That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death. DR.
Monday, 10 September 2012
Philippians 3:10
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death. DR.
Panic in Carthage...........I mean, The Tablet
September 8th Panic Attack in The Tablet-Calling Martini a Prophet, etc.
Here in my little old hands is the latest issue of The Tablet.
Guess who is on the cover? The late Cardinal Martini. Guess which person is featured in the editorial and many more articles, plus a tribute by Cardinal Comac Murphy-O'Connor (which is not all praise, thank God)?
Martini.
Guess whose cowardly address, only to be published after his death, is highlighted?
Martini's
Check these points out. The mask of The Tablet finally has completely slipped. Some of us have known since 1968 that this periodical was not only part of the Dissenting Church, but was creating a broad-based Dissenting Church by the continuation of anti-Magisterium views. The liberals are panicking.
Some quotations from this last issue:
"Cardinal Martini's gift to the Church is make certain things sayable again at the highest level-for instance, that as he declared on another occasion, Humanae Vitae was a grave mistake; and that the denial of Holy Communion to Catholics who have divorced and remarried (without annulments) is an abuse of power and an injustice.".
Poor, poor editor. He is seeing his false, dissenting church buckling under age and heresy.
The editorial states, "Collegiality was meant to displace this top-down ultramontane model..." Umm, tell that to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity who instituted the Church on earth as a hierarchy.
Again, the editor quotes Martini, and we must be grateful to the Holy Spirit for protecting the Church against the possible leadership of this man: "The Church is 200 years behind the times. How come it doesn't rouse itself? Are we afraid? Fearful instead of courageous?"
And the editor ends with on this note: "This is the authentic voice of an Old Testament prophet, castigating the mighty in the name of the Lord....."
Shut this publication down, NOW.
If you want to read the rest of the articles, go take a Tablet from the back of your local Church. I am not advising stealing, but borrowing may be OK.
By the way, in the article by Rosica, those who labelled Martini as "liberal" are "immature".
Sigh, there is nothing one can do about mediocrity in writing and journalism....
 |
| The Burning of Carthage |
Guess who is on the cover? The late Cardinal Martini. Guess which person is featured in the editorial and many more articles, plus a tribute by Cardinal Comac Murphy-O'Connor (which is not all praise, thank God)?
Martini.
Guess whose cowardly address, only to be published after his death, is highlighted?
Martini's
Check these points out. The mask of The Tablet finally has completely slipped. Some of us have known since 1968 that this periodical was not only part of the Dissenting Church, but was creating a broad-based Dissenting Church by the continuation of anti-Magisterium views. The liberals are panicking.
Some quotations from this last issue:
"Cardinal Martini's gift to the Church is make certain things sayable again at the highest level-for instance, that as he declared on another occasion, Humanae Vitae was a grave mistake; and that the denial of Holy Communion to Catholics who have divorced and remarried (without annulments) is an abuse of power and an injustice.".
Poor, poor editor. He is seeing his false, dissenting church buckling under age and heresy.
The editorial states, "Collegiality was meant to displace this top-down ultramontane model..." Umm, tell that to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity who instituted the Church on earth as a hierarchy.
Again, the editor quotes Martini, and we must be grateful to the Holy Spirit for protecting the Church against the possible leadership of this man: "The Church is 200 years behind the times. How come it doesn't rouse itself? Are we afraid? Fearful instead of courageous?"
And the editor ends with on this note: "This is the authentic voice of an Old Testament prophet, castigating the mighty in the name of the Lord....."
Shut this publication down, NOW.
If you want to read the rest of the articles, go take a Tablet from the back of your local Church. I am not advising stealing, but borrowing may be OK.
By the way, in the article by Rosica, those who labelled Martini as "liberal" are "immature".
Sigh, there is nothing one can do about mediocrity in writing and journalism....
Men of the West-three
There are no freedoms without God as the centre of our lives. There are no real politics or governments of freedom without God as the centre of society and culture.
There are no excellent leaders unless those are men and women base who their lives on the Teaching Magisterium of the Church, as all other creeds fall short of truth.
There are very few real Men of the West, even in the Church hierarchy. There are some.
Two quotations from Blessed Pius IX (a true leader, a Man of the West) from Quanta Cura:
For you well know, venerable brethren, that at this time men are found not a few who, applying to civil society the impious and absurd principle of "naturalism," as they call it, dare to teach that "the best constitution of public society and (also) civil progress altogether require that human society be conducted and governed without regard being had to religion any more than if it did not exist; or, at least, without any distinction being made between the true religion and false ones."
There are very few real Men of the West, even in the Church hierarchy. There are some.
Two quotations from Blessed Pius IX (a true leader, a Man of the West) from Quanta Cura:
For you well know, venerable brethren, that at this time men are found not a few who, applying to civil society the impious and absurd principle of "naturalism," as they call it, dare to teach that "the best constitution of public society and (also) civil progress altogether require that human society be conducted and governed without regard being had to religion any more than if it did not exist; or, at least, without any distinction being made between the true religion and false ones."
From which totally false idea of social government they do not fear to foster that erroneous opinion, most fatal in its effects on the Catholic Church and the salvation of souls, called by Our Predecessor, Gregory XVI, an "insanity,"*, that "liberty of conscience and worship is each man's personal right, which ought to be legally proclaimed and asserted in every rightly constituted society; and that a right resides in the citizens to an absolute liberty, which should be restrained by no authority whether ecclesiastical or civil, whereby they may be able openly and publicly to manifest and declare any of their ideas whatever, either by word of mouth, by the press, or in any other way."
* Gregory XVI, encyclical epistle "Mirari vos," 15 August 1832.
Men of the West-Two
Wow, I wrote my piece early this morning on the Men of the West giving up. Just now, I saw the review on drudgereport flashback on Buchanan's book, which some read last year, repeated here as a warning.
God bless Patrick Buchanan. If you miss the theme of this post and the last one, read both again.
BOOK WARNS OF END
Fri Oct 14 2011 07:00:25 ET
**Exclusive**
"As the faith that gave birth to the West is dying in the West, peoples of European descent from the steppes of Russia to the coast of California have begun to die out, as the Third World treks north to claim the estate. The last decade provided corroborating if not conclusive proof that we are in the Indian Summer of our civilization."
So begins Pat Buchanan in his hardcore work, SUICIDE OF A SUPERPOWER.
"Will America Survive to 2025?"
Buchanan, set for maximum controversy, launches all rockets at introduction "Disintegrating Nation" -- and does not let up for 400-plus pages.
"America is disintegrating. The centrifugal forces pulling us apart are growing inexorably. What unites us is dissolving. And this is true of Western Civilization....Meanwhile, the state is failing in its most fundamental duties. It is no longer able to defend our borders, balance our budgets, or win our wars."
The books reads as if its been written to be left behind in the ruins, only to be found by a future civilization.
Chapter 1: The Passing of a Superpower
“We have accepted today the existence in perpetuity of a permanent underclass of scores of millions who cannot cope and must be carried by society -- fed, clothed, housed, tutored, medicated at taxpayer’s expense their entire lives. We have a dependent nation the size of Spain in our independent America. We have a new division in our country, those who pay a double or triple fare, and those who ride forever free.”
Chapter 2. The End of Christian America
If [Christopher] Dawson is correct, the drive to de-Christianize America, to purge Christianity from the public square, public schools and public life, will prove culturally and socially suicidal for the nation.
“The last consequence of a dying Christianity is a dying people. Not one post-Christian nation has a birth rate sufficient to keep it alive....The death of European Christianity means the disappearance of the European tribe, a prospect visible in the demographic statistics of every Western nation.”
Chapter 3. The Crisis of Catholicism
“Half a century on, the disaster is manifest. The robust and confident Church of 1958 no longer exists. Catholic colleges and universities remain Catholic in name only. Parochial schools and high schools are closing as rapidly as they opened in the 1950s. The numbers of nuns, priests and seminarians have fallen dramatically. Mass attendance is a third of what it was. From the former Speaker of the House to the Vice President, Catholic politicians openly support abortion on demand.”
“How can Notre Dame credibly teach that all innocent life is sacred, and then honor a president committed to ensuring that a woman’s right to end the life of her innocent child remains sacrosanct?”
Chapter 4. The End of White America
“[W]hite America is an endangered species. By 2020, whites over 65 will out-number those 17 and under. Deaths will exceed births. The white population will begin to shrink and, should present birth rates persist, slowly disappear.”
“Mexico is moving north. Ethnically, linguistically and culturally, the verdict of 1848 is being over-turned. Will this Mexican nation within a nation advance the goals of the Constitution -- to “insure domestic tranquility” and ‘make us a more perfect union’? Or have we imperiled our union?” (Page 134)
Chapter 5. Demographic Winter
“Peoples of European descent are not only in a relative but a real decline. They are aging, dying, disappearing. This is the existential crisis of the West.” (Page 166)
“Not any Iranian weapon of mass destruction but demography is the existential crisis Israel faces....By mid-century...Palestinians west of the Jordan river will out-number Jews 2-1. Add Palestinians in Jordan, it is 3-1.”
“In a startling development of history, Russia’s population has fallen from 148 million in 1991 to 140 million today and is projected to plunge to 116 million by 2050, a loss of 32 million Russians in six decades.”
Chapter 6. Equality Vs. Freedom
“Those who would change society begin by changing the meaning of words. At Howard University, LBJ changed the meaning of equality from the attainable -- an end to segregation and a legislated equality of rights for African-Americans -- to the impossible: a socialist utopia.”
“Where equality is enthroned, freedom is extinguished. The rise of the egalitarian society means the death of the free society.”
“A time for truth. As most kids do not have the athletic ability to play high school sports, or the musical ability to play in the band, or the verbal ability to excel in debate, not every child has the academic ability to do high school work. No two children are created equal, not even identical twins. The family is the incubator of inequality and God its author.”
Chapter 7. The Diversity Cult
“The non-Europeanization of America is heartening news of an almost transcendental quality,” Wattenberg trilled.4 Yet, one wonders: What kind of man looks with transcendental joy to a day when the people among whom he was raised have become a minority in a nation where the majority rules?”
“Historians will look back in stupor at 20th and 21st century Americans who believed the magnificent republic they inherited would be enriched by bringing in scores of millions from the failed states of the Third World.”
Chapter 8: The Triumph Of Tribalism
America’s war of revenge against Japan was a race war. Newsreels, movies, magazines, comic books, headlines treated “Japs” as a repulsive race whose extermination would benefit mankind....Only well after the war was over was it re-branded a war to bring the blessings of democracy to...Japan.
We may deny the existence of ethnonationalism, detest it, condemn it. But this creator and destroyer of empires and nations is a force infinitely more powerful than globalism, for it engages the heart. Men will die for it. Religion, race, culture and tribe are the four horsemen of the coming apocalypse.
Chapter 9. ‘The White Party’
“Through its support of mass immigration, its paralysis in power to prevent 12-20 million illegal aliens from entering and staying, its failure to address the “anchor-baby” issue, the Republican Party has birthed a new electorate that will send it the way of the Whigs.”
Chapter 10: The Long Retreat
“We borrow from Europe to defend Europe. We borrow from the Gulf states to defend the Gulf states. We borrow from Japan to defend Japan. Is it not a symptom of senility to be borrowing from the world so we can defend the world?”
“Are vital U.S. interests more imperiled by what happens in Iraq where were have 50,000 troops, or Afghanistan where we have 100,000, or South Korea where we have 28,000 -- or by what is happening on our border with Mexico?...What does it profit America if we save Anbar and lose Arizona?”
Chapter 11: The Last Chance
“We are trying to create a nation that has never before existed, of all the races, tribes, cultures and creeds of Earth, where all are equal. In this utopian drive for the perfect society of our dreams we are killing the real country we inherited -- the best and greatest country on earth.”
God bless Patrick Buchanan. If you miss the theme of this post and the last one, read both again.
BOOK WARNS OF END
Fri Oct 14 2011 07:00:25 ET
**Exclusive**
"As the faith that gave birth to the West is dying in the West, peoples of European descent from the steppes of Russia to the coast of California have begun to die out, as the Third World treks north to claim the estate. The last decade provided corroborating if not conclusive proof that we are in the Indian Summer of our civilization."
So begins Pat Buchanan in his hardcore work, SUICIDE OF A SUPERPOWER.
"Will America Survive to 2025?"
Buchanan, set for maximum controversy, launches all rockets at introduction "Disintegrating Nation" -- and does not let up for 400-plus pages.
"America is disintegrating. The centrifugal forces pulling us apart are growing inexorably. What unites us is dissolving. And this is true of Western Civilization....Meanwhile, the state is failing in its most fundamental duties. It is no longer able to defend our borders, balance our budgets, or win our wars."
The books reads as if its been written to be left behind in the ruins, only to be found by a future civilization.
Chapter 1: The Passing of a Superpower
“We have accepted today the existence in perpetuity of a permanent underclass of scores of millions who cannot cope and must be carried by society -- fed, clothed, housed, tutored, medicated at taxpayer’s expense their entire lives. We have a dependent nation the size of Spain in our independent America. We have a new division in our country, those who pay a double or triple fare, and those who ride forever free.”
Chapter 2. The End of Christian America
If [Christopher] Dawson is correct, the drive to de-Christianize America, to purge Christianity from the public square, public schools and public life, will prove culturally and socially suicidal for the nation.
“The last consequence of a dying Christianity is a dying people. Not one post-Christian nation has a birth rate sufficient to keep it alive....The death of European Christianity means the disappearance of the European tribe, a prospect visible in the demographic statistics of every Western nation.”
Chapter 3. The Crisis of Catholicism
“Half a century on, the disaster is manifest. The robust and confident Church of 1958 no longer exists. Catholic colleges and universities remain Catholic in name only. Parochial schools and high schools are closing as rapidly as they opened in the 1950s. The numbers of nuns, priests and seminarians have fallen dramatically. Mass attendance is a third of what it was. From the former Speaker of the House to the Vice President, Catholic politicians openly support abortion on demand.”
“How can Notre Dame credibly teach that all innocent life is sacred, and then honor a president committed to ensuring that a woman’s right to end the life of her innocent child remains sacrosanct?”
Chapter 4. The End of White America
“[W]hite America is an endangered species. By 2020, whites over 65 will out-number those 17 and under. Deaths will exceed births. The white population will begin to shrink and, should present birth rates persist, slowly disappear.”
“Mexico is moving north. Ethnically, linguistically and culturally, the verdict of 1848 is being over-turned. Will this Mexican nation within a nation advance the goals of the Constitution -- to “insure domestic tranquility” and ‘make us a more perfect union’? Or have we imperiled our union?” (Page 134)
Chapter 5. Demographic Winter
“Peoples of European descent are not only in a relative but a real decline. They are aging, dying, disappearing. This is the existential crisis of the West.” (Page 166)
“Not any Iranian weapon of mass destruction but demography is the existential crisis Israel faces....By mid-century...Palestinians west of the Jordan river will out-number Jews 2-1. Add Palestinians in Jordan, it is 3-1.”
“In a startling development of history, Russia’s population has fallen from 148 million in 1991 to 140 million today and is projected to plunge to 116 million by 2050, a loss of 32 million Russians in six decades.”
Chapter 6. Equality Vs. Freedom
“Those who would change society begin by changing the meaning of words. At Howard University, LBJ changed the meaning of equality from the attainable -- an end to segregation and a legislated equality of rights for African-Americans -- to the impossible: a socialist utopia.”
“Where equality is enthroned, freedom is extinguished. The rise of the egalitarian society means the death of the free society.”
“A time for truth. As most kids do not have the athletic ability to play high school sports, or the musical ability to play in the band, or the verbal ability to excel in debate, not every child has the academic ability to do high school work. No two children are created equal, not even identical twins. The family is the incubator of inequality and God its author.”
Chapter 7. The Diversity Cult
“The non-Europeanization of America is heartening news of an almost transcendental quality,” Wattenberg trilled.4 Yet, one wonders: What kind of man looks with transcendental joy to a day when the people among whom he was raised have become a minority in a nation where the majority rules?”
“Historians will look back in stupor at 20th and 21st century Americans who believed the magnificent republic they inherited would be enriched by bringing in scores of millions from the failed states of the Third World.”
Chapter 8: The Triumph Of Tribalism
America’s war of revenge against Japan was a race war. Newsreels, movies, magazines, comic books, headlines treated “Japs” as a repulsive race whose extermination would benefit mankind....Only well after the war was over was it re-branded a war to bring the blessings of democracy to...Japan.
We may deny the existence of ethnonationalism, detest it, condemn it. But this creator and destroyer of empires and nations is a force infinitely more powerful than globalism, for it engages the heart. Men will die for it. Religion, race, culture and tribe are the four horsemen of the coming apocalypse.
Chapter 9. ‘The White Party’
“Through its support of mass immigration, its paralysis in power to prevent 12-20 million illegal aliens from entering and staying, its failure to address the “anchor-baby” issue, the Republican Party has birthed a new electorate that will send it the way of the Whigs.”
Chapter 10: The Long Retreat
“We borrow from Europe to defend Europe. We borrow from the Gulf states to defend the Gulf states. We borrow from Japan to defend Japan. Is it not a symptom of senility to be borrowing from the world so we can defend the world?”
“Are vital U.S. interests more imperiled by what happens in Iraq where were have 50,000 troops, or Afghanistan where we have 100,000, or South Korea where we have 28,000 -- or by what is happening on our border with Mexico?...What does it profit America if we save Anbar and lose Arizona?”
Chapter 11: The Last Chance
“We are trying to create a nation that has never before existed, of all the races, tribes, cultures and creeds of Earth, where all are equal. In this utopian drive for the perfect society of our dreams we are killing the real country we inherited -- the best and greatest country on earth.”
A day may come when the courage of Men fails....
Aragorn: Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!
People of the West, the time may have already come when we are breaking bonds of fellowship, forsaking friends...
People in the West use to be able to objectivity judge child abuse when they saw it. There have been laws protecting children and women from abuse for a long-time.
This concept of protection has been lost by the West. Women and young girls are suffering owing to the blind eye of Western men and women in governmental and legal power who are giving in to barbarism
.Either you believe in Western civilization or you do not care
When will this end? We are sliding into pre-Christian eras in some places. Either we believe the West has had better laws, better governments, more freedoms and is a superior way to live, or we do not. Objectively, there are differences. Wake up, people. Not all governmental systems are equal and not all religions are equal when it comes to personal freedoms. It is our duty to protect the weak.
Why? Political correctness.
Who cares if a little girl suffers or a wife is beaten?
Who cares? The weak men of this world are allowing this to happen and the feminist women are silent.
Silence means consent. I am saddened that our civilization is rapidly disappearing from bad legal decisions.
And, now this: from the Great S. and Daily Mail in London:
UK: Muslim clerics agreeing to marry girls as young as 12, as long as parents don't tell anyone
As we have seen again and again, wherever Islamic law and Western laws conflict, it is Western laws that must give way. Child marriage is rampant among those who believe that Muhammad is the supreme example of conduct (cf. Qur'an 33:21), but Islamic spokesmen in the West frequently assert that it is a cultural phenomenon that has nothing to do with Islam. They did not, however, tell the mullahs.
"The Prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with 'Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death)." -- Bukhari 7.62.88
Muslims take this seriously and imitate Muhammad in this. Article 1041 of the Civil Code of the Islamic Republic of Iran states that girls can be engaged before the age of nine, and married at nine: "Marriage before puberty (nine full lunar years for girls) is prohibited. Marriage contracted before reaching puberty with the permission of the guardian is valid provided that the interests of the ward are duly observed."
The Ayatollah Khomeini himself married a ten-year-old girl when he was twenty-eight. Khomeini called marriage to a prepubescent girl "a divine blessing," and advised the faithful: "Do your best to ensure that your daughters do not see their first blood in your house."
"The child brides: Muslim mosque leaders agree to marry girl of 12 in Britain... so long as parents don't tell anyone," by Suzannah Hills in the Daily Mail, September 9 (thanks to David):
British Muslim mosque leaders are agreeing to carry out secret marriages with child brides as young as 12 in the UK, it emerged today.
In an undercover investigation, a Shite mosque leader agreed to marry a 12-year-old girl so long as she was a willing participant.A Sunday Times journalist visited the Husaini Islamic Centre in Peterborough - the 'first Shite mosque in the whole of Europe' - posing as the father of a 12-year-old girl.According to the newspaper, the reporter was told by Imam Mohamed Kassamali that 'under sharia [Islamic law] there is no problem' in marrying a 12-year-old.But while he declared Islamic Law dictated a girl should see 'her first sign of puberty at the house of her husband', he admitted they would all get in to trouble if she went to police saying she was forced into the marriage.He told the parents he would need to meet the bride and groom to be sure they were happy to go ahead with the marriage and urged them to delay having intimate relations until they were older.When approached by the newspaper he insisted he would only have carried out the ceremony if it was allowed under British law and if both parties had not been coerced into the marriage.But another retired Imam, Abdul Haque, who worships at the Shoreditch Mosque in east London, agreed to carry out the ceremony on the condition the parents kept it a secret from the authorities.The Imam urged the undercover reporter to lie about the marriage and keep it a secret.Haque said: 'Tell people it is an engagement but it will be a marriage.'In Islam, once the girl reaches puberty the father has the right, the parents have the right, but under the laws of this country if the girl complains and says her marriage has been arranged and she wasn't of marriageable age, then the person who performed the marriage will be jailed as well as the mother and father.'He then warned: 'Nobody should know about this and the girl must not complain... If she talks in school they will take the girl, social workers will take her and afterwards you and I will be in trouble.'...
September Sky
I have not been giving as many updates for the sky events, such as constellations and planets, as I can hardly see anything from where I have been living.
Jupiter next to the moon was fantastic in the early hours of yesterday. We have had two fairly clear nights, but clouds are moving in. The temperature has dropped 20 Fahrenheit degrees already tonight from earlier today.
If I were in the country, as I was last year at this time, I would be able to see these things. Last year, I was in Norfolk and saw most of these constellations easily. If one used Cassiopeia as a guide, the large W in the sky, all the rest are easy to find. Cygnus, the Swan, is obvious if one is in the country. Deneb is the brightest star in Cygnus.
I love London, but I could never stay here all of my life, as I cannot see the stars and the planets. But, God may have other plans for me. When I am in Ireland, I shall see many more stars, but the rain clouds obstruct the views many nights.
Also, if one looks at the map, one can see that the night sky for England would be slightly different in Ireland, which is so much farther north than where I have been.
Cetus, the Whale is also clear. Mira is the brightest star in Cetus. Happy star gazing.
Jupiter next to the moon was fantastic in the early hours of yesterday. We have had two fairly clear nights, but clouds are moving in. The temperature has dropped 20 Fahrenheit degrees already tonight from earlier today.
I love London, but I could never stay here all of my life, as I cannot see the stars and the planets. But, God may have other plans for me. When I am in Ireland, I shall see many more stars, but the rain clouds obstruct the views many nights.
Also, if one looks at the map, one can see that the night sky for England would be slightly different in Ireland, which is so much farther north than where I have been.
For my readers, blue roses
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Those of you who read this blog, know I love blue roses. I hope you read the beautiful story concerning the blue rose posted here months ago. Here is the link for the story.
As Catholics, we must always aspire to the ideals which Christ has set before us. We are stretched out of our comfort zones if we follow Christ.
From all time, God had a plan for our lives. He does not see past, present and future, but all as present.
God Who created us knows what we can be and do. We limit ourselves. But, only is His plan is our peace.
The blue rose to me indicates that affirmation of being open to attaining the unattainable. God waits for us to say yes to life. Do not be afraid.
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Exodus from France
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/08/us-france-tax-lvmh-idUSBRE88709520120908
Time to watch The Scarlet Pimpernel again. Don't the French ever learn from history?
Time to watch The Scarlet Pimpernel again. Don't the French ever learn from history?
Sunday, 9 September 2012
Free Barbie, Now a Hostage. Captain Kirk Responds
Iran cracked down on Barbie dolls. If you remember my post from several months ago, I told you about how Barbie has become a terrorist.
Now, she has been seized and is a hostage in several cities in Iran.
Update: Captain Kirk, Spock and Uhura Barbie have entered the search.
from the Great S.
Barbie dolls: strictly forbidden -- they contradict Islamic values.
"Iran cracks down on Barbie dolls," from Trend, September 8 (thanks to Lachlan):
Head of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Gudance in Iran's Lorestan Province Ali Esmailian said that import of Barbie dolls in Iran is forbidden because they contradict Islamic values and Iranian culture, ISNA reported today.I am so glad I am a Catholic.
Esmailian said that all Barbie dolls are being seized.He did not explain what Barbie dolls do with Islamic values or Iranian culture exactly, but argued that launching a campaign against Barbie dolls is aimed to prevent foreign influence tricks in Iran.Iranian conservative government fights against any sign of what they call "western values and cultural invasion".Iranian Police closed dozens of shops which were selling Barbie dolls in January 2012.Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959.There are also some computer Barbie games for children. Esmailian said that these games should be prevented and the sellers of these kinds of games would be punished.
The funny and the sad of the DNC
http://takimag.com/article/an_overdose_of_hope_takimag#axzz25wIMoWTu
Read this on hope and the Dems. Funny and sad.
Read this on hope and the Dems. Funny and sad.
Robin
Off to Holy Mass-NO Latin. More on that later.
But, a robin moved into the neighbourhood and sang copious trills this morning.
This means there will be a change in the weather. It has been in the 70s and 80s, but the robin
is telling us that Autumn and Winter is on the way.
It use to be called the "Winter Bird", but in recent years, the robin has been staying all year round.
That might change again.
As the weather will soon....
But, a robin moved into the neighbourhood and sang copious trills this morning.
This means there will be a change in the weather. It has been in the 70s and 80s, but the robin
is telling us that Autumn and Winter is on the way.
It use to be called the "Winter Bird", but in recent years, the robin has been staying all year round.
That might change again.
As the weather will soon....
Ah, One More Meditation and Two Saints
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Well, I decided to add another Ignatian Meditation. This is the last one of last week's gospel. Part of the reason I am sharing is to encourage you to stay with one passage for a week and go back to it over and over. Meditation brings out the richness of the text.
One more point, Christ purposefully referred to the Prophet Isaiah when talking to the scribes and Pharisees.
Here is the reference: Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.
Christ chooses this passage not only because it refers to hypocrisy, but because it is Isaiah who states it.
Isaiah is the great prophet of the Messiah. He is the prophet who over and over again identifies the characteristics of the Chosen One, the Christ. The Pharisees and scribes would have recognized the use
of Isaiah immediately as not only a rebuke, but "the" reference to Messianic claims.
Only two that we know of went home and thought on these things: SS. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.
The Catholic Encyclopaedia states this on Joseph: I leave the links in for your perusal.
All that is known for certain concerning him is derived from the canonical Gospels. He was born at Arimathea — hence his surname — "a city of Judea" (Luke 23:51), which is very likely identical with Ramatha, the birthplace of the Prophet Samuel, although several scholars prefer to identify it with the town of Ramleh. He was a wealthy Israelite (Matthew 27:57), "a good and a just man" (Luke 23:50), "who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God" (Mark 15:43). He is also called by St. Mark and by St. Luke a bouleutes, literally, "a senator", whereby is meant a member of the Sanhedrin or supreme council of the Jews. He was a disciple of Jesus, probably ever since Christ's first preaching in Judea (John 2:23), but he did not declare himself as such "for fear of the Jews" (John 19:38). On account of this secret allegiance to Jesus, he did not consent to His condemnation by the Sanhedrin (Luke 23:51), and was most likely absent from the meeting which sentenced Jesus to death (cf. Mark 14:64).
The Crucifixion of the Master quickened Joseph's faith and love, and suggested to him that he should provide for Christ's burialbefore the Sabbath began. Unmindful therefore of all personal danger, a danger which was indeed considerable under the circumstances, he boldly requested from Pilate the Body of Jesus, and was successful in his request (Mark 15:43-45). Once in possession of this sacred treasure, he — together with Nicodemus, whom his courage had likewise emboldened, and who brought abundant spices — wrapped up Christ's Body in fine linen and grave bands, laid it in his own tomb, new and yet unused, and hewn out of a rock in a neighbouring garden, and withdrew after rolling a great stone to the opening of the sepulchre (Matthew 27:59, 60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53; John 19:38-42). Thus was fulfilled Isaiah's prediction that the grave of the Messias would be with a rich man (Isaiah 53:9). The Greek Church celebrates the feast of Joseph of Arimathea on 31 July, and the Roman Churchon 17 March. The additional details which are found concerning him in the apocryphal "Acta Pilati", are unworthy of credence. Likewise fabulous is the legend which tells of his coming to Gaul A.D. 63, and thence to Great Britain, where he is supposed to have founded the earliest Christian oratory at Glastonbury. Finally, the story of the translation of the body of Joseph of Arimathea from Jerusalem to Moyenmonstre (Diocese of Toul) originated late and is unreliable.
The CE states this on Nicodemus: The name is of Greek origin, but at that epoch such names were occasionally borrowed by the Jews, and according to Josephus (Ant. of the Jews, XIV, iii, 2)Nicodemus was the name
of one of the ambassadors sent by Aristobulus to Pompey. A Hebrew form of the name (Naqdimon) is
found in the Talmud. Nicodemus
was a Pharisee, and in
his capacity of sanhedrist, (John 7:50) was a leader of the Jews. Christ, in the interview
when Nicodemus came to him by night, calls him a master in Israel. Judging from John 19:39, Nicodemus must have been
a man of means, and it is probable that he wielded a certain influence in
the Sanhedrim. Some writers conjecture from his question: "How can a
man be born when he is old?", that he was already advanced in years, but
the words are too general to warrant such a conclusion. He appears in this
interview as a learned and intelligent believer, but timid and not
easily initiated into the mysteries of the new faith. He next appears (John 7:50-51) in
the Sanhedrim offering a word in defence of the accused Galilean; and we may infer from this
passage that he embraced the truth as soon as it was fully made
known to him. He is mentioned finally in John 19:39, where he is shown co-operating
with Joseph of Arimathea in
the embalming and burial of Jesus. His name occurs later in some of
the apocryphal writings,
e.g. in the so-called "Acta Pilati",
a heterogeneous document which in the sixteen century was published under the
title "Evangelium
Nicodemi" (Gospel of Nicodemus).
The time of his death is unknown. The Roman Martyrology commemorates the
finding of his relics, together
with those of Sts. Stephen, Gamaliel, and Abibo, on 3 August
The CE states this on Nicodemus: The name is of Greek origin, but at that epoch such names were occasionally borrowed by the Jews, and according to Josephus (
Ignatian Meditation two of two today
I knew this before, this truth, but it came back to my consciousness when thinking of last week's gospel.
This might seem shocking, but the Pharisees and scribes had a right to question Jesus on the behaviour of his apostles. Why?
The entire Jewish religion was based on two things: The Law and The Prophets. These two pillars of Truth formed the entire Jewish religion, the relationships with the community and the temple worship. The Covenant of Abraham was the foundation for the Law and the Law demanded the continuation and renewal of the Covenant.
Christ came along and challenged the Law and the Prophets. He demonstrated by His behaviour and He claimed by His words that He was greater than the Law and the Prophets.
That is the real reason for the questions of the Pharisees. That is why they questioned Him. He was doing away with what had laid the foundation for His Coming and they could see that. And, this is why Christ calls them hypocrites.
Because they knew that the Messiah would come and be a manifestation of the Law and the Prophets, when they saw this possibility in Christ, they responded with a loud NO. Christ is the embodiment of the New Law. He is the Prophet promised to come, and that is why the Pharisees rejected Him. Their hearts were not prepared for the challenge and the change. They really did not want the Messiah to come, yet....They did not want to give up their power for His Power.
Christ tried and they refused to listen. The Gentiles accepted the New Law, the King, Priest and Prophet Who is Christ.
That was also prophesied.
Another Ignatian Meditation-one of two more
I am finishing up two Ignatian meditations on last week's gospel. Again, the passage was the one in which Christ engaged the Pharisees and scribes in a discussion on the real meaning of the Law.
Sometimes people forget that Christ talked with the Pharisees and did not ignore them. Because they were highly educated and the intellectual elite of the day, Christ could challenge them regarding the spirit of the Scriptures as well as the letter of the Law.
Christ is not telling anyone to ignore the Law. In fact, I think He allowed the apostles not to wash, or did not correct them on purpose to make a point with the Pharisees. This is good teaching. When I taught, in a few cases, I would let someone make bad points in a debate just to show what one should not do. Everyone had a chance to learn by seeing and doing. Christ is the Teacher, the Best Teacher. He knows His audience and what that group can handle.
The huge point of the list of sins turns around the word "intentions". Christ is changing the rules of the game of salvation. Avoiding sin is not enough. One's heart, mind and soul must be purified. Intentions, not actions, are first addressed by Christ. What is our intention? Do we get angry and judge interiorally quickly? Do we despair and fall into sorrow too soon after a disappointment? People cannot see all their own the sins without grace. Some are only intentions of vice, but vice none the less. Christ raises the bar of perfection and the Pharisees know exactly what He is doing. They are objecting to the new challenge of holiness.
They fight this. They want sins to remain external only. Oh no, we cannot be judged on our evil thoughts and evil desires. Oh, no.
Oh, yes. And that is one of Christ's points here. To be clean outside one must be clean inside. Washing hands is merely a symbol of interior purity.
Be perfect, even as your Heavenly Father is perfect.
Saturday, 8 September 2012
Kudos to Bishop Kieran Conry
I am so happy to see this. The Bishop of Arudel and Brighton, "my" diocese, is asking for all Catholics to stop at work and pray at 3:00. Cool, too cool.
I was hoping some bishop would do this.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9529035/Catholic-Church-calls-for-public-prayers-in-offices-on-Fridays.html
“Whatever you are doing, as your responsibilities allow, stop, perhaps close your eyes, bow your head and prayerfully and silently meditate on the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross out of love for you and everyone."
“You might even want to set your mobile phone to ring at 2.55pm to remind you to pause for prayer.”He added: "The exact words used are not so important as just pausing to be with Jesus in that moment. In this way you are not only deepening your relationship with him, but quietly and confidently witnessing to your faith to those around you." One could say the Divine Mercy Prayer.
I was hoping some bishop would do this.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9529035/Catholic-Church-calls-for-public-prayers-in-offices-on-Fridays.html
A bishop is recommending that they set the alarms on their mobile phones to remind them of the new observance as part of a move to promote faith in the workplace ahead of the Church’s “Year of Faith”.
It comes in the week that British government lawyers went to the European Court of Human Rights to defend the right of employers to ban the wearing of public symbols of faith such as the cross in the workplace.
The Rt Rev Kieran Conry, the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton and chair of the Church in England and Wales’s evangelisation committee, said the plan drew on traditions of saying special Friday prayers dating back to the 17th century.
He said: “I would like to invite every Catholic, especially during the Year of Faith, to pause for a moment of prayer of praise and thanksgiving at 3pm if possible, or perhaps when you break for lunch, on the first Friday of every month.
“Whatever you are doing, as your responsibilities allow, stop, perhaps close your eyes, bow your head and prayerfully and silently meditate on the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross out of love for you and everyone."
“You might even want to set your mobile phone to ring at 2.55pm to remind you to pause for prayer.”He added: "The exact words used are not so important as just pausing to be with Jesus in that moment. In this way you are not only deepening your relationship with him, but quietly and confidently witnessing to your faith to those around you." One could say the Divine Mercy Prayer.
Post Fury
This is a twelve post day.
Just take your time and read.
Greed in Chicago
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/06/12/how-much-do-chicago-public-school-teachers-make/
Chicago teachers make about $71,000 per year. They have the highest salaries in all of the States.
When I was teaching in private Catholic schools, my average salary was $19k per year plus insurance. I was a single mom raising a child. I had to leave and take two part-time jobs in order to make more money and teach home schooling.
Chicago teachers are GREEDY. I do not agree that the profession of teaching should be unionised. It use to be a profession, and now it is a job.
Greed.
Chicago teachers make about $71,000 per year. They have the highest salaries in all of the States.
When I was teaching in private Catholic schools, my average salary was $19k per year plus insurance. I was a single mom raising a child. I had to leave and take two part-time jobs in order to make more money and teach home schooling.
Chicago teachers are GREEDY. I do not agree that the profession of teaching should be unionised. It use to be a profession, and now it is a job.
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