We are drawing closer and closer to Pentecost. Please remember to pray today's prayer in the Novena for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
We are drawing closer and closer to Pentecost. Please remember to pray today's prayer in the Novena for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
Visitation from Altarpiece of the Virgin by Jacques Daret, 1434
Double of the II Class (1955 Calendar): July 2
Each year, the Universal Church celebrates the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and recalls Mary's visit to her cousin, St. Elizabeth. The event is recorded in Luke 1:39-57. Feeling the presence of his Savior, John the Baptist leaped within the womb of his mother, St. Elizabeth, upon Mary's arrival; John was then filled with the grace of God. It was at that moment that St. John was cleansed of original sin.
The Feast of Visitation was first commemorated at the beginning of the 13th century, when St. Bonaventure recommended it, and the Franciscan chapter adopted it. The Franciscan breviary spread it to many churches, but it was only universally adopted in the 14th century when Pope Urban VI extended it. In 1389, Pope Urban VI placed the feast on the universal calendar to beseech the Most Blessed Virgin to intercede for an end to the Great Schism. The Feast was raised to the rank of a Double of the Second Class in 1604 by Pope Clement VIII.
Why the date of July 2nd for the Visitation when it is after the birth of St. John the Baptist? On this question, see the New Liturgical Movement.
When Zachary had doubted the promise of the Lord that Elizabeth would bear a child, he was struck speechless. Elizabeth was thereafter visited by Mary, at which time Mary spoke the hymn of praise now known as the Magnificat. By divine providence, it was upon John's birth that Zachary's speech was restored. While this is all that is known in the Scriptures, an older tradition remains that states that Zachary was later murdered in the Temple when he refused to tell Herod where his son John was to be found.
Both St. Elizabeth and St. Zachary’s feast days are on November 5th.
Prayer:
Bestow upon Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of Thy heavenly grace: that as the childbearing of the Blessed Virgin was the beginning of our salvation, so the solemn feast of her Visitation may bring us an increase of peace. Through our Lord.
Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal
Both St. Elizabeth and St. Zachary’s feast days are on November 5th.
Prayer:
Bestow upon Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of Thy heavenly grace: that as the childbearing of the Blessed Virgin was the beginning of our salvation, so the solemn feast of her Visitation may bring us an increase of peace. Through our Lord.
Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal
I have several quotations that I'd like to share today:
"Without prayer I could not work for even half an hour. I get my strength from God through prayer" (Blessed Mother Teresa)
"Helping Christ carry His cross fills one with a strong and pure joy, and those who may and can do so, the builders of God's kingdom are the most authentic children of God" (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross)
"Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life. Therefore the servant of God ought always to be in good spirits" (Saint Philip Neri)
"Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and accompanied with great reverence. One should consider that he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before whom the angels tremble from awe and fear" (Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi)
Read more >>
"Without prayer I could not work for even half an hour. I get my strength from God through prayer" (Blessed Mother Teresa)
"Helping Christ carry His cross fills one with a strong and pure joy, and those who may and can do so, the builders of God's kingdom are the most authentic children of God" (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross)
"Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life. Therefore the servant of God ought always to be in good spirits" (Saint Philip Neri)
"Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and accompanied with great reverence. One should consider that he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before whom the angels tremble from awe and fear" (Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi)
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Today is the 5th day of the Novena for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Pray today's prayers.Also, if you would like a gift/fruit of the Holy Spirit to pray for, just ask. Please read about this devotion first, though.
Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
It is very upsetting that I report that actress Blythe Danner and her daughter, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, are supporting Planned Parenthood again. In a letter to the largest abortion provider in America, they called the move to end abortion as "disturbing". Both of them recently campaigned for Planned Parenthood's Mother Day fundraiser. The very company that raises money to have babies murdered is having a fundraiser on Mother's Day!
I will tell them what's disturbing! It's disturbing to see people supporting the murder of unborn children!
"And this is the judgment: because the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light: for their works were evil. For every one that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved. But he that doth truth, cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, because they are done in God" (John 3:19-21)
"Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20)
Read more >>
I will tell them what's disturbing! It's disturbing to see people supporting the murder of unborn children!
"Let's face it, Planned Parenthood is a shameless, money hungry business that will do anything for the almighty dollar," said Brown. "This latest stunt goes right along with Planned Parenthood's radical agenda of pushing contraception on kids, promoting casual sex and killing preborn babies. On this Mother's Day and beyond, mothers nationwide should do all in their power to protect their children from the dangers of Planned Parenthood."Kyrie Eleison!
American Life League is inviting all who are shocked by Planned Parenthood's tactics to sign the petition at http://www.stopplannedparenthoodtaxfunding.com/ and help eliminate the $265 million the organization receives each year in federal, state and local tax money.
Source
"And this is the judgment: because the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light: for their works were evil. For every one that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved. But he that doth truth, cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, because they are done in God" (John 3:19-21)
"Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20)
Upon a resolution authored by Councilor Jay Sangil, the City Council passed a move to urge parish priests of the Catholic Church to enjoin all parishes and churches to pray or play the "Angelus" over public address systems.
Sangil said that the observance of the Angelus will help renew and strengthen the faith of the Catholics and help them as they go about their daily lives.
"These are the trying times where one's faith is tested through trials and tribulations. The signs of the times call for a renewal, restoration and strengthening of faith as even the Bible predicts that the so-called last days will be marked by hardships and even apostasy," he said.
I want to personally thank each of you that have been praying for Fr. James McKenna. I regretfully inform all of you that he has passed away. I received this email from a friend of his."...[He] passed away on Tuesday morning after a brief but valiant struggle with cancer. His funeral mass was yesterday and the church was so packed that the streets were impassable. Father McKenna wished to thank all who kept him in his prayers and he asked that we continue to remember him to Our Lord. He also told us that he will remember us to Our Lord as well."I ask you one last time, my readers and friends, to pray for his soul that it might enjoy the beatific vision. Please, light a candle for him at your parish and pray for his soul.
Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen.
Please also pray for another priest that died, Fr. Todd Reitmeyer, who is a fellow blogger.
Image Source: Photo of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Believed to be in the Public Domain
Almighty God, I thank you for your past blessings. Today, I offer myself - whatever I do, say or think - to your loving care. Continue to bless me, Lord. I make this morning offering in union with the divine intentions of Jesus Christ who offers himself daily in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and in union with Mary, his Virgin Mother and our Mother, who was always the faithful handmaid of the Lord. Amen.Prayer Source: Paul and Leisa Thigpen, Building Catholic Family Traditions. (Our Sunday Visitor, 1999), p. 72.
Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
Monday, May 29, 2006
As Christians we know that death is not the end but rather the beginning of eternal life - whether in Heaven or Hell. My Catholic Reflections has a wonderful metaphor on death that I wholeheartedly recommend.Image Source: Unknown, Believed to be in the Public Domain
I want to thank a reader for letting me know about an upcoming documentary on Opus Dei. This is the first documentary to be granted access to the Catholic organization, and it will air at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 4, 2006, on the Hallmark channel.
Additionally, Faith & Values Media will be taping a panel discussion about the accuracies and inaccuracies of “The DaVinci Code.” It will air following an encore presentation of the documentary on Sunday, June 11, 2006, from 8-10 a.m. ET/PT (7-9 a.m. CT).
Panelists scheduled to appear include:
Read more >>
Additionally, Faith & Values Media will be taping a panel discussion about the accuracies and inaccuracies of “The DaVinci Code.” It will air following an encore presentation of the documentary on Sunday, June 11, 2006, from 8-10 a.m. ET/PT (7-9 a.m. CT).
Panelists scheduled to appear include:
- Amy-Jill Levine – professor of New Testament Studies, director of the Carpenter
- Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN;
- Ed Murray – president and chief executive officer, Faith & Values Media, NYC;
- Dick Staub – author, spiritual pundit and former radio talk show host, Seattle, WA
Why Do We Genuflect?
We do this out of respect for the Lord Who is truly present before us. If a king or president was seated in front of us, we would respectfully acknowledge his presence; a bow is quite customary. The same is true yet in a much greater sense regarding the Lord, Who is the King of Kings, Who is really present in the Eucharist within the tabernacle. So, when we enter a Catholic church and before we sit down, we genuflect not toward the pew but toward the tabernacle. Genuflections should always be made while looking at the tabernacle and with a realization and internal acknowledgment that God Himself resides in that tabernacle. A laudable and pious devotion is to make the Sign of the Cross and a silent act of faith at the moment of genuflection. It could be as simple as “My God, I believe Thou art present” or “My Lord, I love Thee” or “Blessed be the Holy Trinity.”
What Is the Proper Way to Genuflect?
Single Genuflection: If the Lord is within the tabernacle it ought to have a covering of cloth and there will be a lit red candle in the sanctuary. If you see this, the Lord is indeed present and anytime you walk past the front of tabernacle, you ought to genuflect. This is also true if you walk from one side of the church to the other. So it’s not about entering the pew before Mass – it’s about crossing the sight of the Lord in the tabernacle. However, it is also proper to genuflect when we arrive and leave Our Lord’s presence, which is why we do make a genuflection when we enter the pew upon arriving and when we exit the pew to leave.
A single genuflection is always on the right knee and touching the right knee to the ground. Make sure you know that. It is always the right knee, which is done out of respect for God. Genuflections on the left knee are done only to human beings (e.g. human authorities) – the right knee is reserved for God alone.
There are also times during the Mass when the rubrics require a genuflection to be made. It is customary to genuflect when the Mystery of the Incarnation is mentioned during the Mass, for example during the Creed (et incarnátus est de Spíritu Sancto ex María Vírgine: et homo factus est) and during the Last Gospel (et verbum caro factum est). This act of reverence is also performed during the Te Deum prayer said during the Divine Office each morning and at some Gospel readings during the year.
Double Genuflection: This is done by bending down on both knees (kneeling) and profoundly bowing. When is this done? When the Lord’s true Body and Blood in the Eucharist is out of the tabernacle and exposed on the altar (usually in a monstrance). On such occasions, it is fitting to make a double genuflection. If you see people going to Eucharistic Adoration, or you see people leaving Mass early while the Holy Eucharist is still exposed upon the altar, make them aware that out of respect for God and out of obedience to the laws of the Church, a double genuflection is to be made.
When Do We Bow?
A bow of the head is made when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in whose honor Mass is being celebrated. This is the case outside of Mass as well. Even if the name of Jesus is said in a simple conversation, you bow your head slightly.
A bow of the body, that is to say a profound bow, is made to the altar; during the prayers Munda cor meum (Almighty God, cleanse my heart) and In spiritu humilitatis (Lord God, we ask you to receive); in the Roman Canon at the words Supplices te rogamus (Almighty God, we pray that your angel). The same kind of bow is made by the deacon when he asks for a blessing before the proclamation of the Gospel. In addition, the priest bows slightly as he speaks the words of consecration.
Today in the United States we celebrate Memorial Day. On this day we have been asked to take a moment of silence at 3 o'clock to remember all that have served and given their lives for our freedom. Appropriately, 3 o'clock is the hour of Divine Mercy. I wanted to reflect briefly on Catholics serving in the military. Some people recommend Catholicmil.org. However, as with all modern "Catholic" webpages, be cautious as these are not traditional Catholic orders.In World War II, there were 3,220 priests ministering to our troops overseas. In today’s Global War against terrorism, there are less than 325 priests. That is 100 less priests than just two years ago. We desperately need vocations to the military to serve as priests. Pray for traditional vocations to the priesthood.
So, please take a brief moment of silence to remember all that gave their lives for our freedom, and please pray for vocations for priests in the military.
Image Source: Mass on the Battlefield, Believed to be in the Public Domain
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Today is the 3rd Day of the Novena for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.Image Source: Unknown, Believed to be in the Public Domain
Dear Jesus, present in the Sacrament of the Altar, be forever thanked and praised. Love, worthy of all celestial and terrestrial love, Who, out of infinite love for me, ungrateful sinner, didt assume our human nature, didt shed Thy most precious blood in the cruel scourging, and didt expire on a shameful cross for our eternal welfare! Now, illumined with lively faith, with the outpouring of my whole soul and the fervor of my heart, I humbly beseech Thee, through the infinite merits of Thy painful sufferings, give me strength and courage to destroy every evil passion which sways my heart, to bless Thee in my greatest affliction, to glorify Thee by the exact fulfillment of all my duties, supremely to hate all sin, and thus to become a saint.Prayer Source: Catholic Online
Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
(Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters)Right now I'm watching Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Auschwitz, the death camp of WWII. As he entered, our Holy Father stopped at Wall of Death, where the Nazis killed thousands of prisoners. Then he placed a lighted candle before the wall. 32 survivors stood to greet Benedict XVI, most of them Catholic, and he put his hands on the head of one woman. The Holy Father also visited the dark cell in the basement of one of the buildings, the place where St. Maximilian Kolbe was executed by the Nazis after he voluntarily took the place of a condemned prisoner so that the prisoner could be spared and return to his family. Pope Benedict XVI stopped to pray in the cell, standing before a candle placed there by John Paul II during a 1979 visit.
The pain is so evident at that place of death. From Auschwitz, Pope Benedict XVI arrived at Birkenau, the very close death camp accompanying Auschwitz. There he stopped at each marker to pray for the victims of the Nazis and meditate on the scope of this tragedy. He looked at each of the nationalities on the markers.
This is his third visit to Auschwitz, his first as pope. As he walked back to his chair, during the ecumenical service, a beautiful rainbow appeared behind him. The sky is think gray with the lone rainbow shining through. Following this, a group of young people came and each placed a candle on each of the markers, and the Holy Father prayed for God's forgiveness for the horrors committed by the Nazis.
Psalm 22 and Psalm 23 were then solemnly sung to all present [believed to be the modern Psalm numbering, not the traditional Catholic numbering of the Psalms]. A member of the Orthodox church, the Roman Catholic Church, and a rabbi each spoke praying for God's forgiveness. Let us pray for God's forgiveness for all of the sins committed by the Nazis in WWII. [This instance of ecumenism is unfortunate though]
Yesterday, Saturday, May 27, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI visited the birthplace of Pope John Paul ll in Wadowice. Pope Benedict XVI accompanied with Cardinal Dziwisz, the longtime secretary of John Paul ll, visited The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the place of John Paul ll's baptism. Benedict XVI also journeyed to Pope John Paul ll's boyhood home in the city. In Wadowice, the Holy Father spoke to nearly 30,000 people gathered.Pope Benedict XVI requested prayers for the canonization of John Paul ll: "I wished to stop precisely here, in the place where his faith began and matured, to pray together with all of you that he may soon be elevated to the glory of the altars."
After that stop, Pope Benedict XVI journeyed to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, the shrine that John Paul ll frequently went to pray. He said, "I hope that Providence will soon grant us the beatification and canonization of our beloved Pope John Paul II." Continuing the journey of remembrance, Benedict XVI went to the Divine Mercy shrine a Lagiewniki where he took part in Eucharistic adoration and prayed before the relics of St. Faustina. St. Faustina was the one that received the apparitions of Christ concerning the Divine Mercy of our Lord. The Holy Father then addressed the sick saying they are "...united to the Cross of Christ, but at the same time the most eloquent witnesses to the mercy of God."
Pope Benedict XVI ended Saturday with a meeting with the youth. There, to the nearly 1 million gathered in Krakow's Blonie Park, our Holy Father reminded them not to be discouraged by the people who reject the claims of Jesus Christ. He reminded them that St. Peter faced the same anguish. He reminded them not to join the secular world in viewing Christ "a king of the past."
Sunday he is going to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, the death camp in Poland.
Above Photo Source: Petr David Josek, AP
Photos of his visit with the youth:
(REUTERS/Peter Andrews)
(AFP/Vincenzo Pinto)Saturday, May 27, 2006
Today is the second day of the Novena to the Holy Spirit. Veni Creator Spiritus!Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
Yesterday Pope Benedict XVI journey to Jasna Gora and the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa where he celebrated Mass. The Shrine is home to the Black Madonna believed to have been brought to Poland in 1382.
Here is part of his message to the men, women, religious, consecration, and priests present:
Photos:
(REUTERS/Max Rossi)
(AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)
Read more >>
Here is part of his message to the men, women, religious, consecration, and priests present:
Faith is the gift, given to us in baptism, which makes our encounter with God possible. God is hidden in mystery; to claim to understand him would mean to want to confine him within our thinking and knowing and consequently to lose him irremediably. With faith, however, we can open up a way through concepts, even theological concepts, and can "touch" the living God. And God, once touched, immediately gives us his power. When we abandon ourselves to the living God, when in humility of mind we have recourse to him, a kind of hidden stream of divine life pervades us. How important it is to believe in the power of faith, in its capacity to establish a close bond with the living God!
We must give great attention to the development of our faith, so that it truly pervades all our attitudes, thoughts, actions and intentions. Faith has a place, not only in our state of soul and religious experiences, but above all in thought and action, in everyday work, in the struggle against ourselves, in community life and in the apostolate, because it ensures that our life is pervaded by the power of God himself. Faith can always bring us back to God even when our sin leads us astray.
In the Upper Room the apostles did not know what awaited them. They were afraid and worried about their own future. They continued to marvel at the death and resurrection of Jesus and were in anguish at being left on their own after his ascension into Heaven. Mary, "she who believed in the fulfillment of the Lord's words" (cf. Luke 1:45), assiduous in prayer alongside the apostles, taught perseverance in the faith. By her own attitude she convinced them that the Holy Spirit, in his wisdom, knew well the path on which he was leading them, and that consequently they could place their confidence in God, giving themselves to him unreservedly, with their talents, their limitations and their future.
...
These were the words that I placed at the beginning of the first encyclical of my pontificate: "Deus caritas est!" This is the most important, most central truth about God. To all for whom it is difficult to believe in God, I say again today: "God is love." Dear friends, be witnesses to this truth. You will surely be so if you place yourselves in the school of Mary. Beside her you will experience for yourselves that God is love, and you will transmit this message to the world with the richness and the variety that the Holy Spirit will know how to enkindle.
Praised be Jesus Christ.
© Copyright 2006 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana [translation by Holy See; adapted]
(Read More)
Photos:
(REUTERS/Max Rossi)
(REUTERS/Max Rossi)
(Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)
Double (1955 Calendar): May 28
Today is the Feastday of St. Augustine of Canterbury, who is not to be confused with St. Augustine of Hippo.
St. Augustine of Canterbury was born in Rome and died in England of natural causes on May 26, 605. St. Augustine of Canterbury was a monk and an abbot. Along with forty brother monks, including Saint Lawrence of Canterbury, St. Augustine was sent by Pope Gregory the Great to bring the Gospel message to the British Isles in 597.
He established and spread the faith throughout England; one of his earliest converts was King Aethelberht. When the king converted, 10,000 of his people also entered the Church. St. Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury, and he helped establish contacts between the Celtic and Latin churches.
Traditional Matins Reading:
Augustine was a Monk of the Monastery of Saint Andrew, in Rome, where also he discharged the office of Prior with much piety and prudence. He was taken from that Monastery by St Gregory the Great; and sent by him, with about forty Monks of the same monastery, into Britain. Thus would Gregory carry out, by his disciples, the conversion of that country to Christ—a project which he at first resolved to effect himself. They had not advanced far on their journey, when they became frightened at the difficulty of such an enterprise; but Gregory encouraged them by letters which he sent to Augustine, whom he appointed as their Abbot, and gave him letters of introduction to the kings of the Franks, and to the Bishops of Gaul. Whereupon Augustine and his Monks pursued their journey with haste. He visited the tomb of St Martin, at Tours. Having reached the town of Pont-de-Cé, not far from Angers, he was badly treated by its inhabitants, and was compelled to spend the night in the openair. Having struck the ground with his staff, a fountain miraculously sprang up; and on that spot a Church was afterwards built, and called after his name.
Having procured interpreters from the Franks, he proceeded to England and landed at the Isle of Thanet. He entered the country, carrying, as a standard, a silver Cross, and a painting representing our Saviour. Thus did he present himself before Ethelbert, the king of Kent, who readily provided the heralds of the Gospel with a dwelling in the city of Canterbury, and gave them leave to preach in his kingdom. There was close at hand an Oratory which had been built in honour of St Martin, when the Romans had possession of Britain. It was in this Oratory that his queen Bertha (who was a Christian, as being of the nation of the Franks) was wont to pray. Augustine, therefore, entered into Canterbury with solemn religious ceremony, amidst the chanting of psalms and litanies. He took up his abode for some time near to the said Oratory; and there, together with his Monks, led an apostolic life. Such manner of living, conjointly with the heavenly doctrine that was preached, and confirmed by many miracles, so reconciled the islanders, that many of them were induced to embrace the Christian Faith. The king himself was also converted, and Augustine baptized him and a very great number of his people. On one Christmas Day he baptized upwards of ten thousand English, in a river at York; and it is related that those among them who were suffering any malady, received bodily health, as well as their spiritual regeneration.
Meanwhile, the man of God Augustine received a command from Gregory to go and receive Episcopal ordination in Gaul, at the hands of Virgilius, the Bishop of Arles. On his return he established his See at Canterbury, in the Church of our Saviour, which he had built, and he kept there some of the Monks to be his fellow-labourers. He also built in the suburbs the Monastery of Saint Peter, which was afterwards called ‘Saint Augustine’s.’ When Gregory heard of the conversion of the Angli, which was told to him by the two Monks Laurence and Peter, whom Augustine had sent to Rome, he wrote letters of congratulation to Augustine. He gave him power to arrange all that concerned the Church in England, and to wear the Pallium. In the same letters he admonished him to be on his guard against priding himself on the miracles which God enabled him to work for the salvation of souls, lest pride should turn them to the injury of him that worked them.
Having thus put in order the affairs of the Church in England, Augustine held a Council with the Bishops and Doctors of the ancient Britons, who had long been at variance with the Roman Church in the keeping of Easter and other rites. And in order to refute, by miracles, these men, whom the Apostolic See had often authoritatively admonished, but to no purpose, Augustine, in proof of the truth of his assertions, restored sight to a blind man in their presence. But on their refusing to yield even after witnessing the miracle, Augustine, with prophetic warning, told them of the punishment that awaited them. At length, after having laboured so long for Christ, and appointed Laurence as his successor, he took his departure for heaven on the seventh of the Calends of June (May 26) and was buried in the Monastery of Saint Peter, which became the burying-place of the Archbishops of Canterbury, and of several kings. The Churches of England honoured him with great devotion. They decreed that each year his feast should be kept as a holyday, and that his name should be inserted in the Litany, immediately after that of St Gregory, together with whom Augustine has ever been honoured by the English as their Apostle, and as the propagator of the Benedictine Order in their country.
Prayer:
O God, Who by the preaching and miracles of blessed Augustine, Thy Confessor and Bishop, didst vouchsafe to shed upon the English people the light of the true faith: grant that, through his intercession, the hearts of the straying may return to the unity of Thy truth, and that we may do Thy will with one accord. Through our Lord.
Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal
Friday, May 26, 2006
The Holy Father celebrated Mass to approximately 270,000 people in the rain in Warsaw. Pilsudski Square was the location where John Paul II inspired Poland's Solidarity movement against communist rule in his 1979 visit.
In his homily, Benedict XVI again attacked relativism, which teaches that nothing can be an absolute truth. This view by many "cafeteria Catholics" must be stopped. Everything the Holy Church teaches as a defined dogma must be believed including its view on birth control, abortion, stem cells, gay marriage, and euthanasia.
Even though the rain poured down, many people came out.
(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
(AFP/Janek Skarzynski)
Read more >>
In his homily, Benedict XVI again attacked relativism, which teaches that nothing can be an absolute truth. This view by many "cafeteria Catholics" must be stopped. Everything the Holy Church teaches as a defined dogma must be believed including its view on birth control, abortion, stem cells, gay marriage, and euthanasia.
Even though the rain poured down, many people came out.
Photos:
(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
(AFP/Janek Skarzynski)
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