Pope Benedict XVI Visits Switzerland

On Tuesday, July 18, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI made an unannounced visit to Switzerland. He visited a kennel of St. Bernard dogs and a monastery too. His vacation will end July 28, 2006.


AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, Arturo Mari

AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, Arturo Mari

AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, Arturo Mari

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Fasting for Peace in the Middle East

Pope Benedict XVI is calling on all mankind to join in praying and fasting for peace in the Middle East today, especially for Israel and Lebanon.

Image: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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A Rule of Life For Those Who, Living in the World, Aspire After Perfection

If you are ever to follow the Lord, you must pray. Prayer, Silence, and obedience must be the foundation of our daily activities. Every action, prayer, and suffering should be offered up to God in prayer for the salvation of the world. All daily activities should be conducted peacefully and generally in silence. Of course conservation is great and should be valued, but silence should be also for silence is the language of God. And we must all be obedient to those in authority over us - our priests, bishops, and elected officials.

New visitors, please look through my archives and especially the "Catholic Categories" section of my blog. There you will find important Catholic information.

I am going to take a slight break from blogging in order to focus on prayer. Through blogging, I too often want people to read my writings - it can be a stumbling block for humility. There are so many other great Catholic blogs, I know that my readers will still be able to find information elsewhere. Let me make it clear that I will continue to blog, however, I plan on doing it much less frequently. So please don't completely leave my blog. I will continue to post but not everyday.

Above all, I want to serve the Lord and fully understand where I am to go as a priest - either a monastery or work as a diocesan priest. I am going to post this schedule that was emailed to me. I hope to try and live it each day. I will of course try to pray the Liturgy of the Hours - at least Lauds and Vespers each day.

A Rule of Life
For Those Who, Living in the World, Aspire after Perfection

By Father Michael Muller, C.Ss.R.

In the Morning

1. Rise at affixed hour, for example, six o'clock; do not remain longer in bed without a reasonable motive.
2. As soon as you awake, offer your heart to God, make the sign of the Cross, and dress yourself quickly and modestly. Then, on your knees, say three "Hail Marys," in honor of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to obtain a great purity of body and soul.
3. Say your morning prayers, and make a meditation during half, or at least a quarter of an hour. It is better to say short prayers - "Our Father" and "Hail Mary," - or to say your prayers going to or at your work, than to say no prayers at all.
4. Hear Mass, if it is possible.

During the Course of the Day

5. Read a spiritual book for at least a quarter of an hour.
6. Say your beads, if possible, with the rest of the household.
7. Pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the church if you can do so. N.B. - For these three last exercises you can choose whatever time will
least interfere with your daily occupations.
8. Frequently make short ejaculatory prayers, above all at the beginning and end of your actions. Employ chiefly acts of the love of God, such as these: My dear Jesus, I love Thee ... I wish very much to love Thee ... make me love Thee more and more, etc.
9. Practice the mortification of the eyes, of the ears, and of the tongue, by sometimes refraining from looking, hearing, or saying things, which, though not dangerous, are useless, in order to be able more easily to abstain from what is dangerous, or even bad.
10. Seize carefully every opportunity of suffering any little pain, contradiction, or humiliation, for the love of God. In every such occasion submit yourself to the will of God, saying: O my God, this is Thy Will; may Thy holy Will be done!
11. At your meals deprive yourself in part or entirely of some little thing you are fond of; and never completely satisfy your appetite.
12. Do not eat between meals without necessity.
13. Fly idleness, bad company, and every occasion of sin, especially those in which chastity is in danger.
14. In temptations, especially those of impurity, make the sign of the Cross, if you are alone; and say in your heart, Jesus and Mary, help me. If the temptation still continues, do not be troubled, but pray with greater earnestness, saying, My dear Jesus, I would rather die than offend Thee.
15. If you have the misfortune to commit a sin, so not give way to trouble, even though the sin be grievous, but make immediately a good act of contrition, with a firm purpose not to fall again, and to confess it as soon as possible.

In the Evening

16. At a fixed hour, for example, nine o'clock, say your night prayers, and make your examination of conscience; recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, and then read over the subject of the next morning's meditation.
17. Having said, on your knees, the three "Hail Marys," as in the morning, undress yourself with all modesty, and be careful to remain always decently covered in bed, and to preserve a modest posture.
18. Until you fall asleep, occupy your mind with the subject of the tomorrow's meditation, or with the remembrance of death, or some other pious thought.
19. Choose a good [Traditional] Confessor, in whom you have confidence; open your heart to him without reserve, and be guided by his advice; do not quit him without strong reason.
20. Go to confession once a week, and receive the Holy Communion as often as your director judges proper. (Note: This was before Pope St. Pius X's decree encouraging frequent and daily communion.)
21. Attend sermons and instructions as often as you can, endeavoring always to apply them to yourself, and to draw some practical resolution from them; enter some pious confraternity, with the sole view of attending to the interest of your soul.
22. If your health will permit, fast on every Saturday, and on the eves of the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin. At least perform in Her honor some little act of mortification on those days, according to your state of health and your occupations. Nourish in your heart a tender devotion towards the Blessed Virgin, and address to Her from time to time this fervent prayer: My
good Mother Mary, help me to love your divine Son Jesus with all my heart. Wear the scapular, and at least the miraculous medal.

Observation

As this rule of life does not of itself impose any obligation under pain of sin, no one must be alarmed if he cannot follow it in every thing. Let each one take that which is in accordance with the duties of his state of life, which ought always to be attended to in preference to any exercises of piety which are not of obligation. Thus let each one do what he can, but cheerfully, and for the love of God.

-----------------
Taken from A Familiar Explanation of Christian Doctrine, 1875
(out-of-print), by Father Michael Muller, C.Ss.R.

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Bush Vetos Embryonic Stem Cell Research Bill

Last Wednesday, President George W. Bush thankfully vetoed HR 810, which would have required American taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research. The House of Representatives was thankfully unable to overturn the veto.

However, the next day, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger authorized $150 million in taxpayer funds for a loan to the state's stem cell research agency (1). Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, for the second time, issued an executive order directing $5 million in state taxpayer funds to pay for embryonic stem cell research (2)

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St. Mary Magdalene

Memorial (1969 Calendar): July 22
Double (1955 Calendar): July 22

Today the Church remembers the life of St. Mary Magdalene, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. According to the Latin Rite in the Roman Catholic Church, Mary Magdalene is mentioned in Lk 7:36-50, Lk 10:38-42, and Jn 20:11-18. The Catholic Church believes these references all refer to Mary Magdalene. As the article "A Retrieval of the Traditional View of Mary Magdalene From the Fringes of Theology" summarizes, after carefully and thoughtfully analyzing the Scriptures and historical evidence:

Thus retrieved, Mary Magdalene shines forth once more as the one who loved much (Luke 7:47), the one from whom seven demons were cast out (Luke 8:2), the one who grasped the one thing necessary (Luke 10:42), the one who moved the God-Man to tears (John 11:33–35), the one who did a beautiful thing for Him (Mark 14:6), the one whose deed would be proclaimed throughout the world (Mark 14:9), and the one who first saw the Risen Lord and believed (John 20:18).

The New Liturgical Movement writes:

From the time of St Gregory, the Western Church accepted that Mary Magdalene was also the sinful woman who anoints Christ’s feet in the house of Simon the Pharisee, as recounted in Luke 7, 36-50, the Gospel for her feast. This connection was probably made from the words that immediately follow this passage, or at least reinforced by them, Luke 8, 1-3. “And it came to pass afterwards, that he travelled through the cities and towns, preaching and evangelizing the kingdom of God; and the twelve with him: And certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities; Mary who is called Magdalen, out of whom seven devils were gone forth, And Joanna the wife of Chusa, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who ministered unto him of their substance.” (Mark 16, 9 also refers to the seven devils.)

Because of her faith and repentance, she was privileged to be the first person after the Blessed Virgin Mary that Jesus appeared to after His Resurrection (John 20:1-18).

What about the Da Vinci Code?

The Da Vinci Code - while a work of fiction is considered factual by the author - teaches that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus, the mother of Jesus’ child, a participant at the Last Supper, His prophetic successor and a priestess. These claims have absolutely no support in Church Tradition or Holy Scripture. All references to "gnostic gospels" add nothing to the debate since these "gospels" were rejected from the official canon of Sacred Scripture because they were heretical and lacked apostolic authorship. Hence these claims are utterly void of any truth whatsoever and are condemned.

Prayer:

May we be helped by the intercession of blessed Mary Magdalen, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Who in answer to her prayers didst raise her brother Lazarus to life after he had been dead four days: Who livest and reignest.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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A Day at a Monastery

Hello, everyone!

I'm currently writing from the library of a Benedectine Monastery that I am visiting. It is quite an experience to be here and share in praying the Liturgy of the Hours. It's so wonderful to hear the Divine Office chanted each day. I've also finally saw the Liturgy of the Hour's book, "Christian Prayer," on sale here, so I had to purchase it. I've been looking for an affordable copy for weeks.

It is wonderful praying and glorifying God with such holy men and women (I visited a nearby Benedictine convent too). But, experiencing the Order of St. Benedict has helped me learn something important - I can't change non-Catholics. This blog has been my creation to spread the Gospel of Truth to every one that reads it - to the entire world. I have poured week's worth of time into this project. However, people still come here claiming there is no flaw in salvation by the Protestant view of "Faith-alone" or "Scripture alone". They deny the Real Presence and support such evil as abortion. But, here I see that prayer must be the center of daily life. It was so amazing seeing Mass concelebrated by 10 priests! I realize that my life must not center on this blog or on converting others. It must center on prayer.

I, of course, will continue to blog, but I plan on blogging much less frequently. I plan to pray the Divine Office and study history and theology more. I was put on this earth to love and know God and to be with Him for all eternity. I have to focus 100% on prayer. After all, I cannot change cold hearts no matter how hard I try - only Jesus Christ, my beautiful Lord and God, can do that. So, I pray that all of you are well. And I pray especially for all non-Catholics that they might come into the flock of Christ and experience the great peace I felt in this Basilica and chapel. I plan on going the Seminary and living here for four years.

Glory to Our God! I'll write more when I return from my vacation.

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Good Bye until Saturday!

I'll all packed and just getting ready to leave right now. I'll write more on Saturday. Please just keep me in your prayers.

May God bless all of you!

Updates:

• A Day at the Monastery
• Visit to Conception Seminary College
  

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Crucial Stem Cell Research Update!

Update (July 20, 2006): President George W. Bush vetos HR 810 and the House of Representatives by a 235 - 193 vote, fell short to override the veto. Source: CNN

The United States Senate approved HR 810, which would use our taxdollars to fund embryonic stem cell research, on a 63-37 vote. You should see how your Senators voted. Thankfully, President George W. Bush is expected to veto the bill, and it is unlikely the House and Senate will get the needed 2/3 majority to override the veto.

On to the pro-life bills, the United States House of representatives by a 273-154 vote failed to pass the Santorum-Specter bill, lacking the necessary 2/3 majority to send a bill to the President urging the federal government to find alternative ways to obtain embryonic stem cells without destroying human life. On to the good news - The House of Representatives approved a ban on the practice of fetal farming on a 425-0 vote. It will soon become a crime to create, acquire, or traffic in tissue specifically derived from a human embryo created and grown for tissue harvesting. The Senate previously approved it unanimously.

President George W. Bush is expected to sign the ban on fetal farming into law, and he has promised to veto HR 810. I ask you to contact President Bush and just ask him to veto the bill. Thankfully the President is acting on his morals - embryonic stem cell research is always wrong.

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Talk with you Saturday!

Everyone,

I'm going on a vacation. I'm going to leave tomorrow, Wednesday July 19, 2006, and I will not be blogging until this coming Saturday when I return. This vacation is for my discernment; I will be staying with a group of Benedictine Monks. When I return I should have a better idea where I am called to go.

Please keep me in your prayers. I will not be answering any email until then, so my email will be sending out an automatic vacation response to everyone that emails me while I'm gone.

Have a blessed week!

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Yesterday's Gospel: Following Jesus

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household.

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward.

And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple— amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
Matthew 10:34-11:1

Remember Jesus didn't come to intentionally bring disorder. His message was one of love and redemption and for that His own people crucified Him. We all see it - sinners enjoy the darkness for the "...people have loved the darkness rather than and more than the Light, for their works were evil" (John 3:19). It is our responsibility to take up all of our Crosses and sufferings and follow after Our Lord anyway. It is our obligation to serve Him if we are to be graced with eternal life. This reading shows us that we must follow Our Lord - we are not saved by Faith-alone. We all must serve Our Lord no matter what obstacles lie in our path - look at the Example of the Martyrs.

My priest told this story in a homily before. There was a young woman that felt the deepest calling to become Catholic; however, her father hated Catholicism and forbid her to convert. But she followed Our Lord anyway. Finally, a few years later, he began to speak to her again. But, more than that, she then felt Our Lord's calling to become a nun. Her father said that if she entered a convent, he would never visit her - she would never see him again if she did. But she followed Our Lord anyway. Finally, years later, the father came to the convent and sat in the guest area waiting for his daughter. The conversation he had with the nuns there truly opened his mind and he began to respect Our faith.

We have to remember that not everyone will accept the message of Jesus. But, no matter what anyone else says, we must accept and follow Our Lord.

Image Source: Christ Cleansing the Temple by Bernardino Mei

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