December 31, 2008

Anglican Father & Son Priests Now Being Ordained Priests Into The Catholic Church 

Catholic Online's Report Of Father & Son Priests Being Ordained Into The Church  Another example that the tide is turning for Catholicism and imploding for the worldwide Anglican Communion. Thanks to Amy Welborn for the second link. Who would have thought that there would be a father son combo in the priesthood? However, the Lord does work in Mysterious Ways.

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Vicar General Of Portland Maine's Diocese Orders Voices Of The Faithful Member To Keep Away From Bishop Or Face An Interdict We haven't heard about the interdict in a while. It was once commonly used around the world. As a matter of fact in centuries past, interdicts were leveled against whole towns for conduct unbecoming a person of faith.  It will be interesting to see if this will once again become more widely used.

Click Here For Comments About Maine Bishop May Issue Interdict

Glenn Beck Interview Pulled From Focus On The Family Website Because He Is A LDS Church Member (Mormon.) Beck Was Raised Catholic But Converted After Battling Drugs & Alcohol, Claiming Mormonism Helped Him Kick The Habit   This will certianly be something to watch in the coming weeks. Will Glenn Beck be totally blackballed by Evangelicals concerning his book and the associated play that is accompanying it? One would have thought that Focus on the Family would have known he was a Mormon when they conducted the interview. Glenn Beck was raised Catholic but converted to Mormonism later after a turbulent childhood in which two suicides occurred in his dysfunctional home (one of which was his mother.)

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Ruben Navarrette On Those Who Bash Small Towns & Governor Palin, They Don't Care To Know Either Of Them  I have a feeling after the activists get through with the Mormons they will come after us. The whole Proposition 8 defeat in California has set them into a tirade. The three groups that voted against the proposition were Catholics, Mormons and African Americans. I doubt they will come after African-Americans en masse though there has been racial slurs used by some. What started with small towns and Governor Palin has now branched out.

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In First Things Nicholas Frankovich On Teleology & Cardinal Dulles  We have read a host of articles on Cardinal Dulles and yet only the surface has been scratched. Now we have an article that delves into a subject that has not been greatly discussed.

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December 30, 2008

Undersecretary For The Congregation Of The Doctrine Of The Faith Says To Appeal To The Young One Must Preach The Truths Of The Church Not Accomodate The Culture  This link is a great segue to the next one. In this story we read the comforting words that pop culture expediancy won't lead to growth in the Church among the young, only decline and dispair. We can already see this taking place in the Episcopal Church where coffee bars, skate board parks (inside churches) is leading nowhere except laughter and a statistical free fall. The opposite is certain Catholic parishes and dicoeses that emphasise the 2,000 year old Catholic continuity. In those locations the numbers of the faithful and those discerning a vocation are growing, sometimes beyond belief.

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In An Interview With The Boston Globe, Father McBrien Laments About Conservative Hierarchy, Bloggers, Father Zuhlsdorf, Orthodox Minded Young People" Etc

Father Zuhlsdorf Answers Father McBrien With A December Quote From Pope Benedict Though it may read as if it is some sort of parody written by Jeff Miller on the Curt Jester site, it is the real deal. Father Zuhlsdorf and bloggers in general are mentioned  by the Boston Globe interviewer but they are summarily dismissed by Father McBrien who seems to think he is the pope even though he pooh poohed the power behind the bishops and the Holy Father. Finally one has to read the comments section in the second link. One comment read, "I will acknowledge his (Father McBrien's) priesthood when he does."

Click Here For Comments About Father McBrien's Latest Rant

Rocco Palmo Reflects On NY Times Story Concerning Worldwide Vocations (Rocco's Otherwise Good Reporting Misses The Boat On Vocations In The US. It Is Not So Much High Diocesan Church Attendance That Is Key To Vocations, But Dioceses Which Foster Vocations Through Traditional Catholic Devotions Connecting The Past With The Present)  Rocco does a good job of reporting the in between the lines details of the recent NY Times story on vocations. However for all of Rocco's laudatory work, he misses a key point. Rocco points out that the Diocese of Owensboro has one of the highest percentages of Mass attendance and yet is sadly lacking in vocations. However, it is not so much Mass attendance but  fostering a climate for vocations through devotions and the Truths that the Church possesses which foster vocations. Some folks go to Mass out of a sense of obligation, while others out of sheer joy.

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Father John Flynn On The Media's Blind Spot

Journalists Just Don't Get It (Religion)  Nothing you didn't already know before you read these two links. However, these links are helpful in understanding the sad state of journalism as far as religion is concerned. I have often found out while chit chatting with journalists who cover religion that their religious background is often very liberal. There are probably more journalists sympathetic or members of the Unitarian Church than one can find in a big city on any given Sunday. Hence the skewed coverage.

Click Here For Comments About These Two Posts On The Mainstream Media

Matthew Archbold Laments That Christmas Shopping At The Mall With His Young Children Was More Akin To Window Shopping At The Local Adult Entertainment Store A sad tale that I am sure many of you can relate to as you have just wrapped up your Christmas shopping. Children, even young children are very perceptive. They see these images, they internalize them and then ask questions. I still can recall my bewildered parents trying to answer my question as to how someone could be pregnant if they weren't married. This was when I was 8 years old in 1972. I think they probably rehearsed a better answer for my younger sister when she asked the same question some five years later. What a terrible position they were put in by society. Yet the early 1970s almost seems innocent by today's standards when one can walk through the mall and see some stores displaying inappropriate clothing for very young girls. God help us all.

Click Here For Comments About MatthewArchbold's Post On Inappropriate Stores In The Mall

John Miller Of The National Review Online Wonders If Michael Kaiser Of The Kennedy Center Is Serious About A Multi Billion Dollar Bailout Of The Arts, Then Adds; What About The Detroit Lions?  Who isn't going to ask for a bailout? Our society is hurtling toward a Socialistic Nanny state where no one will ever be punished for a mistake or poor judgement. We will all be sent home with a hug and a candy cane and told it wasn't our fault.  In a strange sort of way the Detroit Lions football team epitomizes the disastrous US auto industry. The Lions fans have been screaming for changes in the direction, management and coaching of the team for years. Yet, the William Clay Ford Sr. & Jr. (grandson & great grandson of Henry) saw no need to adapt or make changes, much like the auto industry. Hence, the Lions and the auto industry are facing the same problems.

Click Here For Comments About John Miller's Take On Arts Bailout Jokingly Says Detroit Lions Need One As Well

December 29, 2008

Pope Benedict Reflects On The Holy Family & The Conference On The Family Set To Take Place In Mexico City In January. The Holy Father Also Pleads For Peace In Gaza Once again the Holy Father tied together a variety of topics that melded together in the theme of the Holy Family. He pleaded for peace in Gaza which would have been where the Holy Family passed through on their way to Egypt. He also reflected on the coming conference on the modern family in Mexico City slated for January. Finally he reflected on the Holy Family who some 2,000 years ago set the standard for all families.

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Father Zuhlsdorf Reflects On The Holy Family  Father Zuhlsdorf reflects on the Holy Family using not only his words but those of the Holy Father. He also looks at the feast liturgically coming after Christmas but before the Epiphany. Father Z has a way of wrapping all of this together theologically and liturgically without losing us in all of the details.

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Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew Says Turkish Bureaucracy Subtly Trying To Make The Orthodox (& All Of Christianity) Disappear Our Orthodox brothers and sisters are about to celebrate Christmas and we have to remind ourselves of the truly intolerable conditions that the Ecumenical Patriarch finds himself. This is the slow drip, drip march of radical Islam so that even in a supposed secular state like Turkey, he lives an isolated existence, his Church confiscated and somehow we are supposed to pretend that it is not happening.

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30% Of Congress Is Catholic (If Only That Were Reflected In Their Votes On Issues Of Life)  A record high number of Catholics in the Congress and yet how many of them know their faith and give it serious consideration in their legislative deliberations? Thankfully, there are some good Catholic members of Congress, like Congressman Pat Tiberi who has graciously sent me positive feedback on my book, articles and this site. Let's keep all of the elected officials in our prayers.

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When Sane Liberals Cross The Line To The Insane; The New Republic Trashes Jonah Goldberg's Book Liberal Fascism  It is one thing to disagree with someone who throws out blanket statements and doesn't back them up, but it is quite another to trash a book which puts the data in black and white. Some liberals have given Jonah kudos on his efforts, even though they don't agree with his thesis. Sadly, some just trash the thesis because it hits too close to home. You might recall that Jonah Goldberg posted my review of his book on the National Review website.

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Episcopal Priest From Hard Hit Industrial Pennsylvania Justifies His Dom Parignon Drink Habit, His Thousand Dollar NYC Dinners & His After Hours Nightclub Hang Outs

Toledo Priest Writes Book On The Daily Life Of A Priest Some poor widow probably left this Episcopal priest's parish a substantial endowment, which was probably drawn up in the CS Lewis era of Anglican/Episcopalianism. Now the greater Anglican Communion is almost unrecognizable. I couldn't help but think of the Billy Joel song Big Shot, when I read about the Episcopal priest's Dom Parignon taste and very high end dining and nightlife habits. What a perfect segue to the daily routine of this Toledo area priest who lives a very different life looking after and giving spiritual sustenance to his parishioners. Then again,  the Episcopal priest is probably down to a handful of elderly women or younger news age parishioners so his services are rarely called upon. A doff of the cap to Spirit Daily for the first link.

Click Here For Comments About The Contrasting Roles Of The Episcopal Priest Of Pennsylvania/NYC & The Catholic Priest Of Toledo

December 28, 2008 Feast Of The Holy Family

Damian Thompson, On The Pope Is Catholic What A Shocker. Thompson Reflects On How Pope Benedict's Stand For Traditional Marriage & Family Has Once Again Outraged Some In The Media

Washington Times Columnist Jeffrey Kuhner Says Pope Benedict Is An Intellectual Titan Whose Beliefs Will Outlast Those Militant Homosexuals & Secularists Denouncing Him  These two notable writers reflect on the sheer glee some in the mainstream media are exhibitng because a few off the wall self proclaimed religious and non religious thinkers have announced that the 2,000 year old beliefs of Christianity don't apply anymore. This in turn has led them to denounce Pope Benedict as a bigot, when in actuality they are the bigots for mocking those who believe in the 2,000 year old Teachings of the Church.

Click Here For Comments About Damian Thompson & Jeffrey Kuhner's Article

Whatever Happened To Catholic Britain? The Island Was Once A Vibrant Catholic Nation Until King Hency VIII's Ego Decided To Crush The Church & Kill Some Of The Faithful  (Six Part Youtube Series)  A sobering look back at Britain's once proud Catholic past and the evil forces of King Henry VIII that were responsible for the shape Britain is in today. Though many immigrants from Poland and other Catholic nations have done yeoman's work in turning the tide, we should never forget of the island's once proud Catholic heritage. A doff of the cap to Rich Leonardi for this link.

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Parish Goes Toe To Toe With Abortion Clinic Sees Dramatic Decline In Abortions This just proves that it can be done. All too often we hear some of the Catholic left say that all we can do is pray because their is no other way to reduce abortions. Here is their proof that parishes and dioceses do make a difference.

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Father Longenecker On The "Happy Holidays" Phrase, Not Pushed  By Jews, Muslims Or Hindus, But By Militant Secularists This is something that I think we all have noticed. Many of the adherents of other religions don't really have a problem with an overwhelming Christian nation celebrating this important season. It is those who don't believe in anything who really seem bent out of shape about it. Now I wonder if they have ever taken the time to figure out whose interests they really serve?

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Pictures Of Christmas In Iraq Here is some positive news for you, not only was Christmas celebrated in the larger Christian areas of Baghdad and Mosul but in the smaller Iraqi Christian enclaves, such as Basra. Thanks to Spirit Daily for this link.

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Background On The Feast Of The Holy Family  Always helpful to point out these links to those who want to better acquaint themselves with the Faith, either from those who know little about their Faith or those who want to learn more about Catholicism. The Holy Family gives us the model of how a family can handle adversity all through their days, from beginning to end.

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December 27, 2008

2008 Was The Beginning Of A New Pentecost Says Pope Benedict  The Holy Father reminds us of the amazing events that only those in attendance for World Youth Day would appreciate. The youth who were there witnessed something old and something new. They witnessed the majesty of the Church in a youthful environment. Yet, it was only the truly holy, like Pope Benedict, who would be able to see what was beginning to unfold.

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Time Magazine Article On How Most American Christians Didn't Spend Christmas Eve Or Christmas Day In Church Sad but true, this article not only chronicles the sad modern phenomena of the growing secularism in our society but the ramifications of the post Protestant Reformation belief that Christmas and compulsory church attendance in general was not necessary. While Martin Luther believed in holy days and sacraments, what he wrought with his rebellion could not be controlled by his ego. He found this out at the Marburg Colloquy, when his fellow Reformation brethern mocked his beliefs on the Eucharist, among others. The end result is what we are left with today, so many churches and denominations (last count in 2000, some 35,000+ denominations and independent churches in the US alone) that anyone can claim is holy and real despite what Jesus said in Luke 10:16 and Matthew 16:16-20.

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In The National Catholic Reporter Rose Murphy Goes On A Tirade Against The Structure Of The Church & Those Of Us Who Loyally Follow The Church's Teachings  The article sounds like the the whining of a spoiled child, not the words of an adult. It is sad enough if any man, woman or child would feel this wayward and lost, however, it is way beyond crossing the line to give this lost soul a pulpit from which to preach. Yet, so it is with the National Catholic Reporter.

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Unbelievable Hypocrisy; The Same Mainstream Media That Brutalized Governor Sarah Palin Now Fawns Over Caroline Kennedy (Who Didn't Bother To Vote Much Since In The Last 20 Years) Thanks to Creative Minority Report for this one. I just don't get it as I have said before this fascination with celebrity is beyond my comprehension.  Has the US Senate turned into the British House of Lords? What experience does Caroline Kennedy have besides DNA which believe it or not former NYC Mayor Ed Koch says is good enough for him. Hizzoner has appearently drank the kool aid as well. Reports have it that Caroline Kennedy rarely voted in the last 20 years and will soon come out for gay marriage as well. Will that really play in the Empire State beyond the NYC metro area? I don't think so.

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CNN Meterologist Chad Myers Takes Heat For Saying Global Warming Is An Arrogant Theory The same folks who told us that Al Gore was a sage, so smart that he won the Nobel Prize, now tries to sell us the ridiculous notion of Global Warming. Thankfully some folks, even at CNN, aren't buying it. I am sure Chad Myers is going to take some heat. He once was a meterologist in Columbus so I am glad to see him doing so well and sticking to his guns. In case you don't believe my skepticism regarding global warming here is a link for you. From about 800-1300 AD the world experienced five hunrded years of above normal temps. Warm weather crops were grown in the far nothern reaches of Britain. However by the 1355 the world was locked in a deep freeze and it would continue for about five more centuries. In 1355 the Thames was completely frozen over and citizens of London could walk from end to another. In Ethiopia snow remained on the mountain tops the entire year and many more years to come. By the way the Industrial Revoltion was still 400 years away.

Click Here For Comments About Global Warming & CNN's Chad Myers Takes Heat For His Political Incorrect Comments

 Father Rosica Reflects On Saint Joseph Very thought provoking post coming from Father Rosica who reminds us that Saint Joseph often gets lost amid the splendor of Jesus and the Blessed Mother this time of year. His courage to follow God's will it something every man should reflect on in his faith journey. As men if we had an ounce of the courage of Saint Joseph we would all be better husbands, fathers and men in general.

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December 26, 2008 Feast Of St Stephen

Pope Benedict's Urbi et Orbi Address Pleads For Peace In The Middle East, The End Of Distatorships In Africa & The End Of The Western Materialist Culture (Transcript Included)  The Holy Father pleads for the world to finally listen to Christ's message some 2,000 years after it was preached. This is not to say that there are not some amazing men and women preaching and teaching the Church's message, but "the harvest is great and the laborers are few."

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Deacon Keith Fournier On The Catholic Church The Defender Of Human Life, Deacon Fournier Reminds Us That Jesus Was Once An Embryonic Person Where would the pro life movement be without the Church? We were the only Church who has always preached the pro life message. It is hard to believe that during the 1970s even the Southern Baptists had a pro abortion plank which to the dismay of folks like Rev Jerry Falwell, Chuck Colson and Dr R. Albert Mohler  who said, "The early Evangelical response to Roe v Wade was woefully in adaquate."

Click Here For Comments About Deacon Keith Fournier's Article On Church Defender Of Human Life

Large Increase Nationwide & Worldwide In The Number Of Vandalized Nativity Scenes

Michael Brown On The Spirit Of Hatred Toward The Nativity Displayed By Some In Our Ever Growing Secular Culture Hard to believe that a baby could illicit such a response. However, these evil doers  know who what the Nativity represents; the Son of God who will put an end to their rebellion. The evil one knows he is finished but yet soldiers on hoping he can drag a few down with him when he finally is relegated to his fiery end. 

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Mark Shea Illustrates The Silliness Of Atheist Logic, Reminds Us Of The Fact That It Didn't Exist Before Christianity  A great post by Mark in which he reminds us that there were no folks in Mayan or other indigenous cultures who were atheists. It is a rather modern phenomena, really quite childish. Besides risking eteral damnation it is really silly to claim to be an atheist, much like a child who will hold their breath until they get their way.

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Life Of Saint Stephen & The Growth Of Interest Concerning Him In The Early Church

More On The Life Of Saint Stephen

More On The Feast Of St Stephen, The Origins Of It & The Life Of This Martyr  Such an amazing testament of faith, that if not for the old Christmas song, "Good King Wenceslas," might be forgotten.  Stephen set the standard for courage and everyone of the Early Church faithful knew it and were amazed by it. Whenever I think of St Stephen I can't help but think of a conversation I had a few years with ago with two guys.  Their father was an Evangelical pastor and the subject of Saint Stephen came up. They wondered who it was in the early days of Christianity that gave him the title "Saint." I explained the Church's History etc. They looked mystified and some time later I saw them again and they had recounted how they have never known that the Catholic Church had existed since the beginning. They kept saying, "how come we never knew anything about all of these saints and the longevity of the Catholic Church?"

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December 25, 2008 Merry Christmas

At Midnight Mass, Pope Benedict Reflects On Christ's Birth, Tells How God's Love Visible In The Incarnation Is Beyond Our Understanding. The Holy Father Sadly Tells Of The Violence Many Children In The World Must Face, Says The Eucharist Can Heal All Wounds  Listening to the Holy Father on Christmas Eve is an amazing experience. How he is able to effortlessly incorporate so many themes into one homily is beyond me. Obviously, that is why the Holy Spirit saw to it that he was elected Holy Father.  I especially enjoyed the part where Pope Benedict spoke of God's love which surprised even the angels when Jesus came into the world.

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Largest Crowd In Eight Years Celebrates Christmas In Bethlehem  Hopeful signs in Bethlehem as the embattled Christians have a ray of hope both spiritually and commercially. They along with the entire Middle East needs our prayers. Let us hope and pray that 2009 will be a good year for them. They deserve it.

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Christmas Openly Celebrated In Baghdad For The First Time In Five Years The faithful in Iraq have literally been through hell and back. While Iraq has a long way to go, especially for the Christians, things are looking up and perhaps this remnant of the True Faith will be able to shine the light of Christ's love to those evildoers who want to extinguish it from the region and the world.

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Inspiring Story Of The Growing Number Of Catholic Students At The Late Rev Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, Growth Due In Part To One Courageous Student When one thinks of Liberty University, one doesn't picture a vibrant Catholic students group. Yet, here it is and it seems one courageous student started the ball rolling. The late Rev Falwell was far more open to Catholics than many other more fundamentalist oriented clergy. To his credit, he let the Catholic students grow without putting a stop to it as has happened at similar institutions.

Click Here For Comments About Catholic Student Group Growing At Liberty U

Actor Gary Sinese aka Lt Dan From Forest Gump (A Convert To The Faith) Honored At The White House For His Humanitarian Efforts  Here is a good news story we all need to hear from time to time. Thanks to Tito at Cvstos Fidei for this one. Gary Sinese does some great charitable work and it is nice to know that he recently converted to the Faith. I do hope more people find out about his charitable works, it certainly is heartwarming.

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My Latest Column For The Catholic Times Entitled; God's Great Christmas Gift The Incarnation  Here is my Christmas article for the Catholic Times. We often ignore the obvious, the overwhelming love of God to take the form of a man. Most of us become very frustrated with people who make the same mistakes over and over again. Yet, somehow God is more patient with us than we could ever imagine being with those who frustrate us.

Click Here For Comments About My Column On The Incarnation

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF THE CATHOLIC REPORT READERS. MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND ALL YOU HOLD DEAR! 

December 24, 2008 Christmas Eve

Pope Benedict's 2009 Visit To The Holy Land Taking Shape  It will soon be official but it seems the Holy Father will visit Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian areas. Let us hope and pray that his visit will spark peace. I also pray that the Holy Father will be protected from those who want to violently crush the faith as they have tried to do all throughout the Midde East.

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Vatican Spokesman Father Lombardi Upset Over French Network's Decision To Show A Comedy Special Instead Of Their Tradition Of Broadcasting Christmas Midnight Mass  In a sense this French network is not only giving short shrift to the Holy Father but is mocking the entire Christian community by saying the faithful's traditional TV program is being replaced by a comedy special. Everyone who rebelled against God felt cocky for a while and then literally the bottom fell out from under them. I hope the management at this French network has a conversion experience this Christmas Season.

Click Here For Comments About French Network's Decision To Show Comedy On Christmas Eve Instead Of The Mass Celebrated By Pope Benedict

People With Jobs, Says Pope Benedict, Must Be Generous To Those Who Lost Their's  These are tough times around the world and the Holy Father reminds the fortunate of their responsibilites to the less fortunate. As we have learned this year, not only did some people lose their wealth through being irresponsibl, but some through no fault of their own by investing with people like Bernie Madoff.

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New York Times City Editor Wendell Jamieson Calls It's A Wonderful Life Dreadful, Mocks Those Who Like This Traditional Classic, Even Takes A Pot Shot At The Bells Of Saint Mary's

Tom McFeely Explains Why The Movie It's A Wonderful Life Is So Wonderful, Despite The Views Of New York Times City Editor Wendell McPherison Who Said It Is Dreadful While Also Mocking Those Who Do Like It  Reading the review of Wendell Jamieson, I actually had to double check to make sure it wasn't a joke site for it revealed almost every stereotype liberals have about traditional minded people. Thankfully, Tom McFeely has an answer which is probably far more generous than mine would have been had I been asked to pen a response. At Christmas time we especially need to pray for the hard hearted among us.

Click Here For Comments About It's A Wonderful Life & The NY Times ity Editor's Scrooge Review

In Rural Northern Ohio A Little Girl Is Saved From Electrocution By A Crucifix This story made the news around here in Ohio and I thought you might like to read about this small miracle. We all need to hear good news like this during the Advent & Christmas Season.

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The Ox & The Donkey's Christmas By Pope Benedict XVI  Fascinating perspective by Pope Benedict working off the writings of Saint Francis of Assissi.  We see the Holy Father in all of his charitable and intellectual splendor here.

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December 23, 2008

Pope Benedict Addresses The Curia Delves Into The Defense Of Traditional Marriage, The Environment & World Youth Day

Here's How Some In The Mainstream Media Chose To Cover The Holy Father's Address To The Curia 

Father John Zuhlsdorf Deciphers Pope Benedict's Annual Address To The Curia, Where He Spoke Of Traditional Marriage, World Youth Day & The Beauty Of God's Creation  A very interesting and thought provoking address from Pope Benedict in which he uses such anti religious figures as Friedrich Nietzche to illustrate his points. The media is making much of the marriage comments but of course this is the bedrock of our faith as Pope Benedict puts it, the institution of marriage between a man and a woman goes back to Creation itself. Note the difference betwenn Father Zuhlsdorf's link compared to the second link courtesy of the mainstream media.

Click Here For Comments About Pope Benedict's Remarks To The Curia

Christianity Today Reprints 2002 Post "Something About Mary," In Which Protestant Theologians Ponder Over The Blessed Mother

At Creative Minority Report Matthew Archbold's Eyebrows Are Raised Over Protestant Song About Mary That Goes Against The Church'sTeaching  The first post is a startling reminder that for some Christians, they only hear about the Blessed Mother twice a year and certainly not in the same context that we do. Once, I remember hearing a woman on EWTN say that she always wondered why, as a child in a Baptist church, she only heard Mary's name mentioned twice a year. She eventually converted because she couldn't fathom that the Virgin Mother of our Savior could really be given such short shrift. She had to mean more to God and us than that.  In the second link we learn that subtle songs and gestures may not mean much and some may wonder why anyone would bring this up. However, this particualr lyric and thought process wasn't believed for well over 1,500 years. As a matter of fact Martin Luther didn't believe it either, so why are we hearing about it in a Catholic church?

Click Here For Comments About Protestant View Of Mary & Catholics Hear Protestant View Of Mary Via A Song At Mass

Mark Shea's Brief But Insightful Post About The Latest Hollywood Movies Which Could Be Summarized As Suburbs & Religion Bad, Edginess & Over The Top Sexuality Good. Mark Shea Reminds Us That Even Though GK Chesterton Has Been Dead For Nearly 100 Years, He Already Addressed This Phenomena In His Lifetime  Mark reminds us that all of this pushing the envelope unrestrained sexuality is nothing new, GK Chesterton set the world straight on it almost 100 years ago, sadly too few listened then and certainly fewer are listening now.

Click Here For Comments About Mark Shea's Post On Hollywood Films With Similar Plot

In Bavaria A Priest Praying Near The Altar Hears A Baby Crying From The Crib In The Nativity Scene, Infant Is Recovering. The Mother Was A Poor RomanianWoman Who Thought Someone Could Take Better Care Of The Child Than She Could  Thank God this priest was a holy man and praying when he heard the cries of this baby. Now this innocent child will have a chance at life. There are so many couples who can't conceieve naturally, hopefully this child will have all of the love he deserves.

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Virtue Media Affiliated With CatholicsComeHome.org To Run Pro Life Advertising On MTV & BET  The good folks at Catholics Come Home under the inspired direction of Tom Peterson have developed another great plan. This time they are reaching to two networks that have younger audiences. Hopefully, the pro life message might resonate with some of the viewers.

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SPECIAL NOTE THERE IS GOODNESS IN THE WORLD  This Time Of Year. My Computer Crashed On Sunday & I Was Stumped. I Took It To A Computer Repair Shop That At Just Recently Opened In The Greater Columbus Area. These Guys Didn't Know Me From Adam But Fixed My Computer Free Of Charge. They Said It Was A Simple Video Card Error. I Am Sure Few Other Would Have Been So Generous. If You Live In The Greater Columbus Area Check Out Ohio Computer Medix. Give Fyed A Call He Is A Nice Guy & Obviously Seems Very Honest Sincere.

BLESSED WITH A GOOD SERVICE PROVIDER.  I Should Also Take The Time To Thank The Good Folks At Dynamit Technologies Who Have Helped Me From The Beginning. My Site Comes To You Via Their Server. These Guys Are Just Out Of College & Formed Their Company While Still At One Of Our Local Catholic High Schools. Now They Have Clients All Over The World. Give Matt A Call & Check Them Out For All Of Your Business Needs. They Have Fixed Glitches On This Site At 2PM As Wll As 2AM. Their Intelligence Is Only Exceeded By Their Generosity. They Often Sponsor Events Or Use Their Own Time To Help Those In The Community Who Need It.

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December 22, 2008

Pope Benedict Reflects On The Angel Gabriel's Visit To Mary & Discusses The Cosmic Dimension Of Salvation God's Eternal Plan  This is a very thought provoking with regard to Pope Benedict's remarks following the Angelus. He reflects on God's plan for us in the context of the cosmos and the mind boggling dimensions of the universe that He has made for us.

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Many US Dioceses In Financial Difficulties Due To The Economic Downturn With all of the bad news revolivng around the economy, you knew it would have an impact on the Church via parishes, dioceses their investments and financial operations. It is always the poor who gets hurt the worst in these situations.

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Unpublished John Allen Interview With Cardinal Dulles Comes To Light This is Cardinal Dulles unplugged from an impromptu interview John Allen conducted some time ago. In some ways I wish the great minds of the Church did have their own version of the "unplugged format" you often see on some music channels. Wouldn't it be great to hear the great minds of the Church reflect, muse and ponder on various theological topics. I think the faithful would learn more than we could imagine. As an aside, check out some of the liberal comments at the end of the article. Sometimes these folks, who still think it is 1968, don't relize how much of a parody they have become.

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Deacon Keith Fournier On The Meaning Of Hail Mary Full Of Grace

Scott & Kimberly Hahn On "Hail Mary Full Of Grace" & Other Marian Facts

The Meaning Of Hail Full Of Grace (Kecharitomene) Fully Explained  Here are three links explaining the meaning of Hail Mary Full of Grace.  It really gives us some amazing insight into the Grace of God and the faith of Mary that she would agree to such a request. You might recall that Mary said "Let it be done to me," while Zechariah (John the Baptist's Father) questioned God's gift of a son. He wanted an explanation and God took away his speech until his famous son was born. The lesson being have faith in God.

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Nashville Dominicans Story Of Growth To Be Shown On Canada's Salt & Light Network (You Can Watch The Story Here)  Thanks to Nancy for this one. With all of the negative news out there this Advent & Christmas Season, it sure is nice to read stories such as this one. As I have said time and time again, if your preach it and teach it, they will come.  Nancy is sure one fortunate woman for her western Canadian cable system carries both EWTN and the Salt & Light Network (Canada's own Catholic channel.)

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Attention:  Catholic Report Reader Bill Kassel & Those Zany Folks At Kassel & Company Have Another Radio Show For You. It Is A Christmas Production Entitled; It's Fun To Be Catholic. Bill Writes That It Is Probably Their Finest Production. You Can Listen To It At Ave Maria Radio.  Here Are The Show Times - Wednesday, 12/24, 2:00 p.m, Thursday, 12/25, Noon, Friday, 12/26, 2:00 p.m, Tuesday, 12/30, 2:00 p.m.

December 21, 2008

Pope Benedict Says The Holy See Must Be On The Internet With Words, Pictures & Sounds To Spread The Good News The Faith has always found a way to communicate Christ's message to the world in it's own ways but not getting caught up in the ways of the world. The high tech (at the time) Roman road system helped the Faith in the first few centuries to spread Christ's message throughout the Roman Empire. Now we have the internet, television, radio and the printed page to help do our work.

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Cardinal Napier Of South Africa Says It Is Time For Pharaoh (Robert Mugabe Of Zimbabawe) To Go Who knows what goes through the minds of sociopaths like Robert Mugabe or Bernie Madoff, they seem to enjoy seeing people suffer all the while they pull the strings, much like the old time mafia dons. The people of Zimbabwe have suffered untold abuses in a country that should be one of the world's richest, not of the world's most oppressed.

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Funeral Mass Held For Cardinal Dulles At St Patrick's Cathedral

Rocco Palmo Gives A Rundown Of The Coverage For Cardinal Dulles' Funeral

At First Things Joseph Bottum Reprints Large Cache Of Articles Written For First Things By Cardinal Dulles

Times Of London's Obituary For Cardinal Avery Dulles SJ I thought you might enjoy this vast array of articles from Cardinal Dulles via links from Rocco Palmo, who has the run down on all the behind the scenes workings, to the obituary seen in the Times of London. I am so glad His Emminence received this sort of coverage, if only it would have carried over to the cable and network news channels.

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Christian Klar Relaeased From German Jail, Key Leader Of The 1970s' Red Army Faction Had Large Role In Rombings & Kidnappings In The 1970s (What Makes Him Different Than Bll Ayres?)  I truly wonder what goes throguh the mind of these old radicals from the 1960s and 1970s? Do they have any remorse?  Are they all as spoiled as Bill Ayres who remains unrepentent? Wouldn't have been nice if they just swallowed their pride admitted that they didn't know it all, accepted Christ and His Church in their lives?  I am sure some have but far too many go to their graves full of conceit and arrogance on who they thought they were and what their goals truly achieved? Thanks to Tito Edwards at Cvstos Fidei  for this one.

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Father Thomas Rosica CSB, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? This is an interesting reflection coming from Father Rosica. He goes in different directions in this article, but I think you will find it worth your while.

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Did The Biblical Flood Begin At Carmel? Another theory on the biblical flood and where it might have occured. These types of stories fascinate me because we have folks, who are often secular, admitting that they think a flood probably occurred. I truly wonder if deep down many of these secular centered researchers and scientists have a somewhat profound religious experience while engaged in their work.

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Attention:  Catholic Report Reader Bill Kassel & Those Zany Folks At Kassel & Company Have Another Radio Show For You. It Is A Christmas Production Entitled; It's Fun To Be Catholic. Bill Writes That It Is Probably Their Finest Production. You Can Listen To It At Ave Maria Radio.  Here Are The Show Times - Wednesday, 12/24, 2:00 p.m, Thursday, 12/25, Noon, Friday, 12/26, 2:00 p.m, Tuesday, 12/30, 2:00 p.m.

December 20, 2008

Pope Benedict Tells New Ambassadors That They Must Help Bring God's Order To Their Countries, Says They Can Help Tame The Demons That Inflict Each & Every Culture One can argue over theology but much of the world, especially the western world was built upon Judeo Christian ethics. There probably was a time when the Ten Commandments were unpopular and the yway we are going they will soon be unpopular again. However, we can't simply tear down the foundation of civilization to appease the latest trends, otherwise the structure will completely collapse.

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Father Zuhlsdorf Deciphers & Dissects Comments Of Bishop Conry Of Arundel & Brighton (Britain) & His Views On The Latin Mass & Why Some Young People Are More Traditional Than Their Parents. Bishop Conry Says You Can't Talk To You People About Salvation, They Want To Hear How You Will Save The Planet In Your Homily

Here's A Talk From Pope Benedict Earlier Thir Year Discussing The Need For Talks With The Young About Their Salvation (Perhaps The Good Bishop Should Read This!) It is a tragic thing when someone is so gifted and yet can't literally see the trees for the forest. Bishop Conry sounds like a very intelligent and sincere man and yet he doesn't want to understand the obvious. He explains away the concerns of traditional young people and older people as being simple fear. Fortunately, we have our Holy Father and his words are far more inspiring than that of the Bishop of Arundel & Brighton. A doff of the cap to Amy Welborn for the second link.

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In First Things Michael Novak On Science & Religion There is so much that science and religion can agree upon and yet there is divide. Many in scientific community just can't wrap their arms around the idea that what they can't explain, the birth and rapid growth of the universe, was caused by God.

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In First Things Jordan Hylden Writes About The Dilemma Facing Those Who Can't Figure Out If They Are Angelican Or Episcopalian There is a simple remedy for this situation and it involves joining the Church that came before both of them. I realize that this may sound simplistic but it is the easiest solution that I can come up with for this perplexing semantical problem.

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Intrepid Pro Life Advocates Catches Planned Parenthood In A Snare, Indiana Attorney Plans Investigation This is what we need, more creative folks who will give the proponents of the Culture of Death something to think about when they ponder their next move or try to sleep thinking they have a clear conscience.

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Pray For Nick Thomm, The Young Producer For Al Kresta's Radio Show, Who Suffers Another Setback In Battling A Brain Tumor  I have had the privilege of talking to and meeting Nick Thomm several times. He is part of that turning tide of orthodox minded young people. Sadly, he and his family have been given a severe cross to carry. Sometimes we don't want to read stories like this but I think it is imperative that we do. We need to pray for people like Nick and his family who do so much for God.

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Attention:  Catholic Report Reader Bill Kassel & Those Zany Folks At Kassel & Company Have Another Radio Show For You. It Is A Christmas Production Entitled; It's Fun To Be Catholic. Bill Writes That It Is Probably Their Finest Production. You Can Listen To It At Ave Maria Radio. Here Are The Show Times - Wednesday, 12/24, 2:00 p.m, Thursday, 12/25, Noon, Friday, 12/26, 2:00 p.m, Tuesday, 12/30, 2:00 p.m.  

December 19, 2008

Pope Benedict Unveils 2011 World Youth Day Theme, Rooted & Built Up In Jesus Christ, Firm In The Faith The Holy Father has had a successful run in his first two World Youth Days. He really seems to have grown into the role first cast by Pope John Paul II. Now comes word of the theme for the Madrid World Youth Day.

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Cardinal Arinze Writes A Book Entitled; Letters To A Young Priest, Discusses The Obediant & Not Activist Role Of A True Priest There is so much wisdom that eminates from Cardinal Arinze. I had the good fortune to hear him speak in person, some years ago. For all of the liberal talk about diversity and listening to the voices of those from the Third World, they rarely listen to him or the other orthodox minded who comprise the Third World. Actually, it is a rare event when one hears of a liberal in the Third World. It is a bitter pill to swallow for liberals in the Church and Cardinal Arinze is one to let them have an earful and then give them so more. I was struck by how similar the words of Cardinal Arinze are to that of Archbishop Naumann who I interviewed for Rome's Zenit News last month.

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Seven Antiphons For The Last Seven Days Of Advent All Worth Discovering, A Musical Journey That Also Helps Us Understand Our Faith  The richness of our faith is so deep, one can scarcely scratch the surface, and so it is with these antiphons. I caught this in passing on EWTN the other night and lo and behold Father Zuhlsdorf and Tito Edwards from Cvstos Fidei had it on their sites as well.

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In The UK, A Neighborhood Council Asks Woman To Take Down Her Christmas Decorations Since They Might Offend Those Of Other Faiths  This is just more of the same. It does appear as if the woman in question will be alllowed to keep her decorations but that this was in question at all is more than a little telling about the the signs of the times in Europe. Let's pray fro them before they have to pray for us who might incur a similar problem.

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Paul Weyrich The Catholic Lay Leader Who Along With Rev Jerry Falwell Helped Found The Moral Majority Dies At Age 66. Weyrich, Who Later Became A Melkite Catholic Deacon, Battled Various Illnesses For Years. He Was A Tireless Promoter Of Conservative Causes & Actually Coined The Term "Moral Majority"  It is sad that there aren't more men and women like Paul Weyrich. He seemed to realize his abilities, the core of which surrounded his optimistic nature, and he was always thinking ahead and believing in the best about cosnervative beliefs, even during the rough periods. He later became an ordained Melkite Catholic deacon.

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Downloadable Study Which Shows Children Rasied In Religious Homes Far More Likely To Excel In School & Life & Stay Out Of The Legal System, Despite Their Socio Economic Conditions I know I am not telling you anything you didn't know. You may ask why I am preaching to the choir with this link? The answer is that for all of the doubting Thomases in regards to Judeo Christian virtue; here is your proof. Check out this report and send it to your Doubting Thomas friends and colleagues. A doff of the cap to Tito over at Cvstos Fidei for this one.

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Chinese Navy Flexing Muscles Over Pirate Raids, Maye Send First Large Naval Flotilla Since The 1400s  Do you ever wake up some days and feel you have been transported back in history? I mean look at the news where we have been talking about pirates for a while now and now comes this story about the resurgence of the Chinese Navy who has't been a naval power since the days of Columbus. In those days they were so powerful they just got bored finding other cultures that weren't as superior as their's so they packed it up and just went home. How bad is it that the west seems to wish the pirates would go away and the Chinese seem like they are serious about something to thwart these modern day Barbery descendents.

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Billy Joel's Only The Good Die Young, Is It Anti- Catholic Or Just Anti-Christian Values? This famous (or infamous) song came out when I was a freshman in high school. I seem to recall the older guys took great pleasure in singing loudly some of the more offensive verses at one of our high school dances. It took the nuns just one dance to figure that song out and we never heard it again at our Catholic high school. It seems to me that this song (and others like it) really had an impact, not so much on the kids and girls especially, who had secure home lives, but those kids who really needed some guidance and moral direction. It certainly wasn't coming from Billy Joel. Here are the lyrics if you aren't familiar with this 1978 hit. Have you ever noticed that some of the liberals in Hollywood who say, "it is just a song" are the same folks who don't have kids, never taught them and have no idea what goes through their mind? I mean because it was Billy Joel most people thought what harm could the song do, it certainly wasn't Cat Scratch Fever by Ted Nugent another convtroversial song from that period. Everyone knew what the Motor City Madman was up to, but Billy Joel was the nice ballad singer from Long Island. I think this approach is what made the song so subtly alarming.

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Attention:  Catholic Report Reader Bill Kassel & Those Zany Folks At Kassel & Company Have Another Radio Show For You. It Is A Christmas Production Entitled; It's Fun To Be Catholic. Bill Writes That It Is Probably Their Finest Production. You Can Listen To It At Ave Maria Radio.  Here Are The Show Times - Wednesday, 12/24, 2:00 p.m, Thursday, 12/25, Noon, Friday, 12/26, 2:00 p.m, Tuesday, 12/30, 2:00 p.m.

December 18, 2008

Pope Benedict Says The Economic Crisis Is A New Opportunity To Discover The True Meaning Of Christmas  Out of bad news can come good. For too long too many people were so absorbed with themselves and possessions that they nearly or totally forget the true meaning of Christmas. The Holy Father is reminding the faithful, and not so faithful, that good can come out of bad.

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Vietnamese Government Insists It Will Demolish Catholic Monastary To Build A Park, The Faithful In Vietnam Continue To Protest  The Communist authroities in Hanoi have their hands full. They thought they could intimidate and cajole the faithful but it is not working. As a matter of fact their tactics have only strengthened the faithful. The boys in Hanoi are finding out what countless tyrants from the Roman Empire to the present time have learned about the faith, it cannot be conquered.

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Catholic-Orthodox Meeting At Trent Strongly Affirms Traditional Family Values These are the types of meetings that help all sides for we can certainly find agreement in matters such as these. The anti traditional Value forces have been riding a wave, often a wave of anger so it is good when we can get together, pray and affirm our values.

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Saddleback Pastor Rick Warren To Give The Invocation At President Elect Obama's Inauguration  Well this is sure to stimulate debate. It is a coup for President Elect Obama because he will try to say he is appealing to conservatives, since this will certainly raise the ire of gay activists. I should say it alread has, check out this link where gay activists are up in arms. First of all you may recall that Pastor Warren probably conducted the best Presidential Debate/Forum during the campaing season,  but he made one titanic mistake. He never followed up, with then Senator Obama, over his jaw dropping comment that the answer to when life begins is "above my pay grade." Perhaps on January 20, 2009 he will redeem himself. Now I took some heat over this article which appeared in Catholic Exchange. However, I stand by the fact that for all of the imperfect men and women in the Catholic Church, we base our beliefs not on the latest whims of men but on the 2,000 year old teachings of Jesus, His Apostles and their successors. As I have said before, Rick Warren has done and continues to do some amazing things for the needy among us. He also literally wrote the book on having a successful mega church. You might recall his book, The Purpose Driven Church was the forerunner to the Purpose Driven Life. However, being a mega church pastor always means looking to see who is one your heels or which direction the political winds are currently blowing. No wonder Jesus gave Peter (and the 264 popes who followed him) the keys to lead the Church. Thank God for that.

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In The Asian Times, The Mysterious Writer Spengler On The Failed Muslim Countries To Come  A fascinating look at the economics of some prominent Muslim countries of the world. The outlook for them is almost apocalyptic, although they may have tons of oil wealth, they are spending it faster than they get it all the while trying to contain a political powder keg, at least according to the mysterious writer Spengler. There is no first name on his/her columns. Whoever Spengler is, he or she is extremely intelligent and thought provoking. The other day while driving, I heard Rush Limbaugh delve into the mysterious Spengler as well.  He or she writes for the Asia Times which has led me to conjure some mysertiously wise figure from the East, seen in past movies a la James Bond or TV episodes of Hawaii Five O. Thanks to Tito of Cvstos Fidei for this link.

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Whacko Fundamentalist Website Claims Pope Benedict Poisoned Russian Patriarch Alexy Partially Due To Beard Envy (You Can't Make This Stuff Up)  When Mark Butler sent me this link I couldn't stop laughing and I had to e-mail Mark to be reassured this was not some sort of joke website. No, it is the real deal, a whacko fundamentalist website that even sees envy and conspiracies in beards.

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December 17, 2008

In Boston St John's Seminary Experiences A Stunning Turnaround, Enrollment Doubles In Two Years  With all the bad news front and center, it still cannot stop the tide from turning. Here is your proof in Boston of all places, a city and an archdiocese at the center of the Abuse Scandal storm. Young men are entering the seminary because they see their local Church has regained her senses. I have said it time and time again, if your preach it and teach it they will come. There has never been a time when God turned his back on vocations. Sadly, for too long the "Dictatorship of Relativism" ruled but thanks to Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI the heyday of that period is over. Young men and young women who feel called are taking their vocational call seriously and that is why they are very orthodox in their beliefs and that is also why the liberal orders are dying before our very eyes. Thanks to Spirit Daily for the link.

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In Orissa, India The Story Of Brave Little Namrata, A Little Girl Who While Physically Deformed From Attacks By Hindu Militants Still Has A Loving Christmas Perspective  My wish is that everyone would have a chance to read this story about a little girl who has not lost the Christmas spirit despite the fact that she was brutally attacked. This is the kind of love that seperates Christianity from other faiths, it is something they cannot even fathom.

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Hewlitt Foundation Plans To Give Millions To Planned Parenthood Just when Planned Parenthood and their abortion allies are becoming somewhat disrespected by the younger population, the old liberal guard steps in with a cash infusion. We saw this with Warren Buffet as well. Please pray for these souls, they are going to need it.

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Accelerant Used To Start Fire At Governor Palin's Church  There has been scant attention given to this story by the mainstream media. However, it is looking more and more like this was a deliberate act. Not only was some deviant trying to burn down a church, but the miscreant(s) must have known there were people inside and yet they continued with their evil work.

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Another Church Hoping To Be The Next Mega Church Goes Broke, Church In Debt For Almost $1,000,000  Even as late as this year, the church's elders thought they were just about to break into the big time. However, it just didn't happen and now their church is owned by the bank. This is the sad plight of many a small pastor's dreams of hitting the big time so to speak. While their hearts are in the right place, they often deal with a fickled "religious consumer" who might be swayed by the preaching of someone else.  While this story took place in Columbus, it could and does happen everywhere. I hope and pray these church elders and those who contributed to them don't fall into dispair. I earnestly hope and pray that they are drawn our way, to a 2,000 year old Sacramental Tradition, one that was started by Jesus Himself and passed down through His Apostles which  extends to us today.

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Father Zuhlsdof On A Nearly 90 Year Old Priest In Rural Arkansas Who Still Celebrates Daily Mass & Is Looking Forward To Celebrating The Latin Mass. Despite His Age, This Priest Still Tends His Beehives & Gardens To Help Those In Need A very heart warming story coming out of Arkansas. All too often in today's world we complain of being over worked. Yet here is this humble Arkansas priest still going strong despite being nearly 90.

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My Latest Column For The Catholic Times Entitled; Advent & Christmas; More We Less Me  These are some of my reflections on Advent & Christmas, especially as they relate to Christmas cards or lack there of and the ritual bragging and gloating some people do about themselves. My point is that Christmas isn't about that, it is about something totally different and far more important than our big promotion or newest expensive hobby.

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December 16, 2008

Sandro Magister On Pope Benedict's Oration On Original Sin (Three Times In The Past Eight Days)  This is a very insightful piece by Sandro Magister. Thanks to Amy Welborn for pointing out this link. Advent is a time of waiting and preparing for the Lord. It is our dark before the dawn of the Incarnation. Sandro Magister deciphers some of the recent reflections by the Holy Father.

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Lifeteen Founder Monsignor Dale Fushek Excommunicated By Bishop Olmsted In Phoenix For Publicly Engaging In Ministry While Forbidden  Lifeteen was all the rage some years ago. In some ways it really caused a rift among some orthodox minded Catholics. The more charismatic crowd (sometimes associated with Fraciscan U) really liked the idea, while Mother Angelica at EWTN thought it was just a passing fad. After that came a scandal involving the founder of Lifeteen and it all seem to unravel. Here are a couple of links about the original scandal from Amy Welborn and this one from Jimmy Akin. He was never convicted of any of these charges. This wikipedia entry give some more background on the charges as well as the path Monsignor Fushek took in starting his own ministry which was not connected to the Church. Obviously, this is what led to his excommunication.

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Father Longenecker On Bob Jones University & Their Racist & Anti Catholic Past. They Have Repented For Their Racism But Will They Ever Repent For Their Anti Catholicism  If you are black, Bob Jones University has come a long way, but if you are Catholic don't plan on being given the same repentent treatment. We are still the Whore Of Babylon. I do believe dialogue can go a long way but Bob Jones didn't just wake up and see the light on race relations, they had to pushed into the late 20th & 21st century kicking and screaming. I grew up in an area where there were a good number of fundamentalists who only seemed to respect you when gave as good as you took. Otherwise, you proved their long held beliefs that Catholics don't know what they believe, and therefore they believe in superstition.

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Ottawa's Archbishop Prendergast Cracks Down On Those Who Won't Kneel, Shows Canadians The Way On Orthodoxy  Good news for our friends to the north. The prelate in their nation's capital seems to be showing all Canadians the way. With Archbishop Prendergast assisting English speaking Canadians and Cardinal Ouellet doing the same for French speaking Canadians, things are looking up. I don't mean to imply that these are the only two in Canada, there are others but these are two of the more prominent ones. Canadian readers please chime in with your opinions.

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Religion Writer Philip Jenkins On The Spirit Of 76, Similarities Between President Carter & President Elect Obama. Jenkins Looks At Liberal Social Agenda That Is Aimed At Religious Conservative Groups Like Catholics  A thought provoking article from Philip Jenkins, who has written on Christian orthodoxy, especially in the Third World. In this article, he delves into the series of events that led to Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama's election. Jenkins describes how the events that led to the downfall of Carter may do the same for the new administration.

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Interesting Link From A Report Made By German Bishops In 1939 On Damage Done To Holy Objects Presumed To Have Been Perpetrated By The Hitler Youth Throughout Germany  By chance, I came across this interesting link. It is taken from reports of the German bishops, in the late 1930s, on the rise of Nazi thugs associated with the Hitler Youth. As you can see they were defiling altars and destroying crucifixes which shows them to be the closet satanists we always knew they were.

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Patrick Archbold On Public Saints, The Show On Fox Where Millionaires Secretly Give To Those In Need Nice story on this Fox show about real life rich people who secretly give money to those who desperately need it. During these troubling times. we need to know there are people out there like this.

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December 15, 2008

Pope Benedict Reminds The Faithful That As Christmas Draws Near, So Does The Love Of Christ & Just As Christ Came Into The World At An Hour Only Known To God, So He Will Again The Incarnation is a deep mystery and so too is the deeper love God has for us that He would appear in human form. Below in the link of Saint Athanasius, I delve a little more into that subject. This link features the Angelus address of the Holy Father.

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Saint Athanasius On The Incarnation, Why Did God Come To Us In The Flesh?  When you read critical writings of Christianity from an atheistic perspective or even from a Jewish or Islamic perspective, the cry is often; why did God need a Son?  Saint Athanasius answers this quite profoundly. The simple answer for me has always been who do we think we are that we can question God's logic ie; Jesus, the Son of God, the Eucharist & the True Presense and the grace of the Blessed Mother?

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Sometimes A Saint Has Gotta Do What A Saint Has Gotta Do; The Story Of Saint Nicholas Punching The Heretic Arius At The Council Of Nicea (Scroll Down)  Muscular Christianity that has always existed but thanks to liberals in the 1960s and 1970s, it almost disappeared.  I guess it was all part of the 1970s, David Gates & Bread, James Taylor, Alan Alda  and the sensitive male format. Now, don't get me wrong it is not that I dislike David Gates or James Taylor, I actually have some of their albums ( and even cd's) but there is a time for senstivitity and a time for masculinity. Jesus, Saint Peter, Saint Paul & John the Baptist were hardly the types people pushed around. It appears the heretic Arius was even too much for jolly old Saint Nick. It appears he gave Arius quite a thumping.

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Anglican Authorities In The UK Approve Plans To Turn An 800 Year Old Abbey Into A Temporary Skatepark, Pews Will Be Uprooted In Order For Skateboard Ramps & A Coffee Bar To Be Inserted

Political Correctness Becomes The Theater Of The Absurd; Some Anglican Churches Will Not Allow Parishioners To Sing God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, Along With Many Others Songs Because They Are Either To Sexist, Not Diverse Enough Or Don't Properly Reflect The Suffering Of Any Number Of Groups No this is not a Monty Python skit but more of the same from the goofy leadership of the Anglican Church who seems to  think  you attract a younger crowd by trying to be hip like the kids. However, I think we all know men and women who try act hip with their kids and their friends which only leads the kids to think their friend's parents are very weird. So it is with this case.

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Longtime Spokesman For National Association Of Evangelicals Richard Cizik Resigns, Claims He's Ambivalent On Gay Unions. Earlier Cizik Had Surprised Evangelicals By Trying To Push A Global Warming Agenda It is so sad that in the greater Christian community some folks have decided to put their finger in the wind and decide what the latest trends happen to be. Sadly, we have it in our Church as well. Prayers are needed for these folks who can't seem to find truth when they are looking right at it.

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Young Somali Men From Minneapolis, Columbus, Boston, Atlanta, San Diego & Seattle Disappearing & Resurfacing In Jihadist Training Camps In Somalia   This has kind of been swept under the rug in the mainstream media. Thankfully, Robert Spencer is always on to stories such as this one. All of these cities have sizeable Somali populations and it is quite sad because most of the Somalis are kind and very grateful people but the nature of radical Islam is always war. Prayers are needed.

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New York Times Obituary Of Cardinal Dulles SJ The New York Times always had a history of writing illustrious obituaries, the kind that took up far more space than one sees in their local or regional paper. Here is Cardinal Dulles' obituary. Besides his famous father, Cardinal Dulles had many other prominent family members. We all know his famous contribution to faith, but here are some other facts that you may not know.

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CHRISTMAS GIFT: SIGNED PERSONALIZED COPIES OF THE TIDE IS TURNING TOWARD CATHOLICISM BY YOURS TRULY. 

You Can Either Use The Pay Pal Option (Above & To The Right) Or Click Here For My E-Mail & I Can Tell You Where To Send Your Personal Check. Perhaps You Don't Have A Copy Or Would Like One For A Friend. I Will Sign It To Your Specifications. Hurry, Time Is Running Out For Christmas Delivery.  It Will Make A Great Gift & Mrs. Hartline (The Catholic Report Accountant) Would Appreciate A Few More Dollars To Pay The Bills!!!

December 14, 2008

Five Million Came For Pilgrimage At Our Lady Of Guadalupe's Feast Day Near Mexico City At Tepeyac Hill, Far More Than Came To Mecca For The Hajj  We often hear how Islam is taking over the spiritual world. while elements of it have taken over the political world, it is has not taken over the hearts of minds of the people. Look at the numbers who came to Mexico City. Unlike the Hajj, most didn't jet in, they walked for days, took a crowded bus, or even hitch hiked.

Click Here For Comments About Turnout At Tepeyac Hill For Our Lady Of Guadalupe's Feast Day

The Anchoress On Remembering Merton (40th Anniversary Of The Death Of Thomas Merton) Recently we passed the 40th anniversary of the death of Thomas Merton. The man who gave us Seven Story Mountain and a modern view of th escetic lifetsyle had many admirers. He also has had some detractors as of late, who were concered with his dabbling into Eastern religions. There is an elderly priest who lives near me who was Merton's personal secretary in Kentucky. In these moments, I wish I had asked him more about Merton.

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Italian Atheist Says Christianity Europe's Only Hope While many atheists are militant and hate all things religious, some may truly want to believe and we should help them in their struggle. How would one know? I think statements like this one help us understand who truly wants to find the truth and who doesn't.

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In Wasilla, Alaska Governor Palin's Church Badly Damaged In Suspicious Fire  I certainly hope the initial assessment by town's fire chief was wrong, because if this was a political statement it was heinous since not only was it a church, but there were people inside when the fire broke out. We shall soon know if this was an accident or deliberate.

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Oxford University Dictionary Takes Out Words Associated With Christianity Such As Bishop, Chapel Etc, Says They Are Not Relevant Anymore Replaces Them Words Like Broadband A sign of the times; Christian words are out and technology words are the in thing. This is really telling of society, especially the English Society. However, my guess is that the shapers of the dictionary haven't seen a bishop let alone a chapel face to face in years.

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Orthodox Church In US Rocked By Financial Crisis, Junior Texas Bishop Calls The Guilty To Account  The Orthodox Church has been having some financial scandals to deal with as of late and it took a junior bishop from Texas to spell out the seriousness of it. Any church should have learned by now that problems just don't go away, they have to be dealt with and the financial challenges have to be met.

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On Per Christum, David Bennett Writes On Why The Leadership Of The Anglican Church Has Turned Into The British Sitcom Are You Being Served Humor serves many pruposes and in this case it shows how far the Anglican leadership has fallen when it is rightly compared to the British comedy, Are You Being Served. This is one of my favorite comedies, so when David Bennett put this link up, I just had to post it. One could say there is an eerie similarity between some of the characters on the show and the current Anglican leadership. The aloof Captain Peacock and Mr Rumbold fit well with today's aloof Anglican Church leadership. Mr Lucas is the young hip guy that the Anglican Church is trying to appeal to, but he could care less. Don't even get me started with similarities between Mr Humphries and the current Anglican leadership.

Click Here For Comments About Per Christum's Post On Anglican Church Leadership Models British Comedy Are Your Being Served

December 13, 2008

Cardinal Dulles SJ Passes Away At The Age Of 90 On The Campus Of Fordham

Amy Welborn Has A Series Of Links On Cardinal Dulles

Brief Movietone News Clip Of Father Dulles' Ordination (Showing His Parents Sec Of State John Foster Dulles, Mrs Dulles & Cardinal Spellman) Some 50 Years Ago  Sad news but a full life lived for Cardinal Dulles. I think you will enjoy all three links for they all cover different territory. The life he lived from nominal Protestant to agnostic to Catholic scholar. With God All Things Are Possible.  I had the privilege of meeting Cardinal Dulles about eight years ago after he spoke to one of the local Catholic high schools. Sadly when watching the Evening News last night, I didn't see it mentioned on any of the network stations though they did mention the death of a 1950s pin up girl who died at age 85.

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Deal Hudson On How The Abortion Lobby Bankrolled Pro Abortion Catholic Politicians  This probably isn't too surprising to us, but it is no less depressing. The slow slouch away from God into the rebellious unknown began long ago, but it is our duty not to be a part of it. Sadly, far too many people just don't seem to care.

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In First Things Dr Francis Beckwith On Gay Marriage & Justificatory Liberalism Interesting piece by Dr Francis Beckwith on the faulty reasoning used by gay marriage advocates in their quest to push their agenda. Dr Beckwith indicates that no one in the mainstream media seems to be calling them out on their reason or lack there of.

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AP Story On President Elect Obama's Questionable Connections Aquaintences (Where Was This Story A Couple Of Months Ago?)   We were told by his fawning supporters in the mainstream media that he was above all of this and kept his distance from anyone who was less than pure. In the next few days and weeks, we shall see how this all plays out. Thanks to AFL for this link.

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Kansas City Catholic Has The Latest Sign Games & This Time It Is About The Latin Mass Our friend in Kansas City has the latest church sign comedy gig up again,  which this time features the Latin Mass. In the humor of this post (and the other church sign posts) one sees the hidden truth in it all. I hope some of our liberal friends who dislike the Latin Mass come to grips with this funny but telling post.

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Modern Catholic Apologetics Godfather Karl Keating Narrowly Avoided Death In The Crash Of A US Military Jet In San Diego Tomorrow is not promised to you. We have a hard time understanding that in our world where too many believe they are indescrutable. For those of us, who have lost loved ones in the blink of an eye, it is always with us. Perhaps, the best thing we can do is be ready every day to give an account of what we have and haven't done. Thank God Karl Keating gets to be with us a little longer.

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December 12, 2008 Our Lady Of Guadalupe

Following A Concert For Human Rights, Pope Benedict Says Without God No One Has Any Rights  I can't even imagine the world made in the image of the Social Darwinist, with the only rule to survival is there are no rules. One need only look at the animal kingdom to see the predatory nature of their existence. Thankfully, God gave us a conscience to prevent us from that. However, it is so sad that the relativists and miltant secularists among us seem to relish this sort of lifestyle.

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Links To Our Lady Of Guadalupe  One of the fascinating things for me to try and understand is the amount of practicing Catholics who have no idea about Our Lady of Guadalupe. Keep in mind she is the patroness of the Americas.  Everyone who lived in  the late1500's both in the Old World & New World would have known who she was, not just for her miraculous appearance to Juan Diego but her role in the Battle of Lepanto that saved Europe from an Islamic onslaught.

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Catholic League's Bill Donohue Outlines The Growing Anti Christmas Agenda Of The ACLU & Others Which Has Grown Since The Late 1980s The march against Christmas began somewhat quietly in the late 1980s and his picked up steam ever since. Now we have almost become accustomed to it. Bill Donohue reminds us that it doesn't have to be this way and certainly wasn't until recently.

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Greek Catholic Bishops Says Recent Riots In His Country Caused By Moral Void This sad story of a teenager shot in Athens has certainly caught my attention. However, I was stunned to see how many young people joined in the rioting, many of which loudly proclaiming anarchistic slogans. I am reminded of a Greek exchange student we had in my high school some 28 years ago. He was talking about all of this revolutionary stuff and was surprised that the students in our high school, by and large, actually believed what they were being taught in Religion Class. He claimed even in 1980 that most students in Greece were far to the left of what he saw in America. Now the children of these students are picking up where their parents left off. This is a very sad development and we need to pray that the Orthodox and small Catholic presence can reverse this sad militant secular trend.

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First Political Oppresion, Then Cholera & Now This,  People In Zimbabwe Are Having To Eat Cow Dung To Survive. Look At What Robert Mugabe Has Wrought On This Nation Rich With Natural Resources  It is just sickening that for years the evil Robert Mugabe was allowed to stay in power because of apologists in his own continent and in the west. I am sure all of these supporters are saying "not me" now and most certainly will say the same when this corrupt regime falls. However, there will be a lot of questions asked and they will have a lot to answer for.

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Ross Douthat's Op Ed Piece In The New York Times On Pro Life Beliefs Didn't Cause Election Defeat Here 's a good piece by Ross Douthat, He points out that the pro life message had nothing to do with the election loss in November. There existed many other cirucmstances that led to the pro life cause losing. Thanks to Scott for sending me this link.

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 World Gone Wild; One In Five Teenage Girls Admit To "Sexting," The Practice Of Sending Nude Or Revealing Pictures Of Themselves To Boys (1 In 3 Women In Their 20s Admit To Sending Provocative Pictures) As an educator, I remember the first time I heard of such a thing, I thought it was some isolated instance and then I began to hear more and find out that this happens more than we think. Our society is furthering prostituting our young people with TV shows and movies that show few negative consequences for this sort of behavior. All too often movies shows these kids as being free and fun loving and they rarely show the horrible physical and pyschological consequences of this sort of behavior. It is bad enough when teenagers engage in this sort of stuff but when adults do the same thing, it is more than a little troubling. I could go on and on about adult behavior that I know has occurred, but this is really not the place. Suffice it to say that we have too many adults acting the way teenagers should never act. Do these women (especially those women in their 20s) really think that guys are going to think "this is the girl I want to take home to mom and with whom they want a meaningful relationship?" Prayers are most certainly needed.

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December 11, 2008

In His Wednesday General Audience, Pope Benedict Speaks Of The Unifying Graces Of The Sacraments, Most Especially Baptism, Marriage & The Eucharist, Given To Man By God Even After Man Repeatedly Rebelled Against God  Most of us would never put up with the behavior that humans have done to God, rebellion, blasphemy and every form of lust, greed and violence. Yet, God continues to love us even sending hs own Son. It just makes you shake your head when you realize that despite all of that now few Christians embrace the Sacrament.

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In First Things Father Neuhaus Reveals Health Scare At The End Of His Article Entitled: The Religion Business Father Neuhaus delves into religious matters in this artcile, but it is what is after this article that is most striking. Father Neuhaus' thank yous for prayers with regard to a health scare, which appears to be cancer.

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Tuesday Was The 29th Anniversary Of The Death Of Bishop Sheen  I was reminded by a reader that Tuesday was the 29th anniversary of the death of Bishop Sheen. He died a couple of months after meeting Pope John Paul II at St Patrick's in NYC. Fortunately, Pope John Paul II saw him in he rear of the Church. His Holiness came back to greet him and summoned him to the front for a more fitting spot for such a loyal son of the Church.

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Catholic Online Article About St Bernadette & The Realization That Like Christ She Must Suffer  This is one of the hardest things for many non Catholics to understand about our faith, especially if they have been immersed in the "Prosperity Gospel" heresy.  Christ said that we have to pick up our cross, not yearly or monthly but daily. Obviously, that doesn't mean that we can't have fun and enjoy life but suffering is part of this world and if we accept Christ's message, we must agree to suffer in our way for living the Message. I have people roll their eyes or bluntly tell me that this idea of suffering is crazy. Yet, I bet if those same folks are sports fans they would actually want their favorite college and pro football players to suffer through two a day practices in August so they can be at their best in November, December and January. It saeems the same doesn't go for Faith.

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Ross Douthat On What Gives Anyone Grounds For Thinking That Caroline Kennedy Is The Right Pick To Replace Senator Clinton In New York  I would rather doubt that any of our readers in New York are less qualified to fill Senator Clinton's seat than Caroline Kennedy. This really smacks of elitism of the highest order, something akin to an appointment to the British House of Lords rather than the US Senate.

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UK Muslim Leader, Who Applauded The Mumbai Attacks, Now Warns UK Muslims About The Evils Of Christmas, Says Anyone Who Celebrates Christmas Will Pay In The Afterlife  Perhaps the Archbishop of Canterbury should meet this Islamic leader to see if this Sharia Law is all it is cracked up to be. This is where the UK is headed if this Islamic leader has his way. Appearently the sight of some Muslims engaging in Christmas cheer sent this radical leader over the edge.

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75 Years Ago Utah (Of All States) Became The 36th State To Ratify The 21st Amendment Therefore Putting An End To Prohibition Much To The Delight Of Almost All Catholics  History does have some strange twists and turns to it. Who would have thought that Utah, of all states, would put the 21st Amendment over the top some 75 years ago.

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December 10, 2008

Cardinal Canizares Appointed By Pope Benedict To Succeed The Retiring Cardinal Arinze At The Congregation For Divine Worship

Rocco Palmo Writes About Cardinal Canizares & What We Can Expect Well this has been rumored for sometime and it appears that th Holy Father has found somone to continue in the orthodox ways of Cardinal Arinze. I would suspect that Cardinal Canizares might also take a more vocal role in pushing for greater use of the Latin Mass. It appears that Archbishop Ranjith will soon be heading back to Sri Lanka and Pope Benedict will also appoint someone who walks the same path that Archbishop Ranjith did. He was a staunch supporter of orthodoxy in the Liturgy as well as a strong proponent of the Latin Mass. The above two links spell out the situation, though Rocco Palmo's second link might be considered a little flippant.

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Cardinal Mahony's Letter Concerning Propostion 8 (Gay Marriage) Raises Eyebrows Of Some Orthodox Minded Catholics  This letter has really turned some heads. It appears that Cardinal Mahony is going out of his way to let homosexuals know that the Catholic Church is not against them but against gay marriage. Perhaps His Emminence should use the resources of Courage (an organization who reaches out to same sex attracted people without condoning homosexual activity,) instead of sounding like the Church has something to apologize for. The Church has always tried to help those who are same sex attracted. However, that help doesn't involve trying to pretend there is no problem. The cross is not an easy thing to bear and we all have our own cross to bear. For those who are same sex attracted that is their cross, by trying to make it go away, rationalize it or pretend it is not there helps no one, especially those who  carry it. The Courage website is a good one to recommend for anyone who has that cross to bear.

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In Luxembourg A Constitutional Crisis Over Grand Duke's Announcement To Never Allow Euthanasia In His Country Despite What The Elected Officals Want Thankfully, there are a few real leaders left in the world who would rather cause a constitutional crisis along with jeporadizing their rank and privilege than to give in to a provision that will eventually bring down the entire western culture.

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With Regard To The Freedom Of Choice Act, The Don't Worry Be Happy Catholics  I threw in my own moniker but it was for good reason. Some folks on the Catholic Left think FOCA could never happen, they wish the whole abortion problem would just go away. I am sure we have all met folks in our parishes who organize all kinds of committees to deal with Social Justice issues but only pay lip service to the biggest Social Justice issue out there, the Right to Life.

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Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Taken Into Custody For Massive Corruption, Bribery & Office Selling Scheme (Link Is To The 78 Page Complaint Filed By The US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald)  Oh how the mighty have fallen, a few hours before he was rousted from his bed by the FBI, the Illinoi Governor was boasting that he had no problem with anyone publicly or privately taping him. Looks like, minus the boat the Monkey Business, Governor Blagojevich fell into the same trap that Gary Hart found himself.

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Nigerian Nightmare As Chrstians Flee Jihadist Mobs, Ruth Gledhill Of The Times Of London Reports  The faithful in parts of Nigeria have been living under the gun for quite some time now. They need our prayers. We do have readers in Nigeria. Our friend Patrick comments from time to time and folks like him in Nigeria need to know we are praying for them.

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Interesting Youtube Video From Cardinal Arinze Explaining Apparitions, Private & Public Revealtion  This short video is very helpful in explaining the Church's teachings on such matters. As we know public revelation ended with the Apostolic Age, but the Scriptures tell us of the role of Sacred Tradition. The Church teaches that private revelation as in Lourdes, Fatima etc are deemed worthy of belief by the Church, but it doesn't mean everything in the apparition is factual. Cardinal Arinze explains all of this to us. Thanks to Spirit Daily for this link.

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December 9, 2008

Immaculate Mary, The Reflection Of Beauty That Helped Save The World, Says Pope Benedict The Holy Father reminds us that the Blessed Mother sinless nature was required to give birth to the Sinless Savior, the Redeemer of us all. We do her a great disservice by not recognizing her role. Thank God for his many graces, including that of the Theotokos, the Mother of God.

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Newsweek's Religion Writer Lisa Miller Says The Bible Is For Gay Marriage  Good Religion writers are hard to find. Obviously, Lisa Miller is not one of them. Isn't it amazing that for almost 2,000 years no one rendered any of these goofy opinions about certain Scripture passages and then suddenly in the last few years, these sages have come up with ideas all of the brilliant minds of the past two millennium have missed.

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In Catholic Online The Greatest Story Never Told, The Modern Perseuction Facing Christians, Espeically In The Third World  A very thought provoking piece that appears in Catholic Online. As the persecution of the faithful increases in the world, especially the Islamic world, the world continues to pretend all is well. Jesus reminded us about this sort of persecution in the Sermon on the Mount.

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Priest Laments The Sad State Of Some Parents Attitutude Toward Their Child's Religious Education Here is an interesting piece that is related to us about a priest who has had it with the sad state of Religious Education. All too often well meaning volunteers are stretched into areas they do know and try their best to help the parish with limited funds, which is why a well run orthodox minded Catholic school is always the best option. There are many great Religous Education folks out there, but some are still stuck in the warm fuzzy area of the 1970s, even worse some pastors just turn a blind eye to poor education. I remember once hearing the complaints of parents upset by developments in their parish only to find the supposedly cash strapped pastor had just installed a tile floor for his garage. Yet as the article points out there are many parents who see Religious Education as some sort of a baby sitting service. Some parents don't even go to Mass but drop their kids off and pick them up, never once stepping foot inside the church. Yet, we must remember that many parents, priests and volunteers do a wonderful job in helping the children of their parish grow in their faith. I would never want to forget all of the hard work they do. Thanks to Rich Leonardi for this link.

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Once The Envy Of Other Churches Because Of Deep Financial Reserves & Endowments, The Episcopal Church Is Beginning To Plummet Financially As Well As Statistically  The party seems to be over for the alternative crowd. It despresses me to see some poor widow's money being spent on political or religious causes she never supported in a last will and testement that was probably drawn up 40-50 years ago. Think about it some poor widow who died 20 years ago and the Episcopal (or even liberal Catholic parishes for that matter) are living off the money of someone who was against everything they now believe. Thankfully, it appears this is coming to an end.

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In Washington's State Legislative Building In Olympia, Atheists Are Allowed To Display A Sign, Near The Nativity, That Mocks Christianity Well it seems some national attention in this case has brought the faithful to the steps of the Legislative Building in Olympia to protest this mockery of our faith that was placed in a government building. I bet the atheists don't put up a display mocking Muhammad. It is one thing to allow a small group of people (atheists) to dictate policy, it is quite another for them to mock the beliefs of others using taxpayers facilities. No matter how many times we remind our disbelieving friends that the Constitution didn't say "freedom from religion" but "freedom of religion," they just don't seem to get it. They don't seem to understand their history. The state church of England was the Anglican Church which angered those who weren't Anglican, especially in the colonies. We don't have a state church in the United States, but the atheists want us to believe that framers of the Constitution meant religion as a whole, not as a particular church.

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Amy Welborn Has The Scoop On The Shakeup In The Publishing World  For those of us who write articles and books, these troubling economic times are even becoming more troubling as publishers merge, go out of business and or cut back. The world needs books of faith, now more than ever, so keep the publishing world in your prayers.

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December 8, 2008 Immaculate Conception

Pope Benedict Says True Hope Is Not Found In Political & Social Movements  We have seen in this country and just about every other country , the thought that mere mortals can give us all the hope and change we will ever need. Jesus faced a similar dilemma. Many people expected him to ride into Jerusalem on a white horse to drive out the Romans. Indeed, he could have but that was not his mission. His was more interior, but that is where movements, political and social refuse to go.

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On The Feast Of The Immaculate Conception, Catholic Apologist Bob Stanley Gives Us Examples From The Bible & Sacred Tradition Concerning This Special Day. He Even Includes A 1527 Sermon From Martin Luther Outlining Reasons To Believe In The Immaculate Conception  Bob Stanley calls his site a Catholic Treasure chest and that is putting it mildly. As mentioned here before, Bob has an amazing site chalk full of helpful links about the faith. In this link Bob ties together this special day using sources from the Bible and Sacred Tradition. He even throws in a 1527 sermon from Martin Luther outlining the Church's teaching, which was given 10 years after he left the Church.

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John Allen Weighs The Possibilities Of Professor Doug Kmeic Becoming US Ambassador To The Vatican  Thankfully, it seems the chances of Professor Kmeic becoming Ambassador to the Vatican is decreasing. John Allen lets us know his reasoning but also makes clear that it is not out of the realm of possibility. Check out the comments section at the end of this National Catholic Reporter link for some real eye opening liberal suggestions.

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Deal Hudson On Louisana's New Pro Life Vietnamese- American Congressman Anh Joseph Cao, Who Replaces The Infamous Congressman William Jefferson

Rocco Palmo Has More On Anh Joseph Cao, The New Congressman Elect From Louisiana, His Strong Catholic Faith & His Family, Including His Father Who Spent Many Years In A North Vietnamese Prison Camp Wow talk about a made for TV movie plot.  A family persecuted for their faith leaves Vietnam after much anguish and their son works and studies hard to become an attorney in the US all the while retaining his family's staunch Catholicism After all of that, the young man is elected to the US Congress. Talk about a state with tow powerful immigrant Catholic political leaders. Governor Jindal is a convert who probably knows more about the faith than any political leader of his stature, while Congressman Elect Cao has a rags to religious/political riches story that is hard to beat.

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Rocco Palmo On The Pending Big Announcement Of The New Leaders For The Church In New York & Westminster

Father Zuhlsdorf On Pending Announcement Of The Successor To Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor At Westminster. Father Zuhlsdorf Gives His Thoughts As Well As Paddy Power's Latest Bettting Odds!  Interesting posts coming from Rocco Palmo and Father Z on the pending announcement on who will be the next prelate at Westminster. There are many names being bantied about which has caught the eye of the Irish betting service Paddy Power. On a selfish note I was happy to see Father Tim Finigan on the list, an orthodox minded blogging priest who is very well known in England.  He has made some kind references to my book.  New York will also have an opening filled later next year, which of course will merit lots of attention.

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Political Mayhem In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper Hangs On To Power Thanks To The Queen Of England?  Left Wing Cabal Of NPD, Liberal & Quebecois Parties Had Tried To Oust The Prime Minister (If Some Of Our Canadian Readers Could Help Sort This Out That Would Be Great)  If some of our Canadian readers could enlighten us on the political intrigue coming out of Ottawa that would be great. It sounds like there have been some rarely used political maneuvers, even some involving the Queen to help save the government from left leaning political forces.

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College Football Bowl Games Announced, Florida vs Oklahoma For The National Title, Buckeyes vs Longhorns In The Fiesta Bowl, Penn State vs USC In Rose Bowl, Cincinnati vs Virginia Tech In The Orange Bowl & Alabama vs Utah In The Sugar Bowl (All The Bowl Games Listed Here In This Link)  Lots of great games to watch! As I have said here before, this is my favorite time of the sports year. Actually, for me it begins about mid November and ends at the National Championship Game. I do hope there is a way of getting the best teams to play each other while not losing the continuity and the pagentry of the bowl games.

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December 7, 2008

Cardinal Rode Reminds Religous Orders That In Order To Grow & Reflect The Charism Of Their Founder, They Must Return To Their Roots  I wonder how many liberal Jesuits read this and thought; "Is he talking to us?"  It sems His Emminence was speaking to many orders and basically saying be who you claim to be.  In others words look at the orders that are growing, they are reflecting the charisms of their founder.

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Father Hardon On The Mariology Of Pope Pius XII, Which Factors In On Many Important Decisions Concerning Key Teachings Of The Church  Lest we forget the monumental pontifcate of Pope Pius XII, not only did he save many Jews from Hitler's horror, he was also responsible for making official what was believed for centuries, the Assumption. In a sense, is it any wonder that this holy man would be targeted by militant secularists? For years the Jewish community praised Pope Pius XII. Former Prime Minister Golda Meir joined in that praise. The Chief Rabbi of Rome even converted to Catholicism out of gratitude for saving so many Jews. This was all been outlined in the wonderful scholarship of Rabbi David Dalin.  Sadly, Pope Pius XII has now come under a scurrilous attack for sometime now. The forces of evil wouldn't have it any other way then to try to malign somone who made so many historic breakthroughs. It is said that toward the end of his pontifcate, Pope Pius XII wanted to convene Vatican II but could not because of his failing health. I often wonder if he would have been able to, would the liberals be a little more sympathetic to him? Thanks to Spirit Daily for this link.

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Couple Recounts How Saying The Rosary Helped Save Their Lives During The Mumbai Attack

In Catholic Online Hebrew Catholic Athol Bloomer Writes Of The Lives Of Slain Mumbai Lubavitcher Rabbi & His Wife A sad story told by a convert to Catholicism from Judaism. In Mumbai the killers were hateful fanatics who wanted the world to live under Sharia Law. Yet, too many in the media would have us believe that these 10+ gunmen were just deranged gun obsessed lunatics who had no political or religious agenda.

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Michael Brown Conducts Retreat In Las Vegas Reflects On How The City Represents Much Of The Western World  Interesting reflection from Michael Brown as he recounted a retreat he recently led in Las Vegas and how that city reflects much of the western world. At first glance, you might think how could sin city reflect so much of the western world? However, it does because so many people love to got to Vegas and as the saying goes, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,"   which is a sad indictment on our mindset. I know people who live in Las Vegas, some very faithful who probably have been to the Vegas Strip only a couple of times since they live there, but as they tell me the temptation is always there to throw your beliefs away should you either become very up or down on your outlook on life.

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University Of Toledo Administrator Who Was Fired For Being Critical Of Homosexual Agenda Files Lawsuit  This administrator didn't disparage anyone and yet look at what it got her. Had she said the same thing about the Catholic Church, she might have received a raise. Yet, now she is legally fighting for her job or at least some monetary compensation.

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Joe The Plumber Cover Story Grows Deeper. How Far Up Does The Story Go In Ohio State Government?  Here in Ohio we are learning more and more about the efforts to silence, belittle and destroy Joe the Plumber. Here is the latest and we should remain very vigilant for those who mocked and tried to destroy him would probably do the same to us should they get the chance.

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Archdiocese Of Saint Louis' Fellowship Ministry Likes My Book With the staunch orthodox nature of this archdiocese, it is always nice to get a vote of confidence from them, whomever it may be. At the bottom there is a mention of my book as a good resource to understand the Church and the unreported good that it happening in it.

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December 6, 2008  Feast Of Saint Nicholas  

Pope Benedict Meets With Equestrian Order Of The Holy Sepulchre, Acknowledges Their Courageous History & Exhorts Them To Spread Christ's Message Of Peace & Love  There are so many fascinating orders in the Church, even a full fledged scholar must have a hard time to know about all of them. What a perfect example of God's Grace to create so many faithful orders, organizations and communities.

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Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II Dead At Age 79  He served as Russian Patriarch during one of the most tumultuous times in his church. The officially atheistic Soviet Union was coming to an end and a new Russia was beginning. There were many old problems that resurfaced between the Catholic Church & the Russian Orthodox Church, not to mention a battle royal that broke out between the Orthodox Church and the myriad of Protestant churches and evangelical preachers who came to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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Physicans Panel At Lourdes Who Investigates Miracles Ending Their Practice, Says It Will Leave It For The Church To Decide What Is A Miracle & What Is Not  This has always been a minefield and yet for a great many years both sides were able to coexist. Yet, it seems the increasing brand of secular militancy is making it harder for panels such as the one at Lourdes to be truly impartial.  This group has nothing to do with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints In Vatican City. They will continue their work as usual.

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Salesians' Communion Wine Not Allowed Out Of Bethlehem Because Of Israeli Objections. For Over 125 Years Communion Wine Has Left For The Port OF Haifi, But This Year, Because Of Security Obejction, Many In The West Will Not Receive Their Communion Wine  I certainly hope the Israeli government rectifies this situation and quickly. It is stories like these that jihadist radicals use to stir up the Palestinians, especially the Catholic & Orthodox Palestinians.

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Father Longenecker's Post On Advent & Apostacy (A Unitarian Commentor Takes Him To Task)  I am sure Father Longenecker had no idea that a Unitarian would comment so strenuously on his site. Sometimes in the blogging world, you never know when something like this is going to happen and you are presented with a teachable moment.

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Happy St Nicholas Day, Link To Many St Nicholas Resources  In many parts of the world St Nicholas Day was the day in which the gifts were exchanged in honor of the real St Nick who hailed from Asia Minor (present day Turkey.)  This link should tell you a little more about this generous saint who is the real reason we exchange gifts. Thanks to Amy Welborn for this link.

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December 5, 2008

Bring The Light Of Christ To All Sectors Of Society Pope Benedict Tells The Chilean Bishops  In Thanksgiving for their evangelization efforts, the Holy Father spoke to the Chilean bishops and reminded them that Christ's light has to penetrate all areas of society. More and more frequently in our western secualr society we are seeing folks who were raised with no faith life of any kind.  We have to give them hope, whether their lives appear to be happy or not for there will come a time when all they believe in will be challenged and we have to show them a loving alternative to the bitter, hectic world with no redeeming end purpose they think actually exists.

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Archbishop Hector Aguer Of Argentina Scolds Cardinal Martini For His Book Which Archbishop Aguer Says Leads The Faithful Astray  Around the year 2000 when Pope John Paul II's health took a turn for the worse, the mainstream media began to speculate about successors. Natrurally, Cardinal Martini was eagerly greeted by the liberal religious correspondents of the mainstream media. Now you know why.

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Saint Thomas Aquinas Making A Comeback, For Years His Ideas Were Considered Too Boring For Some Seminaries. In The Spirit Of Orthodoxy, More Are Drawn To Him  These types of articles are very informative of the Church and where she has been. Following the disastrous secular inroads of 1968, much of the Church's historical Catholic Culture was diminished and nearly forgotten. Sadly, even greats like St Thomas Aquinas were kicked to the curb in some seminaries. Fortunately, those dark days are behind us as this article explains. 

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Detroit's Cardinal Maida Convenes Ecumenical Leaders & Addresses The Possible US Auto Makers Bailout  Well this is interesting that a Cardinal would address the possible US Automobile bailout, but he does hail from Detroit where everyone literally is on pins and needles about their future. I am torn between making Detroit take some tough medicine for all of their many blunders and the sympathy that I have for folks losing their jobs. I have pretty much driven an Ohio or Michigan made car my adult life, Mustang, Accord and Jeep.  Once while doing some research at the nearby Honda plant I noticed some gentlemen in suits also being given a seperate tour. I asked the plant manager, who was showing me around who these guys were, he told me they were from GM and they wanted to see how the paint application works. I countered, "your showing guys from GM your secrets?" No he said, "we are showing them the end result, not the many stages it took to get there." One final anecdote about the car industry. Once while I was interviewing prospective teachers at a university job fair, I chit- chatted with a man who was intrigued about the religious dimensions of Catholic schools since he was a pretty devout African Methodist Episcopalian. He told me that he was helping his daughter run a charter school and he was also helping interview prospective teachers. He told me he had just recently retired from Honda as a recruiter. He relayed to me that his job wasn't easy in the 1980s because many engineers liked the perks of the Big Three. However, by the late 1990s many didn't seem to think the cuff links, specialty parking spots and discounts at the local country club were that big of a deal if your employer didn't adapt. I hope and pray that the Big Three survive but no one in the management and the union can say they didn't see this coming. There is plenty of blame to go around, why GM in particular has so many divisions and product lines is beyond me. The average age of a Buick car buyer is in their 60s, certainly not 30s or 40s like most other companies. Oh well you read Cardinal Maida's opinion as well as mine, what's yours?

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In First Things Professor Michael Foley On The Historical Ups & Downs Of Saint Thomas More   Saint Thomas More has seen his popularity fluctuate throughout history. Of course a lot of it depends on your religious point of view. Professor Foley outlines all of this in an article appearing in First Things.

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Michael Dubruiel Post Concerning Advent Entitled; Watch. Dubruiel Reflects On The Monks At Gethsemane Monastary In Kentucky Who Wake At 3 AM To Pray, Dubruiel Was Reminded Of This During His Children's Earliest Days Of Awaking At 3 AM Michael makes a very interesting tie in between Advent and early child rearing. This brief post is well worth your time for you can learn about Advent, the prayer life of monks and parents of infants all that the same time.

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Aimee Milburn (Now Aimee Cooper) Reflects On Past Friends, Says Since She Has Become Catholic She Is More Open To Understanding People As Compared To Her Liberal/New Age Days Another thought provoking post coming from Aimee. She reflects back to her "open minded liberal/new age days" and finds she wasn't as fair with people as she is now that she is Catholic. I have seen this with so many people who sadly stay on the left. They sound so angry and bitter because we aren't as "enlightened" as they wish we were. Thankfully, that is all in the past for Aimee and because of her many thought provoking articles we are all the better for it.

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December 4, 2008

Reflecting On Saint Paul's Writings, Pope Benedict Reminds Us That Evil Is Subordinate To Good  We all know that God is all powerful, but the evil one does have certain powers in this world. However, the Holy Father reminds us, with the help of Saint Paul, that evil is indeed subordinate to good and thus can never prevail. Satan is indeed much like that of a remnant band of fighters in the dying days of a war, while these fighters know their fate is sealed, they can still bring too many people down with them. Thus we must hold on to the Faith that was passed on to us.

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Los Angeles Times Editorial Attacks Church Teaching Praises Episcopal Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori & Even Takes A Slap At Cardinal Mahony Suggesting He's Become Too Conservative! 

Time Magazine Article Calls Pope Benedict Scrooge For Defending "Rigid Church Doctrine"  These types of articles are a sign of the things to come. Liberals in the media want Pope Benedict to sell out Christianity's beliefs much like that of other Christian communities. Obviously with Pope Benedict that is not going to happen. Therefore enter the name calling, Scrooge, Inquistor, Rottweiler etc. We have heard them all before, but we can rest assured knowing that when the liberals in the media are unhappy, the Church is on the right path. The first link almost reads as if it is parody written by such Catholic jesters like Curt Miller. The Episcopal Church is sinking faster than the Titanic and that is who we sould emulate? Besides when is the last time you heard someone accuse Cardinal Mahony of being too orthodox?

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Nasty Spat Has Developed Between Father Euteneuer, President Of Human Life International & Tom Hoopes, Editor Of The National Catholic Register Over The Obama Biden Election Victory. After Reading The National Catholic Register, Father Euteneuer Says For A Moment He Thought That He Was Reading The National Catholic Reporter

National Catholic Register Editor Tom Hoopes Fires Back Calls The Charges Bizarre Reminds Readers Of Their Many Stories & Editorials Showing The Obama Biden Ticket's Pro Abortion Side At a time when we all need to be on the same page, this sort of thing rears it's ugly head. I don't claim to know all of the particulars but suffice it to say that we need to be on the same page otherwise the liberals will have us right where they want us. 

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Planned Parenthood Of Indiana Now Has Christmas Gift Certificates Available For Abortions!  This is what occurs in a society where evil becomes accepted norm.  Gift certficiates given to that someone special for use in an abortion facility in the name of Christmas?  God help us all!

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Father Longenecker Has A Short But Powerful 17 Word Post Concerning The Blessed Mother & Those Who Don't Accept Her As We Do Talk about short but sweet. Father Longenecker certainly accomplishes that in this post. You might want to pass it along to some of your friends who are either Protestant or "modern" Catholics and have little knowledge of the Blessed Mother, don't have time for her, or just don't  appreciate her role or God's Grace.

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In Christianity Today Pastor Walt Kallestad Writes Of His Non Denominational Church's Attempt To Shift From An Entertainment & Performance Church To A Mission Church A good segue from the previous story. The pastor and author of this article actually refers to his church as an entertainment church and tries to figure out how to get it to where it needs to be. This is nothing new. Saint Paul stumbled across this sort of thing. Check out 1 Corinthians 11:23-31 where Saint Paul finds communities that were not believing in or properly understanding the Eucharist. He scolded them asking if it was any wonder that there were sick and dying in their group because of their disbelif in or lack of proper respect for  the Eucharist. It is a sad indictment when a church admits that it is an entertainment church. Thankfully, it appears this church's pastor realized the error of his ways. Maybe just maybe, he could attend a Catholic Mass and see what Christ and St Paul really had in mind. With prayer, all things are possible!

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December 3, 2008

Magdi Allam A Catholic Convert From Islam Starts Pro Life European Political Party

Magdi Allam Recounts His Conversion To Catholicism, Cites Catholic School He Attended In Egypt As Planting The Seed Two very thought provoking links on Magdi Allam. He is sure on fire with the Faith. In the first link we are told that he is now helping to start a pro life European political party. The second links tells us of the long and winding road which led him to Catholicism. Interesting to note that it was a Catholic school in Egypt that first planted the first many years ago. Sadly from the link below we find that in the UK ( not Egypt or Pakistan, but the UK ) they are trying to reverse this process.

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With Regard To Catholic Schools In England & Wales, Are Catholic Bishops Caving Into Pressure From Muslim Activists?  After reading the above story, one cannot help but wonder how are we are ever going to get any converts from the UK if we keep appeasing the situation. I wish the English and Welsh clergy would spend some time with Magdi Allam. However, some of them (those who came of age in the 1960s and 1970s) probably regard him as a trouble maker.

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Italian Bishop Has Had It With Catholics Naming Their Children After Anything But A Saint, Says Pop Culture Name Craziness Is Out Of Control  Well His Excellency really touched a nerve on this one. I am sure many reading this are nodding in approval but I am also convinced that there are others who feel quite differently. Try discussing this at a parish event or get together among friends and see the type of response you get.

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In First Things R R Reno On The Challenges Facing Conservatism

Catholic Blogger Patrick Archbold On What The Conservative Movement Needs At This Moment In Time  A couple of interesting links on what and where the conservative movement should be doing, going and why.  There certainly is some head scratching going on right now and everyone has an opinion which is a good thing. However, the fact of the matter is when candidates or elected offiicals don't hold to their principles and convictions then this sort of thing is going to happen every election cycle.

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In Mumbai, Indian News Media Reports On Picture Of Christ Bleeding Inside A Catholic Church, Thousands Descend Upon Church. Archdiocese Of Mumbai Says Investigation Will Take Time But They Don't Discourage People From Seeing It For Themselves These miraculous image stories always fascinate me and the Church seems to be taking prudent action by telling everyone it will be a long time before we understand the facts of the matter. Whatever the case, it is certainly captiviating the attention of the Indian news media and public. I am sure if this would have happened to a church connected with some of the more illustrative televangelists like Benny Hinn or Creflo Dollar, they would have charged an admission fee and stated this was proof of their own holiness. Thanks goes to Spirit Daily for this link

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The Priests (A Group Of Catholic Priests From Northern Ireland Signing Traditional Hymns) Are In The UK's Top Of The Pops Musical Charts Battling Bands Such As "The Killers" & "Guns & Roses" For The Top Spot I don't know what is more surprising; a group of priests hitting the Top 5 of the UK Music charts or the fact that Guns and Roses finally released another album 17 years after their last one. Whatever the case, it seems to indicate that there is an interest in the traditional aspects of faith and music in a society that is profoundly secular. Here is a clip of them singing earlier this year, right after their record deal was made public.

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December 2, 2008

Archbishop Nienstedt Talks Of The Benefits Of Confession & Warns Against The Practice Of General Absolution, Speaks Of The Power Of Penitent To Priest Confession Archbishop Nienstedt doesn't seem to worry about stepping on people's toes. Sadly, some haven't followed in his footsteps. Recently in my travels, I found myself in an economically disadvanted town where the well tanned pastor, just back from some tropical paradise, was extolling the virtues of the parish's lottery tickets along with the group penance service to come. Mind you this was in place of the homily. He told the skeptical parishioners that this sort of Confession was easier to do. God help us all from this sort of approach.

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Father Longenecker On Apostles Part 1

Father Longenecker On Apostles Part II These are two short but very thought provoking posts from Father Longenecker on the Apostles. In his posts Father Longenecker uses the Scriptures, Church History and common sense to explain what seperates us from others.

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Rich Leonardi On The Cincinnati Enquirer's Positive Portrayal Of Their Archdiocesan Vocations Director Father Schnippel Thanks heaven for small favors. Rich fills us in on the positive coverage given Father Schnipple in his town's biggest newspaper. Father Schnippel is certainly making a name for himself in his efforts to increase vocations in his archdiocese. Thankfully, there are many fine vocation directors like Father Schnippel across the country.

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Bob Stanley Updates His Apologetics Site, May Be Largest Catholic Apologetics Site On The Internet  Through our e-mails to each other, one of the most amazing things that I learned about Bob was that for many years, he knew little about the Church. This will come as an absolute shock after one peruses his vast Catholic Apologetics site. I would have thought he must have been near 100 years old and was a child prodigy in order to have gathered all of this information. It just shows that there are no excuses, it is never too late to learn about the Faith. Whatever the topic, Bob has an answer. If you haven't seen this site before, you will begin to understand why so many people make it one of their favorites.

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Pop Culture Healer & New Age Guru Deepak Chopra Blames America & The West For The Mumbai Terrorist Attack Along With The Rest Of The World's Ills How in the world did we get to the point that folks who we should pity or feel sorry for are the very folks that the media fawns over and extols as modern day sages? 

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In First Things Joseph Bottum On The End Of Advent

Elizabeth Scalia AKA "The Anchoress" On Advent & Some Great Associated Advent Links 

My Latest Column For The Catholic Times On Bringing Back The Joy Of Advent & Christmas  Here are three pertinent Advent links. The last link is my latest article from the Catholic Times. The first is an interesting piece by Joseph Bottum on the decline of Advent in our mass marketing Christmas sales culture. The second comes to us via the Anchoress son the meaning of Advent and several helpful advent links to assist in understanding, appreciating and enjoying the season.

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December 1, 2008

Pope Benedict Tells The Faithful To Be Watchful For Christ As Advent Begins, Also Prays For The Conversion Of Terrorists & Reflects On Saint Andrew While He Visits The Church At Saint Lawrence (Outside The Walls.) He Later Prays The Angelus Before 15,000 In Saint Peter's Square

Father Z Has More Interesting Facts About Saint Lawrence Outside The Walls The Holy Father spoke on many topics ranging from Advent, the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and the faithful life of Saint Andrew. Pope Benedict's remarks were stated in two places and in the second link Father Z enlightens us on this famous church,

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Father McBrien's Essay In The National Catholic Reporter. Once Again He Scolds Orthodox Minded Bishops, Priests, Religious & Lay People Over Their  Pro Life Views Concerning The 2008 Election  His schtick is really getting old.  Father McBrien claims that he has three points to his essay. In actuality he has two points; (1) everyone who believes in Church orthdooxy is really stupid and (2) everyone who believes in his rebellious pontifcations are vastly superior in intellect to those who believe in point one. Perhaps someone should remind Father McBrien that he has no following at Notre Dame, the only one's paying any attention are those in the Chicago media market who long for the 1970s. Professor Francis Beckwith draws far more interest from the student body than Father McBrien. With all due respect to some of the liberal commentors at the end of the story, all that was missing there were a couple of lava lamps, some beads and a VW bus with some smoke and Grateful Dead music coming out one of the cracked windows. It seems some of them still think Nixon is President & Paul VI is Pope!

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President Elect Obama Met With Openly Gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson Three Times During The Campaign This is more than a little peculiar. Then Senator Obama wasn't Episcopal, so if he sought the advice of Bishop Robinson why not some mainstream Protestant and Catholic leaders? Why did he continually seek those on the fringes of thought in this country. Now many of you may recall I interviewed Bishop Robinson over two years ago and he certainly was very pleasant to converse with, but it didn't take long for one to realize that his ideas were way out there. Here is that 2006 interview. Thanks to Spirit Daily for the link.

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Father Edward McNamara On The Eucharist vs The Word  Here is a fascinating article which delves into the Eucharist and Scripture.  Obviously, they go together but for some of our Evangelical friends there has always been this thought that among Catholics the two oppose each other. Father McNamara enlightens us with this article.

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In Light Of Homosexual Militants Targeting LDS Church (Mormons) In California, US Catholic Bishops Send Letter Of Support To Mormon Officials It is very plain to see that homosexual militants are coming after the Mormons (probably because their numbers are smaller) before they come after Catholics and Evangelicals. Ths US Catholic Bishops have sent a supportive note to LDS officials to let them know they are in our prayers.

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Are Stained Glass Windows A Glimpse Of Heaven?   A very interesting link which explores the topic of stained glass windows as a glimpse of heaven. The link comes to us via Spirit Daily. For centuries these beautiful windows helped the poor and illiterate see the great events from Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition come alive right in front of them.

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