have prayed for you, and our world every hour of every day, whenever we celebrate the Mass.

In this world filled with chaos, hardship and pain, it comforting to know that some things remain consistent, true and strong: our Catholic Faith and the eternal love God has for all creation.

Faith and reason

Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves

John Paul II, Fides et Ratio

Source: Andrew Stewart Jamieson

The Story of Stuff

Do take a while to watch this eye-opening video.

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Weekend

Had my first exam - Philosophy of Religion - yesterday. Was OK I think...I'm so glad Serene persuaded me to take the module with her. I really enjoyed it!

After that, Ferdi and I decided to go to Vivo City to look for a book to give Fr Frans for his birthday. We dropped by Ferninda's room and she joined us too. It was great browsing around at Page One. THe time just flew. In the end, as a compromise between buying something funny and light, and buying something meaningful, we got a book called "An Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs. I hope it was a good choice.
The company was delightful and so were the hours spent hunting for books :D

Today I had brunch with Ding Li after Mass at St Joseph's. I hadn't seen him since last September. Was glad to catch up with him :)

OK. Will be getting down to revising Machiavelli.

On the Vatican Council

Offer it up Rudy!
Haha :D

Late Nite Catechism

This is super!



Via Christine Trollinger

More on Late Nite Catechism.
What a wonderful ministry :)

Pretty cool

Talk Like Shakespeare

It was Shakespeare's 445th birthday yesterday.

Go ye then to Fr Z's blog and see for thyself a post of much hilarity. That we Talk Like Shakespeare he doth entreat.

An unusual photo of Karol Wojtyla.

Via Curt Jester

Pray for an end to the violence.

Most Sinhalese people are feeling triumphant as the Sri Lankan Army gets ever closer to eliminating the LTTE. I'm afraid I can't rejoice as many others do. Truly getting rid of the LTTE is a great thing. But then, at what cost to all those civilians trapped in the conflict zone? They are our brothers and sister too. Victory for Sri Lanka must include them too.

THe LTTE is utterly evil in preventing them from leaving the region, and using them as human shields. But must the Government continue being so ruthless in its operations?
The LTTE is almost destroyed? Perhaps the Government can afford to do something for the civilians now and get them out of there somehow?

---------------------------------------------------------------

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, APRIL 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A Caritas director in the Vanni region was seriously injured in the bombing of a Church today, prompting a renewed appeal from aid agency for the rescue of endangered civilians.

Caritas reported that Father T. R. Vasanthaseelan's legs were injured, and one had to be amputated after shells hit St. Anthony's Church in Valaignarmadam this morning.

Civilians took refuge in the church to escape the fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebel forces.

Caritas estimates that tens of thousands of civilians are trapped in the small area of land designated as a "safe zone," where currently the rebel soldiers have taken refuge and are using the people as human shields in the conflict.

A rescue operation is under way to remove the people from this zone, but Father Vasanthaseelan remained in the Vanni region to provide assistance as Caritas continues to call for aid for the trapped civilians.

Another priest, Father James Pathinathan, member of the member of the National Commission for Justice, Peace and Human Development, was also injured and hospitalized this week.

The Caritas secretary general, Lesley-Anne Knight stated: "Father Vasanthaseelan is a much loved figure in Sri Lanka and throughout the Caritas confederation. He is a man of peace, courage and hope.

"He has lived among the people he seeks to serve and accompanied them through their suffering. He has been a sign of love and faithfulness throughout such difficult times.

"That aid workers are suffering only underlines how innocent people, women and children are being killed and injured in Sri Lanka's civil war and reinforces our calls for an immediate ceasefire."

She continued: "Both the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tiger rebels have obligations under the Geneva Conventions to protect the lives of civilians and allow humanitarian access. The United Nations and the international community must hold them to these commitments."

(From Zenit)

Scripture and Tradition

"Scripture must be read in the context of the living Tradition of the entire Church. ... In her Tradition the Church carries the living memory of the Word of God, and it is the Holy Spirit Who provides her with the interpretation thereof in accordance with its spiritual meaning. The third criterion concerns the need to pay attention to the analogy of the faith; that is, to the cohesion of the individual truths of faith, both with one another and with the overall plan of Revelation and the fullness of the divine economy enclosed in that plan".

"The interpretation of Sacred Scriptures cannot be a merely an individual academic undertaking, but must always be compared with, inserted into, and authenticated by the living Tradition of the Church. This norm is essential in order to ensure a correct and reciprocal exchange between exegesis and Church Magisterium. Catholic exegetes do not nourish the individualistic illusion that biblical texts can be better understood outside the community of believers. The opposite is true, because these texts were not given to individual scholars 'to satisfy their curiosity or to provide them with material for study and research'. The texts inspired by God were entrusted to the community of believers, to the Church of Christ, to nourish the faith and to guide the life of charity".

"Sacred Scripture is the Word of God in that its is written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Tradition, on the other hand, integrally transmits the Word of God as entrusted by Christ the Lord and by the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and their successors so that they, illuminated by the Spirit of truth, could faithfully conserve, explain and spread it through their preaching".

"Only within the ecclesial context can Sacred Scripture be understood as the authentic Word of God which is guide, norm and rule for the life of the Church and the spiritual development of believers. This means rejecting all interpretations that are subjective or limited to mere analysis [and hence] incapable of accepting the global meaning which, over the course of the centuries, has guided the Tradition of the entire people of God"

- From the Holy Father's speech to the representatives of the Pontifical Biblical Commission (Apr 23)

Via Insight Scoop

Mid-Reading-Week post

Had a wonderful, relaxing Legion meeting. :)
Had a relaxing chat with Fr Marin. :)
Tried Vietnamese food for lunch under the guidance of Kim :D

Got this via Cherylyn on Facebook. It's brilliant :D

JUST IN: Sleep is popular

From the Facebook "Sleeping" fan page:
13000 in 40 minutes?!

Haha!

I'm off to bed!

"Tolerance Is Not Enough! You Must Approve!".

More on Miss California:
I Thought Tolerance was King - Carina

I Prefer Chocolate... I Think - Tim Jones

What a scumbag Perez Hilton was to ask such a question. He wanted to punish anyone who disagreed with him.
Is this a mark of a free society? Dissent is punished, even for issues that are far from decided in the political arena.

All she said was that she thinks marriage is between a man and a women and that was just her opinion, and that she didn't want to offend anyone.

For that, she's being called a bigotted, ignorance b***.

So much for freedom of conscience eh?

Earth

Via AmP

It's Earth Day today, so let's give thanks to God for the wonder that is our world, and let us work to protect and preserve it.

Penalized for an opinion

It probably cost her the crown. If you don't want to stoke controversy, don't ask such questions at a beauty pageant Mr Hilton.

When we were young Legionaries :)

Came across these :)

Taking our Promise on February 1, 2006.